Month: April 2013

You may have blogged to share travel adventures, details of daily life with family and friends living far away, or maybe even to promote your small business. But have you ever blogged as part of your formal education?

In Mason’s EDCI 546 Integration Technology in Elementary Classrooms: Literacy, that is exactly what students do. Research in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning suggests that two vital ways that blogging fosters learning are by 1) providing an ideal atmosphere for students to participate in learning communities and 2) offering an effective method to support reflective learning [1].

Engagement in the world through learning communities encourages intellectual progress according to educational researcher E. Wenger [2]. With this in mind, EDCI 546 Professor Debra Sprague and Instructional Designer Joe DiPietro created a course capable of connecting students to a world-wide community of K-6 educators.

Sprague and DiPietro integrated activities in the curriculum such as reading blogs that focus on literacy and technology issues, contributing to discussions on these blogs, maintaining a personal blog, and writing fan fiction stories to share online. Students who complete these activities gain knowledge as they actively engage in the world and work on mutual goals with others.

When EDCI 546 student Ms. Hardin tapped into the blogosphere, she discovered a lively community of teachers exchanging teaching practices which could help her achieve her classroom goals. One of her goals was to integrate art into literacy. One blog that Ms. Hardin reviewed gave her the idea to have students make a cover picture for the story they read or draw images of book characters.

“One of my favorite ideas off of the blog was that the artist did a whole unit on drawing fish from Dr. Seuss books,” declared Ms. Hardin. “My kindergartners are getting ready to read and learn all about Dr. Seuss books and this would be so much fun for their art center.”

Ms. Hardin did not just take great ideas from other teachers but actively collaborated, sharing her great ideas through blogging. On Ms. Hardin’s Blog Spot, anyone can access her digital story called “Cookies”, which she initially created for her own students.

Additionally, Ms. Hardin and her classmates in the EDCI 546 class composed fan fiction stories that teachers, students, and parents from anywhere can read any time at the Kid Fan Fiction website.

Another EDCI 546 student, Cara, proved that blogging supports reflective learning. Reflective learning is a “process meant to increase understanding and provide direction for further exploration” [3].

In one of her rocking technology blog posts, Cara discussed an article that made her reflect on what she wanted her future classroom to look like and how to make reading a great
experience for each of her students.

“A great way to encourage more reading for students would be to create book clubs or have a book-a-day challenge. This helps students interact with each other and discuss different types of books and their ideas,” says Cara. “I cannot wait to do this with my own classroom and make reading a fun and an enjoyable experience!” she exclaimed.

As Cara reminds us, learning should be fun.  As the EDCI 546 course exemplifies, Mason online courses have the potential to use fun activities such as blogging to help students learn effectively. Check out Mason online course listing page to find the right online course for you! Or sign onto Patriot Web to register for an online course.

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References:

[1] Kerawalla, L., Minocha, S., Kirkup, G., & Console, G. (2009).  An empirically grounded framework to guide blogging in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25, 31-42.
[2] Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
[3] Horvitz, B. & Vellom, R. (2012). Using blended learning to enhance reflective practice among science teachers. National Teacher Education Journal, 5(3), 77-83.

Passion is infectious, even via the web. Mason’s MUSI 101 Introduction to Classical Music course proves this. The course was taught for the first time online in Fall 2012 and was recognized this month by a panel of faculty reviewers and instructional designers as a “Exemplary Distance Education Course.” The panel noted the course’s propensity to magnify existing musical interests and inspire new passions within students. This occurs thanks to the student-focused course design features and the instructor’s love of the topic.

A learner-focused discussion about course content begins in the first course module and extends throughout the semester. In the first module, students are asked to write a blog introduction about themselves describing their past experiences with Classical music, their favorite kind of music, their favorite artists, and their favorite composers. After being introduced to a variety of instruments in a subsequent module, students explore any two instruments that spark their interest for a research assignment. Later, students get to choose a classical concert to attend and write a reflection about their experience. Every effort is made in the course design to allow students to make personal connections with music that they perhaps have not been exposed to previously.

The online MUSI 101 professor, Kelly Ker-Hackleman, sets the stage for students to share honest thoughts, judgments, and experiences by sharing her perspectives in an introduction video, mini-lectures, and assignment responses. “I don’t make my passion for music a secret, especially when recommending a concert or grading concert reflections,” Professor Ker-Hackleman commented. She is a pianist for the Alexandria Symphony and proclaims music as her life and love; so, sharing her excitement for music comes naturally.

Attendance at a classical music concert, and the related reflection, is highlighted as a climax feature of the MUSI 101 online course. “When students experience the anticipation of waiting in line to be seated, or the power of a crowd clapping in appreciation, and see the facial expressions and body movement of the performers, emotions are stirred up that may be missed if the concert was watched through multimedia,” explained Susan Campbell, the course instructional designer. Professor Ker-Hackleman said that “It is so rewarding to read a concert report written by a person who has just come from their first classical music concert, breathless from their new experience.” Music should move you and this course allows for that to happen.

Anyone who has an open mind and desire to expand their knowledge will succeed in and enjoy MUSI 101 online. Students who have enrolled in this course have had incredibly diverse musical backgrounds.  Some former students had previously only listened to rap, a few had taken band and choir in high school and wanted to build upon the knowledge they gained there, and others were retired individuals who already adored classical music.

These previous MUSI 101 students recommended two keys to success for others considering the course.  First, keep up with the weekly coursework. Students found it helpful to enter the prescribed study schedule into a personal calendar and follow it closely. Second, take advantage of the textbook materials. If a particular composer sparks your interest, explore using all of the supplementary materials in the online textbook. Allowing yourself to study what interests you will keep learning as exciting as it should be! Perhaps you will even discover a new passion along the way.

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Mason offers several other Arts courses online. Please check the online course listing page then register for an online course via Patriot web.