28th January 2016

Collaborative Learning

What does "collaborative" actually mean?

Chai, Lim, So, Cheah (2011) define collaborative learning as "...when students interact for the purpose of achieving better understanding about a concept, a problem or a phenomenon, or to create a novel piece of knowledge or solution that they don't previously know..." (p. 6).  They further go on to differentiate between "collaborative learning" as opposed to "cooperative learning" and discuss that cooperative learning, where students are working effectively together, is the "scaffold" or beginning of collaborative learning which is more structured in terms of "group formation, interaction, procedure and outcomes activity"  (p. 8).  When students are truly working together collaboratively Chai et.al (2011) point out that they also acquire "soft skills" such as seeing the perspectives of others, improved communication skills and awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses (p. 6). I think it is important that children develop these skills as early as possible at school as they are essential skills to have in the workplace (team work) and in society in general.

I think that many confuse cooperation with collaboration, particularly in relation to group work. I think collaboration is happening in group work when all participants have equal input and contribution to the outcome, however often in reality, one or two individuals will dominate a group, doing most of the work while the others sit by passively and contribute little.  This is a particular issue in the adult ESL classroom where often there is some disparity between language levels within the class, so those more competent, particularly in oral skills, will take the lead.  Cultural background and personality also come into play in group dynamics in the adult ESL classroom.  Therefore it is essential for the teacher to plan collaborative lessons carefully to ensure learning outcomes are being met, particularly when ICT is being incorporated.  Group work is a favoured activity in ESL classrooms as it is the best way for students to communicate with each other and practice their oral skills, however it is important to always be aware of the group composition and try to encourage students to form new groups for different activities.

Chai et. al. (2011) further note that the "affordance" and ICT tool brings, meaning "the actions people can perform by using certain features of ICT tools" (p. 20) support collaborative learning, for example the structure of blogs is conducive to diary writing,  (this is one way I use blogs in my Cert III EFS writing class), with the most current entry on top. 

How can Web 2.0 technologies support collaborative learning?  What are the issues raised by Luckin, Clark, Graber, Logan, Mee & Oliver (2009) and how can they be overcome?

Web 2.0 technologies by nature can enhance social interaction, applications such as Facebook, wikis, blogs, forums and discussion boards etc., require the input of more than one person.   Luckin, Clark, Graber, Logan, Mee & Oliver (2009) conducted a study which showed that high school students in the UK had high level of access to Web 2.0 technologies, however few were aware of the complete range of Web 2.0 activities beyond social media (Facebook), playing online games or instant messaging for example,  and they found little evidence that many are "making effective and/or 'groundbreaking' use of Web 20 and other internet technologies" (p. 88).   Many common Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs and podcasts / discussion boards, were considerably under-utilised, with students reading information on these platforms but rarely contributing or collaborating on them (pp. 91-92).   They also note that most Web 2.0 activities are undertaken outside school and discuss research, for example by (Selwyn 2006) that the use of technology at school is limited and constrained by issues such as:

• filtering / blocked sites
• gatekeeping
• timetabling
• lack of access
• reduced connectivity / speed
• system bottlenecks
• outdated software
• lack of skills    (p. 88)

I can say that all of these issues have an impact on students using Web 2.0 ICT tools in my organisation.  As discussed in earlier posts, the organisation is unable to keep up with contant upgrades of hardware and software so what students and teachers are expected to use is very out of date.  The network often "goes down" for long periods of time and connectivity is often slow.  There has been a conscious move to a BYOD environment and decommissioning of dedicated computer rooms in an attempt to overcome some of these issues, but of course this raises another set of issues such as digital equity (discussed in earlier posts).

Luckin et.al. (2009) categorised the students in the study into 3 groups:
1.  "Researchers" - read a lot of material online, but little evidence of "critical enquiry or analytical awareness" - most students in the study were in this group (p. 95).
2.  "Collaborators" - file sharing, gaming and communicating on social network - few students in the study genuinely engaged in "collaborative learning using Web 2.0 technology" though (p. 96)
3.  "Producers and publishers" - share experiences online with input from teachers with evidence of "copublication and production" - despite the students extensive use or "consumption of products using Web 2.0 tools" e.g. YouTube, uploading and sharing photos, playing games etc., very few created or published content or fit into this group (p. 97).

The issues identified in this study are complex.  Policy and curriculum needs to be more specific about the integration of Web 2.0 technologies, and schools / educational institutions need to be supportive in terms of providing the infracture (up to date hardware and software; high speed internet access for example) and also importantly, provide professional learning opportunities for teachers to learn how to plan and integrate Web 2.0 technology into their programming and lessons to bring the students beyond the "researcher" stage into "collaborators" and ultimately "producers and publishers".  I think there is an expectation that having students bring their own devices will go some way to solving the inadequate hardware / software dilemma and that teachers will 'figure out' themselves how to integrate new ICT technologies in the classroom.  Of course neither of these expectations are realistic. 

