Safe, legal and ethical practices

Like it or not, teachers are role models.  Their behaviour and professional manor can be seen to represent the School and teaching profession both inside and outside of the learning environment. 

Just as teacher behaviours would not be seen favourably in this context,

Image courtesy: www.thes4p.com 

nor would they in this...

Image courtesy: www4.ncsu.edu 

As a cross curriculum priority, the use of ICT's is likely to be embedded in our every day practice.  The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority suggest that by developing these capabilities, students:

• recognise intellectual property
• apply digital information security practices
• apply personal security protocols, and
• identify the impacts of ICT in society (ACARA, 2011).

This is consistent with the notions of copyright, student rights and responsibilities, storage and protection of digital information and online safety.

This website provides information sheets on a wide range of issues, and practical considerations for the use of ICT's in the classroom.

As much as we need to be aware of safety in classroom activities such as science experiments or manual arts projects, it is equally important that we pay the same respect to the potential risks in the digital world.

Image courtesy: mi9.com.au 

Some innovative ways to foster safe online learning environments can include:

• filtering websites before research activities and providing students with an explicit list for viewing
• raising awareness of issues and potential consequences
• making students accountable for their actions
• exploring the affordances of technological tools (e.g. 'closed viewing' or 'invitation only' online spaces and password protections)
• self awareness of legal responsibilities (e.g. the use of personal cameras), and
• applying preventative strategies to address health and safety issues

 

CyberNetrix is an interactive website, which creates a simulated online environment.  The chat room simulation illustrates some of the potential risks and dangers, and shows just how quickly situations can get out of hand!  It explores online and digital student safety, targeted at teenagers, exhibiting ease of navigation and easy to understand language.  

 

By being aware of the many risks, and protocols in place to mitigate these, teachers are able to take action to protect themselves and model behaviours which promote safe, ethical and legal practices in students. 

Protection strategies can include such obvious things as checking the security settings on your Facebook profile; a potential risk I hadn't previously considered! 

 

References

 

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT. Retrieved 7 April, 2013 from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Organising-elements/Applying-social-and-ethical-protocols-and-practices-when-using-ICT

Reflective Synopsis

53 days ago, after a satisfying lunch, the cohort of 2013 GDLT students sauntered back into Building 5/G.02 to sit through the course session for EDED20491; ICT’s for Learning Design. 

And so the journey began...a lecture theatre of 120-odd students unwittingly involved in their first virtual collaboration session, staring blankly at each other while the room filled with jargon.

6 weeks in and already I have demonstrated greater proficiency in digital literacies. 

Image courtesy: www.protopage.com 

And to what can I credit my new found skills?  A heavily scaffolded course design catered for the learning styles of all students, encouraging learning through collaboration and differentiation in a non-threatening online environment .  

In the Australian Curriculum, students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond school.  The capability involves students in learning to make the most of the digital technologies available to them, adapting to new ways of doing things as technologies evolve and limiting the risks to themselves and others in a digital environment (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2011a).

Coupled with curriculum content in each learning area, ICT can be used to enhance, support and transform student learning in a meaningful way.  Sources liken the www to:

WHATEVER

WHEREVER

WHENEVER

and suggest that digital technologies can provide students with flexibility, freedom and control of what, where and when they learn. This is consistent with the notion of students as 21st century learners, framing ICT as a foundation rather than a tool. 

ICT encompasses a diverse set of powerful and enabling technological tools that develop capabilities "associated with information access and management, information creation and presentation, problem solving, decision making, communication, creative expression, and empirical reasoning" (ACARA, 2011b).

The learning potential of this digital culture can be illustrated by the explicit inclusion of such technologies (e.g. mobile phones and laptops) in school policies.

This synopsis explores a sample of grouped technological tools, evaluating their affordances and value in pedagogy and student engagement, with reference to learning theories and conceptual frameworks (such as TPACK and Blooms Taxonomy). 
 

