Reflective Synopsis
When I began this course the classroom seemed such a familiar place. I recall sitting in a classroom with twenty-five or so other students, listening to what we accepted as ‘the fount of all knowledge’. If a teacher didn’t know the answer, you didn’t get the answer. But that was okay, because surely anything a teacher didn’t know wasn’t worth knowing. Right?
I suppose you might say that the CQ University GDLT Course (2010) and, more particularly, ICTs for learning design (2010) opened my eyes. But it seems as though it wasn’t so much that my eyes had been tightly shut previously, as that I came to realise that there was a new direction to look in - it was as though all the information was out there if I had just glanced the other way. It sounds easy when you put it like that, but you have to learn to develop a sense of adventure and exploration: Adventure to face the fear of the unknown, and exploration to make sure new technologies don’t pass you by purely because you don’t know that they exist or that there is even a reason for them to exist.
You can see a Blog as merely being a way of presenting a text to the world, but think about how this was done only thirty years ago. Consider the difficulties of finding a publisher and getting your book onto the bookshelves. Virtually impossible… but now anyone with access to a computer and the Internet can produce a Blog. Imagine the impetus that this gives a child when asked to write a narrative or report, that they have immediate access to authentic feedback from an international audience that is interested not in assessment, but in what is being said.
Making paper planes may be fun, but think of how much more you can engage students if they get to design real planes. Providing stimulation through computer simulation isn’t just an effective pedagogy, it is a means of embedding an authentic focus in a learning experience and showing how new knowledge can be applied in the real world.
Kearsley and Shneiderman's Engagement Theory (1999) proclaims that meaningful learning, where there is a genuine outside focus, is crucial to engaging students’ interest. As learning managers, we need to ‘spot pedagogical opportunities… and analyse and evaluate the technology in terms of pedagogical requirements’ (Scot Aldred, 2010) to ensure that ICTs are presented appropriately and extensively to students to kindle engagement.
My peer Michael Rozman summarised that ‘ICTs is all about the interconnection of engagement, socialising, learning, risk taking and memorising.’ (2010) I concurred, emphasising the importance of working in and creating partnerships. In a Knowledge Economy (Haughton, J. & Sheehan, P., 2000), information equals currency. But with instantaneous transmission, and easy storage and manipulation of information, those who stand out from the crowd will not be those that have the most declarative knowledge, but those that have traits such as high communication skills and the ability to collaborate on a global scale.
WIKIs are an excellent arena for developing skills of n/etiquette and social cooperation. In my Post ‘WIKIs’ I wrote that learning to challenge other team-members opinions, defend your own, compromise and learn collaborative skills are as essential as any of the other knowledge being developed in a learning task.
Mahara applications can be used to get students thinking meta-cognitively. Provide the rubric for expected outcomes and assessment criteria then invite the students to form groups and design their own learning plan. Experimental and self-directed learning are integral to Engagement Theory, and justifying their choice of submission requires evaluation and analysis, which are the higher order thinking skills set out in Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956).
The teacher can store and assess students' work in the one location, and this will make it easier to identify patterns in learning and adapt our pedagogy as required. As Chloe Towns pointed out, Mahara is also the perfect platform to network with other professionals (2010).
Students can showcase their talents. Things that they do out of school can be recorded and uploaded to show how they have interpreted a topic; one student might incorporate a dance piece, another a narrative, and still others scientific reports. This will cater for diversity and multiple intelligences – making my teaching more efficient, as engaged learners are less likely to be disruptive ones.
When we give PowerPoint presentations we can use the editing facilities of SlideShare to include music and narrative and engage verbal as well as visual learners, and also make planning lessons more efficient, having all these applications in the one program. In my Post 'Incompetech' I outlined how music can enrich the learning experience by adding that emotional element which facilitates retention of information. Programs like Flickr can be used: Images are so important in a learning context; they provide interest, humour, colour and joy to a subject.
Students will enjoy creating their own presentations and posting them on public sites such as Scribd. Getting immediate and authentic feedback from around the globe may motivate them to produce superior works and instil a sense of excitement and satisfaction in their learning experience. When we know the world is watching, our tasks become truly meaningful.
We can use any kind of ICTs to engage learners, from the humble mobile phone, to iPods, Glogs, Blogs and Mahara. As I commented to Carolyne Thornton, here in Australia, our challenge is not so much the lack of access to these technologies, but a lack of willingness from many teachers to embrace them. But we have an obligation to embrace them, for our learners will need to be technologically literate to be successful in the 21st century.
We must make more than a token effort at incorporating new technologies, and actively involve our learners in experimenting with, evaluating and analysing them, and collaborate with others using ICTs to create meaningful and authentic tasks that are of value in the real world, and not just worthy of a tick or a cross on a piece of paper. I will be using all of the technologies I have mentioned here, and many others besides, for all the reasons mentioned. And the best thing of all, is that not only will my teaching will be more efficient, but the learners want to engage in ICTs and this learning will prepare them to enter the post-school world as confident, competent, innovative life-long learners able to participate and succeed.
REFERENCES
Bloom, B. (1956). Bloom's Taxonomy of learning domains: the three types of learning. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Haugthon, J. & Sheehan, P. (2000). A primer on the knowledge economy. Footscray, Victoria: Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
ONLINE PROFESSIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH MY PEERS AND LECTURER
Aldred, S. (2010). Mahara and primary school. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Aldred, S. (2010). Beyond school. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Aldred, S. (2010). PowerPoint presentation. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Aldred, S. (2010). ICT Week 2: learning styles results and thoughts. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Aldred, S. (2010). ICT Week 2: personality. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Aldred, S. (2010). ICT Week 2: multiple and emotional intelligence. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Arthur, N. (2010). Geocaching. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Ball, R. (2010). Geocaching. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Bowman, K. (2010). ICT Week 2: learning styles results and thoughts. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Bridgeman, L. (2010). Geocaching. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Clark, A. (2010). Costa v. Marzano. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Ellis, N. (2010). Beyond School. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Gupwell, K. (2010). Google earth. Retrieved from http://kyliegupwell.blogspot.com/
Gupwell, K. (2010). Incompetech. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
Havens, J. (2010). Week 4 - roles of ICT in education. Retrieved from http://jhgdltlearningreflection.blogspot.com/
Holden, K. (2010). Social Capital. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
James, S. (2010). PowerPoint presentation: the causes of acne. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/.
Knight, K. (2010). PowerPoint presentation: the causes of acne. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
Knight, K. (2010). WIKIs. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
Linderberg, J. (2010). Technology to change the learning experience. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Martyn, S. (2010). Costa v. Marzano. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Moore, L. (2010). Mahara. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
Plumb, E. (2010). Synopsis to ICT Activity week 1. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Prior, S. (2010). Geocaching. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Rozman, M. (2010). Week 5. Retrieved from http://mrozmansthoughts.blogspot.com/
Slattery, M. (2010). ICT classroom tools. Retrieved from http://miriamsblogonprimaryedu.blogspot.com/
Slattery, M. (2010). (2010). Incompetech. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
Smith, B. (2010). ICT Week 2: learning styles results and thoughts. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Stewart, K. (2010). ICT Week 2: rating learning experiences. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Stewart, K. (2010). Topic 2: outlining a learning activity. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Thornton, C. (2010): Learning and technology for the poor. Retrieved from http://learningjourneycaro.blogspot.com/
Thornton, C. (2010). Mahara and primary school
Thornton, C. (2010). PowerPoint presentation. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Thornton, C. (2010). Multiple intelligence and emotional intelligence. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Thornton, C. (2010). ICT Week 2: Mazlow's hierarchy and Kunc. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Towns, Chloe. (2010). Slideshare and Scribd. Retrieved from http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
WIKIPedia
WIKIPedia is a global multi-lingual encyclopaedia that is produced by largely anonymous and unpaid contributors on the Internet. WIKIPedia pages can be edited and modified in a collaborative effort, since the format of this encyclopaedia is a WIKI, which is used as a device for pooling and modifying knowledge between multiple users.