" Interactivity" in the classroom and its impact on learning. 

Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) discuss the idea of "orchestration of resources" being the key element of "interactivity" and classroom practice.  (p. 764).

Describe briefly what a group of your students would look like if they were using a form of ICT of your choosing and participating in each onf the following:

• Group interaction:  Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) describe group work as "orchestrated by learners rather than teachers, though teachers may have a significant influence" (p. 760).  If the group in my class were contributing to the class wiki for example, they would have a guideline from me: i.e.  "post your thoughts about the smoking ban on campus", from there the activity would be guided by the learners themselves, contributing and sharing ideas.
• Authoratitive interactivity:  Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) give an example of students working individually using tutorial software to "carry out a fixed procedure to complete a familiar task" (p. 760).  My students often use tutorial software such as "Brain Pop" to practice new vocabulary or grammar points.
• Dialectic interactivity:  Students working individually again may use a more constructive mode of tutorial software such as "Grab a Word" which is more interactive with the students and records their progress through the activities.
• Dialogic interactivity:  Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) give the example of students using the interactive whiteboard (IWB) to search the internet together so ideas can be "explored and their thinking focused by evaluating what they find on the web" (p. 764), this is an activity that my students could do as a class activity to practice using search engines to locate specific information for their information reports.
• Synergistic interactivity:  Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) described this as "independent reflective activity carried out by students collectively in the whole class setting" with teachers and students choosing ICT tools and "orchestrating features" (p. 764).  I have not been this far with my students!   Is it possible?  Beauchamp & Kennewell (2010) go on to say that for this method to work successfully, "the ability of all learners and the teacher to use the tool to contribute on equal terms is central" (p. 764).  As I've discussed before, there is great disparity in ICT capability with my learners, in one class there can be ICT engineers and students who have never (or hardly) used a computer before.  However this would certainly be achievable in a class of homogenous learners, for example the "Skillmax" class which we run for migrant professionals - most of whom come from ICT and / or engineering background.

References:

Beauchamp, G., & Kennewell, S. (2010). Interactivity in the classroom and its impact on learning. Computers & Education, 54(3), 759-766. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.033  

Chai, C.S., Lim, W, So, H., Cheah, H.M. (2011).  Advancing Collaborative Learning with ICT: Conception, Cases and Design.  Ministry of Education, Singapore, 1^st Edition.

Luckin, R., Clark, W., Graber, R., Logan, K., Mee, A., & Oliver, M. (2009). Do Web 2.0 tools really open the door to learning? Practices, perceptions and profiles of 11–16‐year‐old students. Learning, Media And Technology, 34(2), 87-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17439880902921949

 

27th January 2016

Classroom behaviour management and technology.

There are five elements of classroom management practice identified in the first article, briefly describe how would you plan to incorporate these elements in your lessons? 

Supporting activities for ICT Tools

In my experience teaching with technology there are usually technical difficulties which can cause a lot of frustration, particularly for students who aren't experienced with computers.   As Lim, Pek & Chai (2005) suggest, we provide written step by step instructions for beginner students to perform routine procedures such as starting up the computer, entering username, password; saving work.  Graphical representations are also useful for students with low levels of English.  The instructions are laminated so they can be re-used.

Role of Teacher

Teaching in dedicated computer rooms can be challenging as the physical layout means that students are looking at a computer monitor, rather than the teacher.  It can be challenging to encourage students to work collaboratively as well for the same reason.  In the computer room we teach in most of the time we have computers set up around the perimeter of the room with desks in the middle facing the front.  Most of the lesson is conducted with students seated at these desks, students move to the computers only when working on the tasks.  As Lim, Pek & Chai say,  the role of the teacher does shift from "information giver" to "guide on the side" (Frand, 2000) or facilitator.  In our computer room there is a teachers' computer that can override the students' computers so if the teacher needs to grab students' attention quickly to demonstrate something on the computer, they can take control of the class computers so all students can see what they are doing.  This is useful in classes of students with little technical knowledge or experience.

Role of Student Helpers

Students in my area usually have widely varied experience and knowledge of technology in the classroom, some students have worked in ICT in their country or origin while others have never used a computer before (some Tibetan refugees for example).  So we usually assign experienced students to assist others with less experience.  This usually works well as it encourages communication and collaboration between students, we always like them to talk to each other as much as possible in ESL classes.  Of course there are challenges too as we don't like to hold back the experienced students from getting on with their own work.  Often it is necessary to have students working at their own pace when incorporating technology.  We have a learning centre to help students with basic computing skills, this centre is open outside class time so beginner students can go there for some help getting started.

