Last week I implemented a lesson at my school on Narrative Writing. I enjoyed the lesson and I think the students did too!
I created this PowerPoint to use during the lesson and it worked quite well. The information came from a great article by Figg, S. (2002), 'Understanding Narrative Writing: Practical Strategies to Support Teachers. Extracted from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/narrative.htm.
During my lesson it was really interesting to note that many students could not recall the information from the PowerPoint when it came time to design a graphic organiser about it! Goes to show that all this stuff we've been learning about is really important, i.e. In order to learn and retain new information students need to 'do something' with it!
To overcome this dilemma, I reviewed the PowerPoint presentation, discussed it as a group, incorporating some examples and then assisted students to create their graphic organisers. From here they used their graphic organiser as a tool to write a piece of narrative.
I also used a short You Tube video to stimulate the students' narrative writing. This video was suggested by a fellow student, Megan Sommerfield, in one of her forum postings. The students really enjoyed it and it was a great way to get the students imaginations working. Some of the writing that came out as a result was quite impressive. Thanks for the idea Megan.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Happy Mother's Day to my fellow students and Mums
On Friday morning I attended my daughter's Prep. Mother's Day Breakfast at her school. It started at 7.15am, and with my husband away attending a conference in Noosa (half his luck!), I had to take all four of my kiddies with me. I am not really a morning person, but I'm even less so when I've been up until 1.00am studying the night before!
I have to say however, that the effort was worthwhile. The breakfast was just lovely.
All of the mothers arrived to see tables beautifully set with red and white plates, cutlery and gifts. The menu included pancakes with maple syrup, toast, raisin bread, cereals, juice and coffee and it was clear that an enormous amount of work had gone into arranging this event for us.
My daughter gave me a lovely hand made card she had designed in art class, and it was just the boost I needed to end this week.
So ... to my fellow mums and student teachers out there - take some time out this Sunday away from the books and just stop and appreciate how lucky we all are to be mothers.
Happy Mother's Day 2010
I have to say however, that the effort was worthwhile. The breakfast was just lovely.
All of the mothers arrived to see tables beautifully set with red and white plates, cutlery and gifts. The menu included pancakes with maple syrup, toast, raisin bread, cereals, juice and coffee and it was clear that an enormous amount of work had gone into arranging this event for us.
My daughter gave me a lovely hand made card she had designed in art class, and it was just the boost I needed to end this week.
So ... to my fellow mums and student teachers out there - take some time out this Sunday away from the books and just stop and appreciate how lucky we all are to be mothers.
Happy Mother's Day 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A very strange mixed up week..
This week has been full of both excitement and challenge, but unfortunately tinged with sadness.
My Embedded Professional Learning (EPL or Prac.) experience this week took place on the year 7 school camp at 'Action Challenge' in Hay Point - just south of Mackay. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend with my Mentor Teacher.
The first morning of camp was spent at school, and students were allocated their groups and began working on various activities including Orienteering, Rope Tying and Skit Preparation. I helped students with Orienteering, and after a quick refresher (it must be 20 years since I've used a compass!), I was able to confidently instruct the students on how to go about the exercise.
Just before lunch students boarded the bus for the drive to the Action/Challenge camp ground, along with three teachers. I drove separately (via MacDonalds for a coffee).
I arrived first, and soon found out the school bus had broken down!. As a result I was able to spend 40 minutes chatting to the owner and manager of the camp, Noel Cowan, and finding out about how the camp was started, the types of activities he offers and why his camp is so great for kids and adults alike. The new school bus finally arrived and the unpacking began.
Following lunch the students quickly settled in to listen to an introduction by camp owner Noel. I acted as scribe whilst Noel facilitated his session, making sure that all students contributed. During his introduction Noel worked with the students to outline the hopes, challenges, fears and expectations of the students for their camp.
All students participated well in this introduction, and I believe this exercise set the boundaries and responsibilities for the students in such a way that they had ownership of everthing written up.