Because I am studying for Primary School teaching, I chose a topic to research in WIKIPedia that I believed would greatly advantage most students, and that is Literacy. Immediately, a definition was given to me, with the warning underneath that 'the article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents.' Being a collaborative venture, there will always be the chance of misinformation or 'vandalism' on WIKIPedia pages, but there are discussion notes on the pages with warnings as to what seems to be reliable information and what is not.
This last point seems to me to be more an advatage than a disadvantage of WIKIPedia. How many other poublished texts offer so many differing perspectives on a topic, which makes for an unbiased explanation. For example, I looked into their listing for The Vietnam War, and found that they offered other names that the war was known by, including The American War. There aren't too many textbooks written by Americans that would suggest such a thing (they would suggest that a reference to The American War smacks of bloody communism, probably [I'm being tongue-in-cheek here, really!]).
Back to Literacy, where the initial information covered a few pages, but as well as these, there were links to further resources along the way. Here are a few that I looked at:
National Council of Teachers of English
International Reading Association
Critical Literacy
The International Statistical Literacy Project
So even in a few short minutes I had a list of resources to further my investigation into the topic, and by copying and pasting the RSS feeds, can now access these at the click of a button. A teacher can easily make these links available to students on a Class Blog, so that they can research a topic from home. It means that you decide which links are appropriate (except for the more experimental of them, who will go above and beyond the information you have presented to them) and it is more exciting homework to watch a video on the Viet Cong rather than read some paragraphs in a dusty old textbook, that will probably not be opened until five minutes before class the next day.
So, WIKIPedia can be very engaging. Much of the vocabulary is highly technical, so for younger year levels it will be a more appropriate resource for the teacher as opposed to the learners, but it is definitely full of interesting, relevant information that has passed the test of WIKI adjudicators and contributors.
Because I am studying for Primary School teaching, I chose a topic to research in WIKIPedia that I believed would greatly advantage most students, and that is Literacy. Immediately, a definition was given to me, with the warning underneath that 'the article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents.' Being a collaborative venture, there will always be the chance of misinformation or 'vandalism' on WIKIPedia pages, but there are discussion notes on the pages with warnings as to what seems to be reliable information and what is not.
This last point seems to me to be more an advatage than a disadvantage of WIKIPedia. How many other poublished texts offer so many differing perspectives on a topic, which makes for an unbiased explanation. For example, I looked into their listing for The Vietnam War, and found that they offered other names that the war was known by, including The American War. There aren't too many textbooks written by Americans that would suggest such a thing (they would suggest that a reference to The American War smacks of bloody communism, probably [I'm being tongue-in-cheek here, really!]).
Back to Literacy, where the initial information covered a few pages, but as well as these, there were links to further resources along the way. Here are a few that I looked at:
National Council of Teachers of English
International Reading Association
Critical Literacy
The International Statistical Literacy Project
So even in a few short minutes I had a list of resources to further my investigation into the topic, and by copying and pasting the RSS feeds, can now access these at the click of a button. A teacher can easily make these links available to students on a Class Blog, so that they can research a topic from home. It means that you decide which links are appropriate (except for the more experimental of them, who will go above and beyond the information you have presented to them) and it is more exciting homework to watch a video on the Viet Cong rather than read some paragraphs in a dusty old textbook, that will probably not be opened until five minutes before class the next day.
So, WIKIPedia can be very engaging. Much of the vocabulary is highly technical, so for younger year levels it will be a more appropriate resource for the teacher as opposed to the learners, but it is definitely full of interesting, relevant information that has passed the test of WIKI adjudicators and contributors.
Incompetech
Incompetech is an online site that provides access to a vast array of free legal music to download and use without fear of breaching copyright laws. Music can raise strong emotions in listeners, so can be a valuable tool in classroom situations where you want students to really take notice of something. Music can transform an unappealing text into something majestic and unforgettable.
Research has shown that emotional memory is a very powerful force. We are far more likely to recall something where we were either in a heightened state of emotion, or where images or music produced an emotional rather than neutral response.
We remember things better when they are connected to a strong emotion: why else does Hollywood invest so heavily in magnificent soundtracks for their movies. Many of the most memorable and famous moments are associated with a particular piece of music. We all felt a tremor of fear when the familiar Jaws theme was played in the movie; we all (some of us at least) get teary-eyed when the music sweeps into a crescendo of dramatic melody when a major character is dying.
To be able to cheaply and easily have access to music is incredibly important to a teacher (especially considering our wages). We can add sound to our PowerPoints to maintain interest, we can allow students to choose their own musical addition to their own projects. Some learners learn best with music playing softly in the background as they work on independent tasks, so with plenty of music at hand, we can cater to the diversity of learning styles in the classroom, and those whose intelligence is musical, or verbal-linguistic according to the Multiple Intelligences theory.
Here is an example of how music can transform something ordinary into something extraordinary.
REFERENCES
Baddeley, A., Hitch, G., Gathercole, S., Hartley, T & Jeffries, E. (n.d.) The University of York: the Centre for working memory and learning. Retrieved from http://www.york.ac.uk/res/wml/
BBC Radio 4, The memory experience: a journey of self discovery. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/memory/understand/emotional_memory.shtml
Gardner, H. (1975). Retrieved from http://www.gp-training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Incompetech. (n.d). Retrieved from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Smith, J. (2007) Writers on writing. Retrieved from http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=560&title=Writers_on_Writing
Research has shown that emotional memory is a very powerful force. We are far more likely to recall something where we were either in a heightened state of emotion, or where images or music produced an emotional rather than neutral response.
We remember things better when they are connected to a strong emotion: why else does Hollywood invest so heavily in magnificent soundtracks for their movies. Many of the most memorable and famous moments are associated with a particular piece of music. We all felt a tremor of fear when the familiar Jaws theme was played in the movie; we all (some of us at least) get teary-eyed when the music sweeps into a crescendo of dramatic melody when a major character is dying.
To be able to cheaply and easily have access to music is incredibly important to a teacher (especially considering our wages). We can add sound to our PowerPoints to maintain interest, we can allow students to choose their own musical addition to their own projects. Some learners learn best with music playing softly in the background as they work on independent tasks, so with plenty of music at hand, we can cater to the diversity of learning styles in the classroom, and those whose intelligence is musical, or verbal-linguistic according to the Multiple Intelligences theory.
Here is an example of how music can transform something ordinary into something extraordinary.
REFERENCES
Baddeley, A., Hitch, G., Gathercole, S., Hartley, T & Jeffries, E. (n.d.) The University of York: the Centre for working memory and learning. Retrieved from http://www.york.ac.uk/res/wml/
BBC Radio 4, The memory experience: a journey of self discovery. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/memory/understand/emotional_memory.shtml
Gardner, H. (1975). Retrieved from http://www.gp-training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Incompetech. (n.d). Retrieved from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Smith, J. (2007) Writers on writing. Retrieved from http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=560&title=Writers_on_Writing
WIKIs
WIKIs are a way of making communication both easy and manipulable for multiple users. Unlike an email, which is read like a letter and can only be responded to in a separate email; or a Blog, where you can comment immediately on someone else's work but may not be read or heeded, WIKIs are as collaborative as you like.
One user may put up a list of what needs to be brought to school for a project, and another can add to that list, or perhaps delete something off the original. As far as communication that is separated by space and time go, WIKIs provide probably the most similar experience to an authentic face-to-face conversation, excepting the phone. There is an interplay between users that is lacking on other non-live communication.