Technical Assistants

How great it would be to have a technical assistant in the classroom all the time!  That will never happen in my workplace, 2 or 3 technicians support one entire campus, so we have to log a help desk call and wait for someone to come, we can select "urgent, affecting classroom delivery" and someone will come fairly quickly, but if there are a lot of problems at the same time (e.g. the network going down) no one will come to assist for some time.  I do keep the mobile number of one of the tech support people in my phone which I will use in an emergency.  Usually if there are technical problems we have to work around them, as Simmons (2009) points out, lesson objectives and outcomes  should be written so that a variety of activities can be used to achieve them, so if you are teaching an email lesson for example and the network is down, you can still teach the lesson with communicative activities, teaching terminology, language features of emails etc.

Establishment of Rules and Procedures

Rules and procedures are essential in any classroom or chaos will ensue.  As Lim, Pek & Chai point out, many rules used in traditional classrooms can be applied in ICT classrooms (Wong 2000), however additional routines particular to computer usage need to be implemented such as procedures for starting up computers and rules about which activities are to be performed.  Unsupervised students will usually surf the net or check their facebook accounts, so teachers need to be constantly moving around to check what students are doing.  The configuration of computers around the perimeter of the room is helpful for this as the teacher can stand in the middle of the room and see what students are looking at on their screens.

References:

Lim, C.P., Pek, M.S., Chai, C.S. (2005) Classroom management issues in information and communication technology (ICT) - mediated learning environments:  back to the basics.  Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia.  14.4 p. 391

Simmons, C. (2009) Teaching ICT:  Planning to teach an ICT lesson pp 54-105

20th January 2016

Ethical Issues

In the previous post I hadn't accessed my organisation's relevant policies, I have now.  They are:

Work Health and Safety (WHS) Policy - sets out WHS requirements and Department's commitment to the health and safety of everyone it its workplaces (Work Health and Safety Policy p. 1)

Intellectual Property Policy - TAFE NSW - purpose is to manage, protect, share and commercialise Intellectual Property within TAFE NSW (Intellectual Property Policy p. 1)

Most relevant to this topic:

Online Communication Services - Acceptable Usage - TAFE NSW  which "specifies the standards for the acceptable use of TAFE NSW internet services and collaboration and communication tools by TAFE NSW staff, learners and users who may be authorised from time to time to use these services" (Online Communication Services - Acceptable Usage Policy, p. 1)

This policy covers 5 areas::

1.  Access and Security - e.g. password protection, internet usage, communication and collaboration should be related to learning and TAFE NSW business.
2.  Privacy and Confidentiality - keeping email addresses and personal information confidential, not forwarding or publishing emails outside the organisation without permission
3.  Intellectual Property and Copyright - users never plagiarising information, adhering to copyright of resources including books, graphics, ideas on TAFE NSW and other websites etc., not illegally copying software.
4.  Ethical Behaviour - ensure no conflict between user's interest and what is in best interest of TAFE NSW, not attempt to gain unauthorised access to network, not use obscene, rude or threatening language in public or private messages or other online communication, not engage in personal or discriminatory attacks on other individuals, not access inappropriate sites such as gaming or gambling sites, or pornographic material, or material that promotes illegal acts or violence or discrimination.
5.  Misuse and Breaches of Acceptable Usage - users are responsible for their actions while using the internet, collaboration and communication tools and other online services, misuse as outlined in the policy may result in disciplinary or legal action.    (Online Communication Services Acceptable Usage Policy TAFE NSW pp 1 - 7).

All users must acknowledge that they understand this policy when they log into the network.


All of these issues are relevant to me in my role of head teacher and as a teacher in the classroom and employee of TAFE NSW.  As I've discussed in earlier posts "Intellectual Property and Copyright" are the issues I mostly deal with in the classroom.  Standards for this vary greatly across cultures so it is important to teach students what the Australian standards are early in their course.  It's also important for teachers to understand copyright laws when reproducing material for use in the classroom.

References:

Intellectual Property Policy - TAFE NSW retrieved from NSW Department of Education Intranet
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/policiesintra/category.do?level=TAFE

Online Communication Services - Acceptable Usage - TAFE NSW retrieved from NSW Department of Education Intranet
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/policiesintra/category.do?level=TAFE

Work Health and Safety (WHS) Policy retrieved from NSW Department of Education Intranet
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/policiesintra/category.do?level=TAFE

16th January 2016

Web-based learning

Record in your blog some of the web-based resources that you may be able to use and how you will integrate them into your teaching.

