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ED4134 Week Six: ICT Current Trends

bijankavuceticx — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:12:52 +0000

Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom Article: The Growth of Enterprise Pedagogy: How ICT Policy is Infected by Neo- liberalism by Dr Mark Brown

This editorial addresses the positive and negative affects of the application of technology into learning environments and classroom settings. It is evident that Mark Brown considers that minimal significance and importance has been emphasized on forming the negative side effects of technology, thus enacting as a detrimental cause to the education of students. As ‘Armstrong and Casement (1998), claim that it is scandalous so much money has been allocated for computers and Internet access with so little serious evaluation’ (Brown, 2005, p. 16). I concur with this statement as it is foolish and negligent to squander valuable funds on a concept that has not been deemed worthwhile in the classroom setting. In addition to, ‘educators know it is technocentric to think that ICT alone can significantly improve learning, it depends on the context’ (Brown, 2005, p. 17). Also, a study concluded that ‘ICT learning variables were dependent on classroom learning environment variables’ (Cavanagh & Romanoski, 2006, p. Abstract). In this instance, it is possible to deduce that technology alone can not develop and improve education. However simply in the means in which it can be implemented have the ability to enhance students learning. Although in my opinion, I believe technology is an essential and imperitive aspect to employ in the education system as it has become a prominent factor in many of ours lives. Thus, by employing technology in an effective manner into the classroom setting where students are able to make valuable connections and associations between their home and school experiences- would prove as a significant attribute to the learning engagements of students. Lastly, through technology, various forms of communicating information can be utilized proficiently to suit visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners; therefore making the lessons more meaningful as the students are given greater opportunities to absorb the information.

Reference:

Brown, M. (2005). The growth of enterprise pedagogy: How ICT policy is infected by neo- liberalism. Australian Educational Computing, 20(2), 16- 22.

Cardo, J. (Producer & Narrator). (2008). Top Ten Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom. You Tube. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiisteObuhk

Cavanagh, R., & Romanoski, J. (2006). The effect of classroom learning environment on information and communication technology learning: Rasch Model instrumentation and structural equation modelling. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from www.aare.edu.au/06pap/cav06798.pdf

Questions

Which learning style/s does this ICT support? The learning styles that videos support include visual learning as the students can make visual connections between their knowledge and what is on the screen and auditory learning as the students can hear the information.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? This ICT could be implemented as a good cognitive tool in the learning environment as students could be asked to watch a particular video either at home or school as a means of introducing or concluding a topic. As well as, a method to educate students in different ways so they may be given the best opportunity to understand the information.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? This ICT can enable the development of creativity as students see different ways of expressing information such as using movement, music, and a variety of colours and fonts. A creative activity may be asking the students to put together a skit that demonstrates a particular topic this could be filmed and the students would be able to view the video to review a subject. Also, it physically involves the students so they become more active in their learning and therefore they are more likely to enjoy and remember what they have learnt.

ED4134 Week Five: Rethinking ICT in the Classroom

bijankavuceticx — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:59:54 +0000

This article investigates notions of teacher values on the presentation and managment of a particular learning engagement context. Teachers with narrow and partial concern or knowledge of a respective topic display obscurity in presenting the topic in an engaging and interactive manner. Therefore, students are unable to deduce from the information in a constructive manner, and possibly become guarded toward the given subject. Furthermore, I concur that a teacher’s awareness of a subject will influence their ability and aptitude to convey it’s usefulness to students, thus this approach will then transmit into the students perceptions of the topic- and potentially baring serious consequences for learning engagements. As a result, teachers need to develop and progress their understanding and knowledge of subjects that they may not be as competent, confident, or have an interest in, to offer their students with the essential skills and aptitudes to succeed and actively progress in the respective content. This notion has been identified and related to key learning areas such as Mathematics, however no evidential support has been provided or conducted to evaluate if a teacher’s capabilities to employ the use of technology has effective influences in the classroom settings. However, it is possible to assume many people would agree that there is a significant connection between proficient use of technology in the classroom. In this respect, educators need to remain open minded to the developmental increase in technology and its practices aided in the classroom settings, as to enhance programs rather than subtract from it. Moreover, teachers should incorporate technology into their learning engagements to support and offer meaningful methodologies in learning, rather than feel timid or threatened by the notion of it, as students today who effectively engage and respond to information presented in this form. This is directed to the digital immigrants of our educational system, and a growing need of acceptance to new times and methods in the classroom will provide as a beneficial means of acquiring knowledge is necessary, rather than allowing their values to claim superiority over the use of technology. Educators need to be imparted with support to develop this knowledge as ‘personal theories and beliefs are rarely sufficiently revised and, thus over time, become deeply personal, highly engrained, and extremely resistant to change’ (Ertmer, 2005, p. 30). ‘In order for beliefs to change, individuals must be dissatisfied with their existing beliefs’ (Ertmer, 2005, p. 32). Also, ‘teacher’s beliefs about their subject… and their access to customized professional development programs are strong influences on their responsiveness and adaptation to change’ (O’Sullivan, Carroll, & Cavanagh, 2008, p. Abstract). Therefore, with suitable support, encouragement and maintenance, opinions of technology may revolutionize as they increase greater understanding and appreciation of it’s relevance to learning experiences and engagements, thus beneficially impacting on education.With additionally increasing emphasis on constructivist learning, technology can be employed and actively used as a proficient way of engaging students in their own self- directed learning and discovery.

