Syllabus: an annotated list of possible resources: Reading Review Blog Post #2

After much jumping around through various topics, and a fair bit of web surfing, I think I have narrowed down my main resources to focus on in greater detail.

For exploration of the ideas of constructivism, connectivism, and constructionism, the links via the LIBE 477 Course Introduction page were a valuable starting point. These terms are a the heart of 21st century learning notions around doing school differently and using ICT tools.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(learning_theory)
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
The links within those sites allow for a thorough exploration out into the ether...

For video clips related to the concept of 21st Century Learning, the following site is a great portal:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/top10-videos-on-21st-century-learning.html
Some of the videos there I would critique for just hyping the message without providing useful examples for overwhelmed teachers to latch onto; others are more useful for giving ideas or links to pursue further.
One particular very famous video I find useful, but am often frustrated by (because of people missing a central point) is Sir Ken Robinsons viral Changing Education Paradigms, which was the intro to 21stC Learning for many teachers.
http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U
I think that the central salient point here is that the arts, the physical engagement that comes from the senses, from creating and doing, and then sharing that with a bigger group is vital in teaching now more than ever ( and we can use technology to help us with that). That artistic approach, the divergent thinking it allows is paramount.

For discussing multimodal design and communication issues that incorporate artistic sensibilities with technology (ICT) tools the videos at this site are very useful:
http://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies/videos
Especially useful are the discussions of meshing 5 Modes of Meaning: linguistic, visual, spatial, gestural, and audio.

For Place-Based Education, I don't feel that I've yet found one fabulous source of information, but rather a collective sense from a variety of workshops attended, videos watched, and sites perused that knowing well the place where you live makes you more grounded, more aware of yourself as belonging, and more concerned with the changes needed or unwanted that are going on around you. Thus, if we can tie the general curriculum for subjects to something local and specific, we can engage kids more meaningfully. Often studying place is most focused on environmentalism, which I think is extremely valuable and highly motivating...
http://youtu.be/WmkPQss59hQ
...but, I'm more interested in, and still seeking a good source on place-based education in terms of a focus on local history...connecting past, present, and future in your neighborhood, your town.

For self-regulation information and resources, the Dalai Lama Centre Heart-Mind website has a dual focus on self-reg for home and school:
http://heartmindonline.org
A brief internal article talks about the importance of artistic pursuits in relation to self-reg and opening creative thinking: http://heartmindonline.org/resources/the-creativity-edge
As well, the  Heart-Mind larger projects featured in their annual conference archives tend to relate to creating art as a way of expressing emotions, learning, etc.

Looking for interesting scholarly connections between arts and self-regulation and learning via the UBC Library site, I found a good article, "Transferring Individual Self-regulation Processes from Arts to Academics," which really fit well with my own observations. The link to the article is below:
http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/abs/10.1080/10632913.1997.9936393

The challenge: narrowing the focus:

Multiple rays of light traveling backward through a prism...

Now it is time to come out of the mindfog, to stop surfing the net for more and more intriguing tidbits, and to decide what direction to go in. And, it would be helpful if my direction tied in to actual teaching that I am doing this term...

So, I am going to focus on place-based history teaching that uses art and technology in large doses to see how much "buy in," or self-motivation, and hopefully self-regulation, the students can achieve. And, hopefully I will feel that the end products show an increase in learning, or engagement, over last year's groups. This will allow me to build on the direction I've been moving in for years, but in a more purposeful way.

I will use the Gr 2 Social Studies (community unit) and Gr 4 Social Studies (First Nations) classes that I teach as prep blocks to investigate these goals for two reasons: a) I have guaranteed time with them each week, and b) I have taught the same topics to classes last year (and at other times in my career), so I'll have good recent comparisons.

This will allow me to bring all my disparate, but interrelated, educational interests to a focus. I can try to use art to aid academic learning, and art to aid self-regulation to enhance that academic learning. I can blend traditional art on paper, with newer art of a screen, while discussing notions of page layout, font style, and clarity of graphic design. I can use technology tools, via iPad apps, to maximize the five modes of meaning students use in conveying their knowledge in finished products. And since the focus will be on local community symbols and changes over time (Gr 2), and on local Stó:lō culture (Gr 4), I can keep the focus on place-based knowledge to keep the learning relevant. In doing this, I should be able to witness the meshed processes of constructionism/constructivism/connectivism unfolding through partner work, trial-and-error experimenting, and creating both physical and digital art.