I was impressed to see the large variety of apps in the Google Education suite.  I read the case study of Brown University who in 2009-2010 used Google Apps for Eduction to revolutionise their email and collaboration for students, faculty, staff and alumni.  Like TAFE, they used Microsoft Exchange and found that the storeage quota of 200MB vastly inadequate, the cost of constant server upgrades was excessive and they also wanted "life-long" email access for their alumni to keep collaboration and networks alive. By tranferring 20,000 email accounts over from Exchange to Google they saved $800,000 per year over 5 years and millions in email server upgrades.  They also utilised Google Groups, Google Docs and Forms to collaborate and share information and Google Drive to store three million files. (Google for Education, 2014). 

After reading this I wondered how much easier my life would be if my organisation were bold and innovative enough to do a similar thing.  Presently we have to constantly archive and empty our Outlook inbox and sent items or the account disables and cannot be used.  I don't have time to archive so each week or two I delete hundreds of emails and attachments.  Of course most emails can and should be deleted but it would be nice to be free of the constraints of Microsoft Exhange and to have access to all the additional features that come with Google Plus.  It is interesting that Google Plus came about from "Google 20% time" where Google allows its engineers 20% of their work time to engage in a project not related to their job description.  (AITSL, 2014).

From the Google for Education suite I could integrate the following into the classroom:

1.  Google Cultural Institute - students usually undertake field trips to the Sydney Art Gallery and Museum and other cultural events that take place in Sydney.  It would be wonderful to take virtual field trips to sites and exhibitions all over the world. 

2.  Google Scholar - I am using it for this course, students in Cert III English for Further Study and Cert IV English for Academic Purposes could make good use of this app when researching their assignments and essays, it can be linked to relevant libraries to make searching easier.

3.  Google YouTube EDU:  we already use YouTube extensively for students to listen to TEDX talks and lectures among other things, this app can be used to categorise and personalise topics for particular classes / subjects.

4.  Google Translate - we are already using it in the low level classes so students can quickly translate new words or phrases into their own language when needed.

5.  Google Now - to quickly access information e.g. ABC news.

6.  Google Blogger - which I am using now, I can see real benefits for students to use this app as an electronic journal to improve their writing skills through collaboration with teacher and each other.


Bibliography:

AITSL (2014) 50 examples of innovative approaches to professional growth from across the world - Based on the Global Trends in professional learning and performance & development - some implications and ideas for the Australian education system report.  Accessed from:  http://www.aitsl.edu.au/public/innovative50/index.html?page=Google-20percent-time
on 16/1/2016.

Google Apps for Education.  Accessed from http://www.google.com.au/edu/tools-and-solutions/index.html#  on 16/1/2016

16th January 2016

Cyber Safety and Digital Citizenship

Post to your blog your ideas for ensuring your students are "good digital citizens" and "safe" users of technology in your classroom.  This is much easier said than done, however there are a range of strategies you will have found recommended.  This will need to be in your assignment of course, so it's worth thinking about carefully.  How will you address their use of technology at home?  This is where a great deal of cyber bullying occurs and will often appear subsequently at school.  What are your ideas, based on the policy documents.

I teach in an adult learning environment (TAFE) so the policies are slightly different to those in schools, however there are students under 18 at TAFE so the Department's policies for schools are applicable to them.  I'm unable to access the intranet to download and read the policies at present (the site is closed for maintenance until Sunday evening) so I will revisit this blog and add my comments about the policies in due course.  I can say that everytime teachers and students in my organisation log into the network they 'tick' that they have read, understand and will abide by the Department's "Acceptable Use Policy" which includes not accessing inappropriate internet web sites,  respecting the privacy of other users and not engaging in offensive behaviour (i.e. bullying) when online.

Many of my adult students have issues with their children accessing inappropriate material on the internet and being bullied on social media, my own son had issues with cyber bullying when he was about 14.  I suggest that they have the computer in a common space in the home (not in the child's bedroom) where parents can easily see what their children are up to when online.  Of course with the advent of mobile technologies this is becoming increasingly difficult as kids have access to the internet on their smart devices which they carry around on their person.  The only thing parents can do is control access to the internet if possible.  I don't think children should have mobile technology 24-7 (i.e. smart phones) until they are at least 15, however with the BYOD policy being implemented in primary schools as well as high schools children will soon (if not already) be required to have a smart device of their own.

Educating school students and adult students about the issues of cyber safety and digital citizenship is imperative so they know what it means, and what is required of them in the educational environment and at home.

14th January 2016

Web 2.0 Resources and Issues

Post to your blog the ways you are considering using Web 2.0 or social media in your lesson plans.  If you are not planning to, how could you utilise its potential in the future if you were teaching your assignment topic?

How are you going to take advantage of the affordances of the participatory nature of Web 2.0 applications and address any potential difficulties?

