Chapter 10 in Learning and Cognition - Content-Area Learning

I enjoyed how the book divided up learning styles and techniques by different subject matters. By specifically looking at how students comprehend and understand different content areas, educators can determine the best instructional methods for teaching their students. However, I was disappointed that the chapter didn’t focus much time on the importance of cross curricular teaching. I agree that it is important to teach your subject matter but research has shown how it is more important to use combined learning techniques from all subjects. Therefore I don’t believe that mostly one subject has more reasoning than others or one fosters more problem solving skills. What is your opinion?   

Chpater 9 in Learning and Cognition - Neuroscience of Learning

Neuroscience can seem like a daunting subject to examine but it is actually important for educators to understand the inner workings of the student nervous system and brain. I have often heard people saying they are more right brained or more left brained but I never really paid attention to what that actually meant. The left hemisphere of the brain controls analytical thinking and reading while the right processes spatial, auditory, emotional and artistic abilities. The most important I read was that the brain ultimately uses both left and right sides of the brain simultaneously to regulate learning and other activities. This makes me wonder if there is truly such a thing as being predominantly right or left brained and what I would be considered. What about you?  

Chapter 11 in Learning and Cognition - Motivation Theory

In the field of education, it is of vital importance to understand motivation theory and how human motivated behavior can help students and teachers in the classroom. The most interesting concept to me is that of achievement behavior – the fear of failure, the hope for achievement and even the fear of success. I have watched countless students struggle with the fear of failure to where they unwittingly perpetuate their fear. The self-worth theory from Covington also discusses how the feelings of the students can actually impede their own learning efforts. As educators, I wonder how we can help motivate students to increase their own self-worth. Decrease their fear of failure and realize exactly how talented they truly are?

Chapter 8 in Learning and Cognition - Developmental Theories

The chapter also discusses how to create developmentally appropriate instruction. However, I was struck with the multitude of factors educators should examine for this instruction and how it varies greatly from student to student. For example, we are to look at their transitioning behaviors, bodily changes, financial background, the developmental stages students are in, how they process information and much more. I have used several techniques in the Table 8.6 (pg 348 - “developmentally appropriate instructional practices”) and I have always taken the time to get to know my students but I wonder how other teachers get to know their students and learn about their students in order to help them develop?  

Chapter 7 in Learning and Cognition: Cognition and Instruction

I loved that this chapter focused partly on Technology and Instruction (p.311 – 322). As a technology teacher, I have always been a strong advocate for the integration of technology into teaching styles as a means of stimulation, important 21st century skills, and engagement. My favorite sentence from the book is “Technology is not a cause of learning; rather it is a means for applying principles of effective instruction and learning.”

I am an advocate of the use of technology integration, not of technology taking over all of the teaching duties. Technology cannot be looked at as a solution to teaching problems but as a vehicle to help engage students in the learning process. For example, I do not think creating a power point presentation and reading it word for word to students is utilizing technology effectively for instruction. When have you seen technology misused in teaching practices?

Chapter Six in Learning and Cognition - Constructivist Theory

Constructivism is not a theory but a philosophical explanation of how individuals learn. If one is to look at a constructivist classroom, one would notice that students would be asked to show their mastery of skills through the creation of some type of product. For example, while in this Masters Program we are required to create an ePortfolio. This ePortfolio displays our mastery. This product does not always have to be tangible. It can be a student asking questions or even having a discussion on the topic being taught. What forms of products have you used in your classroom that integrates constructivist views of teaching?

Chapter Five in Learning and Cognition - Cognitive Learning Processes

In this chapter, the most thought provoking sentence I read was “Simply knowing what to do and how to do it does not produce success.” I think this statement explains why many students do not feel successful in education. Educators must know how students learn information and how that knowledge is stored, retrieved and then used. Through educators understanding the process, students can learn about metacognition and be aware of their own learning and cognition styles. With self-regulation, students gain a level of personal knowledge they did not have before.



What are some techniques to help students develop metacognition awareness?