Noel incorporated a strategy of ‘hands up to speak or 5 push-ups are required’. This strategy worked well to make the students realise how frequently they speak out of turn or call out. By the end of the session, after most students had done at least one set of push-ups, they had learned to put their hands-up!.
I left camp at 4.15pm on Day 1, just as the students were getting ready to set up their tents.
I arrived at camp on Day 2 and immediately heard about the overnight experience in the camp ground. Apparently a number of students were awake at 3.15am and woke up other students and teachers with their noise. As a result, one of the teachers (ex-army), decided to put ALL students through their paces at first light, in an army style PT session which included jogging, running, star jumps, burpies etc. All students were involved and were talking about it throughout the day.
I am interested to hear if this ‘consequence for waking up the teachers on night one’ had the desired effect on night two!
Day 2 activites got under way at 9am and included a) the Low Ropes Course, b) Rafting and c) Archery. I joined the Rafting team to begin.
I was impressed with the way the students were working, and the way Noel talked about King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur (the sword).
"Whoever holds the sword is allowed to speak", explained Noel. (Note: the sword for this purpose was an old chalk duster!)
By gaining possession of the 'sword' the students took turns talking and were able to agree on the best strategy for getting all 16 team members safely across the dam, using two lengths of rope, a two-man raft, a four-man raft (located on the other side of the dam), and some life jackets.
Noel had set up the exercise as a top secret army mission in the jungle, crossing a piranha infested waterway. Absolute silence was necessary on the hike to the dam, so as not be heard by the enemy.
The 'utter silence' was quite an achievement, and made possible by the rules and expectations set up the previous day, and by clearly stating the consequence of talking, i.e. not participating in the rafting exercise. The students knew from the previous day and the ‘push-ups’ for calling out, that Noel stood by his word, and therefore knew that any talking would result in no participation in the activity.
During the rafting exercise all students worked well as a team and helped each other out. I was particularly impressed with a couple of male students who showed a great deal of courtesy toward myself and some female students when it came time to dismount from the raft, making sure we didn't get too wet.
The next activity for my group was the ‘Low-Ropes Course’. Once again, all students listened well to the instructions and helped each other out. They worked well with their buddies, called out praise and encouragement and offered support. Several students were very nervous, and I was personally concerned about the flying fox, however everyone had a go and all students were well behaved and courteous. The flying fox was fantastic!
Once again, I believe the rules and expectations set up on day 1, and the understanding of choice and consequence, largely contributed to the success of these two activities.
The camp continued for another 2 days, however I left the camp at 3pm, and this concluded my first camp experience as a 'teacher'.
This brings me to reflect upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. At the camp I noticed that Maslow's lower order needs of food, air, water and shelter were met, along with needs for safety and security.
Camp owner Noel, along with the students, facilitated the first session in such a way that the students’ third level needs for social acceptance, belonging, friendship and involvement in community groups, were well on the way to being taken care of, (at least for the duration of the camp).
This then paved the way for all students to achieve Maslow's higher order needs. Through participation in the activites and challenges offered on the camp, students would have the opportunity for improved self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment, and ultimately self actualisation. All they had to do was participate.
Anyway... now I come to the sad part of my story. After a great camp experience, I returned home knowing I had to give my children the sad news that our beloved dog Pepper had died earlier that morning, after a very brief battle with cancer. He fortunately didn't have to suffer too long, and had been buried by my husband in our garden. He will be sadly missed by us all, especially by my husband and my 5 year old daughter.
After lots of tears we collected flowers and put them on his grave under the monkey puzzle tree.
So concluded my strange and mixed up week...
Bye Pepper - we loved you.
Pepper as a Puppy - Arthur Family photos.
My Embedded Professional Learning (EPL or Prac.) experience this week took place on the year 7 school camp at 'Action Challenge' in Hay Point - just south of Mackay. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend with my Mentor Teacher.
