OBSERVATION - Why Don't Students Like School?
"Because the Mind is Not Designed for Thinking"
"Strange as it may sound, the mind is not designed for thinking--it's designed to save us from having to think. Because thinking is slow, effort-full, and uncertain, we rely on memory, not thought, to guide us whenever possible. Nonetheless, we are curious and we do like to think, so long as the issue or problem at hand is neither too easy nor too hard." Willingham, D.T.www.danielwillingham.com
When our ED443 classmate said out loud "I don't read instruction", upon signing out for a video camera, I too agreed quietly." Now from Mr. Willingham's research in the U.S. mainland, I know for sure this is not an "island thing."
The professor of cognitive psychology conveys that people are naturally curious, but they are not naturally good thinkers; unless cognitive conditions are right, people will avoid thinking.
The implication of this principle is that teachers should reconsider how they encourage their students to think in order to maximize the likelihood that students will get the pleasurable rush that comes from successful thought.
That said, all my ED443 classmates of Fall 2009 would agree that Dr. J. Cyrus did just that. She gave us all the necessary tools with the intensive projects and assignments and requirements for active collaboration. Because knowledge itself is a social network, our teacher invited us to join using technology (too many to mention here), that is itself inherently fluid, flexible and often geared toward a bottom-up strategy of her method in facilitating the subject at hand.
It certainly raised me up from the level of having used the computer simply for a typewriter and a word processor device. I have solved many problems with the complex activities which required great effort and of course creative collaboration of all Cyrus' students I happened to meet in and out of class. The abundance of free tools given by our teacher was there for the taking.
With great practice and use of these tools, I feel confident that I can comfortably motivate my students to engage with new technologies as well.
Demonstration of Assistive Adaptive Technology Devices
I will boldly go where I have never gone before in the field of technology. The visits to University of Guam's GSAT, (Guam Service Assistive Technology felt like I've entered into a realm of power
Demonstration of AAT Device - Smart Talk and Digital Voice Recorder