I started up a WIKI to communicate with my family scattered around Melbourne, to get their help in deciding what I will need to bring with me when I move back to Victoria later this year, or early next year. WIKIs really are simple to use and such an effective way of communicating with multiple people in different locations.
In a learning environment, WIKIs can be used in collaborative projects where learners need to interact with each other outside school hours. As well as the actual learning task being covered, students will also be working on social and technological etiquette, learning to challenge others' opinions and backing up their own and working out how to compromise with others to achieve a result satisfactory to all.
These social skills are essential if we want the learners to be successful in the world. Learning the appropriate ways of communicating and forming partnerships in a digital medium are imperative in the twenty-first century. We need to become collaborators and manipulators of information on a global scale to be ready for the Knowledge Economy.
If we teach our students computer skills without using social appropriateness as a backdrop, then we are doing them a disservice. Just about anyone now has access to a world of knowledge at the click of a button, so to stand above the crowd we need to practice and acquire skills that best aid communication, creativity and exploration of the new technologies.
Wikis are a step above Blogs, in that with Blogs you can receive and return feedback to an audience, but with WIKIs you then have to decide whether changes that made are acceptable, you have to learn to compromise between your ideas and the ideas offered you by others. WIKI is a way of practicing team unity inside and outside of the classroom and of giving respect, thoughtful consideration and evaluation of others opinions, as well as reflecting on your own with the aim of improvement and growth ever in mind.
One user may put up a list of what needs to be brought to school for a project, and another can add to that list, or perhaps delete something off the original. As far as communication that is separated by space and time go, WIKIs provide probably the most similar experience to an authentic face-to-face conversation, excepting the phone. There is an interplay between users that is lacking on other non-live communication.
I started up a WIKI to communicate with my family scattered around Melbourne, to get their help in deciding what I will need to bring with me when I move back to Victoria later this year, or early next year. WIKIs really are simple to use and such an effective way of communicating with multiple people in different locations.
In a learning environment, WIKIs can be used in collaborative projects where learners need to interact with each other outside school hours. As well as the actual learning task being covered, students will also be working on social and technological etiquette, learning to challenge others' opinions and backing up their own and working out how to compromise with others to achieve a result satisfactory to all.
These social skills are essential if we want the learners to be successful in the world. Learning the appropriate ways of communicating and forming partnerships in a digital medium are imperative in the twenty-first century. We need to become collaborators and manipulators of information on a global scale to be ready for the Knowledge Economy.
If we teach our students computer skills without using social appropriateness as a backdrop, then we are doing them a disservice. Just about anyone now has access to a world of knowledge at the click of a button, so to stand above the crowd we need to practice and acquire skills that best aid communication, creativity and exploration of the new technologies.
Wikis are a step above Blogs, in that with Blogs you can receive and return feedback to an audience, but with WIKIs you then have to decide whether changes that made are acceptable, you have to learn to compromise between your ideas and the ideas offered you by others. WIKI is a way of practicing team unity inside and outside of the classroom and of giving respect, thoughtful consideration and evaluation of others opinions, as well as reflecting on your own with the aim of improvement and growth ever in mind.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Aboriginal Literacy Research Project
Cor blimey! - I have been doing the Week 10 courseware for Primary Literacy, and that 'Aboriginal Literacy Research Project' (Munns, G., Lawson, J and Mootz, D., Report to the NSW Board of Studies) was some seriously heavy reading!
I notice that that the coordinator of the Literacy subject is one of the co-authors. I feel very lucky that she is involved in the GDLT course.
I can see how the effort in gaining meaning from texts that are culturally irrelevant, or for which they have limited 'cultural capital' (MCEETYA 2000) can result in students becoming disengaged from texts and feeling little confidence in their abilities if proper scaffolded support is not offered.
Lynch's 8 Learning Management Questions, which include such things as profiling the student, determining where the student is currently and where they need to be and then to decide the best pedagogy and learning experiences to achieve these outcomes, provide the same foundations as what the Aboriginal Literacy Research Project suggests, but there are specific ways of teaching that must be employed in teaching students where English (or Standard Australian English) is a second language that must be addressed when teaching bilinguals and indigenous learners. And it is vital that we address this need, especially in matters of literacy, because as Freire's dictum states, "To read the word is to read the world." (Freire and Macedo 1987, cited in 'Aboriginal Literacy Research Project').
Learning needs to be relevant and authentic; we need to have 'contextualised learning' (Malin 1998). We know this, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the same is true for indigenous students as we have determined is true for any other student. It means that we need to incorporate plenty of Aboriginal culture and language within the classroom, not only to engage these students, but to model to non-indigenous students a sense of respect for the culture and hopefully instill this respect within them all (including self-respect in the indigenous students).
We need to address the issue as a pedagogical one, and offer specific, explicit and systematic strategies to the learning experience, with the expectation that the student will deliver. If we have high expectations of the student, it will foster in them a confidence in their own ability and create motivation, not only for successful outcomes in classroom tasks, but hopefully for successful outcomes in life and their future.
The text emphasises the need to communicate with indigenous families and the broader indigenous community to better be aware of both what they can bring to/offer the school and to work hand in hand in the progress of their children. It is the ultimate goal of all of us to create students who are confident, capable and practitioners of the 'learning for life' ideology. We don't want to succeed with some students and not with others, and if we do, then the failure will not be theirs, it will be ours.
Alice Howson (GDLT Primary) Mount Morgan
I notice that that the coordinator of the Literacy subject is one of the co-authors. I feel very lucky that she is involved in the GDLT course.
I can see how the effort in gaining meaning from texts that are culturally irrelevant, or for which they have limited 'cultural capital' (MCEETYA 2000) can result in students becoming disengaged from texts and feeling little confidence in their abilities if proper scaffolded support is not offered.
Lynch's 8 Learning Management Questions, which include such things as profiling the student, determining where the student is currently and where they need to be and then to decide the best pedagogy and learning experiences to achieve these outcomes, provide the same foundations as what the Aboriginal Literacy Research Project suggests, but there are specific ways of teaching that must be employed in teaching students where English (or Standard Australian English) is a second language that must be addressed when teaching bilinguals and indigenous learners. And it is vital that we address this need, especially in matters of literacy, because as Freire's dictum states, "To read the word is to read the world." (Freire and Macedo 1987, cited in 'Aboriginal Literacy Research Project').
Learning needs to be relevant and authentic; we need to have 'contextualised learning' (Malin 1998). We know this, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the same is true for indigenous students as we have determined is true for any other student. It means that we need to incorporate plenty of Aboriginal culture and language within the classroom, not only to engage these students, but to model to non-indigenous students a sense of respect for the culture and hopefully instill this respect within them all (including self-respect in the indigenous students).
We need to address the issue as a pedagogical one, and offer specific, explicit and systematic strategies to the learning experience, with the expectation that the student will deliver. If we have high expectations of the student, it will foster in them a confidence in their own ability and create motivation, not only for successful outcomes in classroom tasks, but hopefully for successful outcomes in life and their future.
The text emphasises the need to communicate with indigenous families and the broader indigenous community to better be aware of both what they can bring to/offer the school and to work hand in hand in the progress of their children. It is the ultimate goal of all of us to create students who are confident, capable and practitioners of the 'learning for life' ideology. We don't want to succeed with some students and not with others, and if we do, then the failure will not be theirs, it will be ours.
Alice Howson (GDLT Primary) Mount Morgan
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
SlideShare and Scribd
SlideShare is a remarkable piece of technology that allows us to play around with our PowerPoint presentations in a number of significant ways. A slide show can be very effective in engaging a class, but a series of pictures on their own will quickly become dull to learners who are used to multiple digital content on the one medium.
