Prompting Reflection

There can be a lot of life events that cause one to stop and reflect. I tend to see this happening in the "real" world during a time of transition or difficulty: death of a loved one, job loss, traumatic event. But I believe that a habit of reflection can make living life, and living through life's challenges, a little easier. Why? Maybe because reflection helps you see your purpose, create meaning from your actions, and empower you to make decisions.

In my world of education, we ask students to reflect on their learning and development. Why? Because reflection provides opportunities to think about the connection between oneself and the learning, leading to self-awareness and new action. Here is a great post on Reflection as an Aid to Understanding.
Ten Ways to Encourage Student Reflection provides some great ideas, and here are some of my favorite prompts:

• One thing I learned...
• I was surprised by...
• I am confused by...
• This reminds me of...
• I want to learn more about...

Engaged Learning

I just watched my first VoiceThread, and I am inspired by the possibilities. One thing immediately came to my mind as an educator: a learner can engage with knowledge that a teacher or fellow student presents in an interactive format full of digital literacy skill building. As a learner I was excited by the chance to connect with other learners; VoiceThread added the human component that is essential for me in learning and is too often missing when we integrate technology in the learning environment. Here is a tool to create opportunities for engaged learning. Not only does a VoiceThread allow you to create, but it allows others to comment and collaborate on your creation. Teachers can give voice, video, or text feedback to student creations. Students can  share their learning with others around the world. There is a ton of research out there that speaks to the need for engaged learning. But using VoiceThread is not just good brain-based learning, it's fun! Technology improves learner engagement. Check out mine below: