Trends and Roles

Resources:

http://anitacrawley.net/Articles/DabbaughPLE.pdf

http://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET/article/viewFile/1100/355

REFLECTIONS

New Insights

As increasingly social media becomes intricately woven into the fabric of society it’s potential to revolutionize not only how we communicate but how we learn has already exceeded expectations. There is increasing amounts of evidence indicating that the ability for students to engage further in their own personalized learning experiences via social media platforms provides a richer environment that facilitates continuous learning and sharing of knowledge. This ability to experience education on such a personal and instantaneous level has proven to be very beneficial especially when it comes to informal learning.

In order for adult educators to capitalize on this enhanced teaching tool it is important to discuss the benefits with students and expose them to the different learning resources available on the internet. Although students are likely to be quick familiar with using the internet, they may not be aware of the all of the industry specific websites available when they are first beginning their education. At this point I believe that the educator has a role in explaining that using social media for education is different than using it for personal use. Not all students have the self management abilities to comprehend the difference between creating personal learning environments and socializing online.

After an introduction to social networking resources adult educators should encourage participation in education based social media, in effect, creating learners who are self regulated and self motivated. By participating in social media, learners will continue to spread knowledge and contribute to communities, ideally increasing self motivation to continue as their profiles grow or as their knowledge base increases from other participants. To facilitate this educators have the ability to assign tasks that require students to create online content that will benefit not only their students, but other online informal learners as well who may be looking for content.

Trends

Hairstyling is a visual craft; therefore, more visual social media platforms have taken precedence in the industry. There are websites, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and blogs all devoted to teaching and sharing information inspiration. However, Instagram has become the most popular platform for sharing and educating recently. There was a time when it was considered rude to take out a cellphone in a class, but now it is encouraged in order for students to record images, make networking contacts and then share the images online. This culture works to both share information, create contacts which maybe useful at a later date, as well as marketing products and education.

As an educator my goal is to be prepared as possible when it comes to teaching my classes as there will be students who will film my work and probably post it online. I will encourage this behaviour by sharing contact information and having specific hashtags that students will be able to use to show me their work at a later date. Hashtags will also be used to market the school and courses offered. I will also be using blogs and Facebook to keep students engaged. Assignments will involve creating online content to be shared with others, as well as to record progress, which is highly motivating.

To facilitate this technology focussed direction all of our course manuals will be on iPads. This way students will have the ability to participate equally in social networking. I will also be educating on the importance of not including too much personal content mixed in with professional content as it lines can be somewhat blurred for those who have never created an online professional profile before.

Web Conference

Unfortunately I was unable to complete the web conference part due to the fact that my partner withdrew from the class. This experience taught me the difficulty of coordinating via email with those who have completely different schedules and priorities than myself. Also, it is easy to delay responding to emails or ignore them all together which presents another challenge.

Lesson Planning

Bloom’s Taxonomy

http://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/writing-curriculum/

Although Bloom’s taxonomy differentiates between affective, cognitive and psychomotor domains, I have chosen this resource as a reminder that they are also objectives that can be combined to provide a “holistic” approach to lesson planning; I will refer to this guide for inspiration to create lessons that include aspects of each domain. For example, when instructing hairstyling students, I could have them draw diagrams of specific haircuts (cognitive). Next, they would have to complete the haircut on a mannequin  (psychomotor). And lastly, I would provide positive feedback (affective). As a benefit, more neural pathways will be accessed during the lesson and students will have an easier time recalling information at a later date.

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept08/vol66/num01/Seven-Strategies-for-Building-Positive-Classrooms.aspx

This resource was selected because of the succinct manner it was written in. It contains seven strategies that are both detailed and to the point, rendering it extremely useful in the future when I will need to quickly reference information to create and make changes to the learning environment. It contains straightforward and proven strategies that are aligned with the psychology of adult learning, beginning with the simple idea that learning has to be relevant as an example. I am anticipating that keeping my students motivated and passionate about learning will be one of the biggest challenges I will face and these techniques are an easy reference to encourage both a positive and therefore motivating environment. It is also a great article to pass on to the other educators at the school

Media

www.instagram.com

I have chosen to reference a popular social media tool as a component of lesson planning because it has become an almost necessary tool for hairstylists today. Thousands of hairstylists post pictures of their work as well as share their techniques to create an online portfolio that is an effective marketing tool. Included are some of the most influential and trendsetting stylists who tend to be at the forefront of new styles. By demonstrating and encouraging participation my students will have an understanding of the most up to date and progressive looks, will have the opportunity to network with other stylists and will have a jumpstart to their career before they even finish school. This will also foster self directed learning after class as well as into the future.

Motivational Techniques

http://iptde.boisestate.edu/FileDepository.nsf/0/693b43c6386707fc872578150059c1f3/$FILE/Keller_1987a.pdf

I choose this article because it contains another quick model to refer to, the ARCS model by John Keller. Although I very much enjoyed reading Wlodkowski’s motivational strategies, which are very influential in this domain,  the ARCS model will be a faster tool to verify if my lessons are going to be motivating enough for my students. If I am having trouble with this aspect I will be able to reference this article and review the four components and make sure my lessons are inclusive of all of them. And, for times when I have extra time to look into the model for more inspiration and applicable techniques, the article does a great job of going deeper and providing some very concrete steps to achieving the priorities laid out by Keller. It is also an article that will be shared with other educators at the school.

Characteristics of Adult Learners

http://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/nadams/etec630&665/Knowles.html

When teaching adults it is important to have an in depth understanding of their distinct learning characteristics in order to create the most positive learning experience possible. This site displays a large body of information regarding adult learning in a  (you guessed it)  quick and digestible manner. I want to respect the learning capacities of my students because I respect and believe the science surrounding andragogy. From my own experience as a learner, the educators I have best learned from always followed the tips included in this article, even if them or myself never realized it at the time. And my least favourite educators didn’t respect the characters of adult learners, rendering the valuable techniques they were trying to teach somewhat impotent. Therefore, to be the best educator I can be, I know that referring often to this site will help me to remember what makes my students special and how important that is to their learning.