Learning+Goals


 * Learning Outcomes**

I. **Knowledge** The students will identify geographical terms, recognize famous sites of historical and cultural interest, indicate awareness of RATP and RER.

II. **Application** The students will demonstrate an ability to locate famous sites on a map and to navigate the Paris métro subway system to reach a new destination.

III. **Synthesis** The students will select and gather information from French web resources about places of interest while planning an itinerary for a three-day stay.

IV **Technology** The students will create a virtual tour of Paris using a new online presentation tool of their choice: zoho,  voicethread, webon, wikispaces etc.

NETS The following National Educational Technology Standards will be incorporated: 1.Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a	apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b	create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c	use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a	plan strategies to guide inquiry. b	locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c	evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d	process data and report results.

Re: Web-based Pedagogy Sheila Mansier (mansi089) at 5/31/2008 8:55 AM 	 Edit

I will design a French Language and Culture site intended for adolescent learners. I will incorporate principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is known as 'a process by which a curriculum (i.e., goals, methods, materials, and assessments) is intentionally and systematically designed from the beginning to address individual differences'. The main factors that will influence my design include: the learning objectives, the need for differentiated instruction, socio-cultural influences on learners, and meta-cognitive awareness of the learning situation. In order to to enhance student motivation and growth, I will also provide problem solving, critical thinking, and self-assessment activities and opportunities. All of these factors may indeed influence the learning outcome.

* Stated Learning Objectives

I will build a learning activity around state, national, and international standards, and I will include Nets standards for students as prescribed by ISTE. I will assume that all of my students share the common goal of meeting state requirements for entrance into a 4 year public university system and will therefore complete at least 2 years of study of the target language. Furthermore, since I teach the advanced levels of high school French, I tend to work with very bright students, many of whom have been classified as gifted. I should therefore infuse some creative and critical thinking standards for gifted learners. As I will need to incorporate basic, average, and challenge levels for the learning activity, these factors will influence the scope and sequence of the content material.

* Need for Differentiated Instruction

In designing a computer assisted language-learning activity I will attempt to offer what Tracey Hall describes as "an approach to teaching and learning so that students have multiple options for taking in information and making sense of ideas." (Hall, 2002)

The instructional design of my site should include accommodations for a heterogeneous student population whose various needs and learning styles must be met and accommodated throughout the learning process. I must also consider their academic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds while tapping into whatever skills and multiple intelligences my students might already possess.

As I am using computer technology as part of my delivery system, all of my students will require access to the internet, preferably at home and in the classroom. In order to maximize the learning experience for all learners, special consideration must therefore be given to and accommodations made for those students for whom technology is not readily accessible.

* Socio-cultural influences

The content of a student's knowledge and his thinking patterns directly reflect his surroundings and life experiences. According to the social cognition learning model, culture provides the tools for intellectual adaptation while teaching children what and how to think. Albert Bandura believed that most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling, and that a person's sense of self efficacy greatly influences his ability to learn. Vygotsky also spoke of a culturally-mediated identity.

Since a child's learning development is affected by the culture that surrounds him, including his family environment. ‘Learning', according to Mark Smith, 'involves participation in a community of practice.’ (Smith 1999) The learning activity must therefore be designed in such a way as to include numerous opportunities for social interaction and collaboration among the learners.

* Student motivation

Student motivation is a critical factor in the learning process. Learning is part of daily living and, as an educator, one of my goals is to model intellectual curiosity in such a way as to help my students to acquire life-long learning skills. I also hope to provide them high-interest, meaningful activities as a means to expand their computer literacy skills.

According to Mark Smith, most teachers work "so that people can become participants in communities of practice." (Smith, 1999) In designing instruction I must strive implement creative, technologically-enhanced  learning activities that are performance based and relevant to my students' lives while promoting social interaction and collaborative opportunities.

* Meta-Cognition

In order to maximize the learning experience I will incorporate meta-cognitive knowledge, regulation, and experiences for students to become aware of what they know and do not know and to recognize the skills they need in order to successfully accomplish the learning task or performance indicator. Furthermore, the instructional design must allow the students to test and evaluate their skills and accomplishments along the way. In designing web-based instruction, I will therefore include advance organizers and academic supports as a means for my students to develop awareness of and confidence in their acquired abilities over time.

Hall, T. (2002). Differentiated instruction. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved May 30, 2008 from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstruc.html

National Educational Technology Standards (2007) http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm

Smith, M. K. (1999) 'The social/situational orientation to learning', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/learning-social.htm.

In Foreign and Second Language Education**
 * Learning and Teaching Styles

1. What type of information does the student preferentially perceive: **sensory**—sights, sounds, physical sensations, or **intuitive**— memories, ideas, insights?

2. Through which modality is sensory information most effectively perceived: **visual**— pictures, diagrams, graphs, demonstrations, or **verbal**—written and spoken words and formulas?

3. How does the student prefer to process information: actively—**through engagement** in physical activity or discussion, or **reflectively**— through introspection?

4. How does the student progress toward understanding: **sequentially**—in a logical progression of small incremental steps, or **globally**— in large jumps, holistically?

5. With which organization of information is the student most comfortable: **inductive**— facts and observations are given, underlying principles are inferred, or **deductive**—principles are given, consequences and applications are deduced?

Source: Richard M Felder North Carolina State University Eunice R. Henriques Universidade Estadual de Sao Paulo

http://www.usability.gov/

http://universalusability.com/access_by_design/index.html

The Seven Principles of Universal Design as published by the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University are:

1. Equitable use 2. Flexibility in use 3. Simple and intuitive 4. Perceptible information 5. Tolerance for error 6. Low physical effort 7. Size and space for approach and use

Source: http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

UDL principles help educators customize their teaching for individual differences in each of these three brain networks. A universally-designed curriculum offers the following:

Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge

Multiple means of action and expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, and

Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn

Flexible digital media makes it easier than ever to provide these multiple alternatives and therefore customize teaching and learning.