Elearning, many may think its just using computers, but it's far from it. Elearning involves using all sorts of technology, and it's our responsibility as the next wave of learning managers, to ensure we are confident in using various types of digital tools. Some of the digital tools that can be used in all types of classrooms involve blogs, Wiki's, websites, digital videos, PowerPoint, podcasts and images. Some of these technologies are relatively new, well, at least to me they are, and will take some time to be fully confident using them, but I'm sure in time, they will become second nature, as they are a valuable tool in the classrooms of today.
As a soon to be learning manager, I decided to focus on the area of science when evaluating these digital tools, as it is not an area that is commonly thought of as using as many digital tools as my other subject area, which is English. From my experience, English is an area which has been incorporating digital tools for a few years now. When I was in year twelve English, we looked at images, websites, digital videos and PowerPoint, and although there is certainly room for improvement, the only digital things we did in science was watch out dated videos from the school collection! After completing the practical activities within the course content, I now realise that there are so many opportunities to incorporate digital tools into a subject area that seems to have become quite flat, from what I have seen while I was on Prac in various schools. I am now more aware than before why it is so important to use technology!
I have also chosen to look at the engagement theory, as present by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999). The engagement theory is outlined in my previous blog. "While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology, we believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise" says Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) which is why I believe that this framework is the most beneficial to students.
YouTube videos can be used to demonstrate content, I found a video from an American conservation group that explains very easily how to complete a transect count which is a major part of the field study in senior biology. Although the content does not directly relate to what the students would be studying, it presents the information in an easy to follow way. The video and my thoughts can be found here. One of the negatives of using YouTube is that if students are searching for videos themselves, it is easy to get caught up in the garbage that is on there also. There are a massive amount of videos on YouTube, and even I found myself looking at other things when I was meant to be researching for my previous blog postings! Another downfall of using videos from YouTube, is having to search through all the irrelevant videos to try and find one suitable. Many are aimed at higher level students, which is less of a problem for myself, who is looking at senior biology, bit I think it could be a problem for learning managers looking for science centered videos for low primary level classes. By using videos in the classroom, students can see how the outside world applies what they are learning, which is a large part of the engagement theory, as stated by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) when they say "the third principle stresses the value of making a useful contribution while learning". Take the video shown on the above link, while it a group of various aged children, possibly within a youth group, learning about the butterflies, they are conducting the study in a public place to try and learn more about the habits of the butterflies for conservation. This shows the children applying their findings to their community, which is something the my students would be doing on their field study. The productive pedagogy of connectedness to the world "describes the extent to which the lesson has value and meaning beyond the instructional context, making a connection to the wider social context in which the students live" (Department of Education, 2002, p. 23). By combining the videos with their field study, students have the opportunity to see how their actions will have an impact on the wider community.
Another digital tool that can be used in the science classroom is Wiki's. "A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site" (Wiki ,2010), making it easy for group projects to be worked on while students are at home, school or wherever they may be, as long as they have access to a computer and the internet. Field studies in senior biology are often done as group projects, as there is generally a lot of work involved with them, therefor a Wiki would be an ideal place for students to collaborate and synthesize their information. One of the problems I think that Wiki's would present, is that they can be edited by anyone at all, so there is no stopping some random outside person from adding there thoughts. Also if students put photos of themselves conducting their field study onto the Wiki, there may be a privacy problem, as anyone can see them. By students participating in their own Wiki, they are working in groups and collaborating their information, which encompasses the Engagement theory in that students are working in teams that must plan, manage, communicate and work on social skills (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999). By working on a Wiki, and working in teams, students are also engaging in substantive conversation, which involves "considerable interaction among students" (Department of Education, 2002, p. 4). "The difference between engagement and interactivity reflects the shift in thinking about computers in education as communication tools rather than some form of media delivery devices" (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999). Wiki's align perfectly with this statement describing the engagement theory, as the Wiki used for the above mentioned project is all about communication and collaboration of ideas within a groups of students.
It has also been suggested that Wiki's be used to facilitate communication between parents and teachers, and although I do think this is a good idea, I also think that there would need to be some education for parents and teachers for that matter, in how to use this technology. I know it was all a bit daunting to me when I first saw it in the course content, and I think that I am fairly up to date with computers. The other problem with using Wiki's for communication, is that some families may not have a computer in their household. Therefor I think the use of these sorts of technologies, and expectations of the amount of work that students would be assigned to complete at home, would depend on the economic culture of particular communities. Some of the limitations of Wiki's and communication were discussed here.
