Learning Styles

Everybody learns in different ways. Some people like a strict learning environment, and others like a looser one. Also, some people like to learn visually, while others work better by listening. This week we learned about learning theories, and learning styles. According to the pdf file we read for class, “a learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn.” It is also very helpful for understanding how learning occurs. There are three different theories that can be used to explain learning theories: behaviorist theory, information process theory, and constructivism. The first, behaviorist theory, focuses on cause and effect relationships through the observation of behavior. The information process theory focuses on the change of the information, and everything that happens during the change in the universe. This theory also states that humans have three different memory stores that work to register, process, store, and retrieve the information. The last theory, constructivism, states that people construct the knowledge in their minds by participating in different experiences. If a student is part of an activity, they will learn things on their own that are considered knowledge. There a plenty of arguments against this theory because students may not know how to learn from experiences, and also they might go about an experience the wrong way, which would end up with them not learning anything. People have different learning styles. The main three are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. If you are visual you learn by watching, if you are auditory you learn by listening, and if you are kinesthetic you learn by doing activities. I know that I don’t learn well from just listening to a teacher, so if they gave me an activity where I needed to listen, I would not learn as much. I took the learning style test, and like I thought I would, it told me I am mostly a visual learner, then kinesthetic, and lastly auditory.

This video shows how everybody has different learning styles that help them succeed. In the beginning of the video, the speaker says that everyone has been told that the best way to study is at a desk in a quiet place, but not all students learn best that way. Learning about these styles this week has helped to understand why people succeed in different ways.

It is extremely important as a teacher to understand the different ways that students learn. If my classroom is only geared towards one learning style, my kids won’t all succeed. Learning styles are probably most important for teachers to understand. If they have a child who is not succeeding when listening to lectures, they would know he/she is not an auditory learner, and can find different way to help. I know that I succeed when taking notes, or reading in silence, but not all of my students in the future will succeed if use my learning style into the classroom. Teachers need to know how to be open to all different styles. They can do activities, give lectures, and read along with students, that way all three learning styles are being used. The best kind of teacher is one who can work with all kinds of students, no matter what learning style they have.

Inspiration Concept-Map

http://mywebspiration.com/view/549582a138f7

This is my concept-map for social tools in education.

Instructional Media

In the recent years that technology has been increasing, so has the use of it in schools. Instead of teachers writing words on a whiteboard, or reading off a sheet of paper, kids are being introduced to lessons through instructional media. This week we learned about multimedia. According to the pdf file given to us, multimedia is a program that can contain still pictures, moving pictures, sound, animation, text, motion pictures, or video, and is considered multimedia as long as any two are combined. This is a very different way of teaching kids, because back in the day teachers never had this type of technology that could benefit students. Instructional media can appeal to many different students who have specific learning styles, and it also helps develop their critical and creative thinking skills. Students can learn how to put presentations together, make websites, create videos, etc. I remember when I was in school, I learned how to make PowerPoint’s, and we would give presentations in front of the class which helped us learn many skills. This week, I learned how to make an appropriate instructional media. Before I read this, when I made PowerPoint’s I used a variety of colors, gave each slides pretty backgrounds, and never organized it well. Reading this pdf file that explains how simple pages are better for learners made me realize there was a lot more to creating PowerPoint’s than I thought. There are four key guidelines that must be thought about while creating the instructional media: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Simple colors, like black and white, work perfect together. There is no need to have a rainbow of colors on each page, consistent colors work better together. You want to keep it simple by using key phrases instead of complete sentences, and use a lot of white space. Boxes will keep your pages organized, and size font 28 will be the best view for the learners. Looking at a simple, organized slide will be easier for them to follow because it will be clear. In the end, more skills are being taught through using the technology, and it makes the classroom more exciting.

