Rene’s thoughts…

 ”Screen Technology” By Rutty (Flickr)

 This article that is being discussed below is the second article for week five. This article is called The Growth of Enterprise Pedagogy: How ICT Policy is Infected by Neo-liberalism. It is an article that I don’t fully agree with. I feel that it was a hard article to read and that it had a negative bias associated with the article. In the article’s conclusion the author states that the growth of ICT in schools is problematic. Im not sure that I agree with this statement. I believe that technology has had a significant impact in classrooms and if anything is enhancing learning. The article also states how technology in todays society has made us lazy. Well I don’t know if that is completely right either because hasn’t technology made our lives easier. There is a current television add that shows what would have happened if technology didn’t evolve. How would we talk on the phone outside? How could we organise our work on the go? Using type writers or laptops? Which is easier? I believe that technology has not made society lazy, it has enhanced our way of life and allowed for advances. I feel that in this article the author was making rather large generalisations, but it was an excellent article to read in regards to comparing and contrasting the two pieces.   

http://static-p3.fotolia.com/jpg/00/00/78/60/400_F_786071_FxhMIEgyHE1Bd4EfzIj2B8Ij2pURNK.jpg (Google in Creative Commons)

Brave New World Wide Web Here is my sound file! The author is David Truss with music by Moby & Great Big Sea (SpinXpress in Creative Commons)

This weeks articles focused on technology in the classrooms and how teachers belief’s really influence the use of technology in the classroom. The first article: Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs: The final frontier in our quest for technology integration really zones in on the fact that what teachers believe about technology and they way it can be used really has an impact on students. The way teachers integrate technology in the classroom depends on the level of knowledge they have and the level of computer skills to teach. If a teacher does not feel confident in the classroom with technology it will reflect in their teaching. The students will also be a very valuable tool in the classroom as a resource for using technology that may be unfamiliar to the teacher but not so much to the students. The article also relates to changing teachers ideals and how it can effect the use of technology in the classroom. In my opinion, I don’t believe that teachers ideals about the way they teach need to change, rather they should be given all the tools and equipment to be able to expand their pedagogy and make the most out of the resources that are available to them. I also believe that teachers need to understand they their job is ever changing. Generations of children will evolve and so will their learning style; the sooner teachers understand and except this fact the easier their job will become.

First Question: Which learning style does this ICT support? Using music or sound files in the classroom supports many different learning styles. It really allows for the auditory learners to have their turn in getting an advance on their learning, because they are able to use their listening skills to learn new information.

Second Question: How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Using music in the classroom is a great cognitive tool with regards to the learning environments because it allows for many different learning engagements to occur as well as meaningul and deeper learning. It is a readily available resource that teachers can use all the time, yet it is widely under used.

Third Question: How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? Using sound files in the classroom really gets the student to focus on what they are hearing and may be even visualise the instruments in their mind. It allows students to switch off their other senses and soley use a very important sense of hearing. It allows for creativity because not only does it reinforce key teaching points, but music is a great way of stimulating memories and previous experiences.

http://mail.pittsfield.net/bwli/academy/01919B56-000F6E5A.0/webquest_intro?src=.PNG 

(Google in Creative Commons)

This week there were two articles to be read, both articles focused on webquests. I understand a webquest to be an interactive web based task, where the teacher has given the students a direction to follow and the students follow the direction, but are given freedom to explore and learn. There is a main question that needs to be answered and the students will complete a range of activities to find out the answer. It is an excellent way to have students using technology in their learning. The students don’t realise that the fun web based activity could actully be an assessment task. Each webquest is can range in time, one being a short term webquest which last 2 to 3 lessons, the other being a long term webquest which is can take 3 weeks to a month to complete.

In the first article – Some thoughts about Webquest the article details about what exactly what is a webquest, the lengths of webquest and what is involved in webquests. The article is a great source to be referred to when completing a webquest, because it gives a great skeleton or outline with regards to putting one together.

In the second article – The answer is the question the article is an unusual article where the reader reads the page and is able to click to the next page using an arrow. There is also many links to other websites and articles with more information. I found being the reader, that I found it very difficult to make sense of the article, I became very confused and disinterested in reading the article. The article focused on webquests as well, with information about what makes a good webquest, links to examples of webquests and questions that need to be asked.

First Question – Which learning style does this ICT support? Pictures or graphics are a very valuable tool in using technology. This particular form of ICT supports student who are visual learners. The graphics can display many different ideas and allow for visual learners to grasp the concepts.

Second Question – How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Using online graphics is a great way for students to gain meaning or information in a different light. It is completely different to look at an image on the interent than it is in a book. Using online graphics allows students to explore other pictures or articles in the same category. It is a another way of presenting information.

Third Question – How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? Using pictures from the interent is a great way of allowing students to explore different topics and find new information in a different form. A picture can tell 1000 words is the perfect saying for exactly what a picture can do. It does not restrict, but it allows freedom to express!

