E Learning Maria

Linda Russell and I have just immersed ourselves in our mindtools task and we loved it. Having just read an excellent article which has enhanced my view on the variety of technologies and their respective uses in teaching and learning. The article is titled “ICT in the classroom” and touches on an interesting idea that students in Year 3 are likely to have already created their own website (my daughter has been there and done that!) whereas a Year 12 student may be unable to perform this very same task.

There are some traditional type technologies where many schools may be familiar with and they are:
1. widely available software packages such as word, excel, access, powerpoint and outlook (PC and Apple equivalents)
2. Subject specific software including Data Logging for science, Mathematics software games such as mathletics (another of my daughter’s favourites), GIS for Geography etc., photo galleries.
In the above two key areas students learn to collate, store data, interact and create information.

Then we have the Emerging learning technologies:
1. Blogging used like online journals, sharing of information, searching, can be individual or group blogs
2. Integrates Learning Modules for eg LMS Learning Management Systems, contact management systems (Moodle) – online submission for marking of work
3. Wikis – for teaching and learning through the creation of own wikis – ie groups of students maybe a class
4. Podcasting – audio creation and listening to – good for revision, project work
5. Online photo galleries – private or public galleries

The above will inform the immersion task.

Source: Pluss, M.,(2007) ICT in the classroom, Teacher, n.177, p.56-58.

I have done a little research on boys education and found an interesting article that I thought I would share. It is titled, “Boys and their electronic toys: Pleasure and becoming multiliterate”

The article discusses how to get boys engaged with English. The author a Deputy Principal says after attending an address on “Youth Culture and Contemporary Communication” that he is excited about the prospect of the merge between genres, narrative structure, parody, film, Jane Austen, computer gaming, the internet, remix culture and pop videos!

The topic explored in this article is the use of games (video) as a key learning tool especially targeting disenfranchised boys in English! He argues that good video games exhibit characteristics very much like classrooms we would like to create. They motivate, they permit failure, emphasis both competition and collaboration, are designed with well sequenced problems, are constructivist and importantly allow all to participate. (Wow sounds like my essay on Benjamin Bloom and applicability to teaching and learning!)

I never had considered video games in this context. What is then the role of the teacher? Well facilitator ofcourse!

At this school, in Year 8 students are provided with a gaming elective as part of their learning. They have developed a course that aims to engage students and develop their literacies using Warcraft Three:Reign of Chaos. The program has been deemed a success at this school.

Very interesting and innovative use!

Source: Moore, D., (2006) Boys and their electronic toys:Pleasure and becoming multiliterate, Metphor, p. 67-72.

I was very interested to read Seymour Papert’s paper regarding constructionism. Up until now I was a little confused regarding the key differences between the two terms.

Constructivism is the idea that knowledge is something you build in your head. Whereas constructionism is the doing or building something tangible outside of your head. (Papert, 2000). In some later writing Papert asserts this building of information is better constructed in a social context where students make something that can be shared. Let’s think about my KLA area, say Economics, students could be asked to create a podcast of an Economic address (as the Prime Minister) on any topic that had been covered. This allows students to personalise and apply their learning (higher order thinking) and then through broadcasting (sharing) encourages a high standard of output.

Why is constructionism so important to digital technology I hear you digital immigrant’s say? Well quite simply constructionism particularly applies to digital technology because of the breadth and depth of interesting tools that can be used. Think digital storytelling, podcasting, videocasting, blogging, cmapping, wiki’s…the list goes on. Students through constructionism may be able to personalise their learning and dare I say it…become self-directed learners!

I have just read the article in The Australian and found it interesting. Matthew is quoted in the article about the extensive use of digital media and the variety of uses including the ability to develop oneself in a professional sense. The idea that personal information is yours and private will soon be out the window. Employers will be able to see our digital proficiency and experience it to see if we are a good match for a school. This all assumes that schools have the technology! I found it refreshing to read another educators experience and the full circle of learning and application that has occurred.