In the past some teachers in my section have set up class wikis for individual courses.  About 2 years ago the Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE (where I work) contracted to use the SAKAI learning management system and instructs teachers to use that platform to upload course information and lessons notes etc. to collaborate with students.    It works in very much the same way as a moodle or wiki but is not as user-friendly so unfortunately a lot of teachers are not using it.  We also have a section sharepoint which students can be given access to, however ours is not being utilised for interaction between teachers and students, it is primarily used by teachers to share course information with each other, teaching and learning plans, assessment tasks, course evaluations etc.  So there is a real gap in integrating Web 2.0 technology in my teaching area.

Some individual teachers are using their own choice of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom such as Youtube, Facebook and wikis, but a lot are not. After reading Chapter 10 "Developing & Using Web-based Activities" in Roblyer & Doering (2014) and  Hew & Cheung's (2012) report on studies into the effects of Web 2.0 technologies on student learning, I think there is sufficient evidence to support integrating certain Web 2.0 technologies into English language learning.  For example, Hew & Cheung's analysis of a study by Arslan & Shahin-Kizil (2010) who examined the effect of blog-integrated writing instruction on a group of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) students' writing performance showed that the use of blogs to support writing "improved their writing significantly" (p. 55).  The students in the experimental group's draft writing and revisions were done on a blog which was viewed and commented on by a large audience including family members and peers from other universities - in addition to their own peers and tutor (p. 55) and this additional feedback and collaboration was seen to have a significant positive effect (p. 55).

Web 2.0 technologies are the ideal way for students to collaborate with their teacher, each other and also peers in other intitutions and other countries.  Roblyer and Doering (2014) give some wonderful examples of successful Web 2.0 technology integration in schools on p. 264 and pp. 268-269 and I think there is a lot of potential for successful integration of similar technologies into the adult ESL classroom.  One particular Web 2.0 technology where I see real potential is to implement blogs into reading and writing lessons, particularly in the higher level classes.  My experience using blogs (e.g. this one!) in this course has been extrememly beneficial, it formalises and structures my learning in a way I've never experienced before, so why can't the same be applied in my classroom with my adult learners?

There will always be the issue of "digital divide" as described by Roblyer and Doering (2014) pp 234-236 and digital equity when integrating any technology into the classroom so teachers always need to be aware of all those issues and devise ways to overcome them when planning to integrate technology.  However I think it is important to persist with integrating Web 2.0 technology and in the future Web 3.0 technology so we and our students can truly participate in the 21st century teaching and learning environment.


References:

Hew, K.F., Cheung, W.S. Use of Web 2.0 Technologies in K-12 and Higher Education:  The Search for Evidence-based Practice, Educational Research Review (2012) doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/edurev.2012.08.001

Roblyer, M.D., Doering, A.H. (2014) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching.  Sixth Edition.  Pearson Education Lt.

11th January 2016

The Internet in Education

From the five potential problems listed on pp 234-236 in Roblyer, which may have the most impact on your classroom and students and why?  How will you address these concerns in your lesson planning in your assignment and in the future? 

Another issue related to internet use - particularly in schools - is the restricted nature of internet access.  We have seen why this would be considered necessary, but it also stifles the ability of both teachers and students to access the resources they need.  What are you able to access at your school or intitution - or not?  Does this work?  What does this mean for an educational institution where many students have internet capable smart phones?  Does this mean restrictions should be relaxed and better supervision should be utilised? 

Roblyer & Doering (2014) list the following 5 common Internet problems:

1.  Accessing sites with appropriate materials
2.  Safety and privacy issues
3.  Fraud on the Internet
4.  Viruses and hacking
5.  Copyright and plagiarism   (pp. 234-236)

Number 5 copyright and plagiarism has the most impact on students in my section (adult English language learners), particularly in Cert III English for Further Study and Cert IV English for Academic Purposes courses where students are required to write academic essays.  There is a cultural aspect to this as it seems that in some cultures plagiarism and breaching copyright laws is more acceptable than it is in Australia.  We have had students with post-graduate degrees from other countries blatantly plagiarsing the work of others in academic essays, sometimes even copying and pasting text from an Internet site (word for word) and passing if off as their own.  We have developed a unit of work in each of these courses explaining exactly what plagiarism is and how to reference correctly in the Harvard style.  To say we enforce and reinforce this is an understatement!  As most of these students plan to enter university in Australia it is essential that they learn this.  Most seem to be quite savvy about the other 4 issues, however students often express their concerns over their children accessing inappropriate material on the Internet so we introduce them to filtering software such as Net Nanny to use at home (I installed this on my son's laptop when he was about 15 - he wasn't happy about it but it was effective).