Chapter Four in Learning and Cognition - Information Processing Theory

I think what I took most from this chapter was a better understanding of how to teach my students and the different ways they store and retrieve information. I found it most fascinating that some things I already did in class to engage my students and their prior knowledge of certain subjects were things specifically discussed in the Information Processing Theory chapter.

I learned the most from the information given to help students with short term memory and with long term memory. I didn’t realize how important it was to know the difference between the two and the different instructional techniques that are needed to help students reach their fullest potential. For example, when it comes to short term memory and teaching a lesson, I should focus on sensory items that will get the students’ attention and help them focus on the immediate goals. For long term memory exercises, it is best to connect what the students are learning to something that they can relate to and that is already a part of their lives.

As a teacher, we have more control over the memories and information processes of students than we might realize. All memory functions can be enhanced or triggered by the techniques that we use to instruct. For example, a teacher that is interactive with their students and allows students to work together on projects will have much more success over a teacher that just lectures his or her students.

Overall, as a teacher I found this chapter very interesting and will keep these instructional techniques in my long term memory for future use.

Chapter Three in Learning and Cognition - Social Cognitive Theory

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) falls under behaviorism which is intended to explain why animals and humans act a certain way. SCT can be found everyday in the classroom but also simply at home. For example, in the classroom a teacher may use modeling to show a student how to complete a math problem. The student observes the teacher and watches what the teacher does. Then the student completes a similar math problem by modeling after and learning from the teacher. At home, a younger child observes everything and everyone around him. He will emulate anything an adult or older sibling does. The child learns from watching others.

The processes of observational learning are very important for a teacher to understand. Attention, Retention, Production and Motivation are all essential concepts for a productive classroom. The teacher must first gain the attention of the students. Then the teacher focuses on educating so that the student retains the information he or she is taught. The student is asked to create a product to show mastery of the assignment and the student must be motivated through the entire process to learn.

I truly believe in SCT and use in my classroom. I do use the hands-on approach to teaching and think that my students benefit from it. I also encourage them to watch other students and help one another. By observing their peers, they can often learn in a way that I may not be able to teach them. How have you used Social Cognitive Theory in your classroom? How about at home?

Chapter Two in Learning and Cognition - Conditioning Theories

Educational Conditioning Theories make up the back bone of many teaching styles and educational outlooks. Conditional learning is one of the basic forms of associative learning or making a new association between events in the environment. Ivan Pavlov is a famous scientist who discovered and documented the principles governing how animals and humans learn. His example of the bell ringing and the dog's response for food is one of the most used examples of how conditioning works.

In a classroom environment, this example reminds me of my high school students. When the school year first starts, my high school students would automatically jumped out of their seats and head for the door when the bell rang to signify the end of class. However, I had to condition them and make it a habit to where instead they would sit quietly in their seats and wait for me to tell them "Have a great day." If a student was standing or talking, the other students would police themselves and tell that student to sit down and get quiet so that I would dismiss them. This became a habit for them and what they knew I expected of them. It soon became second nature for them to wait for dismissal in my class before leaving.

Have you experienced this or have made this happen in your classroom or home? I look forward to more examples of how this works in everyday life.

Extra research done at: http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9712&cn=353

Texas Distance Learning Association Fall Leadership Conference

I am currently attending the Fall Leadership Conference for the Texas Distance Learning Association. I was blessed with receiving a scholarship to attend the conference and was honestly very clueless to what TxDLA is and does.

I have since met incredibly nice, professional people and have come to identify with the goals and work of TxDLA. I have also been given the opportunity to work with the marketing team.

For any educator, professional, student or individual that has a career involving educational technology, this organization is a great starting point for those of you that want to get involved.

You can find more information at: http://www.txdla.org/

Creation of Copyright Camp

For one of my courses that I am currently taking, I am in the process of creating Copyright Camp. This website will be a tool that I use in my future classrooms. The purpose of it is to inform teachers, staff and students about copyright laws. It is a continuous work in progress. I will update i and work on it often. Any comments or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! 

http://edtechexpress.pbworks.com/

Online Books, Poems, Short Stories - Read Print Library

Online Books, Poems, Short Stories - Read Print Library

Love it! Free online books, poems and short stories...tons of classics!

