Robin D. Smith |
PhD Portfolio |
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Readings |
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FALL SEMESTER, 2003
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EDCI 797a: Merging the Content Curriculum and TechnologyNorton, P., & Wiburg, K. (2003). Teaching with technology: Designing opportunities to learn. (2nd ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.This book manages to codify things that have been rambling around in my head and introduce me to entirely new concepts. Mnemonics like the FACTS (Foundations, Activities, Content, Tools, and Systems of Assessment) and ABCS (Authentic, Building Knowledge, Constructing, and Sharing Activities) of design have given me a framework for designing effective instruction. Processing the chapter “Designs for Literacy” forced me to broaden and deepen the scope of my thinking and design in important ways; my definition of literacy was very narrow. “Designs for Community” reminded me of the multiple and varied levels of learning that occur in any community and the importance of developing learning communities. This book will form the foundation of my 21st century teaching avatar.
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SPRING SEMESTER, 2004
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EDCI 797b: Research and Conceptions of the Content FieldsBolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. (2nd ed.) Mahweh, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.While the primary focus of this text is to analyze the effect that electronic texts have on writing, thinking, and even being, it also does an excellent job of discussing the history of text and humanity’s long and evolving relationship with the technology of writing. The whole idea that we mediate experience through the lens of text is fascinating.Smith, M. W., & Wilhelm, J. D. (2002). "Reading don't fix no Chevys": Literacy in the lives of young men. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.I disagree with the basic premise behind this book--that males have special needs that need to be addressed by reading programs in middle and high school, but it offers a fascinating look at the reading habits and attitudes of adolescent males as well as effective strategies. The problem I have with this book is the fact that adolescent females have similar problems and should not have their needs ignored simply because they are better socialized than their male peers.RECOMMENDED BUT UNASSIGNED READINGS:Alverman, D. E. (Ed.) (2002). Adolescents and literacies in a digital world. Washington, DC: Peter Lang.This is a varied and fascinating collection of essays on adolescent learning in the modern age. The pieces vary from accounts of students' use of techology in their academic and social lives to theoretical discussions of attention economy. The fact that the texts discuss adolescents beyond the continental U. S. offers a broader perspective. My mind is still burning.Flower, L. (1994). The construction of negotiated meaning: A social cognitive theory of writing. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois UP.This work offers an interesting theory construct: the author examines communication as varied forms of negotiation--external and internal. Her metaphot forces the reader to examine the processes of writing, reading, speaking,and learning through a new lens--which is just what I need.Havisher, G. E., & Selfe, C. L. (Eds.) (1999). Passions, pedagoies and 21st century technologies. Logan, UT: Utah UP.This collection of essays on the ways technology relates to and informs pedagogy is very informative and thought-provoking. I especially liked the fact that it presents both the problems and promise offered by technology.EDIT 797b: Advanced Web-Based Publishing and Graphics Tools Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1993). Surpassing ourselves: An inquiry into the nature and implications of expertise. Chicago, Open Court.This book has serious implications for educational design. While there are still many unanswered questions about how best to promote expertise—particularly in an educational setting, the authors clearly describe their notion of expertise as a method for approaching any work, and problem. Progressive problem solving is a process that should be fostered by specific activities and environments in any educational setting from pre-k through post graduate work.Horn, R. (1998). Visual language: Global communication in the 21st century. Bainbridge Island, WA: MacroVU.When I started reading this book, I began to understand and believe chaos theory in a visceral way. Many serendipitous events have led me here: starting with my conning the audio-visual instructor at Longwood to let me take his teaching module as independent study in the ‘70s (and therefore helping him with his visual literacy film) because I didn’t want to drive 50 miles one way an extra day for one class, to learning PageMaker to do the publications I got stuck working on at school, to winning a copy of Inspiration software in the early ‘90s, to always being fascinated with linguistics but not believing that it had any practical use for me. The only thing that bothers me about this book is that its visuals are already dated, and this fact reminds me of this problem in many visuals. Photographs in textbooks have always been limited by what I call the “geek factor.” Students at photos of children dressed in old-fashioned (meaning two years out of date) clothes and hair. Horn has avoided this, but his illustrations seem dated; they are over five years old. This flash freeze dating is not a problem in ephemera, but it will be a problem with more long-lasting texts written in visual language. |
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SUMMER
SEMESTER, 2004 |
EDCI 797c: Designing and Teaching the Problem-Centered Curriculum |
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UNASSIGNED READINGS:
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EDIT 797c: HTML, Javascript, and Video Publishing |
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UNASSIGNED READINGS: |
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FALL SEMESTER,
2004 |
EDCI 797d: K-12 Virtual Learning and Teaching |
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Daloz, L. A. (1999). Mentor: Guiding the journey of adult learners. (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.This work was more useful to me as an adult learner than as a student. I will use it, no doubt, as I mentor teachers in The Online Academy for Teachers the fall of 2005. When I read this, I was taking an online course in online learning. The text enabled me to better self-regulate and identify my strengths and weaknesses as a learner.Maeroff, G. (2003). A Classroom of one: How online learning is changing our schools. New York: Palgrave.I have difficulty separating
this text from my practical experiences as I was reading it. I was
taking an online course with my own mentor as I was designing online
courses for high school students--including resources for their mentors--and
mentoring a student who was taking one of the courses I had designed.
The work has a wider applicability, though. Just as technology is changing
the way our students interact with the world and learn, online learning
is changing schools, not always in ways that are anticipated
or desirable. Because we have much to learn from online learning that
is applicable to any learning environment, this
work has a wider audience than may be obvious.
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Spring
2005 - Fall 2006 |
See course reflections. |
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rsmithm@gmu.edu
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Major: Instructional
Technology
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