My Digital story!!!

This was a challenge, it is a great experience!!!

I love the idea when we share our stories in ITEC 800 class.
This is a community of learning, I felt so connected with my classmates and with the project.

I went to the workshop at KQED, 3 days.
I met amazing people and I learn how to use the digital programs.

I uploaded my Story in to my YouTube account, then here at my blogger and finally in my SFSU iLearn account. It was very easy I just follow the instructions in every case.

About my story i just want to say that this is one of my biggest fears... thanks for listening.
I hope you enjoy it as I did.
Natalia ;)

Net Generation

Hello all !!!

I want recommend to all of you the documentary of PBS Frontline, “Growing on-line” very linked with our reading for this week “Educating the Net Generation” by Oblinger Diana an James.

I hope you enjoy it as I did. Because it is amazing to find in a document and at the same time in a TV documentary how kids are getting socially connected and represented in the media, and how they learn from it.

The way net generation is using the web is so different from the one teachers and parents do. Today's Web is more participatory, more social and more flexible than ever before, kids grow up used to surfing and downloading content, they are involved also creating content (uploading photographs, posting opinions, maintaining an online journal, or blog, updating online profiles and creating new personalities thru avatars or "Web 2.0") as well as consuming it, scanning blogs, watching videos and listening music.

Watch it online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

Best,
Natalia ;)

Meaningful learning (!!!)

I believe Schema Theory and Mental Models are important in teaching and learning because these theories explore the importance of find a common ground about people knowledge before to teach or learn something new.

Teaching is about to find/create a context to motivation to learn. Learning is mostly about why we should learn things, about what is the practical benefit if we learn some things or not.

I believe learning is participation, my classmates also believe is discovering, adventure and a "long route". Last class we conclude that most learning occurred naturally thrum activities, context and culture (Communities of learning and assessment in situ).

This made me think about Cultural Capital. Have you ever heard about it?

Cultural Capital is a theory that attempts to explain differential educational achievement in a way that combines a wide range of differing influences.

For example, we can note that the theory brings into focus the question of cultural values as they relate to things like:

What constitutes "knowledge"?
How knowledge is to be achieved.
How knowledge is validated and so forth.

In this respect, almost any cultural feature of people's lives can, under the right circumstances, be applied to an explanation of achievement/under achievement.

And this also point about economic and class background as influence over individual’s learning.

Finally, we had an interesting discussion about a new tendency called Life Coaching. I never heard about it before but basically refer to high class and business leadership trainers. If you want to check go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_coach

;)

Gagne's 9 steps in language learning

Hola!!!! Ohayou! Jambo! Muli Bwanji!

Last class we discussed the principles of how we learn through the teaching theories of Gagne and his 9 steps of instructional events. All my classmates create a small teaching exercise using them.

1) Gain Attention.
2) inform learners of objective.
3) stimulating recall of prior knowledge.
4) presenting the stimulus.
5) providing learning guidance.
6) eliciting performances.
7) providing feedback.
8) assessing performance.
9) enhancing retention and reform

My big surprise was how these steps were used by my classmates to teach others languages. We learned some to greet people in Swahili, Japanese, and Chichewa, and how to write in Chinese. It was a diverse language activity. I should do the same in Spanish…