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Dipti Mandalia Assignment 13 1.a. What did you find interesting about this article? To me the most interesting part in this article was the description of how motivation for learning is inherent to the community of learners instructional model. I think in any instructional model the basic problem faced by the instructors is that of getting the students interested in learning. However as the article rightly discusses, in the community of learners model, inherent motivation in fostered with development of resposibilities; children are allowed to choose and also given a chance to take responsibilities of the choices they make. 1.b. What you found not interesting in the article? I din't find anything not interesting. However I would like to know the students' opinions about this model of instruction which, I think this article does not cover in detail. What do you consider the main message of the article? This article introduces and points out the good about the community of learners instructional model. It also explains how it is difficult for a person who comes from an adult-run model or someone who advocates the children-run model to understand and imbibe this "new and different" instructional model. Which technologies are used / can be used /should be used to support 1. adult-run education: Since this model is mostly based on the transmission of knowledge perspective of learning, the technologies that can be employed in this instructional model are the ones which assist the transmission process. These could be better presentation techniques (instead of conventional blackboards), better search technologies can be used by the instructors in order to get the best and maximum amount of information to "pass on" to the students. Personally I think that this sort of instructional model has conceptual flaws and so technology cannot improve the process per se. 2. child-run education: To assist this form of teaching, the classroom settings should facilitate hand-on working etc. However since there are no adult instructors these facilities should be usable by the children. However I cannot think of any technologies of that kind. 3. community of learners education: One technology that I think will work well here is the "Computationally Enhanced Craft Items". analyze our course from the three dimensions: adult-run education child-run education community of learners education I think this class fits well into the community of learners model. Especially the whole Independent research project, where we finally tell the class what we learnt, besides the fact that we are not forced to complete any particular project, are given a choice. Also the amount of collaboration in the class during lectures and in projects is as would be in the community of learners model.
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