The shift from the old industrial economy to the new knowledge economy over the last decade has seen the need for advanced changes in education, particularly teaching and learning strategies. The idea of a teacher-directed classroom is no longer considered appropriate to engage learners and help them reach their learning goals. The old "chalk and talk" method has now been replaced with new pedagogical approach focussing on a student-centered paradigm where ICTs have been identified as essential in ensuring this. In a world where ICTs are a basic necessity for most facets of life, why not begin preparing children for later life, in teaching them the needs and uses of these pieces of technology. It is also possible that some students are already using these technologies outside of the school, so why not incorporate them in the classroom to help make them more receptive to the tasks involved in their learning journey. Marzano and Pickering (1997) suggest that students need to have develop positive attitudes towards classroom tasks and that this can be achieved by use a variety of ways to engage students' in these tasks by using a a bit of variety when planning and implementing learning experiences. This can be achieved by using ICTs in the teaching and learning process.
Active Learning, described by Dale’s Cone and Learning Pyramid suggests that students are most receptive when engaging in active learning, which involves students to be actively involved in the learning journey. The use of ICTs can ensure, especially when thinking under the Learning Engagement theory which requires students to RELATE to a problem task, CREATE solutions to the problem and then DONATE the solution back into the real world. This theory can easily be re-produced through the use of ICTs (Kearsley and Snheiderman, 1998).
Research from Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) about Learning Engagement Theory suggests that students need to be truly engaged in purposeful, authentic and problematic learning activities involving the collaboration with their peers. Implementing digital pedagogies into the learning framework will further extend the students' interest in the subject matter.
My own personal schooling, like many of my peers, was during a time when many of these new technologies such as laptop computers and the internet were being introduced into the school, but at an infrequent rate. My own exposure to them was only by necessity of school work until I began University and realized that their need was far-more reaching than just for educational purposes and that I needed to have a reasonable knowledge about these technologies to succeed in life. Up until two months ago, I began to consider myself as computer-literate, but once I began studying in this course my eyes were opened to a whole new world of ICTs. Sure, I'd heard of YouTube and used it sometimes and I thought myself to be pretty handy with powerpoint, but never did I think I could do some of the things I can do now. And the thought of being able to transfer this knowledge into my teaching is a really exciting prospect. Even in my EPL at present I am beginning to think of ways to implement ICTs into my learning experience as if it has become a force of habit. Whilst there are some disadvantages involved with using ICTs such as breakdowns and inappropriate uses(pornography, etc), as a whole I think ICTs are invaluable in regards to planning and implementing learning experiences.
As for their vast advantages, ICTs help shift from the teacher-centric paradigm to a more student-centric paradigm and help in an increase in student engagement. They too have been proven to help increase the learning capacities of ASD students. Ashman and Elkins (2005) suggest that as ASD students have a difficulty in absorbing and understanding verbal instruction, visual aids can help ASD students in this respect by being able to follow instructions based on visual cues presented within the ICT. For example, using a powerpoint to explain the requirements for an assessment will better serve and ASD student rather than verbally explaining it to them. It has also been suggested that students suffering from ASD are highly acute and competent visual learners so the use of some sort of ICT is essential for their integration into mainstream schooling (Ashman and Elkins, 2005).
Another advantage of ICTs is their adaptiveness and various uses within each other. For example a wiki can display powerpoints which are made visible one the web via slideshare, whose photos were obtained from Flikr and edited by Piknik. Videos can be filmed on a camera, transferred to a computer, uploaded onto YouTube then featured in a powerpoint presentation. The possibilities are endless and so are the possibilities in their variety of uses across education. It is important to remember however, that for these digital pedagogies to be effective,tachers must also be sufficiently trained in these new technologies to ensure their effectiveness. Teachers today can apply for their ICT Pedagogical licence which verifys that teachers with this qualification are able to teach with these technologies within the classroom. I think this is a good idea as many teachers today are those from the industrial economy and many do not have the necessary knowledge to implement many of these ICTs in education.