Up until about 2 years ago all social networking sites and Youtube were blocked in my institution (TAFE).  However it became apparent that social network sites such as Facebook are the way most students receive and send information as well as communicate with each other.  It was also realised what a valuable teaching tool Youtube is, so these sites were "unblocked", TAFE now advertises its courses on Facebook and each Institute has its own Facebook page which students are invited to join.  There are still blocks on certain sites, I don't know what the criteria is but the firewall kicks in at odd times. for example the Oz Lotteries site, however we are now able to access the majority of websites that we need to.  Of course there is the issue of students connecting to social media to chat to their friends on their smart devices during lesson time,  this is another classroom management issue for teachers to deal with.

10th January 2016

TPACK framework

Describe how the TPACK framework might be useful for you in your development of classroom technology skills.  Where do you think you sit on that diagram?  Imagine you had to mark a spot of the diagram - where would it be?  Which group of knowledge areas are you the strongest in?  Often teachers with a lot of experience in the classroom have a lot of "P" - pedagogical knowledge or "PCK" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge - that is they know their subject and know how to teach it well.

I think the framework is useful as it is a way of incorporating all three knowledge areas together when planning a course or even unit of work or individual lesson.  It is important to understand the interrelationship and interactions between the 3 knowledge areas: content, pedagogy and technology. "a change in any one of the factors has to be 'compensated' by changes in the other two" Mishra & Koehler (2006).  I think I sit on the overlap of pedagogical and content knowledge at present, I'd like to say that integrating technology comes naturally and is seamless, but I don't think it is.  I've been out of the classroom for a while now and in that time technology has changed considerably and teachers in my section are using apps and software in their lessons that are unfamiliar to me.  Also from taking this subject I've come to realise that I am "behind the eight ball" when it comes to integrating technology effectively with pedagogy and content. 



As Koehler & Mishra (2009) point out, newer digital technologies are "protean" (usable in many different ways), "unstable" (rapidly changing) and "opaque" (inner workings are hidden from users) (p. 1).  Nor are the technologies "neutral or unbiased", each has its own affordances, propensities, potentials and constraints and are more suitable for certain tasks than others.  They also say that most popular software programs are not specifically designed for educational purposes, e.g. Microsoft Office suite is designed primarily for business purposes and web-based technologies such as blogs, podcasts etc., are designed for entertainment, communication and social networking so teachers need to be very creative, forward thinking and open-minded and  'reconfigure' the technology or 'customise' it for pedagogical purposes.  I think to sit or "live" in the centre of the diagram when the 3 knowledge areas overlap I'd need to be back in the classroom full-time and update my professional development in the latest technologies being used in my area.  There are teachers in my section who definitely sit in the centre of this diagram, they are by far the most effective teachers.

Two academic articles about TPACK and how it relates to my professional area (ESOL):

Baser, D., Kopcha, T.J., Yasar Ozden, M. (2015). Developing a technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) assessment for preservice teachers learning to teach English as a foreign language.  CrossMark Computer Assisted Language Learning.  DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2015.1047456

Yuksel, I., & Yasin, E. (2014). Cross-sectional evaluation of english language teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge.  Educational Research Quarterly, 38(2), 23-42.  Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1636356723?accountid=10344


References:

Koehler, M.J., & Mishra, P. (2009).  What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology  and Teacher Education, 9(1). Retrieved from http:www.citejournal.org/vol9/iss1/general/article1.cfm

7th January 2016

Instructional Software

Post an example of each of the five different instructional software functions using examples from your teaching discipline area.  The five areas are outlined in Chapter 3 of the text book.

1.  Drill and practice - focused on directed strategies.  Good to help students memorise facts or "automacity" which Roblyer & Doering (2014) say is the "automatic recall of lower order prerequisite skills"  (p. 98).  In my area this kind of software can be useful for reinforcing new vocabulary.  For example "Brainpop" - www.brainpopesl.com .

2.  Tutorial - also focused on directed strategies.  An entire instructional sequence should be included so students shouldn't need any other help or materials (Roblyer & Doering 2014 p. 100).  The tutorials usually contain drill and practice activities.  I have used "Typequick" for students to learn basic keyboard skills.  It is installed on computers in the learning centre and library and provides self-paced learning.  It can be downloaded from:  http://www.typequick.com.au .  We are also subscribed to the Victoria AMES Virtual ILC which contains self-paced lessons are a variety of topics including news, Australian history, nature and the environment, art and culture, biographies etc.  Each topic has self-paced activities with assessment and feedback.  www.virtualilc.com log in:  237vilcst password: yabby

3.  Simulation software - combines directed and constructivst strategies.  The Maritime department at TAFE has a ship similulator which I have tried.  This is a very effective way for students to experience guiding a large ship into Sydney Harbour.   I have not tried this type of software in my teaching area, I note in Roblyer & Doering (2014) that this software is most commonly used in science, e.g. to simulate experiments for example (p. 105).

