Reflective Synopsis

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow” (John Dewey). This quote really emphasised the whole learning experience I have engaged in during this course. As time changes so does technology and the tools it offers. If we as Learning Managers ignore the evolution, we are in fact robbing our students of the education they deserve.

Technology can provide an extremely beneficial experience for students and can be used in a variety of ways. I have explored many different tools when working with education in eLearning. Four tools in particular I would like to focus on are: digital video, PowerPoint, Wiki’s and Blogs. Each of these tools caters specific abilities to support different types of learning.  I am going to break down each tool separately, focussing on its relevance and advantages to education.

Digital Video:

There are unlimited ideas for using digital video within education, below are three broad concepts:

-          Recording student performances

-          Using as a resource for teaching specific areas or topics – view previous blog posts http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/digital-pedagogies-video-clips.html. 

http://www.google.com.au/images?hl=en&biw=1362&bih=531&gbv=2&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=Aboriginal+dancing&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

-          Creating assignments for technology where students create their own videos

This tool is a fantastic way to enhance the learning of a visual student. With reference to Blooms Taxonomy (refer to Blog Post: http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/learning-design.html) – using digital pedagogy could be identified in a number of different stages. In particular the Conjunction Junction YouTube clip on my previous post “Digital Pedagogies - Video Clips” could be identified at the Comprehension stage where students grasp the new information presented to them. Giving out information does not necessarily mean learning it, and by using video clips as resources or documentation it can enhance the understanding of a child and help them link the new information to another piece of information.   

Digital videos is a tool that would be most commonly seen in film and television classes – mid secondary. Students are able to create, edit and analyse their work and present their production to the class. It is a way to give opportunity for creative and critical thinking within students.

PowerPoint:

PowerPoint has many features that can enrich a presentation for any lesson. It can be used as an aid for teaching or it can be used in a form of assessment for students to create. As schools grow, alongside technology grows with, and now it is becoming more “normal” to see interactive whiteboards, laptops, projectors, etc., in everyday classrooms.

With all of these aids at our disposal there is no wonder Learning Managers are using technology in everyday learning. One particular use of PowerPoint that I definitely see myself incorporating into my classroom is to record class excursions, investigations and activities. It is a great way to present photos and add in captions or paragraphs. There are also plenty of features to enhance the presentation such as sound, colour and animations. Students absolutely love recalling their experiences and by creating a PowerPoint presentation students are able to view what they did, how they did it and what they discovered. It is also a very useful tool to obtain especially when meeting with parents or other staff members to show what experiences the students have encountered. PowerPoint presentations are also easily uploaded to Wikispaces for online learning.

PowerPoint is also a great tool for students to use when conducting orals or group presentations. There are plenty of reliable and valuable sites that contain great imagery, and ideas for incorporating this into education. This site in particular I found very interesting and informative, it provides understanding for practical ways of enhancing digital images into teaching and learning.  http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/advice/practical-ways-to-use-digital-images-in-teaching-and-learning/%20.

Wikispaces:

A Wiki is another valuable tool to use within a constructive classroom environment. Here is a brief insight into a Wiki from my previous blog post. “A Wiki has an open style which can be constructive for collaborative projects. It limits which users can login and edit the content. A Wiki is continually modifiable and an easy-access web page”.

Although a Wikispace can be modified and information can be changed, it is a useful tool to have when presenting one idea to students as they are then responsible to ‘find the answer’ or ‘reach a decision’. As it is an online tool where students are able to engage in learning outside of the classroom while still working collaboratively.  

I created a Wikispace and developed some exercises along my course journey. If you visit the Wikispace you will see on page “Using Wikis in Education”, that I created an online discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of using Wikis in education. I enabled the content to be modifiable by any participant so that all readers could contribute their views and opinions. I personally learnt a lot from this discussion by interacting with other course members. Studying via flex can be a very daunting and isolated experience, but Wikispaces along with Blogs can really help develop an online interaction.

Blogs:

Essentially, the word “blog” is short for “web log”. Entries (also called “posts”) are displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry being displayed first (at the top of the page). A blog will often revolve around a central theme. This theme can be developed and used effectively within education.

Many classes now are developing their own class blogs. It is a great way for students to become engaged in their learning and show an online interaction. It is also a public view for parents and staff to read about the learning journey of the students. Students can upload only major events (i.e. sports carnivals, fundraising and spelling competitions) or they can upload weekly their learning journey within the classroom environment.

This blog is the first I have used, and it has really helped me reflect and develop my learning journey from this course. It has helped to support me in engaging with connected, collaborative and constructivist learning. I have been able to scaffold my thinking in a critical and complex way. Blogs can be very useful and rewarding, although as a Learning Manager you must be aware of safe and ethical legal policies and guidelines. Below I have included some websites that helped me to gain understanding on these policies and general guidelines.

http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html
http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/legal/lgspr001/
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/946
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/944

When ICT is used appropriately it can become an extremely beneficial teaching aid for all learners. It can provide engagement, increased participation and higher order of thinking and understanding. Technology has become an increasingly recognised aid in classrooms and can truly enhance any lesson. Learning Managers are more trained and involved in ICT now than ever before and this will help them incorporate it into their classroom. I know I will!

References:

Critical Thinking. (2009). Retrieved 27 7, 2010, from AUSTHINK: http://austhink.com/critical/

Fasso,W, 2010. Week 2: Effective eLearning Design, lecture notes; word doc Legally, Safely and Ethically, FAHE11001 Managing eLearning, CQUniveristy, Mackay

Media, J. D. (2010, June 1). Practical Ways to Use Digital Images in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/advice/practical-ways-to-use-digital-images-in-teaching-and-learning/%20.

Nickel., J. (2010, January 23). Blooms Taxonomy in the Classroom. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from Differentiated Instruction Using Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy : http://www.suite101.com/content/blooms-taxonomy-in-the-classroom-a193162#ixzz14f0Vqla7

Richardson, C. (2008, June 17). 21st Century Learners: An Introduction . Retrieved December 10, 2010, from http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/editorial/54-students/100-21st-century-learners-an-introduction

References for online comments:

Leah’s Blog – comments on digital imagery

http://leahbliss.blogspot.com/2010/12/images-in-classroom.html#comments

Carla’s Blog – reflective comments on digital pedagogies – video clips

http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/digital-pedagogies-video-clips.html#comments

Carla’s Blog – comments on Wiki discussion

http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/contribution-to-discussion-on-wiki.html#comments

Carla’s Blog – comments on Blogs vs. Wikis

http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/blogs-vs-wikis_07.html#comments

Carla’s Blog – reflective comments on Blooms Taxonomy

http://carlascourseblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/learning-design.html#comments

Carla’s Wikispace – online discussion – Using Wikis in Education

http://carlascoursewiki.wikispaces.com/Using+Wikis+in+Education

 

Using Digital Pedagogy in the Classroom

This year I taught a lesson on Aboriginal Culture to my Year 6 students. I based the lesson around Aboriginal history emphasising on the Stolen Generation. I used YouTube clips from the movie Rabbit Proof Fence so that students could feel and understand the life Aboriginals had to encounter. I chose to use YouTube clips of the film for particular scenes that aided my lesson. I did not have the capability to truly explain the history so having these videos helped enhance the learning experience of my students.

I ended each video by having a group discussion with the students asking them questions such as, “What happened in this scene? How did it make you feel? Was there justice in what happened?” Because students were able to visualise the events and related back to it they began to make comprehension of our real Australian history. I then incorporated Aboriginal tradition (Aboriginal flag, food, lifestyle, traditional dances, etc). This was a really effective lesson and it made such a difference, one student in particular was an Aboriginal and he had already watched the whole movie with his family so he explained to the class what happened, what the stolen generation is and had students really engaged. 

 

Digital Pedagogies - Video Clips

I have been looking further into digital pedagogies this week, and have discovered applying digital videos into blogs. There is a large percentage of children (and adults!) that are visual learners. Educating these students with blogs, wikis, etc is an excellent demonstration of understanding your learner’s needs. By incorporating digital tools and video clips into blog pages and websites, children can enhance their understanding by relating it to something they will remember.

This year I was in a Year 6 class and they were re-visiting conjunctions. The Learning Manager played a YouTube clip that was extremely beneficial to a number of students. Some just could not remember that conjunctions consisted of 'and, but, or' and it was difficult for them to keep this information stored. After watching the clip and listening to the song behind it, they were more confident and excited about what they were learning. Something as simple as a YouTube clip can really benefit your learners and develop their understanding.

References:

Study & Learning Centre - Picture:
http://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/1_StudySkills/study_tuts/learning%20styles/visual.html

Conjunction Junction - YouTube Clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkO87mkgcNo

Digital Pedagogies

This week I have been exploring a range of online tools that can be used through education. I have created a PowerPoint presentation which has been uploaded to my Wikispace. Please follow the below link to access it. Feel free to add comments or views about the PowerPoint tool.

http://carlascoursewiki.wikispaces.com/Digital+Pedagogies+

Personal Temperament Report

This week I took the test provided on our Moodle site to test my personal Temperament. I found the questions very relevant on determining my attitudes and values. It was interesting to see my "Temperament Result" and I found myself relating to and agreeing with a lot of the explanations. I would encourage everyone to take this test even to view the result themselves it really does put a perspective on things. My results showed that my personality type is that of a “Guardian”.

“Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population, and a good thing, because they usually end up doing all the indispensable but thankless jobs everyone else takes for granted.”

 

After reviewing my results from the Temperament Test I determined my personal learning style by using the Silver-Hansen-Strong Learning Styles Inventory.  I found that I use the sensate-feeling (SF) learning style. The key word associated with this learning style "interactive". Key terms are: sympathetic, friendly, group harmony, cooperative learning, jigsaw, group investigation. SF learners need to be involved in face-to-face communication in interdependent and collaborative ways to achieve a common goal or outcome determined by themselves or by the instructor.