However, this requires the progressive movement away from low- level technology tasks such as word processing- despite its significance and importance, yet focusing tasks on highly technological tools such as constructing presentations and utilizing imaging tools. In this respect, stuents will feel incontrol and obtain a sense of self worth and achievement to their learning, whilst being able to creatively express their gained information. Through this sense of accomplishment students are more likely to focus and absorb the information better and refer back to their acquired knowledge. However, some responsibility also lies with the school as teachers need appropriate technological resources to provide varied and engaging activities involving technology.

Conclusively, technology should be encourage and supported in the classroom not ‘because it helps them to achieve a new goal, but because it allows them to achieve their current goals more effectively than do their traditional methods’ (Ertmer, 2005, p. 33). This actively validates the effects integrated technology can provide rather than viewing technology as a foreign trend.

Questions

Which learning style/s does this ICT support? This ICT being an image supports visual learners who prefer to learn by picturing an object in their mind. In this case, images of native Aboriginal culture could assist students studying Australia history as they would be able to picture the type of ship ceremonies and rituals they engaged in. This enables them to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? This ICT could be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment as students are able to research images on the internet. This would enhance their learning on a particular topic as the students would be able to make visual connections between the information and a physical object or creature.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? This ICT could enable the development of creativity as the students may use computer programs to manipulate images. As well as create images of their own to communicate their understanding of a topic and to visually represent information for those students who are visual learners.

Reference:

Ertmer, P. (2005). Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs: The Final Frontier in Our Quest for Technology Integration? Educational Technology Research & Development, 53(4), 25- 39.

O’Sullivan, K., Carroll, K., & Cavanagh, M. (2008). Changing teachers : syllabuses, subjects and selves. Issues in Educational Research; v.18 n.2 p.167-182. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from A+ Education database.

ED4134 Week Four: Pedagogical Beliefs and ICT Intergration

bijankavuceticx — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:28:55 +0000

According to the Forest Sounds Article: Some Thoughts About Webquests , ‘A WebQuest is an inquiry – orientated activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet’ (Dodge, 1997). Furthermore, there are two modes of WebQuests; short term and long term facets and each has a different purpose in the classroom, a different instructional goal. Thus, Short term WebQuests are directed and intended to be accomplished between one to three lessons or learning engagements and are intended to support ‘knowledge acquisition and integration’ (Dodge, 1997). Moreover, long term WebQuests may possibly acquire the learning engagements to be developed and explored over one week to a month to in order to complete and converge direct focus on ‘extending and refining knowledge’ (Dodge, 1997). Hence, this component compels a deeper understanding of the content’s focus where the user is required to analyze the information presented.

