Monday, 21 May 2012
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Reflective Synopsis on use of digital tools in the classroom
During our first weeks course reading for ICTs for Learning Design (http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource), we have learnt a lot about different learning styles, multiple intelligences, learners in the 21st century and learning theory. From this material it has become evident that not every individual learns in the same way. It is therefore important to tailor our lesson to suit the multiple ways of learning present in our classroom. According to Prensky (2001) teachers today are dealing with a class full of digital natives and if we want to be able to engage our students we must adapt to technology. Constructivism and Connectivism are two parts of the learning theories covered in course notes for ICTs for Learning Design (term 1 2012), Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) play a large part in constructivism and connectivism is based solely on ICTs. It is clear from my further investigations how digital tools are able to enhance and engage today's learners and help to achieve higher order thinking.
During week 2 engagement activity we were required to participate in a wiki activity on mobile phones which was scaffolded using De Bonos 6 thinking hats. I have posted on my blog about my experience participating in my first group wiki. This activity demonstrated the importance scaffolding within a wiki activity. Without the scaffolding present everyone would have merely added their personal thoughts about mobile phones in the classroom and may not have considered other options. Scaffolding ensures that the desired learning outcomes are achieved.
Group 1 digital tools consisted of bogs, wikis and websites, I have completed a SWOT analysis in my wiki page on these three tools. I have also reflected on my personal experience with each of these tools on my blog. Of the three group 1 tools I believe that I will use wikis the most in my classes, I like the idea of students working in a constructivist environment. With the correct scaffolding wikis are a great tool for group work. As the teacher I would make the page password protected and I would regularly monitor the contributions. An example of how I would use wikis in a teaching context would be a group science experiment. I would set up small groups with a wiki page for the student to design their experiment on. The space could be used for brainstorming ideas and experimental design. Students are able to add external content and links to research that they have found. Once the experiment is underway, individual observations can be recorded with photo graphic evidence included. Digital video clips of observations can also be added to demonstrate findings. This way the students are working in a constructivist environment and they are able to bounce ideas off one another. Students are still required to do some individual research and can share their personal observations with the rest of the group. Wikis are also a great example of connectivism, with so many different resources at their finger tips. Once the experiment is completed and student begin to write their formal report they are able to look back at all of the evidence of their experiment that is on the wiki page. Scaffolding that I would add as a teacher would be topic selection ideas that might include a PMI for each idea, brainstorming formatting, SWOT analysis for experimental design and pages for recording observations.
Group 2 digital tools included digital images, podcasts and digital video, on my wiki page I have completed a PMI on the use of these tools. My blog also contains a post on my journey with these tools. I have chosen podcasts from this group of tools as I think it will have an application in scientific field trips. I think that podcasts would be a creative way for students to present observations from a field trip. They can use a small inexpensive MP3 players (which most students would already have) to record their voices explaining what they can see, hear, touch and smell making their observations more 3 dimensional than just a picture. Later when using a program such as podomatic they can edit their recordings and add any images that they may have taken during the day. They are able to share their podcast with teachers and peers on the class blog page or on the field trip wiki page. This creative digital presentation will help to transform content that they have learnt in the classroom into a real experience and hopefully create higher order thinking.
Group 3 digital tools consisted of powerpoint, prezi and glogster, my wiki page contains a SWOT analysis on the use of these tools. Initially when I considered these tools I thought that powerpoint would be the tool I would use most in the classroom and I will use powerpoint to present my content to my class. However in terms of my learners using technology I have chosen glogster as the tool that I will use. I can see glogster having an application in students presenting assignments, for example an article review. This piece of assessment would usually be quite boring and dull to complete but if students were required to present their initial ideas and thoughts on their review as a glog it would make the task much more enjoyable. Content such as images, digital video and sound clips can be added as well as so many decorative items to personalise their glog in which ever way they see fit. Glogs can then be embedded into a class wiki page, this will enable students to look at what their peers have created. This will help stimulate visual and creative learners whilst at the same time it encompasses the learning theories of cognitivism, constructivism and connectivism. Students will want to view peers glogs as they are appealing to look at. Making the research fun will help transform the declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge.
