23 December 2015
Read Bigum, C. (2012) Schools and Computers: Tales of a Digital Romance. Transformative Approaches to New Technologies and Student Diversity in Futures Oriented Classrooms. L. Rowan and C. Bigum, Springer Nethlands: 15-28
Post to your blog thoughts about the issues raised in this article and how they might impact on your first assignment and its aims.
In this chaper Bigum (2012) questions whether or not the widespread implementation of ICT into schools since the 1980's has actually 'improved' teaching and learning. While he acknowledges that ICT has brought significant changes, these are not necessarily for the better. He discusses the fact that new technologies are "domesticated" to fit into the school environment or "integrated into existing routines" which often fails to be consistent with how these technologies are used in the world beyond the classroom (p. 22). He also talks about the acquisition of new technology as a prestige symbol for certain wealthy schools, rather like a gymnasium or equestrian arena (p. 19).
The need and cost to frequently replace and upgrade most technology has meant that most schools are left behind or "technologically poor" when compared to non-school environments, Bigum points to research by Finger & Lee (2010) who surveyed the homes of 30 children in one particular class. The total home expenditure on ICT was $438,200, compared to the expenditure for the classroom of $24,680. He says that for most students moving from the technology at home to school would be like "stepping back in time" (p. 21).
This is certainly the case in my workplace where we are still using Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010 and a very old version of Internet Explorer. In the last few months useage of computers in classrooms and offices has been monitored and it was decided to decommission 30 per cent of desktop computers across the Institute (from classrooms and offices) as the cost of maintaing them has become unmanageable. Like schools, TAFE is moving to a BYOD environment with wireless connectivity in most classrooms and shared spaces now.
Bigum also says that technologies which are popular with students usually end up being banned in schools, for example mobile phones, however the BYOD policy is now advocating for students to bring their mobile phones or other mobile devices such as IPads or androids etc., into the classroom to connect to the wireless network, I think this is a way of passing the cost onto the students (or their parents). This certainly raises significant equity issues as some children (or adults in my case) will have superior devices which would give them an advantage in the learning environment. Should schools and higher learning institutions cater for students who cannot afford a suitable device? Who decides the minimum standard of the device or "poverty level" of the student who has a device provided for them?
Reading this article hasn't really impacted on the aims of my first assignment, it highlighted some concerns I already have about the BYOD policy and presents challenges for teachers who will need to manage the use in the classroom and have strategies to address the issues outlined by Roblyer & Doering (2014) on p. 30.
Tuesday 22 December 2015
Monday 21 December 2015
22nd December 2015
Learning theory and classroom technologies
Post to your blog your thoughts about the learning theories that may underpin the software you have been considering for your first assignment. Of course, some software can be used in many different ways, and some is quite specifically one type of learning theory.
Up until now there have been 2 dominant learning theories - directed instruction or 'positivist' (sometimes referred to as 'behaviourist'), developed in the industrial age which is the traditional teacher-centred "chalk and talk" method where teachers impart knowledge to the students who learn it. In the 20th century the 'constructivist' perspective emerged - this is inquiry-based where learners generate their own knowledge based on experience - the teacher's role is more of a 'facilitator'. Roblyer & Doering (2014) say that both approaches can be incorporated when integrating technology in the classroom (p. 62).
Starkey (2012) discusses a third emerging learning theory - 'connectivism' developed by George Siemens (2004). This learning theory considers how people, organisations and technolology can collaboratively construct knowledge (p. 26). With the arrival of the internet, the abundance of information and ideas at one's fingertips is phenomenal compared to access to information in the past when it was the domain of teachers or 'experts' and books. In addition to this social networking and interactive web enable anyone to not only find information but to interact with others, present their own ideas, collaborate and make connections globally. Starkey says that therefore knowledge is becoming "decentralised" and is constantly being "created, shared and reviewed" (p. 24). Starkey also points out that learning is becoming less "linear" and increasingly three dimensional with "hyperlinks or navigation within and across key ideas or concepts" (p. 27).
I've chosen the following software for my first assignment:
1. Microsoft Word - the students will write their report in this application. Like the teacher "Mia" described by Roblyer & Doering (2014, pp 73-77) I will need to do some directed instruction to teach the students how to use certain features necessary when writing their report such as tables.
2. Prezi - students to present their findings to the class when doing the oral presentation. Again I will need to do some direct instruction initially to show the students how to use it, then they will work in small groups to collaborate and practice using this software - e.g. import pictures and you tube clips, my role will them become a facilitator. The students will be able to share their prezi with other class members so they can comment on each other's work. All 3 learning theories at work here I think.
3. Survey Monkey to create survey questions. Similar to the previous methods, some initial directed instruction but mostly collaborative learning with students working together to create surveys to then collect information to write report.
Learning theory and classroom technologies
Post to your blog your thoughts about the learning theories that may underpin the software you have been considering for your first assignment. Of course, some software can be used in many different ways, and some is quite specifically one type of learning theory.
Up until now there have been 2 dominant learning theories - directed instruction or 'positivist' (sometimes referred to as 'behaviourist'), developed in the industrial age which is the traditional teacher-centred "chalk and talk" method where teachers impart knowledge to the students who learn it. In the 20th century the 'constructivist' perspective emerged - this is inquiry-based where learners generate their own knowledge based on experience - the teacher's role is more of a 'facilitator'. Roblyer & Doering (2014) say that both approaches can be incorporated when integrating technology in the classroom (p. 62).
