OMET Blog

Affective, behavioral, Cognitive

2005-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

I was introduced A, B, &C in Florida by Dr. K’s class. Since then for quite some time, I have struggled with A, B, C, especially A. I really did not understand the importance of A until Dr. K sent me her feedback for my writing on What My High School Learned Me.

In her comment, she said that there were A, B, C in my learning after high school. At first, I was puzzled, how so? I re-read Dr. K’s comment for many times trying to figure out where this A was. Finally, I was in an Ah Ha moment when I realized where this A was in my learning, and I thought this A was the driving force that made me really want to learn even though there was no school that provided me with the learning at that time. I learned by myself. It was passion and motivation for the learning drove me to learn , and learn well. Without this passion, I would never have learned that much.

I have heard many kids complaining about school. Boring is very common in their complaints. Because of this boring, they don’t like to learn. This shows me that there is no A in their learning. Without this A, how could they do well in their Bs and Cs? I think that the problem of this boring stems from teachers who are bored. When teachers get charged in learning, they realize that what learning is and is not. It is not sitting quietly doing meaningless work.

So to get students learn with A objective, teachers must have passion in their learning and teaching. Teachers then can pass their passions to their students, and build students’ confidence in their learning.

Also, in order to pass the passion to students, teachers must let students control over their own learning, and let students get a new sense of themselves as learners - that setting a goal and working to achieve it is something valuable to them. This is one of the goals in my cycle two of ARP.

As a result of cycle two’s experiment, students were very excited about their learning. For me, it was an incredible thing to watch students so engrossed in the learning activities that they didn't want to stop. I felt students had never learned so much and so enthusiastically without me walking them through it. I was able to set up the learning environment in such a way that they took charge of their own process. That is definitely the A that has played an important role in their learning.

Curriculum - Map, Guidelines, etc.

2005-02-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Curriculum is defined is an outline of topics with associated outcomes that will be covered during a specific timeframe.

Map & guidelines is a metaphor that can be used for defining curriculum--visual & wholistic; guidelines in closed and direct; fluid that allows many routes, but can still see the whole and not just the steps to get toward a directed end.

Visual in the sense of a word that can offer a visual understanding of the concept.
Quote from Wheels "The goal of education is not to tell the individuals what the truth is, but to help them see the real objects."

Guide the student so that they can find the truth for themselves.

Important to be aware of our own biases. When sharing/imparting knowledge, present it in a way where the receiver can formulate their own opinions.

A framework around which we formulate experiences designed to teach and enrich.
How does the process of teaching fit into the concept of curriculum? Learning styles; taking our experiences and our idea of what we want and incorporate it into the curriculum as it is developed; adding technology and culture into the mix.

It's never just the individual subject at hand.

A map with many different routes leading to a desired educational goal.

Final Reflection on Learning (EDC 633)

2004-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

When revisiting my initial reflection on how learning happens, I found the change of my view on learning. While writing only three months ago, I assumed that most learning was an internal process. I totally ignored the effects of communities, peers, groups and so on.

Through the study of learning theories during this trimester, I learned that learning is distributed among co-participants; it is not a one-person act (Lave and Wenger, 1991, pp 15-16). Piaget's theory of society states that children are social beings who do not develop in cognitive isolation from others. Vygotsky believed that any pedagogy creates learning processes that lead to development and this sequence results in zones of proximal development. It is the concept that a child accomplishes a task that he/she cannot do alone, with the help from a more skilled person. Papert thinks that we learn best what is most socially or personally important to us.

I believe that it was through the study of those learning theories and the learning experiences that I have come to realize the importance of social process in learning. Having worked through the optional book #1 project (Theory and Practice of Online Learning) and the final project with my cadre mates, I think we learned to share knowledge, participate in the group process by dividing the work, and brought excellent efforts to the projects. Interaction has strengthened relationships and helped ease anxieties through sharing of experiences. We have come much closer and respectful of each other's talents. Group work enabled us to recognize and utilize each other’s strengths, thereby contributing to our growing sense of community. Group projects were very beneficial and the applications were much more meaningful than knowledge-level lectures. I learned to value the opinions of others as being important and valid contributions to the project being worked on. We have all learned a lot from each other and care for each other very much. We have really grown.