4.  Instructional game software - combines directed and constructivst strategies.  Students of all ages love games and competitions, adult learners are no different, it is a fun way to reinforce new grammar points or vocabulary.    In ESL we use a lot of language / grammar games in the classroom to motivate students and break the ice.  We are subscribed to some websites which provide games to reinforce vocabulary or grammar points.  For example "Grab a Word" www.grabaword.com. 

5.  Problem-solving software - combines directed and constructivist strategies.  This software is designed to teach component skills in problem solving.  In my area we would use software like this primarily to teach or reinforce language skills where groups are given a scenario with a challenge to solve.  This is also a good way to encourage collaboration and group work.   One website I've used is:  "Desert Island Problem Solving Speaking Activity", http://freeenglishlessonplans.com

Reference:

Roblyer, M.D., Doering, H. (2014) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching.  6th Edition. Pearson Education Ltd.

6th January 2016

Planning a lesson with technology

Post to your blog your thoughts about lesson planning with technology.  For those of you who have been teaching post your thoughts about what is the most difficult about planning a lesson and if there are any resources you might like to share.

Lesson planning with technology is essential.  It is also essential to have a back-up plan as technology has a tendency to fail at the most critical time. e.g. when you are being observed or during an assessment/exam.  I've seen technology fail at conferences in front of 1,000 people.  Whatever learning aim or objective you are using the technology for needs to be able to be adapted in the event that it doesn't behave the way it should.   For example, if the lesson is about composing emails and the system is down, have paper handouts prepared with key vocabulary and activities, matching, cloze etc.  Simmons & Hawkins (2009) discuss the importance of setting learning objectives that could incorporate a variety of activities, for example in an email lesson:
1.  Pupils know the key vocabulary
2.  Pupils know the relative advantages and disadvantages of email, 'snail mail', telephone and face-to-face communication.
3.  Pupils know how to send receive and attach
4.  Pupils know the potential dangers of email - contact with strangers, malware, phishing. (p. 58)

Teachers could design a variety of activities to achieve these objectives which don't necessarily involve using the technology directly.  A few years ago I used to use a text book called "Internet English", it was designed for adult ESL students and had a variety of activities around topics of interest.  Most of the activities were designed to be done collaboratively in pairs or groups, not on the computer, so it focused on constructivist strategies, of course there were "hands on" activities involving using search engines to locate information etc, a lot of those tasks I set students to do outside class for homework.  Unfortunately this publication went out of date very quickly and I'm not sure if a current version is still in print, if I find it I will post details on the Wiki.  I found it very useful at the time.

I always advise new teachers to arrive early and go to the classroom to check that everything is working properly well before the class is scheduled to begin, they should also store the phone number of technical support person in their phone.

Another huge time waster is when students' log ons / passwords don't work.  You can spend precious lesson time trying to help individual students log on or retrieve or reset a forgotten password.  I've had experience with this,  on occasions in the past I have logged in several students under my username and password just so we could get on with the lesson.   If possible have a list of students' usernames and passwords in the roll, of course there are privacy issues with this.  Where I work at TAFE I advise students to only use their TAFE username and password for TAFE work, they should use a different one for personal use. 

I was interested to read Simmons & Hawkins (2009) discussion about how the updated version of Bloom's Taxonomy (by Anderson & Krathwohl 2001) can be applied in the classroom incorporating technology.  Bloom believed that most learners could achieve provided they were given enough time and support (p. 58).  Simmons & Hawkins (2009) use the example of the email lesson using the taxonomy to set an appropriate level of challenge for the learning objective: "pupils know relative advantages and disadvantages of email, 'snail mail', telephone and face-to-face communication" (p. 59),  they then set out learning objectives to match every category on the taxonomy (figure 4.3 p. 60).  Not every student would achieve every level in every lesson, but over time most students could be expected progress through the levels.   Technology allows students to work independently in the classroom.  In language learning this is important as students need to time to learn at their own pace.

References:

Simmons, C., & Hawkins, C. (2009) Planning to teach an ICT lesson.  In Teaching ICT (pp. 54-105). London ; Sage Publications Ltd.

6th January 2016

Which curriculum you will be using, what your initial ideas are about your series of lessons and what parts of the curriculum document refer to ICT integration and how you will include this aspect of the curriculum.  You might have some ideas about hardware and software as well, although hopefully you are beginning to see that the use of technology in the classroom doesn't start with the technology.