Fall Semester...

Fall 2010

This is the first week of my Fall Semester at the University of Texas at Brownsville. The Master of Education in Educational Technology program has far exceeded my expectations. The two courses I completed over the summer renewed my excitement and outlook on education and educational technology. I am eager to begin my new courses (6320 Instructional Technology, 6342 Technology Leadership and 6343 Master Teacher Tech Practicum). 

Over the summer I have found a few projects and ideas that I will try to focus on this semester. These include the gaming program Kodu, early age technology integration and research over the effects of the dissolution of the Technology Applications credit requirement for high school graduation in Texas. I will keep this blog updated with all of my research and projects. I hope that others can learn from my work and research.

I look forward to hearing from you!   

Downloading Kodu Again...

I just received my new laptop to use for my Masters courses and one of the first programs I downloaded onto the new machine was Kodu. While I am downloading it, I wanted to create a guide for others downloading it.

Step One: Go to http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html and click on Try Kodu Now

Step Two: I've discovered that you have to have two programs on your computer in order for Kodu to run correctly -
.Net Framework 3.5 - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/cc378097.aspx
XNA Framework 3.1 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=53867a2a-e249-4560-8011-98eb3e799ef2&displaylang=en

The download wizard for Kodu will run a system analysis and tell you if your computer has these two programs or not. It will also take you to the place online where you can download them. If not, I have included the two sites above.

Step 3: Finish installing the game setup.

As I start experimenting with the program more, I will include the steps I take on this blog. I am also looking at using my 6 year old sister (1st Grade) and seeing how she reacts to the program.

Overview of Kodu Power Point Presentation

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

C:\Users\Enr User\Documents\6340 Pettyjoh Nweb Tool

View more presentations from Jessica Pettyjohn.

Interview with Derek Braman, Kodu Instructor

The following is the interview from Derek Braman based on the Kodu Club at Explorer Elementary.

Please DO NOT use any of interview without permission from both myself and Derek Braman. Thank you in advance!

Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.


● Jessica Pettyjohn
1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.

Explorer Elementary in Kentwood, MI has been using Kodu from Microsoft in an after school setting for the past two years. We have had four sessions of approximately 25 students in each session (total of about 100 students). We have tied Kodu in with our English Language Arts curriculum, specifically the area of writing. The writing process ties in well with what we have been doing in Kodu. At the beginning of each of the four sessions we have had, each group brainstorms vital storytelling elements and what are great characteristics in effective writing. Examples of these would be characters, setting, dialogue, action, etc. The students then brainstormed individual ideas to make a story around the theme of action and adventure. They created graphic organizers and drafted their stories within the first week, then spent the remainder of the seven weeks designing their games around the story they made.

2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.

My name is Derek Braman and I will be starting my 9th year of teaching in the fall. I taught my first two years as a middle school resource room teacher before teaching at Explorer Elementary in fifth grade, where I have been for the past 6 years. I teach science and language arts to my students and my teaching methods can be described as guided discovery and highly hands on experiential learning. In our science classes, we do a lot of questioning and experimenting both in real life and through a variety of technological means through websites, simulations, etc.

3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin? We began using Kodu in the winter of 2008/09 after an Explorer parent, Scott Quibell brought the new project to our attention. He had attended a conference where Kodu was presented and brought the idea to our building principal, who then brought the idea to a few staff members who would have found it to be an interesting idea. Other than the software available through Microsoft, we shaped the program into what was described above, with the blessing of Microsoft and the Fuse team.

4. Do you have corporate or community partners? Pfizer, Blue Sphere Solutions, and Microsoft were sponsors of getting our program started.

5. What have you used this program for? See #1. We have used in for an afterschool program/

6. What are the positive reactions from the students? Just about everything they had to say about the program was positive. THey loved how they were able to take their ideas and turn it into their own games and were then able to have other students play their games and get feedback. They were also excited about looking at other people’s games and how they could “borrow” ideas from them to add to their story and game.