Mobile Phone Wiki

 

While participation in an established wiki was mandated, the underlying purpose of this engagement activity was to direct learning to the affordances of collaborative online learning spaces, and the need for effective pedagogical design.  Given the "degree of latitude and choice in the activities," (Dane, 2010) it is clear that effective scaffolding is critical to ensure the achievement of appropriate and planned learning outcomes.  This was supported by de Bono's 6 Thinking Hats which encouraged a balance of multiple perspectives.  Fasso (2013a) links this scaffold to higher order thinking (as prescribed in Blooms Taxonomy).  "This activity is about analysis and evaluation. And if you were asked to combine all of the perspectives to make a decision, you are engaging in a synthesis of information. Right at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy."

This blog posting contains my personal reflection on the activity as well as an analysis of learning theories with reference to my wiki comment. 

 

Group 1
 

The Group 1 tools focused on online spaces; blogs, wiki's and websites.  "Whilst these tools are multi-purpose, their strength is in the way they allow information upload, and/or facilitate collaboration and communication amongst students, and between students and guest experts" (Fasso, 2013b). With reference to blogs, these features are illustrated in the hyperlinked postings throughout the synopsis. 

By this stage of the course, we had already created and personalised our own blog space, and I had become more than a little attached.  I explored the affordances of this tool in a learning context by performing a PMI analysis. 

Blogs can be sequential or global to cater for the individual learning preferences of each student.  This synopsis provides a 'global' overview, allowing viewers to click links in order to access additional information.

Posted comments by guest experts (e.g. teacher) can assist students and "scaffold their thinking to reflect the learning they are required to demonstrate.  This can be done through thinking tools, or through carefully constructed question sequences" (Fasso, 2013c).  It is important to be mindful of the power of feedback, especially in a open environment, as this could either inhibit or foster the learning outcomes of the students who created the profile or those viewing them.   
 

Group 2

These tools drew our attention to multimedia.  Being a highly visual learner, I chose to explore images as part of effective pedagogy.   Through my exploration of such tools, it became clear that they support the best learning outcomes when used in conjunction with other mediums.  This is because the collaborative use of these tools can utilise the capacities and cognitive resources of all processing channels.  While these tools may prove successful in supporting and scaffolding learning experiences in their own right, "ultimately, it is the master teacher who must align all elements of the learning environment into a cohesive whole" (Saye & Brush, 2002, p. 94). 

 Group 3

PowerPoint, Prezi's and Glogsters were grouped as presentation tools, which all have the ability to transform one-dimensional knowledge.  The versatile and open ended nature of these tools can support any or all learning theories, depending on:

• the way the learning is scaffolded,
• the way pedagogy is designed and delivered, and
• the task itself.

While face value 'wow' factor may be more prominent in certain tools, our task was to evaluate the affordances of each in the context of teaching. 

I became intrigued by the learning materials scaffolding this weeks tools and started to realise that my use and understanding of PowerPoint had barely scraped the surface of its capabilities and functionality.  There was untapped potential here, which I illustrate in the form of a SWOT analysis.

Group 4

Group 4 tools opened our eyes to the world of possibility, likening our 'ICT's exposure in education' (to date) to the tip of an iceberg.

Image courtesy: http://www.leawoodward.com/tip-of-the-iceberg/

These tools were open ended and encapsulated everything else.  

We have been hearing more and more than Constructivism is messy.  In the spirit of messy, I thought I would investigate a tool that would most effectively organise the many thoughts floating around in my head.  Bubbl.us is an online conceptual mapping tool, and a great way to visualise thought processes or facilitate brainstorming.  I was able to link and build on ideas while drawing connections from prior knowledge and experiences. 

My blog posting contains a thinking routine which analyses the affordances of this tools, as well as providing classroom examples of when such a tool may be effective. 

Other considerations

There are many factors which may limit the use, availability or abundance of ICT's in schools.

