Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Some more random thoughts, and questions for anyone who is doing early childhood
Yesterday whilst I was at Uni for maths, the students who are doing early childhood had a display up. As was my wont, I read as many as I could. (This links to something I will post about Gardner's multiple intelligences, and also profiling your students.) One thing I noticed was a poster that said that the children of today were encouraged by the manufacturers of many products to actively disagree or even rebel against their parents. to be continued
Friday, November 27, 2009
more random ramblings (part 2)
This is the third attempt at posting some more insightful and reflective comments (?)that I have made in the last few days. Every time I have written something, I either get a phone call or get called away for some reason, and when I come back, my access to the site has expired. Therefore, I should probably save more often, or perhaps I have been not fully engaged, according to Kearsley and Schniedermann. What this does mean, however, is that I have had time to polish my thoughts (and prose) a bit more. The more I do this, the more apparent it becomes to me that Blogging is a good way of encouraging people to write, and also think about what it is they are actually writing. This relates to the idea that literacy is about communicating with others, through a means that has common rules and conventions.
As I am typing this (yes, typing. It is good rehabilitation for my finger), I am constantly checking for meaning and also to be sure that I am not being offensive to anyone. In looking at this process from the point of veiw of a student, it could be seen as a way of intrinsically motivating, that is, the motivation for doing it properly comes from within. Looking a bit deeper, however, there could be seen to be extrinsic motivation at work: make it the best you can, otherwise you may look like a bit of a clown in front of your peers.
As I am typing this (yes, typing. It is good rehabilitation for my finger), I am constantly checking for meaning and also to be sure that I am not being offensive to anyone. In looking at this process from the point of veiw of a student, it could be seen as a way of intrinsically motivating, that is, the motivation for doing it properly comes from within. Looking a bit deeper, however, there could be seen to be extrinsic motivation at work: make it the best you can, otherwise you may look like a bit of a clown in front of your peers.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
more random ramblings
I have just returned from Brisbane, where I went to see my specialist about my finger. This entailed a total of 12 hours of driving. Prior to that, I did 3 days of work, which involved a lot of mackerel trolling (and thus time to think). Therefore the comments that I am about to post have had a lot of time to stew.
Last week I spent a fair bit of time reading and watching some of the articles and videos that come with the course. Two that stuck in my mind were: the blog from America regarding the slaying of a monster, and its relationship to English; and a "YouTube" video on engaging students. For some reason I can't find them again, so I can't reference them. What did pique my interest was the fact the engagement video placed so much emphasis on students becoming disengaged and the slogans and comments that came from them to that effect. As we are a free market ecomony, this means that the students who make such comments, and don't try, will be harder to employ in the future. Who is to blame for this?
This is definately not trying to say that any means of engaging your students should not be explored, rather that if all reasonable means are explored, and there is no underlying learning difficulty, and they are still not interested, it is no one's fault but their own.
An example of this is shown with two people I know fairly well. Both were told in about grade ten that they would never amount to anything. One of them has won an Oscar for animation, and owns a large company in Sydney that produces advertisements, and has started doing feature films. (He is also fairly useful regarding emerging technologies that students of today could be using in the future.)The other came in the top fifty in the recent "Richest people in Queensland" feature in the Courier Mail. Both instances relate to the video about the person who identified the choreographer of "Cats" as a dancer. On the flip side of this, no-one will probably ever hear about the people who are identified as not going to amount to much, and then don't. This is an example of being able to adjust the statistics to suit your purpose.
Last week I spent a fair bit of time reading and watching some of the articles and videos that come with the course. Two that stuck in my mind were: the blog from America regarding the slaying of a monster, and its relationship to English; and a "YouTube" video on engaging students. For some reason I can't find them again, so I can't reference them. What did pique my interest was the fact the engagement video placed so much emphasis on students becoming disengaged and the slogans and comments that came from them to that effect. As we are a free market ecomony, this means that the students who make such comments, and don't try, will be harder to employ in the future. Who is to blame for this?