To see how the learning at OMET applies to my practice, I conducted an experiment in my classroom. (The details of this experiment can be accessed at my ARP website hale.pepperdine.edu/~xking/arphome.htm.) This experiment showed the importance of the sociocultural context in relation to our learning and development. In a Vygotsky model classroom, a teacher has a role to assist the emerging competencies of the students. The teacher creates social environments of what the students could achieve independently, and what the student could achieve with assistance from more capable peers. One way a teacher could encourage socialization is to create group activities. Through social interaction with peers in group activities, students could verbalize their thinking, and deepen their understanding.

I think this is one of the major changes of my view on learning and practice in teaching. This is just the beginning, and this major change will bring about other changes in my practice in the future. We will see the changes and their outcomes through my ARP during the next terms. Thanks to Doc Sue and EDC 633, I have gained the knowledge of the important social process in learning.

3N Problem - Debriefing Quesiongs

2004-12-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

What did you learn from this experience?

I learned that learning is to discover. From this learning experience, I discovered that some math problems like 3n + 1 was unsolved. A web article, the 3n + 1 Problem and Its Generations by Jeff Lagarias (http://www.cecm.sfu.ca/organics/papers/lagarias/) says that Paul Erdos commented concerning the intractability of the 3x+1 problem: "Mathematics is not yet ready for such problems." This experience tells me that when we are given a problem to solve, we should not automatically assume that there must be a solution to it. The fact is that many scientific/math problems are unsolved, and are waiting for people to explore and discover.

Through this learning experience, I was convinced again that MicroWorlds software is a useful and powerful tool that could help us or even the young students visualize the complicated math problems, and do the work of mathematicians. The use of the MicroWorlds would make learning more interesting and easier.

I also learned that asking expert was an efficient and effective way of learning. I found the discussion with a math teacher in my school helpful. I discovered how the expert differed from me in approaching this math problem. I was reminded of a reading from Doc Sue’s class, How Experts differ from Novices. The expert has acquired a great deal of content knowledge that is organized in ways that reflect a deep understanding of the problem. The discussion with the math teacher made me realize that understanding expertise is important because it provides insights into the nature of thinking and problem solving.

This learning experience also tells me the importance of sharing, contribution, different levels of expertise, who to go to for what, participation, working for common goal. Through this 3n + 1 activity, I again experienced a sense of Community of Practice through discovery and constructivism.

What did you observe about the learning style(s) of your collaborators?

From my observation, I found different people had different learning styles. Some people were very enthusiastic in math so were deeply engaged in looking for the patterns; some people searched available resources to see what the mathematicians in this field had done and said about the problem so to help us understand the problem; others were not so interested in the math experiments and they learned by observing other people’s learning process.

The different learning styles in this class remind me of my students’ different learning styles. Some students are very enthusiastic in the language learning. They are so motivated that they would self study much more materials than other classmates. Some students are not so motivated. They learn the language just for completing the tasks and getting good grades. Others, lack of interests in learning the language, do not actively participate in the class activities. I don’t think these students cannot learn well. They just don’t have the passion for learning the language. The challenge for the teacher is how to make our lessons interesting to those students, how to design our lessons suitable to those students’ learning styles, and how to encourage them to learn actively.

Which subject(s) does this project address?

The subjects addressed by this project were mainly math, computer science, computer programming, and any other subjects relevant to scientific reasoning, problem solving and logical thinking. There might be other subjects that are beyond my knowledge.

What might a student learn from this project?

A student might learn the skills of scientific reasoning, problem solving, logical thinking, math pattern recognition, computer programming. A student can also learn to do the work of a mathematician and scientist.

For what age/grade is this project best suited?

