Reflective synopsis

The past eight (8) weeks have been an adventure to say the least.  With the introduction to so many new digital technologies and pedagogical frameworks that initially made my head spin with excitement and fear.  On one hand I was excited at the possibility of using many of these new technologies within my teaching practice to help engage learners, but on the other hand I was fearful of what was ahead of me. 

In today's society of digital learners, the classrooms are being transformed with the implementation of not only these ICT's, but the way in which students are being taught, to gain the most favourable outcomes.  Education has moved from Mode 1 knowledge, which was basically discipline based, towards Mode 2 knowledge, where education is focused on allowing students to become involved in their own learning, concentrating on and producing higher order thinking skills.  Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p. 25) assert "in the former, the discipline tends to determine the context and outcomes, whereas in the latter, knowledge is intended to be useful to someone whether in classrooms, the community, industry, government or society more generally."

As educators it is up to us to prepare these students for their careers and life outside of school.   Globalisation has transformed companies in the 21st Century and educators must prepare students for these changes.   Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p. 26) concurs "the purpose of education systems is to prepare young people in appropriate ways for the challenges and responsibilities they will face throughout their lives, ... and if society is changing, so should the way in which we introduce young people to it."  Through the implementation of ICT's within the classroom, I believe learning becomes more student centred and aligns significantly with the Engagement theory by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) which incorporates the 'Relate - Create  - Donate' theory, as well as Active learning. I endeavour to use these theories as the framework for my own pedagogical rationale.  For learning to take place, students need to be involved in the process, have an authentic task that is valued in the real world, and the task should be problem-based.

When designing my lessons, in addition to these theories, I would ensure that I follow Lynch's pedagogical framework of the eight learning management questions (8LMQ's) to scaffold student learning.  Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p.  31) describe this by way of "Diagnosing learners, analysing the situation; judge the availability of resources and plan accordingly; design strategies to achieve learner outcomes; implement strategies; evaluate the effectiveness; and use feedback to redesign another cycle."  Not only do we need to know about our students and how they learn, we need to implement useful and authentic tasks into their learning to engage students in the learning process.  As discussed by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) for effective learning to occur there needs to be "an emphasis on collaborative efforts, project based assignment, and non-academic focus."  Thus providing a collaborative class environment allows for creativity to occur, relating to meaningful and authentic learning.  By following the Engagement theory it has become apparent to me that this framework complements Marzarno and Pickering's Dimensions of Learning, as it promotes critical, creative and self regulated thinking.

The ICT's that have been discussed over the past eight (8) weeks have opened up my eyes as to how interactive a classroom can be, as well as ways in which you can cater for diverse learners and learning styles through the use of technology.  The following ICT's will describe ways in which e-learning can be used to support and enhance what students learn, how they learn and when and where their learning takes place.  One of the basic ICT's that can assist and support learning is PowerPoint, catering for students with diverse learning styles when presenting information to the class.  This could be in the form of an informative presentation incorporating pictures from Flickr that can be manipulated in Picnik, music and videos/You Tube embedded into the presentation.  An example of this can be viewed on my blog post.  PowerPoint presentations are a great way for students to interact with simple technology to create something that is fun and engaging.  PowerPoint's can be used as a slide show presentation during a parent teacher night, presenting students work which would incorporate an animation they have previously designed.

The Interactive White Board (IWB)is a great tool to enhance student learning and an efficient and effective way for teachers to implement their lessons, whilst encouraging interaction. I discuss in my blog on IWB's the type of lessons that can be implemented, and the reaction of students towards this new invention.  IWB's make learning interactive, interesting, entertaining and engaging for all involved.  I plan to use the IWB for research with the students as well as the students being able to manipulate text within our unit on narratives.  They will be completing tasks such as cloze activities together or in small groups, throughout a lesson.  Another way to incorporate ICT's to engage learners in the classroom, is through the use of Voki Avatars.  These are fun and interesting characters that enable the teacher to present information on a topic as the 'hook', but more importantly, I believe they are great for students to utilise within their own projects.  My blog on Voki Avatars describes a way in which these fun and creative character can be utilised in teaching and learning.

Wikis allow diversity within student age groups (P-12) as well as allowing utilisation in a wide scope of KLA's.  Wikis are another way in which students can interact with 21st Century technology, through the use of collaboration with peers, when working on an authentic task.  The brilliance of a wiki is it can be used outside of the classroom enabling students to access it at any time to edit or add information.  There are so many ways in which a class can use a wiki, from creating a textbook, culminating ideas to be put on a menu, to summarizing a chapter in a novel.  I have discussed the ways in which you could use a wiki in my blog post on wikis in the learning environment.

Marzano and Pickering (2006, p. 189) assert that when students "perceive tasks as meaningful and relevant, they are motivated to acquire the knowledge needed to complete the task.  As a result, they may achieve a higher level of understanding and proficiency related to that knowledge." I believe that when using an ICT such as Google Earth to create an interactive tour of a specific region Marzano and Pickering's DOL 4 is being addressed.  Carolyne Thornton has shown how this could be done in her blog on using Google earth for educational purposes.  I have further discussed in my own blog posting how Google earth will be used in my classroom during my EPL this term.  Chloe Dux has also created a tour that she will implement with her class to encourage and motivate students.

I can definitely see the benefit in students using a blog in their learning.  Blogs are a collaborative tool that allows teachers and students the ability to interact in and out of school.  Students can use blogs as a reflective journal tool and as discussed by Phebe Moore, this is an excellent way of incorporating literacy skills alongside ICT skills and it can be adapted to each KLA you wish to design it for.

I believe there are many ICT's I will come into contact with during my career, and they will be constantly changing with society.  Utilising and interacting with ICT's provides a teaching and learning environment that is in line with Engagement theory, by providing authentic learning contexts to encourage student motivation and satisfaction.  The ICT's I have discussed and endeavour to use within my teaching practice promotes interaction, collaboration, authentic tasks, active learning, higher order thinking skills and creativity.  These align with engagement theory, active learning practices, mode 2 knowledge, Lynch's 8 LMQs and all of the habits of minds by Marzano and Pickering.  ICT's provide a pathway to the educational resources and learning experiences from around the world. No matter where your students or school are positioned, due to technology the playing field is equal.  So now, geographic location is no longer a handicap in terms of educational equity. By incorporating ICT through the use of the Engagement theory framework, teachers are equipping students with skills to be able to embrace life through lifelong learning.

References


ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Active learning online. Retrieved from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Aldred, S. (2010). EDED20491 - ICTs for learning design: Study guide. Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity Australia.

Felder, R & Solomon, B,. (2004). Learning styles and strategies.  Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

Houghton, J., & Sheehan, P. (2000). A primer on the knowledge economy. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for tehnology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Lucas, G. (2007). George Lucas: Sharing his hope for education at dreamforce. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/george-lucas-education-dreamforce-2007.

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D.  (2006).  Dimensions of learning: Teachers manual (2nd ed.).  Victoria, Australia:  Hawker Brownlow Education.

Pearce, J. & Bass, G.  (2008).  Technology toolkits: Introducing you to Web 2.0.  Victoria, Australia:  Nelson Cengage learning.


The following URL's are evidence of my communication with other students

http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/2010/04/wiki.html#comments

http://anthonyejournal.blogspot.com/2010/04/acvokiembed20026781f1d820b3db6bf9892611.html#comments

http://eplumb10a2.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-experience-with-flickr.html#comments

 http://learningjourneycaro.blogspot.com/2010/04/music-in-education.html#comments

http://phebemoore.blogspot.com/2010/04/creativity-break-through.html#comments