Websites would be another useful tool in the area of science. There is a lot of great information on the web, including from websites such as CSIRO and Queensland Museum . These websites have heaps of great science/environmental related information available, and are reputable sources. Students know how to search for information, therefor if the learning manager set up a website for a particular subject, with links to websites containing useful information, students may learn to differentiate between the reliable websites and the 'home made' sorts of ones that people have just made up. Also, questions could be put up on the learning manager's website, with links to other websites that students need to read in order to answer the questions. Assessment tasks could be uploaded to the website for students to complete. Students could even create their own websites to upload their work to, as well as show their parents what they are doing at school. I do think it may become very time consuming however, if students had a website for every subject they were enrolled in in secondary school, and if websites were a big part of class content, then every students may need access to a computer every lesson. I think that based on this, websites may be more beneficial in primary school, where they have one website, not up to seven! Websites are something that are in our every day life, therefor, students are learning how to use a digital tool that not only helps them at school, but they can then go home and create their own personal website if they wish to. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) state that "since learning takes place in an authentic context, students learn skills and knowledge with higher transfer to work (or in this case, personal) settings". building websites not only engages students, but is also a valuable life skill.
PowerPoint would be quite beneficial in schools also, and as far as I have seen, is something that is already used in some subject areas, but only minimally. Some of the ways that PowerPoint could be used in the classroom can be seen in my blog post about PowerPoint. PowerPoint can also incorporate digital images, podcasts, vodcasts, and YouTube videos, as well as quizzes and practical tasks. In science, images could be incorporated into the PowerPoint presentations to demonstrate the real world application of the content students are looking at. Topics like velocity and flight may sometimes be a little difficult to demonstrate in the classroom, whether it be due to time restraints or facility restraints, however there are some useful images and videos that could be placed within a PowerPoint so that students can actually see up to date applications of the content learnt. Students can see how what they are learning has connectedness to the world, as they can see how the concept they are learning is used in real life, as students can see what they are learning has meaning to the world wide community (Department of Education, 2002, p. 23). PowerPoint is one digital tool that is probably the most readily accessible, as discussed here. There is a fantastic video about how some people get caught up in the details of creating PowerPoint presentations, that would be beneficial to my senior students, as it details what not to do, and is quite enjoyable to watch.
Technology has come a long way in the past few years, and with the digital natives that are now inhabiting our schools, we as learning managers need to identify the specific needs of these technologically savvy students we are now teaching. While this involves using many different types of digital tools, we still need to closely tie it in with the pedagogical frameworks and concepts. Biology and science is an exciting area that has endless opportunities to utilize the digital tools that are available to engage students and ensure they are learning effectively. Who knows where the future will lead us and what innovative new technology we will encounter!
References
Wikipedia. (2010?). Wiki. Retrieved 25 August, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
Kearsley, G. & Schneidman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A Framework in Technology-Based Teaching and Learning. [http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm]
Department of Education. (2002). A guide to productive pedagogies, classroom reflection manual. Brisbane, QLD: Queensland Government.
Blog comments
Wikis and blogs
YouTube in schools
PowerPoints
Concept Mapping
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A new way to use video in the classroom
After having a bit of a look on YouTube.com for some ecology related videos that could be used to teach students, I came to the conclusion that although there is a lot of videos on there that have the word 'ecology' in them, not all are educational, and a lot are American, so not all that relevant to our students. I did some across this one that could be used to give students a basic overview of transect counts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrewFfvF3Y. Although this digital video is very good at explaining to students the method of completing a transect and their purposes, it doesn't really relate to the topic. I do however think it would be a good way for students to teach each other.
One way to use video in the classroom, is to set students up in groups, with each group being given a different strand of one particular topic to research. For example, if students were preparing to complete a field study, each group could be given a different aspect such as transects or food webs or whatever other activity the assessment requires students to complete. Each group researches their topic and teaches it to the rest of the class by making a video.
I believe that although digital videos can be used for engagement, they can also be used for learning. It gives teaches a broader range of resources to access, rather than just using library videos, that are sometimes out dated.
One way to use video in the classroom, is to set students up in groups, with each group being given a different strand of one particular topic to research. For example, if students were preparing to complete a field study, each group could be given a different aspect such as transects or food webs or whatever other activity the assessment requires students to complete. Each group researches their topic and teaches it to the rest of the class by making a video.
I believe that although digital videos can be used for engagement, they can also be used for learning. It gives teaches a broader range of resources to access, rather than just using library videos, that are sometimes out dated.
Different ways of engaging students. Sight and sound!
This food web is a good example of how pictures can be used in the classroom. Ecology students often look at foodwebs, and although they will have studied food chains, this concept is a little more detailed than what they have seen before, therefor an image can be a good way to explain the concept to students. If I was to use an image for foodwebs, or even food chains, I would get photographs of organisms that students would be likely to find around their community, and create my own image, in order to allow students to be able to relate more to the content, which in turn should create academic engagement by having connectedness to the world, by making a connection to their own wider community " (Department of Education, 2002, p23).
