Teaching, Learning, Technology & Reflection

Read  3 E-Learning Lessons Learned on the Road , and impressed with the first tip. It is really enlightening. This can go to one's teaching philosophy. Maybe I should add a section of distance education in my teaching philosophy. This is also a good research topic: how to make elearning courses warm and personal? The scenario is below: "I stopped in one of those airport shops to pick up a couple of knickknacks for my kids. The young woman who processed my sale really stood out.  It was one of the best customer service experiences that I‘ve had in recent years. ......What’s funny is that she really didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.  ...Yet, the experience with her really stood out.  Why? It’s because she connected with me in a real way.  She had a welcoming disposition, warm smile , and actually engaged me.  As a busy traveler, I felt less like a sales order being processed and more like a real person.  What she did was connect with me as a p...

read about Edward Bakst and creativity.. http://edlab.tc.columbia.edu/files/EdLab_Bakst.pdf Here is a quote: "Bakst is also working on the design of a space that will foster creativity among multiple disciplines. He calls this space the incubator. The incubator will allow creative minds from around the world to socialize , brainstorm , and transform each other’s works. It will be an open space of innovation in all forms." I bold the three words and I think them key words in learning communities and they are on different levels. We lack the emphasis on the third level: transform. This is closely related to my dissertation, too...This is where re-construction of knowledge system begins. Below are some of Bakst's own words: "Life narrows us. It’s a few of us who manage to not be narrowed." "Teaching is basically screwing up students’ minds. It’s wonderful to get your students to a point when they decide to disregard everything they’ve learned and ...

I read this in Will Richardson' Weblogg-ed entry on "Networked Learning Practice" "The more I consider it, the more I find myself moving away from a frame of social networking towards one of networked learning (which is obviously social by nature). More toward the literacies of networked learning."- http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/network-learning-practice/#comments Since I have not attended to his presentation, I am not sure if what I have in my mind matches his. However, it does remind me of one of the research I have thought about doing: "My Network Technology Profile" or something like that. Researchers who study social network study only one network and study each person or message as a node and is interested in the connection between the nodes. However, we know that each person (many at least) have more than one network. For example me, I use wenxuecity, blogger, facebook, msn, skype, and many others. My presence and role in each network is different....

1. how to treat student with a "instrumentalism" or a"strategic orientation" attitude to learning? Also what are the different types of students with such attitude/approach to learning? (I am thinking of this because some students I have taught have shown this approach; i am reading for leasure an old book on distance education that talks about the approach to learning by David Harris "Still Seeking the Audience?") 2. I am tired of what I am teaching in the technology integration course. I think it definately needs updating... It is an issue of curriculum. What should be teach in the technology integration class? We are still following the tradtion of teaching Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop and DreamWeaver. I know these are important. But possibly they should be taught in different courses that use them... Where is blog? Wiki? Podcasting?.... One of my student gives a brief introduction to podcasting she just learnt in the STEP class...Of course, another prob...