This week, though interesting and exciting, has me slightly concerned. I (and the rest of my class) learned about WebQuests, a way of utilizing the internet to help facilitate learning of a topic through student led exploration of an open-ended question, thus prompting them to contemplate on a deeper level a the topic. As a results this leads them to a more thorough and well-rounded understanding in which the student(s) come up with an answer or a product that has no particular right answer or possibly not even defined beforehand. We are now tasked to come up with such an assignment via a website that we create largely from scratch.
Learning about the building of website on Lynda.com utilizing Google Sites seems fairly straightforward and not incredibly difficult, though it will take some time. Coming up with an appropriate topic is making my head spin though. So many of the references explored within this module indicate that one should start small, with something that could be completed in roughly a few short days. Most of the ideas that I am exploring seem that they would be much more intensive, and take a longer time to explore and discover. A topic I believe I have focused in on revolves around having students explore numerous ideas on how to produce a good clarinet sound, and what that should sound like, with them comparing their own sound to their new idea they wish to emulate to facilitate the direct future private lessons will take. This idea is not yet fully formed, and I hope I have not bitten off more than I can chew with this project.
This whole project leaves me feeling a little wary, and though I understand the projects specifications, I can only hope my final product gets close to reaching its full potential.
The text and other content from Module 6 explore topics including: Creative Commons, copyright, 21st century skills, project-based learning, backwards design, differentiated instruction, and constructivism. Copyright is a topic that I have not had much experience with, and the ideas of public domain and fair use have always exists as fuzzy concepts for me to wrap my head around. The resources presented in the module helped clear up much of this, and at the very least gives me a way to move forward. Creative Commons is something I knew nothing about at all, and I am amazed a the type of resource this can be for me in the future.
Backwards design is something I've latched onto since a previous class at UF focused on it in detail, and I think it is a wonderful strategy to employ on a regular basis. 21st Century Skills standards, in addition to technology standards, are something (due to not teaching in a public school environment fro a number of years) that I had no idea existed, and is yet another wonderful resource. I am skeptical of educational systems and standards placing TOO much emphasis on 21st century skills, resulting in lack of attention in other areas that would help maintain a high level of educational success in students, but that is a huge topic that is probably best left to its own blog. Constructivism is something that is growing on me as I get more experience with it, and to that end, the idea of project based learning, or essentially as I see it, learning by doing, should be a fundamental aspect of all education. Finally, I had never truly taken the time to think deeply about how using technology could enhance the educational process through differentiated instruction. Reaching all of our students using whatever means necessary should always be one of our goals, but once again I find myself being presented with such an obvious set of techniques/beliefs that I cannot understand where I missed picking them up in the past and feel like I have not been living up to my potential as an instructor and also feel like my students have been missing out. This is probably going overboard, but to a certain degree, I cannot help that this is how I feel.
A lot of eye-opening information this week, and I am just hoping that I can be equal to the task as this course starts to wrap up.
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