• While Government initiatives, policies and funding attempt to level the playing field in State Schools, economic inequality will always exist outside of a school environment.  Resource poor students may have less exposure and willingness to interact with these tools. 
• The establishment of the National Broadband Network supports Siemens views on Connectivism, however "the take up of ICT in education is Australia is strongly dependent on the provision of reception infrastructure" (White, 2008).  Internet access and speed in a rural/remote classroom could look very different to a classroom in the centre of a metropolis area. 

Image courtesy: linkscotland.wordpress.com 

 

Image courtesy: www.cultofmac.com

•  Parents may resist the digital age and raise children in a home environment unconducive to the 21st century learning that is occurring in schools.  This generational gap may create resistance and could filter down and effect student engagement.  It is important to educate parents of the many benefits of ICT to ensure consistency. 

With student diversity extending so far as to incorporate ICT, the need for contingencies and differentiation is paramount to ensure delivery of quality learning outcomes for all. 

Overarching ICT capability is the application of "social and ethical protocols and practices"  (ACARA, 2011c), which I have discussed in detail in this blog posting. 

Summary

Consider the following quote by O'Neil & Knight (2007, p. 54):

To make ICT integral to classroom learning, there needs to be a critical purpose to the ICT tool being there, so much so that if the ICT tool was removed, the 'learning' could not happen. 

Consistent with the TPACK framework, the use of technology in schools does not by itself improve the quality of learning.  It must be used in balance with content knowledge and pedagogy to support good teaching.

With reference to the tools explored, it appears that the only thing limiting the use of ICT in the classroom is imagination.  By keeping abreast of technical developments and creations, I will establish myself as a life long learner and hope to ensue this in my teaching; effectively using and scaffolding up-and-coming technologies to enhance, support and transform student learning.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011a). Information and communication technology (ICT) capability. Retrieved 4 April, 2013 from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Introduction/Introduction

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011b). Information and communication technology (ICT) capability. Retrieved 4 April, 2013 from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Introduction/Scope-of-ICT-capability

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011c). Information and communication technology (ICT) capability. Retrieved 4 April, 2013 from:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Organising-elements/Organising-elements

Dane, J. (2010). Teaching in student-centred learning environments. Research and development in higher education: Reshaping higher education, volume 33, 191-202. Retrieved from http://www.herdsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/conference/2010/papers/HERDSA2010_Dane_J.pdf

Fasso, W. (2013a). Engagement activity 3: Working in a wiki. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICT’s for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115342

Fasso, W. (2013b). Web 2.0. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICT’s for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115356

Fasso, W. (2013b). Digital tool 1: Blogs for learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICT’s for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115238

Saye, J., & Brush, T. (2002). Scaffolding critical reasoning about history and social issues in multi-media supported learning environments.  Retrieved 2 April, 2013 from: http://africalead.oerafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Saye_Brush_2002.pdf

O’Neill, O. & Knight, B. (2007). E-learning: catalyst for a futures orientation. In Learning management transitioning teachers for national and international change (chap. 6). Frenchs Forest, NSW:Pearson Education Australia.

White, G. (2008). ICT trends in education. Retrieved 6 April, 2013 from: http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=digital_learning

Week 5...online concept mapping

Bubbl.us is a great tool to facilitate brain storming.  It has roots in the traditional methods (e.g. butchers paper and pen), however this application provides an interactive twist. 

Image courtesy: www.experientialtools.com 

 

Online concept mapping can be used at the beginning of a topic to gauge student understanding or at the end of a lesson to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved.

I have summarised some of the affordances of Bubbl.us in the below table:


My wiki contains an online concept map I created, which I used to structure my thoughts in preparation for Assessment 2. 

In a teaching context, each 'branch' could be used to promote critical thinking, or offered as a memory aid (providing cues related to a specific topic).  A central idea, both for business students and those nearing working age, could be "getting that job".  Depending on the extent to which the teacher scaffolds and structures the activity, the tool could require students to brainstorm and contribute declarative (what is a resume), or procedural knowledge (how to prepare for an interview).  The following questions could be prefilled 'branches' of an online concept map, demanding higher order thinking.