The editing facilities of SlideShare mean that we can add music and speech to further add interest to learners. Individual slides can have narration and music put to them, rather than an ongoing running commentary throughout the entire slide show, so that, if slides are paused to communicate with the class during a presentation and allow interaction between peers and learners to teacher, the narration of the slide show will begin again at the appropriate juncture when starting play again.
I spent several hours playing around with the programs that convert MP4 files to MP3 so that it could be placed into SlideShare and I could add a narrative to my Acne PowerPoint presentation. I recorded into Audacity, then was told I had to download a program to allow me to export this file into another. I went onto Paretologic and LAME and several others I can no longer recall, but had great difficulty finding a way of moving my narration into SlideShare
I will concentrate my efforts next time into finding an Internet program to record my narration onto, so that instead of having to upload the file from my computer to SlideShare, I can just cut and paste the URL of my online file into SlideShare. I know that this will work, and I believe it will not take me so many hours for that first exploration of trialing new programs. I realise that the way I tried previously will work if I muddle around a bit longer. I think the key point to remember when you are experimenting with new technologies is 1: be patient, 2: persevere 3: record your successes so that you don't have to repeat the experimental process again the next time you need to apply the new technology 4: don't slam your computer into the wall, causing serious structural damage to the house and irreparable damage to the computer.
Scribd is a website that gives us a forum to share our files, images and slideshows with the general public, or a selected audience. Within a week of posting my PowerPoint on Scribd, I had over 60 views. This immediate feedback from people around the world would certainly capture the imagination of young learners and motivate them to present the best work they can. What a fantastic outlet to share creations and comment on the work of others. I will definitely be employing this technology to engage my learners and give them that sense of authenticity, which is so important to retaining motivation throughout the learning journey.
Here is the PowerPoint presentation that I embedded in an earlier posting through Scribd. I have embedded it this time throughm SlideShare, just to make sure I am confident using that part of the new technology.
The editing facilities of SlideShare mean that we can add music and speech to further add interest to learners. Individual slides can have narration and music put to them, rather than an ongoing running commentary throughout the entire slide show, so that, if slides are paused to communicate with the class during a presentation and allow interaction between peers and learners to teacher, the narration of the slide show will begin again at the appropriate juncture when starting play again.
I spent several hours playing around with the programs that convert MP4 files to MP3 so that it could be placed into SlideShare and I could add a narrative to my Acne PowerPoint presentation. I recorded into Audacity, then was told I had to download a program to allow me to export this file into another. I went onto Paretologic and LAME and several others I can no longer recall, but had great difficulty finding a way of moving my narration into SlideShare
I will concentrate my efforts next time into finding an Internet program to record my narration onto, so that instead of having to upload the file from my computer to SlideShare, I can just cut and paste the URL of my online file into SlideShare. I know that this will work, and I believe it will not take me so many hours for that first exploration of trialing new programs. I realise that the way I tried previously will work if I muddle around a bit longer. I think the key point to remember when you are experimenting with new technologies is 1: be patient, 2: persevere 3: record your successes so that you don't have to repeat the experimental process again the next time you need to apply the new technology 4: don't slam your computer into the wall, causing serious structural damage to the house and irreparable damage to the computer.
Scribd is a website that gives us a forum to share our files, images and slideshows with the general public, or a selected audience. Within a week of posting my PowerPoint on Scribd, I had over 60 views. This immediate feedback from people around the world would certainly capture the imagination of young learners and motivate them to present the best work they can. What a fantastic outlet to share creations and comment on the work of others. I will definitely be employing this technology to engage my learners and give them that sense of authenticity, which is so important to retaining motivation throughout the learning journey.
Here is the PowerPoint presentation that I embedded in an earlier posting through Scribd. I have embedded it this time throughm SlideShare, just to make sure I am confident using that part of the new technology.
Acne Slide Show
View more presentations from alicecatherine.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Photoshop
Photoshop gives us another avenue of editing our photos and pictures, instead of relying completetly on Picnik. I haven't delved into either program in enough depth to say what the major contrasts and comparisons are, but when I ever have free time I will be watching this series of video tutorials on Photoshop and applying them on personal projects that have been on the shelf for a long time already.
Mahara
Hello,
I have been reading every one's ideas on the forum about whether Mahara could be useful in a Primary School setting. I hadn't really thought that much about it. I only put a shallow, not-very-well thought out response on my previous Blog and so went back on to Mahara to have a look around.
I wonder if the main problem in us having had difficulty in seeing this as a learning tool for younger children is because we were introduced to Mahara with the idea that it would be difficult. During the Residential School, people would whisper to each other - "Did you go to the Mahara session?" "Yes, but I still don't know how to use it.""I'm so bad with technology, I'll never learn this one." The uncertainty made Mahara seem like some dark, looming cloud, threatening to overwhelm us when we got to that part of the course.
If you have a good look around, you realise that it actually isn't particularly complicated at all. And it's a lot more than a storage device for resumes (another misconception because Scot said how perfect it was for that, and so many of us didn't take the time to think of further applications for it, because we always have so much to do with all the rest of the coursework anyway.)
Just a brief examination of Mahara, but with a mind open to the possibilities, showed me, at least, that it will be a wonderful tool even for the very young year levels.
There is, for example, categories for My Skills and My Goals. What a great way to get students thinking meta-cognitively about their learning. Get them to set their own outcomes for the curriculum. They can back up whether they feel they have succeeded along the way with examples (of their own choosing) highlighting the areas where they feel they show a mastery or an application of a particular skill. They can upload documents, scan pictures and worksheets and write their thoughts on the linked Blog.
You can't tell me that even six and seven year old chldren are not capable of deciding which of their works they are most proud of. We can explicitly teach habits of mind regarding where they want to be and what strategies they can use to get there. Young children: "We are going to think today about how we might keep going with something that we want to give up on. What do you do when you feel that something is too hard. What could you do to feel better about the task?" Put it on their Mahara goal list - 'persevere when things get tough' (young ones 'keep going when things get hard') and come up with a problem-solving task that will involve using the strategies we came up with. When they have succeeded they upload it as an example.
Personalised outcomes and class tasks that learners feel a sense of success in, will raise their estimations of what they can achieve. 'Look at my goal last month. I couldn't do that then, and now I can. When I put my next goal down, there's no reason why I can't reach that too.'
Mahara could also be used to put together every class member's individual Blogs and wikis, so that they are all easy to access from one location. Late primary students could write out resumes, including examples of work that exemplify certain skills, or show their capability at persisting at a piece of work.
It will be a valuable portfolio for both teacher and learner. The end result can be assessed, easily passed to the parent/guardian to communicate their child's results, and the student has complete power over what is being assessed. They can show off their skills and abilities. Things that they do at home, like classical ballet in their bedroom, can be recorded by Mum and they can put it on to show how they have interpreted the days topic of 'sadness' for instance, while another might upload a narrative, another a painting. All these can be done for any age level in primary school.
I have been reading every one's ideas on the forum about whether Mahara could be useful in a Primary School setting. I hadn't really thought that much about it. I only put a shallow, not-very-well thought out response on my previous Blog and so went back on to Mahara to have a look around.
I wonder if the main problem in us having had difficulty in seeing this as a learning tool for younger children is because we were introduced to Mahara with the idea that it would be difficult. During the Residential School, people would whisper to each other - "Did you go to the Mahara session?" "Yes, but I still don't know how to use it.""I'm so bad with technology, I'll never learn this one." The uncertainty made Mahara seem like some dark, looming cloud, threatening to overwhelm us when we got to that part of the course.
