Student Personalized Learning System

One of the biggest advantages as far as this assignment is concerned is the ability to see the learning system from both the teacher and student perspectives. As an educator, I have found myself asking students to log in as themselves and then show me their screen because it looks so different from mine. I spend a lot of time helping them decipher where to go because I know how to navigate the system from my point of view but theirs may differ drastically. Not only was I able to see the student perspective, this site is incredibly user-friendly.

There are numerous  opportunities for potential within this system. One advantage I foresee is for students to self-pace their progress through the material. It is also interactive in its delivery in that there are videos, graphs, visuals, and audio content to meet the needs of all students. I foresee talented and gifted students potentially enjoying this type of learning because they can move throughout the content at their own pace. Other advantages include the ability to track progress throughout the section. One of the most beneficial parts of this type of learning is that students have what I like to call the ability to "Tivo" the content. They can pause, go back, review, or move ahead in ways that they could not in a "live learning" situation. Often times students miss comments or ideas expressed during teaching because they are still taking notes or attempting to consider a point a teacher made.

One disadvantage or challenge I see is that students may become overwhelmed. The assignments are listed by what appears to be the date of last activity. I have noticed that some of my students can quickly become stressed and anxious simply looking at a list of "to do's." As a learner and previous student myself, I liked to categorize what I needed to do and when by subject or teacher. I wasn't sure if this was able to be done on the SPLS. I also have concerns that some students will simply skim or breeze through the content to try to "test out" of the material. A select group of students I have worked with are able to not pay incredibly close attention or apply any real effort yet are able to "pass" the course. While the unit assessments are helpful for collecting data, the student may not be able to show real mastery of the content or branch outside of the box to demonstrate their learning in less traditional ways.

One feature I would like to see added over time is a live chat option. I enjoy using websites where I can access a real person to help me with issues that I encounter as I learn or explore. I believe this would help students feel confident in their ability to ask questions while learning. I would also like to see students be able to video or audio record themselves explaining concepts or ideas as they learn. Obviously this is a more complicated feature but one that I think would assist students learn on a deeper level. One of the other features that would be beneficial is for the text to be read aloud for students who need extra assistance. Overall I think the SPLS could be used by students as early as kindergarten as long as the content was appropriate to their developmental and chronological age. In summary, I am excited to see this content as it evolves and it is simply one tool of many that an educator could use to personalize student learning.

Hi Scotti, I appreciated your "Tivo" comment; many students value the opportunity to go back over material and I agree having that option is a huge bonus (I have taken advantage of it myself in this learning task).
I agree with your concerns about the' test out' students, I have similar concerns. I would hope that if students were part of the process in determining their own learning that this would not happen too frequently, but I know the potential is there. I hadn't thought about students being overwhelmed by the list, I was thinking that some of my students would like knowing what they had to do and how long they had, but I recognize that other students who need a shortened list or fewer math problems to get started might be overwhelmed. I wonder if there is an easy way to 'hide' part of the task or assignments to not overwhelm?
I also had thoughts about adding some kind of video response, you're right it is a more complex feature but I always assume that the tech people can figure it out. Thanks for your thoughts, I am excited to see where this system can guide our students.

Hi Scotti,

I agree with your concern about students becoming overwhelmed.  If a teacher who creates the class puts the due dates too close together, does not offer multiple ways for the content to be delivered or is just not as available as the students need them to be it can be a disaster. Teachers also need to have a clear understading a to how the system works and how best to monitor it.

Scott -  I agree that personalized learning systems offer a great way for students to review information. I also like that students who are absent from class can go to the learning system to see what they may have missed. The resources and information within the system are available 24/7 and allow students to learn at their own pace.

Scotti,

I like your idea of adding a live chat option. I think an option such as this would enhance the system and make it more appealing to students. I also think it would reinforce a deeper level of learning that the system is lacking.

I agree with you in that talented and gifted students would probably lean towards this system more than others. They seem to have the natural drive to pace themselves through such lessons. I can also seem them appreciating the opportunity to work at anytime, and especially using the tool to stay on track when absent.