WebQuests entails six essential fundamentals that include;

1)An introduction page to provide background information

2)A task page

3)A set of ‘information sources’ (Dodge, 1997) to complete the task

4)A description of the process that the learners will go through when completing the task

5)Assistance on how to organise the information they have collected

6)A conclusion page that closes the activity and summarised what the students should have accomplished

As a result, there are several constructive benefits of implementing the use of a WebQuest in the respective learning classroom engagements, however one particular important component is that the facility provides ‘not only promote cooperative learning and higher-level thinking, but demand it’ (Pellicone, 2008, p. Abstract). Due to this notion, it is imperative to employ the use of WebQuests in the classroom. Also, WebQuest’s promote and encourage students to engage in collaborative group work- increasing the students understanding of the presented focus in the learning experience as a multitude of ideas and concepts can be explored and displayed in modeled situations out of the classroom setting where students learn to negotiate and compromise with one another. Lastly, the WebQuest’s involve the use of Higher Order Thinking Skills as students are highly actively absorbed and interactive with the presented context of the learning engagement. These include skills such as Comparing, classifying, Inducing, deducing, analyzing errors, constructing support, abstraction and analyzing perspectives. As a result, students will obtain more from the learning experience as opposed to being subjected to lessons that were less interactive.

In conclusion, Short term WebQuests explore Knowledge acquistion and integration, where a learner will have investigated a significant mount of new information and had a chance to make sense of it all (Bernie, 1997). In addition, Long term Webquests extend and refine knowledge, as a learner would have analysed a body of knowledge deeply, transformed it in some way, and demonstrated an understanding of the material by creating something that others can respond to on or offline (Bernie, 1997). Each component of WebQuests are designed to make the best use of the learner’s time.

An Example of effective WebQuest can be viewed at: So You Think You Can Run A Restaurant?
Available from: http://questgarden.com/47/60/6/070307175412/t-index.htm

Reference:

Dodge, B. (1995) Some thoughts about webquests. Available from: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html

Pellicone, L. (2008). WebQuests: an online learning strategy to promote cooperative learning and higher – level thinking. AARE 2007 International Education Research Conference, 26 – 29. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from A+ Education.

Article: The Question is the Answer

The interactive step by step article explores the different aspects of a webquest and their significance. This article explores and discusses the essential necessity for students to contemplate, in depth, into the meaning and significance of presented questionings and the information they will actively seek to obtain to answer these questions. Students need to concentrate on what the question is speifically asking and the essential required thought, instead of simply finding information that answers the question and recording it. “Students should spend their time researching important questions, questions which require original thought. No more simple “Go Find out About” research which requires information gathering but little thought.” (McKenzie, 2000). Therefore, it is in my opinion that the questions themselves are the actual means in which students learn proficiently and how. Through this, student’s develop higher order thinking skills variable on the questions presented. Questions that ask Why, How or ask a student to evaluate which is best and will produce a better outcome are such questions that should be used. Thus one could insinuate that Important thinking requires one of these three steps: 1) Why? 2) How? 3) Which is best?

A good guide in developing a plan to implement to achieve these questions can be linked to the notion McKenzie (2000) provided as a vision of a research cycle to use for Webquests.

Additionally, the cycle is constantly reiterating the concept of evaluation through the context of the process, a significantly important and vital aspect of the research cycle. Moreover, having clear steps for students is imperative for them to achieve and sense positive and assuring feelings of achievement, thus engaging means for internal motivation.

Moreover, thought processes such as: Questioning – planning – gathering – sorting, sifting, analyzing – synthesising – evaluating – reporting, as well as the research cycle; encourages the students to look ahead of finding the answer to the question and finding out exactly what the question means. Also, students are urged in finding an appropriate answer and questioning why that answer is suitable. This also supports higher order thinking whereby the students are processing the information. Higher order thinking is essential as it ‘enhances the levels of student engagement and emphasises the construction of meaning as a central goal of the learning process’ (White, 2008, p. Abtsract). When students engage in higher order thinking activities they are more likely to remember the task and they were able to relate the information to their life experiences and contextualise the answers to the questions.

Week Four Reflection Questions:

Which learning style does this ICT support? This ICT supports audio learning as the students are able to hear the sounds of a forest.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? This ICT could be implemented as a good cognitive tool for students when studying a unit on the environment in particular forests. As they would be able to hear some of the sounds that are present in this environment. Other audio materials could be used for a variety of subjects such as learning the timetables by singing along or saying out loud. This repetition helps students to memorize facts and to experience the world outside the classroom.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? This ICT helps enable the development of creativity as the students are able to develop a sense of a situation through the audio. This allows them to gain a better understanding of the subject matter. Creativity is also developed as the students may wish to make their own audio to go with a subject. This could easily be incorporated into music lessons where the students may experiment with a variety of instruments to create themes of sounds.