If you have a good look around, you realise that it actually isn't particularly complicated at all. And it's a lot more than a storage device for resumes (another misconception because Scot said how perfect it was for that, and so many of us didn't take the time to think of further applications for it, because we always have so much to do with all the rest of the coursework anyway.)
Just a brief examination of Mahara, but with a mind open to the possibilities, showed me, at least, that it will be a wonderful tool even for the very young year levels.
There is, for example, categories for My Skills and My Goals. What a great way to get students thinking meta-cognitively about their learning. Get them to set their own outcomes for the curriculum. They can back up whether they feel they have succeeded along the way with examples (of their own choosing) highlighting the areas where they feel they show a mastery or an application of a particular skill. They can upload documents, scan pictures and worksheets and write their thoughts on the linked Blog.
You can't tell me that even six and seven year old chldren are not capable of deciding which of their works they are most proud of. We can explicitly teach habits of mind regarding where they want to be and what strategies they can use to get there. Young children: "We are going to think today about how we might keep going with something that we want to give up on. What do you do when you feel that something is too hard. What could you do to feel better about the task?" Put it on their Mahara goal list - 'persevere when things get tough' (young ones 'keep going when things get hard') and come up with a problem-solving task that will involve using the strategies we came up with. When they have succeeded they upload it as an example.
Personalised outcomes and class tasks that learners feel a sense of success in, will raise their estimations of what they can achieve. 'Look at my goal last month. I couldn't do that then, and now I can. When I put my next goal down, there's no reason why I can't reach that too.'
Mahara could also be used to put together every class member's individual Blogs and wikis, so that they are all easy to access from one location. Late primary students could write out resumes, including examples of work that exemplify certain skills, or show their capability at persisting at a piece of work.
It will be a valuable portfolio for both teacher and learner. The end result can be assessed, easily passed to the parent/guardian to communicate their child's results, and the student has complete power over what is being assessed. They can show off their skills and abilities. Things that they do at home, like classical ballet in their bedroom, can be recorded by Mum and they can put it on to show how they have interpreted the days topic of 'sadness' for instance, while another might upload a narrative, another a painting. All these can be done for any age level in primary school.
Google Earth
Google Earth, and the applications within the classroom is linked inextricably with Learning Engagement Theory (Kearsley and Schneiderman, 1999).
I love the idea of using Google Earth to engage learners in current events. Actually seeing what the streets and houses look like in Kabul will make them empathise with people in war-torn countries far more than imagining some distant wind-swept village that may be how they perceive places in the Middle East. Showing them cities that look so similar to our own from a birds eye view, complete with schools, ovals, hospitals and shopping districts will make them realise that these people are not so different from us after all.
There are also wonderful tools that will help in SOSE. You can click in for information about the area you are visiting online. You can find out geographical features. For maths we have access to the latitudes and longitudes and from Google Earth students will be able better to grasp these concepts from a whole-planet perspective.
We can click on the 'History' button to be shown what the geography of the land looked like either a hundred, or a thousand or a million years ago! Every student will study dinosaurs at some stage of their schooling - they will actually be able to see images of what the earth looked like in the time of the dinosaurs.
If you want to teach learners about China, we could do a 'chalk and talk' lecture, asking them to write notes, then regurgitate the information back to us for assessment, or we could group learners in teams to construct virtual tours of the region, including information, photos (perhaps uploaded from Flickr) and take the class on a journey through China with close-ups of landmarks and other places of interest. How much more meaningful a task! And one that can be saved and stored on a site like Scribd', so that they can receive feedback from the world about their tour. Thus an authentic task, with assessment not based on the number of ticks they get in a test, but on a highly interactive task, that has involved collaboration, experimentation and analysis and evaluation of the information they go through.
Students can create a tour of their own neighbourhood. They can include their own photos of the street and people and places that live near them.
They can wander around the country and choose an area that looks like a good place to live and then research what the infrastructure is like and whether they still think it would be a good place to live (is there a public swimming pool, how many schools etc).
Google Earth will engage the learners on many levels; the use of ICTs, student-centred learning, authentic projects and an outside focus. These exemplify all the attributes so valued in Learning Engagement Theory and will be sure to keep learners engaged, focused and excited about their learning journey.
REFERENCES
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
I love the idea of using Google Earth to engage learners in current events. Actually seeing what the streets and houses look like in Kabul will make them empathise with people in war-torn countries far more than imagining some distant wind-swept village that may be how they perceive places in the Middle East. Showing them cities that look so similar to our own from a birds eye view, complete with schools, ovals, hospitals and shopping districts will make them realise that these people are not so different from us after all.
There are also wonderful tools that will help in SOSE. You can click in for information about the area you are visiting online. You can find out geographical features. For maths we have access to the latitudes and longitudes and from Google Earth students will be able better to grasp these concepts from a whole-planet perspective.
We can click on the 'History' button to be shown what the geography of the land looked like either a hundred, or a thousand or a million years ago! Every student will study dinosaurs at some stage of their schooling - they will actually be able to see images of what the earth looked like in the time of the dinosaurs.
If you want to teach learners about China, we could do a 'chalk and talk' lecture, asking them to write notes, then regurgitate the information back to us for assessment, or we could group learners in teams to construct virtual tours of the region, including information, photos (perhaps uploaded from Flickr) and take the class on a journey through China with close-ups of landmarks and other places of interest. How much more meaningful a task! And one that can be saved and stored on a site like Scribd', so that they can receive feedback from the world about their tour. Thus an authentic task, with assessment not based on the number of ticks they get in a test, but on a highly interactive task, that has involved collaboration, experimentation and analysis and evaluation of the information they go through.
Students can create a tour of their own neighbourhood. They can include their own photos of the street and people and places that live near them.
They can wander around the country and choose an area that looks like a good place to live and then research what the infrastructure is like and whether they still think it would be a good place to live (is there a public swimming pool, how many schools etc).
Google Earth will engage the learners on many levels; the use of ICTs, student-centred learning, authentic projects and an outside focus. These exemplify all the attributes so valued in Learning Engagement Theory and will be sure to keep learners engaged, focused and excited about their learning journey.
REFERENCES
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
TeacherTube
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=560&title=Writers_on_Writing&ref=Aliceantics
TeacherTube provides a means to tap into the skills and knowledge of teachers from around the globe. This technology grants us access into a myriad of teaching ideas, pedagogies and classroom activities. Before the emergence of the Internet, a teacher would have to be extremely proactive, and have a lot of spare time, and possibly money, to communicate their ideas so readily into a form that could be carried around the world. Text books and articles in education journals will still only be read (and written) by the most eager, but with new ICTs so readily available and easy to use, information can be passed on at a whim. Essentially, this means that new perspectives and an enormous range of pedagogies become accessible to everyone, both to transmit knowledge, and to receive it.
Not only can we directly use what is on TeacherTube, for structuring lessons or showing the class, but it can also be used to generate new ideas for lessons. I might use a little from Mrs James' clip on a Science Rap, and combine that with Miss Smith's explanation of scientific principles in relation to literacy to come up with a lesson plan that neither Mrs James nor Miss Smith could ever have envisioned.
TeacherTube is an ultimate way of pooling knowledge with other professionals in the same field. We check it out because we care about the learning outcomes of our students and we contribute to give back to the forum which has helped us.
I looked through TeacherTube and analysed many of the different formats presented, as well as information offered. The particular video that I have embedded in this Post I chose because I have a strong interest in developing literacy skills and engaging learners in the reading and writing process.
I think the music, combined with the subtle background where the quotes are therefore emphasised, creates an emotional response in the viewer. Emotional memory is strong - we are much more likely to remember something that had an emotional impact on us, than just recalling some declarative knowledge about a topic that wasn't particularly engaging. This video would be wonderful to show the students before asking them to write a creative text, hopefully motivating those (too many) students who are unwilling to create their own texts.
