Blog 5: The Victorian Internet and The Learning Principle

Blog 5:  The Victorian Internet and The Learning Principle

The Learning Principle:  Good learning designs engage students in “playful” activities at the edge of their knowledge and understanding using symbolic tools to develop and internalize meaningful thought.

Clearly, our Lesson Design for this week needs to fit the message given in this principle.  I tried to come up with ideas that would be both fun and engaging while still developing the skills students need to have.  We’ll see in class if my lesson is on the right track!
Each week it seems that the principles we discuss are centered on similar thoughts, just from different angles.  It’s been interesting to see the different approaches.  The Ends Principle, where you need to begin with a design problem (what is it you’re trying to solve?) seems to state an idea to keep in mind.  Begin with the problem and keep the end in mind as you design the learning. PICKLE really broke things down into understandable pieces.  Maybe my “math” mind appreciates having the specific parts outlined!  The Teacher Principle, with teachers being designated as designers.  Thinking about the principles, processes, patterns, and paraphernalia before actually beginning the planning.  We’ve been so programmed into planning using a specific format.  The pre-game reflection is interesting and daunting at the same time.  The Knowledge/Content Principle: Good learning designs recognize concepts as tools, situate those concepts in the context of their use reflecting authentic activity, conceptual tools, and culture, and analyze content for generalizable knowledge.  And now we add The Learning Principle.
Looking at them all side by side, the building is making more sense.  Being lead to become designers of learning.  It’s an interesting journey.  I appreciate that I have others with me on this road!

Discussing “The Victorian Internet”, I agree with an earlier blogger.  This book was very accessible.  It was an enjoyable read. I like the parallels with the present-day internet struggles.  It was also a really interesting history.  The more things change, the more they stay the same?  What did I learn?  Much of what I just said.  Though it was an earlier technology, so many of the situations they ran into, in the process, are so similar to what I’ve seen and experienced with the internet.  People trying to put forth a great new idea, only to have so many either make fun of it, or completely ignore it.  The frustrations they felt!  When the telegraph began to take hold, all the problems that hadn’t been anticipated (as we continue to have issues with the internet now).  To use another expression, trying to shut the barn door after the horse has already escaped.  In the excitement of the development, no one anticipated all the negative aspects.  As we have hackers and those who use the internet to take advantage of others, so they had problems with fraud, taking advantage of others and outright stealing with the telegraph.  I enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed our discussion in class about the comparison of the book and “The Day the Universe Changed”.  I don’t know how much I took away, in terms of applications to my teaching.  One comment I wrote from class, “We invent our tools to accomplish goals, but then we change our goals.”  Interesting to ponder.  Maybe that’s my take-away.

One big thing I feel that I’m learning from this class is that design is a long-term process, while following a pacing guide can be much quicker.  Someone has already thought about the steps to be taken and, as a teacher, I fill in the pieces I think will work best.  There is a lot of reflection and DESIGN that I’ve been leaving out.  Thinking about potential authentic activities.  What is the problem I’m trying to solve?  What structure needs to be put in place?  Somewhere down the road, I’ll have some great lessons.  I just hope I can get quicker at the process!