Starkey (2012) discusses a third emerging learning theory - 'connectivism' developed by George Siemens (2004). This learning theory considers how people, organisations and technolology can collaboratively construct knowledge (p. 26). With the arrival of the internet, the abundance of information and ideas at one's fingertips is phenomenal compared to access to information in the past when it was the domain of teachers or 'experts' and books. In addition to this social networking and interactive web enable anyone to not only find information but to interact with others, present their own ideas, collaborate and make connections globally. Starkey says that therefore knowledge is becoming "decentralised" and is constantly being "created, shared and reviewed" (p. 24). Starkey also points out that learning is becoming less "linear" and increasingly three dimensional with "hyperlinks or navigation within and across key ideas or concepts" (p. 27).
I've chosen the following software for my first assignment:
1. Microsoft Word - the students will write their report in this application. Like the teacher "Mia" described by Roblyer & Doering (2014, pp 73-77) I will need to do some directed instruction to teach the students how to use certain features necessary when writing their report such as tables.
2. Prezi - students to present their findings to the class when doing the oral presentation. Again I will need to do some direct instruction initially to show the students how to use it, then they will work in small groups to collaborate and practice using this software - e.g. import pictures and you tube clips, my role will them become a facilitator. The students will be able to share their prezi with other class members so they can comment on each other's work. All 3 learning theories at work here I think.
3. Survey Monkey to create survey questions. Similar to the previous methods, some initial directed instruction but mostly collaborative learning with students working together to create surveys to then collect information to write report.
Saturday 19 December 2015
20th December 2015
Thoughts on issues raised by Cox (2012) and Voogt, Knezek, Cox, Knezek, Brummelhuis (2011) in relation to issues that need researching in the area of educational technologies as well as what they consider needs to be done in the future.
My thoughts - just because young people have widespread access to technology, particularly mobile technology in the form of mobile phones which are constantly connected to the internet, does not mean that they are digitally literate or they can "gather information from any format and make sense of that information, use it and communicate it to others (Stripling, 2010, quoted by Roblyer & Doering, 2014). Cox refers to the 'cognitive divide' resulting from the level of literacy which the learner has in the IT medium and how this affects the affordances that the technologies will provide. (p. 15).
Cox also discusses the balance between access to IT in formal and informal settings. Young people today are using ICT far more frequently in an informal setting, but are they learning effectively in the informal setting? Cox asks, is the information they are receiving appropriate or reliable? Can the learner discriminate between reliable and misleading resources? Can the learner scaffold the learning to build a body of knowledge and profound understanding? Learners' ability to do these things will vary greatly.
Widespread access to technology also doesn't mean that there is digital equity. Voogt et. al. (2011) discuss findings by Resta & Laferriere (2008) who proposed 5 dimensions to consider when realising digital equity:
1. access to hardware, software, and connectivity to the Internet
2. access to meaningful, high quality, culturally relevant content in local languages
3. access to creating, sharing and exchanging digital content
4. access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources
5. access to high quality research on the application of digital technologies to enhance learning.
Voogt et. al. ask the central question: "Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning?" and then go on to propose 8 actions to facilitate the teaching and learning processes (summarised below) the say that together these actions should form the agendy of policy, research and practice.
Summary of Cox (2012) Formal to informal learning with IT: research challenges and issues for e-learning
Cox (2012) notes that although young people have access to a wide range of IT technologies during their leisure activites, little is known about this impact on their learning. Researching e-learning is difficult due to ever-changing technology itself and increasing access to IT resources in informal settings shifting the balance btween formal and informal uses of e-learning. The rebalancing reflects in a wider diversification of IT uses by learners and also a greater variability in their IT literacies and unknown variables such as the level of control of the learning activities. The paper reviews:
1. how balance between formal and informal uses of e-learning and consequent interface between 2 has changed.
2. how research methods & foci have evolved in order to address changes
3. issues and challenges for educational research into formal & informal uses of e-learning in the future.
Over last 50 years balance between teachers and learners roles and engagement with IT have changes. Introduction of mobile technology such as laptops in 190s enabled students to learn outside the formal classroom and work independently from the teacher. Technological development from 1990s to present day shows a second wvge resulting in a blurring of the boundaries between formal and informal settings and has changed balance between the control of e-learning from the teacher to the teacher with the learner, from the teacher to the learner, and from formal to informal uses.
Unlike many other areas of educational research, IT technologies are forever evolving - the medium is relentlessly changing the message.
IT is not the only independent variable, e.g. to find out if using computers improves writing skills an analysis of students'writing via a coputer is necessary but not sufficient, must also know structure of writing curriculum, how its implemented, facility with which the IT tool can be used, additional practice students may be having outside the classroom, attidudes and skills that students bring to the tasks and their understandings and intentions as they engage in writing. (p. 11)
Researching the impact of teachers' CPD on their e-learning practices, need to take account of the important influence that CPD has on teachers' beliefs and their consequent uses of IT. (Desforges 1995; Rhodes 1999). PD in IT has taken many different forms over last 20 years - e.g. out of school courses, in-school courses, informal peer teaching and online courses - teachers developed their own personal philosophies alongside changes in their pedagogical practices (cf. Black et al. 2003).