Reference:

White, D. (2008). Pedagogical leadership : under the microscope? Australian Educational Leader; v.30 n.3 p.17-20. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from A+ Education.

McKenzie, J. (n.d.). The question is the answer. Available from: http://questioning.org/module/module1.html

ED4134 Week Three: (Second Post) ICT as a Cognitive Tool; Article 1: Preparing Students for Elearning

bijankavuceticx — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:21:37 +0000

Article 1. Preparing Students for Elearning

Students need both formal and informal learning for the successful progression and development of knowledge. The value of learning that is initiated during formal instruction depends on the teacher’s capacity to unite and relate the information with the student. However, the accomplishment of informal learning depends on the student’s aptitude to make fundamental connections linking the new information and their prior knowledge. Their aspiration to accomplish the task also influences on the uptake of knowledge. I concur with the concept that ‘foundational skills must be developed in students before learning can occur’ (Cowley, Chanley, Downes, Holstrom, Ressel, Siemens, & Weisburgh, 2002). In this respect, I believe it is vitally paramount for students to identify and distinguish how to engage in a task before they are exposed to the content. Alas, if this concept does not transpire the students will be misplaced and therefore disengaged and uninterested in the respective task. As a result, learning will not emerge. Moreover, as evident in a study conducted and guided by Bell (Formal and Informal Learning, 2007); ‘bricks’ are used as a metaphor to describe the relationship and association of formal learning, whilst the ‘mortar’ is employed to signify informal learning. Therefore, formal instruction is imperative in imparting the basis for learning as informal learning progressrs and consolidates the knowledge gained during formal learning.

A notable website to explore E-learning can be played at: http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/earth-day/games/game_free_the_beach.html, as students play an interactive and educational game about protecting the environment. In this instance, students clean up the evironment by placing the correct trash into their coinciding recycling cans.

Teacher with students looking at a computer. © Creatas / SuperStock

Week Three Reflection Questions:

What learning style/s does this ICT support? This ICT supports the visual learning style through the moving images and colours. Also, kinesthetic learning through the movement of the images and the mouse to achieve the purpose of the game.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? When studying a unit on environmental care and the cycle of waste teachers could use this ICT as a method of actively engaging the children in the recycling process and the damaging affect litter has on the environment. The students would then be able to discuss what they have found out about recycling and develop an understanding on litter’s harmful affects on the environment.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? This ICT develops creativity in the students as they may decide to create their own games on the topic. They may also like to engage in the creation of other activities such as worksheets, skits and displays to demonstrate the importance of recycling and waste management.

References:

Cowley, J., Chanley, S., Downes, S., Holstrom, L., Ressel, D., Siemens, G., & Weisburgh, M. (2002). Preparing Students for Elearning. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/Preparingstudents.htm#Prep

ED4134 Week Three: (First Post) ICT as a Cognitive Tool; Article 2: What is Meaningful Learning?

bijankavuceticx — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:10:12 +0000

Article 2. What is Meaningful Learning?

Meaningful learning refers to the notion that process and acquisition of learnt knowledge is substantially constructed and understood by an individual. Furthermore, the concept relates to how ones new meaningfully obtained understanding coincides to ones prior knowledge and ideas. The respective assigned reading for this week, “What is meaningful learning?”, by Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R.M., Crismond, D. (2008), explores the relationship of students engaging in tasks that require intentional, active, constructive, cooperative and authentic learning processes, which will result in more rich and meaningful learning. In addition, the text also studies the role of technology in creating meaningful learning. The process of meaningful learning occurs when students have the ability to undertake and maintain activities that entail students to be to be active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative. As students undertake activities, incorporating elements and the use of the five aspects, students will gain and obtain a more significant appreciation and proficiency in understanding the results. During active learning, students learn through engaging and manipulating objects in the respective environment, observing the apparent effects of their interventions and involvements in constructing their own interpretations. An exemplar to demonstrate this notion is the idea of students learning to play soccer. Whilst in the learning process, students are not required to formulate relative theories on how to kick a ball, however they simply kick the ball employing a significantly appropriate amount of force to see how far the ball will go. Therefore, through this action, students can learn through the concept of ‘cause and effect’. Moreover, constructive learning refers to a student’s capability to indicate and reflect on their own activity and performance. Newly introduced concepts will prompt the students in engaging in thoughtful and perplexing experiences resulting in constructing meaning. As students reflect on these puzzling encounters, they integrate their newly acquired experiences to their existing prior knowledge. Again referring to the soccer concept, when students are attempting to kick the ball, with little force directed, the ball will not progress very far. In this instance, the student then realizes that in order for the ball to move further in distance, they must apply stronger force than the previous attempt. Lastly, intentional learning permits learners to strive in a dynamic approach to decipher a given task in order to accomplish an objective. In addition, to be competent and able in engaging learners in expressing, communicating and representing their understanding, technology needs to be altered to allow for this to occur. Through this, students will be able to use their prior constructed knowledge in inexperienced and new situations. A constructive way to achieve this can be linked to the internet and its useful tools it provides in aiding students to connect prior knowledge to newly acquired situations. For example, Games that relate to real life situations such as the Fish Market Activity (from the learning federation website) can allow students to associate with and apply to their prior knowledge to gain new concepts such as trading, selling and purchasing items of interest.

