learning-adventures

The Digital Youth Project

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:15:12 +0100

Does the paced world of video games and television parallel the pace of a teacher directed classroom environment? Is the brain changing as a result of this rapid stimulation? Papert felt that sophisticated ways of solving problems resulted from computer use yet are these sophisticated ways the catalyst for brain development? Other research has indicated that video games are mood altering but skeptics say that reactions to video games are normal aka “poor sportsmanship”. I was pulled in by the fact that The Digital Youth Project does not study the effects of video games but looks at video games from the perspective of peer relationships and the development of technical expertise. I often think of my teen brother who has no formal computer programming experience but has developed significant and impressive technical expertise due to his online relationships with peers and the fact that the computer allows him to seek his interests. Restrictions to a curriculum do not exist in these natural learning situations thus providing the optimal low anxiety learning environment. He would be placed under the interest driven genre of participation. I am quite fascinated with many things and I find these new insights on the Digital Youth very exciting! Peer based learning is obvious in our Cadre and different skills are highlighted and recognized much like in the informal environment of peer based learning. Peer based learning is optimized when there is exchange and dialogue. The Last Lecture author Randy Pausch says, “Always bring something to the table, it will make you seem more welcoming”.

Making Sense of Data

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:16:49 +0100

It was interesting to see the break down of demographics for the 2004 election particulary because of the upcoming elections. I found these results in the Roper Center Public Opinion Archives. The next step is to place it in the Delimiter format
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/elections/how_groups_voted/voted_04.html

I have been searching for information in the format and found the following in the US Census outlining registered voter information.
http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/voting/cps2004/tab06-1.csv

After consulting with a member of the community of practice, I was finally able to convert the information into a .txt file. Click on the following link to view the file:
Data-Elections 2004

Heroes and Martyrs

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:20:04 +0100

This Learning Adventure did not require the creation of a product. We were required to conduct research on Ned Kelly and The Chicago Seven to determine their historical status, were they heroes or martyrs? Online research revealed mixed results and it became difficult to come to a solid conculsion. Is the web a reliable source? There are sources available which are deemed academically acceptable from online university databases such as online journals yet it is also interesting to note public sentiment from blogs and websites.

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, outlines the idea that “Following the links is a commitment to learning by serendipity.” This adventure granted the opportunity to “follow the links” to sites and articles which we were precisely interested in. A rigid curriculum was not in place, hence the freedom to review literature from multiple perspectives was valued.

Original discussion was conducted asynchronously on Google Groups:

Learning Adventure 4

Sites visited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cdCKu7NaAI
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ozesl/quiz7.html
Education forum

Watch and Discuss the Comedian

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:25:55 +0100

Upon further review of the Cadre's response to the film, The Comedian, I realized that the connection between this learning course and the film was how a community of practice affects learners; a community of practice provides a prime opportunity for developing expertise. Comedians learn by sharing and critiquing each other. The film highlighted the contrast between a formal, rigid learning environment and an informal, open learning environment. Jerry Seinfeld learned his craft by seeking the wisdom of his peers through informal dialogue; Jerry was more consumed with making the audience laugh than with perfecting his delivery. On the other side of the spectrum was Orny Adams who appeared to be consumed by his stage presence and decided to isolate himself from the community of practice.

This is a portion of my original response to the film; yet by consulting with the community of practice, I further understood the correlation that the film had with this learning course:
This film is about the “process” that comedians encounter and the constant reflection and work that goes into stand-up comedy. Seinfeld may be considered an expert in his field due to the fact that there is a continual reformulation of problems at higher levels. He is reinvesting his prior knowledge into the new activity (stand-up). Cognitive progressive problem solving is apparent in the way that he reviews his stand-up and is constantly thinking and consulting with other members of his “club” such as Gary Shandling and Chris Rock.

One Laptop Per Child Promotion

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:27:09 +0100

We were confronted with a humanitarian/marketing opportunity. The task was to create a website which promoted The One Laptop Per Child initiative. This initiative brings laptops into the hands of children in developing countries. The promotion gave buyers the ability to purchase one laptop for a child in a developing country and recieve another for any use. The basic premise was "Give One, Get One."

This Learning Adventure relied on the Cadres ability to make rapid decisions for the development of a limited time only promotional website. Collaborative efforts came to fruition via synchronous communication through mediums such as Skype and asynchronous collaboration through email, wikis, discussion forums, and live edits of a web site. Distributed cognition granted the development of a multidimensional site that was ultimately a positive contribution to society.