To answer this question, I wish I could have a chance to do an experiment with all grade groups to see which grad is the best candidate for this project. Without this experience, I would guess that it will depend on student’s interest, motivation, prior knowledge and learning styles. For younger students, the availability of the family support is very important. My son, a fifth grader and a math lover, was enthusiastic about our experiment; he kept trying different numbers and discovered that repeating of prime numbers had longer generations. The longest generation he got was 673. However, this does not mean that this project is suitable to all the fifth graders.

What would a student have to know before successfully engaging in this project?

A passion and enthusiasm for math and science, willingness to learn and motivation to work on this project is the most important thing. Basic math and computer science knowledge is helpful.

Reflection on Theory and Practice of Online Learning

2004-12-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

1. What role did you play in this group and what would you point to as your particular contribution? What key elements do you feel others contributed?

The optional books provided for community of practice. I chose Theory and Practice of Online Learning as some sections of the book related to my ARP. I found myself an active member of the community of practice for this learning activity. Attending weekly group discussion in TI sessions and contributing chapter summaries, ideas, and reflections to BB allowed me experience how these online interaction led to community building. I found the theories in this book relevant to Vygotsky's social cognition and Wenger's CoP. I thought some big ideas from the book were important in online learning, and posted them in BB.

1) Community Centered - This allows us to include the critical social component of ONLINE learning. We can relate it to Vygotsky's social cognition as we consider how students can work together in an ONLINE context to create new knowledge collaboratively. We can also relate it to Wenger's ideas of Community of Practice to see how members of a learning community support one another.

2) Interaction - Interaction is fundamental to creation of the learning communities supported by Lipman (1991), Wenger (2001), and other influential educational theorists who focus on the critical role of community in learning. I believe interaction is a key to the success for ONLINE Learning. Let's use Wegner's definition of interaction as "reciprocal events that require at least two objects and two actions. Interactions occur when these objects and events mutually influence one another."

3) Teachable Moment - Teachable moment is defined in this book as the precise point at which a learner makes a mistake and wants to correct it or to learn alternative information with which to interpret questions or responses. The teachable moment often begins with a question and has much to do with an individual’s personal curiosity. In an online learning environment, learner is given just-in-time positive and negative feedback. The learner therefore immediately faces his mistakes, and is able to learn from them in a private and safe environment.

I found all other members of our group are very active, collaborative, and creative. Everyone brought in their experiences, their expertise, and their insights, and played an important role in the activities. Together we shared our ideas and constructed our knowledge. I have learned a lot from each member in our Community of Practice. Some teammates work in a corporate environment. Their experience and insight taught me what the corporate training is. From the discussion with them, I came to understand the difference between training (tasked-based learning) and education (knowledge-based learning). I felt each of them taught me something, and this reminded me of a saying by Confucius:"Out of three in a company, someone would be my teacher."

2. If you were to do a project like this again, what would you do differently?

When Chris mentioned about the development of the lesson in a course management package, WebCT, I liked the idea. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time, we did not go that direction. Instead, we employed website. If we were to do a project like this again, I would really like to use WebCT to design our online course and to have hands-on experiences as online course developer.

3. What 2-3 key concepts did you learn from working on this project? (This can be a mix of elements from concepts you learned from the book to concepts you learned from working together as part of an online team.)

The combination of group discussion in TI and blackboard, I realized, is our Knowledge Management, a reflection of our discussions on what we learned. We actually participated in a knowledge sharing community, but I didn't realize the term for what we have been doing until now, discovery. Working together in groups I learned the importance of compromise, sharing, contribution, different levels of expertise, who to go to for what, participation, working for common goal. I experienced a sense of Community of Practice through discovery and constructivism.

In the book Theory and Practice of Online Learning, the authors stress on Wenger’s ideas of community of practice to show how members of a learning community both support and challenge each other, leading to effective and relevant knowledge construction. They also find Vygotsky’s concepts of social cognition to be relevant as they consider how students can work together in an online learning context to create new knowledge collaboratively.

