Blog: From your experience in OMET thus far, what design practice has resonated with you the most? Why? (3/3)

Focus on your own learning:

I see the backward design model coming into play in our OMET experience. Fall term was focused on our own learning. Margaret mentioned this last term and now I’m starting to see it coming into place. In Action Research we started Summer Term and continued into Fall Term with our own learning, understanding the concept of action research, defining our action research project, a doing our lit review on the topic was all about our own personal knowledge. Bill Moseley’s class “Educating Today’s Learners” was focused on learning theorist, how those theories apply to our own personal learning styles. Gary’s class “Learning and Technology” while experimenting with different technology forums for the K-12 learner, also allowed us to reflect our own learning as we experimented with each learning adventure. It also allowed us to view how others were responding to the learning adventure, thus giving insight to others learning styles.

Another insight I had about last term was looking from the inside out…I could see how the faculty’s design of the learning was in many way them modeling for us what is expected this term. For example Bill’s use of Second Life focused on learning theorist, and our understanding of those theories and their application, but also how it reflected in our own learning style. Second life was clearly designed for the visual, auditory, tactile learner. SL creates a sense of touching and feeling, although virtual, in distributed learning curriculums.

Margaret’s preferred use of Wiki’s is designed for collaboration as well as independent work. Geared toward the analytical thinker, its best used to construct the document, maintain notes. Her experiment with us constructing a Gliffy timeline was rather interesting. Gliffy is a collaborative, creative, visual tool. I can see this being a wonderful tool for the abstract thinker to use their imagination in creating a rather routine task, such as a historical timeline.

Taking into consideration the activities that we experienced already and what we’ve learned about learning theory, connecting the two is where the analysis begins.

Gary’s class was distinctly geared towards the visual, right brain, musical learner. He really brought home Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence. In that each of his learning adventures, stretched a different part of your brain, your thinking and your sense of fun. He also focused on team learning, where the information was shared through the forum discussions. Each member’s thought and input contributed to the groups understanding of the adventure.

Designing learning for others

This term is about designing learning for others, such as the current assignment that we have in which we’re using UDd to design a lesson, which well teach to others. Paul’s mentoring class focuses on our mentoring others.

We’ve experienced a number of instructional forums and strategies in OMET thus far, I’m assuming that each professor gives consideration to the forum he utilizes and chooses the forum in consideration of the various learning styles in the Cadre. However, I think in the case of OMET, they have to go beyond consideration of learning styles, since they want to expose us to as many of the instructional technology forums and their uses as possible.

Reflecting on the forums they used, connecting what I now understand about learning styles and learning theories, I feel more confident about creating (designing) curriculums for others, which seems to be the focus of this term.

I feel more confident in my design of forums for cycle I of my action research as well as introducing forums in my mentoring relationship.

Habit#2: Begin with the end in mind

Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People