CEP 800: Module 2 Interview

I interviewed one person about the process of electing the president to the United States. As you view the video you will see that I addressed some of the misconceptions.

Gee Chapter 2

What limitations prevent us from solving big, complex problems smartly?

We as humans limit ourselves to certain parameters. We try to solve the problem the best way we know how, often without considering prior experiences and our emotions.  We do not consider that others might be able to guide us through new problems or that having a plan is necessary to solving the big, complex problem.  

In order to solve problems we need to establish the conditions to be smart.  According to the book these conditions are:

1. Initial Mentorship
2. Prior Experience
3. Clear Goals
4. We need to get something out of it/What matters emotionally
5. Opportunity to act/elicit meaningful response from the world

So what does this mean? It means that in order to solve big, complex problems we need to seek help from others before considering prior experiences.  Once we set the foundation for solving our problem we need to establish a set of clear goals. Among those goals we need to answer the age old question, “What is in it for me?” Once we discover what we want out of the solution and take into account our personal emotions, then we can discover the opportunity to act.  Our actions should fulfill our goals and gain a meaningful response from the world or at least the other people involved (i.e the class, school, community, etc).   

At the end of Chapter 2 Gee defines what it means to be SMART.  Smart means:

1. Process of building simulations before acting
2. Acting
3. Assess the outcome in terms of goals met
4. Choose a new action or adjust the old one
5. Act again

I agree with this definition or process for solving problems.  As a teacher I see students solve problems everyday and they do not always solve them in a SMART manner.  Too often students react to a problem or situation, rather than stop to think and assess the problem.  The SMART system as described in this chapter encourages each person to do that.

 Gee says that humans are the only animals capable of simulating time and accounting for it in our simulations for solutions to problems.   With the knowledge that Gee has provided to me, I think it is my responsibility to educate others about this method.  If anything, it provides support for an argument that I already make to my students.  I tell my students that they can choose how they react to situations and solve problems.  No one can make them feel anything or force them to respond.  It is a choice that they need to be aware that they are making. 

I teach in a neighborhood where your reputation matters more than your education.  The standard problem for my students would be that someone has disrespected them or taken something from them.  Their typical solution is to fight and if they end up in jail or expelled so be it.  I keep telling my students that more often than not, someone is just trying to get a reaction out of the other person.  This may not be the same big, complex problems that Gee is referring too but it is one we deal with all too often.

As we as humans become more aware of the problems we face and learn to avoid our natural urge to react based on emotion, we can then advance to solving problems the SMART way.   The more informed we are, the easier it will be to solve problems.  We can work together to find a common solution and think about problems logically with little emotion (other than the satisfaction that there is a solution to our problems).  Overall I thinking this is a wonderful starting point and can be customized and improved on for each individual.  

Explore a problem

For my CEP 812 class we needed to solve a well-structured or ill-structured problem.  I chose the ill-structured.  Where I teach it can be difficult to get students to respond.  They are often shy and don't want to interact unless it is for a grade or if you tell them what to say.  In a perfect world I could walk into my principal's office and tell him that I need 40-50 iPads the WiFi password.  I could then take the iPads and have my students interact with the text digitally first, before sharing in class.  Hopefully soon I can make this a reality.  *I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my new school will have better technology access.*

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CEP 811 Final Reflection

1. What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?  I've learn how to use StAIRs and Webquests and I can't wait to try them out.  I have learned that it is more than using technology for the sake of using technology.  When you incorporate technology into teaching it needs to have a purpose.  I know that I can use my iPad everyday to conduct lessons in my class however it isn't always necessary and it more showing off technology than using it for enriching the lesson.  
2. How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology? Integrating web-based technologies made me realize that is more to technologies assignments than using it to find information for a PowerPoint.  I can task my students with 21st Century skills assessments.  I can ask them to blog for journal points or complete webquests instead of your typical research project.  I can also create class wikis and ask to multi-class collaboration   
3. How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration? I'm definitely  on the proper path.  I think over the next few months I'll be able to develop a good plan for meeting my goal of a blended and paperless classroom.  My goal for the fall semester is to go paperless on all homework assignments.  
4. Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over? Integrate and implement what I learn.  As I mentioned above I'd like to have all of my homework be paperless.  At a minimum 75% of the assignments I give will also be available online.  There is nothing I hate more than having students ask for extra copies (when they already have one or two) because they left it at home or lost it.  Go online, locate it and print a copy.