The first morning of camp was spent at school, and students were allocated their groups and began working on various activities including Orienteering, Rope Tying and Skit Preparation. I helped students with Orienteering, and after a quick refresher (it must be 20 years since I've used a compass!), I was able to confidently instruct the students on how to go about the exercise.
Just before lunch students boarded the bus for the drive to the Action/Challenge camp ground, along with three teachers. I drove separately (via MacDonalds for a coffee).
I arrived first, and soon found out the school bus had broken down!. As a result I was able to spend 40 minutes chatting to the owner and manager of the camp, Noel Cowan, and finding out about how the camp was started, the types of activities he offers and why his camp is so great for kids and adults alike. The new school bus finally arrived and the unpacking began.
Following lunch the students quickly settled in to listen to an introduction by camp owner Noel. I acted as scribe whilst Noel facilitated his session, making sure that all students contributed. During his introduction Noel worked with the students to outline the hopes, challenges, fears and expectations of the students for their camp.
All students participated well in this introduction, and I believe this exercise set the boundaries and responsibilities for the students in such a way that they had ownership of everthing written up.
Noel incorporated a strategy of ‘hands up to speak or 5 push-ups are required’. This strategy worked well to make the students realise how frequently they speak out of turn or call out. By the end of the session, after most students had done at least one set of push-ups, they had learned to put their hands-up!.
I left camp at 4.15pm on Day 1, just as the students were getting ready to set up their tents.
I arrived at camp on Day 2 and immediately heard about the overnight experience in the camp ground. Apparently a number of students were awake at 3.15am and woke up other students and teachers with their noise. As a result, one of the teachers (ex-army), decided to put ALL students through their paces at first light, in an army style PT session which included jogging, running, star jumps, burpies etc. All students were involved and were talking about it throughout the day.
I am interested to hear if this ‘consequence for waking up the teachers on night one’ had the desired effect on night two!
Day 2 activites got under way at 9am and included a) the Low Ropes Course, b) Rafting and c) Archery. I joined the Rafting team to begin.
I was impressed with the way the students were working, and the way Noel talked about King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur (the sword).
"Whoever holds the sword is allowed to speak", explained Noel. (Note: the sword for this purpose was an old chalk duster!)
By gaining possession of the 'sword' the students took turns talking and were able to agree on the best strategy for getting all 16 team members safely across the dam, using two lengths of rope, a two-man raft, a four-man raft (located on the other side of the dam), and some life jackets.
Noel had set up the exercise as a top secret army mission in the jungle, crossing a piranha infested waterway. Absolute silence was necessary on the hike to the dam, so as not be heard by the enemy.
The 'utter silence' was quite an achievement, and made possible by the rules and expectations set up the previous day, and by clearly stating the consequence of talking, i.e. not participating in the rafting exercise. The students knew from the previous day and the ‘push-ups’ for calling out, that Noel stood by his word, and therefore knew that any talking would result in no participation in the activity.
During the rafting exercise all students worked well as a team and helped each other out. I was particularly impressed with a couple of male students who showed a great deal of courtesy toward myself and some female students when it came time to dismount from the raft, making sure we didn't get too wet.
The next activity for my group was the ‘Low-Ropes Course’. Once again, all students listened well to the instructions and helped each other out. They worked well with their buddies, called out praise and encouragement and offered support. Several students were very nervous, and I was personally concerned about the flying fox, however everyone had a go and all students were well behaved and courteous. The flying fox was fantastic!
Once again, I believe the rules and expectations set up on day 1, and the understanding of choice and consequence, largely contributed to the success of these two activities.
The camp continued for another 2 days, however I left the camp at 3pm, and this concluded my first camp experience as a 'teacher'.
This brings me to reflect upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. At the camp I noticed that Maslow's lower order needs of food, air, water and shelter were met, along with needs for safety and security.
