Today's learners have grown up in the digital world. They live in a multimedia, online, audio visual world and speak a digital language, they are digital natives (Jukes and Dosaj, 2006; Prensky, 2001). On the other hand today's teachers, as most of us have witnessed, are almost certainly digital immigrants, struggling to cope with the new language and tools required to engage their learners. To address this digital divide initiatives such as Education Queensland's (2010) Smart Classrooms offer programs and professional development packages to support teachers to ensure ICT is included in meaningful and engaging learning experiences. Pre service teachers, such as myself, study Managing E- Learning to engage with digital tools and develop skills required to engage the 21st century learners who will be in their future classrooms. This is my blog synopsis and pedagogical evaluation of digital tools.
ICT’s and the internet have changed the way we access information. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and more recently Bing, and geographic information systems such as Google Earth and Maps enable us to access information on anything and everything. We live in a world surrounded by information and have had to develop new skills to become information and critically literate. Eisenberg (2010) believes this literacy is key to success in our global information society and that our students need to be given opportunities to develop skills and understandings in both finding and producing information in all forms.
While there are a myriad of tools to discuss on accessing and gaining information the ones I have chosen are YouTube, avatars and Skype.
Although I had blogged earlier about YouTube being both an engagement and a disengagement tool, Kara’s comment caused me to consider the purpose and intended outcome clips and raised some questions of my own application of YouTube in the classroom. This led me to Mrs Daisy’s blog where she blogged about the instructional application of YouTube and to Brooke's blog where she discussed her own experiences of using YouTube in various ways. Further viewings at university during presentations made me realise its instructional capabilities and universal appeal. I have chosen YouTube, as suitable clips can be used to demonstrate a subject's connectedness to the world (DET, 2002) and because of its appeal across the different learning styles. Furthermore YouTube is easy to download to a portable device and can provide ready made visuals as an adjunct to teachers more traditional paper based resources.
Avatars are engaging tools which can be created to provide information to early or low literacy learners. It could be instructional information such as directions in a webquest as discussed with Red Zebra or as an engaging hook as an expert imparting knowledge at the beginning of a unit.
Skype is a way of global conferencing and can be used to gain information, person to person. This way of connecting with real people to receive real information in real time can bring the world to your classroom and opens the door to learning experiences which might not otherwise be possible. Examples of this include; a conversation with an author, a chat with a class 25 000k's away or even with a guest speaker who is in Antarctica. In having authentic resources there are opportunities for classroom discussions with real intellectual substance (DET, 2002). I read Kelly's blog and 50 Awesome Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom and noticed an underlying theme of connection and collaboration running through the various suggestions. Skype enables dialogue between learners, learners and teachers, and learners and resources. This supports collaborative learning, which in turn encourages learning (Brady, 2006).
Another way of consolidating and refining the gathering of information is to subscribe to RSS feeds by way of an aggregator such as Google Reader. I decided to test Google Reader after one of our university tutorials and subscribed to some news feeds and educational blogs. It was quite a revelation having the information come to me and I immediately thought of the time poor teacher and how this would assist in gathering most current information or resources. Further applications could be to set up an aggregator accessible to the students with current subject information coming through on topics such as global warming, weather, and fuel prices or to subscribe to a podcast using iTunes.
I have come to appreciate blogs as both a way to transform knowledge and a way to present knowledge. Blogging is as much about the feedback as it is about the blog as comments left on the blog encourage thinking and sometimes re-evaluation of a post. Blogging is aligned with a constructivist view, as learners are selectively pursuing their own knowledge and actively attempting to make meaning (Seimans, 2004). It is also collaborative in nature as students engage in learning conversations with their peers actively co-constructing knowledge( Brady, 2006). In presenting a blog students take ownership of it and develop their own standards of performance. This constant evaluation and desire to improve the product is higher order thinking and sits in the evaluate and design phase of Blooms taxonomy (1956, as cited in Frangenheim, 2009).
Podomatic was a most frustrating tool to use (see conversations with Kim and Matt) but all problems aside podcasting is an excellent way to present knowledge and reach an audience.Having been referred to the Langwitches Blog by Mrs Daisy I was alerted to the writing, presenting, auditory skills and and media and information literacies students practice when podcasting. Podcasts are like a personal conversation between author/s and listener/s, therefore the skills are in making it an engaging experience for your audience. This tool links with Kearsly and Shneiderman's (1999) Engagement theory in which it states "students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks". Podcasting is about human interaction and it certainly fits with the framework of Relate - Create - Donate. Following at least the second and third principles, podcasting provides the students with a purposeful activity, a sense of control over what they are producing, and because it is being produced for an audience, an authentic reason for doing it.