In relation to this, authentic learning is not based on acquiring a principle and appropriating it to the puzzle to simply derive at the accurate answer. The idea is that it is in fact learning activities and processes that are positioned in meaningful real-life related contexts- such as that of the Fish Market Activity. Through this notion, students gain enhanced and improved understanding and identification of concepts that can be transferred from prior knowledge to newly acquired conceptions and situations, thus should be implemented in the learning environment and classroom setting. Likewise, cooperative activities allocate students to develop and bestow information and knowledge structuring identities in and out of the classroom environment, as they learn to gain methodologies and understandings of the vast multitude of way of viewing the world and presented solutions to problems. Through this notion, it can be inferred that technology connects the conventional informal processes by connecting learners together for discussion, collaboration or even assistance, as students compare ideologies, values and individual perspective views to inhabit meaningful learning.

Week Three Reflection Questions:

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? When studying a unit on trading and this notion of matheatics teachers could use this ICT as a method of actively engaging the children in the trading of objects with money process and the respective outcomes. The students would then be able to discuss what they have “purchased” and “sold” in a collaborative enviornment.

References:

Meaningful Learning. (2008). Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rallrich/learn/mean.html

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Moura, R. M., Crismond, D. (2008). From ‘Meaningful Learning with Technology’ 3^rd Edition Pearson: New Jersey

ED4134 Week Two: Social Constructivism

bijankavuceticx — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:00:22 +0000

Week Two presented itself as a successful opportunity to become a member of the Teacher Learning Federation. Here, my fellow cohorts and myself were able to explore a variety of teaching methodologies and idea’s of learning experiences. I was intrigued and found this website a useful tool for my present and future teaching techniques. This website can be found at: http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/p/home

This weeks text was “Translating Constructivist theory into practice in primary-grade Mathematics”, by Jody Brewer, and its research was based on interviewing 8 maths teachers on their views of constructivism and to see if their views mirror their teaching methods. Prior to reading the article, I researched social constructivism for my own understanding of the concept and found interesting notions on the theory. Firstly, I found social constructivism was a variety of cognitive constructivism that emphasizes the collaborative nature of much learning. Furthermore, social constructivism was developed by Vygotsky who was a cognitivist and argued that all cognitive functions originate in, and must therefore be explained as products of, social interactions and that learning was not simply the assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge by learners; it was the process by which learners were integrated into a knowledge community. (Theories of Learning Social Constructivism, 2008). Therefore, constructivist teaching effectively supports students to manufacture and construct knowledge using their prior knowledge and respective environment around them to create new understanding. I found the beginning of the article most profoundly eye opening. Firstly, it is important to note that despite individuals referring to themselves as ‘constructivist teachers’, they do not completely attain full understanding and knowledge of the implications of constructivist teaching methodologies. A significant extract from the article in which I feel is the pinnacle notion of the social constructivism concern;

A video i found to reflect the article which discusses the foundations of building knowledge through constructivist learning is;