This is definately not trying to say that any means of engaging your students should not be explored, rather that if all reasonable means are explored, and there is no underlying learning difficulty, and they are still not interested, it is no one's fault but their own.
An example of this is shown with two people I know fairly well. Both were told in about grade ten that they would never amount to anything. One of them has won an Oscar for animation, and owns a large company in Sydney that produces advertisements, and has started doing feature films. (He is also fairly useful regarding emerging technologies that students of today could be using in the future.)The other came in the top fifty in the recent "Richest people in Queensland" feature in the Courier Mail. Both instances relate to the video about the person who identified the choreographer of "Cats" as a dancer. On the flip side of this, no-one will probably ever hear about the people who are identified as not going to amount to much, and then don't. This is an example of being able to adjust the statistics to suit your purpose.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
But wait, there's more........
After doing this course in term two, of 2009, the problem with my hand did not allow me to finish it. The result, I'll do it again, with the benefit of having looked at a lot of of the topics before. By having previously viewed much of this, I have had plenty of opportunities to reflect on how, and whether, this interesting technology could be used in the classroom today. An important focus of this course appears to be Kearsley and Schneiderman's engagement theory, and how it relates to engaging the students of today, and the future. Being a digital immigrant myself, due to my age, a lot of the first topic describes some of the problems I have had adapting to technology, that my children, aged nine and six, will not encounter.
Whilst some of this stuff is difficult for me to learn and understand, I can see it is the way things are heading, so therefore I must learn to use it, and effectively.
The aim of this continuation, of this blog, is to demonstrate that I have, indeed, reflected deeply on the concepts and ideas that we have been shown.
Whilst I can understand and appreciate this amazing technology, my geographic location, and the facilities available in the three schools that I have so far done prac in, cause some reservations the immediate applicability of this technology. This is not to say I would not use it if the opportunity presented itself, rather that current practicalities may limit these opportunities. As time goes on, more and more classrooms will be equipped with such things as interactive whiteboards, and will have a student to computer ratio of less than 5 to 1.
Whilst some of this stuff is difficult for me to learn and understand, I can see it is the way things are heading, so therefore I must learn to use it, and effectively.
The aim of this continuation, of this blog, is to demonstrate that I have, indeed, reflected deeply on the concepts and ideas that we have been shown.
Whilst I can understand and appreciate this amazing technology, my geographic location, and the facilities available in the three schools that I have so far done prac in, cause some reservations the immediate applicability of this technology. This is not to say I would not use it if the opportunity presented itself, rather that current practicalities may limit these opportunities. As time goes on, more and more classrooms will be equipped with such things as interactive whiteboards, and will have a student to computer ratio of less than 5 to 1.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Summing it all up
Defining literacy.
According to the text “ Write Ways” by Leslie Wing Jan: “Literacy has to do with having the skills and knowledge to create, locate, analyse, comprehend and use a variety written, visual, aural and multimodal texts for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts. The term ’texts’ refers to communication through spoken, written, visual or audio modes.”
Relating this to a course on e-learning, all of the above methods can be used to some extent.
Electronically, learners can be presented with, or discover resources in video or audio modes, as well as through written texts. This can be useful for learners with visual or oral learning styles. Kinaesthetic learners benefit from activities and programs where they are able to move things around (electronically at least) such as some other ones we have learnt about in e-learning.
When creating a product and developing their knowledge, technology can now allow learners to use all of the above four methods. Students can produce reports, assignments, and presentations, and communicate with others through means which were not previously available. Research is made easier, although students must be aware that not everything online is accurate. This decision-making process links to several key areas in the English Essential Learnings, and also the six complex reasoning processes listed in dimensions of learning, dimension four.
According to neuroscientists, young learners of today have their brains wired differently to those of the past. These ‘digital natives’ have grown up knowing this technology and how to use it, and it appears to be designed to be very engaging for them, which links back to dimension one.
All the things we have been shown in this course are undoubtedly very engaging for learners.
