Bad Day

I finished next week's reading just now, and I'm sooo frustrated.

I feel like I already understand those theories, concepts, principles... but not until the "Practice" part jumped out. 90% of my reflections on those questions were not the same/similar as the "Feedback" part. Only the completing a cluster analysis for verbal information on "Parts of the body", I guess I'm on the right track. But still missing some parts of "my" body, and some of them I can not name in English. I was expecting the next question would be easier and I could work it out, which ended with losing my confidence and temper at last.

On the bright side, I'd say I'm an expert and too smart to break those tasks into small steps. ~~>_<~~

Bad day, Good night.

Claire's ID Model

Yes! That's the way I want to describe my Model of ID.

Basically, each of the Circle has A.D.D.I.E five phases as well, but the whole design is like a rolling wheel, it's moving! Moving forward towards the perfect endless end. Why is it endless? Because things are changing, and the needs/demands from the learners are changing, too. Thus, as time passes, IDers need to revise the design again and again and agin... forever to meet the learners' needs.

However, you noticed that the circles become smaller and smaller? That indicates that the design is getting closer and closer to the perfect state, and is being revised less and less than the very first begining.

The straight line going thru the circles represents EVALUATION. It starts from the first point where Analysis happens, and ends at the last point where Implementation finishes. (But, of course, it's still moving. )

Excuse my poor drawing skills, I draw a pretty picture using my thoughts in my head, but when being transferred to this dimension by using my mouse, it's totaly another story then. //BANG

ed ps 6430 understanding by design

I just copy & paste what I post for discussion for future reference.

ed ps 6430 understanding by design

Q #1
In the current climate of cutbacks and budget shortages, it is feasible that educators will take time to use the UbD strategies? If they are inclined to try, would they be able to use this with every lesson plan? with a single unit? once a quarter?

Also, how does the process of backwards design compare and contrast with "teaching to the test?"

This is a good question. Since I'm kinda short of teaching experience compared with other classmates, personally speaking, I don't think it's feasible for the educators to apply UbD strategies all the time. Just like Matt mentioned about the "time constraints for lesson preparation" and keep students "on track". Especially, if you teach math, chemistry, a second language, etc. Most of the course content is knowledge level that needs the student to memorize hardly, no matter you are interested in them or not... "Teaching to Test" does not sound pretty, it's the fact sometimes. But it never hurts to give it a try once in a while or as many as needed.

I like the UbD Strategy. It looks systematic and thorough. It gives educators a very good reference or frame when they start to prepare lessons. However, I keep thinking that if all teachers use this strategy in their teachings, and every step is "programmed" to reach its final result, would students still be able to learn something outside the classroom?

"but, in the absence of a learning plan with clear goals, how likely is it that students will develop shared understandings on which future lessons might build? not very."  ----quoted from UbD

In today's class, we talked about Audio. I just got one more thought about the advantage of Audio. It helps to expand the students' ability to imagine, too. For instance, when you are listening to a speech, I believe there are not just sound waves haunting in your brain, you also try to imagine the scene simultaneously. The speaker's facial expression, body guestures, etc. If there are audience listening to the speech, are they throwing bottles to the speaker or keeping nodding their heads. Or, imagine what's in your head when you are listening "The Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens.

From this point, I'm thinking maybe I should generalize it to other formats as well, such as Text (think about when you are reading a novel, those characters are live people in you head, rather than the plain names "James" or "Rachel"), Video, Visual products, etc.

My point is when using all of these technology products/tools, we also should pay some attention to the skills and abilities unobservable or difficult to evaluate. It's kinda against the rule of instruction, it's good for the development of students though.

Computer v.s. School

What does education stand for? How can we implement technology in education as a more effective and efficient method? Is technology the only or best method in education industry? Can computer replace traditional classroom? There are lots and lots of more topics to be disscussed when education meets technology nowadays.

During the 2nd week's class, Dr. Monson quoted from MIT professor Seymour Papert said in 1984,

There won’t be schools in the future… I think that the computer will blow up the school. That is, the school defined as something where there are classes, teachers running exams, people structured in groups by age, following curriculum-all of that. The whole system is based on a set of structural concepts that are incompatible with the presence of the computer…but this will happen only in communities of children who have access to computers on a sufficient scale.

I will take a no on this qutoe.

As we all have to admit it that computer does a good job as an effective and attractive tool on transfering knowledge from teachers to students. It's just a tool, a dead machine, one of the thousands of methods to acquire knowledge. It must be programmed, and computers can only follow the preinstalled programmed "orders".

Let's go back to the function of school. It's not only a place for students to learn existing knowledge, but also a place to learn how to communicate with other people, how to cooperate with your partners, how to response when something unexpected happens, and how to deal all of the interpersonal affairs. And more importantly, it's definitely a good place to learn and understand what loving, giving, forgiving are, how you can contribute to the public, either for the honor of your class or the fame of your school, etc..

All of these mentioned above can not be acquired from a computer. Whichever format the educator present them to you, by video or multimedia or whatever, you must experience them in person to learn.

In traditional Chinese culture, teachers play an very important role in a person's life. Besides teaching the student knowledge, they are also being treated as models with good manners, ability to control themselves, cultivating one's moral character and perfecting one's moral ingrity, etc. Especially in small kids eyes, teachers means authorities. In ancient China, people treat their teachers as fathers, and people believed that parents gave them the physical bodies, while teachers enriched their souls/spirits to become a complete person. Thus, people evaluate a good teacher not only by his/her knowledge level, but also by his/her virtue.

Does a computer can do this job, too? And, how about if you encounter a blackout? Aha, you know my answer, don't you?