This brings me to pre-service teacher training, particularly here at CQ University. I think the inclusion of this course in this degree is essential and I feel that a course much like this one should be included in all degrees/courses as ICTs influence stretches across further facets of life rather than just education and feel that some of the knowledge learnt would be valuable to people in other professions such as business. For example, a voki could be used in a business meeting presentation and Google Earth for engineering purposes. As for pre-service teachers such as myself, I feel that this course have given me the confidence to be more creative with my learning experiences, something I want to be able to proud myself on amongst my peers.
Finally I would like to thank Scot Aldred for all the time ad effort he has put into putting this course together. I would also like to thank him for all the time he spent replying to all of our questions so far throughout the term. Without you Scot I think all of our technological savviness we all now possess, would be non-existent. My interest in ICTs has increased ten-fold and can't wait to be able to use all this amazing stuff with my own classes in the future.
References:
Ashman, A. & Elkins, J. (2005). Educating children with diverse abilities, 3rd Ed. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved April 28, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Interactive Whiteboards In the Classroom
Hi all,
In short, Interactive Whiteboards are the equivalent to colour TVs. The shift from a black and white TV to a colour TV revolutionized the world and the same can be said of interactive whiteboards. I personally have never used or seen one be used firsthand, however all the feedback and comments I have heard from others is astounding. The video below details the array of uses attached to the interactive whiteboards.
Just by using an interactive whiteboard will enhance the receptiveness of students automatically. The fact that students can actively engage with this technology makes it even more of an advantage in the classroom. The interactive whiteboard takes learning to a new dimension and can be used across any KLA.
Hopefully one day, I will have a classroom equipped with an interactive whiteboard as they look like a heap of fun, not just for students but for the teachers as well.
I have heard that Parkhurst State School have done wonders with this technology and are the self-proclaimed gurus of the technology in this area. Some of the things that I have seen come out of this school with their Interactive whiteboards is unbelievable and is evidence that this technology should be made available to all students across the country.
Like I said I have never used this technology before, so would love to hear from anyone who has and would love to hear their thoughts on the matter :)
Regards
Jon
In short, Interactive Whiteboards are the equivalent to colour TVs. The shift from a black and white TV to a colour TV revolutionized the world and the same can be said of interactive whiteboards. I personally have never used or seen one be used firsthand, however all the feedback and comments I have heard from others is astounding. The video below details the array of uses attached to the interactive whiteboards.
Just by using an interactive whiteboard will enhance the receptiveness of students automatically. The fact that students can actively engage with this technology makes it even more of an advantage in the classroom. The interactive whiteboard takes learning to a new dimension and can be used across any KLA.
Hopefully one day, I will have a classroom equipped with an interactive whiteboard as they look like a heap of fun, not just for students but for the teachers as well.
I have heard that Parkhurst State School have done wonders with this technology and are the self-proclaimed gurus of the technology in this area. Some of the things that I have seen come out of this school with their Interactive whiteboards is unbelievable and is evidence that this technology should be made available to all students across the country.
Like I said I have never used this technology before, so would love to hear from anyone who has and would love to hear their thoughts on the matter :)
Regards
Jon
Views On Mahara
Hi all,
When I was first confronted with Mahara, I can honestly say that I was not looking forward to using it. It seemed to complex a system to use but like our trusty lecturer Scot Aldred said, if you devote at least week to getting to know the application then you would be fine and this is exactly how I am. For this particular course, Mahara is used as a portfolio tool for us as students and future teachers to display our wares. I think this is a great idea because as it is similar to a resume, you can store a lot more information on this e-portfolio rather than a printed resume the size of an encyclopaedia! And it saves you a lot on printing costs! From a perspective of using Mahara for student purposes, why not use it to exhibit students' progress over their schooling lives. This will reduce the risk of losing any important documents and everything you need to know about a particular student can be accessible all in the one place. This application could be used in conjunction with parents to keep an up-todate record of their child's progress. Another use could be for the submission of assignments where a teacher would once again be able to retrieve all the information they need from place and reduces the risk of losing assignments.
I definitely am looking forward to using Mahara for the final assessment piece to showcase my teaching abilities at this point of time in my studies and will be using this application for years to come.