I came across the website http://www.learnoutloud.com/ which has many different podcasts on all sorts of educational topics, however it all seems to be American so may not be all that relevant, however is probably worth a look.
On the CSIRO website I came across a podcast that is all about Australian native animals and the effect that climate change has on them, which is not only an ecological issue, but a very relevant one in today's changing society, and is something that everyone should be concerned about. The podcast can be found at http://www.csiro.au/multimedia/Global-Warming-demands-ecological-action.html. The CSIRO website contains useful information on the topic of biology and ecology, and would be a very useful resource for biology and science teachers, as the information is from a reputable source, and often published by academics who have conducted extensive research. Due to this, the CSIRO website and the podcasts on it would probably be only useful to the higher level students, as there is more than likely a high level of technical language that may even be a little difficult for older students to understand.
References
Department of Education. (2002). A guide to productive pedagogies, classroom reflection manual. Brisbane, QLD: Queensland Government.
Science and technology - powerpoints in the classroom
Some sections of biology can be very hands on, however sometimes the content needs to be thoroughly explained before students can do it themselves, such as transects. Transects often lead into the completion of a field study in the ecology unit.
The first way PowerPoint presentations could be used in this topic, would be to have pictorial instructions on how to complete a transect, with a quiz on the presentation to be completed after students have watched it. Following on from this, when students have completed their field study, the could present their findings in groups, to their peers, via a PowerPoint presentation. As stated by the Department of Education (2002), connectedness to the outside world involves student "making a connection to the wider social context within which students live". The field study that goes with the topic of ecology and transects relates to their local environment, therefor students are getting involved in the community, and could also look at ways to preserve the environment that they have studied, whether it be the beach, a forest or a waterway. By presenting their findings in groups, students are also engaging in substantive conversation, which involves "considerable interaction among students, and between teacher and students, about the ideas of a substantive topic; the interactions are reciprocal, and promote shared understanding" (Department of Education, 2002, p4). To further promote this productive pedagogy, the other students and their teacher could engage in a question time once the group has presented.
There are many ways of using PowerPoint in the classroom, which allow students to become more engaged than if teachers were using the old style method of talk and teach. PowerPoint presentations can be jazzed up to include colours and pictures, as well as movies and sounds, and can incorporate quizzes and practical activities for students to complete in their books. The limits of PowerPoint in the classroom are endless, and should definitely be used more frequently.
References
Department of Education. (2002). A guide to productive pedagogies, classroom reflection manual. Brisbane, QLD: Queensland Government.
The first way PowerPoint presentations could be used in this topic, would be to have pictorial instructions on how to complete a transect, with a quiz on the presentation to be completed after students have watched it. Following on from this, when students have completed their field study, the could present their findings in groups, to their peers, via a PowerPoint presentation. As stated by the Department of Education (2002), connectedness to the outside world involves student "making a connection to the wider social context within which students live". The field study that goes with the topic of ecology and transects relates to their local environment, therefor students are getting involved in the community, and could also look at ways to preserve the environment that they have studied, whether it be the beach, a forest or a waterway. By presenting their findings in groups, students are also engaging in substantive conversation, which involves "considerable interaction among students, and between teacher and students, about the ideas of a substantive topic; the interactions are reciprocal, and promote shared understanding" (Department of Education, 2002, p4). To further promote this productive pedagogy, the other students and their teacher could engage in a question time once the group has presented.
There are many ways of using PowerPoint in the classroom, which allow students to become more engaged than if teachers were using the old style method of talk and teach. PowerPoint presentations can be jazzed up to include colours and pictures, as well as movies and sounds, and can incorporate quizzes and practical activities for students to complete in their books. The limits of PowerPoint in the classroom are endless, and should definitely be used more frequently.
References
Department of Education. (2002). A guide to productive pedagogies, classroom reflection manual. Brisbane, QLD: Queensland Government.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Learnign Design Frameworks
This week we were given a series of frame works to evaluate and decide which would suit our learners the best. I think that the engagement theory is the most useful framework for learning, as all teachers want to engage students, and this theory is based on meaningful learning and problem solving as stated by Kearsley and Shneiderman. I Believe this frame work is a difficult one to incorporate, however could be very successful if used correctly in the classroom. The basic principles of the framework can be found in the table below.
ELEMENT, DEFINITION, OUTLINE OF ELEMENT
Relate, Occur in a group context, This element involves team work,
which means students have to communicate with each
other, plan and above all,
interact with each other in order
to get a job done.
