Reflections of Week #5

This has been one of the most intense, but enriching weeks so far this semester. As our second cohort meeting approaches, I find myself scrambling to prepare for the weekend's courses. As usual, Dr. Diaz's law reading is tedious, but along the way I pick up morsels of great interest and intrigue. I am amazed by the types of cases that are brought before our Supreme Court, and with some of the final decisions! I once aspired to become a lawyer, but I'm really glad I chose a different path after reading much of the text required for the course. The law is fascinating, but my demeanor and attitude would not sit well in that field.

I couldn't help but notice the glaring overlap between the readings for 640 and 744 this week. In the first few weeks, some terms and theories greatly overlapped. But as I develop my Needs Assessment for my Instructional Design Plan, I'm seeing uncanny similarities between the readings and theories of the two courses. For example, I continually find myself reading about metacognition, or the ability for learners to evaluate themselves and personal learning styles and abilities. To be become a truly metaconitive learner is a goal that all students should aspire toward. This seems to be described as the pinnacle of tutelage. Dr. Whitehouse's articles have reiterated the importance of metacognition for some weeks now. Most claim that using Web 2.o tools, which foster Learning 2.0 abilities, can help students reach metacognition faster. Based on what I'm reading, I couldn't agree more! The readings this week once again revisited metacognition and emphasized its importance. I'm considering exploring this topic further in my final project for 744 in some fashion...

The other major theme that continues to arise concerns the constructivist learning theory and the learning-centered environment. Both of these were mentioned the first week in 640 and 744. Although they have popped up periodically since, both were overly emphasized in articles I am using for my Instructional Design Plan. This plan concerns the implementation of a unit for tenth grade high school history teachers. The unit is not particularly concerned with technology, but these two types of learning and learning environments are emphasized as critical "must haves" for the successful history classroom.

I made this my topic for today's blog because I'm fascinated by the interrelation of these topics! I do believe that metacognition, constructivist learning theory, and learner-centered environments are very important to the future of education. I have learned a great deal about them in the past few weeks, but I look forward to what I will learn about them in the future!