I will be using the curriculum for Certificate III in Advanced English for Further Study (10082NAT) as this is the course I mostly teach on.  Some elective units in the course are specifically related to ICT, for example -

• NSWTLRN303A Use collaborative technology to support own language learning
• NSWTTCH201B Read and respond to text in digital and online contexts
• NSWTWTG202B Communicate using graphical and visual techniques
• BSBITU302B Create electronic presentations
• ICPPP397A Transfer digital files

The curriculum document also specifics incorporating technology into the core units, for example:
"Technology - that contributes to effective execution of tasks.  Learners will word process writing for publication.  Example of application in the following unit:

• NSWTESL308A Use English to write a variety of texts for further study purposes. " (p. 8) 

The course program allows some lessons in Microsoft Word to teach students how to use features to present a written report and academic essay.

Students are required to give an oral presentation in the speaking core unit:

• NSWTESL305A Use English to produce a variety of spoken texts for further study purposes.

I will integrate this unit with BSBITU302B Create electronic presentations so the students can deliver their oral presentations with aid of a Prezi or PowerPoint presentation.  Roblyer & Doering (2014) recommend the use of presentation aids in the ESL classroom to "reduce student stress" and "teach valuable skills" and "make classroom presentations more understandable and more enjoyable for both presenters and listeners" (p. 318).  Prezi is the preferred presentation tool now as it is more interactive and enjoyable to use, however some students are comfortable with PowerPoint so they are permitted to use this software in their oral presentation.  Some lessons in the course program are dedicated to instruction in Prezi and PowerPoint.

5th January 2016

Post to your blog your ideas about your software choices in relation to your discipline area and which part of the curriculum you will focus on.

Teaching English to speakers of other languages is my discipline area.  I've just read Ch. 10 "Teaching & learning with technology in the foreign and second language instruction" in Roblyer & Doering (2014).  As they point out on page 325, the overall challenge for ESL (or ELL) teachers is to not only select the most appropriate technologies to use in the classroom, but also the most effective way to apply them to help address the needs of students from very diverse backgrounds, often with differing needs.  Teachers also need to take into account whether English is the second or third language for the learner and also the level of literacy in L1 (first language). 

There has been an explosion in online technologies in language learning over the last decade so there is quite a mine field to navigate when choosing which technolgies to focus on.  Professional development is essential to introduce teachers to relevant new technolgoical resources which are available and to show them how to use them properly and appropriately, this can be informal in collaboration with other teachers (which is most often the case) or in formal settings organised by the school or organisation, or training sessions / workshops delivered elsewhere.  Lack of funds and time are constraints, however, I think it is the responsbility of the school or organisation to allow teachers the time to undertake professional development and to pay for it, if necessary (e.g. by paying for a replacement teacher).  In my department I ensure some of the budget is spent on this, however the budget has been shrinking so it is becoming more and more difficult, therefore more often than not the onus is on teachers to seek out new technologies and learn how to use them in their own time.  Teachers teaching on the same level usually collaborate and show each other new technologies they have discovered, we often have informal workshops after class where teachers demonstrate a technology they have been using recently in class.

Following are some software choices I have chosen in relation to my discipline area.  These choices are applicable to the curriculum of the course Certificate III English for Further Study (EFS) which is an advanced English language course designed to prepare students to study in mainstream vocational courses, or at university. 

• Microsoft Word - essential to present written work, the spell check, thesaurus and tranlsation features are very useful to ESL students.  A requirement in the curriculum for EFS is to present a written report and essay in academic format, I think this is the best and most wide-spread word processing application.  Some time is spent in class learning how to use it.
• Google Translator (http://translate.google.com)  - this can be downloaded as an App on mobile devices, this is very handy as ESL students are constanly coming across new vocabulary, the electronic dictionaries students used to use were cumbersome and often inaccurate, while not fool-proof Google translator is a vast improvement and time saver.  In a monolingual Chinese classroom in my section the teacher has this App open and projected on a screen with the data projector so new vocabulary can be checked as a class activity, they also practice the pronunciation of new words as they come up.
• Prezi (www.prezi.com) - online presentation software, far more flexible and interactive than Microsoft Powerpoint.  A requirement in the curriculum for EFS is to give oral presentations and also to use presentation software.  Prezi provides great support to the students when delivering an oral presentation, they are familiar with the platform as the course is taught using this application.  Presentations in Prezi can be made public and access given to other users to comment etc., (rather like a blog).
• Google blogger (www.blogger.com) -  journal writing has always been an important component in English language learning, it is usually private between the student and the teacher so the student can feel free to express their feelings on a variety of topics and issues relevant to them.  Teachers correct spelling and grammar with a correction code and students re-write the entry with corrections.  This has proven to be an effective way for students to improve their writing skills, blogs are an electronic version of the hand-written journal and have some auto-correct features (such as spell check), however the teacher can still make notes with the correction code (inserting symbols to denote a missing word, or incorrect word order for example).  Specific blogs can also be set up for a unit of work so students can share information with each other (like in this course).