What Have I Learned So Far?

I completed the cycle one research and activities. I wrote about what I did and how I did in my cycle one research report. Looking back, I realize I have learned so much during these months, Distributed Learning Environments, Educating Today's Learner, Learning and Technology, and Participatory Action research. All of these classes are connected to support our learning. I need to reflect on what I have learned.

I become to understand now we have been laying the foundation to understanding theories from the readings and literature research, upon which our ARP is supported.

Situated Learning and other readings from Wenger: established the understanding of CoP. The reliance on experts, the learning by doing, the maturing in a practice, taking on more responsibility, and sharing with others. Why did I build a CoP with my students? I think CoP is important to us because my students and I should share the common goal and work towards the common goal.

Vygotsky's theory, Zone of Proximal, has affected my practice a great deal. Through the learning and practicing, I realize that social constructionist has played an important role in my classroom. As a teacher, my responsibility is shifting from teaching students to facilitating students' learning process and to coordinate the learning with others. Why did I shift my responsibility? I wanted to see my students to control over their own learning and construct their own knowledge.

The combination of group discussion in TI, blackboard, wiki, and Swiki, I realized, is our Knowledge Management, a reflection of our discussions on what we learned. We actually participated in a knowledge sharing community, but I didn't realize the term for what we have been doing until now, Discovery. Working together in groups I learned the importance of compromise, sharing, contribution, different levels of expertise, who to go to for what, participation, working for common goal. We experienced a sense of Community of Practice through discovery and constructivism.

The optional books provided for individualism and choice. As adults the importance of self direction came into play. From the book choices we were grouped to express the ideas so we had again a shared practice.

MM's class had us to think through the theories to support our ARP. Think about how we would want to improve our practice. Then what steps we would take to support those steps through theory. You and Your Action Research Project by McNiff, Lomax, and Whitehead and Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization by Coghlan and Brannick have guided me step by step during my cycle one research, and continue to impact on my future learning and research.

Gary's class had us to apply the technologies and learn the technologies. Reading of Children's Machine, Learning and Forgetting, and Rethinking High School left me wonder how I should create a real learning for my students, the learning where they don't forget, the learning where they take control, and the learning where they construct their own knowledge. Digital music composing with Finale Notepad, Exploring the Solar System with Celestia Solor System, patch and quilt, Pacman, and 3N + 1 with MicroWorlds provided us with concrete examples to learn how the learning process took place. Besides, these adventures were really fun.