Candice’s Blog~ I touch the future.. I teach!

I have enjoyed making my own reflections on the readings and my experiences so far in teaching IT. I feel that I am more equipped now with skills and knowledges that will help me create engaging learning experiences for my students that will cater for a variety of learning styles.

Having worked through several frustrations, I know now what I am capable of and the capabilities as well as limitations of the technology I have the opportunity to work with. Uploading images, documents and other files using edublogs has been time consuming and somewhat frustrating at times, however using my own knowledge I tried new ways and through trial and error found (eventually!) which way worked best.

Personally, I found my background knowledge in HTML, which I began learning myself through a friend and online tutorials when I was 12, very useful in ”getting around” some issues ”a back way”. This is how I changed font sizes to highlight some parts of my reflections as there was no font size element available to use on the dashboard.  I also made some color, image and table changes using HTML. 

 I can still see some elements of my blog I’d like the knowledge and skills to know how to improve, and with time I think I can manage this!

Goodbye for now

Candice

In his writing, Brown (2005) discusses ICT in education in a way that I haven’t read often.

Brown (2005) claims that the current drive to ‘wire’ and ‘mobilise’ Australian schools is highly problematic.

He questions some of the basic assumptions about why ICT is so important in Australian schools offering the reader something I like.. a critical perspective!

Brown (2005) agrees that there is a lot of potential for ‘pedagogical innovation’ using technology in schools, however thinks it can be problematic.
More people are questioning the investment put into new digital technology.. this statement means people are critically reflecting about their decisions which is a good thing but also makes me curious…

Armstrong and Casement (1998) as cited by Brown (2005), claim that it is ‘scandalous’ so much money has been allocated for computers and Internet access with so little evaluation. As a keen evaluator myself, considering all the options, and perhaps seeming picky, I feel putting technology under scrutiny could be a positive and worthwhile process. After all, teachers do not have time to waste.

Armstrong and Casement (1998) as cited by Brown (2005), wrote that a whole generation of children are involved involuntarily in a huge social experiment. I would argue that this could be viewed as a more positive than detrimental venture for students as they learn and critique processes as they go. 

“There is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve teaching and learning” (Armstrong and Casement, 1998).

I feel this statement is a huge exaggeration! It depends on the context and whether the technology is being used effectively of course..

“computer use may be detrimental to our brains, bodies and spirits” (Healy, 1998).

I read this and laughed! Our brains, bodies and spirits cope with many changes and I’m sure it would thrive on this one..

“Technology..sends the wrong message by making learning appear colourful and fun when it actually requires hard work and discipline”

What!! Behaviorism was sooo 30 years ago… 

Teachers can use ICT to enhance the holistic goals of early years education (Abbot, Lachs and Williams, 2000). 

Finally something to agree on..  

Thinking about the future, Brown (2005) points out that a growing population of the workforce will need computer skills. Cuban (1998) poses an interesting question.. “whether the current status of ICT in schools will help create the type of critically informed students and citizens we seek.” I feel I haven’t had much experience to answer this question.. but I hope I can once I have completed my 10 week Practicum.

Brown (2005) suggests that ICT should be used to develop a digital curriculum for students to learn to think critically and become critical citizens. I think this shows that technology, if used for a meaningful purpose, can be beneficial in the classroom.

I often come to the same question when reading about ICTs, who will support the teachers who are expected to change their pedagogies and teach the use of ICTs when many of them themselves are still learners?

Brown (2005) talks about the Learning Federation (which we joined a few weeks ago in IT) which has the Pedagogy Strategy offering “professional support and leadership required to ensure teachers develop their confidence and capability in utilising ICT to create new learning possibilities.” Perhaps initiatives such as this can help teachers in their increasingly large task of teaching using ICTs?

Teachers are the education workers whose role it is to “implement rather than critique government policy” (Brown, 2005). This is true… how can teachers be expected to do both? The government policy should be the best methods, refined and reviewed by the time teachers see them.

