Sunday, 12 August 2012

Reflective Synopsis

Introduction:

It is evident that over that last decade technology has taken a steep incline and has integrated itself into almost every aspect of everyday life in the western world. Dramatic changes in the way society operates has led to realisation that schools and teachers need to be facilitating a learning environment that aims to cater for the next generation of tech-savvy students. These students will need to be equipped with not only the knowledge and skills to work with technology in an effective manner, but to also be forward and innovative thinkers for the future. From this realisation, new pedagogical developments have transpired such as; the TPACK model, utilizing connectivist teaching methods,  creating structured online spaces for collaborative and constructivist learning to occur and using the internet's unlimited resources to develop students' global awareness. Doing so structures a learner centred approach which in turn provides students with more control over their own learning. All these pedagogical elements combine to ensure students are developing higher order thinking techniques integrated with the technology aspect to ensure they have the ability to confidently use, share and communicate with digital technologies in a sophisticated and effective manner (ACARA, 2012).

This reflective synopsis contains information that links learning theories to the practical use of digital technologies and appropriate pedagogies whilst using it in an ethical, legal and safe way.

The importance of pedagogy:

Evidently students ability to work effectively online is a skill that needs to be taught and developed over time therefore, appropriate pedagogy is imperative to ensure students are developing the advanced knowledge and skills associated with using ITCs effectively. Bill Gates said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important" (Cited by Rao, 2012). This quote sums up the importance of pedagogical choices that the teacher must make in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes and for students to develop higher order thinking.

The importance of pedagogy was made relevant by the week two learning engagement activity which demonstrated the importance of scaffolding when using an online environment. The activity took place in a wikispace and called for collaboration over the topic of 'should mobile devices be used in the classroom?'. To assume that effective collaboration would take place without any further scaffolding would be an absurd concept and poor pedagogy. To overcome this and to ensure students would be richly learning, the scaffolding tool of De Bono's Six Thinking Hats was used. Using the Six Thinking Hats allowed for multiple perspectives to be shared in an organised fashion. Organising the information in such a way additionally allows for easier interpretation and evaluation to occur which leads to further higher order thinking.

Like in most classroom situations the concept of the 5 P's of success, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance, is an imperative concept that allows lesson the run more smoothly. However, when working with technology it is sometime inevitable that the technology will fail at some point. This was the case in the wikispace activity where information was always being overridden when someone would save leading to loss of information. At this stage the importance of pedagogy is clear, when dealing with technology always have a backup plan. Just because technology can sometimes fail, does not translate to never use it. Instead, be flexible in your planning and demonstrate further sound pedagogy by being prepared for the technology failures. In the case of using Wikispaces, see my reflection and SWOT analysis based on the task described above and also my blog entry of mobile devices in the classroom which demonstrates the outcomes of the scaffolding which led to my evaluative opinion being formed.  

Collaborative construction of knowledge:

Collaboration and constructivism are two major learning theories that stem from the work of Vygotsky and his understandings that surrounding social development (McLeod, 2007). Ultimately both of these learning theories can be utilized by an online working space such as a blog or wikispace. Blogs allow for students to independently post about a subject and share their viewpoint. Consequently, depending on the privacy settings, others can view and then comment on the blog posting; providing an alternative view point or adding onto the original idea (see the PMI for Blogs for extra information regarding affordances). Wikispaces allow collaborative groups to be formed and for all members to make contributions to the online space; these ideas can be arranged on separate pages for ease of use (see the PMI forWikispaces for extra information regarding affordances). To ensure student learning  scaffolding must take place for both tools. The teacher can have access to students wikispaces and blogs, depending on the settings, to set-up scaffolding such as headings or tables that students can then go back and edit or add to. Both blogs and wikispaces are up-to-date ways to allow students to collaborate and construct knowledge online in order to extend student knowledge and promote high order thinking whilst using ITCs.


Working legally, safely and ethically:

Working legally, safely and ethically online are the most crucial elements to ensuring a positive relationship with digital technologies and should be modelled by the teacher at all times.