Develoments in IT provide very different learning opportunities and a need to design a new "integrated pedagogy" (Cornu 1994). Conclusion that use of IT is changing the pedagogical roles of teachers. (p. 12).
In formal education, beforestudents had unfettered access to the internet, information and information providers of the learning experiences had some quality control, curriculum was monitored and controlled, teachers had content knowledge and were trained how to teach. None of this happens or is controlled in informal learning. Some issues:
Range of recent research into learners access to e-learning in formal and informal settings ha shown an increasing divide between levels of access, types of IT resources and also abilities of the users to benefit from such access (Cooper 2006: Tolley 2008). Increased mobility of the technology; involving small but very portable debvices to the connected online learning enable students to study anytime, anywhere (Facer & Sandford 2010a0. Informal access to IT canlink learning across settings, support collaboration, assessment and presentation and can open up new opportunities to learners wtih disabilities or special needs. However greater IT literacy skills, as interpreted as being able to use some applications confidently do not always lead to the most beneficial outcomes.
'Present stage' in education where main concept is still based on traditional face-to-face teaching with e-learning an enhancement or optional extra to 'Future stage' in which the main concept is e-learning only a minor part of which might be face-to-face.
There is now a "paradigm shift" in education with access to IT in the home and on the move but not necessarily only limited by a 'digital divide' but also a 'cognitive divide' resulting from the level of literacy which the learner has in the IT medium and how this affects the affordances that the technollogies will provide. (p. 15). Where this shift is occurring, e-learning networds of researchers are also more efftively sharing knowledge, research results, and practices, and overcoming cultural and national boundaries (Sakamoto 2002). There is a long way to go before the majority of education systems have adopted this paradigm shift , such fundamental changes will be slow in reaching formal education settings, however networked communications is rapidly increasing, e.g. widespread use of Linkedin among professionals.
Researchers can rarely control the range and extent of e-learning use of individual learners because of their increasing access to IT beyond the classroom in any educational setting.
Summary of Voogt, Knezek, Cox, Knezek, Brummelhuis (2011) Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning? A Call to Action
Leading question of International EDUsummIT in The Hague, Netherlands in 2009. 70 international policy-makers, researchers and practitioners deverloped a Call to Action (following the publication of the Handbook on ICT in Primary and Secondary Education by Voogt & Knezek 2008) which summarizes the main action points where policy, research and leadership need to join forces to successfully implement ICT in educational practice. Include view of role of ICT in 21st century learning; potential of multiple technologies to address individual needs of students, better understanding of the relationship between formal and informal learning; implications of technology for student assessment; need for models for leadership and teach learning to successfully implement technology; the potential of ICT for digital equity; development os a list of essential conditions to ensure benefit from ICT investments.
Central question: Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning?
Teaching and learning processes -8 actions
1. ICT and 21st century learning - establish a clear view on the role of ICT
2. restructuring schools to use technology in addressing individual needs of students - radically restructure schools to be able to use multiple technology-enhanced pedagogoies to address individual needs of students
3. the need for new assessment structures to measure outcomes of technology-rich experiences - develoment of new assessments to measure outcomes from technology enriched learning experiences
4. relationship between formal and informal learning experiences and implications for formal learning. - to better understand student technology experiences in informal learning environments in order to inform work in formal settings.
5. To develop and use models for teacher learning on technology use in schools and classrooms at the pre and in -service levels
6. To develop and use distributed leadership models for technology use in schools and teacher education programs. Successful ICT leadership should not be assigned to an individual but needs to be distributed so it is the property of a group (Bennett 2008) p. 5.
7. To develop ideaas on international opportunities relating to new and emerging technologies in order to addess the needs of developing countries and promote global social awareness and responsibilities. UNESCO and the EU. Policy can facilitate or hamper the implementation of ICT and can provide dierctions for ICT integration. Emergence of low-cost mobile computing devices contribues to access to technology on a global scale, e.g widespread use of cell phones (p. 6). (Brown 2008).
Access to technology is not the only aspect of digital equity. Resta & Laferriere (2008) proposed 5 dimensions relevant for realising digital equity:
a. access to hardware, software, and connectivity to the Internet
b. access to meaningful, high quality, culturally relevant content in local languages
c. access to creating, sharing and exchanging digital content
d. access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources
e. access to high quality research on the application of digital technologies to enhance learning.
To ensure digital equity these 5 dimensions should be considered in any general policy on ICT in education (p. 6).
8. To develop and disseminate a list of essential conditions which need to be in place to ensure benefit from technology investments. Policy makers from around the world should learn from mistkes made in ICT investments in the past.
Thoughts on issues raised by Cox (2012) and Voogt, Knezek, Cox, Knezek, Brummelhuis (2011) in relation to issues that need researching in the area of educational technologies as well as what they consider needs to be done in the future.
My thoughts - just because young people have widespread access to technology, particularly mobile technology in the form of mobile phones which are constantly connected to the internet, does not mean that they are digitally literate or they can "gather information from any format and make sense of that information, use it and communicate it to others (Stripling, 2010, quoted by Roblyer & Doering, 2014). Cox refers to the 'cognitive divide' resulting from the level of literacy which the learner has in the IT medium and how this affects the affordances that the technologies will provide. (p. 15).