Keirsley & Schneirdeman’s engagement theory has emerged from experiencing teaching in electronic and distance education environments (see Shneiderman, 1994, 1998; & Kearsley, 1997). This fundamental idea of underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology. Keirsley & Schneirdeman, (1997) believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise. Therefore the engagement theory is intended to be a conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching (Kearsley,1997.)Thankyou again Julie
Many of them represent ways for students to acquire knowledge meaningfully, in a real life situation. Some, on first look, appear to be fairly frivolous, however looking deeper, can be seen to be developing skills that the student may not otherwise acquire. Many encourage and develop collaborative learning. Many benefit students with a disadvantage or disability. An example is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking program that this is being produced on.
An advantage that this technology has over a standard chalk and talk classroom is the flexibility in modes of delivery. Pod casts and vodcasts may be downloaded, even to iPods and similar equipment, to be listened to or viewed at the student's convenience. Satellite and wireless broadband allow access where distance used to be a problem. There is a possibility that if this technology is taken to its logical conclusion, there would not be a need for a traditional classroom. However, this could have implications for students’ social and emotional development.
Due to the rate of innovation with this technology, it is necessary to constantly be aware of any new products and services. Younger members of society, due to their ‘digital nativity’ are able to adapt and assimilate easily. As an older member of society, and a lifelong learner, a degree of effort will be required to keep abreast of the rapid advancements of this technology. Due to the emerging knowledge and creativity based economy, users with access to and understanding of the greatest range of this technology will have a decided advantage.
Also due to this emerging economy, and the way that business and life will be arranged in the future, many jobs will depend not only on being able to use this technology, but to expand on and create the technology itself. Higher order and creative thinking skills will be necessary to allow this to happen. Lateral thinking, and the ability to work outside the square, will be necessary to allow this rate of innovation to continue. The introduction of this technology to classrooms, should encourage these sorts of thought processes. As previously mentioned, many of these applications relate to real world tasks, and can thus be seen to be extremely practical. Productive pedagogy “Connectedness” lists this as an important attribute of a good learning experience.
Because of the rate of development of this technology, it is important that a user of this technology regularly updates and acquires skills, and keeps aware of any new developments. This can be achieved through professional development, various networking opportunities that are available online, or simply through exploring. Blogs such as the ones this group have been working on, provide a good opportunity for such exploration. They also reinforce the benefits of collaborative learning.
The variety of tools that are available online is truly amazing. Some of the ones that have a very high application for younger learners include Reading Eggs and a variety of mathematics sites that I have used successfully in my current prep, one, two prac. I am also lucky to be friends with the creator of “Phonics Alive” a very useful series of programmes for younger learners.
I have just made another little foray into the world of technology, and after having a web cam sitting in my cupboard for six months, decided to hook it up. I also just joined Skype, and spent half an hour having a video call with my parents.
Having read several other blogs, I have indulged in some reflection on mine. It appears to be lacking in references, so I will remedy this. As this is supposed to be a collaborative learning task, I will also re-read some of the other blogs, and where necessary 'borrow' any necessary bits.
When planning meaningful learning experiences it will be imperative to select appropriate ICT tools for ‘Tasks, Resources and Support Mechanisms’ that will be relevant and beneficial to the students (Oliver, 1999.)
Despite modest gains and often questionable achievements, there is still unbridled interest and enthusiasm
among institutions and organizations for online learning and e-learning as the means for the presentation and
delivery of higher education. Online learning has been mooted as the solution to many of the problems that face
institutions of higher education. Many writers have argued the use of e-learning to attract new markets and new
students. Others have argued its capacity to increase levels of equity and access for existing students, while some
see the new technologies as capable of reducing the costs of delivery of programs and courses (eg. Holt &
Thompson, 1998; Fraser & Deane, 1997; Nunan, 1996). While many of these claims and potentials have yet to
be verified the one thing we have learned from our activities in this domain is that e-learning, when done well,
can improve learning and deliver enhanced learning outcomes and has the prospect to transform the way
education is conducted in these settings (Biggs, 2001) Found this one all by myself.
better put something about Oliver in too, so:
Oliver (1999) argues that a learning design comprises the following key elements:
Tasks that learners are required to do.