Watch and make up your own decision, but I certainly felt that time-stopping feeling of inspiration that wanted me to pick up a pen and paper (or at least tap on a keyboard) and get to it.
Enjoy...
TeacherTube provides a means to tap into the skills and knowledge of teachers from around the globe. This technology grants us access into a myriad of teaching ideas, pedagogies and classroom activities. Before the emergence of the Internet, a teacher would have to be extremely proactive, and have a lot of spare time, and possibly money, to communicate their ideas so readily into a form that could be carried around the world. Text books and articles in education journals will still only be read (and written) by the most eager, but with new ICTs so readily available and easy to use, information can be passed on at a whim. Essentially, this means that new perspectives and an enormous range of pedagogies become accessible to everyone, both to transmit knowledge, and to receive it.
Not only can we directly use what is on TeacherTube, for structuring lessons or showing the class, but it can also be used to generate new ideas for lessons. I might use a little from Mrs James' clip on a Science Rap, and combine that with Miss Smith's explanation of scientific principles in relation to literacy to come up with a lesson plan that neither Mrs James nor Miss Smith could ever have envisioned.
TeacherTube is an ultimate way of pooling knowledge with other professionals in the same field. We check it out because we care about the learning outcomes of our students and we contribute to give back to the forum which has helped us.
I looked through TeacherTube and analysed many of the different formats presented, as well as information offered. The particular video that I have embedded in this Post I chose because I have a strong interest in developing literacy skills and engaging learners in the reading and writing process.
I think the music, combined with the subtle background where the quotes are therefore emphasised, creates an emotional response in the viewer. Emotional memory is strong - we are much more likely to remember something that had an emotional impact on us, than just recalling some declarative knowledge about a topic that wasn't particularly engaging. This video would be wonderful to show the students before asking them to write a creative text, hopefully motivating those (too many) students who are unwilling to create their own texts.
Watch and make up your own decision, but I certainly felt that time-stopping feeling of inspiration that wanted me to pick up a pen and paper (or at least tap on a keyboard) and get to it.
Enjoy...
Picnik and Flickr
Flickr is an ICT program that allows us to store files and images on the Internet and share them with a chosen audience. There is an enormous number of images that are not copyrighted, and therefore can be downloaded and used for presentations, class handouts and a multitude of other applications. The advantages to having so many images immediately available to us, for no cost and with no legal ramifications, means that we can much more easily find images that relate to the topic being studied, and result in further engagement of learners.
The applications within a learning environment are of showing students how to edit their photos and create their own scrapbook. Obviously there are many more. In fact, one of the best ways to engage with them will be to show them the technology and get the learners themselves to come up with an idea of how to use it (in the context of the curriculum).
Images are so important in a learning context; they provide interest, humour, colour and joy to a subject. The topic at hand becomes more to the learners than a jumble of words - they can see images of how the knowledge is applied, or how others have perceived the issue. Visual learners will not be left in the lurch as linguistic learners plough on ahead.
Students can search Flickr themselves to add images to their own work. Wouldn't it be interesting to give the students a theme, such as 'bullying' and give them time on Flickr to find three images that they think best exemplify bullying? Then we can put all the images together on a poster and as a group, write up a definition of bullying, and class rules to combat it. Seeing a face full of fear or sadness can speak volumes more than giving a lecture about how bullying can affect people. The small photo to the left under the large pictures, is one I found on Flickr when I did a search for 'bully'.
Learners can use editing techniques on Picnik, then download their own photos (appropriate to the public, global domain) onto Flickr to receive feedback from the wider community. Children will really engage with being able to manipulate their own photos using this technology. Perhaps we could create a really zany class photo! They would love that.
I found Picnik a very useful application when putting our two houses on the real estate market recently. The top photo of each house is the untouched version, then underneath shows how a few alterations with tone, saturation and brightness made the grass look greener, and the trees brighter. Definitely more sellable!
The small photo at the right of this posting is of my daughters with Santa Claus in 2008. I edited this photo using Picnik, then uploaded it onto Flickr, where I clicked on SHARE to put it into my Blog.
In conclusion, Picnik is a wonderful tool to modify images. In the twenty-first century, mastering digital mediums is becoming more and more essential in the business world, but also in everyday life. Introducing our learners to this technology will assist them in making that first baby step in taking risks in ICTs. By manipulating their own images, they will discover that sense of thrill that comes with experimentation, creativity and innovation - skills that are valued so highly in Learning Engagement Theory (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999).
Flickr will engage the learners by catering for different and multiple styles of learning, by incorporating images in presentations to engage learners on a level beyond merely 'chalk and talk'.
REFERENCES
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTS for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
PowerPoint Presentation - 'The Causes Of Acne'
Hello, all.
I (finally) finished my PowerPoint presentation, which I have titled, 'The Causes Of Acne'. These slideshows certainly do take a lot of time to prepare - and I haven't even ventured to add video or sound yet!
I hope you enjoy it.
Just click on the FULLSCREEN icon, then click on the right hand arrow to move through slides (I did put in automatic timings but they don't seem to have been copied into my Blog). At the end, click ESCAPE to exit the fullscreen.
Acne Slide Show
I (finally) finished my PowerPoint presentation, which I have titled, 'The Causes Of Acne'. These slideshows certainly do take a lot of time to prepare - and I haven't even ventured to add video or sound yet!
I hope you enjoy it.
Just click on the FULLSCREEN icon, then click on the right hand arrow to move through slides (I did put in automatic timings but they don't seem to have been copied into my Blog). At the end, click ESCAPE to exit the fullscreen.
Acne Slide Show
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Avatars
Avatars are an animation that you can design yourself and then write or record a narration for, then watch their mouth move as they 'speak'.
Avatars will encourage creativity in learners. If we introduce ICTs to children in stages of simple to more complex, then avatars, which are not very difficult even for young children to manipulate, can be a reward for mastering another technology, or a different classroom task. I like the idea of using ICTs in a reward system because it reinforces the idea that ICTs should not be a chore or a task, but should be part of engaging students in their learning at all levels (Learning Engagement Theory). Engagement Theory (Kearsley, G., & Schneiderman, B., 1999) proposes that to involve learners in authentic and meaningful tasks, ICTs will not only interest and motivate students, but will provide them with access to ways of contributing to the outside world (real focus) and applying knowledge in new ways.
Avatars can be used to introduce new topics, making them humorous, or otherwise engaging the learners. That first 'hook' is so crucial to get the learners motivated and interested. 21st Century children enjoy the possibilities offered by technology, and because they are so used to television, wii and other modes of technology with moving and colourful images, an avatar on screen might get them that much more engaged in the learning process.
Students could also create an avatar to represent themselves and post it onto a class wiki. Perhaps we could create a class wiki to create a sense of unity and comradeship in the classroom. Each student can speak through their avatar and offer advice to others problems, or discuss issues that they have at home or at school themselves. Feedback from peers is so important in creating positive self-image and in being open about problems that children cannot or will not discuss with their parents. All communications would have to be closely monitored by the teacher to make sure appropriate 'netiquette' is maintained, as well as empathy, compassion and common sense.
Because there are animal, human and inhuman avatars, students could choose an avatar, then write a story with this avatar as the central character (i.e 'My Life As A Dog'. Alternatively they could be asked to research the chosen avatar and write a short report about its defining features (i.e The most well-known vampire is the Count Dracula. The idea of vampires first appeared in...etc etc). The report could be in first person, with the avatar in question then presenting the report to the class on the screen.