This assignment also brought the works of Seymour Papert to life. Papert's The Children's Machine was written pre-internet revolution and delineated the power of computers in the lives of children; computers provide the sophisticated thinking skills that yield problem solving and troubleshooting abilities.

I created the following letter and attached it via MediaFire to the promotions link on the site:

Dear Friends,

The idea that useful learning happens through collaborative, joyful,
self-empowered learning experiences is adopted in the One Laptop Per
Child global education initiative. This initiative creates useful and
engaging learning opportunities for the world's poorest children by
providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected
laptop.

You can provide this special learning opportunity for underprivileged
children by purchasing the small machine with a big mission, the XO.
For a limited time only, you have the opportunity to give a laptop and
get a laptop.

Please visit this website to learn more about purchasing the XO and
promoting the event in your community.

Pepperdine University OMET
Cadre X1

Press Release
http://students.pepperdine.edu/djwood/664/data/laptops4kids_press_release.pdf

Laptops For Kids
http://laptops4kids.net/

Public Relations
http://www.pepperdine.edu/pr/releases/2008/december/stager-education-...

The 3N Problem

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:15:44 +0100

We were presented with an unsolved mathematical dilemma known as the 3N problem. According to Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, a right brainer like myself approaches the problem by "seeing all the elements of a situation and understanding what they mean". I definitely had to process the different attributes of the problem to gain a better understanding of the task at hand. My initial steps included a thorough analysis of the graphing tool provided by the Microworlds Ex software, researching the problem, and enlisting others in the process. One site called the 3N an "unsolved mathematical challenge and a taste of chaos" but the visual provided by the site helped clarify the problem. The graph demonstrated how the numbers peaked and dropped numerous times until the 4-2-1 pattern occured infinitely. This is the site that I found helpful:
http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb/scripts/ShowCode.asp?txtCodeId=6...
I began with the number 148, 21 generations occurred before it arrived at the infinite 4-2-1 pattern. What is the correlation between 148 and 21 generations? I randomly selected numbers divisible by 4 to see if I could locate a possible pattern.

Tested number: Generations:
20 5
16                            2
12                            7
8                             1
4                             0

20/4=5
16/4-2=2
12/4+4=7
8/4-1=1
4/4-1=0

This background information was created by Pepperdine professor Gary Stager.

BACKGROUND

The 3N problem offers a fantastic world of exploration for learners of all ages.The problem is known by several other names, including: Ulam’s problem, the Hailstone problem, the Syracuse problem, Kakutani's problem, Hasse's algorithm, Thwaite’s Conjecture 3X+1 Mapping and the Collatz problem.

The 3N problem has a simple set of rules. Put a positive integer (1, 2, 3, etc…) in a “machine.” If the number is even, cut in half - if it is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1. Then put the resulting value back through the machine. For example, 5 becomes 16, 16 becomes 8, becomes 4, 4 becomes 2, 2 becomes 1, and 1 becomes 4. Mathematicians have observed that any number placed into the machine will eventually be reduced to a repeating pattern of 4...2...1...

This observation has yet to be proven since only a few billion integers have been tested. The 4…2…1… pattern therefore remains a conjecture.

The computer will serve as your lab assistant – smart enough to work hard without sleep, food or pay, but not so smart that it does the thinking for you.

Finale Notepad

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:53:55 +0100

Adventure 1: Finale Notepad

A quote from the book entitled, The Hundred Languages of Children:
“Reciprocity, exchange, and dialogue lie at the heart of successful education.” This idea was exemplified in the first adventure and carried into the rest of the semester. In addition, the bulk of this course consisted of rich learning advenutures paired with an experiential approach to understanding the role of learners and educators.

This first adventure consisted of the creation of a piece of music. We were provided with simple directions: Download Finale Notepad and create a piece of music. Collaboration and sophisticated ways of approaching an assignment were exemplified through expirementation, troubleshooting, and music research. The role of the teacher was morphed into one of facilitator and we were granted freedom of expression with approximately one week to compose our masterpiece. The following steps were taken to achieve a final product.

Experimentation and troubleshooting of the software

Listened to samples of music with a discerning ear

Researched following topics: musical compositions, musical notations

Selected favored instruments

Methodically inserted notes

Consulted with peers

Produced final product