Cox also discusses the balance between access to IT in formal and informal settings. Young people today are using ICT far more frequently in an informal setting, but are they learning effectively in the informal setting? Cox asks, is the information they are receiving appropriate or reliable? Can the learner discriminate between reliable and misleading resources? Can the learner scaffold the learning to build a body of knowledge and profound understanding? Learners' ability to do these things will vary greatly.
Widespread access to technology also doesn't mean that there is digital equity. Voogt et. al. (2011) discuss findings by Resta & Laferriere (2008) who proposed 5 dimensions to consider when realising digital equity:
1. access to hardware, software, and connectivity to the Internet
2. access to meaningful, high quality, culturally relevant content in local languages
3. access to creating, sharing and exchanging digital content
4. access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources
5. access to high quality research on the application of digital technologies to enhance learning.
Voogt et. al. ask the central question: "Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning?" and then go on to propose 8 actions to facilitate the teaching and learning processes (summarised below) the say that together these actions should form the agendy of policy, research and practice.
Summary of Cox (2012) Formal to informal learning with IT: research challenges and issues for e-learning
Cox (2012) notes that although young people have access to a wide range of IT technologies during their leisure activites, little is known about this impact on their learning. Researching e-learning is difficult due to ever-changing technology itself and increasing access to IT resources in informal settings shifting the balance btween formal and informal uses of e-learning. The rebalancing reflects in a wider diversification of IT uses by learners and also a greater variability in their IT literacies and unknown variables such as the level of control of the learning activities. The paper reviews:
1. how balance between formal and informal uses of e-learning and consequent interface between 2 has changed.
2. how research methods & foci have evolved in order to address changes
3. issues and challenges for educational research into formal & informal uses of e-learning in the future.
Over last 50 years balance between teachers and learners roles and engagement with IT have changes. Introduction of mobile technology such as laptops in 190s enabled students to learn outside the formal classroom and work independently from the teacher. Technological development from 1990s to present day shows a second wvge resulting in a blurring of the boundaries between formal and informal settings and has changed balance between the control of e-learning from the teacher to the teacher with the learner, from the teacher to the learner, and from formal to informal uses.
- storage power and speet increased by over 1000-fold & miniaturisation (light weight but still powerful)
- Wireless technologies & universal access to internet anytime, anywhere provided seamless networks
- IT devices became mobile and personalised - learners have ownership of their e-learning resource and can study in setting of own choice
- Web2 technologies provided opportunities for learners to network socially, publish their own creations & share learning experiences with experts and fellow learners
- uptake of thin client technologies relieved teachers of the burden of supporting locak class and local school networks and need to maintain eduicational resources on individual machines.
- Ubiquitous nature of IT in society and diverse features and media forms is changing ways knowledge is presented and how information is sought and gathered, therby changing the ways in which people think and learn. (p. 5)
Unlike many other areas of educational research, IT technologies are forever evolving - the medium is relentlessly changing the message.
IT is not the only independent variable, e.g. to find out if using computers improves writing skills an analysis of students'writing via a coputer is necessary but not sufficient, must also know structure of writing curriculum, how its implemented, facility with which the IT tool can be used, additional practice students may be having outside the classroom, attidudes and skills that students bring to the tasks and their understandings and intentions as they engage in writing. (p. 11)
Researching the impact of teachers' CPD on their e-learning practices, need to take account of the important influence that CPD has on teachers' beliefs and their consequent uses of IT. (Desforges 1995; Rhodes 1999). PD in IT has taken many different forms over last 20 years - e.g. out of school courses, in-school courses, informal peer teaching and online courses - teachers developed their own personal philosophies alongside changes in their pedagogical practices (cf. Black et al. 2003).
Develoments in IT provide very different learning opportunities and a need to design a new "integrated pedagogy" (Cornu 1994). Conclusion that use of IT is changing the pedagogical roles of teachers. (p. 12).
In formal education, beforestudents had unfettered access to the internet, information and information providers of the learning experiences had some quality control, curriculum was monitored and controlled, teachers had content knowledge and were trained how to teach. None of this happens or is controlled in informal learning. Some issues:
- Is information acquired by the learner over the internet appropriate or reliable?
- Does the learner have the skills to discriminate between valuable resources and misleading ones?
- Can the learner scaffold their learning experiences to be able to build a body of kinowledge and profound understanding?
- searching internet for information and interpreting it will depend upon individual learner's skills, abilities, previous knowledge and will vary between each learner. (p. 12).
Range of recent research into learners access to e-learning in formal and informal settings ha shown an increasing divide between levels of access, types of IT resources and also abilities of the users to benefit from such access (Cooper 2006: Tolley 2008). Increased mobility of the technology; involving small but very portable debvices to the connected online learning enable students to study anytime, anywhere (Facer & Sandford 2010a0. Informal access to IT canlink learning across settings, support collaboration, assessment and presentation and can open up new opportunities to learners wtih disabilities or special needs. However greater IT literacy skills, as interpreted as being able to use some applications confidently do not always lead to the most beneficial outcomes.
'Present stage' in education where main concept is still based on traditional face-to-face teaching with e-learning an enhancement or optional extra to 'Future stage' in which the main concept is e-learning only a minor part of which might be face-to-face.
