Author: shawnlank

The Cognitive Media website is an elaborate advertisement for their services. It does not share the technology behind it but it is basically a group of artists performing visual representations of other people’s ideas. Elaborate visual notetaking is a method that may work for those students who do not like copious written assignments or are auditory/visual learners. One could show this website to a student and offer an alternative assignment to an essay on a topic. I had a first nations adult student how would jump at the chance to do this type of an assignment. It could also be video recorded just like the Cognitive Media artists an edited so that his work could be shared electronically on his band’s website; which routinely showcases the accomplishments of their students (like a local band’s paperless newsletter)

I admit that following the technology behind the visual that accompanied Sir Robinson’s lecture in a previous blog only resulted in an idea for an adaptation for one student’s learning but it ended up being something I could use for my research on technology integration for adult first nations students.

http://www.cognitivemedia.co.uk/

I revisited Marian Thatcher’s blogspot which is focused on adult eduaction and technology, and it had a new post that talked about an animation by Sir Ken Robinson about Concept Animation. It reminded me of way back when teacher’s used to have to draw their visuals on the chalkboard. I remembered that I always loved the drawing the most rather than copying the words from the board for notes. The blog had imbedded a youtube video showing Sir Robinson in action. I could use the link as a discussion starter for students stumped or frustrated with the limits placed on how a student usually tries to show their knowledge. We could brianstorm other methods of showing their course learning than the usual written essay.

http://www.thersa.org/home

 This NIH webpage supported a previous observation I made about a gender gap between those teachers who were willing to use computers and those who were against utilizing any new technology in their classrooms. This site revealed results of a psychological study done. Some of the results were that older people were less likely to utilize computers to access the email or information on the world wide web due to computer anxiety, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence. These were important predictors of the use of technology.  Some training strategies to promote technology adoption were also discussed.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1524856/

 This webpage is actually a part of the ERIC database (Education Resources Information Center). The site is one of the few you can actually access a full text pdf of an article without paying or being a member (with hidden costs). The article, Factors Influencing the Effective Use of Technology for Teaching and Learning: Lessons Learned from the SEIR-TEC Intensive Site Schools. 2nd Edition, is valuable to any research focused on the uses of technology in the classroom; not just for adult education centers. I found it interesting that the article mentioned that one of the factors that influence the use of technology in the classroom also depends on the ability of the teacher to use the teachnology as well. The article focused on the years 1995 to 2000, a whole 10 to 15 years before I read it but it is still true today. I have recently encountered teachers not open-minded to the use of technology because they don’t know how to use it either. I have also noticed a generation gap between the teachers who are incorporating technology and those set against it.

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED471140&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED471140

 Wow, I really liked discovering this page. It was chalked full of links to ideas, lesson plans, and tutorials all aimed at adult learning centers. The site even has links to software aimed at adult education settings and further links to reviews on the software. This site would be helpful to me personally at the job level but not really at the research level for theories etc.

http://www.alri.org/harness.html

This site is actually a direct link to a paper written by Dolores Fidishun, Ed.D. Head Librarian for Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies. The paper is titled “Andragogy and Technology: Integrating Adult Learning Theory As We Teach With Technology”. It focuses on blending the principles of adult learning theory and technology based instruction to make learning more relevant for adult students. This site is useful for my research because it focuses specifically on technology integration and adult education. The only piece missing related to my research is indigenous learning styles.

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed00/fidishun.htm

This web page was from Brock University out of Ontario, Canada. It has a center dedicated to training teachers in Aboriginal Adult Education. I was interested in it because it offers a certificate path as well as a degree path. The certificate path has five courses:

1. Aboriginal Adult Education: Beginning Our Journeys

          Introduction to Aboriginal ways of learning and constructing knowledge and the relationships between culture/education and learning/healing.

2. Curriculum Theory and Design in Aboriginal Adult Education

           Introduction to an Aboriginal approach to creating curriculum through a community-based developmental model.

3. Instructional Strategies: Ways of Teaching and Learning for Aboriginal Education

            Issues in Aboriginal and mainstream adult education including learning styles, evaluation, storytelling, experiential learning and lesson planning.

4. Aboriginal Leadership Issues: Healing, Learning and Leadership

            Relationship between the colonial experience and contemporary Aboriginal leadership; contemporary policy-making processes and the wider role of the Aboriginal trainer/teacher in our communities.

5. Aboriginal Teacher Development: Understanding our Journeys

             Reflective theory and practice through a series of hands-on activities designed to encourage both professional renewal and awareness of self as Aboriginal teacher and learner.

This site would help me if I wanted to specialize in the aboriginal adult education field.

http://www.brocku.ca/webcal/2

008/undergrad/edab.html

 This webpage is a part of a larger site: Government of Alberta. The Advanced Education and Technology page has a tab system layout that takes the researcher into government sites, post-secondary sites, advanced technology sites, apprenticeship sites, research sites, and lastly, the page I viewed was a page dedicated to community learning. The community learning page has links to aboriginal family literacy programs across Alberta. This site could be useful as a way to network among other adult educators who work specifically with aboriginal learners needs.

http://www.advancededucation.gov.ab.ca/apps/literacy/famlit.asp

 This article is a part of the Alaska Native Knowledge Network . The site is massive with a searchable database and links both internally and extrenally. It holds a wealth of information at the fingertips – so to speak- and one must focus their ideas into searchable words. This site is useful to gain statistics and knowledge of research being done currently. The Four Rs article was the result of a search for”First Nations and Higher Education”. Althought my own information gathering was for adult centers and focused on adults who have not yet graduated, I was interested in the statistics of those who did grad and go on to college and universities. I plan to use this site more…soon.

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/IEW/winhec/FourRs2ndEd.html

 This site is actually a link to a pdf copy of  “Defining the Enemy” by Michael Newman. Newman has worked in adult education since the 60s and has published many books on the topic. Originally from Australia, which has a similar history in regards to colonization and treatment of aboriginals, he worked in the UK and his focus of adult education was for the purpose of educating the working adults of that country and not the education of Indigineous adults like I was searching for. This site is useful for information to compare adult education in other countries to what I am experiencing here in BC, Canada.

http://www.infed.org/archives/lifelonglearning/newman_defining_the_enemy.htm