Monkey scribbles …

I was fascinated recently to listen to the Learning Lama, as part of a Literature Circle presentation, describe and partially demonstrate  a brief overview of how to setup an IWB for around $50. Yes, that is correct $50 – a fraction of what you pay for a wall mounted/mobile IWB or mimio device … and, all that you require for the setup of this cheaper version of an IWB is a Wii controller, a self-made infra-red pen, a bluetooth device, some special software that can be downloaded and a sense of invention and creativity!!! Possibly, one could say a really good problem solving task involving ICT … For those needing some DIY assistance then using the suggested video link you will get the visual and verbal explanation of how best to got about creating your own IWB, and the IWB guide will pace you through the steps required. 

A worthwhile use of ICT to explore and consider … What do you think??

Gilbert (2009) states that “Teachers should relax about pupil’ mobile phones – they can boost standards and liven up the lesson if used imaginatively”.  He believes that “As teachers we have a duty to show children that these pieces of technology are not taboo items … and that they can have a very real role in the classroom”. He has found that other teachers, like him, are up in arms about students using mobile phones in classrooms. 

Nottingham University conducted a survey recently to consider ways in which mobile phones can really help boost standards. They found that if mobile phones were used wisely and imaginatively then the benefits for worthwhile learning of individuals was enhanced. Examples of the use of mobile phones by students included setting deadlines on digital diaries, using bluetooth to send work to one another, researching issues on the web, and taking videos of the teacher explaining key concepts during a class. An exciting enhancement in mobile phones and one that has a central use to learning is the advent of “e-books”. The use of this tool on a mobile phone allows for not needing to carry around numerous, heavy textbooks or forgetting to bring items required to classes.

As Gilbert (2009) identifies, “… mobile phones are here to stay and are increasingly becoming a vital part of our modern world”. Further, he states that “It’s time for the teaching profession to enter the 21st century and embrace mobile phones as tools for learning, not agents of destruction”.

Reflection

What experience(s) do you have with mobile phones in the classroom?

What strategies would you employ to actively use mobile phones when teaching in your subject area(s)?

I was interested in a post by Kearney (2009) entitled ‘Young people as ‘digital bricoleurs’. The term bricoleurs was the thing that grabbed my attention given it was a term that I had not seen before. Kearney (2009) refers to the metaphor as being “… most suitable for thinking about the type of new media activities some children are participating in”. He continues by stating that “As well as reading, critiquing and listening to new media, these young people are typically creating, ‘mashing’, publishing and ‘talking around’ personally and culturally meaningful artefacts”.  In essence, Kearney is referring to technology and digitilisation; students and their ability to develop, create and accept ownership of artefacts; valuing, culture and change; user-friendliness and accessibility of collaboration tools; and, the audience for whom the artefacts have been created and, how they might “explore, share and interact with others”. 

Reflection

1.  What is your understanding of the term ‘bricoleur’?

2.  What place do ‘Young people as digital bricoleurs’ have in classrooms today?

References (used in Kearney’s post)

Brown, J. (2000). Growing up digital: How the web changes work, education, and the ways people learn. Change, March/April, 11-20.


Hsi, S. (2007). Conceptualizing learning from the everyday activities of digital kids.
International Journal of Science Education, 29:12, 1509 – 1529 

Lees (2008) writes that “Technology is forging new ways of teaching and learning“.  She identifies that “Technology is changing the way we learn. That is a given as school students — the ubiquitous digital natives — come to class equipped with skills and expectations unparalleled in schools in 20 years”. As a consequence, maybe, or rather as a matter of course, technology is also changing the way in which teachers teach. Lees (2008), in reference to the changes occurring to how teachers teach, states that “from how they engage their students and manage their classrooms, to how they shape their working day, manage their professional lives — and indeed how they think about a career in education”. 

Teacher, Wendy Pettit, refers to the impact that technology has had on her Year 5 class and feels that the adoption and change “has been gradual and led by the students”. Dale Spender, an educationalist, sees the shift with technology to be fundamental and states, “There has been a switch from passive to active learners, and active learners need a different range of support staff”. Spender continues by speculating that “skills and new areas of expertise will grow”. Matthew Kearney, a senior lecturer at UTS, “… makes the point that technology will have an impact on how educators manage their career profiles, build their credentials and gain professional recognition …”. He continues by stating that technology will offer teachers “… a flexible and convenient way to develop professionally, providing an opportunity to exchange resources and share success stories”. 

Reflection

1.  In what ways do you think technology is changing the way that we learn?

2.  How will technology assist you as an educator with your class(es)?

Reference

Lees, Kirsten. (April 05, 2008). Teachers on learning curve. The Australian.

Perkins (2009) refers to a pilot program where iPods are used for school work. The results include improved attendance by students and an increase in the enthusiasm for learning in classrooms and the completion of homework. Classroom teacher, Louise Duncan, who has set up the project at Shepparton High School in central Victoria made an interesting comment from her observations when she states that “… not all teenagers were comfortable in a digital environment. We assume that 14-year-olds are really technologically savvy, but they’re often not”.

Reflection

1.  What innovative ways do you thing iPods could be used within a classroom to deliver lessons that will engage today’s student?

2.  Why is there an assumption that all students today are “technologically savvy” when it appears that this is not necessarily the case?