Camp owner Noel, along with the students, facilitated the first session in such a way that the students’ third level needs for social acceptance, belonging, friendship and involvement in community groups, were well on the way to being taken care of, (at least for the duration of the camp).
This then paved the way for all students to achieve Maslow's higher order needs. Through participation in the activites and challenges offered on the camp, students would have the opportunity for improved self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment, and ultimately self actualisation. All they had to do was participate.
Anyway... now I come to the sad part of my story. After a great camp experience, I returned home knowing I had to give my children the sad news that our beloved dog Pepper had died earlier that morning, after a very brief battle with cancer. He fortunately didn't have to suffer too long, and had been buried by my husband in our garden. He will be sadly missed by us all, especially by my husband and my 5 year old daughter.
After lots of tears we collected flowers and put them on his grave under the monkey puzzle tree.
So concluded my strange and mixed up week...
Bye Pepper - we loved you.
Pepper as a Puppy - Arthur Family photos.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Reflective Synopsis - ICT's can make teaching more efficient and enhance student learning
There is nothing like enrolling in a university program to force yourself to learn new things!
Recently I have learned a lot about Information Communication Technologies (ICT's) and their potential uses in education. Many of these technologies are breaking new ground and truly cater to the needs of the 'Digital Natives' in our 21st Century Classrooms.
Interactive White Boards (IWB's) tick all the boxes in terms of student-centred learning and increased engagement. I was speaking to a Grade 3 teacher recently, and she told me that her IWB is used daily and is central to her teaching.
She gave the example of students asking questions about Japan, where she had recently been on holiday. Using the IWB she was able to pull up the world map and show the location of Japan in relation to Australia. When students showed an interest, she was quickly able to show them information about Japanese culture, food and customs.
This very simple example shows how IWB technology can make the art of teaching more student-centred by enabling the learning journey to follow the natural curiosity of the students. The teacher can answer the students' questions accurately, (see my post 'Constant Questions'), interactively and in an engaging way, whereby students direct their own learning.
IWB technology transforms the relationship between teacher and student to one where the teacher is more a facilitator or learning manager and prepared to be guided by the students in their learning. (i.e. Question 2, of Lynch's 8 Learning Management questions: Where does my learner need/want to be?).
Furthermore, the use of IWB's in the classroom shows students how to source information and determine its suitability. This is very much in line with Mode 2 learning and "The trend toward capability rather than competence". Smith & Mienszakowski (2003). In today's knowledge-rich environment students need to know how to source, identify and evaluate the quality of information to suit their purpose.
IWB's are environmentally friendly, save duplication of effort and make teaching more efficient. My post, 'Can't wait to get my hands on one of these', talks about an on-line community where teachers from around the globe share their resources.
According to Engagement Theory, Kearsley & Schneiderman (1999), "students [in order to learn effectively] must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks, and ... technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise."
Interaction with others is easily achieved with the use of a Wiki in the classroom. A Wiki enables students to work collaboratively on projects, they are easily updated and can be accessed 24/7 so that students can interact, create and learn whenever they choose. Wikis are well aligned to Engagement Theory, in particular the aspects of Relate, Create and Donate. This blog post, talks about students who worked together to create a Wiki-based, online history book, which was then donated to the global audience via the Internet. Carolyne Thornton created a Wiki for an authentic purpose and here is my Cyclonic Wiki.
Another way to enhance student learning is through Blogging. Over the past 8 weeks I have grown to love my Blog and the freedom it gives me to express my ideas and share my thoughts in a public forum. This technology can do even more for the students in our classrooms, as detailed in my Blog post, 'Why let our students Blog?'
As a Primary teacher, a class Blog will be an effective pedagogical strategy as it offers an engaging way to motivate students and communicate classroom happenings with the outside world. Students can be creative, articulate their thoughts and practice their writing skills, then share them with an audience as small as the classroom or truly global in proportions. Furthermore, the audience can respond! How engaging is that!