There is now a "paradigm shift" in education with access to IT in the home and on the move but not necessarily only limited by a 'digital divide' but also a 'cognitive divide' resulting from the level of literacy which the learner has in the IT medium and how this affects the affordances that the technollogies will provide. (p. 15). Where this shift is occurring, e-learning networds of researchers are also more efftively sharing knowledge, research results, and practices, and overcoming cultural and national boundaries (Sakamoto 2002). There is a long way to go before the majority of education systems have adopted this paradigm shift , such fundamental changes will be slow in reaching formal education settings, however networked communications is rapidly increasing, e.g. widespread use of Linkedin among professionals.
Researchers can rarely control the range and extent of e-learning use of individual learners because of their increasing access to IT beyond the classroom in any educational setting.
Summary of Voogt, Knezek, Cox, Knezek, Brummelhuis (2011) Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning? A Call to Action
Leading question of International EDUsummIT in The Hague, Netherlands in 2009. 70 international policy-makers, researchers and practitioners deverloped a Call to Action (following the publication of the Handbook on ICT in Primary and Secondary Education by Voogt & Knezek 2008) which summarizes the main action points where policy, research and leadership need to join forces to successfully implement ICT in educational practice. Include view of role of ICT in 21st century learning; potential of multiple technologies to address individual needs of students, better understanding of the relationship between formal and informal learning; implications of technology for student assessment; need for models for leadership and teach learning to successfully implement technology; the potential of ICT for digital equity; development os a list of essential conditions to ensure benefit from ICT investments.
Central question: Under which conditions does ICT have a positive effect on teaching and learning?
Teaching and learning processes -8 actions
1. ICT and 21st century learning - establish a clear view on the role of ICT
2. restructuring schools to use technology in addressing individual needs of students - radically restructure schools to be able to use multiple technology-enhanced pedagogoies to address individual needs of students
3. the need for new assessment structures to measure outcomes of technology-rich experiences - develoment of new assessments to measure outcomes from technology enriched learning experiences
4. relationship between formal and informal learning experiences and implications for formal learning. - to better understand student technology experiences in informal learning environments in order to inform work in formal settings.
5. To develop and use models for teacher learning on technology use in schools and classrooms at the pre and in -service levels
6. To develop and use distributed leadership models for technology use in schools and teacher education programs. Successful ICT leadership should not be assigned to an individual but needs to be distributed so it is the property of a group (Bennett 2008) p. 5.
7. To develop ideaas on international opportunities relating to new and emerging technologies in order to addess the needs of developing countries and promote global social awareness and responsibilities. UNESCO and the EU. Policy can facilitate or hamper the implementation of ICT and can provide dierctions for ICT integration. Emergence of low-cost mobile computing devices contribues to access to technology on a global scale, e.g widespread use of cell phones (p. 6). (Brown 2008).
Access to technology is not the only aspect of digital equity. Resta & Laferriere (2008) proposed 5 dimensions relevant for realising digital equity:
a. access to hardware, software, and connectivity to the Internet
b. access to meaningful, high quality, culturally relevant content in local languages
c. access to creating, sharing and exchanging digital content
d. access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources
e. access to high quality research on the application of digital technologies to enhance learning.
To ensure digital equity these 5 dimensions should be considered in any general policy on ICT in education (p. 6).
8. To develop and disseminate a list of essential conditions which need to be in place to ensure benefit from technology investments. Policy makers from around the world should learn from mistkes made in ICT investments in the past.
20th December 2015
I finally have time to catch up and get my teeth into the first assignment, the ideas for it are in my head, now I need to extract them and put them in writing.
Topic: Hardware in the classroom
Post to your blog your experience of different types of hardware in your classroom or educational organisation. What hardware has appeared over the last 12 months? Why has it been introduced? Who is driving its introduction? What have been the reactions? Has it made a difference to teaching and learning?
Over the last 12 months or so there has been considerable investment in hardware in classrooms in my organisation. Notably:
The reactions of students and teachers has mostly been positive, some of the less technologically-minded teachers were resistant at first but they are coming on board. I can see the difference to teaching and learning in classrooms where the hardware is being used with appropriate software. For example Prezi. One teacher in my section creates all his lessons in Prezi and presents them to the class using the data projector and speakers to play lectures or dialogues. Another teacher uses "Google translator" and has this open and projected on the screen, he also encourages his students to download the app on their mobile devices so they can look up new words quickly.
I finally have time to catch up and get my teeth into the first assignment, the ideas for it are in my head, now I need to extract them and put them in writing.
Topic: Hardware in the classroom
Post to your blog your experience of different types of hardware in your classroom or educational organisation. What hardware has appeared over the last 12 months? Why has it been introduced? Who is driving its introduction? What have been the reactions? Has it made a difference to teaching and learning?
Over the last 12 months or so there has been considerable investment in hardware in classrooms in my organisation. Notably:
- wireless reception in all rooms
- data projectors
- interactive whiteboards (in some rooms)
- screens to project onto
- speakers
- connectivity for laptops
- visualisers - project pages from text books or newpaper articles for e.g. on the screen
- wireless keyboards
The reactions of students and teachers has mostly been positive, some of the less technologically-minded teachers were resistant at first but they are coming on board. I can see the difference to teaching and learning in classrooms where the hardware is being used with appropriate software. For example Prezi. One teacher in my section creates all his lessons in Prezi and presents them to the class using the data projector and speakers to play lectures or dialogues. Another teacher uses "Google translator" and has this open and projected on the screen, he also encourages his students to download the app on their mobile devices so they can look up new words quickly.