The students are structured by the teacher to aid their learning process and learn through peer interactions. Each of the teachers interviewed collectively encompassed similar values and ideas of the respective methodologies on constructivism and what it entails. The four main notions on the teachers perceptions of constructivism these were a) learning is an active, constructive process, (b) new knowledge is built on prior knowledge, (c) autonomy is promoted, (d) social interaction is necessary for knowledge construction and active learning. In particular, two parallel analysis and observations of teachers expressed social constructivism as the “knowledge comes from within the children. The students construct it instead of the teacher being the holder of knowledge and giving it to the children”. This reference presented itself as a noteworthy and valuable understanding for me as it explores student’s prior knowledge and their ability to use it to construct newly acquired meanings. However, it is in my opinion students should be guided by teachers modeling and scaffolding some relative understanding of presented topics to aid in the construction of knowledge. In support of this, on teachers parallel perspective maintained this notion as they stated as “You take what you know and you take what you don’t know and from your perspective you try to learn what it is you don’t know and how it makes sense to you.” Therefore, by having a teacher modeling and instigating the construction of knowledge for their students- students are able to implement their prior knowledge into social settings and thus effectively collaborate to gain new knowledge. In addition, autonomy was encouraged and supported by all eight teachers as to not limit their students into exercising a single method to solve a problem, but be able to consider a broad span of differing factors. Thus this view of constructivism appears very effective in a classroom learning environment as students are able to construct their own way of learning collaboratively. Moreover, teachers assumed and felt required to collaboratively share ideas and obtain criticism and analysis from varying sources as it elucidates and develops their own way of thinking. As a result, educators must necessitate to “start thinking about their own teaching and ideas about teaching” (Christiansen, 1999) and there will be no limitation to the potential for development in students.

A Soundclip in which i found to represent my reflection to this entry ABC 123

Week Two Reflection Questions:

Which learning style/s does this ICT support?This ICT supports the visual learning style where individuals prefer information expressed in a creative way such as through the use of colour and images. Visual learners often remember information by it’s placement on the screen, the colour and font. So this ICT aids the information processing patterns of these individuals.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment?Students are growingly becoming visual learners therefore information at school needs to be presented to them in a manner that they will gain optimal benefit from. Children are more likely to take notice of information that is presented in a way that they can connect and engage with. Therefore, they will utilise the information and have a better chance of remembering it.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity?Through the use of Inspiration students can view school work in a creative context that allows them to make connections between leisure activities and school work. The students can be creative in their use of this program by incorporating graphics, music, videos and games.

References:

Brewer, J., & Daane, C.J. (2002). Translating constructivist theory into practice in primary- grade mathematics, 123(2), 416- 417.

ED4134 Week One: Digital Natives V Digital Immigrants

bijankavuceticx — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:31:16 +0000

During our Week One tutorial, we were simply introduced into the course outline for Information Technology for Teaching and Learning. After developing a sound understanding of the Unit, we were able to begin our basis of understanding of ICT in teaching. Through this, we were able to explore the concepts of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants- a completely new notion of ICT in which I had never heard of- yet allowed me to grasp greater concepts as to how it impacts on Education of the future. I found this information- beneficial and interestingly vital in aiding my studies as a student teacher. A mind map of this information gained may be referenced to in my Inspiration file-> debate-digital-natives-v1

Firstly, students have transformed significantly and drastically throughout eras thus previous students of old methodologies are no longer the people our education system was designed to teach. Students of today’s techno-savvy lifestyle are growing up with revolutionized equipment that they have spent their entire lives primarily immersed in- which even their former generations have never utilized. This is evidently present in my family household as both my parents frequently inquire about technology based mechanisms such as the computer and mobile phone functions. In this respect, I am referred to as a “Digital Native” (as I was born between1980 and 1994) and my parents are “Digital Immigrants” as they were born before 1980.

As researchers insinuate that Digital Immigrants require the adoption of new styles and methods of teaching incorporating the use of technology, there are problems in coordinating digital immigrants to become skilled at the means of implementing technology. Prensky (2001) believes that many “digital immigrants don’t believe their students can learn successfully while watching tv or listening to music, because they (the digital immigrants) can’t”. However as our Digital Natives were raised into a technological based world, this ability is capable. Morover, many Digital Immigrants deem learning to be most successful through hands-on experiences with real-life materials that instigate children to develop abstract scientific and mathematical concepts. It is critical for the development of imagination and creative problem solving skills, thus – applying methods of learning such as ‘play’ rather than implementing the use of technology is predominantly preferred. However, Tapscott (1998) believes “there is a growing appreciation that the old approach (of teaching) is ill-suited to the intellectual, social, motivational and emotional needs of the new generation.”

