Learning Objects & Educational Soundness

This week we learned that it is not enough simply to plonk our students down in front of computers and expect them to learn. For learning to take place, classroom activities have to achieve the four principles of Education Soundness which are:


This means that the activities/software that are used in the classroom must have been designed with an aim of guiding students towards a specific goal (such as learning about similes - http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/viewing/L1174/index.html)
The software must have content integrity - it must be correct! Therefore teachers should not rely solely on wikipedia or google to provide accurate information.

Activities must be usable - when first learning with arrays for graphing or multiplying purposes (such as our m&ms activity), it would be more practical for students to sort small light objects such as m&ms or marbles than something they did not have access to such as animals or the weather. Students can progress towards these more abstract concepts once they have mastered the basics. It is important that any software used in the classroom is fast, as you don't want kids wasting time sitting at a computer waiting for program to load.

Finally, any educational software within Australian classrooms must have address accessibility which means that even isolated remote classrooms should have speedy access.

http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/
The above website has various activities appropriate for all domains, and while they do not replace the teacher or hands-on activities, I think they would be a great way of catering for the advanced students, while any struggling students could use more one-on-one teacher time. While I truly believe that information gained online is valuable, I intend to make sure that my students properly grasp the concepts I am trying to teach, rather than rely on students independently using online activities. I will also have to ensure that any computer time is not solely provided to the "good" kids as a reward, but that all of my students have access to online activities.


Our first workshop activity this week was working with M&Ms. This activity builds up the students' skills of counting, sorting, graphing, colour coding, and using MS Excel. In classrooms we must remember to beware of allergies, and use beads or marbles instead if it's an issue.

If our future classrooms don't have enough computers for everyone get big paper on the floor and kindergarten squares. The following is step by step instructions for the activity:

Guess about packet - will there be more yellow because it's a yellow packet? Weigh packet.
Open packet - sort into colour.
MAIN IDEA - WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GRAPHS??? WHY IS IT USED IN SOCIETY???
Count how many of each colour. Put data into MS Excel.


Highlight text and convert into graph. INSERT, COLUMN. To change columns to different colours, right click, format data point, fill, solid fill, choose colour.


Right click on individual column, add data label, will show how many.


Go to M&M website and copy & paste graphics to your spreadsheet.


Survey - what's your fave m&m colour? get data and convert into graph.
could also do colour of hair, eyes, cars (from school parking lot) brands.

DON'T DO THIS ACTIVITY AS A ONE-OFF...Follow it up tomorrow with another graphing activity. 


The final activity we did this workshop was to create a diagram using the inspiration software and Dust Echoes.
http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/

Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law.

As well as exposing our students to Indigenous culture that they may not already be aware of, this activity enriches their English skills as it focuses on what is necessary to create an informative story and how they are able to play with words, sentences and phrases to create the same or different meanings.

I found this activity similar to one we performed in an English workshop when we copied a paragraph onto butcher's paper then cut out the words and had to rearrange them so that it still made sense. The above inspiration activity could be set up to co-incide with the butcher's paper activity to advance the students' reading skills.

1. Learner Focus
2. Content Integrity
3. Usability
4. Accessibililty

Integrating ICT into classrooms

Wow - I can't wait to use an interactive whiteboard! I joined up to Teacher's TV and watched the video on the Whiteboard Science Investigation.
http://www.teacherstv.com.au/
Students were testing newspaper, aluminium foil and bubblewrap to determine which is the best "thermal insulator". (Which kept their teacher's tea the hottest.) This activity seemed to incorporate everything we've been talking about for the last two months. It involved small groups then coming back together as a whole class to share results. It was hands-on and it allowed the students to take turns using technology.
As a follow-up I searched watched the YouTube clip about interactive whiteboards in the classroom. http://www.datacomit.com.au/products/whiteboards.php?gclid=CIOj6K_orJUCFRg6awodf2Q3kg

"students have no fear of technology"

Rather it is us teachers that have to embrace technology and keep up-to-date through professional development.

The other website that I looked at this week was George Lucas' Education Foundation - edutopia.
This website has lots of videos and activities based on the year level of students.

http://www.edutopia.org/
One thing I did not like about the information on this site, was that both teachers and students seemed obsessed with using technology for the future. It was all about getting into the right college or becoming a scientist or doctor. The focus was never simply on learning for the sake of learning or doing for the sake of doing. However, the videos I viewed were all from the U.S.A., so I'm hoping that in Australian classrooms kids are still encouraged to be kids for a little while longer.

