Interesting Discussion I'm leading for Unit 4 EDT 540

 I put forth a topic that I'm planning to write a course around at some point, my application.  Interconnection of networks over a public infrastructure.  I think there would be a great demand for this sort of course, I've seen so many implemented poorly.  Today's students in the field need more guidance on this topic.  I took my latest project, one I was working on last week and added a "What if" scenario, and tried to turn it into a project that could be worked on by a group of students.

Great feedback Lauren!  She asks how would you help the students who get discouraged, and would there be requirements to sign up for the course that requires this knowledge.  Knowledge requirements should be listed beforehand.  She also suggests that creating groups in a way that spreads more knowledgeable students with less knowledgeable students so they can learn from their peers.  So my first prompt to this comes from our last discussion, and one I find very interesting.  Does spreading out advanced students limit their learning potential? should they be group together? Or does spreading them out just make the job of the instructor easier?

Great feedback Windi!  Research and experimentation does go a long way to allow learners to gain knowledge.  This reminds me of one of my favorite figures.  "I haven't failed.  I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work"  Thomas A. Edison.  My second prompt comes from your comment about teacher's ability to monitor and coach Students. Given a cognitive apprenticeship like what Lauren suggests above, where a more skilled student is helping Modeling and Coaching less skilled learners.  (Orey, 2010 P203-8). Second prompt: Given, an explicit outline for the course.  Does this stifle creative solutions to a problem or keep a student from creating a solution you may not have anticipated?  "more than one way to skin a cat" (Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain. 1889). Apologies to Ben, who I know is a cat lover.

My final prompt is from Ben's application.  Regarding publish (or perish?), and how that relates to Culture.  To be continually rejected, much as Edison failed, makes the success that much sweeter.  I tried my hand at publishing a technical manual, although much different than a creative writing class, it was still rejected several times.  I never did get it published.   Thinking about this statement "Emotion plays a role in developing the neural substrate for learning by helping people attend to, evaluate, and react to stimuli, situations, and happenings"  (How People Learn II: Learners, Context, and Cultures: Pg 29). From continual rejection through rejections of a paper, do you think this will decrease the amount of people going into writing as a profession?  Perhaps steer people into other occupations?  "When to keep working and when to stop" (How People Learn II:Contexts, and Cultures pg 29).  Third Prompt: Does minute chance of success in the learning process hinder learning ?