Group 4 tools were open ended and there are so many to choose from, the two tools that I investigated were interactive learning objects and online concept mapping both of which I have posted about on my blog. I believe that both of these tools are useful in science. I have chosen interactive learning objects as the tool that will have the greatest impact on my teaching. As science has a lot of concepts that are simply too small to see or can't be seen at all interactive learning objects have the potential to make those item "visible". This will help student put the puzzle pieces in place and be able to see what we are teaching them. The interactive dissection of a frog on the frog guts website (2012) was amazing to me. As resources aren't always available for these particular activities it was a fun interactive way for students to be involved in a dissection. In other applications it would be great to find interactive learning objects for processes such as cell division, in an evolutionary context being able to see how an extinct animal may have moved. The cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy of Learning domains (1999) refers to the categories of learning behaviour , Interactive learning objects have the ability to transform the lowest category knowledge into the higher order thinking areas of evaluating and creating.
The use of all these lovely tools does have a very serious side. The Internet is a dangerous place for children and as teachers we must ensure that students are fully informed and protected. As a teacher I would present a lesson at the beginning of term outlining the dangers of the online environment. I would password protect all of our work spaces and teach students to always reference their work. I would also send home permission slips at the start of the term asking for permission to show students work in class blogs or wikis. I would also direct my students to web sites that explain the guideline explicitly. Having the computers restricted for school use is also something that the school would need to do. As the teacher I would continually monitor all class pages and contributions of students.
This course so far has started me on my ICTs learning journey, a journey that is never ending as there are always new technologies being created. As I was taught using traditional methods this was all that I knew and how I thought that I would teach. My whole mindset has been altered and I can see the advantages that incorporating ICTs into my lesson. It will make it more interesting to plan teach and assess. My students will be engaged as I will be speaking their language and hopefully I will be able to help them achieve that procedural knowledge and higher order thinking. I thought I would hate this course but it so far has proved to be the complete opposite. I am also aware that I am just scratching the surface and must continue to grow.
References
Unknown.(2012) ICTs for Learning Design term1 2012 [week 1Learning resources]
Retrieved from CQUniversity e-Courses, (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Prensky.(2001) Digital Natives Digital Immigrants
Retrieved from CQUniversity Resources Online (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky
unknown.(2012) Frog Guts.
Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.froguts.com/demo/
Clark, D.R (1999) Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains
Retrieved from CQUniversity Resources Online (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#cognitive
Appendix A
The following posts from my blog are linked through out my reflective synopsis
mobile phones
group 1 digital tools
digital image
digital video
podcast
group 2 digital tools
prezi
glogster
powerpoint
group 3 digital tools
group 4 digital tools
Appendix B
There are links to my wiki page through out my synopsis. I used my wiki page as a working space to analyse the digital tools and display some working examples.
During week 2 engagement activity we were required to participate in a wiki activity on mobile phones which was scaffolded using De Bonos 6 thinking hats. I have posted on my blog about my experience participating in my first group wiki. This activity demonstrated the importance scaffolding within a wiki activity. Without the scaffolding present everyone would have merely added their personal thoughts about mobile phones in the classroom and may not have considered other options. Scaffolding ensures that the desired learning outcomes are achieved.
Group 1 digital tools consisted of bogs, wikis and websites, I have completed a SWOT analysis in my wiki page on these three tools. I have also reflected on my personal experience with each of these tools on my blog. Of the three group 1 tools I believe that I will use wikis the most in my classes, I like the idea of students working in a constructivist environment. With the correct scaffolding wikis are a great tool for group work. As the teacher I would make the page password protected and I would regularly monitor the contributions. An example of how I would use wikis in a teaching context would be a group science experiment. I would set up small groups with a wiki page for the student to design their experiment on. The space could be used for brainstorming ideas and experimental design. Students are able to add external content and links to research that they have found. Once the experiment is underway, individual observations can be recorded with photo graphic evidence included. Digital video clips of observations can also be added to demonstrate findings. This way the students are working in a constructivist environment and they are able to bounce ideas off one another. Students are still required to do some individual research and can share their personal observations with the rest of the group. Wikis are also a great example of connectivism, with so many different resources at their finger tips. Once the experiment is completed and student begin to write their formal report they are able to look back at all of the evidence of their experiment that is on the wiki page. Scaffolding that I would add as a teacher would be topic selection ideas that might include a PMI for each idea, brainstorming formatting, SWOT analysis for experimental design and pages for recording observations.
Group 2 digital tools included digital images, podcasts and digital video, on my wiki page I have completed a PMI on the use of these tools. My blog also contains a post on my journey with these tools. I have chosen podcasts from this group of tools as I think it will have an application in scientific field trips. I think that podcasts would be a creative way for students to present observations from a field trip. They can use a small inexpensive MP3 players (which most students would already have) to record their voices explaining what they can see, hear, touch and smell making their observations more 3 dimensional than just a picture. Later when using a program such as podomatic they can edit their recordings and add any images that they may have taken during the day. They are able to share their podcast with teachers and peers on the class blog page or on the field trip wiki page. This creative digital presentation will help to transform content that they have learnt in the classroom into a real experience and hopefully create higher order thinking.