I have applied what I learned from the book to my practice. In my classroom, I have integrated some online interactive technologies into our educational activities. Tapped-In and blog activities, based on our big ideas, provide work space for peer instruction and collaboration, and promotes and encourages student interaction. Through those online interactive activities, I see my students in these virtual classrooms are building a Community of Practice. Detailed activities can be accessed from our BB or my case study.

The Computer Generation

2004-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

My student is showing me how to use colors here. Students know all kinds of computer tricks than I do. Their blogs are colorful. They have had a lot of fun on computers. They always come up with the solutions to the computer problems during their lab time. Papert said that children are the computer generation. Our students have proven Papert's theory.

The Development of My Music Skills

2004-09-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

So I erased the two lines of music as a result of bad composing in the beginning. I tried to figure out why those two lines had not sounded good. I wanted to learn something from my past experience so to construct my own music knowledge and skills. For the next two days, I started to read some simple music sheets, and played the music to learn melodies and chords. I also turned to BB for information from our CoP, and found out some helpful websites listed in BB. As Gary suggested, I tried some harmonies which sounded really good to me. I discovered that the problems with those two lines were rhythm and melody.

I started to compose a new song with piano which was my favorite music instrument. I wanted to keep the music simple; so I used C major. The good thing about this software is that it lets me move the note up and down with the arrow keys on keyboard. In this way I could hear how each note sounded, and adjusted it to the position that I liked. I added harmonies and tried until I liked them. Then I played it to myself a couple of times, and to my sons. They said good, but not great, and helped me to revise a few notes that did not sound right to them. They have better music knowledge than I do. They also said I needed to add some articulations and dynamics. They were right. Using articulation tool, I added loud (f) and soft (p) symbols. I also added some slurs which made music more smoothly. Now I guess I can release it to my cadre mates for critiques.

Opus de OMAET for EDC 664

2004-09-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

The first assignment of EDC 664 is composing music, Opus de OMAET using computer. That's new and fresh. I like it. I downloaded the software quickly.

As I learned all other software, I started with searching the help file for the basic functions. I also completed the exercises provided. After playing around with it for a while, I got some ideas of how it basically worked, and I think the best way to learn is by doing, so I asked my son what he would like this computer to sing. "Mary Had Little Lamp" was his answer. After entering all the notes, I clicked on the play icon. My computer sang beautifully, and I was excited.

Composing music is the first time in my life. I don't play any other music instrument except for piano ( a little bit). I sat by the piano, playing a few simple songs that I am familiar with. Then I tried some really simple tunes from my mind, and I wrote down what I played. Before I finished, I wondered how it sounded from my computer. I should input the notes into the computer and try it. Then I did. Hmm., that should be the way to do it. It is easy to change notes or make corrections or test if it sounds good. After finishing two lines, I played it. Not good. I erased them all. I wish I had taken more music lessons.

Zone of Proximal Development

2004-09-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Although EDC 633 does not start until 9/7, I have been reading A Vision of Vygotsky.

What is Zone of Proximal Development?

Zone of Proximal Development is the distance between the actual development level, as determined by independent problem solving, and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).

Vygotsky (1978) maintained the child follows the adult's example and gradually develops the ability to do certain tasks without help or assistance. He called the difference between what a child can do with help and what he or she can do without guidance the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1zpda.htm.

I found that the concept of ZPD actually has been applied to my life and professional practice in many ways. The reading of Chapter 4 reminds me of a summer experience tutoring little children how to swim many years ago. On the first day of the swimming class a few little girls were too timid to go into the pool. They needed me, the teaching assistant, to hold their hands leading them slowly to the water. When they accomplished the first step, I did floating and breathing exercises with them. I often encouraged them to go a little further beyond floating and breathing by giving them a swimming ring, and let them experience how to move forward without my support. When they could move forward for a meter, I encouraged them to swim for two, three,... ten, twenty ... meters. I found this was the effective way for them to develop their swimming skills. I realized that if I focused on their actual level, they would orient the learning to yesterday's development. I was amazed at how brave they were, and how they fought against the fear of failure. As their understanding grew, they gradually reached their potential development level when they could swim all by themselves for a required length. Then they were allowed to graduate. Now I understand the distance between their swimming level on this graduation day and that on the first day is called Zone of Proximal Development. This concept of development is that experience is often out in front leading and expanding development in unlimited ways.

