Module 4: Self-regulating and motivating myself to write this

After writing a paper, building a concept map, and conversing with people on Moodle, it was only fitting that the chapters bring everything full circle. The use of technology to teach students has become more and more common. Having schools and colleges use virtual learning environments through the use of programs, like Moodle, can be efficient and it can make things easy for all involved. (Page 386). For an organized student it can be far easier than a traditional class. Personally, I prefer online classes since it lets me work when I want and at my own pace. But I can see how it can fail with students who cannot manage their time or that are not motivated to do their work. I am a 27 year old with a purpose. When I was a freshmen in college, I dropped out of every online class I had because I was just poorly organized. I have seen some of the students I work with be just as disorganized when given online work. I feel that there needs to be supervision for them to get anything done. Without a certain maturity level, the effectiveness of a virtual learning environment can be mute.

This leads to having self-regulation and control in and out of the classroom. The definition explains it pretty well, "Process of activating and sustaining thoughts, behaviors and emotions in order to reach goals" (page 410). To write a 6-10 page you need to sustain constant thoughts. For students to do their homework, they need to control themselves out of school. I found that I play a part in how students behave depending on the amount of control they have over assignments. When I give students some input in how their work can be done, it helps to motivate them a bit. When assigning a project, some students prefer a PowerPoint over a poster or an essay. We have also let them have a chance of picking their topics, in order for them to have a little ownership on the assignment. Like I said before, when they do online work they are often off-task. So we try to limit that and we are now trying to be more supportive. We figure that if they get off-task, they might be struggling with something and we can keep them going.

As I was researching for my paper for this class, I ended up heavily favoring one side and only finding information for that side. I ended up printing about 20 pages in research saying ho homework was bad when I realized that I had succumbed to confirmation bias (337). I was actively seeking out information that supported my belief. I then had to restructure my thoughts and the problem that I had in front of me. I have tended to notice that this bias happens a lot in younger students. They sometimes cannot restructure or believe the contradictory information. I had one student who wouldn't believe me when I said that soccer was a more popular sport than American football in the world. Even after giving him facts and statistics, he only could come up with information that applied to the United States, rather than the whole world. The belief perseverance was strong in this one (337). He couldn't see the entire problem but I know that he was meaning well in trying to convince me. He just needed to rethink his stance so that his idea could be looked at in a bigger picture. Students, in general, have to do that sometimes in order to be effective. I know I had to. I even learned a few new things in the process.