November and Romano Chapter 2 Readings

1. One of the things I want to use that we have learned about in class is having other people look at and evaluate each other’s work. Many students would do just about anything to perform in the sports arenas around the nation. They perform to the applause of the many fans who come to watch their sports activities whether it be at the college or professional levels. November (2001) stated this principle:

The importance of a real audience to motivate students can be a very powerful and positive force. Ask any music teacher or football coach what would happen to student focus, motivation, and intensity if the audience was removed―no more performances and no more games in the stadium. Some of these educators will tell you that the effect of the audience or crowd is one of the strongest catalysts of student motivation. (p. 34)

This is the same reason that many professors continue to publish their research studies. It is the approval of the many individual’s who evaluate their work on a regular basis. If we can incorporate this into the learning environment, it could produce motivation that can not be reached in any other fashion. Using the Word Wide Web to produce collaborative learning would be a great way to incorporate this element into the learning environment. Even if we are teaching a face-to-face class we can have our students publish their work so that other students from different parts of the state, country, or world can evaluate their work which could produce greater motivation for completion and quality of work.

2. I will no longer worry about quantity of technology without first planning for quality of use of technology. If we have all the classrooms in the United States furnished with computers but have not planned on what ways they will be used to increase motivation to learn, then we have accomplished nothing. In addition, when I am creating a online class I will review the 13 factors that Notar, Wilson, and Ross (2002) have suggested during the process.

3. It is very important to use the Internet for connecting students to other cultures. The world we live in requires individuals to develop relationships with others in different cultures. If we as educators can help students develop this skill we will be preparing them for something they are most likely to encounter in the business world.

Romano (2003) made it very clear that a revolution in education is not likely to occur so it is imperative that we bring about an evolution in education with technology. One of the things we need to do is start adding both in the classroom and in the online learning environments ways to increase right brain learning. I have done this by incorporating images into the face-to-face lecture environment. There are many images that I use when teaching psychology that help the student use their right brain learning capabilities. These images help the students visualize some concepts that could be very hard to grasp.