‘Propaganda’ is the term Brown (2005) uses to describe how teachers may be mislead and hidden from the tensions of technology. Is propaganda an exaggeration? Perhaps not. I feel I am educated, but I seek education. I am a student teacher and I have opportunities to learn and critique. Do they have the opportunities? I feel teachers already in the profession need much more professional development; the opportunities to discover and reflect would enable them to know the reasons why pedagogy should be changed and what isn’t necessarily beneficial so to use their time most effectively.

References

Brown, M. (2005). The growth of enterprise pedagogy: How ICT policy is infected by neo-liberalism. Australia Educational Computing, 20(2), 16-22.

This week we read about Webquests. My first encounter with Webquests was last year when we analysed 2 Webquests I found on the web; here are the links –

So You Think You Can Run A Restaurant?
Available from: http://questgarden.com/47/60/6/070307175412/t-index.htm

Le Cirque
Available from: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/langacad/lecirque/eval.html

I used this rubric to evaluate the Webquests last year..
Available from: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet (Bernie, 1997)

I learnt that there are two different types of Webquests and each has a different purpose in the classroom, a different instructional goal.

I compared short and long term webquests in this table.

 Both kinds of webquests are designed to make the best use of the learner’s time, as suggested by Bernie (1997). Bernie (1997) made a good point when claiming that “there is questionable educational benefit in having learners surfing the net without a clear task in mind.” I agree, however I do see some benefit in allowing students to ‘surf the net’ so to explore and get used to using the technology. I also understand that without a goal to achieve or some direction, many students can get lost in a domain as large as the worldwide web.

Webquests encourage students to develop and use Thinking skills such as..

• Comparing
• Classifying
• Inducing
• Deducing
• Analysing errors
• Constructing support
• Abstraction
• Analysing perspectives
   

The second reading discussed (in an interactive step by step format) the different aspects of a webquest and their significance.

“Students should spend their time researching important questions, questions which require original thought. No more simple “Go Find Out About” research which requires information gathering but little thought.” (McKenzie, 2000)

I believe that the questions are the key to how much students learn and which way they learn ie. Students can develop higher order thinking skills dependent on what questions are asked in the first place. Questions that ask Why, How or ask a student to evaluate which is best and will produce a better outcome are such questions that should be used.
 

McKenzie (2000) provided this image of the research cycle to use for Webquests. I found it was a good guide in developing a plan to implement to achieve the goal. It also has ‘Evaluate’ several times in the process, which I feel emphasises the importance of regular review and evaluation of the progress so far.

Here is a Mind Map I created using Inspiration about Webquests! It summarises some of the information I learned from the readings.

                                   
Preparing Students for E-learning talked about the different aspects that require thought and action for e-learning to be most effective.

 E-learning requires students to have

• an environment with a  PC, connection and software
• some technological skills about how to use the learning system
• some prerequisite knowledge
• study skills to progress through the course
• support for when students run into problems
• engaging and interactive content (the writer made a good point that mous clicking won’t necessarily motivate students!). Teachers can use resources available online, such as a learning object from the The Learning Federation. Here’s a learning object about ecology and habitats
• motivation to learn and a need to learn
• an instructor who is aware of the students’ needs and concerns and wants to motivate them and involve them
• technology and tools to involve them and help them connect with each other, their content and their instructor. 
• organised learning times and resources

The writer makes clear that these sorts of experiences can be new disorienting as the students are in a new exploratory environment they are still learning to work in so transitional support is important!

In my own experience, ‘Digital Natives’, are often asking questions relating to online learning and are obviously unfamiliar with the environment for this purpose and unequipped with the skills specific to some learning tasks. I observe how this disadvantages some students (when the instructor assumes the skills of the students and does not have the time or skills themselves to offer assistance).

However, I do believe that learning online offers students exploratory exercises that put them at the centre of their own learning experiences and this is a great thing!

Students, at the centre of their own learning, have a large role to play in e-learning and steps to take in order to make it an effective learning experience for themselves.