• What types are clothes are acceptable when going for an interview?
• How can you research your prospective employer?
• How can you set yourself apart from the other candidates?
• What sort of questions should you have prepared to ask the panel?

Week 5...Glogster

Remember my Mum from Week 3? 

She's a teacher.  I vividly remember the one weekend she brought home Year 5 posters to mark. 

They took up the ENTIRE lounge room, and meant my brother and I had to pack up the Ping Pong Table and postpone our tournament. 

Introducing Glogsters...

Glogsters are virtual posters; on line posters for the 21st Century learner.  They have all the same affordances as the typical 90's poster, without compromising the teachers' lounge room...as well as some additional benefits:

• worldwide audience
• students can focus attention on providing quality information as "pretty-ing up" is built into the templates and features
• on line accessibility (any where, any time)
• promotes higher order thinking as students need to make the most of the space available (eg comprehension and understanding of available resources, evidenced by summaries or bullet points of key ideas)

While this presentation tool enables users to hyperlink and embed digital media, its ability to facilitate collaboration and interaction is governed by the design and use of the finished resource, and how the activity is scaffolded. 

Imagine you are a Year 9 Accounting student. In your head, formulate your response to the following question:

What are the elements of a tax invoice?

Now open your eyes. 



Imagine how different (and rich) your response would have been if the teacher had lead your thinking by providing an example such as this.

The above Glogster demonstrates examples of all learning theories at work; transforming rote learning - the elements of a tax invoice (Behaviourism), building on student experiences and prior knowledge (Cognitivism), collaborating together - provided the class engaged in discussions or the task was completed in groups (Social Constructivism) and creating depth to the learning experience by tapping into the plethora of resources and information around us (Connectivism). 

Week 5...Prezi's

While Prezi's may provide that three-dimensional/global element that PowerPoint lacks, I am of the opinion that their full potential would be best realised embedded into another medium. 

In isolation, Prezi's lack structure and sequence and are limited in the amount of information they can provide.

Below is an example of the use of a Prezi to recap fractions, which may be useful at the start of a new term.  It is creative way to re-visit ideas, as well as a great canvas to let the creative juices go wild!

Week 5...

A REFLECTION FROM WEEK 5

 

PowerPoint is merely a presentation aid.

 

Image Courtesy: www.forbes.com

 

It can't be used to facilitate learning in it's own right...can it?  

 

When I was in Grade 9, my English class was charged with the task of presenting a magazine deconstruction using PowerPoint .  Students were scanning images here there and everywhere, using WordArt, ClipArt, transitioning slides and embedding WHHHOOOSSSSHHH sounds. 

 

Then there was David. 

 

On presentation day, David didn't speak.  His presentation spoke...LITERALLY...and the teacher was lost for words.

 

That was 1999. 

 

To dismiss PowerPoint as an effective tool to promote student engagement, enhance learning outcomes and foster collaboration in an interactive environment is pure ignorance. 

 

I have captured the "essence" of this tool in the below SWOT analysis. 

 

 

Here are just a few practical uses of PowerPoint in a classroom context...

 

• To provide all students with the same summary of key information from a lesson or lecture goes against the very idea that is being drilled into us as GDLT students; all learners are different and we must cater for this diversity, respecting all learning styles and theories. 

          

          Some students may prefer the information slide by slide 

 

          Some, a summary of the key points covered by the presenter (notes)

 

          Some, handouts so they can build upon an idea presented in their own words.

 

          PowerPoint caters for this diversity, even in its printing functionality!

 

 

• Mouse Mischief is a PowerPoint add-in which allows students to anonymously interact with presentation material (individually or as teams), allowing multiple mice to be attached to a singe computer. Instant student responses provide feedback, maintain focus, encourage discussion and may highlight a lack of understanding.  This can be useful to ensure learning outcomes are met.  Here is a static representation of my interactive presentation, central to the idea of revenue and GST. 