Use an avatar to create tests (i.e I am a horse; if I get through two bales of hay every five days, how many bales of hay will I eat in one year?)
The options are limited only by your imagination. Better yet - they are only limited by the imaginations of an entire class of children. Excellent!
REFERENCES
Kearsley, G. & Scheniderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQ University e-course, EDED20491 ICTS for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Monday, March 15, 2010
It's a Blog's Life
Hello,
Well, so far I have created my own blog account and now have begun to follow other bloggers from my course in ICT in Learning Management. It seemed like a huge thing to be achieved when I first heard about this whole 'blog' thing, but it has been easy, and as with just about everything, especially in the world of communications and technologies, it first seemed to get easier, then very easy, and soon (I am sure with this course) it will become almost second nature as I click on the icon, banter on for a while and check out my classmates' thoughts that have been posted.
Do I feel proud of myself? Not really; it is another step to feeling like I am catching up with the world! And that may not inspire pride, but certainly a feeling of confidence and a growing awareness of how technologies can change our life (and in our case our teaching pedagogies and project ideas).
I love the idea of creating a class blog for assignments. I also love the idea of creating a separate class blog for students to discuss any personal problems. It could prove an amazing forum to dealing with issues surrounding bullying, sexual and physical abuse, and general adolescent/preadolescent hangups. Best to see if there is a way to delete inappropriate responses on blogs first, though. Or, hang-on, am I thinking about wiki in thinking this is very interactive? I will find out in a few minutes after the next task, where I create a wiki.
It has become a wonderful challenge to think up new ways of using technology (especially popular, like mobile phones,Facebook, twitter (I haven't checked this out yet) to create innovative, inspiring, authentic tasks for the learning journey. I am more excited now about teaching than I have been thus far.
Cheers, and thanks for reading,
Alice
Well, so far I have created my own blog account and now have begun to follow other bloggers from my course in ICT in Learning Management. It seemed like a huge thing to be achieved when I first heard about this whole 'blog' thing, but it has been easy, and as with just about everything, especially in the world of communications and technologies, it first seemed to get easier, then very easy, and soon (I am sure with this course) it will become almost second nature as I click on the icon, banter on for a while and check out my classmates' thoughts that have been posted.
Do I feel proud of myself? Not really; it is another step to feeling like I am catching up with the world! And that may not inspire pride, but certainly a feeling of confidence and a growing awareness of how technologies can change our life (and in our case our teaching pedagogies and project ideas).
I love the idea of creating a class blog for assignments. I also love the idea of creating a separate class blog for students to discuss any personal problems. It could prove an amazing forum to dealing with issues surrounding bullying, sexual and physical abuse, and general adolescent/preadolescent hangups. Best to see if there is a way to delete inappropriate responses on blogs first, though. Or, hang-on, am I thinking about wiki in thinking this is very interactive? I will find out in a few minutes after the next task, where I create a wiki.
It has become a wonderful challenge to think up new ways of using technology (especially popular, like mobile phones,Facebook, twitter (I haven't checked this out yet) to create innovative, inspiring, authentic tasks for the learning journey. I am more excited now about teaching than I have been thus far.
Cheers, and thanks for reading,
Alice
Friday, March 5, 2010
Positive Discrimination
A couple of thoughts on positive discrimination: In England, the government is now requiring schools to include "realistic images of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and the contributions they have made to different aspects of the curriculum."
This sounds like a wonderful idea. It is using the ideology whereby we deem all people equal and we value the diversity among us, and then incorporating it into an educational environment, where, hopefully, these values will be passed down to a new generation to lessen ignorance and prejudice.
In 1965 President Lyndon Johnson said, "Freedom is not enough... you do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'You are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe you have been completely fair. Thus it is not enough to open the gates of opportunity."
The first steps to righting the great wrongs in the world, must be to acknowledge that they are wrong. the second step, of removing the constraints that have held back certain groups, whether this be due to their race, religion, gender, sexuality or a myriad of other excuses for discrimination, cannot be the last step though, for will not be enough to give them 'a fair go',as we would say in Australia.
The concept of positive discimination means that opportunities are explicitly made available to further increase the liklihood of a group achieving success in an authentic context. In Australia, then, we have for example financial grants to encourage indigenous learners into tertiary education, and government positions include reserved places for those in groups often omitted in the traditional employment of workers, such as women and Aboriginals.
This sounds like a wonderful idea. It is using the ideology whereby we deem all people equal and we value the diversity among us, and then incorporating it into an educational environment, where, hopefully, these values will be passed down to a new generation to lessen ignorance and prejudice.
In 1965 President Lyndon Johnson said, "Freedom is not enough... you do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, 'You are free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe you have been completely fair. Thus it is not enough to open the gates of opportunity."
The first steps to righting the great wrongs in the world, must be to acknowledge that they are wrong. the second step, of removing the constraints that have held back certain groups, whether this be due to their race, religion, gender, sexuality or a myriad of other excuses for discrimination, cannot be the last step though, for will not be enough to give them 'a fair go',as we would say in Australia.
The concept of positive discimination means that opportunities are explicitly made available to further increase the liklihood of a group achieving success in an authentic context. In Australia, then, we have for example financial grants to encourage indigenous learners into tertiary education, and government positions include reserved places for those in groups often omitted in the traditional employment of workers, such as women and Aboriginals.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Social Capital
SOCIAL CAPITAL
Social Capital is the capital (or wealth) that is measured by strong family bonds, integration in community and social opportunity. A few decades ago, children spent the day at school, then were able to go unsupervised to the local park to play with their friends. They could walk two blocks on their own to visit Auntie Charlotte. They had many opportunities to discuss the world with their peers (even if the discussion was not blatant, but knowledge attained through the interaction of one another through play or fighting). There was a richness to their lives because they saw a lot of their family (often only one parent worked) and had many opportunities to be surrounded by peers without adults in proximity (to experience and learn on their own).
Walking to the shops without Mum to buy meat from the butcher meant that they learnt valuable interaction skills.
Today's social climate is rather different. It is true that there have always been dangers to our children (cars, paedophiles etc) but in recent years, the population explosion has meant that even if the proportion of say, paedophiles to non-paedophiles, remains the same, the numbers are much greater. Few of us feel it is safe to leave our children at the park without us watching on anymore.
Unfortunately though, such experiences are limited for many children. Both parents may be forced financially to work long hours, or there may be only one parent. Babies from 6 weeks old can be left in child care centres for many hours of the day. There may not be the time for children in these situations to often get to a park, because Mum and Dad simply can't make the time.
So even the wealth derived from strong family bonds has been reduced somewhat, if wealth is calculated by physical time and proximity to each other. Much of the extended family may live interstate or overseas because of advancements and price reductions in transport.
The opportunity of pure peer interaction (no grown-ups around) has become limited as parents fears for their children's safety increase. Many families have a variety of play equipment in their own yards, as well as Playstations, DVDs and the Internet. Children are able to entertain themselves now when they are alone (or only linked to others through interactive media).
Where much learning therefore, occurred outside the school, the speaker in this video claims that now, because social opportunities are more limited, education is almost fully school-based. I find this position hard to accept. With advancements in information and communications technology (most notably the Internet), children can now receive information and knowledge from around the world from the comfort of their own home. Is this knowledge any less valuable than knowledge gained through intimate connection to others within a community?
It may not be safe to walk alone to Auntie Charlotte's house, but with interactive mediums, we can see her live on our computer screens for a (virtual) face to face chat on Skype. We can text or talk to her via a mobile phone or email her. Grandparents living in another state can likewise be contacted at the press of a button.
A child may not be allowed to go to the butcher's shop alone, but can instead be taught how to order and purchase products online using e-commerce (I wouldn't recommend giving them your credit card number, though!)