 Leopard Fever by Crouching Donkey’s (Flickr)

The Jonassen article titled “What is meaninful learning?” focuses on different ways of conveying information to students to make it meaningful. To start Jonassen makes a valid point about how assessments in schools take form through ‘tests’. Students have been conditioned to expect tests when it comes time to show their knowledge, in the Jonassen article, it states how as educators we must shift from this train of thought and make learning and assessments are more valuable and meaninful experience. The article describes the different characteristics to meaninful learning: Active (Manipulative/Observant), Constructive (Articulative/Reflective), Cooperative (Collaborative/Conversational), Authentic (Complex/Contexualized) and Intentional (Goal Directed/Regulatory). These five characteristics all reflect heavily upon the constructivitst philosophy. We as educators must change the way we teach to incorporate all five different meaninful learning strategies as to ensure that our students will be gaining the most information possible.

Technology is very important in enabling students to participate in meaningful learning. Technology should not just be a delivery method, rather a means of engaging the students in active learning. Using technology to discover new ideas, to create or design a persons theory or ideologies and enabling freedom of expression. Technology allows teachers to engage with their students and to foster meaningful learning. Technology along with the constructivist theory will enhance students participation and allow for deeper connections to be made. For students to retain information and be fully invested in the understanding, what and how they are learning must have a connection to their real life - there must be links so that they can see the relationships and make meaninful learning.

“Preparing students for elearning” This online article focuses on the reasons why there are high drop-out rates with regards to online courses and seeks to find ways to rectify them. Preparation is key when working with online courses. Making sure all the content and knowledge to be taught is easily accessed and easy to research means students will be more willing to put in the effort because they have resources available to them. Giving students the skills for ‘life long learning’ is essential in online courses, because there is no face to face contact but rather relationships built online. Students must be equip with the skills to problem solve their way through difficult tasks, but also be ready for everyday demands they will meet later in life.

Making sure the students and teachers are both prepared and having the technology to back the work up is essential in elearning. Preparing for online classes is no different to face to face teaching, the knowledge and content must be prepared ahead of time and the teacher must be reachable via email or online blogging or discussion boards if the students have any questions.

Here is a video, that depicts just how technology has emerged in classrooms today, it is so important to realise that technology is a very valuable tool and is great resource to use by educators! This video is called “21st Century Model Classroom” by RSU21 (Blip.tv)

First Question: Which learning style does this ICT support? The video is a great form of ICT because it caters for many different learning styles. This ICT caters for visual and auditory learners, because they are able to learn many important facts by watching and listening to the video.

Second Question: How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Using videos in the classroom is a great way to communicate many important lessons that would otherwise be learnt using a literature. It doesn’t mean that literature is not important but tapping into technologies that are familiar to students is a very valuable tool. Many students watch tv for pleasure, so why not make a lesson seem like pleasure to the students, when infact they are actually learning a valuable lesson.

Third Question: How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity?  Using videos in the classroom is a great technology that can used as a modelling technique. Instead of having students do traditional assessments like tests, why not have them record something on a video camera and present them to the class, it not only allows for a unique presentation, but adds another element of fun to what would normally seem a very mundane and routine task.

 Computer Game by Prettywar-stl (Flickr)

The article for this weeks blog focused on teachers using the social constructivist theory. The article focused on 8 classroom where teachers taught in a constructivist manner. In the article the teachers were able to communicate their methodology and constructivist teaching philosophy. When I first read the article I initially thought the teachers had a clear and sound understanding of the constructivist approach. I thought the article would lead on to say that while they had a good understanding they did not convey it in the classroom. I did not find this at all.

All the teachers worked together and communicated with each other on how they would teach certain lessons and they created the ‘explorers’. This was a useful strategy because it continued on through the years. The social-constructivist theory is very important in the classroom. I believe the teachers actually put the theory into practise when they were working on their lessons. They used the social networking as a tool.

The article was a very positive article, that gives clear and meaningful examples of the way the constructivist theory works in the classroom with the students. I hope that I will be a teacher that can use the social-constructivist theory to its full potential.

The Learning Federation is site for teachers and educators to log onto and access many different learning tools to teach. These learning tools on this website are items such as videos, pictures and articles. But what is really great about this website is their ‘Learning Objects’. Learning objects are basically online games relating to specific topics that a teacher is working on. Using online games through this website supports constructivist teaching because it becomes interactive learning for the students. By using learning objects and online games students are exploring and expanding their knowledge on different topics without realising what they are gaining. THEY ARE HAVING FUN! I strongly believe that if one is to use the constructivist teaching methods students should be switched on, engaged, interacting and having fun with what they are learning!

Here is a hyperlink to a learning engagement i picked out. It is a game called Swamp Survival: Hundreths counting. It uses many different problem solving strategies to work through the game!

Check out my Learning Federation Game!

