Mike+Hittle


 *  Me at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame **

Mike Hittle welcomes you to his wiki page! I am a new graduate student in the Instructional Design & Technology program. I am an ambitious learner of technology, education, electronics and music. I play the piano and saxophone and recently found my first Rhodes electric piano on Craigslist so I can better play the blues of Ray Charles.

I work in Distance Learning and IT at the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business. I recently received my certificate in Information Technology Networking from UC after 6 years of part-time enrollment, and since it had been more than 10 years since receiving my first bachelors degree in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, they asked me to re-take my general education courses. I decided not to, but rather follow the path toward an MeD. Here is the hyperlink to my Distance Learning webpage at UC

Perhaps my experience in distance learning, video conferencing and computer networking may be talents that could be of help to our class. If so, I would assist us with a smile on my face.

Among the tools I use at the university, here are a few I would find useful to us as a class:

Doodle - This is a great way to schedule our groups for free! @http://doodle.com/

Weebly - This is an easy way to build a great looking website for free! @http://www.weebly.com/

Natural Reader - Copy an entire textbook into this program and it will make an .mp3 audio file to read to you on your iPod! @http://www.naturalreaders.com/index.htm

Natural Reader (Free Version): @http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm

** Reading Reflection Journal #1 ** ** By: Mike Hittle – Sept.29, 2011 - CCI776-001 **

After reading David H. Jonassen’s “Objectivsm versus Constructivism: Do We Need a New Philosophical Pardigm?”, I learned a great deal about this scientific research about these two learning theories and the philosophy of learning and understanding itself. This article profits by describing the differences in these alternative positions for a theory of understanding and learning. The two theories are found to be polar extremes. On one side of the scale, objectivism is the way we process learning and knowing through an externally arbitrated reality. Constructivism is an internally arbitrated reality that states that knowing is an active method of constructing an individual’s knowledge representations based upon mental activity.

One interesting observation by cognitive scientists in this article starts by asking if the mind is the sole source of learning, or if learning is the result of neuro-chemical reactions that occur in the body. Does the mind therefore exist within the body? (Jonassen, 1991, p.6) Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, believed both. Descartes coined the phrase “I think, therefore I am”. A number of cognitive researchers question these assumptions and present alternative conceptions of learning that are based on different philosophical assumptions. Their assumptions are based upon constructivism, specifically about behavioral, cognitive, and instructional systems technology (IST) beliefs, which are based on objectivism.

In order to explain any philosophy, its meta- physics and epistemology must be described. These are the foundations of any philosophy. Metaphysics (more specifically, a branch known as ontology) describes the nature of reality, that is, the assumptions that we hold about the physical world. Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge and thought. How we come to know and what we know are integrally related and essential to any philosophy of understanding. Objectivism and constructivism are contrasted on the basis of metaphysical and epistemological criteria. (Jonassen, 1991, p.8) This, to me, scientifically explains the reasoning behind comparing objectivism and constructivism.

By reading Cronje’s article, I see how these two theories could be viewed as separate perspectives on a 90 degree axis, which is seems to be a new approach towards implementing them into learning designs. Teachers can see objectivism and constructivism not on the continuum, or scale, but in quadrants (construction, instruction, integration and chaos). This chart is a gauge that classifies the style of teaching and learning based on how the information is provided in the classroom.

Jonassen, J. H. (1991). Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm. //Educational Technology Research and Development, 39//(3), 5-14.

Cronje, J. (2006). Paradigms regained: Toward integrating objectivism and constructivism in instructional design and the learning sciences. Association //for Educational Communications and Technology, 54//(4), 387-416.

I believe that I, to some extent, apply these theories in my own teaching by giving examples of my own experiences of learning and applying techniques, mainly within technical training sessions that I present at UC. By becoming more aware of these approaches, I can certainly become more adept at implementing them. My students should be able to understand my approach in learning and apply the knowledge to learn themselves and take it a step further.

Two Questions: What are examples of constructivist methods used in an online learning environment? Should we stop designing learning tasks and instead give resources to students that they can discover for their own learning?

