Elevation

There are many things in life that befuddle our minds and we seek reprieve by talking to a friend or a family member. Somehow being able to unload our thoughts can precipitate some relief. We go through a catharsis episode of being able to express and bring into consciousness ideas, problems, fears, feelings etc and more than often things just fall into their right places.

I think blogging our thoughts can have the same outcome. Writing down our thoughts enables us to express ideas, answer questions, solve problems and even share knowledge to others.

Authentic learning seeps beyond the classroom walls and enter into the very lives of the students as they mull over their lessons. Students struggle with new knowledge that they learn but time constraint can pose as barrier. The students need enough time to really grapple and come to terms with new information for learning to take place. Blogging can be used as a tool for the student to arrest the time constraint factor in obtaining information because of the immediacy benefits it offers. However, whereas availability of information is fast in blogging, authentic learning will require a significant degree of time as individuals give, obtain, assemble, analyze and integrate knowledge. The blogger is actively giving out his/her thoughts and simultaneously searching and obtaining needed information to reach a higher order of learning. The blogger/student goes through defining tasks and subtasks, draws his/her own interpretations and reaches a conclusion/solution.

The teacher may ask students to create their blogs and have their own mini-classroom blogosphere. Every now and then the teacher can look at the student's blogs and allow authentic learning to take place as the students piece together the different things they glean from their class. The teacher's role shifts from being viewed as the source of information to that of being a support provider, collaborator and coach as students use their personal interpretations to create unique solutions to problems.

Besides clarification of ideas, blogging can also be used for expansion. Expansion happens when the student pursues an idea that has struck him/her which may have not been apt to share in the classroom for lack of time or maybe it was a little off topic but with blogs mediated by teacher the student would still have the opportunity to express this thought and the teacher and classmate may build upon this thought and create an active learning community unlimited by the physical walls of the classroom and time that is allotted for a class.

Most blog providers make their tools user-friendly and allow versatility in their pages. Blogger. com allows its users to make changes on their page elements – adding sections on the main page and moving them to one column to another as well. Moreover, weblogs are versatile not only in terms of page layouts but also in the things that you can embed in the blog entries – pictures, film clips, slide shows, music, etc. This allows the student to further express his/her understanding through a myriad ways. Furthermore, this allows for more creativity and personalization. Ownership over knowledge is something that is important in education from a constructivist point of view as new learning would only make sense to the student once he/she has weaved in the new learning into the previous one which is essentially part of his/her person.

The versatility that blogging offers gives that characteristic of being an ill-defined task that is essential to authentic learning as the student tries to express him/herself in a medium that is most comfortable to him – which essentially allows a student to view a topic from different perspectives as he/she integrates different disciplines to expound on an idea and thus, inevitably elevating his thinking and his audience’s as well. Here the learners rise above the rote, factual level and are able to exercise critical and creative thinking.

Blogging in its versatility can be used in so many ways as a supplement to a lesson or even a culminating activity (publishing projects) but like all educational tools it must be used wisely and with caution. One of the main characteristics of blogging is the capability to have interaction with its audience via the comments they leave and possibly achieve collaboration. Nonetheless, because the blogosphere is a public space, there will be people within/out of the class that will leave comments that may not be constructive and might breed ill feelings – shame, anger, etc. which are all not conducive for learning. This would then call for better vigilance from the teacher to oversee such things and have the presence of mind to handle such things when they do happen.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

On letting go...

“Go, litel bok, go, litel myn tragedye”





Chaucer writes these lines at the end of his work Troilus. I find much wisdom in these lines as Chaucer expresses how he is letting go of his work. He has written it and now that it is to be read by many he as no control over how people will understand his work.

Chaucer’s sentiments echo into my worries as a teacher-to-be. I would think that, issues of control are a challenge to all teachers especially when educational technology is used as a vehicle/tool for learning. Whereas currently, technology assumes a major role as information providers, there are quite a number of risks that need to be addressed.

For instance, though I think the teaching method of scaffolding is effective, at first look, letting go can be daunting. In scaffolding, the teacher would give support to his/her student, just enough for the student to get some kind of footing but the student has to find it in him/herself the want and the strength to decide, to make and take that step further and learn. The key is to be able to let go and let the student learn according to his/her “learning style.” I strongly believe that there is nothing better than learning that is quite personal and in scaffolding, the student makes his/her own connections/understanding of a given material.

Oh! But indeed, “myn tragedye!” As a teacher, it is hard to feel that one has no control over the student (or what is happening). In thinking about this, I imagine my father as he was teaching me to ride a bike. It must have been the scariest and at the same time exhilarating moment when he let go of me and just watch me pedal away. I remember that I didn’t notice at first that my father had let go – but I felt so much “bigger” when I did find out I was doing it on my own.