Feel free to comment
Regards
Jon :)
When I was first confronted with Mahara, I can honestly say that I was not looking forward to using it. It seemed to complex a system to use but like our trusty lecturer Scot Aldred said, if you devote at least week to getting to know the application then you would be fine and this is exactly how I am. For this particular course, Mahara is used as a portfolio tool for us as students and future teachers to display our wares. I think this is a great idea because as it is similar to a resume, you can store a lot more information on this e-portfolio rather than a printed resume the size of an encyclopaedia! And it saves you a lot on printing costs! From a perspective of using Mahara for student purposes, why not use it to exhibit students' progress over their schooling lives. This will reduce the risk of losing any important documents and everything you need to know about a particular student can be accessible all in the one place. This application could be used in conjunction with parents to keep an up-todate record of their child's progress. Another use could be for the submission of assignments where a teacher would once again be able to retrieve all the information they need from place and reduces the risk of losing assignments.
I definitely am looking forward to using Mahara for the final assessment piece to showcase my teaching abilities at this point of time in my studies and will be using this application for years to come.
Feel free to comment
Regards
Jon :)
Wikis In the Classroom
Hi all,
It has taken me a while to post a blog about wikis, however I didn't start one until just recently because I didn't have the faintest idea of what to base my wiki on. On my prac, my class is currently doing a unit on insects and I thought this would be a great topic to start my wiki on! Personally I think wikis are a great asset to the classroom and are so versatile in their uses. When I thought about it, wikis could be used by students to exhibit/demonstrate their own learning and be used as part of an assessment piece. On the other hand, I think that wikis could be a really good way of teachers displaying their units and associated resources amongst their peers. Another way a wiki could be used, is of a sort of interactive learning journey, much like a webquest. Students could log on daily and complete designated activities within the wiki as directed by the teacher. This would make the lesson more student-centric rather than teacher-directed.
Another advantage of wikis is that they are compatible with so many other ICT programs such as slideshare, Flikr, Youtube, etc.
At the moment my personal wiki is in its early developmental stages, but I am thinking of approaching my mentor teacher and asking if I can introduce wikis to the students and also maybe post their descriptive paragraphs about a particular insects, which are past of the assessment for this unit and make them available for others to see. This idea would have te students more receptive to their assessment task as they will be using ICTs to complete the task rather than have to write it. This will add novelty to the assessment piece and hopefully produce higher standards of work from the students. On that point, I would like to comment on an observation I have made whilst on prac in that the students who are least receptive in the traditional classroom setting are more likely to thrive in learning activities based around ICTS. Some students in my class are very reluctant to pick up a pencil and write but when in the confines of a computer lab, it is amazing to see the change in their attitude and how well they perform in learning tasks.
Oh yeah, by the way here is the link to my wiki. Watch this space to see how it ends up in a couple of weeks time:
http://jondonald1984.wikispaces.com/
Please feel free to comment.
Regards
Jon :)
It has taken me a while to post a blog about wikis, however I didn't start one until just recently because I didn't have the faintest idea of what to base my wiki on. On my prac, my class is currently doing a unit on insects and I thought this would be a great topic to start my wiki on! Personally I think wikis are a great asset to the classroom and are so versatile in their uses. When I thought about it, wikis could be used by students to exhibit/demonstrate their own learning and be used as part of an assessment piece. On the other hand, I think that wikis could be a really good way of teachers displaying their units and associated resources amongst their peers. Another way a wiki could be used, is of a sort of interactive learning journey, much like a webquest. Students could log on daily and complete designated activities within the wiki as directed by the teacher. This would make the lesson more student-centric rather than teacher-directed.
Another advantage of wikis is that they are compatible with so many other ICT programs such as slideshare, Flikr, Youtube, etc.
At the moment my personal wiki is in its early developmental stages, but I am thinking of approaching my mentor teacher and asking if I can introduce wikis to the students and also maybe post their descriptive paragraphs about a particular insects, which are past of the assessment for this unit and make them available for others to see. This idea would have te students more receptive to their assessment task as they will be using ICTs to complete the task rather than have to write it. This will add novelty to the assessment piece and hopefully produce higher standards of work from the students. On that point, I would like to comment on an observation I have made whilst on prac in that the students who are least receptive in the traditional classroom setting are more likely to thrive in learning activities based around ICTS. Some students in my class are very reluctant to pick up a pencil and write but when in the confines of a computer lab, it is amazing to see the change in their attitude and how well they perform in learning tasks.
