More Issues

Today in class we discussed more issues concerned with Instructional Technology:

Language Immersion
We discussed different types of language immersion, including K-12 Early, middle and late; total versus partial immersion; bilingual or two-way immersion. One idea that I found particularly interesting was the idea of imagined immersion, accomplished by creating a story around the student that encourages them to learn the necessary vocabulary. I thought it was interesting that in a study of real vs. imagined experiences, after experiencing something first-hand, a week afterwards, people only had a memory of it as vivid as those who had imagined it in the first place.

The Influence of Music on Learning
The three different emphases on music we covered were Music and Memory, Music and Spatial Task Performance, and Music and Mood. In studying Music and Memory, I remembered a personal experience that has always stayed with me. My grandmother had Alzheimer's disease during the last ten years of her life. As the disease worsened, I remember that even when she could not remember my Mother's name, she could remember all of the words to every hymn in the hymn book, and as she sang she would finger them with her fingers. I knew then that music had a very profound influence on memory. I also enjoyed the story of a classmate's cousins whose home school education was based on music, and they were able to advance very quickly in science and languages because of their fundamental understanding of music. Someone also mentioned that an understanding of rhythm was the best determinant for language-learning skill, which I also found particularly interesting. I have always had a pretty good sense of rhythm, and I've also had a knack for learning languages, so I believe that there might verily be a strong correlation there.

Another topic we addressed was that of music and spacial task performance. In brainstorming why music might improve spatial reasoning, I thought about the theory of stimulation we've discussed in Dr. Gibbon's class. Dr. Gibbons introduced to us the idea that stimulation is what guides our attentions, and as we listen or watch something our senses are constantly driven by stimulation. I think classical music, because of its patterns of chord progressions, dynamic, rhythmic and key changes, may allow a person to be stimulated enough to learn what is being read or spoken at the same time.

The third topic we addressed was the relation between music and mood. This is something I've always been very sensitive to, so much so that when I listen to a song that doesn't fit my mood, I experience inner tension and I have to change the song or leave the environment.

Virtual Learning Environments
We also discussed different ideas concerning key features of virtual learning environments, such as electronic communication support, varying access rights for instructors and students, authoring tools and course calendars. We also discussed how all VLEs can be categorized either as a Learning Management System or a Learning Content Management system.

Virtual Learning Environments