Now Active: Learning

ACTIVE LEARNING: Greetings from Room 211

According to the emaze presentation on Generation IY by Tim Elmore, nearly half of the world's population is under 25 years old. 😲 They are also the "first generation that doesn't need leaders to get information; they have electronic access to every piece of data you can imagine." In other words, if you are still thinking that teachers are in the front of the classroom on a chalkboard reading out of a basal, you are sorely mistaken. 

To adjust to Generation IY (you know - iPhone, iPad, iMessage, iPod), educators around the world have to get creative. They need to include opportunities for the learning to be centered around students and ways for them to be connected both socially and technologically. They need to students to be active in their own learning where the information is relevant, engaging, mindful, and experiential. Students are held accountable and the teacher facilitates the learning and discussions. 

Photo Courtesy of: DMMMSU-OUS ED TECH 1

Edgar Dale, an incredible educational technology pioneer, is most known for creating the "Cone of Experience." In it he describes the difference of "passive learning" (most likely how many of us were taught in the past) and "active learning." 

Passive Learning is the "sit and get" and only accounts for up to 50% of what we remember in learning activities. It is what we read, hear, see. Active Learning is what pushes it even further and is how we contribute back: what we say, what we write, and what we do. 

Photo Courtesy of: DMMMSU-OUS ED TECH 1

Activity: Greetings from Room 211

In October of 2015, classmate Max set off for an exciting new opportunity: to star in the movie "Family Man" next to actor Gerard Butler. In an effort to continue to stay connected to his classmates, his teacher set up a blog for Max to use and document his new adventures. Enter: Greetings from Room 211. As his classmates were able to read about all of the filming endeavors, they were also able to leave (moderated) comments to him.

Photo Courtesy of Greetings from Room 211

Yep - you read that correctly. It looks as though our very own professor Nicole was the creator of this activity! WOW!

Connections to Active Learning

There is no doubt that this is absolutely active for Max. He is constantly having analyze his day through writing to his classmates. He is creating a journal of his adventures that he shares with his classmates back home, which is keeping him engaged and connected to them while he is off filming. He is reflective on his adventures and how different situations made him feel, even when he knew that he was just acting. It is rich with images of the filming set, actors, and adventures. His classmates are able to cheer him on throughout the two-month sabbatical via moderated comments, keeping the teacher as the facilitator. It is absolutely incredible.

Find out more through this padlet: 

How Can It Be Applied To You?

We all may not have an actor gracing our presence in the classroom, but we may have situations in which the student cannot physically join the classroom. Maybe they are going on a long vacation, or leaving the country. Maybe they are home-bound for an illness or disability. Having the students stay connected to the classroom community using a blog is a fantastic idea. Promote daily or weekly reflection and allow them to see the world around them while sharing it with others both socially and technologically. Encourage classmates to cheer them on towards recovery, journeys, or challenges. 

In what other ways can you see an activity like this working for you?