Oh yeah, by the way here is the link to my wiki. Watch this space to see how it ends up in a couple of weeks time:
http://jondonald1984.wikispaces.com/
Please feel free to comment.
Regards
Jon :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Using circuits when teaching about electricity
Hi all,
I am writing this post to view my thoughts on utilising circuits into a learning experience when teaching about electricity. From my own experiences on learning about electricity at school, I can vividly remember the teacher using the chalk and talk method to explain the concept of electricity. To be honest, this learning experience was very painful and did not give me any significant insight into what was electricity and how it worked. By using circuits to explain electricity, you are giving students a visual explanation on what electricity is and how it works. It also the students to have a hands-on approach throughout the learning experience making it a more student-centered environment. I have used this from of ICT in my own learning experiences teaching about electricity and have no doubt that is a better way to allow students to reach the learning outcomes set within this particular learning experience. I personally saw that students were receptive to the tasks involved in the learning experience and were able to absorb the content knowledge being presented. If this form of ICT was utilised back when I was first taught about electricity, I have no doubt that I would of had a better understanding of it. Feel free to post your comments on this issue.
Regards
Jon
I am writing this post to view my thoughts on utilising circuits into a learning experience when teaching about electricity. From my own experiences on learning about electricity at school, I can vividly remember the teacher using the chalk and talk method to explain the concept of electricity. To be honest, this learning experience was very painful and did not give me any significant insight into what was electricity and how it worked. By using circuits to explain electricity, you are giving students a visual explanation on what electricity is and how it works. It also the students to have a hands-on approach throughout the learning experience making it a more student-centered environment. I have used this from of ICT in my own learning experiences teaching about electricity and have no doubt that is a better way to allow students to reach the learning outcomes set within this particular learning experience. I personally saw that students were receptive to the tasks involved in the learning experience and were able to absorb the content knowledge being presented. If this form of ICT was utilised back when I was first taught about electricity, I have no doubt that I would of had a better understanding of it. Feel free to post your comments on this issue.
Regards
Jon
Issues with technology
Hi all,
I am writing this post to reflect on something which I experienced whilst on prac. I am currently implementing some ICT learning experiences with my Year 3 class. In these particular LEPS, students are required to use Microsoft Paint and develop their own pictures of a ladybird in different stages of flight. When planning this learning experience, I took into account that their were many steps involved in these particular learning experiences. I covered this problem by using a projector to visually map out the steps involved in the tasks. However, one thing I didn't take into account that inserting a memory stick into the computer ad being able to open and save documents were particular skills in themselves, which needed to be focussed upon individually before getting onto the use of the Paint program. I didn't realise this problem until it was time to come and save the students' work, which really affected the flow of the lesson. As all good teachers, do I learnt from my mistakes and decided to reassess the flow of my learning experience to include individual lessons on how to open and save a document on a computer using a memory stick. By doing this hopefully it will help make my lessons flow a bit more easily and allow students more time on completing their tasks required.
Another problem I uncovered until it was too late, was that Apple Mac computers are stupid and are not totally the same as normal PCs. Once again, as a good teacher does, I learnt from my mistakes and approached the ICT guru at my particular school for a quick tutorial on how to correctly use the Mac Computers. Without the teacher having adequate knowledge on how to use a Mac computer, it would be extremely difficult for students to be able to do the same.
I am now into my third learning experience of this particular journey and feel that significant progress has been made not only by the students, but also myself. The lessons are extremely fluent and the students work is very impressive at this early stage.
Before I sign off, I would also like to mention the changes in students' attitudes when engaging in learning experiences utilising ICTs. On a personal note, I have noticed that many students get over-excited when using ICTs, especially if they get to use them infrequently. To combat this it is important that teachers explicitly outline the rules and regulations involved with using particular equipment and are also very stringent in the upholding of these rules. This must be done prior to the beginning of the learning experiences to ensure that students are aware of what is required of them in regards to rules and their obligations to completing the learning activities. This will also help ensure the lesson is free from disruption and can run smoothly.