I believe Blogs and Wikis could be Active Learning in it's finest form, as students are creating their own work, reflecting upon it, then posting it to a real world audience. Blogs and Wikis enable direct & purposeful experience and an opportunity to immediately use their knowledge, teach others and practice by doing - which according to Dale's Cone and the Learning Pyramid, are the most effective ways to retain new information.
As we all have preferred learning styles and strategies, it is important to use a diverse range of teaching strategies to engage as many learners as possible.
Powerpoint (PPT) is a great tool, as it can incorporate images, diagrams, charts, graphs and visual aids for the visual learners as well as written information and bullet points for the verbal learners. Animations, music and dialogue ensure that PPT presentations cater to a diverse range of learning styles. They can be easily up-dated, re-used and shared, once again making the art of teaching more efficient.
PPT presentations make an excellent introduction to a topic, an easy way to 'chunk' large volumes of information, (i.e. Dimension 2), or enable a succinct summary at the end of a lesson. Students can also learn the art of creating a PPT to communicate their message, keeping in mind some issues discussed in my post on PPT.
Other technologies that cater to a diverse range of learners are Glogs, Avatars and Claymation.
Carolyne Thornton has posted a Glog created by her 7 year old son, which shows just how creative a primary school student can be with technology. Imagine a primary school project presented in a Glog like this!
Avatars have many uses, including use as a quirky introduction or 'hook' for a lesson, as explored in my post 'Vokis are fun'.
I also love Claymation technology. A class of Grade 2 students at my son's school, so enjoyed using Claymation to create their own mini-beasts, that Claymation technology now forms part of the Grade 2 curriculum. Here is a great example of claymation used in a primary setting, created by students from Irving ISD in Texas.
Digital images (e.g. Flickr), and technologies like Picasa, Picnik and Photo Story add another dimension to learning, as students can learn to manipulate images creatively in their school work. Alicia Clarke and Sam Prior have some great ideas for using images from Flickr in the classroom. My post also has some ideas.
I am excited to be embarking on a career in the teaching profession at a time when a paradigm shift is taking place in classrooms of the 21st Century.
References:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved April 29, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465
Prensky, M. (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, From On the Horizon (NCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001), retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.hfmboces.org/HFMDistrictServices/TechYES/PrenskyDigitalNatives.pdf
Felder, R.M. and Brent, R. (2004) The Abc's of Engineering Education: Abet, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cooperative Learning, and so on. North Carolina State University/Education Designs, Inc.Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition
Quote by Randall Fielding, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.designshare,com/articles/1/133/fielding_light-learn-color.pdf
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Heath, G. (2001) Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment, Paper presented to the Australian Association for Educational Research Conference, Fremantle December 2001, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.aare.edu.au/01pap/hea01582.htm
Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. et al, (1997), Dimensions of Learning Teachers Manual (2nd Edition), McREL.
Felder,R. & Solomon, B. () 'Learning Styles and Strategies', North Carolina State university, Retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Sample of claymation technology, 'Wilson's World', Irving Independant School District, Irving, Texas, USA, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.irvingisd.net/claymation/june2007/Wilsons%20World_0001.htm
A sample of fellow students' blogs I have commented on:
http://learningjourneycaro.blogspot.com/2010/04/another-glog.html
http://samanthasjourney-gdlt.blogspot.com/2010/04/school-playground.html
http://talkintoleesha.blogspot.com/2010/04/flickr.html
http://changing-ideas.blogspot.com/2010/04/google-earth.html - comment made about Chloe's great idea for using Google Earth, however my comment is not visible on her blog.
Recently I have learned a lot about Information Communication Technologies (ICT's) and their potential uses in education. Many of these technologies are breaking new ground and truly cater to the needs of the 'Digital Natives' in our 21st Century Classrooms.
Interactive White Boards (IWB's) tick all the boxes in terms of student-centred learning and increased engagement. I was speaking to a Grade 3 teacher recently, and she told me that her IWB is used daily and is central to her teaching.