On the other hand, to focus primarily on technological means of constructing learning can suggest that individuals less interested and less competent will be abandoned and neglected and the influence of socio-economic and cultural factors will be overlooked. Alas, whilst I agree that students should have access to technology within the classroom, I also agree with Bennets statement that “Digital Natives”(Prensky, 2001) do not appear to think significantly dissimilar to previous generations and the concept that they are more familiar with technology then their predecessors- their actual thought processes and learning styles have not “changed radically”(Prensky, 2001). It would be ignorant to completely rule out that older generations are somewhat incapable of being educated and learning to confidently use existing technologies.

Conclusively, I believe that times are changing and educators need to implement and employ new means of educating their students. Without relying solely on technology based teaching, implementing some interactive and developed means of teaching and learning styles would be beneficial. However changes to teaching in educational institutes should be considered thoroughly before being implemented, as it would affect a broad spectrum of both Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants in finding a comfortable medium between traditional methodologies and new technologies.

After searching the internet for useful resources to demonstrate the evolution of Digital Immigrants to Digital Natives, i found two interesting videos on YouTube.

The first video portrays the evolution of Technology and Teaching from the 1930’s methodologies, present day and age- to future generations: Evolution of Technology and Teaching

The second video effectively displays the juxtaposition of new-aged technological advances dominanting and permeating todays current societal views on technology presents and continuous progression: Evolution of Technology – HQ (Saturn Commercial).

Week One Reflective Questions;

Which learning style/s does this ICT support? This form of ICT supports visual learners who prefer information expressed in a creative manner that involves graphs, images, colours and a variety of fonts to aid memory.

How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment?Students could be asked to express the information they find on a particular topic as a visual display using Inspiration. This allows the students to communicate the information in a creative way that causes them to make connections between ideas in the mind map.

How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity?This ICT incorporates design as the students are responsible for the layout of the data. Also, it uses a variety of fonts, colours and images. When using Inspiration students can also upload music, videos and games that are related to the subject that may enhance learning.

Reference:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, v. 9, n. 5, 1- 6. Retrieved February 25, 2009, from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

A Sounclip that reminds me of this reflection is Technologic

Portfolio 8 Gold Digger & Week 11 Reflective Post

bijankavuceticx — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:24:52 +0000

In this week’s Portfolio Item eight we the student teachers were required to create a recount of any given theme, subject or story and so forth. This was done using Photo Story Three. Utilizing Photoshop was a fun and interesting experience, allowing me to explore all avenues of creating and editing in a amusing and exciting way. The focal point of the task was directed to the creation of a visual-audio story using a range of sources, such as photographs, scanned images, illustrations etc, in which I chose to implement all in my Photo Story.

My Photo Story consists images of myself as I have superimposed them into images found on the WWW, This tells the story of a “gold-digger_1” Named Bianca, as I found this subject matter to be quite entertaining and a common interest of mine. Thus, I felt it was only natural to share my position towards the humorous issue with my audience, making my Photo story individual and meaningful.

Furthermore, the story was enhanced by the supplementary use of the song ‘Gold Digger’ By Kanye West, guiding and extending the audiences understanding and perception of my Photo Story. This presentation is an interactive learning experience in which I aim for my viewers to gain some understanding of the theme through a joyful experience. I found this portfolio most pleasurable and will definitely use it again in the future in my own personal leisure.

Moreover, whilst completing this portfolio I have come to realize that my skills in ICT have noticeably developed. This became apparent during the completion of my personal competency test. As comparing the results to my first attempt to the competency test (results can be located here: ICT Competency Test version 01-05-07 Date used; 6^th March 2008). It is apparent that my understanding and practice of ICT skills has increased substantially, and is evident in my new test score of 67 as opposed 56/75. (Click here fore recent results: ict-competencies)

Participating and completing in the required portfolios for the ICT workshops, I have strengthened my knowledge and confidence with using computers. This enhanced confidence has enabled me to help others to use programs and navigate through various computer scenarios such as uploading documents; an imperative skill required for a teacher. These skills include File Management, Word Processing, Email, Internet Use, Spreadsheets, Technology Presentation, Graphics and Photography and Desktop Publishing enhanced through a constructivist view of learning, Graphic organizers and Problem based learning (aided by programs such as WebQuests, Blogs and Wikis).