The world has indeed changed, but I do not feel that the education system has borne the brunt of it.
'Why change now?' the headline over the video asks? As the speaker says, the education system has not been totally effective in engaging students for a long time, though it has been successful in turning out people ready to face the world as it was. We need to change now because the world is a much different place today and so we need to turn out students accomplished in an entirely new set of skills.
Such courses as the BLM (Bachelor of Learning management at CQ University) focus a teacher's training on a leaner-centred pedagogy, rather than traditional teacher-based 'lectures'. Emphasis is placed on showing learners how to access and utilise knowledge from a variety of sources with minimal assistance, though frequent teamwork. If children are exposed less in the real world to social interaction with their peers, then let that become an important activity within the classroom. Let activities be team oriented and involve discussion.
Perhaps social wealth needs to be defined, not by a child's opportunity for independence and inter-personal skills in the world, or whether a family has one parent or two, but by how a child will succeed in an evolving society. Social wealth may come to be measured by competence in communication with others around the world over a computer. There are certainly far greater opportunities today to learn more directly about other cultures. Social wealth should include such knowledge about understanding the diversity of the world, relating to others with diverse backgrounds and needs and being creative thinkers in a climate of constant and rapid innovation.
Education systems need to change, but the values that need to be prioritised are ones that should have always been important, such as creativity, empathy and open-mindedness. The social wealth available to learners, and differing individually, will have less impact than the pedagogical strategies employed by a teacher to teach learners how to access, process and manipulate globalised information from around the world.
Synopsis for ICT Activity Week 1
RELATING PHILOSOPHIES TO THE IDEOLOGY BEHIND THE BACHELOR OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT COURSE.
- USING THE TEXTS A PRIMER ON THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, FUTUREWORK AND MODE 2 KNOWLEDGE -
by Alice Howson
In today's new world of rapidly evolving information and communication technology (referred to as ICT from this point), knowledge has become our most valuable asset.
According to A Primer on the Knowledge Economy by Haughton, J., & Sheehan, P. (2000), the advancements made in the manipulation, storage and dispersal of knowledge, and how fast and inexpensive this has become, have turned knowledge into a commodity. Such advancements and the placing of knowledge as a commodity with other goods and services, has led to globalisation, where there is increased competition and inter-dependence between nations. The ease of access to information around the world (the Internet being the prime example) must dictate the information and learning strategies that educators impart to learners in how it directly relates to the Knowledge Economy. It has become less important to produce students with specific skills and much more valuable to teach creativity and initiative, general problem solving and inter-personal communication.
My own experiences within a Primary School and High School environment revolved around philosophies from a more Industrial-Age Economy, where the recall of specific knowledge was regarded as the essential outcomes. This is opposed to what skills are required in a Knowledge Economy, where the utilisation of knowledge and the use of ICT are used to advance understanding. My experiences at Universities have been much more closely bound to the latter philosophy, however.
We live now in an era facing the fastest growth in technological advancement in the history of our species. As Futurework, an excerpt from a US Labour Report (1999) predicted, employers are demanding a highly flexible workforce. Permanent full-time jobs are on the decrease, while, casual, part time and home-based employment continues to rise. Jobs are requiring more in the way of ICT 'know-how'. Technology at home means workers can continue working (or solely) work from home even after their work hours. With less time, they 'contract out' such work as meal preparation. Although sociological rather than purely work-related, I still feel it is a major omission of Futurework not to link these increasing practices to the effect on families and society as a whole. The fast food culture has led to an enormous rise in obesity rates, both in adults and children, and babies from six weeks old can have no contact with their mother for many hours in the day due to child care. And of course this is not irrelevant to Futurework's ideas, because much employment will now directly relate to these, in health care, child care and takeaway operations.
Likewise, Futurework, with all their focus on globalisation, failed to predict the possibility of a 'domino effect' when so many nations are inter-dependant on one another. In short, one major change in the world since 1999, when Futurework was published, is the advent of the Global Economic Crisis. The strengths inherent in a globalised economy are the same factors which, upon the toppling of one crucial piece, will have roll-on ramifications for the whole.
The rise of globalisation in knowledge, has meant that information is far more accessible - and valuable. We can access knowledge from around the world and utilise it in situations that may be far different from its original purpose. Thus we have an entirely different mode of knowledge than previously, because our limitations in accessing it are far smaller than in the past.
So, for example, where in the past the mode of knowledge has been focused on individual and traditional research, which was discipline based, distinguished between fundamental and applied, and generally localised, now we must realise the potentials promised us by the ICT revolution.
Mode 2 Knowledge by Heath, G. 2001 describes the new mode of knowledge (Mode 2 compared to the traditional Mode 1) as non-localised (produced globally in diverse sites), subject to market acceptability (or the information will not be dispersed) and very much outcomes-based. It is characterised by teamwork and therefore heterogeneous (many different starting bases and perspectives) and transdisciplinary (as different people bring in different knowledge from their own areas of expertise).
In the previous era where ICT was far less advanced, the teacher was the fount of knowledge and the school the primary site of learning. The abundance and accessibility of knowledge and information today demotes the teacher to a lesser (or perhaps I should say 'different') role. Teachers and students may well be learning new technologies and discovering new knowledge simultaneously, so the teacher's role will not be so much a passer-on of knowledge, as a learning manager in an environment emphasising life-long learning. The teacher must be able to understand the processes of knowledge production and use and far more importantly, pass this on to their learners in the creation of broad minded, confident, creative and technologically literate risk takers, rather than experts in one unchanging (stagnant) field.
The ideas of Smith, R., Lynch, D., and Mienczakowski, J. in The bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) and Education Capability in 2003 ties in with this need to move towards a Mode 2 orientated philosophy. The BLM is very much an outcomes-based course, not only in producing teachers already experienced and capable in the field, but also instilling in them a sense of responsibility to be active in accomplishing student outcomes as well.
Pedagogy is valued more than traditional content and there is a substantial emphasis on ICT. The need to design pedagogy with the diversity of students in mind is considered paramount. Richard Smith states that 'indigenous educational outcomes have been unconscionable' as mainstream institutions have utterly failed to engage these learners. With the Mode 2 Knowledge ideology, diversity and uniquely creative thinkers are essential to new growth in society (and thus the economy), so a 'one-size-fits-all' strategy is an idea guaranteed to end in failure, not only to the social system, but to the individual learners.
Studies have shown that the teacher is the most vital aspect in achieving learner outcomes, more so than the class environment, peers and the learners individual history, socio-economic position and learning ability (or disability). Our pedagogical strategies are critical in being successful and the five Dimensions of Learning (Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. 1997) provide a systematic approach focusing on the application of knowledge in the real world.
The BLM emphasises individuality over conformity in creating thinkers with initiative and problem solving skills. This is in direct agreement with the values inherent in the Knowledge Economy. Insofar as teachers utilising, as well as teaching, knowledge (and how to access and process it) in response to changing circumstances and needs, as well as take risks, manage learning, network and use ICT, this ties in perfectly with the knowledge that Futurework claims will be necessary for a worker to succeed in the future. Futurework stresses that the work climate is changing due to globalisation (of knowledge as well as traditional goods and services), where flexibility and technological competence are key factors in success in the workplace.
The BLM works in with this idea of certain new traits and ways of thinking being prioritised higher than were in a pre-globalised world. The course addresses the need for major change in school systems to suit individual learners and to adopt to a rapidly changing world. Advancements and the ideologies emerging from a world where knowledge and its multiple applications and easy accessibility, centre around valuing knowledge as the most precious commodity of the world's economy. Advancements in information and communications technology must be embraced and utilised in our pedagogy to achieve the outcomes that our learners will need in this new world.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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