She gave the example of students asking questions about Japan, where she had recently been on holiday. Using the IWB she was able to pull up the world map and show the location of Japan in relation to Australia. When students showed an interest, she was quickly able to show them information about Japanese culture, food and customs.
This very simple example shows how IWB technology can make the art of teaching more student-centred by enabling the learning journey to follow the natural curiosity of the students. The teacher can answer the students' questions accurately, (see my post 'Constant Questions'), interactively and in an engaging way, whereby students direct their own learning.
IWB technology transforms the relationship between teacher and student to one where the teacher is more a facilitator or learning manager and prepared to be guided by the students in their learning. (i.e. Question 2, of Lynch's 8 Learning Management questions: Where does my learner need/want to be?).
Furthermore, the use of IWB's in the classroom shows students how to source information and determine its suitability. This is very much in line with Mode 2 learning and "The trend toward capability rather than competence". Smith & Mienszakowski (2003). In today's knowledge-rich environment students need to know how to source, identify and evaluate the quality of information to suit their purpose.
IWB's are environmentally friendly, save duplication of effort and make teaching more efficient. My post, 'Can't wait to get my hands on one of these', talks about an on-line community where teachers from around the globe share their resources.
According to Engagement Theory, Kearsley & Schneiderman (1999), "students [in order to learn effectively] must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks, and ... technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise."
Interaction with others is easily achieved with the use of a Wiki in the classroom. A Wiki enables students to work collaboratively on projects, they are easily updated and can be accessed 24/7 so that students can interact, create and learn whenever they choose. Wikis are well aligned to Engagement Theory, in particular the aspects of Relate, Create and Donate. This blog post, talks about students who worked together to create a Wiki-based, online history book, which was then donated to the global audience via the Internet. Carolyne Thornton created a Wiki for an authentic purpose and here is my Cyclonic Wiki.
Another way to enhance student learning is through Blogging. Over the past 8 weeks I have grown to love my Blog and the freedom it gives me to express my ideas and share my thoughts in a public forum. This technology can do even more for the students in our classrooms, as detailed in my Blog post, 'Why let our students Blog?'
As a Primary teacher, a class Blog will be an effective pedagogical strategy as it offers an engaging way to motivate students and communicate classroom happenings with the outside world. Students can be creative, articulate their thoughts and practice their writing skills, then share them with an audience as small as the classroom or truly global in proportions. Furthermore, the audience can respond! How engaging is that!
I believe Blogs and Wikis could be Active Learning in it's finest form, as students are creating their own work, reflecting upon it, then posting it to a real world audience. Blogs and Wikis enable direct & purposeful experience and an opportunity to immediately use their knowledge, teach others and practice by doing - which according to Dale's Cone and the Learning Pyramid, are the most effective ways to retain new information.
As we all have preferred learning styles and strategies, it is important to use a diverse range of teaching strategies to engage as many learners as possible.
"We all learn differently, and we learn all of the time.
We learn in quiet reflections, in noisy leaps and in social interactions
that arouse our emotions. A wonderful characteristic of learning is that we learn when we feel secure and cosy and also when we feel challenged".
Randall Fielding - Architect
PPT presentations make an excellent introduction to a topic, an easy way to 'chunk' large volumes of information, (i.e. Dimension 2), or enable a succinct summary at the end of a lesson. Students can also learn the art of creating a PPT to communicate their message, keeping in mind some issues discussed in my post on PPT.
Other technologies that cater to a diverse range of learners are Glogs, Avatars and Claymation.
Carolyne Thornton has posted a Glog created by her 7 year old son, which shows just how creative a primary school student can be with technology. Imagine a primary school project presented in a Glog like this!
Avatars have many uses, including use as a quirky introduction or 'hook' for a lesson, as explored in my post 'Vokis are fun'.