Wednesday 9 December 2015
10th December 2015
It's been a while since I've contributed to this blog, work has been really frantic so I just haven't had the time, but that will stop tomorrow around 4pm when I leave work and commence my summer holidays. I've been preparing for the first assignment, I've read the Digital Education Advisory Group article and I think I have worked out my position on BYOD topic but need to read a bit more widely. I've chosen the unit of work and am starting to think about the 8 technology resources I will include.
Today I read the two articles - "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prensky (2001) and the Open university research report reputing his hypothesis that there is a generational separation of brain processes between young and older people. So am I a digital native or immigrant? Given my age there is no way I could be regarded as a "Digital Native", I was educated in the 1970's - 1980's with minimal technology, and I still do some of the things that Prensky says are typical of a "Digital Immigrant" - I sometimes print emails and I only use my mobile phone for making and taking calls (I do take photos with it sometimes but that's about it).
I have been teaching adult migrants since 1989 so the whole internet / digital revolution has taken place around me and I've had to learn and adapt quickly. Several years ago I did some courses in networking and taught in the IT section for a short time - TAFE actually ran a program in 2001 to train general education teachers in IT networking subjects as they figured we were better communicators than the IT geeks from industry. I definintely felt intimidated by many of the students who had far more technological knowledge than me, they could be described as "Digital Natives", if they asked me questions outside the lesson plan I was stumped. So I moved away from that area, back to the English language classroom where I am comfortable. Here most of my students are less digitally competent than me (not all though I've had a few Russian systems analysists and the like) so it's one Digital Immigrant teaching to more recent Digital Immigrants. I have noticed a shift lately though, the vast majority of students have mobile devices such as smart phones and use them widely in class to support their learning. Last week we ran an information session to enrol over 100 students in some free courses for next year, each student needed to sit at a computer and complete the process online, the rooms we were in had around18 computers each so students had to wait, I was surprised to turn around and see a large group of them whip out their mobile phones, log in and complete the process on their phone. Now I didn't think of that so I must be a Digital Immigrant!
It's been a while since I've contributed to this blog, work has been really frantic so I just haven't had the time, but that will stop tomorrow around 4pm when I leave work and commence my summer holidays. I've been preparing for the first assignment, I've read the Digital Education Advisory Group article and I think I have worked out my position on BYOD topic but need to read a bit more widely. I've chosen the unit of work and am starting to think about the 8 technology resources I will include.
Today I read the two articles - "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prensky (2001) and the Open university research report reputing his hypothesis that there is a generational separation of brain processes between young and older people. So am I a digital native or immigrant? Given my age there is no way I could be regarded as a "Digital Native", I was educated in the 1970's - 1980's with minimal technology, and I still do some of the things that Prensky says are typical of a "Digital Immigrant" - I sometimes print emails and I only use my mobile phone for making and taking calls (I do take photos with it sometimes but that's about it).
I have been teaching adult migrants since 1989 so the whole internet / digital revolution has taken place around me and I've had to learn and adapt quickly. Several years ago I did some courses in networking and taught in the IT section for a short time - TAFE actually ran a program in 2001 to train general education teachers in IT networking subjects as they figured we were better communicators than the IT geeks from industry. I definintely felt intimidated by many of the students who had far more technological knowledge than me, they could be described as "Digital Natives", if they asked me questions outside the lesson plan I was stumped. So I moved away from that area, back to the English language classroom where I am comfortable. Here most of my students are less digitally competent than me (not all though I've had a few Russian systems analysists and the like) so it's one Digital Immigrant teaching to more recent Digital Immigrants. I have noticed a shift lately though, the vast majority of students have mobile devices such as smart phones and use them widely in class to support their learning. Last week we ran an information session to enrol over 100 students in some free courses for next year, each student needed to sit at a computer and complete the process online, the rooms we were in had around18 computers each so students had to wait, I was surprised to turn around and see a large group of them whip out their mobile phones, log in and complete the process on their phone. Now I didn't think of that so I must be a Digital Immigrant!
Friday 20 November 2015
20th November 2015
Why should we use technology in the classroom and when shouldn't we?
In the 21st century I think it is essential to introduce appropriate technology into the classroom as soon as possible and to teach children how to use it properly. Just because children, adolescents or adults own technology such as smart phones, IPads etc., doesn't mean that they know how to use them effectively, or that they are "digitally literate". There are different definitions of "digital literacy", the Youtube clip "Teaching digital literacy skills" defines it as "the ability to navigate, evaluate and create information". It goes on to point out that access to technology used to be a privilege, but now it is a requirement for success in every field, in the same way the ability to read and write is.
Stripling (2010) says digital literacy means that "students must be able to gather information from any format and, more importantly, make sense of that information, use it, and communicate it to others" (cited by Roblyer et al 2014, p. 289). Now when a person enters the workforce is is assumed they are able to use current technology "responsibly and thoughtfully".