Despite a sound improvement in all areas there are also noticeable sections still showing some difficulty. These include using a digital video camera and editing the video on the computer. As I am aware the competency questions oneself to analyze as a teacher, I have placed my position as if I were teaching in conjunction with my capabilities.

In Conclusion, I am now more conscious of the significance of embodying the essence of a proficient ICT user in the classroom, specifically as the role of a teacher. ICT, I have found has a largely developing function in the classroom nowadays as it is ever rapidly being introduced into the school curricular in such a technologically based society. Students are provided with the opportunity to work collaboratively or individually. What I have learnt as a result of this course is that ICT is essential and contributes equally in children’s development and behavior. ICT is the mover and shaper, through new concepts opportunities to reflect new higher orders of thinking. It makes us what we are today, and will determine what our children will be tomorrow.

Portfolio Item 7 Powerpoint Presentation & Week 10 Reflective Post

bijankavuceticx — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:59:21 +0000

Click Here To View My PowerPoint Presentation-presentation1.ppt (This is an extension of Portfolio Item 6).

PowerPoint is a program I am fairly familiar with – though by no means am I a proficient and distinguished user. Although, I have had SOME exposure to PowerPoint in regards to school related purposes, I am now able to identify and distinguish its benefits particularly in accordance to my future career path. However, there are still aspects of the program that pose a minimal level of difficulty, and need familiarizing with. These included adjusting and cropping the text box’s and font, as they would change accordingly. Despite my individual difficulties, I personally believe students will benefit from this experience and skill, and also engage in a fun-learning environment, as it is a simple yet effective way of communicating information in an interesting and engaging manner. Utilizing this program can promote students to explore their own individuality and persona, whilst making their own unique slides. Moreover, they are they are also developing and broadening their ICT skills. In my opinion-3D virtual environments will definitely have a place within the classroom, as they are already quite predominant in today’s technologically based society.

Portfolio Item 6 Kidspiration & Week 9 Reflective Post

bijankavuceticx — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:53:36 +0000

Click Here To View Portfilio 6 – crunchy_baked_bananass-portfolio-6.doc

Children need practical skill development in preparing healthy food and often what little cooking children have done in the past has been around preparing high fat and sugar treats. This cooking program encourages children to prepare their own fruit meal/snack. It enables many children who are unused to excelling in academic work to take a lead in learning practical skills, such as group work and so forth. The topic is dedicated to improving the lifelong eating habits of children and teenagers. Children will learn by doing the things they enjoy and have developed a variety of food related activities that will provide fun and learning. The diverse range of food related activities provide opportunities for young people to develop new skills and gain an understanding of the importance of fresh foods. I believe that it is important for young people to know how to look after themselves and i have made health and safety an integral part of each program. (NSW Department of Health, 2006).

What will the children actually learn from the task?
• Observing and participating in food activities that are age appropriate
• Learning how to prepare and cook fresh food.
• Learning how to follow recipes.
• Learning kitchen safety and hygiene.
• Having lots of hands on experiences.
• Communicating with other children.
• Gaining confidence and new skills. (NSW Department of Health, 2006).

The skills and learning abilities that kids develop through the topic include:
• Sensory learning: Tasting, hearing, smelling and seeing.
• Motor skill development: Hand, eye, mind coordination.
• Mathematical concepts: Counting, measuring & following directions.
• Safety: Using equipment safely and developing sound hygiene habits.
• Social skills: Working with others, sharing & learning to cooperate.
• Language skills: Lots of new word and communication experiences.
• Children also develop time management skills and a better understanding of nutrition.(NSW Department of Health, 2006).

My topic can link into many of the KLA’s. For example,this topic can link into the Board of Studies Stage 3-PDHPE Outcomes. (http://www.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/docs/tooty_fruity/classroom/stage_3/stage_3_links.pdf)

Examples and Case studies of my topic include;

1. Western Australian “Kids in the Kitchen” program

2. An exciting program involving primary schools is being conducted in the Moreland area, “fun ‘n’ healthy in Moreland!”

3. Moreover, there are multiple Programs, projects and lessons in each State and Territory for healthy eating topics and so forth.

Reference List

NSW Department of Health. (2006). Tooty Fruity Vegie Program, Kids in the Kitchen

Retrieved on May 13, 2008, from

http://www.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/tooty-fruity/index.php?pageid=1224&siteid=204