I just read an interesting blog (Matthew’s) regarding the use of videos as a learning tool. I had not considered digital story telling as an option. However on reflection one could use it as a form of revision of a subject’s KLA for eg. this could be done very easily in the Geography subject and if technology permitted students could edit their narrative with images for eg volcanoes erupting etc. It would be a very engaging way to revise learning and importantly students are in the position of self-directed learners and applying information and learning (Bloom’s higher order thinking!).

Linda’s blog regarding the article by Novak and Canas is pertinent.  I think the whole topic of Marketing could be very useful for students to mindmap and using images and examples embedded under the headings of the 4 P process (product, price, promotion, place).  It is an excellent visual representation and for the visual learner could be a useful revision tool once it is constructed in total.  Infact after speaking with Matthew Kearney today I started to think about the possibility of building the concept map of Marketing using images, videos, youtube clips as a collaborative process in the classroom where students could add to the concept map much like their own learning log of the topic.  Importantly they could personalise the information as part of the construction of the knowledge so that it is meaningful.

After reading the article by Jonassen, I was impressed and excited by the possibilities of using mindtools.  In his article Jonassen refers to many applications of mindtools including use of organisation of knowledge. information interpretation tools, knowledge construction tools, conversation and collaboration tools.  Importantly I had not considered the positive implications of mindtools in the form of productivity tools.

In Business Studies I can certainly see the above being used.  Linda and I are proposing to use as part of our assignment mindtools as a way of assisting Year 12 students in their business report writing.  Mindtools could help students construct their knowledge, to organise their knowledge and to make cross links between topic areas such as Employment Relations, Marketing and Business Change and Management.

Another idea that comes to mind – is that students could then publish their individual mindmaps on the school intranet and this could provide a revision tool as well.  This would then be the proforma for the actual writing of the Business Report.  The article refers to the fact that students will have to indeed think harder about the subject matter and importantly drawing a meaningful relationship in their learning.  What a powerful and ‘constructive’ tool and approach.

I was interested to read the article by Novak and Canas regarding the theory and construction of mindmaps.   This article underlined the key issues that I witnessed during practicum regarding mindmaps.  When students were asked to create mindmaps there was general resistance and inability to begin the task.  Even though the research supports the use of mind mapping as a learning tool, it fits in nicely with the new model of education where students and teachers employ autonomous discovery approach to learning thereby delivering a meaningful learning experience.  So why did I see resistance?

Research indicates that students will have difficulty in building concept maps as they have spent many years learning using rote learning.  However our subject area calls for critical thinking and the building and applying of knowledge into new ideas.  Concepts maps are an ideal tool to help students see relatioships between different areas.

My learning indicates that like all new things we need to teach students how to construct good concept maps and perhaps I should have provided a skeleton structure that students could work from.  Novak and Canas outline the necessary steps required to develop a good concept maps.  One would need to ensure that these were used in order to get the best out of their students!

Reading the article Brown, J. S., (2002). Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways People Learn. Change, Growing Up Digital, March/April 2000, pp 10-20. I was encouraged to read about the relevance of Blooms taxonomy and the use of the technology medium.  It is true with the myriad of software, media, applications one has a distinct possibility of engaging students like they have never been engaged.  I particularly was excited by the young 15 year old researchers at Xerox who have created a paradigm shift in thinking.

Multiprocessing by young digital natives does conjure up images of shallow surface learning.  This article has made me re-evaluate this idea.  The article talks about the notion that top executives have a short attention span and perhaps these natives will be more in tune with the work environment than previously thought.

Xerox’s example of sharing war stories as a community was indeed innovative.  Lots of opportunity for this kind of growing community knowledge sharing for perhaps Year 12 students completing their HSC year.  Importantly by building relevant and meaningful knowledge banks teachers are able to reflect and evaluate their teaching and learning strategies.

Personally I love using mindmaps to illustrate links and provide structure for information.  I was pleased to read Jordan’s blog and his use of mindmap.  I also used mindmap’s in a Year 9 Geography class however I did not have access to software that I have now experienced.  Jordan mentions using the software www.bubbl.uswhich I will now investigate.  Thanks Jordan – good sharing!