Since the turn of the century, the integration of the internet into the daily lives of millions of people has revolutionized the way we seek information and communicate with one another, regardless of if we are in the next room, or half a world away. Computers are now a staple in the majority of classrooms a decade into the new millennium and their usage has inclined over the years with 26% of students beginning before the age of 7, and 51% between the ages of 7 and 10 (ABS). With these statistics in mind; one must consider what online tools and programs a teacher can utilize to develop the computing skills and knowledge of students as well as create an engaging and entertaining lesson.
Over the weeks of this course, I have been introduced to many diverse online tools and programs that have their individual strengths and weaknesses and in turn are suited to different age groups and levels of computer literacy. Each tool can have a place in a learning experience and when used effectively can be engaging and enjoyable for the students in the class. What one must remember is that although the use of ICT in the classroom has great capabilities to assist in teaching, it is to be used with discretion and only when it is deemed to be more suitable and effective than not using the tool/program. Sometimes using a ‘wizzbang’ program to teach a class how to structure a paragraph may be less effective at transferring the knowledge in comparison to a more traditional method that does not involve ICT. It comes down to how effective the tool is in regards to the age group and level of computer skills. I am working with high school students ages 12-18 who all have varying backgrounds in regards to ICT. Statistics show that on average students learn basic computer skills at school as much as they do at home; from simple exploration and experimentation of their home computer they develop their knowledge and skills. ICT in the classroom involves a similar mindset from the teacher, who must experiment with tools and programs to discover its full potential.
The teacher must also think about how the tool will benefit and improve the learning experience: is the tool enriching the lesson? Is using a Voki (shown at http://lachywalker.blogspot.com/) to explain the plot of Romeo and Juliet as effective as simply explaining it yourself? In this context it may not be, but if a student was absent, emailing the student a link to the Voki so they can catch up on the key points of the lesson. The teacher must consider not only the classroom lesson itself, but also what can be achieved outside of the classroom in regards not only to homework but self directed learning from the student and opportunities for students to access classroom work if they were absent or will be away for a period of time. In a high school context, there are a number of students who complete work experience during the week and subsequently miss days of school. Rather than the student fall behind or have to work harder in class to make up time, the student can be emailed the notes and activities from the lesson they missed and can catch up before the next lesson. Creating a blog that students can access 24/7 and uploading study materials, links to related sites, notes and assignment task sheets means students who were either away or lost a sheet/didn’t take notes can go to the blog and download any resources they need. Students can also set up their own blog and post their homework, assignments or pieces of work for the teacher to view and give feedback on via comments. This tool is handy especially around assessment time when students are completing multiple assignments and cannot wait until the next class to talk to the teacher. It also means the teacher can answer questions more thoroughly and post an FAQ on their own blog if applicable. The use of blogs depends on whether students have internet access at home, which is less of an issue when 85% of students have a computer at home. It will also require at least one lesson familiarising the class with the blog format and how to post work and utilize the various features. Similar to a blog is a Wiki: which has many more capabilities in relation to uploading information. When using a Wiki one can upload information and link many different sites and links. An entire database of information and study tools can be created on a single Wiki for students to access (http://lachywalker.blogspot.com/). An extra bonus to Wikis is that students can upload information on it; allowing them to add any resources or links they found themselves. A Wiki can have constructivist capabilities in that the students can take ownership of the learning by posting their own information and participating in online discussion.
The tools discussed so far have been directed mainly at learning outside the classroom, but there were also many tools shown throughout the term that can be used in class. The use of ICT should coincide with what pedagogical strategies the teacher uses in their class. To reiterate on a previous point; sometimes using a ‘wizzbang’ program is not justifiable when there is a better method. When applying Blooms Taxonomy, many ICT tools can be utilized to cater to the 6 cognitive processes. Power Point is a program with an extensive amount of capabilities that I myself did not realise existed. Power Points have the capability to create not only slideshow presentations, which can not only deliver information but include scaffolding for all 6 processes, the teacher can take it a step further and hyperlink questions and answers to create a quiz. Also including links to further information when students answer questions correctly prompts for further learning and self directed learning. According to Kearsley & Shneidermans Engagement Theory, ‘technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise’. A normal quiz on paper appears dull and routine to some students, while an interactive quiz is more interesting and entertaining and can cater to different learning styles through sound bites, animations and click and drag activities which challenge knowledge processes with questions stemming from, ‘What happened after...?,’ or ‘Who was it that...?’, comprehension processes with question stems like, ‘Who was the key character...?’ and application processes such as, ‘Could this have happened in...?’. Activities such as an interactive quiz draw from both Blooms and Engagement Theory by prompting certain cognitive processes while using a technology that makes the content more stimulating and engaging.
‘Engagement theory is based upon the idea of creating successful collaborative teams’ (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) that ‘emphasizes team efforts that involve communication, planning, management and social skills.’ A Year 9 English class will study topics such as values, ideologies, culture and social interaction throughout the year. When doing my EPL placement, I would often see opportunities for programs and online tools discussed in eLearning to be integrated into the lesson. In many cases students have to write a transformation or internal monologue in relation to the text they’re studying. Instead of simply writing the assignment, the class could use Xtranormal (http://www.xtranormal.com/makemovies/) to bring their assignment to life through directing a digital movie of their narrative. The program is simple to use but would require an introduction lesson so students are familiar with the setup and how to perform certain actions. Students can work individually, in pairs or in groups to write the script and direct the movie without any filming or voice recording. It is also an opportunity for students to take ownership of the learning by exploring the program independently and to be able to come to the teacher with new skills they have developed through experimenting with the program.
For learning to appear valuable to the learner, there must be a real world context for the students to relate to. If an English class is studying the novel ‘Tomorrow When the War Began’ by John Marsden, it would be beneficial for the class to be able to meet the author and learn his approach to writing and answer questions on his career. Of course it would be almost impossible to be able to have John physically visit the school; but it is still possible for him to interact with the class. Vyew is a video conferencing program that could link the class to Marsden vie Vyew and be able to interview just as they would if he were physically in the room. Talking to a respected author and having the discussions relate to the curriculum can give the unit a solid link to real world relevance as well as engaging the learners on a more personal level than showing the class an interview or a transcript of an interview.
ICT integration in to classrooms is something that will become more and more common as technologies advance and it is prudent for teachers to keep up with the technologies available to benefit learning. With so many learners having access to computers and the internet at home computer literacy skills are gradually climbing, both in relation to home use and school based lessons on computing, ICT tools will become a staple in classrooms in years to come.
References
Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, handbook I: The cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Real Time: Computers, Change and Schooling. Viewed 23/08/2010 at
http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/featurearticlesbyCatalogue/D34A3B2E9ED5BC12CA2569DE0028DE8F?OpenDocument
Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B. 1999. Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Viewed 24/08/2010 at http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Yr 9 English Ways of Working/TPAC
Using Bubblus I mapped out 4 Yr 9 English Ways of Working and linked them to TPAC Activities for English.
Monday, August 2, 2010
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