"Transliteracy" as discussed in the Guardian article "20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education" (2012) is a person's ability to "read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media". Studying this degree online is a good example of this, right now I am using a blog to write my opinion of this topic, which I will share with others whom I allow access, all my assignments will the written in Word or via a blog and submitted online. I will access all academic material online through the online library or google scholar searches. I will communicate with my peers through online forums or live chats and as part of this subject I will explore new technologies to use in the classroom.
I am an English teacher, as such one of my roles is to teach students to "make meaning from texts" (Roblyer et al p. 290), also to research information online, produce written work in Word, as well as teach students the contents of the syllabus teachers like me need to also teach students to be 21st century digitally literate (Roblyer et al p. 290).
When shouldn't we use technology in the classroom?
I watched the Youtube clip "Silicon Valley school with no computers" about the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, a primary and high school which uses no technology at all in the classroom, it boasts that its students do exceptionally well, although they do not participate in standardised testing so there is no way to compare the performance of these students to students in other schools. I can understand the rationale behind this as I think that young people in particular at too dependent on technology today and social media has replaced physical social interaction to a large extent and there are real issues with online bullying. Young people are also exposed to negative and dangerous material online as they have access to unlimited and uncensored material on the Internet. I noted that the children at this school are mostly from families where their parents work in ICT so you would assume that they have access to technology at home, but are their parents teaching them how to use it properly? Even if they do not eventually they will be exposed to technology at college, university or the workplace where they will be expected to know how to use it in the ways I described earlier, so I imagine they would be at a considerable disadvantage.
I suppose the answer is the extent to which technology is used in the classroom, technology will never replace a good teacher and while it's important for students need to learn how to use technology properly, it is also important for them to learn when not to use it. So instead of messaging their mate or chatting online, call and talk on the phone, or better still, meet up face to face.
Why should we use technology in the classroom and when shouldn't we?
In the 21st century I think it is essential to introduce appropriate technology into the classroom as soon as possible and to teach children how to use it properly. Just because children, adolescents or adults own technology such as smart phones, IPads etc., doesn't mean that they know how to use them effectively, or that they are "digitally literate". There are different definitions of "digital literacy", the Youtube clip "Teaching digital literacy skills" defines it as "the ability to navigate, evaluate and create information". It goes on to point out that access to technology used to be a privilege, but now it is a requirement for success in every field, in the same way the ability to read and write is.
Stripling (2010) says digital literacy means that "students must be able to gather information from any format and, more importantly, make sense of that information, use it, and communicate it to others" (cited by Roblyer et al 2014, p. 289). Now when a person enters the workforce is is assumed they are able to use current technology "responsibly and thoughtfully".
"Transliteracy" as discussed in the Guardian article "20 ways of thinking about digital literacy in higher education" (2012) is a person's ability to "read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media". Studying this degree online is a good example of this, right now I am using a blog to write my opinion of this topic, which I will share with others whom I allow access, all my assignments will the written in Word or via a blog and submitted online. I will access all academic material online through the online library or google scholar searches. I will communicate with my peers through online forums or live chats and as part of this subject I will explore new technologies to use in the classroom.
I am an English teacher, as such one of my roles is to teach students to "make meaning from texts" (Roblyer et al p. 290), also to research information online, produce written work in Word, as well as teach students the contents of the syllabus teachers like me need to also teach students to be 21st century digitally literate (Roblyer et al p. 290).
When shouldn't we use technology in the classroom?
I watched the Youtube clip "Silicon Valley school with no computers" about the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, a primary and high school which uses no technology at all in the classroom, it boasts that its students do exceptionally well, although they do not participate in standardised testing so there is no way to compare the performance of these students to students in other schools. I can understand the rationale behind this as I think that young people in particular at too dependent on technology today and social media has replaced physical social interaction to a large extent and there are real issues with online bullying. Young people are also exposed to negative and dangerous material online as they have access to unlimited and uncensored material on the Internet. I noted that the children at this school are mostly from families where their parents work in ICT so you would assume that they have access to technology at home, but are their parents teaching them how to use it properly? Even if they do not eventually they will be exposed to technology at college, university or the workplace where they will be expected to know how to use it in the ways I described earlier, so I imagine they would be at a considerable disadvantage.
I suppose the answer is the extent to which technology is used in the classroom, technology will never replace a good teacher and while it's important for students need to learn how to use technology properly, it is also important for them to learn when not to use it. So instead of messaging their mate or chatting online, call and talk on the phone, or better still, meet up face to face.
Wednesday 11 November 2015
First Blog entry 22nd October 2015
I purchased the textbook "Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching" online 2 days ago and it was delivered to my door this morning. Great service Co-op bookshop! So I am currently reading the first chapter and find that I am relating to most of what I'm reading. I clearly recall all 4 eras of digital technologies in educational institutions discussed in this chapter. Pre-microcomputers - I never had access to this as during this time I was in school before the time when and technology like this was available to school students, it wasn't until 1981 when I was in Year 12 that I first encountered microcomputers when the career's advisor sent me on a computer course at the University of Western Sydney with some other students during the holidays. I remember not being very impressed with the command based interface on the microcomputers and came away deciding that a career in computers wasn't for me. I then came across Apple computers at university in 1982 when I sat in a lab with other students and played a game which involved helping a rabbit obtain a carrot at the end of a maze I think. Once again I was not very impressed! Around the same time I recall the transfer from paper-based catalogues in the university library to microfische and I instantly appreciated the time saving capabilitiy of this technology. I then left university for a time and worked in offices where I was introduced to very early word processing programs, "Wang" was one program I remember (I still have a certificate saying that I was proficient in it) and then "Word Perfect" which was frought with problems and bugs and was quite complicated to learn, I remember a booklet of keyboard commands that we had to know. Later on I learned basic accounting software and remember struggling to align the dot matrix printer to print out the montly ledgers.