7. What are the negative reactions from the students? About the only negative aspect we heard was that they wanted to take their game with them when they were done (something that seems to be an option now after feedback to Microsoft.). Some also wanted more time and didn’t want to be done so “quickly” after seven weeks.

8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example? The program is generally user friendly because of the menu screens for building a programming command. Rather than entering text and code, the users simply choose from visual commands and descriptions. Fourth and fifth grade students seem to have very little difficulty with the program, even when they run into trouble, it provides a great opportunity for problem solving and trial and error solutions.

9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum? We have used it in the realm of language arts and writing to “publish” our stories in a different way, but the program also has potential for use in areas of math, specifically sequencing, in science, by using the scientific method to try to achieve certain elements of the games or stories.

10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to? Here is a Prezi I put together for a board meeting that you have permission to use. Please make sure that it is only used for your presentation and project as some of the individuals in the videos haven’t released their information for use yet. However, it is pretty neat, so I hope it helps! (webaite removed for privacy issues. Please contact me or Derek Braman for this site.)

11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program? There have been few, but being able to have more time for students to use Kodu has been a little struggle. As they use Kodu mainly after school, some aren’t able to participate because of transportation issues or parents’ work schedules. Finding a way to have consistent time during the school day with fourth and fifth grade students would be great, but still a challenge.

12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu? In our experience, it has taken anywhere from about 15 minutes, to two full hour sessions to become completely familiar with Kodu. Much of this has to do with the familiarity of the game controller or lack thereof.

13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom? I would describe myself as a heavy technology integrator in my classroom. I use a interactive whiteboard from Polyvision called a Walk and Talk board, a document camera, a class set of Palm handhelds (purchased in 2003), an interactive tablet, a classroom microphone system, students response system (clickers), we have access to a mobile laptop cart, and a Flip video camera.

14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.

15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes? Of course!

Derek - Thank you again for your help and guidance while I am completing my work with this program! You, your school and your students are an inspiration!

More Wonderful Kodu Tutorial Websites

Here is a list of the following tutorials I have used to help me create my first Kodu game:

1. Simple Kodu game tutorial (using keyboard): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FjskAHgN0

2. How to Create Games with Official Microsoft Kodu: http://www.webtlk.com/2010/02/06/how-to-create-games-with-official-microsoft-kodu/

3. MS Kodu Game Lab, Getting Started Video Tutorials: http://fuse.microsoft.com/projects-kodu.html

Working On My Own Game

I got wonderful answers to my questions from Derek Braman. I'm looking forward to combining his answers with my other research. I am also in the process of creating my own game. It's been interesting but not as hard as I was worried it would be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it is a piece of cake, but I have found several online tutorials that help immensely. My favorite so far is:

Interview Questions for Kodu Teachers

I have sent the following questions to some of the teachers that have experiences with teaching Kodu. I'd love for some feedback! Thanks!

Please answer the following questions regarding Kodu to your best abilities. Any information I obtain from you will be used in a research project for my Educational Technology masters degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
- Jessica Pettyjohn

1. Please share some general information about your school and how it utilizes Kodu.
2. Please share some information about yourself and your methods of teaching.
3. When and how did the use of Kodu first begin?
4. Do you have corporate or community partners?
5. What have you used this program for?
6. What are the positive reactions from the students?
7. What are the negative reactions from the students?
8. Is the program user friendly? If so or if not, can you please give an example?
9. How can Kodu be integrated into classroom curriculum?
10. Are there any examples from students or videos of students working with the program that I would be able to have access to?
11. What issues or obstacles have you encountered while using and teaching this program?
12. How long does it normally take for students to become familiar with Kodu?
13. What other forms of technology do you use regularly in your classroom?
14. Please give any other additional information that you would like to share in regards to using Kodu with students.
15. Do I have your permission to use the answers to this interview for research purposes?