By: Mike Hittle – Oct. 6, 2011 - CCI776-001
How to Survive in a One Computer Classroom, by Whit Anderson shares ideas to maximize student's time by organizing activities and applying strategies that have worked, first-hand for K-12 teachers. I believe that the methods listed have been successful in classrooms and that they have been mimicked by many others, mainly because the methods seem logical. When a classroom only has a single computer, organizing small groups to work on projects together or to organize a rotation schedule for individuals simply makes sense. In Chaika's "How to Thrive -- Not Just Survive -- in a On-Computer Classroom" re-iterates many of the same management strategies, but adds more entertaining combinations, like grouping students and putting their names on the wall on different colored paper and assigning each group to use the computer on a specific day of the week, or by writing the names of students on popsicle sticks in a can by the computer and drawing a name each morning. When the student is finished with their allotted time, they draw another name to randomly rotate students to the computer station. This does add some excitement to each day, but it remains a bit unstructured and routine.

I believe that a good use of the single computer resource is to project the screen so the entire class can watch while an assigned student researches information on the web. Disadvantages in this approach can be avoided, as some find this approach a problem, stating that students may not be as actively engaged in gathering and evaluating information (Anderson, p.2). For instance, in Chaika's article, a game was created to figure out an important Canadian figure with clues by searching the web. This could be one application for projecting the screen and involving the entire class to discover the figure collectively. This not only helps everyone learn how to better navigate the web by calling out instructions, but can effectively teach how to do online research.

In today's world, there are ways to increase the amount of technology in the classroom. Many teachers are scroungers! And scrounging ofter results in locating additional computers! (Chaika, 2003) There are numerous programs that donate old computers and there are so many used systems available for cheap. I suggest searching on Craigslist or the classified ads in the newspaper. These old systems work just fine for web browsing and creating projects.

In my personal training sessions I teach, I do not encounter these problems, as technology is abundant. I would consider creating the one-computer environment just to create the closely-knit group environment should the need arise. By physically working closely together, I feel that there are benefits to using only one computer for work that involves discussion and shared thinking. Over this past summer, I installed a 23" TV monitor in each breakout room for our students to share their laptop computer with everyone in the room for this same purpose. This creates more table space and a more collaborative experience, as the project is being created on a single computer.

Two Questions:
What are city, state and federal programs in place that donate computers, projectors and other technologies to schools?

Are there organizations that coordinate guest speakers that could become involved in classrooms via web conferencing? (This could be a good business niche!)

By: Mike Hittle – Oct. 20th, 2011 - CCI776-001
Media literacy groups met for over a period of a year around the country to create the code of fair use doctrine that is a code of best practices used to give students and educators guidelines to use copyrighted materials in their classrooms. These guidelines seem to be unclear and many educators are reluctant to use critically needed media in their classrooms at the expense of student learning. In marketing and art classes it is necessary to study commercial ads in print, pictures, music and video. It would take be cumbersome for each person interested in obtaining permission for each ad by approaching the copyright owner and waiting for a response. There have been misunderstandings about what media can be used without a contract over the years and since it can be misconstrued, some educators are weary of using any. Some teachers tell their student that if you have to pay for it, you can't use it in class! Fair use has been in effect since 1976 to allow for film schools to screen motion pictures in the classroom. This is a vital part of any nurturing filmmaker. Music students need to study populate music, for without access to it, creative ideas are difficult to develop. Over the years, there have been many organizations that have moved to clear the confusion. Many teachers have spent the time creating their own artwork and projects based around originally developed ads to use in classrooms to avoid infringement policies. Not only does this take time, but the artwork is not representative of the true art forms that have been seen throughout the world. “Copyrighted materials are like our cultural landscape,” said one teacher. This means that limiting access to copyrighted materials is limiting access to existing culture. Hobbs, R. (2007, September). The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy. (p. 3). The truth is that by having access to private media, students gain insights in cultural information and critical thinking. "Fair use allows you to use copyrighted material without permission or payment when the benefits to society outweigh the costs of the copyright owner." Center For Social Media. (2011). The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy in Education. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/related-materials/codes/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education/ This is a fair judgment that has obviously been discussed among bright individuals that realize that there is a problem at hand. It is certainly a step in the right direction.

