KCStarguy@aol.com
Sat, 23 Jan 1999 11:35:17 +0100
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 11:35:17 +0100 From: <KCStarguy@aol.com> Subject: [ifets] Re: engaged
from: Eric Flescher, Ed.D (KCStarguy@aol.com)
Coordinator, Project S.I.M. (Simulations, Interdisciplinary internet and
Metacognitive activities)Simulation Station website - http:
//members.aol.com/kcstarguy/sim/
Editor/Webmaster, MacsU.N.I.T.E.-MacIntosh Users Network for Integrating
Technology into Education- subscribe via macsunite-subscribe@egroups.com
or at -http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/macsunite/unite.htm
Regarding engaged and such
from Dr.Eric: Martin thanks for the sayings
****
Regarding " The technology used is just the medium to deliver the
message. It is the relevance of the message that will engage the students
in the learning process."
from Dr.Eric: I disagree . In videogames and much other software used, where
do you see a message delivered? Most teachers are happy that the kids are
quiet doing work on the computer ( I am not talking about a computer lab
course) and could care less whether they are learning something. Supposedly
they are learning if they are quiet and engaged. This is far from the truth .
Just watch most students working with SimCity2000 or the carmen sandiego
series. Yes they are engaged but not learning 90% of the time. It is not a
function of the message or the software. It is teacher and student training
and the materials that go along with the software (or don't) that is lacking
and the fact that computer time is play time and not thinking and improving
skills. That does not mean that can't or won't.
"He goes on to differentiate between the difference between
being engaged and being interactive with regard to learning with a
computer. "
And as Martin reminds us,
engagement does not come from the computer... but from the individual and
the social group.
>From Dr.Eric: True interaction of the mind and not "engagement" should be the
main core of focus with using technology for teaching and learning. Engaged
comes from the computer or can come from a converation or more. Try to have a
conversation with a young student who is on the computer or break them from
the mindless computer games or nintendo. They are "engaged." They are in their
own little microworld but are not clued into their metacognitive thoughts
because these activities require no thinking for the most part. Interactivity
can come from the computer and working with it but it is the interaction with
the user's brain that makes it interactive. Interactivity can be involved with
the computer but it takes more then just sitting there and being engaged.
Eric Flescher, Ed.D (KCStarguy@aol.com)
*****
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 10:50:59 +0000
From: Martin Owen <t.m.owen@bangor.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: [ifets] Re:Learning styles
To Chris:
"Engagement is the number one subject in education"
Seymour Papert
"The real trick in using technology in education is to reinvent the
Hawthorne effect every day"
Tim O'Shea
Engagement does not come from the computer... but from the individual and
the social group ( except in that the computer is a mediation system of
some human or social group of humans)
"Everything that has been said has to have been said by someone"
Varela and Maturana
Martin
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 99 16:08:43 -0700
From: "Karen Kaminski" <KKaminski@vines.ColoState.EDU>
Subject: [ifets] Discussion Summary #4
Since Mary's last summary, the dicussion has been fairly inactive.
Chris informs us that his point is that teachers should know a lot more
about how students learn and different styles. He is concerned that an
instrumental approach to identifying a student's learning style may hinder
student development and that it is much better to help them adopt a range
of different approaches.
Thank you, Chris! I personally believe that most educators are aware of
different learning styles. What they don't have the skills to do is to
incorporate them into their content delivery. I would also suspect that
part of this is a time and comfort issue. How many people teach the way
they are most comfortable learning themselves?
Chris continues, reminding us that variety is the spice of life. This is
why he thinks 'engaged' is a useful word for describing the mental activity
taking place. He goes on to differentiate between the difference between
being engaged and being interactive with regard to learning with a
computer. Again, I would agree. I am sure that we can all remember
having conversations where we were interacting with the other party while
our minds were engaged with other matters. Here I agree with what Mary said
in her summary. The technology used is just the medium to deliver the
message. It is the relevance of the message that will engage the students
in the learning process.
As Nora reminds us, the education-as-regurgitation may still exist in
primary learning but is certainly not dominant in adult learning. Adult
learners are the 'market' that hs pushed both institutional and workplace
learning toward an applications focus. And as Martin reminds us,
engagement does not come from the computer... but from the individual and
the social group.
One of the advantages of learning in a traditional classroom is the social
contact with fellow students. Distance programs using cohort groups are
showing more success than those that offer open registration to randomly
sequenced courses.
This is a brief summary, if I have missed something, please let me know.
Karen
---------------------------------------------------------
Forum website: http://zeus.gmd.de/ifets/
Email address for sending message to everyone on the list ifets@gmd.de
Forum's contact person ifets-info@gmd.de
Join/Leave Digest or Normal List http://zeus.gmd.de/ifets/maillist.html
---------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Sat 23 Jan 1999 - 11:56:34 MET