In conclusion, digital tools encourage collaborative learning, enable the transfer of knowledge and foster higher order thinking. As a student and preservice teacher I have had the opportunity to engage with these digital tools and assess them for use in an educational setting. Jukes and Dosaj (2006) believe in order to relate to students and meet their current and future needs teachers need to "embrace the new digital reality". I intend to do just that and embrace the digital world, learn to speak the language and provide a classroom that encourages collaborative learning, enables higher order thinking and is engaging to all learners.
References
Brady, L. (2006). Collaborative learning in action. Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Department of Education. (2002). A guide to productive pedagogies classroom reflection manual. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Queensland Government.
Department of Education. (2010). Smart Classrooms. Professional development framework. Retrieved August 25, 2010 from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdframework/
.Eisenberg, M., & Berkowitz, B. (2001). Big6 Skills overview. Retrieved August 11, 2010 from http://www.big6.com/category/about-big6/
Frangenheim, E. (2006). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme, QLD, Australia: Rodin Education Publishing.
Jukes, I., & Dosaj, A. (2006). Understanding Digital Children. Retrieved August 17, 2010 from http://www.ibo.org/ibap/conference/documents/IanJukes-UnderstandingDigitalKids.pdf
Kearsley, G.,& Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory. A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved August 02, 2010 from: http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91796
Marzano, R.J., & Pickering. (2006). Dimensions of learning. Heatherton, VIC, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved August 7, 2010, from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Prensky, M. (2005). Engage or Enrage Me. Retrieved August 24, 2010, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf
Seimans, G. (2004). Connectivism. A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved August 23, 2010 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Comments made on my blog
Kim said...
Hi Juliet,
Thank you so much for your step by step guide to adding a Widget. I successfully completed this however found that my "Internet stopped working" due to a Flash problem - so I have removed the Widget from my blog and all seems to be going well now. What a shame! I will check into this further when I have a bit more time - for now it's a reflective synopsis that has my attention...Thanks again for sharing your know-how. Cheers, Kim
Juliet said...
Hi Miss Daisy
Glad you liked visuword.I think it is great visual tool for teachers and students. I really like the way it links to other words and terms and provides a much better understanding of the original word. The grammar focus is particularly helpful, especially now with a focus back on grammar in the schools.
Did you get to try it out at school? I would love to hear if it worked in school.
Mrs Daisy said...
Actually I havent yet But I was sharing your find with a friend of mine who creates websites and he was very excited about!
So well done nothing like showing the experts a new trick!
Phillipa said...
Hi Juliet,
I love the idea of using both powerpoint and podcasts, moviemaker etc to share books with the kids in the classroom. What a shame that we are restricted by copyright!
You would think that as long as we purchase the original book or music, recording it to use for educational purposes in the classroom would be OK.
I guess a way around that might be for children to tell their own versions of the story using alternate characters or sequencing,
I found a great online book which explores many of the CRP's we are looking at with fairytales.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6909427/Teaching-Thinking-Skills-With-FairyTales-and-Fantasy
Many of the activities it describes could be adapted to use with ICT's.
Juliet said...
Hi Kim
Yes as I just wrote to Matt, the pod casting experience was arduous. I did solve my recording issue though by adjusting the microphone volume. It worked straight away. Perhaps you should give that a go.
Juliet
Kim said...
Hi Juliet,
This is amazing! Thanks for commenting on my blog and leading me to greener word clouds!! I really like the way Tagul links to Google and have added Rodd Lucier's blog "The Clever Sheep" to Favourites - or perhaps I should just follow?!
I have a daughter in Year 11 who can't wait to transfer her latest English essay into a word cloud so that she can analyse the words she uses most! Thanks so much for identifying these resources. You are a legend! Kim
Red Zebra said...
Hi Jules
I like the implications that you have noted for using a wiki in an educational setting. The inclusion of a wiki in the classroom supports constructivist learning where the students discover how to learn a concept on their own which according to Leadbeater (2002) maybe where the future of learning is headed.
Mrs Daisy said...
Hi Juliet
What a fantastic tool Visuword is. I can just see my class using this tool with their spelling word lists. My mentor teacher chooses 3 words from their spelling list ewach week and asks the stduents to look the word up in a dictionary to find the meaning and what type of word it is ie noun, adjective etc. This is a fantastic way to make that sourcing of inforamtion more engaging and enables the students to go one step further and really look at the words in detail.
I wonder if this will work in the classroom on the Qld Education platform. I will give it a try this week.
Thanks for sharing it.
Juliet said...
