Monday, April 1, 2013

Mini Project 1


Reflection

For my first mini project I decided to draw cartoon stick figures of ridiculous situations depicting a group learning through their peers. The drawing themselves is me attempting to add a bit of humor to the concept due to sleep deprivation and exhaustion which is probably why I find them absolutely hilarious right now and probably will think they're second rate at best in the morning.

           The peer learning idea comes from a multitude of sources I've learned about this ear in class. First and foremost the section of connected learning set we looked at that delved into "peer culture" ("Connected Learning Infographic") on the info graphic and how it represents a large amount of the knowledge we gather on the day to day basis. The other source was from the novel The Wave (Strasser ) which I read for my novel assignment in class. In this book it talks about how a simple idea can spread from person to person and how it can grow from the proverbial mole hill into a mountain. The idea was constructed by the history teacher and the students took the idea and spread it to everyone else. My final source of this information is the games we played in class. On of the games we played called the "Peg game" for lack of better knowledge to what they game is actually called.

           It was a testament to peer based learning. Most of us couldn't achieve the desired results of leaving the board empty with only one peg left. Until a peer, a fellow student, showed us a trick to solving the game.

           My cartoons depict situations where peers are learning from one another, mostly by the harsh example of another, but all the same gaining knowledge to events through one another. I think a lot of learning happens this way. Especially in college where a good study group can make or break your college career.  
           
           I guess my caution with peer based learning is not to take it as the whole truth. While to me it is one of the most effective methods of humans learning it can also be very negative. In The Wave  the ideology of "strength through discipline" and "strength through community" at first created very positive results for the students, but it very quickly became twisted and corrupt. Peers can be a great learning tool but it can also become very negative.
            
          Citations

          "Connected Learning Infographic." Connected Learning. N.p.. Web. 1 Apr 2013. <http://connectedlearning.tv/infographic>.

           Strasser, Todd. The Wave. Dell Publishing, 1981. Print.

         








3 comments:

  1. I like your viewpoints regarding peer based learning. It often is hard to communicate with someone at first, but in the long run, valuable lessons can be learned.

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  2. I can't agree more that peer based learning can be negative as well as positive. Sometimes when we work with others we can be told things that will not benefit us, just like your example of running with two scissors.

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  3. True, there is a negative and a positive affect to peer based learning and that is where critical thinking comes in. You pick out the pieces you need and do not believe everything you hear or see.

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