I also love Claymation technology. A class of Grade 2 students at my son's school, so enjoyed using Claymation to create their own mini-beasts, that Claymation technology now forms part of the Grade 2 curriculum. Here is a great example of claymation used in a primary setting, created by students from Irving ISD in Texas.
Digital images (e.g. Flickr), and technologies like Picasa, Picnik and Photo Story add another dimension to learning, as students can learn to manipulate images creatively in their school work. Alicia Clarke and Sam Prior have some great ideas for using images from Flickr in the classroom. My post also has some ideas.
I am excited to be embarking on a career in the teaching profession at a time when a paradigm shift is taking place in classrooms of the 21st Century.
References:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved April 29, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465
Prensky, M. (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, From On the Horizon (NCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001), retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.hfmboces.org/HFMDistrictServices/TechYES/PrenskyDigitalNatives.pdf
Felder, R.M. and Brent, R. (2004) The Abc's of Engineering Education: Abet, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cooperative Learning, and so on. North Carolina State University/Education Designs, Inc.Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition
Aldred, S. (2010) ICT's for Learning Design courseware(EDED20491), CQ University, Rockhampton, QLD Australia.
The Albiene Christian University Adams Centre for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved on 29 april 2010 from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htmQuote by Randall Fielding, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.designshare,com/articles/1/133/fielding_light-learn-color.pdf
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Heath, G. (2001) Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment, Paper presented to the Australian Association for Educational Research Conference, Fremantle December 2001, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.aare.edu.au/01pap/hea01582.htm
Marzano, R. and Pickering, D. et al, (1997), Dimensions of Learning Teachers Manual (2nd Edition), McREL.
Felder,R. & Solomon, B. () 'Learning Styles and Strategies', North Carolina State university, Retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Sample of claymation technology, 'Wilson's World', Irving Independant School District, Irving, Texas, USA, retrieved on 29 April 2010 from http://www.irvingisd.net/claymation/june2007/Wilsons%20World_0001.htm
A sample of fellow students' blogs I have commented on:
http://learningjourneycaro.blogspot.com/2010/04/another-glog.html
http://samanthasjourney-gdlt.blogspot.com/2010/04/school-playground.html
http://talkintoleesha.blogspot.com/2010/04/flickr.html
http://changing-ideas.blogspot.com/2010/04/google-earth.html - comment made about Chloe's great idea for using Google Earth, however my comment is not visible on her blog.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Powerpoint is a cool tool - but not without it's issues!
While studying the ICT for Learning Design coursework recently I decided to prepare a Power Point (PPT) on Aboriginal Art. I spent 2-3 hours on this presentation and - not to blow my own trumpet or anything - but it looked pretty good. I had incorporated some animation, I had used some bullet points, but not too many, my slides were interesting but not too detailed, and I had links to websites and on-line quizzes. I was pretty happy with it and felt I had incorporated all the tips I had learned about creating an effective PowerPoint.
I then hesitated when it came to publish my PowerPoint on my Blog and post it to the forum. Why was I hesitating...?
I realised I felt uneasy about it as I had copied images from several websites; and although I had referenced them throughout my PPT, and also at the end, I hadn't yet received a response to my emailed request for permission to use these images.
I hesitated a bit more...? Should I, shouldn't I? I looked up the copyright details on these websites, I considered that my PPT had been prepared for educational purposes, I had referenced it throughout and I wasn't making money from it, so surely it would be OK - wouldn't it? I talked to my husband about it (he's a lawyer and knows about this stuff)! He was quite keen that I not be sued over breach of copyright, so I decided to run it all past our trusty lecturer Scot Aldred.
To cut a long story short, I have decided not to use my beautiful PowerPoint and most definately not to post it to a public forum as there are just way too many issues to consider and too many grey areas for my comfort. At first I was annoyed over my wasted effort and the fact I would have to prepare another PPT, using up precious time I don't have! I was then given a different way to look at it.