Feel free to post any comments about your own experiences implementing a learning experience which utilises ICTS.
Regards
Jon :)
I am writing this post to reflect on something which I experienced whilst on prac. I am currently implementing some ICT learning experiences with my Year 3 class. In these particular LEPS, students are required to use Microsoft Paint and develop their own pictures of a ladybird in different stages of flight. When planning this learning experience, I took into account that their were many steps involved in these particular learning experiences. I covered this problem by using a projector to visually map out the steps involved in the tasks. However, one thing I didn't take into account that inserting a memory stick into the computer ad being able to open and save documents were particular skills in themselves, which needed to be focussed upon individually before getting onto the use of the Paint program. I didn't realise this problem until it was time to come and save the students' work, which really affected the flow of the lesson. As all good teachers, do I learnt from my mistakes and decided to reassess the flow of my learning experience to include individual lessons on how to open and save a document on a computer using a memory stick. By doing this hopefully it will help make my lessons flow a bit more easily and allow students more time on completing their tasks required.
Another problem I uncovered until it was too late, was that Apple Mac computers are stupid and are not totally the same as normal PCs. Once again, as a good teacher does, I learnt from my mistakes and approached the ICT guru at my particular school for a quick tutorial on how to correctly use the Mac Computers. Without the teacher having adequate knowledge on how to use a Mac computer, it would be extremely difficult for students to be able to do the same.
I am now into my third learning experience of this particular journey and feel that significant progress has been made not only by the students, but also myself. The lessons are extremely fluent and the students work is very impressive at this early stage.
Before I sign off, I would also like to mention the changes in students' attitudes when engaging in learning experiences utilising ICTs. On a personal note, I have noticed that many students get over-excited when using ICTs, especially if they get to use them infrequently. To combat this it is important that teachers explicitly outline the rules and regulations involved with using particular equipment and are also very stringent in the upholding of these rules. This must be done prior to the beginning of the learning experiences to ensure that students are aware of what is required of them in regards to rules and their obligations to completing the learning activities. This will also help ensure the lesson is free from disruption and can run smoothly.
Feel free to post any comments about your own experiences implementing a learning experience which utilises ICTS.
Regards
Jon :)
Comments on Beyond School Blog
Hi all,
The one thing I noticed about this blog is that it has influenced people the world over. The blog itself covers a lot of topics but it was interesting to read about others thoughts on technology in the classroom and their strategies of how to use them in the classroom. This blog is evidence of blogs being used by teachers to post and discuss their thoughts amongst others in their associated field. This is an example of lifelong learning in the sense that teachers are uncovering new ideas for their classroom practices and learning something new themselves, just from reading this blog. Whilst blogs are a good way in helping students reach their learning goals, they can also help teachers in their own professional development. Having access to blogs allows teachers to meet others in their profession and discuss ideas without having to travel to seminars, meetings, etc.
I hope everyone gathered the same ideas as me from this blog and would be glad to hear any of your thoughts on this issue.
Regards
Jon :)
The one thing I noticed about this blog is that it has influenced people the world over. The blog itself covers a lot of topics but it was interesting to read about others thoughts on technology in the classroom and their strategies of how to use them in the classroom. This blog is evidence of blogs being used by teachers to post and discuss their thoughts amongst others in their associated field. This is an example of lifelong learning in the sense that teachers are uncovering new ideas for their classroom practices and learning something new themselves, just from reading this blog. Whilst blogs are a good way in helping students reach their learning goals, they can also help teachers in their own professional development. Having access to blogs allows teachers to meet others in their profession and discuss ideas without having to travel to seminars, meetings, etc.
I hope everyone gathered the same ideas as me from this blog and would be glad to hear any of your thoughts on this issue.
Regards
Jon :)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Powerpoint In the Classroom
Introto Insects
View more presentations from Jon Donald.
