Q. With all these learning communities being developed for facilitating interaction and critical thinking what are the implications for changing the way we work, teach and learn?
A. Wow, is the first thing that has come to mind! Already, just one of the things that we learned about is in play with interaction of co-workers though we are just working with cleaning up an piece of research at the moment. The critical thinking aspect, however, is a definite "think through". As I work with teaching a second language planning out how critical thinking can be integrated at the intro level requires me to critical think! I have a worksheet that I had challenged my class to work on as a collective group. The answers were then checked and the corrections involved reporting back as to why the correct answer was the correct answer to begin with and where the lesson application page is in the text book. In other words they had to defend their new corrections. No one was exempt from the corrections unless there was a 100%and even then they had to report the elements that could of been used 'both' ways with definite and indefinite with the articles. I am planning on putting this worksheet online and assigning small groups to each work a portion of the whole paper in a program like pbworks.
Q. What is preventing us from such changes?
A. I believe that time, money, a fear of looking incompetent, the"what's in it for me?" and "Is it enough of a reason for me to put up with being "put-up-on?" attitudes are holding universities back from making and embracing technological changes. An example is my co-worker, there are just somethings she is refusing to use. It's kind of like "if it's not broke, don't fix it." And, as for most faculty and even staff and definitely administrators, the concept is, "I will do it, if you will lead me so well that you will make me look successful at all my attempts so that i can come across with an "It's all good" front.
Q.If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change and why?
A.I would change the bursting of the Internet "bubble" to have happened a lot sooner. Why? So, I could have grown up with computers from elementary on up and that all these very nice free usages would already have been even more refined by the time I got to this point. And, so I would have had modeled for me over and over again the implementation of technology and critical thinking. Also, so I wouldn't have had to learn about DVD's being made in different areas and not being synced to my player, after I had bought them! I have a very big imagination and am a "SYFY" fan from way back. I would have medical personnel world wide would have a common accessible data base and that virtual collaborative workings on micro-nano technology could have found a way to save my mom from breast cancer and to totally eliminate my sister and I, and our daughters' chances of coming down with it at all. I would wish that technology could find a way to block the synapses response to illegal drugs and every first offender would be required to have that nano technology inserted into their bodies. I would want ADD, Bi-polar, epileptic, and HDD students (as well as others that suffer from electrical/chemical/stress induced issues) to wear a removable wrist band that help to balance the electrical/chemical imbalances so that these very bright children would not be osctrizied or labeled and could become the highly productive citizens that they could be. And, all of this could be realities in some form or the other if people would communicate with a common goal in mind and this is where "technology's learning communities" would come in play. I've been thinking about a department written collaborative book of good time and bad times as a student or employee with reflections on what they could have done differently. It could a way that all who participate could be published in one collective move.
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