Students need a high level of self-awareness to evaluate their expectations and assess the time needed to complete their work. Understanding their motivations or how the understanding the work and obtaining the skills can be beneficial for them can help also.

Students need to be familiar with the computer, internet, software, instructor and fellow students as well as the content to make learning meaningful for them.

Students need to be self-disciplined and understand the importance of being up to date with work and assignments as well as be organised with study time

One of the most important roles of the student I discovered was the ability for a student to be self directed and internally motivated. Intrinsic Motivation is when a student is motivated to accomplish a goal without external reward, rather has a desire to achieve within them. Equally important is the confidence to ask for help when needed as this builds on a student’s self esteem and self worth (their high emotional quotient).

The teacher also has a role in online learning. Teachers need to be supporting their students in their learning by encouraging participation, being flexible and approachable and challenging their students to achieve their best performance.

As suggested by the writer, the teacher’s competency is also very important; it needs to be there for the teacher to fulfill the role of preparing for online learning and supporting their students with problems they come across. I feel to improve the levels of teacher competency, professional development opportunities and frequently using technologies are beneficial.

I like the concept of online learning as it provides opportunities for students to become familiar with the technologies that can help them achieve their goals. Students benefit from being the director of their own learning.

As suggested by the writer, “preparing learners to learn online is perhaps the greatest skill we can offer”.Jonhanssen (2008)
…..Agreed! 

In Meaningful Learning with Technology ,  Jonassen (2008) discussed some issues with education. Students are tested on skills and knowledge detached from their everyday experience and cannot work in cooperation with others.

“Learning to take tests does not result in meaningful learning. In order for meaningful learning to occur, tasks students pursue should engage (them) actively and constructively..” (Jonassen, 2008).

Jonassen (2008) claims that meaningful learning requires learners who are actively engaged by a task.
I agree, as students feel what they are learning is important when they can play a key role in the learning and use what they know. Students can reflect on their activities and observations which helps them find things they can improve on.

“They are curious… the puzzlement is the catalyst for meaning making.” (Jonassen, 2008)

Jonassen talks about the importance of students having an intention, knowing the purpose of their learning. Learners do learn more and think more when they are fulfilling an intention, which can be supported by using technology to complete a task. As learners use the technologies to represent what they understand, know or believe, their constructions in learning, they are more equipped to apply this knowledge in next situations.

It is important for learing to be contextual as when teachers remove the ideas from a natural context they take away the contextual cues students can use to make their learning meaningful! I can see how this would be detrimental, as my in my own experience and on Prac, students who work with problems in a real life context understand them better and can apply them to new situations, which is the importance of learning them in the first place.

“Educators will promote collaborative methods of learning only to resort to independent assessment of learning” (Jonassen, 2008)

Is this really good enough?

Jonassen’s statement unfortunately, so true! A discussion about this problem came up last year in ED1112 with Matthew Etherington and my lecture group. We also decided, as Jonassen (2008) claims, that group work strategies are more likely to fail as students realise the outcomes of their efforts aren’t important. This is a shame, as collaborative learning is a strategy that engages students with the content and each other!

Technology can help for meaningful learning, however it does need to be use the right way. Sometimes it is abused, such as when students reproduce the teacher’s or textbook’s thoughts, rather than what they know. Jonassen (2008) says that technology provides flexible media for representing students’ ideas… and teachers should not overtake!

When teachers are willing to use technology for meaningful tasks for students, it can be useful as tools for representing what students learn, organising their ideas, accessing information, particularly extending to world views (not just restricted to the classroom), and reflecting on their findings.

Ultimately, technology requires students to think and reason, are if used effectively, are perfect tools to support meaningful learning!

References

Jonassen, D. et al. (2008) Meaningful Learning with Technology.

