Nov. 1998: "It takes a whole village to raise a child." - Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria) Proverb African Proverb of the Month November, 1998 It takes a whole village to raise a child. Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria) Proverb Explanation: This Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria) proverb exists in different forms in many African languages. The basic meaning is that child upbringing is a communal effort. In general this Nigerian proverb conveys the African worldview that emphasizes the values of family relationships, parental care, self-sacrificing concern for others, sharing, and even hospitality. The multiple uses of this Nigerian proverb show the timeliness and relevancy of African proverbs in today's world. The Anglican Archbishop John Sentamu of York, England at a consultation in Swanwick, England in September, 2005 stated: "As It takes a whole village to raise a child so it takes the whole global village to eradicate poverty . Rev.
Digital technology trends in education One of the difficulties for school and educational leaders is to develop strategies for innovation and change, writes Gerry White in DERN. There is no doubt that digital technologies used professionally and with skill can improve student and professional learning engagement and performance. A concise, succinct explanation of trends and successful strategies that have been tried and tested carefully over time can be very useful at such a time. The State Educational Technology Directors Association External Links icon (SETDA) in the US produces an annual report of the trends and efforts of school districts that innovate using of digital technologies. is a rich analysis of trends with a compendium of successes. National Educational Technology Trends: 2012 report is structured to amplify four major trends in using digital technologies in education. • Ensuring an infrastructure for learning• Educator effectiveness• Innovative learning models, and• College and career preparation (p. 1). .
Differentiation Figure 10.1. Focus on Learning Profile Learning-Style Preferences Learning style refers to environmental or personal factors. Some students may learn best when they can move around, others need to sit still. Some students enjoy a room with lots to look at, color, things to touch and try out. Intelligence Preferences Intelligence preference refers to the sorts of brain-based predispositions we all have for learning. Culture-Influenced Preferences Culture affects how we learn, as well. The goal of the teacher is, therefore, not to suggest that individuals from a particular culture ought to learn in a particular way, but rather to come to understand the great range of learning preferences that will exist in any group of people and to create a classroom flexible enough to invite individuals to work in ways they find most productive. Gender-Based Preferences Gender also influences how we learn. Combined Preferences Some Guidelines for Learning-Profile Differentiation Figure 10.2. Entry Points. Ms.
Elearnspace Interdependent Catalysts for Transforming Learning Environments ... and the Faculty Who Teach in Them (EDUCAUSE Quarterly Key Takeaways Designers of technology-rich interactive learning environments must consider the interdependent factors of physical and virtual spaces, faculty, students, and institutional infrastructure to create an effective setting for teaching and learning. Faculty learning to use active learning environments benefit from an interdisciplinary team approach involving instructional designers and IT support staff. The Faculty Fellows Program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, supported five faculty in a transformation process that explored the possibilities and affordances of emerging learning technologies and active learning classrooms. The lessons learned from the faculty fellows' projects can contribute to the national transformation of education through increased learning effectiveness and a shift from content-centered to student-centered learning. Key chapters of the EDUCAUSE e-book Learning Spaces1 celebrate new models of learning environments. As Amy put it:
Spelling Strategies for Children with Dyslexia Struggling with Spelling | Pride Learning Center By Dr. David Raffle, PhD, CBIS I know many adults who truly believe that they cannot spell, saying “I can’t spell” in the same manner that they would say, “I can’t swim.” But spelling, like swimming, can be taught. There is a misconception that spelling is a form of dyslexia, a disorder where one is unable to recognize words or sound them out phonetically. The Three Types of Memory When I teach spelling to children and to adults, I first talk about the three types of memory. The second type of memory can be called Short-Term Memory, which lasts from 31 seconds to about 2-3 months. The goal of all learning, then, is to place what needs to be remembered into the student’s Short-Term Memory, so that facts, dates, and the spelling of words can be recalled. Simple Technique for Perfect Spelling Teaching spelling in school is usually done by having a student copy the words over and over again, which of course does not work at all. 1. 2. 3. 4. Good luck! Visit Dr.
How to Create a Robust and Meaningful Personal Learning Network [PLN] This post describes how educators can develop a personal learning network that supports meaningful and relevant learning. The MOOC, Education Technology & Media, etmooc, is used here as a working example of how to develop a PLN. “My Personal Learning Network is the key to keeping me up-to-date with all the changes that are happening in education and how technology can best support and engage today’s students.” Brian Metcalfe: teacher, blogger at lifelonglearners.com A visual image of participants in an open, online course- etmooc, which shows the potential to find and create personal connections as part of one’s PLN. (image credit: Alec Couros) I wrote a post recently about how to develop a personal learning environment [PLE], the need and benefits of doing so, for educators in particular. What is a PLN? Twitter 6×6 (Photo credit: Steve Woolf) Logo for etmooc from etmooc.org In the etmooc we are primarily using Google+ Community , Blackboard Collaborate and Twitter to interact. Resources
Learning Environments Research IT@UMN > Services Overview > All Services > Academic Technology Support Services > Academic Technology Consultation Academic Technology Consultation Academic technologists are available to help faculty and staff explore how to effectively incorporate technology into their academic practice to advance their teaching, research, and outreach goals. The service includes: The Difference Between Instructivism, Constructivism, And Connectivism - The Difference Between Instructivism, Constructivism, And Connectivism by Terry Heick We spend so much time in education trying to make things better. Better policies. Better technology. Better standards. Better curriculum. Better instruction. Better assessment. Better response to assessment data. And too with research, teacher collaboration, school design, parent communication, and so on. So while viewing a presentation from Jackie Gerstein recently, I was stopped at the very simple distinction she made between instructivism, constructivism, and connectivism. So as you focus in your PLC or staff meetings on better “research-based instruction,” you’re looking at ways to improve how to better deliver instruction–more to understand how to better “give learning” than to cause it. Instructivism is definitely more teacher and institutionally centered, where policy-makers and “power-holders” create processes, resource-pools, and conditions for success. Gerstein’s definition’s appear below. Instructivism