This week, we were asked to “remix the web.” We moved beyond synthesis, augmenting the work of another with our own edits, appends, comments, and hacks. My project this week happily fell in to my lap when Kevin Hodgson took the initiative to remix my piece from week one.
Kevin’s work inspired and invited me, even challenged me to continue a conversation that was started between artists and learners:
"Make" day for Mrs. Ramay's "This I Believe" project with the seniors was a blast again this year. I love being a part of this project. I was describing the feeling of excitement and exhaustion after collaborating with so many students on so many projects to colleagues. It is the reason I became a teacher.
Students this year were even less limited by the technology. I attribute that to the facts that the students know what they are doing, the technology is better, and Mrs. Ramay preps them for this big day so well.
Week one was an exciting success. I purposefully made something this week and received tremendous feedback from the #teachtheweb community.
We were asked to “make” as our homework for week one. Making can be intimidating, especially if you are intending to publish what you are making. Thankfully, the Teach the Web group built in specific constraints, a clear purpose, and powerful tools for the work.
I have just signed up for a new MOOC (Massively Open Online Course): Teach the Web. After the incredible experience with CRIT101, I am very excited. This course offering is very serendipitous for me because I have some time availible for continued learning and I have a direct purpose to which to apply my learning.
At the conclusion of the Crit101 course in which I have been engaged, I feel proud to have participated and completed the work. I took the course because I was interested in trying out a MOOC (Massively Open Online Course). I am glad that I chose Crit101 in which to participate because it was so professional and challenging.
I am much better at deconstruction than construction… at least, it is easier for me. After building a creative project for this course, I understand why synthesis is a higher level thinking skill on Bloom’s taxonomy. Creation is challenging.
I had the opportunity to revisit some work that my colleagues Corine Maday and Marleigh Williams collaborated on this year during our CALnet meeting today. I was fortunate to observe the first day of the lesson as they presented it in person. These are my notes from the original experience:
This week was much more familiar territory for me. I teach analytical reading and writing and I have been engaged in analytical reading and writing for many years. It was still interesting to go through the process and think about the steps involved in analytical reading and writing. I enjoyed the experince of being taught how to read critically. I hope that the modeling will give me insight on how to teach my own students.
This week we learned how to evaluate the validity and the reliability of research. After learning about internal and external validity and about determining reliability, we were asked to hone our new knowledge by applying it to the research that we did as a group. We then were asked to write up a paper than explains our evaluation process.
This week we learned about research. It is an interesting and difficult topic. I enjoyed learning about triangulating data and reflecting on the difference between qualitative and quantitative data. I also was directed to the CRAAP Test for considering the value of researched data. I earmarked the CRAAP Test to use with my own students.
Independent learning is learning that is sought out by the learner. It is defined by the motivation for learning. My learning experience changed dramatically once I started paying for my own education. I stopped seeing learning as a means to an end but as an end in itself. I recognized its inherent value (perhaps because I was aware of its monetary value). I began to recognize that newfound knowledge has value in itself. I still believe that everything I learn, enriches my life.