Preparing Students for elearning. (nd.) Retreived March 9, 2009, from
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/Preparingstudents.htm

Who’s for Dinner? Learning Object from The Learning Federation (2008). Available from
http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/viewing/L65/sc_001_crank_006/index.html

In this weeks tutorial, we were posed with the question, “How does social constructivism relate to ICT learning experiences?” I found a few parallels with constructivism and ICT learning experiences in the reading, Translating Constructivist Theory into Practice in Primary-Grade Mathematics (Brewer and Daane, 2002).

As is explained in the paper, Constructivism is “the theory according to which each child builds his own knowledge from the inside, through his own mental activity, in interaction with the environment” Kamii (1985). I believe this means that through their own manipulation of materials and mental thought processes, students use their prior knowledge to build new knowledge to understand ‘how’ or ‘why’.
Von Glaserfield (1990), as cited in the paper, concurs that knowledge is not passively received, rather it is actively built up.

In this video, John Abbott talks about similar ideas on Constructivism, explaining that successful learners usually start with a pool of ideas they already understand and when there is a new idea, it is related to an idea already formed and a ‘bigger framework’ begins to construct as a consequence. The video also discusses the origins of Constructivist theory and Vygotsky.

Brewer and Daane (2002) talk about different aspects of constructivism, many of which i could relate to ICT use in the classroom. Constructivist theory lays importance on process and an emphasis on problem solving. Similarly, the ‘how to’ is very important in using ICTs, as are the opportunities for problem solving as “students are involved in discovery, neogotiation, sharing and evaluation” (Brewer and Daane, 2002).

Brewer and Daane (2002) discussed how constructivist learning involves new knowledge being built on prior knowledge. This aspect would be significant in ICT learning experiences, many of which involve step by step discourse where students learn a path and from there may continue on to progress to their goal.

When reading about constructivist theory, teachers realise how their role changes..
“knowledge comes from within the children. They construct it instead of the teacher being the holder of the knowledge and giving it to the children” (Brewer and Daane, 2002). I can see it important to realise that as teachers, our methodologies would change from directed teaching to constructivist teaching, where the balance of teacher control and student autonomy weighs more with the students. This autonomy is beneficial, as children learn to “take in all things and decide”, as stated by Kamii (1994). Many skills acquired in ICT involve sorting through, selecting the better options, applying strategies, perhaps a few, and finally reflecting and evaluating which strategy worked best ie. which Internet site had more relevance. I often wondered what the teacher’s role is in relation to more student autonomy and constructing their own knowledge rather than receiving it passively as was once the norm. Brewer and Daane (2002) write that teachers can help facilitate knowledge acquisition when under the constructivist theory. They can encourage students to think and reflect by asking questions like:
 * How did you solve the problem?
 * Why did you choose this strategy?

Teachers can also allow opportunities for students to work together, in pairs or groups, when learning with ICTs as many chosen paths work most effectively after being discussed with another, already starting the evaluation process in comparing ‘what might work best’ in the context. Students “are able to find holes in their own thinking” (Brewer and Daane, 2002) when they share thoughts and ideas.

Once again for teachers, there are many opportunities for their own ideas to be shared and for professional development to occur when they work with ICTs in the classroom. As discussed by Brewer and Daane (2002), it is important for teachers to be competent using ICTs as well and learn how to translate constructivist principles into instructional practices in the classroom. Teachers who learn and work together can build a great support network, which is most important when many teachers learning to use and teach with ICTs are digital immigrants and can learn to use skills and strategies most effectively when in co-operation with fellow teachers as ‘learners’.

References

Brewer, J., & Daane, C.J. (2002). Translating constructivist theory into practice in primary-grade mathematics, 123 (2) 416-417.

Building Knowledge: Contructivism in Learning by changelearning (Google: YouTube)

The ‘Digital Natives Debate’ is one that is topical and I found very interesting as it seems to spark so many different theories and arguments from students, educators and others. Reading the writings of Prensky (2001) and Bennett et al. (2007), I was introduced to the language and terms of the debate, and some of the claims and reasoning behind it.