• The below presentation provides an example of how higher order thinking skills (e.g. comparison, evaluation and justification) can be incorporated into PowerPoint in a fun and engaging way.  

 

 

References

 

Mischief Mouse presentation slides - images courtesy:

• www.tduveen.com.au 

Want a lolly presentation slides - images courtesy:

• www.lolly.com.au 
• www.roadmap.net.au 
• www.geeksofdoom.com 
• www.comicvine.com 
• www.xyscrubs.com 
• www.istockphoto.com 
• wordsfortheyoung.blogspot.com 
• www.presentermedia.com 

 

Week 4...podcasting & digital video

Has technology gone too far?

Image courtesy: www.cartoonstock.com

 

There are many uses for podcasts and audio recordings in a educational context.  I have chosen to explore those relating to Grade 8 Maths.  

 

Meet my kitten Mog 

 

She always seems to get herself in all sorts of trouble.  Listen to her podcast below and help her to remember where she is using integers.  It's important to remember that Mog is renowned for waffling on, so please take note of only the important points. 

 

___________________________________________________________________

-15   -14   -13   -12   -11   -10   -9   -8   -7   -6   -5   -4   -3   -2   -1   0   1   2   3   4   5 

 

http://30779.podomatic.com/entry/2013-03-20T01_16_35-07_00

 

 Interestingly enough, something as simple as the above example can tap into all levels of thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy. 

 

What about in a business classroom context where students are exploring the customs of different countries relative to business transactions?  Instead of listing answers in a homework book, how much more engaging would it be to record podcasts of interviews where students act out an international transaction?  What if these were transformed three-dimensionally using digital video technology? 

 

The below Tube clip shows how simple pictures can be connected using song to make a very effective movie presentation...and also a catchy way to think about podcasting. 

 

 

 

Week 4...

A REFLECTION FROM WEEK 4

The New Media Consortium (2005) introduce the importance of multimedia to facilitate learning in an educational context, stating "a province once only occupied by artists and filmmakers is now populated by an entire generation of digital natives." 

They go on to say that "young people adept at interpreting meaning in sound, music, still and moving images and interactive components not only seem quite able to cope with messages that engage several of these pathways at once, but in many cases prefer them."  Prensky suggests this preference is due to the nature of the 21st century; "All the students we teach have something in their lives that's really engaging - something that they do and that they are good at, something that has an engaging, creative component to it" (Prensky, 2005). 

Multimedia is a multifaceted concepts which incorporates all of the above elements.  It can be used to transform learning, engage students, draw connections, organise learning material, enhance pedagogy and evoke emotion.   

Image courtesy: www.blingcheese.com

Is your head on the chopping block? 

Images 

 

A picture may be worth 1000 words, but it may also be 1000KB.

With so many on-line options available for presentations of student work or even assessment submission, file size is critical. 

Take me for example.  As assessment for another subject, I created a PowerPoint presentation. 

 

I then went to upload it. 

 

 

Uh oh! 

 

Being aware of programs available online (such as data converters) can ensure that these issues never happen to you!  MobaPhoto is a data converter which can reformat images and videos, effectively reducing file sizes.

 

It can even be used as subject for a maths lesson! 

 

What % file reduction did the use of MobaPhoto result in? 

 

 

 

79% for those of you who care.

 

So can images be used to enhance learning and promote higher order thinking?  This website  provides examples of how each level of thinking can be applied to one simple photograph! 

 

Take the 47.4KB image I simply uploaded from my iPhone.  Second to being a pizza, it can be used to provide a visual representation of a concept (eg: fractions, as slices of a pizza). 

 

This website provides an entire mathematics dictionary, represented by static and interactive images...who said maths can't be fun?

 

 

In the context of a lesson, this visual mode would not be used in isolation.  Commonly an idea/concept would be presented using a pedagogy combining written, aural and visual modes. 