Group 3 digital tools consisted of powerpoint, prezi and glogster, my wiki page contains a SWOT analysis on the use of these tools. Initially when I considered these tools I thought that powerpoint would be the tool I would use most in the classroom and I will use powerpoint to present my content to my class. However in terms of my learners using technology I have chosen glogster as the tool that I will use. I can see glogster having an application in students presenting assignments, for example an article review. This piece of assessment would usually be quite boring and dull to complete but if students were required to present their initial ideas and thoughts on their review as a glog it would make the task much more enjoyable. Content such as images, digital video and sound clips can be added as well as so many decorative items to personalise their glog in which ever way they see fit. Glogs can then be embedded into a class wiki page, this will enable students to look at what their peers have created. This will help stimulate visual and creative learners whilst at the same time it encompasses the learning theories of cognitivism, constructivism and connectivism. Students will want to view peers glogs as they are appealing to look at. Making the research fun will help transform the declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge.
Group 4 tools were open ended and there are so many to choose from, the two tools that I investigated were interactive learning objects and online concept mapping both of which I have posted about on my blog. I believe that both of these tools are useful in science. I have chosen interactive learning objects as the tool that will have the greatest impact on my teaching. As science has a lot of concepts that are simply too small to see or can't be seen at all interactive learning objects have the potential to make those item "visible". This will help student put the puzzle pieces in place and be able to see what we are teaching them. The interactive dissection of a frog on the frog guts website (2012) was amazing to me. As resources aren't always available for these particular activities it was a fun interactive way for students to be involved in a dissection. In other applications it would be great to find interactive learning objects for processes such as cell division, in an evolutionary context being able to see how an extinct animal may have moved. The cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy of Learning domains (1999) refers to the categories of learning behaviour , Interactive learning objects have the ability to transform the lowest category knowledge into the higher order thinking areas of evaluating and creating.
The use of all these lovely tools does have a very serious side. The Internet is a dangerous place for children and as teachers we must ensure that students are fully informed and protected. As a teacher I would present a lesson at the beginning of term outlining the dangers of the online environment. I would password protect all of our work spaces and teach students to always reference their work. I would also send home permission slips at the start of the term asking for permission to show students work in class blogs or wikis. I would also direct my students to web sites that explain the guideline explicitly. Having the computers restricted for school use is also something that the school would need to do. As the teacher I would continually monitor all class pages and contributions of students.
This course so far has started me on my ICTs learning journey, a journey that is never ending as there are always new technologies being created. As I was taught using traditional methods this was all that I knew and how I thought that I would teach. My whole mindset has been altered and I can see the advantages that incorporating ICTs into my lesson. It will make it more interesting to plan teach and assess. My students will be engaged as I will be speaking their language and hopefully I will be able to help them achieve that procedural knowledge and higher order thinking. I thought I would hate this course but it so far has proved to be the complete opposite. I am also aware that I am just scratching the surface and must continue to grow.
References
Unknown.(2012) ICTs for Learning Design term1 2012 [week 1Learning resources]
Retrieved from CQUniversity e-Courses, (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Prensky.(2001) Digital Natives Digital Immigrants
Retrieved from CQUniversity Resources Online (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky
unknown.(2012) Frog Guts.
Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.froguts.com/demo/
Clark, D.R (1999) Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains
Retrieved from CQUniversity Resources Online (EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design):
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#cognitive
Appendix A
The following posts from my blog are linked through out my reflective synopsis
mobile phones
group 1 digital tools
digital image
digital video
podcast
group 2 digital tools
prezi
glogster
powerpoint
group 3 digital tools
group 4 digital tools
Appendix B
There are links to my wiki page through out my synopsis. I used my wiki page as a working space to analyse the digital tools and display some working examples.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
group 4 digital tools
The two tools that I chose to use from the group 4 digital tools were Interactive Learning Objects and Online Concept Mapping.
I feel that Interactive learning objects will play a large role in my teaching of science. As a lot of concepts in science aren't visible it can be really hard to describe and give the learners and accurate visual picture. Not only will these tools give students a visual but they are able to show the mechanisms by which they work. This will hopefully help to obtain higher order thinking. I loved the interactive frog dissection. There are times where it may not be possible for each and every student to be able to participate in the dissection and it can be hard for the teacher to assist everyone in the process and supervise at the same time. The digital dissection enables every student to see what they are suppose to see whilst giving them a description. It allows them to be interactive choosing the correct parts and the procedure will not move on until the correct response has been given. Also it takes time to perform that actual dissection hence reducing the time spent actually examining the organs, the digitilisation of this enables more time to be spent examining the specimen.
I used Bubbl us as the online concept mapping tool. It was really user friendly and enabled organisation of thoughts. It was easy to undo and add bubbles. It was good to be able to save the map for later use. I think that it would be a good way to get students started with assessment tasks. They could brainstorm and then organise their thoughts, whilst it is all being put on paper and saved
I feel that Interactive learning objects will play a large role in my teaching of science. As a lot of concepts in science aren't visible it can be really hard to describe and give the learners and accurate visual picture. Not only will these tools give students a visual but they are able to show the mechanisms by which they work. This will hopefully help to obtain higher order thinking. I loved the interactive frog dissection. There are times where it may not be possible for each and every student to be able to participate in the dissection and it can be hard for the teacher to assist everyone in the process and supervise at the same time. The digital dissection enables every student to see what they are suppose to see whilst giving them a description. It allows them to be interactive choosing the correct parts and the procedure will not move on until the correct response has been given. Also it takes time to perform that actual dissection hence reducing the time spent actually examining the organs, the digitilisation of this enables more time to be spent examining the specimen.
I used Bubbl us as the online concept mapping tool. It was really user friendly and enabled organisation of thoughts. It was easy to undo and add bubbles. It was good to be able to save the map for later use. I think that it would be a good way to get students started with assessment tasks. They could brainstorm and then organise their thoughts, whilst it is all being put on paper and saved
SWOT of group 3 tools
I have completed a SWOT analysis of the group 3 digital tools.
Although I think that I will use all three tools in my classroom the tool that I think that I will use the most will be powerpoint. I not only see myself using powerpoint for presenting information to my students but also for the students to use and present their work. I liked being able to organise my thoughts with concept mapping and outline my slides using word. This made the task more structured rather than adding random thoughts on a slide
In the powerpoint that I created I touched on the idea of presenting findings from a field trip to the beach. I think that this is a powerful way to present the whole of the field trip and a good support for oral assessments. Students could created slides and add images and recordings of what they found on the day of the trip. It can help them organise their thoughts and present them in a logical way. The use of images/audio and video will help their audience visualise what they are talking about.
Being able to add links to other slides and home keys allow for easy navigation around the presentation. This also means that you are create options for students to follow.
I really liked the idea of the mouse mischief using powerpoint. A great way to interact with the audience and receive feedback on understanding. I also like the idea of chosing to share my presentation with. It can always be shared with the students so that they can access when needed.
I felt that prezi was a great alternative to powerpoint and a little more entertaining. The zoom in feature is great. Once again a clever way to present information with other media able to be added.
Glogster is a really fun and creative way to share information. The possibilites are endless. I managed to upload mine to my wiki page which is a great way to share with teachers and students.
Although I think that I will use all three tools in my classroom the tool that I think that I will use the most will be powerpoint. I not only see myself using powerpoint for presenting information to my students but also for the students to use and present their work. I liked being able to organise my thoughts with concept mapping and outline my slides using word. This made the task more structured rather than adding random thoughts on a slide
In the powerpoint that I created I touched on the idea of presenting findings from a field trip to the beach. I think that this is a powerful way to present the whole of the field trip and a good support for oral assessments. Students could created slides and add images and recordings of what they found on the day of the trip. It can help them organise their thoughts and present them in a logical way. The use of images/audio and video will help their audience visualise what they are talking about.
Being able to add links to other slides and home keys allow for easy navigation around the presentation. This also means that you are create options for students to follow.
I really liked the idea of the mouse mischief using powerpoint. A great way to interact with the audience and receive feedback on understanding. I also like the idea of chosing to share my presentation with. It can always be shared with the students so that they can access when needed.
I felt that prezi was a great alternative to powerpoint and a little more entertaining. The zoom in feature is great. Once again a clever way to present information with other media able to be added.
Glogster is a really fun and creative way to share information. The possibilites are endless. I managed to upload mine to my wiki page which is a great way to share with teachers and students.
bubbl us
powerpoint
I haven't used powerpoint for a long time. It is much the same only with more functions- I think? I find powerpoint easy to use and navigate. I can see myself using powerpoint to present my classes. I really like the multiple mouses to make it more interactive. It would be a great way for students to present oral assessment and this is how I have used it in the past. Students can add all sorts of media to complete their presentation.
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