Students need to be able to not only learn about media classics, but modern media that they can relate to. By giving a presentation on an artist they confide in, they gain the freedom to explore their work and organize their views in class to influence and share with their peers. They make active as well as discursive use of media material; through imitation, their students confront “the most highly developed messages that society creates.” Hobbs, R. (2007, September). The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy. (p. 4). It appears that the fair use doctrine needs to be revamped and more clearly defined to relieve all worries of educators. "Because many teachers are less familiar with the rapidly changing media tastes of adolescents, they depend on media literacy curriculum materials created by experts. However, these materials are scarcer than they need to be, in part because educators are not taking advantage of the rights that the fair use doctrine affords them." Hobbs, R. (2007, September). The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy. (p. 10). Ideally, there should not be restrictions of any kind, but until then, school systems need to train their teachers better to understand the restrictions in place. This will at least give them an understanding of what can be shared in the classroom instead of restricting all media out of fear of infringement.

Center For Social Media. (2011). The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy in Education. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/related-materials/codes/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education

Hobbs, R. (2007, September). The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy.

Two Questions:
What are specific instances of court orders against teachers and/or students for misuse of fair use in the classroom?

It is likely that fines are small in comparison to the benefits of sharing appropriate media to enhance a project for the purpose of learning. Would knowing what the realistic chance of being caught and fined encourage educators to more freely share great media examples in their classrooms?

** Reading Reflection Journal #4 ** ** by: Mike Hittle - Oct.27, 2011 - CI776-001 **

When comparing intuitive, asynchronous tools that facilitate collaboration on the web, blogs have advantages over listservs and discussion boards. They have the unique ability to be publicly published on the web, giving professionals the ability to add comments and others to use the information in research. I believe that it is a benefit to individuals to have as many results appear when someone searches your name in a google search engine. I like the fact that our online textbook for this class becomes public information and that I have a way of showcasing my work. Obviously, I have control over this content, so I am, at this moment, attempting to create remarkable statements about Web 2.0 tools for all to learn from. Discussion boards are typically built within content management systems like Blackboard and are available only to enrolled students, then taken down after the class is completed. Blogs use tags, giving the users the ability to categorize discussion information. Finally, blogs have the gadgets that allow users to embed audio and video clips to share within topics of discussion. In my experience in classes, online activities, the normally quiet students in class began to become confident in opinions in their blog postings. It is likely that these students feel more thoughtful and expressive knowing that their statements are read by anyone on the web. Students are able to focus on the posted topics and respond quickly, yet, because blogs are asynchronous, users can take their time and contemplate their critical thinking when posting their perspectives. WebQuests allow students to think critically through a lesson plan involving existing websites. This approach can be effective for learners of any age, provided the teacher designs the directions in broad terms rather than a specific treasure hunt for specific information. This allows the student to learn through discovery. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest assets to teach in school, as it shows students how to learn and research questions on their own. Ambition is realized when you have the know-how to find the answers you seek and motivation to learn.

Social-sharing applications are transforming the Internet from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Web 1.0 emerged in the 1990's with the ability for a small population with the knowledge of how to present information on websites using complex HTML coding. Search engines were difficult to use to locate specific data that was being broadcasted, too. We now live within Web 2.0, thankfully. Nearly everyone can search, read and post information online and make it public, mainly due to the development of software programs and collaborative tools that can be used with a simple user interface. Sites are built to give the user abilities to post pictures and video to a select group of people or to anyone. This allows for online communities of people with similar interests to discover each other to share similar ideas and work, or get meet and get married. Social networking has certainly become the focus of Internet users. Facebook is a Web 2.0 multi-tool wonder with all the latest abilities of many software applications rolled into one. Weblogs and wikis seem outdated in comparison, as Facebook allows users to present, share and collaborate with few or many people in a lot of ways. By adjusting your privacy tab, users can control which information becomes private or shared online. Users can invite others to join a discussion, survey a group, call them to a party or to participate in an important discussion or cause. Constructivist pedagogy focuses on students constructing knowledge. From a social constructivist (and constructionist) perspective, this construction occurs primarily through social interactions (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1986). It is through Web 2.0 that excellerates this social instruction by creating new ways of interacting with a larger audience. Wikis have some of this collaborative ability by allowing other users to add or edit content. Teachers are able to use wikis to comment on specific posts, use the history tool to reveal every latest additions to each discussion and provide feedback to specific students. One very interesting tool are RSS feeds. This stands for real simple syndication (RSS). RSS feeds allow users of wikis, blogs and web pages to update content automatically. Regular readers who want to be up-to-date on specific topics, news categories or web pages receive updates from a single RSS feed. The user subscribes to an RSS feed which provides a quick view of the latest news information, latest posts on a wiki or addition to a web blog.

