R-Directed Thinking

What do you need to change in your thought process or learning style(s) to begin to adapt to R-Directed Thinking for the purpose of creating 21st century learning environments for students?

First of all, I thought I would describe my learning styles so you will all have an idea of how my learning styles might affect my teaching in the first place. I tend to learn best through visual and verbal presentation and hands-on learning. I do not tend to learn best through numbers or kinesthetic activities. I can remember what I hear, but I remember better those things that I read.

Next, I'd like to talk a little bit about R-directed thinking and my understanding of that type of design method. Pink's Six Senses tend to be focused on involving the right brain, rather than the left, in order to create learning in students, hence the name R-Directed Thinking. Pink's Six Senses are Design, Empathy, Meaning, Symphony, Play, and Story. Design involves creating a product that is beautiful and emotionally engaging rather than just functional. Empathy involves the ability to understand other people, to forge relationships, and to care for others. Meaning involves pursuing a purpose and spiritual fulfillment. Symphony involves piecing together parts of the puzzle and synthesizing new knowledge to see the parts as a whole. Play involves just that: laughter, humor, and lightheartedness. Lastly, Story involves creating a compelling narrative rather than inundating people with facts.

Being a librarian, and learning visually and hands-on as I do, I think I already try to create a learning environment for students using many of these senses, although I've never thought about it like that. I tend to enjoy creating products that are attractive rather than just functional, which I would also like to encourage my students to do as well. The hardest part will be getting the students to go beyond what is required to the aesthetic side of things. I think Empathy is hard to teach, in general, although I tend to be able to do this myself. I'm not sure I have any ideas on this one. I tend to lose sight of Meaning sometimes, so I will have to work on remembering that everything has a meaning beyond that of "getting a grade" and will encourage my students to remember that as well. Library work is great for Symphony; students are encouraged to see the big picture in the library rather than just little bits of the puzzle. The library is also the perfect place to create an environment for Play and Story. I don't think I will have to change anything there, except for not allowing myself to get burned out and lose sight of the fun my students can have in the library!

Response to Lauren M's What's in the News

This week I have chosen to respond to Lauren M's What's in the News questions about Podcasts. First of all, I have to agree with Lauren that this article was extremely short and could have gone into much more detail about Podcasts. I am sitting on the fence with regards to Lauren's first question. Although I think poorly done Podcasts do add to the tremendous amount of spam on the Internet, I think a well done Podcast can add a lot to both the classroom and Internet experience. I think Podcasts are a fantastic thing for the classroom; I also have to agree with Lauren that it is a great tool for students who have trouble writing papers. Podcasts are another rich and varied way to get students to think critically while using technology at the same time. However, if the project being done in the classroom is poorly directed or the students are doing one at home by themselves, I do think that Podcasts might add to the amount of Spam.

In regards to Lauren's second question about useful ways to incorporate Podcasts into the classroom, I have several ideas. I am coming from a librarian's perspective so I believe that Podcasts can be a great way for students to review and recommend books to other students. Podcasts could be used for an orientation for incoming fifth graders to a middle school or incoming freshmen to a high school. In terms of classroom use, I think a Podcast could be a valic product for a research project.

Reflection to Date

I have learned quite a bit in this class so far. The Webquest was a great experience for me. I have designed several curriculum units and tons of lesson plans, but I've never designed a project of that magnitude. I think expanding this Webquest into the final multimedia project will be a great learning experience.

It was fascinating to hear about all of the Web 2.0 tools. I see so many ways to use them if I am in a middle or high school library. However, I'm still struggling to see a way to use them in an elementary school, which is where I would ideally like to be. I just don't think that elementary schoolers have the technological know-how or cognitive skills to be able to use them to their full effectiveness.

I have had experience with blogging before, since I was in college, but this has made it easier for me to keep up to date! I've never had the discipline to really keep up a blog, so that has been a good thing for me.

There are not many things I have been struggling with, besides the issue of using Web 2.0 tools in elementary school. I would love to learn more about how to make a Podcast. I really don't know much about them at all. I would also love to learn how to make a basic webpage, because I think it is important. Other than that, I think I have had enough experience designing curriculum units and lesson plans that planning the multimedia project wwill hopefully not be too difficult for me!

Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

This entry is supposed to be about Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, but since I will be in a library I will discuss my perspective on the usefulness of Web 2.0 tools in a library. I think that Web 2.0 tools present a great opportunity for students to share their own ideas and create spaces that are meaningful to them. However, I believe that these tools are best used with middle and high school students rather than elementary school students.

Gliffy, which we examined this week, would allow students to organize research and create charts and graphics for use in class presentations. As an on-line graphic organizer I think this is incredibly useful for both the classroom and the library. It helps students learn how to organize information as well as giving them options for doing so. However, the skills involved in this are more suited to middle and high school students than elementary.

Wikispaces are also fantastic for use in both the classroom and the library. My idea for Wikispaces was to have a place for students to review books online so other students in the school can access them. This provides so many opportunities for students and teachers to post things that are both educational and meaningful. This tool might be able to be adapted for an elementary school but, generally, the students don't have enough experience yet to be able to use one of these effectively.

I do believe that Web 2.0 tools can be very useful in classroom and library situations. However, I would love to see some that are able to be used at the elementary level. I just don't see how the tools that we have experienced would benefit the cognitive level of an elementary schooler. Does anyone have any ideas?