But yes… letting go is quite a challenge for teacher. It is especially tougher if you start to think about how students can possibly abuse the trust and freedom that is presented to them. In the case of educational technologies, as much as we want students to learn and navigate through the libraries of the net – there is that temptation of writing papers directly copied from wikipedia or sparknotes and other websites without really taking time to understand the context. There will be students who can abuse the use of electronic mails using them to create destructive behavior (spreading intrigue, slander, gossip, etc.). As much as you don’t want to limit ways in which your students can learn, parameters must be set.

There are other hazards to the learning process that can be possibly be encountered in the use of educational technology that will need "control" as a preventive measure. A snag sometimes is created in the fabric of learning when such usage is not handled competently, as when students are caught "over dwelling” in a certain point of the lesson. Too much enthusiasm to gather too many information available (over dosage) can end up in "dangles", i.e., the learner become careless in pursuing so much and yet omit certain aspects of the lesson.


The use of educational technology is an outcome of valuable progress and concomitant risks need not be confronted with aversion versus its utilization. We cannot underestimate its benefits in terms of information accessibility and the vast/rich knowledge it can provide the learners/researchers. Students, as they navigate the net, go through certain learning modes as independent study, discovery learning, creative thinking, skillful research, etc. Moreover theories of Constructivism, Multiple Intelligences, IPT (Information Processing Theory), Self-Efficacy, etc. can be satisfied or realized through the use of educational technology.

I believe there are functions that a teacher must perform so as to steer learning and have some control without hindering students to learn most effectively. Teachers can be directors of desired learning goals. They can assume sensitive executive functions which can serve as guidelines to "control" the would-be undesirable outcomes or impediments to the desired learning goals to be achieved. Such functions are as follows:

• Planning: selecting content and setting time frame for learning
• Communicating goals: structuring and conveying adequately expectations
• Regulating extent of exposure to materials: recommending /setting appropriate pacing, sequencing of data gathering.
• Evaluating: monitoring achievement by consistent follow-up to ensure that progress is focused on the desired learning outcome.

I think if I were to effectively carry out such functions, I should not worry about letting go so much – and I would have the same courage as Chaucer and one day say:

“go little one – go...”

Learning with Technology

Times change so fast… I remember as a child playing with our black phone with the rotary dial, then there was the touch pad, then lo! Mobile phones of different kinds!

Reaching out and getting connected to people seems to be a big deal in our society. The internet gave quite an impact to the way we live life nowadays. Emailing, instant messaging, blogs, etc – so many ways to keep connected, so many ways to touch people’s lives.

This is what I think educational technology is about – finding ways and means to touch people’s lives. It offers a massive amount of resources in which one can gain ideas and further one’s knowledge and of course, being social beings – we also transmit this to people we meet in our day to day lives – to classmates, teachers, friends, family, etc. Whatever I learn, it affects my life and those around me.


As a scholar and as someone who has spent 93% of her life in school, technology has made such an impact in my learning. Research was made much easier. Like magic – with a touch of finger everything unfolds before me. My undergrad thesis was on the Bronte sisters. I didn’t really know much about them then but as I started my research I discovered so many things about the world of literature, society, and myself. In my thesis, I learned that the Bronte sisters had circumvented the discrimination against women that their society had imposed on them. This research was an eye opener to me and it could not have been made possible if I did not have access to a variety of sources through the internet. This new learning affected how I thought about myself as a woman and as a person and this emanated through how I carried myself around people.


Technology has also been useful to me in self expression. I have made learning fun for myself and for my colleagues as well in the little things I add in my presentation. Technology becomes a medium in which I could convey the content of my argument effectively and at the same time, it entices more people to listen, learn and see beyond text and words – after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

I mentioned that it offers self expression and this I believe is a very important part of learning. There is such as thing as learning beyond text books, beyond classrooms… sometimes it can be found in informal websites such as blogs (internet journals/thought boards), chat rooms, photo journals, etc. Technology gives us a medium in which we can vent – have a kind of breathing space for our crowded minds.

There is so much educational technology can offer. Indeed it can optimize one’s personal growth. One day, I would like to be a teacher. I hope to be a good one and I am sure educational technology would be a useful source for finding ways and means for me to more effectively touch my students’ lives. I hope I would be able to encourage my students to broaden their minds – through the things I share and through things that they discover along the way. I hope to be the small spark that starts a fury in their souls -- to arouse an intense thirst for knowledge…