An Effective Learning Course: EDC 641

2004-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Although EDC 641 introduction to Distributed Learning Environments is to end at the end of the month, I feel what I have learned about DLC and Community of Practice from this course can apply practically to my work and life, and will last forever. It is an effective course that I have learned so much in such a short period of time.

At work, last Thursday and Friday were the professional development days when we discussed about students learning and learning environments. First, we started at vertical levels by departments to discuss about goals and objectives of the subject matters. Then we were grouped horizontally by grade levels so that each group has one or two representatives from each department, and we talked about the skills and contents that the students of a certain grade level should learn and how to learn. Last, we mixed the horizontal and vertical levels when I came to realize that we had built a DLC of teachers of all subjects and all grade levels. In this way, we were able to share our knowledge and ideas more comprehensively. I felt I changed. I was very clear about the technology integration into learning, the importance of interaction and collaboration among student-to-student, student-to-teacher, deep understating vs memorization, and student-centered learning environment. I was glad that I became a better contributor than ever before applying what I have learned from EDC 641 to the discussion.

I strongly believe that EDC 641 and ARP are connected. I need the knowledge and skills that I have learned from 641 to apply to ARP. Building a community of practice for ARP is important for me in ARP.

Test for Double-Byte Characters

2004-08-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

I am trying to post a few Chinese characters to see if blogger.com supports double-byte characters. If it does, my students should be able to use this site for their Chinese writing/reflection.

试试看。好像还不错。

New Hope In School's Education

2004-08-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

August 18, 2004

New Hope in Children’s Education

Last week I was assigned to read the books by Cuban and other authors who fear technologies. I read book Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom.

The author thinks that there is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve teaching and learning. In the classroom, teachers never really embraced the new tools, and no significant academic improvement occurred. This provoked consistent responses: the problem was money, spokespeople argued, or teacher resistance, or the paralyzing school bureaucracy. Meanwhile, few people questioned the technology advocates' claims. As results continued to lag, the blame was finally laid on the machines. Soon schools were sold on the next generation of technology, and the lucrative cycle started all over again. In this book, the author takes us (readers) to visit several classrooms, and shows us how computers are used for instruction in schools where they are available, how teaching and learning have changed as a result of steady increases in technologies in schools in the last two decades, and arises a question: has the investment in new technologies been worth the cost? (p.19). At every level he examined, there was the unexpected outcome: "In the schools we studied, we found no clear and substantial evidence of students increasing their academic achievement as a result of using information technologies." (p. 133).

This week I have read Edutopia, and feel that finally there is a new hope in school's education.

Edutopia shows us that the only limitations we have are those that we place on ourselves. The stories show us how much power is unleashed when we allow ourselves to let go of our fears of change and our reluctance to embrace the possibilities that lie in the amazing digital age. The stories also show us how people have come to work together to create projects that push the boundaries past the routine. The purpose of these stories is not simply to inform. We need stories like the ones in this book to inspire us, to energize us to move beyond what is now, and to realize that each of us can and should be thinking about what can be. Edutopia has held on to the belief in the power of the people to make significant, lasting, and positive changes to the way our children learn, develop, and grow through the educational process.

I also read The Playful World – How Technology is transforming our Imagination, by Mark Pesce. In the book, the author explores how children relate to technology, how they work with it, and how new technologies are impacting the way our children learn and think. Pesce presents three important points in his book.

1. Children learn more quickly when they have real-world objects to play with as they are learning.
2. Children can master logical thinking and complex concepts through play and exploration. Computer is a vehicle for learning.
3. After Mindstorms, the computer became a sandbox of sorts, flexible enough to adapt to the child's evolving imagination of the world.