In the workshop this week we made movies!

http://www.dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html
I think the dvolver site would be a great tool for students who perhaps lose interests in writing activities. This allows them to play with sounds and characters and results in a product that they can show off to their friends and relatives.




I also had a look at the games Greg recommended.
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/pook/flash/pook.html
This was a lovely game that could be taught in conjunction with learning about different cultures, factors that put poorer populations at risk, and what we as individuals can do to help.
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/progression/civics.html

I also played the maths game found at
http://www.sumdog.com/games/flow.action?game=racing
while i did not find this game particularly exciting, I think if students were playing against eachother it would add to the level of excitement.

Protection of students online and FUN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW14kz3TKug&feature=related

I think this week's lecture resonated with all of us. Especially in relation to the video showing the devastating consequences that cyberbullying can have.

Unfortunately cyberbullying is now a real issue for today's youth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQBurXQOeQ

Whilst as teachers we will be unable to monitor how our students use technology at home, we can ensure that we make our students aware of their responsibilities when using technology.
The cybersmart website has a lot of practical advice for children and parents about the benefits and many dangers to be aware of when using technology.
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/

I graduated from high school in 1998, I don't consider it to be very long ago, but so much has changed! I didn't have a mobile phone, and while we had a computer at home we did not have the Internet. Some of our future students will have been exposed to these technologies since birth. Depending on which schools we are working in, the majority of students will be aware of how to text, how to instant message, how to email and and to surf the web. Just as I was taught "stranger danger", it will be my responsibility to make sure my students are aware of protecting their own and others security when online.

 In our workshop we briefly stepped away from technology and focused on design. Our mission was to create a frog that could jump using only
1. cardboard card
2. picture of a frog
3. rubber band
4. sticky tape
5. glue

We (the students) had to record our processes on a design brief that showed our
1. problem to be solved
2. how we investigated it
3. how we produced a solution
4. how we evaluated/assessed our result.

The class came up with several solutions and we learned a simple method of incorporating design and technology into our future classrooms, as will be required by VELS.
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/maps/maps_domain/design/level4.html

We spent the rest of the workshop devising games and thus gained another way of letting our students work with technology while introducing or revising material from other domains such as English or science.
www.quia.com/web
The above website allows teachers and students to create games and play eachothers. So the teacher could create a new spelling test game with different words each week and allow the students to play with it to familiarise themselves with the new vocabulary. By allowing students to invent their own games, it is making newly acquired information relevant and adding excitement and competition to learning.

Eportfolios & brochures

http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/ict/elearnplan/elp09.doc

Students have access to more information and communication tools than ever before in human history. Such access calls for a new literacy: digital/ICT literacy. This requires students to be aware, wary and discriminating. They need to be empowered users who make informed choices about the information they seek, the products they want to create and the tools they use.

This week we continued to explore different software and how we might effectively use in in our future classrooms. In particular, we examined ePortfolios and using brochures.

The following definition of an ePortfolio was taken from the lecture:

A digital or electronic portfolio is a collection of work or a display of artefacts


that demonstrates one’s skill level, progress and achievements in one or more areas of discipline over time.

  I loved being able to look at the example student eportfolio in the lecture, although one thing that struck me was that it seemed like such a lot of work for something that may only be in use for one school year. I know that, depending on the school policy, the student's profile would ultimately be accessed and added to by each teacher of the child - which is what I would hope for. I am therefore glad for the introduction of Ultranet throughout Victorian state schools. I believe this project, as well as showing students and parents the progress of the child, will aid the teacher in better tailoring activities to suit the abilities and interests of the individual student.

During our workshop we discussed what we should do when we apply for our first teaching jobs. As well as practical advice such as looking professional, driving to the school beforehand, and making sure our facebook account is blocked or appropriate, we also developed our own professional ePortfolios. These portfolios will include our resume and practical contact information as well as our developing pedagogies. Our professional ePortfolios will demonstrate our own technology skills and hopefully display our willingness to embrace technologies within our future classrooms.