 

Swisher (2007) argues that "when pictures and words are displayed in multimedia, only the visual channel is utilized and it can easily become overloaded; when narration is presented auditorily, it can be processed by the auditory/verbal channel, allowing the visual/pictorial channel more cognitive resources to process the graphical content."

 

He continues in saying, "of particular interest for multimedia learning is the ability of the learner to not only build both verbal and visual modes of mental representation but also establish meaningful connections between them." 

 

The idea here is that multimedia draws on different learning styles and multiple intelligences, which is key to student engagement.  Being a visual learner myself, I do not underestimate the power of images.

 

References:

 

Prensky M. (2005). "Engage Me or Enrage Me". What Today's Learners Demand? Retrieved from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

 

The New Media Consortium (2005). A Global Imperative - The Report of the 21st Century Literacy Summit Retrieved from: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Global_Imperative.pdf

 

 Swisher D. (2007). Does Multimedia Truly Enhance Learning? Moving Beyond the Visual Media Bandwagon Toward Instructional Effectiveness Retrieved from: http://www.academia.edu/1046356/Does_Multimedia_Truly_Enhance_Learning_Moving_Beyond_The_Visual_Media_Bandwagon_Toward_Instructional_Effectiveness

 

 

 

Week 3...whoops!

I think I got so caught up blogging about blogs that I forgot to consider the other two Group 1 tools!

Wiki's

By now you've all met my Mother.  For her sake, I thought I would provide a clip explaining Wiki's in layman's terms.  I don't think I can handle any more blog/blob comments! 

 

In order to reflect on the learning potential of a Wiki, I encourage you to participate; drawing on the similarities and differences between FAHE11001-3-11 and learningstyles-smccowanblogger. 

 

It is clear that the design and presentation of the Wiki may act as a hindrance to it's use.

 

Websites

 

What do you think of this?

Week 3...

A REFLECTION FROM WEEK 3

 

By way of introduction to this weeks reflection, I wanted to share a conversation I had over the weekend with my Mother.
 

Me: I have to do a blog reflection each week for one of my subjects at Uni.
 

Mum:

 

 

Simply put, a blog is a web log.  Here's what I think...

Blogs can be used as a repository for information.  Users have the ability to embed media such as PowerPoint (uploaded through online tools such as SlideShare or authorSTREAM), YouTube clips, online quizzes, podcasts, animations and images, and can hyperlink to external sources such as websites or wikis within a single blog posting. 

 

Glencoe Online (2000-2005) provide four basic functions of blogs when used in a classroom context:

• Classroom management
• Collaboration
• Discussions and
• Student portfolios.

They suggest that "class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board". 

Here is an example of a blog used effectively to promote higher order thinking and encourage creativity.  This posting would strongly reflect Connectivism, with other postings taking a more Behaviourist approach.  It is worthwhile considering the affordances of blogs as engaging outlets for extension students, or as remedial tools (additional activities to reinforce concepts) in the context of a lesson or even homework.  It is clear that the design of the blog and the way it is scaffolded can be used to address each students individual learning needs. 

References

Glencoe Online. (2000-2005). Using the blog in the classroom. Retrieved from: ttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47 

Images in PMI table courtesy of: 

• sammydvintage.com 
• www.acclaimimages.com 

 

Week 2...an afterthought

TEACHNOLOGY

 

 

Would you look at that?  I made up a word (let's blame my lack of typing proficiency).

 

 

Given the below options, let's define it:

 

 

a)  Teachnology is one letter away from technology, therefore the "a" was an intentional error.  "A" is representative of apple which suggests health.  In this context it refers to the importance of a healthy diet when surfing the net.

b)  Teach-nology simply means teaching students how to use technology.  This uTube clip is a great example. 

 

 

c)  Teachnology is the principle behind TPACK

Record your responses here!

 

Week 2...

A REFLECTION FROM WEEK 2

 

Doesn't this just make you feel all warm and fuzzy? 
 