I found this video on YouTube.com called “Media Smarts: Kids Learn How to Navigate the Multimedia World.” It starts off by saying how the average American kid spends more than 6.5 hours on the computer or in front of a screen each day. Kids are used to being put in front of a screen, which is why technology in schools is beneficial to children. When they go to school and listen to a monotone voice for a couple of hours straight, their focus will begin to fade. On the other hand, having computers in the classrooms is second nature to most kids these days, and they will be able to follow along well. Not only can you teach old lessons with technology, but new ones as well. A group of 4^th graders learned how to create an animated short, and some kids in high school have learned how to make video biographies. The video also talks about how students use their creativity to write and tell stories through film. Ultimately, this video is adding on to the opinion that technology in schools benefits children by teaching them important critical and creative thinking skills and more. 

As an education major and future teacher, I am going to need to be able to make suitable PowerPoint’s for my students, and know how to teach with technology. I don’t want my students to be bored every day; I want them to be excited to come to class to learn new things. My mom tells me all of the time how much her students love when she shows them videos, or goes on the internet with them. It is a new way of learning that can relate to this generation. I want to be able to put together instructional media lessons, whether it is a PowerPoint, or a video. Once I am able to make my own, I can teach my students how to do it themselves. All throughout life multimedia can be used, and I am going to need to teach my students what it is, and why it is important.

Copyright Video

This is a video from YouTube called "Copyright." It is a cute cartoon that tells you everything you need to know about copyright laws, and why they are important.

Copyright and Fair Use

This week, we learned about a subject that is going to be helpful to everyone. Copyrighting is a very serious matter, and can be taught to anybody at any age. Copyrights protect the rights of authors and their original works. If they do not want anybody stealing or reproducing their work, they can make it illegal for someone to do so. Creators of the original work have full control over what happens with it. They are protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Code, and according to the presentation Introduction to Copyright, if any laws are broken, fees up to $100,000 must be paid. Works that can be copyrighted consist of tangible or creative pieces like literature, videos, music, pictures, etc. On the other hand, works that cannot be copyrighted consist of works that have not been fixed, written, or recorded in tangible form. Examples could be slogans, titles, names, ideas, ingredients, etc. A lot of work is considered “public domain,” which people can use freely. Many times work becomes public domain if the copyright expires. Other reasons for work being in the public domain are that the authors never got a copyright, or the work could be from the U.S. government. You need to be extremely careful when using other peoples work because if you do not look to see if it is copyrighted, you could get in trouble. There are different ways to find out if something is copyrighted or not. Start out by looking for the creators of the work. If the work is original, it is most likely copyrighted, and if it government work it is not. The best thing to do is ask the author. If it is copyrighted, asking the author will allow you to do what you want with the piece, as long as the author said it is okay. 

Another subject that we learned about is the Fair Use Act, which sets limitations on copyrights. It states that with some works, reproduction is considered fair. Different instances could be teaching, news reporting, or commenting. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, there are four factors that can help determine whether a use of work is fair or not. In a song we listened to this week called User’s Rights, Section 107, the singer asks the question “How will I know when fair use applies to my situation?” and then it gives the four factors: the nature of the use, the purpose of the use, the amount of the use, and the effect on potential markets. If you make sure that any of these four factors are being used in your reproduction then you are not breaking a copyright law.

I found this video on YouTube.com that was about the Copyright Law and the Fair Use Act. It is a bunch of Disney movie clips that explain exactly what we learned this week. The title of it, A Fair(y) Use Tale, is very cute because it mixes the Disney aspect and the copyright aspect. The video is split up into five chapters: copyright definition, what things can be copyrighted, copyright duration & the public domain, fair use, and why use Disney cartoons. This 10 minute video tells you all of the information you need to know about copyrights and fair use. In the last chapter, why use Disney cartoons, they say that the Disney company takes copyrights seriously because without it their movies and ideas could be stolen, as many other authors, composers, and directors would agree.