I found that I do relate to this, I work best collaboratively and with visual things. I like to either work with a team and bounce ideas and issues off each other or lead a team towards achieving a goal. It is understandable that everyone is an individual and has their own personal learning styles.

Contribution to Discussion on Wiki

Hi All,
I have posted a table discussion on the topic based around advantages and disadvantages on using wikis as online learning. Please participate towards this discussion as I, and many others would love to see a variety of views and opinions on this area. You can access the page at: http://carlascoursewiki.wikispaces.com/Using+Wikis+in+Education

Learning Design

Blooms Taxonomy

"Over fifty years ago, Benjamin Bloom developed his cognitive taxonomy that is still used widely in education today".(Bloom's Taxonomy in the Classroom: Differentiated Instruction Using Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy http://www.suite101.com/content/blooms-taxonomy-in-the-classroom-a193162#ixzz14f0Vqla7)

 

Blooms Taxonomy is a framework that classifies knowledge from a low level (Knowledge, Understanding and Application) to higher level (Analysis, Evaluation and Synthesis). This framework identifies three domains of learning: Cognitive, Affective and Psycho-Motor. It provides a basic sequential model for dealing with topics in the curriculum and also suggests a way of categorising levels of learning.

v  Cognitive: the most-used of the domains, refers to knowledge structures (although sheer “knowing the facts” is its bottom level). It can be viewed as a sequence of progressive contextualisation of the material. (Based on Bloom, 1956)

v  Affective: the Affective domain has received less attention, and is less intuitive than the Cognitive. It is concerned with values, or more precisely perhaps with perception of value issues, and ranges from mere awareness (Receiving), through to being able to distinguish implicit values through analysis. (Kratwohl, Bloom and Masia (1964))

v  Psycho-Motor: Bloom never completed work on this domain, and there have been several attempts to complete it. One of the simplest versions has been suggested by Dave (1975): it fits with the model of developing skill put forward by Reynolds (1965), and it also draws attention to the fundamental role of imitation in skill acquisition.

This image was extracted from Google Images

Applying this framework to today's learners

Bloom’s taxonomy provides a guideline for creating assignments, discussion questions, and assessments that address the kinds of skills that students must develop to be critical thinkers and learners. The first and second steps of the taxonomy are often where teachers spend most of their time, but the last four steps are where critical thinking is developed.

References

Nickel, J. (2010 , January 23). Bloom's Taxonomy in the Classroom. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from Differentiated Instruction Using Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy : http://www.suite101.com/content/blooms-taxonomy-in-the-classroom-a193162

Blogs Vs Wikis

This week I have been exploring the concept of Wikis and their comparison to Blogs.  I have created my first Wikispace, please click on the following link to view it. http://carlascoursewiki.wikispaces.com/  

A Wiki has an open style which can be constructive for collaborative projects. A Blog mainly aids general discussion or brainstorming. With both in mind they can be used to appropriately suit educational purposes.  

A Wiki limits which users can login and edit the content. The main difference between a Wiki and a Blog becomes the layout and organisation of content and resources posted. A Wiki is continually modifiable and an easy-access web page, while a Blog contains a more journalistic format which categorises dates of content so the views can see the expansion of ideas related to the Blog topic in question.

Both Wikis and Blogs range vastly in the area of educational usage. You can create a Wiki for class attendance sheets, information research tasks, discussions for class assessment material, etc. Although both Blogs and Wikis are extremely practical for schooling environments, the construction of a lesson needs to be engaging and some teachers can create a magnificent lesson with all students engaged in a positive learning experience without using any form of technology.

Please visit this excellent resource: 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom, to enhance your understanding of the benefits Wikis can bring to education. http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/

References:

Teaching.org, S. (2010). Smart Teaching. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom: http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/

How would a Blog be useful in your teaching context?

A Blog is a website, usually maintained by someone who updates with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or graphics, videos, etc. This website obtains the ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive form of communication. This concept would be rather useful with teaching, as Learning Managers can post an idea or a concept relative to an area currently being studied. Then they are able to track understanding of students who reply with statements and input towards the original blog.

This is a great tool for enforcing collaborate learning within a school environment. Students would build relationships by participating in discussions with one another. Numerous researchers have found that students work more effectively and have a higher understanding of material when taught in a collaborative environment (Brady, 2006). Using a Blog in any teaching context would also enable cognitive learning which once again would benefit the learners.

Prensky (2005) claims that “if you cannot engage young people in education then you will enrage them”. What is more engaging to a young person then using the internet to discuss things with other young people? With technology vastly becoming a vital aspect of life, it is essential that students are given the opportunity to learn about computers and the internet and are taught how to use these resources effectively. By using a Blog in a teaching context, you would accomplish a valuable and productive way of learning.

References

Brady, L. (2006). Collaborative Learing in Action. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

Prensky, M. (n.d.). Engage me or Engrage me. Retrieved 11 3, 2010, from http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/02/28/engage-me-or-enrage-me-educating-todays-digital-native-learners-2/