Module 2 Reflection

It was very interesting to listen to Dan Pink regarding motivation and not be thinking about students. It is very common when we have a student who is not motivated to learn that we/staff brainstorm what we could "give them" in return for their good behavior (such as completing homework assignments). What happens many times is that their is no reward that seems to motivate that student. Would it then be true as Pink states that for those students it's more about learning that is self-directed, fun and satisfying and their is a purpose for the learning we are asking the student to do? I feel these factors certainly apply to learning as well. If, for example, we have a student that does not like to write. If the teacher can give them some autonomy in choosing the topic and/or way in which they will produce the work, etc. then the student may be more invested and motivated. Look at the students who through independent study produce amazing work!
In regards to note-taking and mind mapping on the iPad, I have found some positives and a negative. The only negative to note-taking that I found was the typing. I am not a fast typer on the iPad keyboard... More of a hen pecker! What I liked is all the different tools at my fingertips to use as I am writing notes. I do need to work at being a bit more concise with my notes, but I have always written a lot whenever doing this task. The mind mapping was a great way for me to "show" what I learned and I found it much easier to be concise with what I felt were the key ideas to remember. I had to stop myself from not going back repeatedly to make it "pretty". Sometimes having too many tools/options can be a distraction if you will. What was really cool is how the app organized your ideas into an outline based on how you created your map!
Overall, I have found the iPad to be like a leather man tool. When Marzano talked about instructional strategies he stated that their is not one strategy that will work for every situation. It's figuring out what works for you and the task at hand. This idea made me relate it to a leather man...different tools to use but each tool doesn't work for every situation. I like that the iPad has many tools to use...but it will not always be the instructional tool to use in every situation.