Hi all,
When talking about powerpoint in the classroom I think they are a a great idea. When thinking of ASD students the use of powerpoints to explain tasks will be extremely beneficial to them as they are more receptive to visual cues rather than verbal. Powerpoints can also be used as the "hook" of a lesson like the above powerpoint could be done when introducing a topic about insects. This particular powerpoint is aimed at Year 2/3 could also be used to test students' previous knowledge about the topic at the beginning of the unit or even used as a revision test later in the unit. It could even be used as an actual assessment task. Once again using a powerpoint as an exam is an advantage to ASD students and other visual learners as they will have a better understanding of what is required of them. Powerpoints are also useful in allowing students to use the software themselves to develop assessment tasks such as oral presentations and slideshows.
Another advantage of powerpoint is that it can be embedded into almost anything and pretty much anything can be embedded within it.
All the advantages associated with using powerpoint in the classroom make it so that they cannot be ignored as an effective form of teaching/learning strategy in the classroom and I feel that as they can be used across all KLA's, they are a must for the classroom.
Feel free to comment :)
Regards
Jon
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Piknik in the Classroom
I think that Piknik would be a great piece of technology to use in the classroom, particularly Senior Art Classes, as this type of software will help produce better pictures and students' will be able to express individuality through their own photos and how they use the program to edit them.
Not being much of a photographer myself, Piknik and other software such as Flikr have realy sparked a bit of an interest in this topic for me. Some of the photos put up on Flikr are just amazing and makes me want to be able to produce those sorts of photos myself. Piknik will then help in editing these photos to perfection.
Another advantage of Piknik is its connection/association with other software making it more user-friendly, which definitely makes it more appealing to use.
Feel free to make any comments as I would love to hear what you think about these types of software and any other uses you can think of for them in the classroom.
Regards
Jon:)
Not being much of a photographer myself, Piknik and other software such as Flikr have realy sparked a bit of an interest in this topic for me. Some of the photos put up on Flikr are just amazing and makes me want to be able to produce those sorts of photos myself. Piknik will then help in editing these photos to perfection.
Another advantage of Piknik is its connection/association with other software making it more user-friendly, which definitely makes it more appealing to use.
Feel free to make any comments as I would love to hear what you think about these types of software and any other uses you can think of for them in the classroom.
Regards
Jon:)
Flikr In the Classroom
Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been putting all my efforts into my prac. I am currently working with a Year 3 class and their focus topic of their Unit this term is Insects. I have found the use of ICTS within this topic is endless. Particularly Flikr where there are thousands of photos of insects in their database. This technology could also be used by students to create a photo journal of all the insects they have come across and leave a description about the particular insect. The topic I am covering at the moment is butterflies and dragonflies and I have found Flikr particularly useful in finding photos to show the students the diverse range of each species.
Another advantage of Flikr is that is user-friendly in the sense that you know that only legitimate images will be found within the website and will be safe for students to browse. Flikr's ability to work with other programs and technologies such as Piknik, Powerpoint and blogs makes it even more appealing to use.
Before using Flikr, I would just use Google Images to find pictures for presentations, learning experiences, etc, but now I use Flikr as I find it to be far more convenient.
The attached photo is of a dragonfly, which is one insect the students have become really interested in.
Please feel free to make any comments and stay tuned for more postings relating to other forms of technology used in the classroom.
Regards
Jon :)
Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I have been putting all my efforts into my prac. I am currently working with a Year 3 class and their focus topic of their Unit this term is Insects. I have found the use of ICTS within this topic is endless. Particularly Flikr where there are thousands of photos of insects in their database. This technology could also be used by students to create a photo journal of all the insects they have come across and leave a description about the particular insect. The topic I am covering at the moment is butterflies and dragonflies and I have found Flikr particularly useful in finding photos to show the students the diverse range of each species.
Another advantage of Flikr is that is user-friendly in the sense that you know that only legitimate images will be found within the website and will be safe for students to browse. Flikr's ability to work with other programs and technologies such as Piknik, Powerpoint and blogs makes it even more appealing to use.
Before using Flikr, I would just use Google Images to find pictures for presentations, learning experiences, etc, but now I use Flikr as I find it to be far more convenient.
The attached photo is of a dragonfly, which is one insect the students have become really interested in.
Please feel free to make any comments and stay tuned for more postings relating to other forms of technology used in the classroom.
Regards
Jon :)
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