First question: Which learning style does this ICT support? Using online games or learning objects in ICT allows for many different learning styles. Using Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, I believe this form of ICT supports six out of the eight learning styles stated by Gardner. These learning styles are: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical and Interpersonal intelligences. I believe that by using the online Learning objects teachers are able to cater for many different students and their learning needs.

Second question: How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Using the Learning Federation website and online games such as Swamp Survival; student will be actively involved in their learning. They will be constructing meaning and gain a deeper understanding into the concepts the teacher is trying to convey. By using technology students are more confident in their abilities and it supports the Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development. The teachers give the students as much knowledge and abilities to use to gain a deeper understanding from their learning engagements.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? Online games do foster creativity in students because it allows then plenty of opportunities to see wonderful examples of different learning engagements. Once students have been given a clear model of an online game or learning object, the students who are more advanced and want a challenge can be given the option to create their own online games. They can use websites such as Hot Potato. By allowing students this option, students creativity is starting to flow and become highly developed.

 ”Craning for a book” by Your Guide (Flickr)

Here is my Inspiration Concept Map. It is a an overview of both the Prensky article detailing about Digital Natives and Digitam Immigrants and the Bennett et al article which is a critical overview of Prensky’s ideas.

After reading both articles, I am tending to side with Sue Bennett and her other collegues, who point out many many floors in the Prensky’s article and his theory itself. Bennett et al make very obvious statements about Prensky’s research showing how many holes in his work do exist. There is a significant lack of emperical evidence to back up his bold statements.

Prensky puts a major emphasis on using technology in the classroom as a way of teaching, I do not discourage the use of technology in the classroom, but I believe that technology should be used as an additional teaching method, not become the only teaching strategy like Prensky states. This is where Bennett et al make it clear how general Prensky writes in his article.

There is a very significant over generalisation and criticism of teachers in Prensky’s article. He states that if teachers do not use or do not want to use technology in the classroom they are labelled ‘Lazy’ and ‘Dumb’. I would hate to think that that is what i will be called if i don’t use technology 24/7.

There are many more examples that Bennett et al make clear from the Prensky article that are questionable. But I don’t need to state them, it is wise to read both of them for yourself and make up your own mind. It would be interesting to find out what you think.

There are 3 questions we have to answer in this course everyweek for the blog.

The first question is: Which learning styles does this ICT support? Using the program Inspiration and allowing students to create their own concept maps allows for many different learning styles. It supports visual and kinesthetic learners, where students can play around and use their imagination to create a learning document. The visual learners are able to gain the information they need to learn from the inspiration mindmap they have just created or the teacher has shown them. The program is a wonderful program that is easy to use and very interactive.

The second question is: How could this ICT be implementd as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? I believe the use of technology in the classroom is a great idea. However i do not believe it is the only way to teach. It is up to the teacher making the decisions about how and when to use the technology, but i believe you could definately using for some learning engagements to make the lessons more interesting and also by using technology that the students are familiar with. Using inspiration in the classroom is a wonderful teaching tool, that allows teachers to convey information in a new light. It becomes captivating to the students and engages their senses. The students are now using technology that is familiar to them ie: computers and programs. By using this technology students are gaining deeper meaning.

The third question is: How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? The use of technology in the classroom enables students to become creative with the amount of programs out there in the world. The use of the program inspiration is a wonderful program that allows students to create their own maps and plans with their own ideas, but is also very educational at the same time. Paint on windows is another fun program where students can create pictures and be inspired to go above and beyond.

It has been 13 weeks of ICT, and i must say that i really enjoyed the workshop. I have learnt many new things that i hope to use when i am teaching. I re-did my personal competency test to see how much i have improved. Check it out, you might be surprised. Personal Competency Test. I have scored mainly in the 4’s which is surprising because i only really scored 1’s & 2’s in the first quiz. Mark has taught me many things which have been valuable. I feel that my strengths now are inspiration, powerpoint, photostory etc. My weaknesses that i have to work on is definately excel. It is a simple program to use but i have trouble remembering all the formulas. I will definately have to do another course in that before i go on and teach in schools. Over all i really enjoyed this workshop. We actually did items in this workshop that are relevant to schools and teaching. It was definately not a waste of time like others workshops i had to attend.

Trek 2007… Here is my Photo story. It is title Trek 2007, it is the shortened name for my tour i ventured on last year whilst i was in America. I hope you enjoy it and get a glimpse of what i saw.

This week in ICT i worked on my photostory. I did not get it finished, so i saved the wrong copy and took it home! I went to open up the program on my computer but my computer failed so i had to go and work another house to finish it. There  is an additional name on my photostory presentation, this is the person that helped me with opening the program; he also gave me some advice on the presentation and how to  make it better. It is finished now and im really happy with it. Some of the music may not match but i dont mind i still think it looks good.

This is my powerpoint presentation, it represents my inspiration mind map that i completed for portfolio item 6. Powerpoint was quite easy to use, i have been using this program for a while now. I have used the program during high school and for one of my presentations in university. It is simple and fun to use. I enjoyed making this presentation.