REFLECTIVE SYNSOPSIS – ASSIGNMENT 2
Learning Theory
It
is apparent that there is a smorgasbord of web based tools that can be
incorporated into today’s learning environment. The last 6 weeks have been spent exploring many of these,
and by using higher order thinking, these technologies have been examined in
such a way that they may be scaffolded into our petagogy in a meaningful and
productive way.
It
is my belief that this is the key to using ICT’s well…their use needs to be an
integral part of our petagogy and they need to have a practical and
complimentary use for a particular learning area. We need to make our knowledge relevant but more specifically
we need to apply it using technologies, which are equally relevant. What we ‘know’ is not going to be
enough to sustain our learners as we travel at a dizzying pace through the
digital age. What we ‘don’t know’
will become as important, but more important again will be our ability to
access, understand and apply new information and technology in a relevant and
meaningful way as we travel.
A
reflection on various learning styles can be seen here.
As
George Siemens discusses in his article “A
Learning Theory for a Digital Age” - it is no longer about what knowledge
we possess but more about our ability to employ a connectivist approach to
learning and being able to find the knowledge we will need for tomorrow.
In
Siemens’ words”
Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic
shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic
activity. How people work and function is altered when new tools are
utilized.... Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks
needed for learners to flourish in a digital era.
Education
seems to be slow to recognise the impact digital technologies will have on our
learners and our teaching environment, so keeping pace with the technology our
students take for granted, will only assist us in becoming Digital Natives.
Prensky’s
view of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants is in my view, an accurate
description of how our education system is divided. Our students are vastly
different from students only a decade ago. His comment that “our students are no longer the people our
educational system was designed to teach” rings true. Our students and their needs are rapidly changing and for
our teaching to reach its mark our petagogy needs to be modified and adapted
accordingly.
My TPACK reflection can be viewed here.
After
having read volumes on e-learning and learning theory, having dabbled in ICT
design in a myriad forms and having read the opinions of many others over the
last weeks, the one whose ideas resonated the most for me were by Sir Ken
Robinson… when he said:
Our education system has mined our
minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth, for a particular commodity, and
for the future, it won't serve us. We have to rethink the fundamental
principles on which we're educating our children…We have to be careful now that
we use this gift wisely…And the only way we'll do it is by seeing our creative
capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that
they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this
future -- by the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is
to help them make something of it.
We
need to adopt a well rounded
approach, we need our petagogy to be timely
and relevant, we need to recognise the creativity
of our students in all of its forms,
our lessons need to be well scaffolded
with clearly defined objectives, and technology should be incorporated when it
is complimentary to our learning
outcomes.
De Bonos Hat Wiki
This
part of this reflection will focus on Wikis. The interesting thing to note is my changing opinion as my
learning progressed. As my knowledge has expanded so have my opinions and
perspective on things. Having conducted a range of questionnaires on my own learning styles, I have become more aware of my personal learning style and
where my weaknesses lie. So this
exercise is of particular interest to me as I feel if I participated in it now
that I am a ‘Digital Native’, my experience would be different from several
weeks ago when I was a ‘Digital Immigrant’ (Prensky 2001).
If I
am honest about my experience with the mobile phones wiki I would have to say initially I
was not a fan. I would so like to
be, I wish I could now pronounce myself to be a technological whiz kid, but
sadly, I cannot! I have wikied, I
have vokied, I have Weeblied, and I have Bloggered… and quite honestly I am
buggered!!!
Due
to my learning style I had
difficulty navigating my way around the exercise. It was only upon reflection that I realised that the lesson
itself was to understand the very nature
of what a Wiki was capable of, and how it could be scaffolded to be used in
online learning, rather than get to hung up on the layout.
I found the space messy, hard to follow, untidy and frustrating. It was maddening to me that I spent more time trying to figure out how to follow the layout, and the thread of peoples ideas than I did actually learning how to embrace and fully utilise this form of technology.
I found the space messy, hard to follow, untidy and frustrating. It was maddening to me that I spent more time trying to figure out how to follow the layout, and the thread of peoples ideas than I did actually learning how to embrace and fully utilise this form of technology.
When
trying to follow the quiz wiki and make sense of the feedback comments, I again
spent more time trying to figure out what comments related to what answers than
I did comprehending the academic material. This stance, I know flies in the face of the very intention
of this course, and I have enjoyed my explorations, but I believe that for my
pedagogy to be sound, for my scaffolding to be effective and for my teaching to
be well received, that I need to be more proficient and confident in this area
of expertise.
I have reflected in my blog with regards to the practical application of a wiki and how this kind of learning can be successfully scaffolded into constructivist learning design.
I have reflected in my blog with regards to the practical application of a wiki and how this kind of learning can be successfully scaffolded into constructivist learning design.
Group 1 Tool – Blogger (websites/wikis/blogs)
A
range of different tools were explored within this group of ICT’s. As outlined above I am not yet
completely comfortable with the use of a wiki, but would certainly like to take
more time to perfect it so that it could be incorporated into my learning
design. I have set up a wiki space at https://theictjourney.wikispaces.com/.
