Journal #6

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on finishing the design of my website.  Specifically, the logo at the top of the page has been giving me trouble, so I've been tweaking a new design in Photoshop.  This is definitely one drawback of using a Weebly.  In the next few days, I plan to push the site out to the faculty.  I look forward to seeing their responses and recognition of staff members for their technology use in the classroom. 

In thinking about our reading for this week on Wilson's Four Pilliars of Practice, there were a couple points that resonated with me.  In his discussion of the Second Pillar, Wilson states, "Learning outcomes gained through instruction should relate to the outside world in significant ways—otherwise school learning remains of academic interest only."  In today's classrooms, students should be prepared to succeed in work and life in the 21st century by mastering skills set forth by the curriculum.  As a teacher, I feel that my responsibility is to make learning relevant and applicable so that students can relate what they are learning to the outside world.  

Another point Wilson makes about the Second Pillar is about bringing the outside world into the smaller world of instruction.  He states:

This second pillar, connecting instruction to the outside world, affects the world of instruction as well as links to work. Resnick (1987) spoke of bridging devices like simulations and multimedia resources that could bring features of the outside world into the smaller world of instruction. These second-pillar principles help designers keep in mind the need for authenticity, rich information resources, and links to the world outside of instruction.

In recent years, there has been an increase of "in-school" field trips at my school.  Each year we have several guests to visit our school and present hands-on, engaging lessons to our students.  By bringing the outside world in, students are able to connect to the world outside of instruction and learn concepts not presented in any textbook.  In the ever changing world of technology, the growth of "in-school" field trips is very promising.

 

Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45 (2), 10-15. Special issue on cultural studies edited by Ellen Rose.