The Knowledge Network for Innovations in Learning and Teaching (KNILT)

From KNILT

Knowledge Network for Innovations in Learning and Teaching

There is a growing demand for schools to produce a citizenry with 21st century capabilities. Among these 21st century capabilities, the ability of collaborative problem solving and knowledge creation is paramount. In response to this demand, dozens of innovative learning programs have emerged, with a shared focus on engaging students as active agents of knowledge construction instead of only consumers of knowledge. Some examples include: Teaching for Understanding (Perkins & Blythe, 1994), Project-Based Science (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006), Knowledge Building/Knowledge Forum (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1999), Knowledge Integration and WISE (Linn et al., 2003), etc. Technology provides strong support in the implementations of these programs.

The "Knowledge Network for Innovations in Learning and Teaching (KNILT)" project is an important part of the ETAP 623 course: Systematic Design of Instruction. Our goal is to use our knowledge of instructional design to produce a suite of professional development resources, represented as a Wiki site, that can help teachers of different levels to understand new learning approaches and environments grounded in recent research on learning and technology. Drawing on the open nature of wiki, we have a long-term goal to open these resources to broad teachers and involve them as both users and contributors. They can learn from these research-based resources and further contribute their ideas, questions, classroom design cases, experimentations, and reflections on the barriers and advances, so that they can become an important part of the innovation processes. Deep, sustainable learning innovation relies on the bottom-up innovativeness of school teachers. We may name such a role as "grassroot innovators".

About Us

The Knowledge Network for Innovations in Learning and Teaching (KNILT) is collectively initiated and developed by members of the ETAP 623 (Systematic Design of Instruction) class at School of Education, University at Albany - SUNY. As a community, we are deeply interested in transforming and improving schools through the design and application of innovative learning environments. Click here to know more About Us.

Important Announcements!!!!!

Annoucement.jpeg

  • HI EVERYONE. I HAVE REVIEWED THE TOPICS YOU HAVE PROPOSED AND LEFT MY COMMENTS IN THE DISCUSSION SPACE. IN ADDITION TO READING MY COMMENTS ON YOUR PAGE (go to your page, click "discussion" on the top), YOU MAY READ MY COMMENTS ON OTHERS' PAGES AS WELL.

Many of you are still thinking about your topics and I'll feedback later. Please drop me an email when you've posted your topics.

Please remember that each of the courses you're designing should help teachers (instructors) understand a new learning and teaching approach/technology and use it in their classrooms (or online). We need to make these courses simple enough so that it can be created with our limited resources and time; informative and interesting enough to help teachers re-think about important educational issues and learn something useful, so as to have an impact on their thinking and practice. We need to narrow down our focus, have enough depth, and use specific examples. --Jianwei, 2/27

  • I have added several useful links under the Community portal section (see left), so that we can navigate more easily. --Jianwei 2/28
  • Please check "Current events" on your left for things we need to do each week. To be able to write learning objectives for your course, you need to have a good understanding of your topic. Please remember that you're designing a course on a topic, not to do a research on it. You should find the right resources and good reviews on that topic as soon as possible, so that you can understand that topic easily and concentrate on how to design a course on it. --Jianwei 3/6
  • I've written comments on the learning objectives of the following colleagues, in the discussion space. Please read theirs and think about yours. I'm sorry I don't have the capacity to comment all of your's, and will "compensate" in later weeks. Anne: Facilitating Effective Online Discourse

Valerie's Portfolio Page Tammy's Portfolio Page Diane Hamilton's Portfolio Page How to develop authentic skills in vocational education for MRDD Students --Jianwei 3/10

Guidelines for the Project Work (NEW!)

In order to facilitate teachers’ learning, these Wiki-based mini-courses need to integrate proper instructional design components (e.g., instructional objectives, instructional sequencing, instructional strategies, media use, self-assessment and reflection, etc.), following the design processes and principles highlighted in this course. During this project, you need to create and update a portfolio wiki-page to record your design thinking. Throughout this process, you will have chances to share your design with the whole class and get feedback.

The Design Project will be evaluated based on these criteria: Evaluation criteria

Index of Courses

For existing courses, see: http://wiki.albany.edu/etap623 Go to ETAP 623

If you want to contribute a classroom-based case study of a new learning approach/technology, that would be great. Do it! If you want to address new topics, below are some examples. If several of you are interested in one topic, you're welcome to gather around it, think about it together, frame your divisions and connections (Make sure that each of you still have enough depth and content in your course.)

Related to inquiry-based learning

  • How to design an authentic inquiry, and how to engage students in formulating the problem
  • How to use the Internet in inquiry-based learning (e.g., WebQuest)
  • How to facilitate collaborative project work
  • The WISE approach
  • Use of simulations for inquiry
  • How to encourage question-asking
  • How to construct and use inquiry portfolios
  • Open-ended, authentic inquiry

Related to learning community

  • Online learning community
  • Knowledge building discourse
  • Argue to learn
  • CSCL (Computer-supported Collaborative learning)
  • Telementoring

Related to understanding

  • conceptual change/misconceptions
  • Assessing understanding of science
  • Assessing understanding of math

...

Related to technology

  • New learning tools/environments

Other

  • Authentic assessment
  • Learning style
  • 21st century skills
  • meta-cognition and learning to learn
  • Creativity
  • ARCS model of motivation design
  • Cognitive apprenticeship: modeling, coaching, scaffolding


...

Retrieved from "https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/index.php?title=The_Knowledge_Network_for_Innovations_in_Learning_and_Teaching_(KNILT)&oldid=973"