Field of Action

2004-08-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

This file was removed to MS document for the sake of safety.

Brainstorming ARP Ideas

2004-08-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

This file was removed.

Great Experience at VirtCamp

2004-07-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the last day at VC. We watched demo of Mission to Mars produced by each group. Everyone was excited about the success of the projects. We were laughing and we were shouting with joy. We also watched videos created by each group. I was very impressed by those interesting and unique videos, and think that the people in each group were creative. However, I was more impressed by the people who were collaborating, and sharing knowledge, taking challenges, and learning together. A lot of us worked till 2 - 3 am trying to complete a perfect project. Last week, although feeling a little bit overwhelmed, I have learned a lot through the group activities and community of practice without fear of assessment. Now I am home, and I need some time to digest what I have learned last week . I felt it was a wonderful week, and I look forward to this program online.

The second day at VC of Pepperdine University OMET

2004-07-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

We had video production lesson today. This is something that I have longed to learn. It is not difficult, but I need to practice. Through a lot of practices I should be able to master the techniques.

Then we started the activity called The Mars Rover Challenge. We were given a box of pieces to build lego structure, which was actually a brainstorm game for 11-old kids to play. It was really challenging. Without manual, we were required to put those pieces together into a car. So four of us sat down, and brainstormed for the best possible stradegy, we sorted lego pieces into groups so that we could find the required piece easily. We tried several ways, and it did not work. Then Matt and Karen started web research trying to find some clues from lego company. At the lunch time, we discussed the issue with the people from other groups. After dinner, we still had some time to try, but it did not work. We will keep trying with our group effort. Then Bill passes candy stick, which was a stick of little pieces of candies glued together. He asked to think about why we used this stick. I think the reason is very simple. Again it is about community of practice, sharing knowledge of community.

The cool thing of today was web site building. I built the skeleton, and already published it. The URL is hale.pepperding.edu/~xking. COOL.

We also leanred how to access the Pepperdine Portal. I have e-mail access through Pepperdine, xking@pepperdine.edu, but I need to find out how to check this email. We learned other Pepperdine resources as well. What a long day! But it was interesting!

The first day at VC at Pepperdine University OMET

2004-07-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

July 20, 2004

Why am I here?
I applied to Pepperdine's OMET program to update myself and to seek opportunities for the future. I also hope to meet some people with whom I can exchange information, learn from others, and make a contribution to others during the program and after. I am aware that this experience may change my vision and probably directions in my career path.

What do I think this week will be like?
I was very nervous before I came to the program. It has been twenty years since I received my BS Computer Science from UC Irvine. Now I am a graduate level student. The courses must be harder. With a full time job and responsibilities of taking care of my family, can I survive? However, the first day's experience tells me that I will make it if I work in the right direction by sharing and contribution. I am excited about learning technology. I can use technology as tools for education and to create interactive learning environment for learning. I am more confident now, but I will see what will happen.

What we have done today?
1. The first thing we did was to tape an introduction video of our group, journey to the Mars. The people of my group are Jim, Matt, Karen, and Xing.

2. The second activity was Iron Chef. We learned how to cut vegetables. The learning process is completely different from the traditional learning process. There was no teachers instruction; there was no demonstration of cutting, and no one told us the best way to cut. We cooperated, and we shared our knowledge of cutting techniques. Together we found some kind of efficient ways of cutting vegetables. Why do we have to learn this process at the beginning of this program?
Before I came to VC, I expected to learn lots of technology stuff, to learn some of the educational theories, but when I am here, I am told that the important thing for us to learn from this VC is neither technology, nor educational theory, but a learning process, a process of finding solution by cooperation and sharing knowledge, which is related to the theory of community of practice. I realize that this is the focus of this VC to learn community of practice, and to learn the skill of sharing by using technology as a tool. This is the whole purpose of the VC, and we will use this theory throughout the whole year for the whole program.