Create, Are project based, This allows students to choose their
own way to present a piece of assessment,
based on the strengths and weaknesses
of the group.
Donate, Have an outside (authentic) focus, Students make a successful contribution
to the community.
If we look at the topic of ecology in senior biology, it can be seen how this framework could be incorporated into the classroom. Traditionally, students do a field study in a particular area and write up a report based on their findings, however this could be taken one step further. If students were to conduct the field study, collaborate their findings, then figure out some way of 'giving back to the community' using technology. Some ideas that students could come up with could be educating the community to what is in their local area using powerpoint presentaions or ways to conserve the environment they studied by creating a website.
It would not be possible to use this framework at all times, however I think that it would be very beneficial to students, and would allow them to take pride in their work.
Kearsley, G. & Schneidman, B. (1999). Engagment Theory: A Framework in Technology-Based Teaching and Learning. [http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm]
ELEMENT, DEFINITION, OUTLINE OF ELEMENT
Relate, Occur in a group context, This element involves team work,
which means students have to communicate with each
other, plan and above all,
interact with each other in order
to get a job done.
Create, Are project based, This allows students to choose their
own way to present a piece of assessment,
based on the strengths and weaknesses
of the group.
Donate, Have an outside (authentic) focus, Students make a successful contribution
to the community.
If we look at the topic of ecology in senior biology, it can be seen how this framework could be incorporated into the classroom. Traditionally, students do a field study in a particular area and write up a report based on their findings, however this could be taken one step further. If students were to conduct the field study, collaborate their findings, then figure out some way of 'giving back to the community' using technology. Some ideas that students could come up with could be educating the community to what is in their local area using powerpoint presentaions or ways to conserve the environment they studied by creating a website.
It would not be possible to use this framework at all times, however I think that it would be very beneficial to students, and would allow them to take pride in their work.
Kearsley, G. & Schneidman, B. (1999). Engagment Theory: A Framework in Technology-Based Teaching and Learning. [http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm]
Weebly
www.melissanormoyle.weebly.com is my new Weebly!! Its exciting! It seems kind of daunting making a website, but now that I have started one, its not so difficult after all!
SWOT analysis
STRENGTHS
- Simple to use.
- Students can take pride in having their very own website they can share with the family.
- Students can upload work on their website for assessment purposes.
- Free to use.
- Students can access their work from any classroom and home.
WEAKNESSES
- Easy for students to get distracted and use the website for non school purposes.
- May be difficult to convince schools that it is beneficial for students to have a website.
- May need more than one adult in teh classroom to ensure studetns are on task.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Students can involve their parents in their school work.
- Parents can become more 'in touch' with what their children are doing in class.
- Can be used across all subject areas.
THREATS
- The website may not be free to use forever.
- May be time consuming.
Based on this, I think website's would be very useful in the classroom.
SWOT analysis
STRENGTHS
- Simple to use.
- Students can take pride in having their very own website they can share with the family.
- Students can upload work on their website for assessment purposes.
- Free to use.
- Students can access their work from any classroom and home.
WEAKNESSES
- Easy for students to get distracted and use the website for non school purposes.
- May be difficult to convince schools that it is beneficial for students to have a website.
- May need more than one adult in teh classroom to ensure studetns are on task.
OPPORTUNITIES
- Students can involve their parents in their school work.
- Parents can become more 'in touch' with what their children are doing in class.
- Can be used across all subject areas.
THREATS
- The website may not be free to use forever.
- May be time consuming.
Based on this, I think website's would be very useful in the classroom.
WIKI
I just created my first Wiki! It can be found at -
http://melissanormoyle.wikispaces.com/
Okay so I now consider myself kind of digital immigrant now that I have learnt how to create a wiki and a soon a weebly, something that I had no idea even existed! I think that wiki's could be used as an assessment tool in the classroom, as it encourages group work and student interaction, and allows students to share different ideas in an environment that is not as intimidating as the classroom. Wiki's differ from blogs in that a blog is something more personal, where others can add comments to what you have written, however the only person that can edit the information on a blog is the author, however as "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki" states, 'A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site'.
http://melissanormoyle.wikispaces.com/
Okay so I now consider myself kind of digital immigrant now that I have learnt how to create a wiki and a soon a weebly, something that I had no idea even existed! I think that wiki's could be used as an assessment tool in the classroom, as it encourages group work and student interaction, and allows students to share different ideas in an environment that is not as intimidating as the classroom. Wiki's differ from blogs in that a blog is something more personal, where others can add comments to what you have written, however the only person that can edit the information on a blog is the author, however as "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki" states, 'A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site'.
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