The legal element aims to teach student that it is alright to use another person's work, as long as you acknowledge that it is not your own and also give attribution when necessary. It also addresses the issue of the illegal use of copyrighted material. Simply not knowing copyright laws is not an excuse for breaching copyright. Through this eLearning journey I discovered that I would have been in breach of copyright if I had published online a movie, that I had made, with a soundtrack embedded in it which was not my own. Although I gave attribution to the song at the end, I was still breaching copyright because I had not contacted the publisher to ask for permission to use it (see my blog posting using a Voki to explain further about copyright and attribution). To ensure copyright is adhered to in the classroom, copyright notices attached to information should always be checked and the publishers contacted if necessary. Usually, provisions are made if the information, image, movie etc. wanted to be used is for educational purposes. Alternatively, there are websites such as Flickr which are run under the creative copy laws which allow the sharing and alterations of images to be made as long as attribution is given (see the Flickr picture and Be Funky Fishy blog postings).


Working safely online is paramount especially in the classroom. Students' privacy needs to be protected and permission give before anything identifying is uploaded to the internet. If teachers are wanting to upload students' work into a wikispace, blog or website the student must firstly give permission for their work to be shared. Depending on the circumstances and what is being uploaded and for what purpose, it would be suggested that privacy settings are used and online spaces are set to private and password protected. Additionally, if younger students are using blogs for classroom purposes, using a program such as Edublogs instead of Blogger protects them from unwanted information and unnecessary comments and also give more power to the teacher.

Students also need to work ethically online; they need to realise that whatever they post or upload leaves a paper trail and can never be permanently deleted once it is put up. This issue stems deeper especially because of the use of social media which is predominate in the student culture. Students need to be aware of ethical practices and be cognitively aware of what they are saying and doing online at all times. Ethical practices should be taught explicitly to students before they engage in any online activities.


Global Learners:

A real positive of ITCs in an online setting is that students can become global learners. The internet provides opportunities for students around the world to connect and work together via the use of Skype, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, blogs, wikispaces etc. The choice is up to the LM of what means are appropriate considering safe and ethical practices.

Programs such as Google Maps are an excellent way to allow students to explore the world without leaving the classroom. There are unlimited possibilities to different teaching strategies when teaching geography and history which allow students to become globally aware and step outside of their communities to discover what the world has to offer. For some teaching opportunities see my blog posting about Google Maps.

Creativity:

Online learning can provide students with the opportunity to be creative in their adventures to present information to their peers and also the greater population. Programs such as Glogster are fantastic for creating interactive posters or projects that are professional and engaging (see my Glogster pin board and review).

Additionally programs such as BeFunky inspire creativity from students allowing them to edit images and enhance their meaning (see my BeFunky posting). Movie Maker allows students to create their own movies with the use of images, videos, text, sound and movie effects to develop techniques that persuade, impact and address their audience (see my Movie Maker clip) .

Using programs that inspire creativity and hands on interaction are also catering  for students multiple intelligences and different learning styles (see blog postings learning styles and multiple intelligences).

Classroom Uses:

Using ITCs in the classroom can also make teaching easier as they provide different opportunities for students needs. Using Voki's in a LOTE lesson (pre-recorded with the LM voice) allows students the opportunity to hear the pronunciation of words in the different language and by using a transcript they can also see the written form. Podcasts allow lessons to be recorded and enables students to access the lesson again for referral  or allows distance and absent students to also gain the content knowledge (see podcasts and learning). Weebly can facilitate webquests that students can complete independently to become self sufficient learners (see weebly PMI and example). ITCs are definitely beneficial in the classroom.

Conclusion:
In summary, the purpose of embedding ITCs in the classroom is not just to motivate students nor to fulfil the curriculum requirements but to provide a learning environment where students are striving to become higher order thinkers who have the ability to collaborate and construct knowledge, who are innovative and creative in their ventures and who do so in a safe, legal and ethical manner. In other words, students who are equipped and ready for the 21st century environment that they will be working in. ITCs should not just be an afterthought or be disjointed from assessment but instead be the guts of the learning journey from start to finish. Teachers have a responsibility to their students to best equip them for the future therefore, the ever present use of ITCs will be a part of my classroom in the future to foster the best possible learning outcomes for my students.


References:

ACARA. (2012). Information and communication technology capability. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Information-and-Communication-Technology-capability/Introduction/Introduction


McLeod, S. (2007). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

Rao, A. (2012). Teachbytes. Retrieved from http://teachbytes.com/tag/quotes/

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