Resources that support learners to conduct the task.
Support mechanisms that exist from a teacher implementing it.
Based on Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education, 20(2), 240-254.
The three way venn diagram didn't copy.
According to the text “ Write Ways” by Leslie Wing Jan: “Literacy has to do with having the skills and knowledge to create, locate, analyse, comprehend and use a variety written, visual, aural and multimodal texts for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts. The term ’texts’ refers to communication through spoken, written, visual or audio modes.”
Relating this to a course on e-learning, all of the above methods can be used to some extent.
Electronically, learners can be presented with, or discover resources in video or audio modes, as well as through written texts. This can be useful for learners with visual or oral learning styles. Kinaesthetic learners benefit from activities and programs where they are able to move things around (electronically at least) such as some other ones we have learnt about in e-learning.
When creating a product and developing their knowledge, technology can now allow learners to use all of the above four methods. Students can produce reports, assignments, and presentations, and communicate with others through means which were not previously available. Research is made easier, although students must be aware that not everything online is accurate. This decision-making process links to several key areas in the English Essential Learnings, and also the six complex reasoning processes listed in dimensions of learning, dimension four.
According to neuroscientists, young learners of today have their brains wired differently to those of the past. These ‘digital natives’ have grown up knowing this technology and how to use it, and it appears to be designed to be very engaging for them, which links back to dimension one.
All the things we have been shown in this course are undoubtedly very engaging for learners.
Keirsley & Schneirdeman’s engagement theory has emerged from experiencing teaching in electronic and distance education environments (see Shneiderman, 1994, 1998; & Kearsley, 1997). This fundamental idea of underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology. Keirsley & Schneirdeman, (1997) believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise. Therefore the engagement theory is intended to be a conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching (Kearsley,1997.)Thankyou again Julie
Many of them represent ways for students to acquire knowledge meaningfully, in a real life situation. Some, on first look, appear to be fairly frivolous, however looking deeper, can be seen to be developing skills that the student may not otherwise acquire. Many encourage and develop collaborative learning. Many benefit students with a disadvantage or disability. An example is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking program that this is being produced on.
An advantage that this technology has over a standard chalk and talk classroom is the flexibility in modes of delivery. Pod casts and vodcasts may be downloaded, even to iPods and similar equipment, to be listened to or viewed at the student's convenience. Satellite and wireless broadband allow access where distance used to be a problem. There is a possibility that if this technology is taken to its logical conclusion, there would not be a need for a traditional classroom. However, this could have implications for students’ social and emotional development.
Due to the rate of innovation with this technology, it is necessary to constantly be aware of any new products and services. Younger members of society, due to their ‘digital nativity’ are able to adapt and assimilate easily. As an older member of society, and a lifelong learner, a degree of effort will be required to keep abreast of the rapid advancements of this technology. Due to the emerging knowledge and creativity based economy, users with access to and understanding of the greatest range of this technology will have a decided advantage.
Also due to this emerging economy, and the way that business and life will be arranged in the future, many jobs will depend not only on being able to use this technology, but to expand on and create the technology itself. Higher order and creative thinking skills will be necessary to allow this to happen. Lateral thinking, and the ability to work outside the square, will be necessary to allow this rate of innovation to continue. The introduction of this technology to classrooms, should encourage these sorts of thought processes. As previously mentioned, many of these applications relate to real world tasks, and can thus be seen to be extremely practical. Productive pedagogy “Connectedness” lists this as an important attribute of a good learning experience.
Because of the rate of development of this technology, it is important that a user of this technology regularly updates and acquires skills, and keeps aware of any new developments. This can be achieved through professional development, various networking opportunities that are available online, or simply through exploring. Blogs such as the ones this group have been working on, provide a good opportunity for such exploration. They also reinforce the benefits of collaborative learning.
