Synthesis Presentation
- 2. WHAT MOTIVATED ME TO TAKE THIS CLASS I originally enrolled in this class simply to take care of my GE electives. The course title “HOW 2 LRN W UR IPOD” sparked my interest. I was curious as to what this class could possibly accomplish and teach about learning. Thus, I figured it would help take care of GE credits as well as appeal to my curiosity.
- 4. THOUGHTS ON LEARNING PREFERENCES At the end of class, my thinking towards the concept of learning preferences has definitely changed for the better. In the beginning of class, I was more skeptical as to how learning preferences have an impact on learning as a whole. However, after completing the class and the various activities and modules within, I believe learning preferences are very important in aiding through the learning process. Understanding one’s own learning preferences definitely makes a positive difference in a student’s learning success. By understanding whether one is an active/ reflective, sensual/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global learner, one can appeal to these learning styles accordingly and thus better their learning experience and results.
- 6. ACTIVITIES + CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING PATHWAY There were several specific activities that helped in establishing a broader understanding of how to use a technology to learn. These activities would most definitely have to be the Level 1 technology quizzes. I completed all technology quizzes except the one for screencasts. These technology quizzes allowed me to watch lectures as well as read up on additional on these specific technologies. Thus, I received a broader understanding on each technology through lecture and assessment on quizzes and therefore successfully contributed to the completion of my learning pathway as a Learning Sage.
- 7. TOP 3 TECHNOLOGIES The first of my top three technologies is Multimedia. I had the most fun with the activities in this technology quest. I explored multimedia by reviewing its mini-lecture and taking its quiz, by completing these five strategies: “Hip replacement surgery”, “simple machines”, “designing a cell phone", “can you build the human body?”, “Bay bridge design and earthquakes", and by evaluating my learning preferences as well as discussing the technology with other students in the forum. I continued to explore multimedia for my own learning through textbooks (i.e. The Struggle For Democracy). Multimedia worked very well in accommodating my verbal, active, visual, and sequential learning styles. ! The second of my top three technologies is Games & MMOGs. I explored this technology by reviewing its minilecture and taking its quiz, by completing these five strategies/games: “Lemonade Stand Game”, “Review the Cell Cycle”, “LinCity”, “Virtronomics”, “Runes of Magic (Spanish version)”, and by evaluating my learning preferences in relation to games as well as discussing this technology with other students throughout the forum. I continued to explore games for my own learning by finding the website FunBrain.com and playing various educational to expand my knowledge. These games also worked very well in appealing to my active, visual, and sequential learning styles. ! The last of my top three technologies is iPods & iPhones. I explored iPods & iPhones by reviewing its mini-lecture and taking its quiz, by completing these five strategies: “Unnatural Causes”, “Multiplication Flash Cards”, “Spanish/ German Language Lessons”, “Mandarin lessons”, “Chemistry podcasts”, and by evaluating my learning preferences as well as discussing iPods & iPhones with other students throughout the forum. I continued to explore iPods & iPhones for my own learning by downloading the flash card app and used it for several quizzes and tests in my OCN 100 and RPT 220 class this semester. The iPod & iPhone technology quest helped accommodate my verbal, active, and sequential learning styles.
- 8. EXPERIENCE INVESTIGATING TECHNOLOGIES The technology categories that interested me the most as learning tools were iPhones/iPods/mp3s, Games & MMOGs, and iPads & Tablets. The technologies that surprised me the most as learning tools were Multimedia and Social Network Sites. The technology that did not seem to work well as a learning tool was Microblogs. The technology categories I would like to further explore to improve my learning would be iPhones, Games, and Multimedia. I would like to further explore iPhones to improve my learning because of the thousands of apps available for facilitating learning. I would like to further explore games because they are entertaining, fun, and efficient in capturing and focusing my attention on the subject matter. I would like to further explore multimedia because I enjoyed the activities for this quest and felt engaged in each and every activity. ! The technology categories that worked best for my learning preferences were Multimedia, Games & MMOGs, and iPhones & iPads. Multimedia worked well in accommodating my verbal, active, visual, and sequential learning styles. The activities appealed to my verbal learning because I was verbally instructed on what to do, visual learning because of graphics and visual instruction, active learning styles because the activities were “hands-on”, and sequential learning because of the step-by-step information learned. Games also worked well in appealing to my active, visual, and sequential learning styles. They accommodated my active learning by requiring both stimulation from the mind and body, my visual learning by offering graphic gameplay that I found intriguing and entertaining, and my sequential learning through progression within the game. Lastly, iPhones & iPads accommodated my verbal, active, visual, and sequential learning styles. They appealed to these learning preferences through the interface of various apps.
- 9. PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS + PERSONAL LEARNING PRACTICES I explored and modified several physiological factors in improving my learning. I improved my sleeping habits, diet, and exercised more often. After reviewing the impact of these physiology changes on my learning as a whole, I concluded that they definitely helped improve my learning. I felt more energetic and relaxed from more sleep, less stressed from more exercise, healthier from an improved diet, and had an easier time retaining and remembering new information in my classes. All of these factors (sleep, diet, exercise) contributed to better learning and improved memory, which is why it proved beneficial in my studies this semester. I also noticed my mood was greatly improved which consequentially made it easier for me to focus. Getting a full night of sleep allowed me to have a greater attention span and improved my spatial reasoning in class. I was not as foggy or groggy.
- 10. HOW I WILL APPLY WHAT I LEARNED AFTER THE SEMESTER I will continue to utilize note-taking strategies and retention strategies as learning strategies after this class. Most prominently the the Two-Column Method, Outlining, and Color-coding for note taking and spacing, repetition, re-reading, summarizing, flash cards, association, personalizing, and visualization/sketching for retention. ! After class, I will continue to use iPhones, iPads, Games, Podcasts, Screencasts, and Multimedia for learning. I have selected these technologies because they appeal to my learning preferences most dominantly for visual, verbal, active, and sequential learning. I found these technologies most useful in improving my learning. ! I will continue to integrate physiological factors into my personal learning practices by continuing to better my mind and my body alike. I will continue to get a full night of sleep every night (except for the occasional outing here and there) , eat healthier (besides the occasional treat) , and exercise at least twice a week or more if my schedule is willing. I will also continue to look for more physiological information in relation to learning in order to further expand my knowledge in improving my learning. ! I will continue to integrate social factors into my personal learning practices in various ways. First off, I will continue to use social network sites such as Facebook to connect with other students in discussion about learning topics. Also, I will continue to discuss with friends, family, etc. questions, observations, information, and more in order to continue stimulating my learning and expanding my knowledge. I will also establish study groups when needed in order to facilitate my personal learning through learning with others. Lastly, I will not hesitate to talk to professors, teachers, elders, etc. when I have questions pertaining to my own personal learning and when I am interested in learning additional information
- 11. OVERALL EXPERIENCE Overall, this class surprised me with an abundance of information I never expected uncovering. I had the opportunity to utilize certain technologies in facilitating my learning that I would never have thought to taking advantage of (i.e. social networking). However, the structure of the class initially confused me. Towards the end I understood the layout. I mostly enjoyed the Level 2 Technology Quests since they exposed me to a wide variety of tools and activities beneficial to my personal learning and learning preferences. Fellow students were encouraging and friendly as well. Thus, I am glad I had the opportunity to take this class as I am excited to integrate technology and learning in the future!