How things changed by the third "Internet era" along with graphical interfaces. I was teaching English language when this technology exploded and changed everything. Suddenly I was being sent on courses to learn how to use the latest technology so I could teach my students. I co-taught and English Language / Microcomputing class with at IT teacher for a while, I learned a lot from him and went on to gain qualifications to teach computing subjects such as Microsoft Office programs and later Networking.
In my teaching context now mobile devices are intrinsic. Most (if not all) students bring their own smart phones, laptops, note-books or Ipads to class where they connect to the WiFi to access Prezi sites created by the teacher, or access Google Translator when they don't understand a word. One full-time teacher here is investigating "flipped classrooms" one benefit I see for this as a manager is that technology like this will help student retention and completion rates. A lot of our students drop out if they get jobs, or family commitments get in the way. Being migrants many have settlement issues such as moving and relocating, having to travel back to home countries at short notice. If they can access course materials and activities online as well as submit assignments etc online this would greatly increase their ability to complete the course.
How things changed by the third "Internet era" along with graphical interfaces. I was teaching English language when this technology exploded and changed everything. Suddenly I was being sent on courses to learn how to use the latest technology so I could teach my students. I co-taught and English Language / Microcomputing class with at IT teacher for a while, I learned a lot from him and went on to gain qualifications to teach computing subjects such as Microsoft Office programs and later Networking.
In my teaching context now mobile devices are intrinsic. Most (if not all) students bring their own smart phones, laptops, note-books or Ipads to class where they connect to the WiFi to access Prezi sites created by the teacher, or access Google Translator when they don't understand a word. One full-time teacher here is investigating "flipped classrooms" one benefit I see for this as a manager is that technology like this will help student retention and completion rates. A lot of our students drop out if they get jobs, or family commitments get in the way. Being migrants many have settlement issues such as moving and relocating, having to travel back to home countries at short notice. If they can access course materials and activities online as well as submit assignments etc online this would greatly increase their ability to complete the course.
11-12 November 2015 first tasks
I have read all of the first chapter of the text book. I can relate to the top 10 issues described on page 30. In my area - particularly issue 2 - Funding for educational technology - this will always be an issue in a government funded institution such as TAFE, keeping up with progress and developments in technology is extrememly difficult, this has been slightly alleviated with BYOD as most students in my section have access to up to date mobile technology such as smart phones, IPads etc. and are keen to bring these to class, although there is the issue of equity - issue 3 - the Digital Divide - wealthier students obviously have accesst to better technology. Issue 8 - Online plaguerism is an issue in the English for Further Study and English for Academic Purposes classes, there is a cultural aspect to this as well, in some cultures plaguerism is overlooked or even accepted. Issue 10 - 21st Century technology skills - is an issue too - increasing dependence on technology to communicate information effectively, there are cultural and socio-economic differences with students in my section too.
I've also listened to 21st Century education - Future Tense. I listened as I read the transcript. To answer the question:
One of the interviewees, Greg Whitby, claims that the focus on technology is a "waste of time". He says: "If you focus on the technology, you ignore the central problem and the central issue." What do you think he means by this, and to what extent do you agree? Why do you think we focus on the technolgy?
The "central problem" and "central issue" Greg Whitby is referring to teaching and learning, technology is a tool to assist good teachers to help students to learn. There has been so much advancement in technology everywhere including in education that it is easy to lose sight of what the point is, which is to educate young people to participate effectively in society and to do this it is essential to have good quality teachers. I agree with this, technology will never replace teachers, it needs to be used to assist the teacher and the students and enhance learning where appropriate. Whitby goes on to explain that it's not the devices that are important, but the software or "apps" that are downloaded on them. As he says there has been an "explosion" in app development by Apple and elsewhere, so locating good quality apps is essential, but not easy when there are so many flooding the market.
I've also listened to 21st Century education - Future Tense. I listened as I read the transcript. To answer the question:
One of the interviewees, Greg Whitby, claims that the focus on technology is a "waste of time". He says: "If you focus on the technology, you ignore the central problem and the central issue." What do you think he means by this, and to what extent do you agree? Why do you think we focus on the technolgy?
The "central problem" and "central issue" Greg Whitby is referring to teaching and learning, technology is a tool to assist good teachers to help students to learn. There has been so much advancement in technology everywhere including in education that it is easy to lose sight of what the point is, which is to educate young people to participate effectively in society and to do this it is essential to have good quality teachers. I agree with this, technology will never replace teachers, it needs to be used to assist the teacher and the students and enhance learning where appropriate. Whitby goes on to explain that it's not the devices that are important, but the software or "apps" that are downloaded on them. As he says there has been an "explosion" in app development by Apple and elsewhere, so locating good quality apps is essential, but not easy when there are so many flooding the market.
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