The variety of tools that are available online is truly amazing. Some of the ones that have a very high application for younger learners include Reading Eggs and a variety of mathematics sites that I have used successfully in my current prep, one, two prac. I am also lucky to be friends with the creator of “Phonics Alive” a very useful series of programmes for younger learners.
I have just made another little foray into the world of technology, and after having a web cam sitting in my cupboard for six months, decided to hook it up. I also just joined Skype, and spent half an hour having a video call with my parents.
Having read several other blogs, I have indulged in some reflection on mine. It appears to be lacking in references, so I will remedy this. As this is supposed to be a collaborative learning task, I will also re-read some of the other blogs, and where necessary 'borrow' any necessary bits.
When planning meaningful learning experiences it will be imperative to select appropriate ICT tools for ‘Tasks, Resources and Support Mechanisms’ that will be relevant and beneficial to the students (Oliver, 1999.)
Despite modest gains and often questionable achievements, there is still unbridled interest and enthusiasm
among institutions and organizations for online learning and e-learning as the means for the presentation and
delivery of higher education. Online learning has been mooted as the solution to many of the problems that face
institutions of higher education. Many writers have argued the use of e-learning to attract new markets and new
students. Others have argued its capacity to increase levels of equity and access for existing students, while some
see the new technologies as capable of reducing the costs of delivery of programs and courses (eg. Holt &
Thompson, 1998; Fraser & Deane, 1997; Nunan, 1996). While many of these claims and potentials have yet to
be verified the one thing we have learned from our activities in this domain is that e-learning, when done well,
can improve learning and deliver enhanced learning outcomes and has the prospect to transform the way
education is conducted in these settings (Biggs, 2001) Found this one all by myself.
better put something about Oliver in too, so:
Oliver (1999) argues that a learning design comprises the following key elements:
Tasks that learners are required to do.
Resources that support learners to conduct the task.
Support mechanisms that exist from a teacher implementing it.
Based on Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education, 20(2), 240-254.
The three way venn diagram didn't copy.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
webquests
I am writing this after looking at some of the comments posted regarding webquests. Webquests are hard to make. Webquests are not usually similar to a unit; they should be looked at more of a single activity, that could take a bit of time to complete. However, it is not necessary to make your own. Sites like www.webquestdirect.com.au offer a variety that have aleady been created, on a variety of topics, often SOSE. They are often very engaging, and can encourage group collaboration. They are often based on real life scenarios, thus making the learning experiences meaningful. Creation involves making hyperlinks and varying pages. Some of the ones I have made include the SOSE one last year, and one for science (I think). The advantage of using Web quest direct, or similar sites, is that they offer you the suggestions and ways to improve your quest. However they can be very picky as far as what the actual definition of a Web quest is. Do not be surprised if you get an e-mail from them telling you that what you have made is actually a series of electronic learning activities rather than a quest. Many environmental agencies also have web quests on their sites, some of the best examples I have seen being at www.gbrmpa.gov.au
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Literacy includes the ability to read and interpret media (text, sound, images), to reproduce data and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments. According to Gilster, the most critical of these is the ability to make educated judgments about what we find online. In a school setting, knowledge of copywrite issues is important when researching and presenting information. some of the following are useful in this regard:
http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html
http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/national-copyright.pdf
http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/legal/lgspr001/
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/946
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/944
Bubbl.us is a free web site that lets you brainstorm online and is straightforward to use for any teacher or student. When using Bubbl.us teachers and students can create colourful mind maps (graphic organiser) online, share or create work with friends, embed mind maps to blogs or websites, email / print out the mind map, and save the mind map as an image (Bubbl.us, 2009.) Borrowed from Julie Hunt
http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html
http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/national-copyright.pdf
http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/legal/lgspr001/
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/946
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/944
Bubbl.us is a free web site that lets you brainstorm online and is straightforward to use for any teacher or student. When using Bubbl.us teachers and students can create colourful mind maps (graphic organiser) online, share or create work with friends, embed mind maps to blogs or websites, email / print out the mind map, and save the mind map as an image (Bubbl.us, 2009.) Borrowed from Julie Hunt
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