Reference

Perkins, M. (January 2009). Homework is fun on a touchscreen. The Sydney Morning Herald – Weekend edition: Education.

Perkins, M. (January 3, 2009). Homework is fun on an iPod Touch. The Age.

Mariella comments briefly about the characteristics of today’s students and supports this with a short video by  Michael Wesch, entitled ‘A vision of students today‘. This video summarises in an effective manner some of the characteristics of students today. Mariella states, in reference to the statistics displayed, that she isn’t surprised by what is highlighted. She continues by identifying that “Once again, it highlights the major influence that the internet has in learning & exploration for the majority of students”.

This is a worthwhile video to look at and to compare with an earlier posting of mine (September 29th, 2008) relating to the “Challenges of teaching … which was also supported by a short clip identifying the needs of students and a vision of where teaching and learning today is headed to support, encourage and nurture individuals …

Nyssa (2008) describes her inexperience with interactive whiteboards in the classroom setting and refers to a worthwhile video segment ‘Interactive Whiteboards: Boon or Boondoggle?’

She refers to the research that “overall, the pace of lessons, student motivation and engagement, and teacher preparation are all improving with the use of this technological tool. Some have stated that student engagement with the use of Interactive Whiteboards is unlike any other technology”. She poses an interesting question to reflect upon in terms of:

Have you ever been “Googled” or maybe “Googled” somebody else?

I have, and it set me back a little to realise how much information was out there and easily accessible to many at the touch of a finger on a keyboard about my professional experiences. This has been further reinforced by a recent article by Richardson (2008) that I have read that describes the concept of “Digital Footprints in the Digital Age“. Richardson refers to the “consequences of the new Web 2.0 world that these digital footprints are being woven into the fabric of almost every aspect of our lives”. A personal footprint allows others to view an online portfolio of your achievements and information gathered from sources including blog posts, news articles, Facebook groups, YouTube videos and builds a picture of various aspects of your involvement and daily interests.

“Whether we like it or not, social Web technologies are having a huge influence on students who are lucky enough to be connected, even the younger ones” (Richardson, 2008). He continues by stating that “they’re creating all sorts of content—some, as we all know, doing so very badly—and they’re doing all sorts of things with online tools that, for the most part, we’re not teaching them anything about. In the process, they’re becoming Googleable without us”. By and large, they do all this creating, publishing, and learning on their own, outside school, because when they enter the classroom, they typically “turn off the lights” (Prensky, 2008).

What are our thoughts on digital footprinting? Are there issues that we as educators should be considering when informing and teaching our students about the many facets of technology and being aware of who is out there and what they can see/read?

Reference

Balista, H. (July 17, 2007). Our Digital Footprints: Google’s (and Microsoft’s) most valuable asset. *reference for image include in post

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Richardson, W. (2008). Digital Footprints in the Digital Age. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 16-19.

Did you know that “This year’s crop of Year 12 students was born at the same time as the first web browser (Head, 2008)?”

With the vast changes in technology, online growth and access to resources has been so fast that students today are able to access more than 100 million websites – amazing!

Students entering today’s classrooms are digital natives who have grown up with technology and are not aware of a lifestyle that does not include computers, mobile phones, electronic gaming and the many other things that are a natural part of their day. This interest and knowledge of technology by the “natives” impacts on teaching, delivery of lessons and engagement of individuals. There are professional development needs by the “immigrants”, as they consider effective ways in which to use technology as a tool for learning, recording assessments and meeting syllabus outcomes.

John Pegg, professor in mathematics and education at the University of New England, who co-authored the Partnerships in ICT Learning (PICTL) study (October, 2007) stated that he believed there was “a profound gap between what people hope rolling out computers into schools will do, and what will more likely be achieved”. He continued by commenting that by “Just paying for computers to be installed in schools is the easy option … the hard work is the professional development of teachers and updating of assessment techniques”.

Reflection

1. What do you see as important in terms of teacher professional development relating to the use of ICT?

2. Have you experienced any worthwhile ICT professional development that has assisted you in your classroom practice?

Reference

Head, B. (September 2008). Who’s Teaching Who? Education Review: Technology Guide.

Available at: www.educationreview.com.au; www.campusreview.com.au 

Partnerships in ICT Learning (PICTL) study

Available at: http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/36691A6C-2772-484C-A9F7-30F51A1B83E6/22590/pictl_case_studies1.pdf

“Social networks, simulations, and digital gaming are bridging the gap between traditional scholastic culture and today’s learners”. Graf & Haas (September/October 2008) consider the way in which educators, researchers, and designers are just beginning to explore the educational benefits of social networking technologies. They believe that social networking technologies assist teachers and students “to extend their learning into an additional space, a space for communicating, collaborating, sharing ideas, and sharing learning”. Experiential learning involving hands-on, real-world experiences are the ideal way in which students actively engage in the learning process and actually learn material. The experiences involve concepts and knowledge related to classroom content. We are reminded that the use of technology, as a tool, in classroom learning situations has to be thought out clearly and purposefully. Tools, when used properly, can provide tremendous value to students and teachers.

Reflection

How would you implement social networking technologies into your classroom teaching and/or KLA?

Reference

Groff, J. & Haas, J. (September/October 2008), Learning & Leading with Technology. pp. 12-13.