Question 4

Gardner , Bloom and Glasser

The inclusion on the above hyperlinked game in my existing blog demonstrates incorporated aspects of many theorists work.

To begin with, including the picture and game in the blog showed the use of Gardener's thinking. According to Gardner there are multiple intelligences and everyone has a predominant learning style. The picture would stimulate interest in many visual learners as broke up the text and provided a visual stimulation for them. The game was as important inclusion as it was an education game that required players to consider different countries stances on nuclear weapons. Therefore it would have stimulated visual, existential, kinesthetic and logical learners.

The picture and game also incorporated ideas by Bloom, as the children are required to think when playing the game. They are expected to hear facts about certain countries and deduce which country it was and their stance on nuclear weapons. It requires deeper thought such as analyzing and evaluating. Some remembering is also required as student’s prior knowledge is also very useful in the game.

According to Glasser, fun is one of the five driving forces in someone life. This is shown in the blog through the game above as many students consider games to be a fun aspect of learning. They also have the freedom to choose whether to play or for how long they will play. Freedom is another of the five driving forces.

Vygotsky

The following is a comment from another student visiting the blog.

What would it have been like if this was done at 8pm last night???Well this could have been an interesting phone conversation, alot of swearing and some laughing about how stupid we are because we can't do it. Then the questions would have come flying 'how did you do that?' 'what does your screen look like?' 'how come mine doesn't look like that?' 'what's wrong with my #$!* *^#$@!* computer?'. This could have been a disaster last night, but because we were all sitting here helping each other we were talking it through. Guys this is SOCIAL INTERATCTION at its best. We are now a community, an online community who would have thought... Communicating in person and with a screen infront of the both of you is so much easier than over the phone, where little, stupid mistakes are easily missed.
Posted by Karlie

The inclusion of this comment shows social interaction as it allows communication between people and the sharing of their ideas. Vygotsky believed that social interaction was vital. He also believed that when two students share ideas, their zone of proximal development meets. Thus they learn from each other. The inclusion of this post shows the thoughts of another student, by posting it, others can read it and thus learn from her thoughts. If they wish, they can reply, thus completing the circle of social interaction and learning from your peers.

Question 2

Please click on the above picture to see the writing better.

Question 3

The best aspects of online learning can be considered to be leaner diversity, sharing of ideas and information and experience in digital navigation.

The prospect for the diversity in teaching and learning through online work is enormous. In a traditional classroom, individual work in logical/mathematical and linguistic/written work is often highly valued above all else. In an ICT classroom, or even through computers in a normal classroom, students are constantly experiencing various ways of producing and reporting information. They learn that pictures, videos, music, art can all be ways to express themselves and their ideas. This is facilitated greatly by programs such as clip art, inspiration and especially the internet. Students can compose or create their own music online, direct a play, build a pyramid, study the elements of the periodic table. The diversity of experiences that students can find online is incredible.

Being able to share information with people around the world is another incredible aspect of online learning. A child in America can share their learning experiences and knowledge with a child in Sydney with the click of a button. Programs such as Wiki’s, Blogs and other collaborative works let students and teachers share with those around them. It is possible to find expert information on the net from someone’s web page, and then email them to start a discussion or ask for more detailed information. This kind of sharing and learning was almost impossible before.

Today’s world is fast becoming ruled by digital technology and it is important for students to try to keep up with the changing times and learn through the technology that is constantly around them. According to Prensky, today’s children are fast becoming Digital Natives and as such are much more comfortable with online learning than traditional methods. When they leave school, computers and the internet will most likely be a large part of their working and social life. Teaching students through online learning has the added benefit of preparing them for the changing world around them.

Therefore you can see that online learning has many useful aspects including diversity of information and learning styles, information and ideas sharing and experience in the ever growing field of digital technology.

Question 1

1. Clear and concise (no waffling)
2. Individualistic
3. Has plenty of pictures, diagrams, hyperlinks and other stimuli
4. Information is correct and current
5. Information is interesting and requires the reader to engage in higher order thinking
6. Includes material for all kinds of learning styles
7. Cognitive tools for deeper learning
8. Links to other relevant sites

http://www.surfaquarium.com/mi/intelligences.htm
It is important to have links such as the one above as it covers points 6 and 8 in the list. The website is based on Gardners' multiple intelligences and covers 9 different intelligences. It provides games, websites and other creative and useful information for each intelligence and so is useful to all learners. The games are a fun and interesting way for people to learn and it keeps the learners engaged. An example of one the games is hyperlinked to the picture above.

Diagrams such as the one above are essential in a blog when trying to explain something. Diagrams are a simple and effective way of explaining complex ideas and theories. The visual stimulation engages the learner and makes them think about the topic and what the diagram really means. They interpret the information to make it fit their existing schema and understanding of the topic. Thus they achieve a greater understanding of the subject matter.

Videos are another important component of a good blog. It engages all learners especially those who are visual learners. It breaks up the writing on the page thus drawing people's attention and keeps them from losing focus. It also provides a visual depiction of the information the author wants portrayed.

Testing

This is a test post...