Social Learning Theory

This weeks lesson deals with social learning theory. I believe that one of the most important skills that students can learn in the high school setting is how to effectively interact with others. I believe that this skill will be invaluable to them in the future. If students are unable to communicate and collaborate with others, they will have a difficult time in the workforce.
In many of my classes, I try to create projects in which I can group students together and have them work toward a common goal / assignment. Currently, the technologies that I utilize most are blogging and wikis. I am excited to learn about the Voicethread technology. I believe that I can find many uses for this in my classroom. Also, I believe that it might be a great way to have the students interact and gain confidence in their communication skills.
We teach our students many things but are they just memorizing facts or can they apply the knowledge? I believe one way to ensure that they can infact apply the knowledge is to allow them to work collectively and to collaborate to build upon each others strengths and weakness and gain a better understanding of the content.

Constructionism

There are many tools that were discussed in the learning resources this week that can be utilized to accomodate the constructionism theory. Many of the Microsoft Office applications are great tools that allow students to create and build. I also use wikis as a tool to allow students to explore. By utilizing these tools students are engaged in learning and the process of creating.

Cognitive Learning Theories

This week deals with cognitive learning theories. Dr. Michael Orey discusses different strategies and hypotheses. One of the the three stages of information processing that Dr. Orey discusses is long term memory. When dealing with long-term memory I try to tie most of the content material that I teach to life experiences. By giving my students experiences to tie their learning to I believe that I am providing them with a link to recall such content. I also try to utilize many pictures and images in my instruction. By giving the students a visual representation, I am helping students make the necessary connections and links to material.
One of the tools that Dr. Orey discussed was concept mapping. I have yet to utilize this tool. Our application this week deals with concept mapping. I can't wait to experience the tool and utilize it in my classroom. I am hoping the experience will be a pleasant one.

Behavorist Learning Theory

In reviewing the resources for this week on behaviorist learning theory, I noted that I utilize the tutorial approach as discussed by Dr. Michael Orey in the resource DVD "Behaviorist Learning Theory." This approach is used in my computer applications classes which deals with MS Office in the first part of the course. Using the tutorial approach allows students to work through the lessons step-by-step then test their retention by answering review questions and completing projects. I believe that this approach is effective in this class due to it being a "starter course."
Typically, students need about 24 practice sessions with a skill in order to achieve 80-percent competency (Marzano et al., 2001, p.67). I believe that by allowing my students to utilize the step by step tutorial in this class, I am giving them the practice that they need to comprehend the material. By allowing the students to utilize MS Office on a daily basis, they are increasing their level of understanding and are able to build upon what they have learned in each lesson.
I believe that the tutorial approach gives the students a feeling of autonomy and self-empowerment. They are working alone or collaborating with their peers to complete lessons which gives them a feeling of control in the learning environment. By allowing students a feeling of control in the learning evironment, I believe that they will put forth more of an effort in the process which in turn lead to achievement in the course.

Week One

Hello, everyone. One week completed in the Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction and Technology course at Walden. I am looking forward to the next few weeks.