Week 11 Roadmap

1. read about learning theory
2. read chapter 13
3. read about social software
4. post about social software

Fun

A few brain teasers and puzzles from the National Institutes of Health Kids page.

Learning Theory

The Theory into Practice database (TIP) from Greg Kearsley is a valuable resource. It contains descriptions of over 50 major learning and instructional theories. These theories are valuable for instructional designers and teachers, because one cannot instruct effectively without some level of understanding of how people learn.

Read Chapter 13

about managing the classroom.

Social Software

Perhaps you realize that tools like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Wikpedia, Digg, Flickr, and others are becoming potent social forces, particularly for students. What does this mean for teaching and learning?

Read the following four articles, in this order.

1. What is Social Software? A collection of short descriptions, with a great reference list at the end for further reading.
2. A Nomad's Guide to Learning and Social Software, Ulises Mejias. First the introduction, then the article. Here is the article as a PDF if you like.
3. Teaching Social Software with Social Software
   by Ulises Mejias
4. Three Stars and a Chili Pepper: Social Software, Folksonomy, and User Reviews in the College Context. An article of scenarios involving social software.

Post Critique

Write a commentary (at least 300 words) on "Nomad's Guide to Learning and Social Software". Note this is not a summary. Take what the author has said and critique, criticize, dissect, expand, and/or rebuff the article. Post this in the "Social software commentary" WebCT forum.

I'm working on a large ($1,050,000) project from the U.S. Department of Education to create computer-based tutorials about physics and biology. These tutorials employ "deep-level reasoning questions" to encourage students to reflect on the content. We will test the tutorials in a few local classrooms in the Spring. Here is a summary of the project.

All's well. I've enjoyed talking with many of you this week. If you haven't checked the gradebook lately, please do. The assignments continue to be of high quality, which I appreciate. Please call me or email me your number if you have questions about grades or anything else.