Web 2.0: A New Generation of Learners and Education (Rosen, Nelson)

Reflections on Using Blogs to Expand In-class Discussion (Wang, Hsua, Vol.52, No.3, June 2008) Web-based inquiry learning: Facilitating thoughtful literacy with WebQuests (Ikpeze, Boyd, April 2007)


 * Two Questions: **

Can Facebook be effectively used as a synchronous collaborative platform in the classroom?

What features are missing in current web 2.0 tools that are only found in traditional classroom environments?

Reflection - #5

By Mike Hittle – November 3, 2011

Educational value in digital gaming can be viewed as a possible benefit to learning in today’s world. I can see how younger generations can connect to this environment easily and be motivated to learn the tasks at hand due to the familiarity of the game setting. Motivation itself is a learning theory that succeeds in gaming because it teaches students the benefits of their efforts. Motivation theories basically propose that individuals are motivated to the extent that their behaviour is expected to lead to desired outcomes (Robbins 2005). Strategies in many games set a bar to achieve the next level, which with increased skill and continued effort, the player is rewarded with advanced abilities. Motivation to be rewarded provides a unique focus on learning and increases the likelihood of the student’s success in achieving the learning goals of the game or course. Mass-marketed games are not necessarily the most effective example for assessing educational values, as more and more games are being developed that include a pedagogical design. In corporations and in industry, employees are beginning to use gaming and simulation methods to provide current information, real-world issues and critical procedures to their work force. Referred to in the current literature as “21st-century learning skills (21C),” these skills are currently a major focus of teachers, administrators, parents, standards bodies, and federal and state education departments (American Society for Quality [ASQ], 2008; Bausell, 2008; Devaney, 2008; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009; Prabhu, 2009). The 21C skills focus on creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving and communication development. These 21C games typically include activities outside of the game, such as surveys and follow-up questions that get students involved with the criteria for that particular area of study. This takes the student out of the gaming environment and provides a variety of resources for learning. When I was 16, I began my auto driving test through a gaming simulator in high school. This activity was in conjunction with a lecture and preceded driving in the parking lot with the instructor. I distinctly remember the excitement of knowing that I was on my way to go into the dark room and drive the video game car! Learning traffic signs, rules and regulations were committed to my mind with little effort and I enjoyed the experience. Through routine tasks, I become more familiar with the required reading and it, without a doubt, it had solidified the information through routine motor skills. Hong (2009) explains many indices that quantify learning through games through game design experts and Sardone (2010) presents findings in motivation of learning in gaming environments through undergraduate education majors. Although the findings are very detailed and can be convincing in a courtroom, most of us know games as a pass time and entertainment choice. In my experience, cross-word puzzles and Trivia Pursuit seemed to hold the most educational value, whereas pong and Indiana Jones on the Atari 2600 system were built for fun. Hong (2009) explains that adventure and action games, like Indiana Jones provides learning through problem solving and routine reactions to objects in the game. It is possible that people could learn from these types of games if you happened to encounter situations in real life, by reacting in similar ways. This is why many educational games are developed with learning in mind to focus on specific problem solving skills, social advantages or teaching values. It is recommended to use technology and gaming in combination with other resources for the most effective use of learning tools.

Two Questions:

What new, popular games provide the type of educational value that Hong and Sardone are describing?

What activities can be built around the use of a video game used in class (use examples)?