Constipated?

Today class was very interesting… Before coming into class Synectics was a practice that I had only read about in very recent history (this past weekend). After reading I was still completely engrossed in confusion and frustration. Teri’s presentation opened my eyes and helped me to view this strategy as a free thinking teaching and learning style. It helps teachers and students create an environment in the classroom where students can feel comfortable and able to express themselves.
The class was so much fun and the references kept my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed the angle the Teri took to interpret and convey the lengthy/complex information of the Synectics strategy.

Marc vs. The LIBRARY

The “LIBRARY” and I have not been on good terms since our falling out my senior of college. I spent so much time with the LIBRARY that my girlfriend became severely jealous and left me for a more suitable companion (I think he was a COMPUTER LAB guy). All of that time spent in the stacks searching, reading, scanning, and copying. I spent many hours wasting time on useless text. Once I discovered EBSCO Host my life was made a little bit easier but it still did not mend the wounds caused by the LIBRARY.

Cognitive Theory

Class last week was great! It was interactive, stimulating and informative. I enjoyed the creativity and interactive nature of the lesson. Offering visuals to support what is being taught is a practice that I often apply to my classroom. Some lessons lend themselves more to this practice then others but I feel that visuals are very effective.
The cognitive theory is something that I learned early in my college career and I have tried to base my lesson plans and teaching style around it. I love building on prior knowledge and referring back to previously learned information to help learners make more connections. This past class reminded me of the importance of each step in creating a lesson plan.

Life in the Internet Lane

I really did enjoy the class last Tuesday and its convenience although it was difficult and at some points confusing. I think that it was fun and can serve a purpose if used in the correct way.

It was very interesting how Karen took advantage of the opportunity that was given (present via the internet/wimba) and make the best of it. I did obtain a lot of information from our class session and have been actively looking for the "behaviorisms" in the way that I teach.

Behaviorism is a basic and simple form of teaching that is very ridged and strict. Karen, with her performance on Tuesday, changed my mind! She used creative skill building exercises (online games and Power Point slides) to explain the game of craps. Even though the lesson was based around probability she found a creative way to gain a learners attention and keep it!

No Excuses

There is no excuse for missing class ever again! I can remember those days when I was a young child and faked being sick so that I could take a day to myself. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and slow my life down. With the new found application of Wimba there is no reason why you would have to miss class. I really do like the opportunity that Wimba offers and I am already trying to think of ways that I can apply it to my classroom. I am going to put a webcam in my classroom and watch my class while I am not in the room (maybe on a sick day).
During class we reviewed Wimba and many of the opportunities that it offers. The option that put websites, pictures and other visual things up for everyone to see was my favorite part of the class. I am looking forward to being able to gain a new perspective for teaching and learning through all of the applications that this program has to offer.