The reading provided in our lecture notes by Cara Lane goes into detail about the many advantages of working with ePortfolios with our students.

"Much of the power inherent in e-portfolios thus lies not only in their potential to build  technology and Web publishing skills, but also, and more importantly, in their ability to advance students' knowledge of how to apply those skills effectively in academic and professional contexts."

The other tool we were introduced to during the workshop was the use of brochures. I believe the use of brochures would allow students to display their knowledge in a meaningful way and also enhance their information technology skills.
http://ali.apple.com/acot2/curriculum/

Rethinking what we teach must come before we can rethink how we teach.

Curriculum actually refers to all purposeful activity that takes place within the classroom.

As always when incorporating technology into the classroom, the above website re-iterates the importance of relevance. It is not enough simply to show the students how to create a brochure within MS Publisher, the brochure must have a purpose.
In the workshop we designed travel brochures similiar to any you would find in a travel agent. This could be done with the students - they could both expand their knowledge of a foreign location and broaden their research and technology skills.

There is a plethora of teacher resources and example lessons available on the web that make use of brochures.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson856/sample.pdf

During the workshop the issue of homework also came up. I don't think any of us are fond of the idea of weighing our young students down with a mountain of homework every night. However Greg told us that he used to carry out - Teacher's Torture - give kids a brochure filled with maths problems, crosswords etc on Monday - they have until Friday to finish. This seems like a great way of giving the kids a fun activity and ample time to explore it. They also have the whole week to ask for the teacher's assistance if they do not understand a concept.

 

Introduction to Learning Technologies - The 21st Century learner

"Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability." Ken Robinson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I

There were so many gems in this video, but one of the things I'll take away is that teachers and the governing bodies that decide curriculum should not impose their own values of what talents and skills are worthwhile. Whilst using numerous technologies may take me out of my comfort zone, it may allow my students to shine.

In our first week of Technology across the curriculum we learnt that "there are two significant change agents in the current global environment - education and the internet." I signed up to getideas.org to further my understanding of education in the 21st century - Education 3.0.

My comprehension of the current values in education is that "learning is doing." More than ever before students are expected to question authority and to find answers for themselves. The other big change (from my own schooling) is that contemporary "systems integrate 21st century skills throughout the curriculum." I don't remember using computers at all during primary school, with the exception of the game - Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? And I think this activity was optional and to be accessed during free time. In high school we used computers for my "typing" class. This was a whole subject of learning how to type! What a wasted opportunity! I think now more than ever, pre-service teachers like myself will be aware that learning technology skills will be more effectively taught and learnt if they are used in conjunction with meaningful curriculum. A video on the getideas.org site featuring Sugata Mitra proved that "when you have interest, then you have education." And "children will learn to do what they want to do." To me, the work of the teacher keeps growing. It is not enough to understand the curriculum and define your expectations for what you want your students to learn. It is not enough to simply find activities and resources that you think will assist student learning. The teacher has to do all of the above AND most importantly, engage the students so that they will WANT to learn.

http://www.getideas.org/library/video/sugata-mitra-child-driven-education

Ultranet was the other site that we were encouraged to explore. Whilst I'm not authorised to thoroughly explore the site, and it is now known that it's not immune to technical problems - in theory it sounds like a wonderful resource for teachers. Through Ultranet, teachers will be able to

• 
  
  access resources
• 
  
  share with peers
• 
  
  discover information about each student

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/directions/ultranet/benefits/teachers.htm

In our first workshop we explored Inspiration. I enjoyed using this software - and at first only thought of it as a way for the students to create a profile of themselves. However, upon exploring the Inspiration website, I've discovered numerous ideas of how this software could be meaningfully integrated with the curriculum.

http://www.inspiration.com/inspiration-science-examples

The following is the page I created to show my interests.

INSPIRATION

I must confess that I had never heard of "mindmapping" before the workshop. In school we always brainstormed using butcher's paper. But what a great way of allowing students to get their thoughts down in a more permanent and easily retrievable way.

MINDMAP

Finally this week we were encouraged to familiarise ourselves with VELS. For the most part I find VELS to be extremely helpful - I think it shows the abilities of students to be working towards a higher level, rather than being "below average." It's unfortunate that within our first or second year of teaching it'll probably be replaced by the National Curriculum!

http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/