Image courtesy: www.ucview.com

 

Orange stick people unite to put the pieces of the puzzle together...it's not as stupid as you may think.

 

Put in the context of a classroom, that's Social Constructivism.  Social Constructivism is based on the premise that "learning is founded upon social interactions within a learning community or expert community" (Fasso, 2013). 

 

Medina (2008) suggests that "if you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom". 

 

Connectivism and TPACK

As humans (as opposed to orange stick people), we are intrinsically curious. 

 

• Do marshmallows have different flavours or do pink and white ones taste the same?
• How were marshmallows invented?         * written whilst sipping a cup of Hot Chocolate
 

If this curiosity is not embraced by teachers in the classroom (and in some cases re-directed), the result could be disengaged learners. 

Siemens (2004) suggests that "learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing". 

I will be the first to admit that I don't know everything. I don't even know what "everything" is.  It is the same for students. 

Introducing Connectivism, a learning theory for the digital age.

 

TPACK is a framework which supports this learning theory. 

Image courtesy: missspinkontech.global2.vic.edu.au 

Put simply, it is the incorporation of ICT's into the teaching science.  Media Smarts (n.d.) suggest that "technology has shifted the traditional classroom paradigm that positions the teacher as the expert". 

Learning Engagement - Working in a wiki

This week we were charged with the task of working within a wiki, positioned around the controversial issue of whether mobile phones have a place in the classroom. 

 

The features of the wiki that appealed to me were:

• the organic nature of the site - I was surprised by the ease at which I could edit both the structure and text of the site,
• the ways in which it can foster collaboration - although I came to realise that this is highly reliant on the pedagogical design of the teacher and the ways in which the activity is scaffolded (through both peer and teacher input, bridging knowledge gaps or re-focusing attention), and
• it allows for creative expression, not only as a text repository for perspectives, but allows for the upload of multi media - which supports each students individual learning preferences

I found the exercise to be unstructured and messy (surprisingly, both terms used to describe Constructivism), however the benefits were clear.  This medium allowed for expression of a wider range of perspectives that I had ever considered.  This was great because it gave me a much "fuller" understanding of the issue at hand and my resulting opinion was significantly different from the narrow minded view I had to start with. 

 
The below diagram shows how wiki's can facilitate higher order thinking when it comes to analysing the information presented (in order to formulate an opinion or develop understanding of an issue).   

 

 

 "Productive Pedagogies", source: Slideshare; accessed on 9 March 2013

Depending on the extent to which you chose to engage, wiki's can support all learning theories. 

Take me for example...

 

....blah....blah....blah....*collaborative research projects idea*....blah....blah.... (written by other students)

 

I couldn't help myself but add the image (visual learner!)
Continuing on from the idea of using mobile devices to facilitate collaborative research projects, I have discovered a website (www.polleverywhere.com) which gathers instant responses to a posited question via text messaging. This is a fantastically engaging introduction to dry topics such as statistics, graphing and data analysis...and a quick way of knowing whether there are others out there who ate chocolate for breakfast this morning!! (written by me)

 

BEHAVIOURISM

 

COGNITIVISM

 

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

CONNECTIVISM

 

As a side note, I discovered an additional feature which monitors usage statistics. 

 

 

 

What a way to check and see whether students are reviewing/editing original thoughts to scaffold their learning and develop understanding! 

 

Food for thought...

 

Isn't it funny that the top 2 search results to my marshmallow question were Wiki's?  Must be something in it hey. 

 

 

References

 

Medina, J. (2008). Brain rules: 12 principals for surviving and thriving at work, home and school. Seattle, U.S.A: Pear Press. 

 

Media Smarts. (n.d.). Digital literacy fundamentals: Fostering digital literacy in the classroom. Retrieved from: http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/digital-literacy-fundamentals

 

Fasso, W. (2013a). A brief overview of learning theory. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICT’s for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115326

 

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm