Digital Blog Post #C

Hello Everyone, hows y'all's week going? Mine, well its going on a fast pace schedule so I can enjoy my weekend with family and friends. So lets get this thing going...

To start off I have to say Chapter 3 started off with theories...Every time a professor says "Okay guys I know this is boring, but we have to talk about theories this week." This sets you up for disaster, and let me tell you I have heard this at least twenty times. So starting this chapter off with theories wasn't to exciting for me. But here it goes...

Teacher Vs Student Centered methods of teaching, as I read these approaches I began to think of something I learned in a past teaching class. I could think of the concept, but I couldn't think of the name. Until I kept reading the chapter and lone and behold there it was "Maria Montessori". The student centered approach seemed to me that the children still have structure like a regular school, but they choose their structure like Maria's. In my opinion, both approaches should be used within a school. Teachers should divide their time so that the students who learn from lectures get their time and the students who learn from projects get theirs. This will allow every student the opportunity to succeed.

The next concept I reviewed was Online Problem-Solving Environments. The book stated three primary characteristics  of solving problems in online learning  game environments:

• students use computers to do what they cannot easily do on paper
• student encounters types of problems that occur in the real world or problems of personal interest to them 
• students integrate knowledge of technology with academic content

The easiness of technology lets children do the lengthy work of research, learning, and problem solving. This reminded me of when I was in the Seventh Grade and my teacher would let us play a game on the internet. This game had different subjects you could be tested on and for each answer you got correct a grain of rice was given to the hungry. It may not seem like much but eventually we would end up with a big total. And we felt the fun in learning and giving at the same time.

The last concept I read over was Redefining Creativity.... OH MY GOSHHHHHH!!! Way to end the chapter with a light at the end of the tunnel. This made my mind and heart explode. I can not rephrase this in any way but just put the excerpt from the book here:

"To be creative, children do not need to design, compose, or develop something no one has done before; they may need only to say or do things they have not thought or done before quite the same way or style. The creative act can be what is new to the individual, not new to the world."

So many people feel as though they have no talent that they do not stand out because this person can sing or this person can do this. But this, this right here says different this right here says that we are all special and creative in our own ways. And my goodness this book has finally gave the answer of how people are special and creative in their own ways... Dropping the microphone...

Creative Commons Photo By Miss Wetzel's Art Class

References:

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.