 A Digital Native, as Prensky (2001) described are ” Our students today; all “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet.“

Someone such as myself! Personally, I usually thought it was students such as those I observed during my Practicum experience last year, who managed laptops, interactive whiteboards and visual aid equipment at the age of 8 or 9, who were under this umbrella of  ‘digital natives’.

However, reflecting upon my own history I made some self discoveries..
- I had access to a computer in the home as long as I could remember
- I had access to the Internet at home from when I was 10 ½ (Year 2000)
- I had several hours weekly access to Computers/Internet from Year 7 (2002)
- I began to create my own website, learning HTML and graphics/colour codes from age 11. I remember getting frustrated and came back to it at age 12 feeling more confident. It is still out there! Though with many ads now..
Check it out at www.rainbowrealm.cjb.net
– I owned an Mp3 Player and Digital Camera in Year 10 and regularly used computer technology to manage both.

 At first I wasn’t sure if I agreed with this phrase; ‘single biggest problem’ is a big call.. , however when I thought about how technology has affected my life and my learning, it is quite an issue.

 Overall, I think Digital Immigrants who are supported can learn and integrate ICTs into their teaching methods. As for new teachers, it is just as important to provide learning opportunities for new teachers to become confident and competent using ICTs to aid them in teaching. ICTs can only be used effectively in the classroom by teachers who have proper professional development training and most importantly, a willingness by new and experienced teachers to learn.

References

Levi on Dad’s Computer by Neoneddy (Flickr)
Old Technology Versus New Technology by Brian Auer (Flickr)
Digital Immigrants by Oso (Flickr)

Later…

It is 2009…

 I have a new purpose for my blog: to respond to our readings for the unit, IT for Teaching and Learning, in weekly reflections and to support these reflections with a selection of additional visual and auditory enhancements to enrich my blog so that it caters for a range of learning styles.

Here are my reflections and efforts to cater for different learning styles on my blog..
 :) Candice

Here is my ICT Competency Test after completing all Portfolio Items

ICT Competency Test Improvements

How I fared this time around as compared to the test at the start of the semester
I have improved in the ICT competency test; I was confident in some areas when I originally took the test, however I hadn’t heard of some of them such as Inspiration and Webquest! With a new score of 70/75, I feel i have improved alot and know more about programs I had used before and begun to learn to use new programs, skills which will help in the classroom!

My strengths and weaknesses in relation to ICT as revealed by the test and as compared to the start of the semester

In the first ICT Test, I found that my strengths lie in Basic Computer Use, File Management, Internet Use, Desktop Publishing, Graphics and Photography and Web Published, as explained by my interest and experience in these areas at home and school. However, I had little experience and confidence using Spreadsheets, learning a bit about Constructivist learning at Uni and had never used Webquests or Inspiration. Completing the ICT Competency Test for the 2nd time, after completing all of the Portfolio items and performing well in them, I feel I have made some of my weaknesses into new strengths. With this experience and new skills and knowledge, I am more confident that I will be able to use these programs to support the students’ learning in my classroom.

Areas I feel I still need to work on to make you a proficient user of ICTs in the classroom
I feel I need to do so more work on Spreadsheets; I find the formulae a bit challenging! However I am confident that with more work using Excel, I can practise and perfect my skills, giving more confidence to use the program, particuarly useful for reports and assessments!

How my learning in this unit will assist me in your future career as a teacherI feel that ICT for Teachers has introduced programs which can aid me as a teacher and my students in the classroom for constructivist learning; engaging and interacting. Without the chance in ICT for Teachers to work with these programs and learn new skills or brush up on older skills, I may not have had the confidence to use the programs in the classroom or help students with their work. These skills will allow me to have this confidence and even aid those who are less confident; colleagues and students.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit and I know the skills I have learned and perfected will be very useful when I am a teacher in a few years time, in the classroom for my students and for myself in assessments, reporting and lesson planning in the hope of engaging my students and supporting autonomous, contructivist learning.