Copyrights are going to be a huge subject for me when I become a teacher. I am going to have to watch myself as well as my students. Teachers can easily copy the work of others in ways that may not be legal, and students certainly can too. A lot of what I remember from school is all of my teachers telling me not to plagiarize. In the past it was not so easy to catch, but now with the improvement in technology and the internet, there are tons of websites that will catch students plagiarizing. All teachers need to do is enter in the students work, and the original copies will show up. As a teacher, I do not want to see my students copying other peoples work. I want to see them succeed on their own. Instilling the ideas that stealing is wrong will help children, not only in school, but in life as well. Kids go to school to learn things for the future, and copyright laws will always come up in the future. Whether it is for a college paper, or a presentation at work, people always have to be careful with what other author’s works they are using. The job of the elementary school teacher is to make sure children understand this concept, so that way they will stay out of trouble in the future.

Growing Up Online

At first I was worried about watching an hour long video about the internet, but right when “Growing Up Online” started, I was drawn in. The video covered so many different issues in an hour. It started off with showing how much technology has grown in schools, for the better. Nowadays, every school utilizes their computers, and many have even gone beyond that with Smart Boards. Smart Boards are interactive whiteboards that many teachers, including my mom, use in the classroom. These boards entertain the kids and keep their attention. In the video, one school principal stated “We can’t possibly expect the learner of today to be engrossed by someone who speaks in a monotone voice with a piece of chalk in their hand.” Kids need interactive activities, or else they will turn their attention to something different. However, technology is not always the best thing. The remaining stories of “Growing Up Online” were showing how the internet can be a dangerous thing. There was one story about a young girl who was bubbly, sweet, and athletic, but at home on the computer her true feelings could be expressed. She was anorexic, and nobody knew except her fellow anorexic online friends. She found websites that would have discussions on how to live with the eating disorder. The site gave her tips and tricks on how to lose more weight, and she could talk to anyone about their experiences. Instead of helping her, the internet made her anorexia grow. Another story was about a boy who was bullied both at school and online. The internet helped him meet people who were in similar situations, and they could search websites, looking for ways to commit suicide. In the end, he killed himself. Obviously, it was not the internet that made him decide to kill himself, but it helped him in a way. The video explains how a lot of parents are worried about “predators” online, and how the kids are the victims, but sometimes it’s the kids who are to blame. There was another story about a girl who created a whole new person called Autumn Edows. She would post inappropriate pictures that she considered art, and others considered pornographic. When her school got a hold of her website they contacted her parents. It is ok for kids to express themselves, but they have to be careful of how much is exposed. Colleges, employers, and other important people can look at what people have posted on the internet, and that could make or break their decisions. An article I found online called “4 Dangers of the Internet” said the 4 dangers are cyber bulling, sexual predators, pornography, and damaged reputations. It is crazy how this article and the video are talking about the exact same problems with the internet. Even though internet is a huge advancement and so helpful in numerous ways, there are still some dangers. Ultimately, I think “Growing Up Online” is trying to tell watchers to look out for themselves, their friends, and their family members.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/

The links I chose go hand in hand with the discussion this week. Internet can be a very good thing for schools, as shown by the progress made with Smart Boards. On the other hand, there are many dangers of the internet that parents, teachers, and friends need to look for when watching their kids on the computer.

The topic of technology relates greatly to my major, education, because technology is used in schools every day. As I learn how to become a better teacher, I will be learning how to use technology with my students. My mom, who has been teaching for 14 years, is still going to workshops that are teaching her how to use the new technology. She tells me how her students love watching her use her Smart Board, and I have also seen firsthand how kids love it when I volunteer. However, as a teacher, I will need to monitor my kids, making sure they are safe when using the internet. Teachers don’t only teach math and reading, they teach life skills as well. I am going to need to know the dangers of the internet, that way I can teach my kids how to stay away from it. I remember in 7^th grade I learned about the predators on the web, and I talked to my teacher about it later that day and it helped me stay away from meeting strangers online. I want to be that teacher that kids can come to when they need help with a problem, internet wise or not. Learning about new technologies, the positives and the negatives, will always make me a better teacher.