Blogger
was one of my favourites. My reflection on this ICT can be found here. As a
long time diary/journal user I liked the chronological nature of this
space. I found being able to add
to my blog spot as I encountered new technologies was a good way to keep track of
my ICT Journey. I also liked being able to review and edit postings as my
perspectives deepened or changed.
I found it to be a user friendly application and could envisage a range
of practical classroom uses. In contrast to my previous position, I found using
a blog a wonderfully successful experience. I enjoyed exploring its possibilities, embedding, sourcing
you tube links, manipulating images using http://www.befunky.com/, sourcing photos using http://www.flickr.com, and even had a go at embedding HTML codes.
My only disappointment to date is that they don’t support audio files,
so I will have to try my hand at movie maker. Some of my image explorations can be viewed here.
I
also attempted the basics of website design which can be found at theictjourney.weebly.com. I also found this to be user friendly
technology. Obviously websites are
more static and less interactive than say a wiki for example, but still a
website seems to serve a purpose still.
Again, there are many uses for a website, but as time passes, the more
interactive technologies seem to be the tool of choice. The timely nature of a website and the
ease of updating information seems to still be a major plus for this kind of
tool. Its ability to link to other
sites, be able to support a range of upload files and formats, and support
image, audio and video make it a powerful and useful tool.
Group 2 Tool – Podcast (images/audio/video)
Because
of the availability of ipods and mp3 players, incorporating podcasts into the
classroom seems a not too distant possibility for a large number of
students. It is an easy, user
friendly, affordable tool that could be used practically in the classroom. I love the idea of students
incorporating recordings into their research. For example providing a recorded commentary of what they
noted on a trip to the zoo/museum/art gallery. Rather that write their findings down, being able to record
them seems like a much more engaging activity. Later they can be edited, uploaded, collated, and used by
the students in a meaningful way.
Podcasts
would also be a great tool to use with spelling words for auditory
learners. Children could record
their own podcasts as a way of learning and repeating spelling words or times
tables. This kind of Behaviourist
learning has a place in early primary years where memory of the basics is
essential.
Children
who are learning by distance education or who are away and need to catch up on
education material, could also use pod casting. Teachers could also record lessons to be used at a later
stage or used for revision.
Students
need to be made aware of what information is available freely and what has
copyright restrictions. The use of
music and other internet based material needs to be referenced and the
appropriate permissions sought.
Images
and Audio were interesting to explore also. There are many and varied uses for images in the classroom. Image manipulation software is a fun way to engage students, and encourage visual
learning.
A reflection on these tools is here and you can listen to my podcast here.
A reflection on these tools is here and you can listen to my podcast here.
Group 3 Tool – Prezi (powerpoint/prezi/glogster)
I
examined a number of tools within this category but found Prezi to be the most
useful. Powerpoint has a range of
uses for the presentation of information and the collation of material in slide
format, however the zooming function in Prezi was very useful. It was user friendly and had a range of
attractive templates on which to build.
Because of its built in zoom function, viewing the slides seems more
interactive. The zoom feature
allows for a closer up look at a particular topic, by drawing attention to key
areas of the presentation.
Prezi
could be used for assignments and presentations for upper primary, but also by
the teacher to introduce new concepts and highlight a particular process. For example the lifecycle of a
sunflower. An example of this kind
of presentation can be seen here.
Group 4 Tool – Museum Box (animations/simulations/concept maps, online timelines)
The
possibilities for a tool like Museum Box seem endless. It could be adapted in a classroom in a
range of ways using a cross section of different applications, including audio,
video and images.
The
advantage of museum box is its range of uses, its visual categorising system
and its layers within each ‘box’. Its school account facility is also an advantage if being used by groups. It is a creative and visual way of ordering thoughts and visual aids,
and would be a stimulating way of encouraging students to use a creative tool
to record their findings.
Like
many of these technologies, a disadvantage I have experienced with many of
these tools is the time taken to learn how to use each of these applications.
Again,
students would need to be made aware of copyright guidelines and safe internet
practices. They would also need to
be advised on using reliable research sources for their material. View my blog posting on Museum Box here.
Conclusion
I
have tackled many technologies as part of this course that I didn’t even know
existed…6 weeks ago I had never heard of a wiki a weebly or a voki, so I have
definitely been on a steep learning curve and have spent a good deal of time
reflecting on how to best incorporate these technologies into my pedagogy in a
meaningful way.
With
new and emerging technologies, many of the legal implications are a work in
progress. It seems that the best
way to advise students on how to legally use other people’s material is to
encourage them to always use attribution.
Lead by example and always show student’s how to best conduct themselves
when using the internet.
References
De Bono, E, (1985) Six thinking hats: An essential approach to
business management. Retrieved from http://www.parade.vic.edu.au/MD/teacher_research_guide/Defining/defining_debono.htmReferences.
Siemens,
G, (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Prensky,
M, (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Hiorizon (MCB University
Press, Vol 9. No. 5, October 2001). Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Robinson,
K. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66