Hi Miss Daisy
Glad you liked visuword.I think it is great visual tool for teachers and students. I really like the way it links to other words and terms and provides a much better understanding of the original word. The grammar focus is particularly helpful, especially now with a focus back on grammar in the schools.
Did you get to try it out at school? I would love to hear if it worked in school.
Mrs Daisy said...
Actually I havent yet But I was sharing your find with a friend of mine who creates websites and he was very excited about!
So well done nothing like showing the experts a new trick!
Phillipa said...
Hi Juliet,
I love the idea of using both powerpoint and podcasts, moviemaker etc to share books with the kids in the classroom. What a shame that we are restricted by copyright!
You would think that as long as we purchase the original book or music, recording it to use for educational purposes in the classroom would be OK.
I guess a way around that might be for children to tell their own versions of the story using alternate characters or sequencing,
I found a great online book which explores many of the CRP's we are looking at with fairytales.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6909427/Teaching-Thinking-Skills-With-FairyTales-and-Fantasy
Many of the activities it describes could be adapted to use with ICT's.
Kim said...
Hi Juliet,
Just to let you know that I too have had difficulty with podcasting. Tried it a week or so ago and gave up. I'm not really glad that you had trouble but it does make me feel a bit better if you know what I mean. I'm thinking of downloading Audacity. Anyway, it's a work in progress...
ALSO...how did you add the ABC widget? I clicked on Add Get this widget today, copied the code but then was a bit lost when I went back to my own blog. Tried Edit Page (found some things I should probably be doing there) but couldn't see where to drop the widget code? If you have time and can share the next step it would be much appreciated...Ta, Kim
Juliet said...
Hi Kim
Yes as I just wrote to Matt, the pod casting experience was arduous. I did solve my recording issue though by adjusting the microphone volume. It worked straight away. Perhaps you should give that a go.
Juliet
Kara Beardall said...
Hi Juliet,
I agree with your statement of becoming desensitised by YouTube clips. Video clips are a great way to engage learners and present information in a novel way, however, if over used can detract from learnings as students disengage. I conceptualise YouTube clips as way to spark interest and create a platform for learning. The YouTube clips I have seen (and engaged me) have spurred some deeper thinking and excitement into learning. I can still remember some of the clips showed in my University classes and from that remember some of the content the video clip demonstrated. As professionals there needs to be consideration and thought into the intended outcome and purpose for utilising a video clip into our lessons. The video clip cannot be a end to itself.
Thank you for your post, it really has made me reflect on the use and purpose of using video clips.
Kara
Phillipa said...
Hi Juliet,
I found that the two learning frameworks were quite different and in fact I could imagine using the Big 6 framework within the Engagement Theory framework.
What do you think?
Red Zebra said...
Hi Penguin!
I enjoyed your new avatar and agree that there are many different applications for this type of avatar. If this site allows you to import pictures of any kind they could easily be turned into experts for inclusion in web quests as you have already suggested. This site would also allow application of creativity and choice which students enjoy and engage with more readily. It could also become the voice of behaviour management from a pre recorded script. I used voki.com to make my first avatar and found that although the program limits choice it was easy to use for someone like me with limited technology skills. Looking forward to your next blog.
Thanks for your comments Red Zebra. I checked out your avatar and really liked your choice of the purple car. I had not thought to use an inanimate object but realise that is a very engaging way of using an avatar too, particularly with the earlier levels.
That lead me to thinking about the Year 1/2 webquest I created last year for the SOSE assignment. It would have been so beneficial to have used an avatar for instruction and guidance through the webquest. An avatar would have provided audio to sit alongside the written instruction and would have assisted better understanding and movement through the investigation.
I also like the fact they are easy to create and can not help but wonder if we would see a wider use in the classroom if more teachers pushed the boundaries of their limited technology skills.
Comments made on other posts
wordles - http://elearninginaction.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-love-wordle.html
ict- http://phil-e-learning.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-was-chatting-to-juliet-about-using.html#comments
Learning objects - http://phil-e-learning.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-post.html
Graphic word engines - http://phil-e-learning.blogspot.com/2010/07/touchgraph-i-am-truly-excited-about.html#comments
Podcasting - http://mjdjfish.blogspot.com/2010/08/podcasting-2.html
digital stories - http://s0173579.blogspot.com/2010/08/digital-story.html#comments
youtube - http://mrsdaisyelearning.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-5-you-tube.html
digital video - http://mrsdaisyelearning.blogspot.com/2010/07/week-5-digital-video.html
digital images and podcasting - http://brookelsaunders.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-4.html
digital images - http://s0173579.blogspot.com/2010/07/inspire-me.html#comments
digital videos - http://brookelsaunders.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-5.html
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