If only Designers knew of Learning Styles... !!!

Human beings have many different ways to learn and process information or intelligences. Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of different intelligence, and thus each person has refined skills in subsequent years. Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence is much too limited. In 1999, Gardner lists eight intelligences as linguistic, logic- mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily, kinesthetic, naturalist, and interpersonal and intra personal.

Learners tend to have a dominant intelligence. All people have all intelligences, but in varying amounts. Understanding one’s dominant intelligence can help identify learning styles that work best. This even works best with ESOL learners or ELL students.

1. VISUAL-SPATIAL intelligence: the ability to "think in pictures," to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors.

2. VERBAL-LINGUISTIC intelligence: sensitivity to the meaning and order of words.

3. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems.

4. BODILY-KINESTHETIC intelligence: the ability to use one's body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

5. MUSICAL intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence.


6. INTRAPERSONAL intelligence: an understanding of one's own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others

7. INTERPERSONAL intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals -- their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence.

8. NATURALIST intelligence is the ability to perceive the natural world.

9. EXISTENTIAL is the new one, I found, which is an intelligence on deep questioning of the world and being.

These intelligences are located in different areas of the brain and can either work independently or together, can be nurtured and strengthened, or ignored and weakened.


Sources:

Armstrong, T. (2011) Multiple intelligences. Retrieved from http://thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

Gardner, H. (2011). Multiple intelligences, Howard Gardner. Retrieved from http://howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Digital Video

In video, a non-linear editing system (NLE) is a video editing (NLVE) or audio editing (NLAE) system which can perform random access on the source material. It is named in contrast to 20th century methods of linear tape and film editing. 

I wish I had told this very simple differentiation between video and digital video to my students before they started recording their Final Day Project Interview Video. When they asked me what's the difference between the two, I did explain everything but the notion of Linear and non-linear! ok, I forgot.

It is very important to know the difference between the two. I think the day is gone, where we used to record videos and publish them on cds or just watch them from our TVs and load the cassessts! of video in our shelves. Nowadays everyone is looking for a way to record their memories online, so they can always have access.

With Digital Video, and a simple program like Windows Movie Maker, all those dusty piled up pictures and the ribbons of movie can easily be published online, with no dust! What's more friends and relatives all over the world can see them as well. If you want to cut some pieces because you didn't look good on that piece, it's just a piece of cake! Just keep the best part and decorate it with some background music, effects or transtions and voila!

Podcasting and Education

After the creation of Blog and Photoblog tools to express thoughts and ideas on the global network, Internet users had a tool called "podcasting" . In fact, podcasting is a sound system unlike blog publishing tool that is written or photoblog that is visually published.

Countless universities, colleges and K-12 classes worldwide are using podcasting technology to bring the benefits of this technology  to classrooms. Podcasting has taken education by storm and the technology can not be ignored. Instructors use this tool to deliver recorded lectures, news and information to students.Thousands of all-age pupils and teachers are catching on, producing podcasts ranging from children's stories, audio diaries, plays, interviews, news and reviews. Some teachers are even using them to distribute exam revision material.

Podcasting brings more student engagement and interest in class discussions, field research and independent projects. Students also can keep up with the material when they are recorded. This reminds me of Gardner's multiple intelligences theory and the notion that individuals have different learning styles. I myself like viewing, watching and listening to lesson lectures than just reading textbooks. As if I am absorbing the information with all my five senses. Moreover, it has been seen that students show more enthusiasm especially when they are invloved in the project and thus a better evaluation results both from students and instructors.

Podcasting is transforming school life for forward-thinking schools, stimulating creative learning and new ways of communicating, says George Cole. When it comes to the length of your podcast, short is better. Recording good-quality audio in a school can be difficult! But remember: it's not difficult to create a podcast; you don't need lots of expensive kit, and kids love it."

 

Resources:

http://poducateme.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/sep/18/link.link16

Podcasting, Web 2.0 and other means of Scaffolding

Scaffolding examples are simplifying language and format, visuals and graphics, manipulatives, providing choices, cooperative learning, modeling and native language support and they are useful techniques to make content more accessible for students. As a parent and a teacher, I like Modeling, coaching and fading away the best. Though slowed speech, pauses, and speaking in phrases, providing correct pronunciation by repeating student responses and paraphrasing (Echevarria et. al., 2008) are all very efficient ways too. I like modeling not only in providing exemplars for past classes, analogies and or modeling reading, writing and note-taking strategies; but in the more general yet specific technique. Scaffolding in this way is presenting the lesson while modeling it from a students’ perspective. The instructor challenges herself with the same trial and errors that a student might face when solving the problem.

With Modeling, Coaching and fading away comes higher thinking skills. Thinking and/or the language of thinking is the mental process where words are used to describe and or evoke thought. To do so causes learning to happen as it draws on one's own interests, prior knowledge, and experiences in order to make the mental process happen. Effective learners actively take charge of their own learning by doing so. (Tishman Sh., Prekins D.N, Jay E. 1995)

The importance that other forms of scaffolding like multi- and hyper-media, podcasting, vodcasting, and other Web 2.0 tools have towards education is also great. Both allow teachers as well as students to create a variety of different presentations. Furthermore, it gives students the opportunity to learn by doing. Through active participation students stay focused and engaged in their own learning. (Norton P. & Sprague D. 2001 p.187-215)

Students are able to collaborate on projects and activities that allow them to interact with and think critically about what they are learning.

There is a learning model built into the design process that addresses internal and external concepts. Higher order thinking skills come into play. It also accommodates nonlinear exploration of information and students learn when they are actively involved in their own learning.

Podcasting

It didn't work out the way we expected. It is always like that. You'd better have a back up plan before setting all your eggs in one basket.
School computers have limitations you never know of. A task you would be thinking it could take not more than three hours, it will take a week and you are still on recording and re-recording. First, the software doesn't get installed because you don't have the administration privileges to do so. Then there are music download and contrary to what you are thinking, it won't download for the same reason.
Students are pretty excited though. They have read their news articles, summarized, written their questions and answers and have rehearsed their lines for news reporting on radio.
Finally it comes time for recording and it is not as easy as the one you did in your own class. Sometimes kids are better at tech tools than adult students. They just grab the How Tos  in a blink of an eye.But with adult learners, there comes all the steps to be taught. It can be simply from showing them how to use a mouse and right click to all the way through managing how to work with Audacity!
In a word, things can be difficult when it comes to integrating teaching with technology :)