I wanted to start by talking with the cognitive processes of learning. I found this section very interesting, I have read a few different things about this and have taken a couple of classes that have talked about these things. It really wasn't until I got into the classroom that I really started looking and understanding these things. Going from my time in school to now a teacher I think that it is amazing the difference in importance these are with the different age of learners. When you are in college you really need things like activation of prior knowledge and encoding these are things that someone would really need, it is all about prior knowledge and being able to relate what you are currently learning. This still happens to a point in the classroom that I am currrently teaching but I don't think that it is the most important thing cognitively for the lower grade learner. The two that I think are the most important at the level I teach are attention and motivation. This is where I believe the use of technology and rich media come in. Kids need to be motivated to learn, unlike a college kid who is pretty much internally motivated younger grades may need a teachers help. Getting their attention will help with motivation, in the text they use the term edutainment which is using multimedia experiences to help keep attention and motivation. It is something that I have always said I wanted to do it takes time to set up but obviously from this text you can see how important it is.
The second part that I found interesting was a particular quote it says " a learners level of prior knowledge is the single most important individual difference variable involved in learning and is the most important characteristic to know to help you design appropriate training." This is true if designing training in the business sector or for any teacher in a classroom. It is also probably one of the single hardest things that i come across on daily basis, how do I make my lesson so that it reaches everyone. I think that use of rich media and technology would also have an issue with this. You can make the programs to use in your classroom but not everyone will have the knowledge to put it to use. This really is crux of education, you must reach all learners not matter where they are at.
You bring up two great points. We need to capture students attention. With technology that students are using everyday (texting, playing video games with people around the world, Computers) it can be challenging to grab their attention. Students also need motivation. I think even in high school students are learning how to be intrinsically motivated. From what I recall from the reading the authors did not care for Edutainment in its fullest extent.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that we both found the same quote. I think that is the most important thing I would have to work on as I always go on the assumption that they know nothing and start from there--so maybe I'm boring them right from the get go. Thats one I'm really going to have to look at--I always thought pre-testing was lame, but now see it may be important to be able to engage them at their level to start with.
ReplyDeleteMargie
In my observation, even though students have different learning styles, almost all of them seem to respond positively to the use of rich media. If given careful consideration to the most appropriate choice of technology, students can be inspired to do great things!
ReplyDeleteI was pleased to read that motivation is an important reason for incoroporating rich media. After reading about how technology has to offer something truly unique to learning, I was starting to question some of the technologies I had previously thought to be helpful. This section really helped me take a step back and realize that--at the very least--most technology will motivate students because of its "edutainment" factor.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in stating that motivation and attention are important, but I would have to say they are important across the realm of learning/teaching. Whether it be in an elementary classroom, a high school class, a college seminar, or a business training session, if the "students" are not engaged (motivated and attentive) then learning cannot occur. Technology is a great way to create motivation and attention, as long as it is used correctly. I have too often seen technology used inappropriate where it actually becomes a hindrance to learning.
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