Scot, our trusty lecturer, told me about Nulloo Yumbah, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network attached to CQ University. Nulloo Yumbah states that one of it's goals is to "establish and maintain appropriately focused engagements with relevant communities and organisations in the promotion of CQUniversity and the services the university can provide to address community and organisational interests".
In light of this, Scot suggested that rather than a white fella teaching black fella culture and artwork, why not contact members of the local aboriginal communities and ask someone to come along and explain it all first hand? Not a bad idea I thought to myself, and so much more engaging for my students to hear it and experience it first hand.
Scot also pointed out that Aboriginal cultures around Australia are very diverse and the people and tribes who live here in Mackay have very different art and culture to those who live, for example, in Alice Springs. Anything I may teach my students about artwork from Alice Springs, on which my PowerPoint was based, may be completely irrelevant to Mackay.
This whole issue has got me thinking about Aboriginal people, the copyright associated with their artworks and their sensitivity to white fellas teaching others about Aboriginal art and culture.
On the one hand its very frustrating to think that many teachers will be put off teaching aboriginal art and culture in their classrooms because of copyright and related issues and simply put it in the too hard basket. I have also thought that these very issues will hinder the integration of aboriginal and white culture, if white teachers are not able to teach aboriginal culture in schools.
I then thought about the Queensland Government's Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) and their guidelines for 'Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools'. The guidelines talk about personal and professional accountabilities for teachers (page 14) and state that, "Education Queensland employees are professionally accountable for providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives within their curriculum and pedagogical practices for both Indigenous and non-indigenous students, .... and that these Indigenous perspectives are woven into the fabric of the school environment".
In terms of my Aboriginal Art lesson - what should I therefore be considering in order to properly embed this aboriginal perspective?. Some of the issues are:
This in turn will bring great benefits, as the increased involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the education of our students will help to improve relationships between our cultures, build partnerships, create understanding and increase community involvement, which will ultimately aid integration. Like an exponential curve, the pace of integration may then gain momentum.
I think page 24 of the article summarizes this issue quite well. "Teachers can gain confidence to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives by recognising that their role is more one of facilitator, as opposed to being the experts".
So, over the coming weeks, I may not be showing my beautiful PowerPoint presentation, but I am hoping to do something far more interesting. That is, to facilitate my students learning by making contact with, and establishing a relationship with, a local aboriginal person who can teach my students about aboriginal art and it's symbols from a first hand, authentic and engaging point of view.
References:
'Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives', Qld Government, DETA, extracted from http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/indig-persp.pdf
Conversation with Scot Aldred, 20 April 2010, CQ University Lecturer, ICT's for Learning Design.
Deta web site: http://deta.qld.gov.au/
I then hesitated when it came to publish my PowerPoint on my Blog and post it to the forum. Why was I hesitating...?
I realised I felt uneasy about it as I had copied images from several websites; and although I had referenced them throughout my PPT, and also at the end, I hadn't yet received a response to my emailed request for permission to use these images.
I hesitated a bit more...? Should I, shouldn't I? I looked up the copyright details on these websites, I considered that my PPT had been prepared for educational purposes, I had referenced it throughout and I wasn't making money from it, so surely it would be OK - wouldn't it? I talked to my husband about it (he's a lawyer and knows about this stuff)! He was quite keen that I not be sued over breach of copyright, so I decided to run it all past our trusty lecturer Scot Aldred.
To cut a long story short, I have decided not to use my beautiful PowerPoint and most definately not to post it to a public forum as there are just way too many issues to consider and too many grey areas for my comfort. At first I was annoyed over my wasted effort and the fact I would have to prepare another PPT, using up precious time I don't have! I was then given a different way to look at it.
Scot, our trusty lecturer, told me about Nulloo Yumbah, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander network attached to CQ University. Nulloo Yumbah states that one of it's goals is to "establish and maintain appropriately focused engagements with relevant communities and organisations in the promotion of CQUniversity and the services the university can provide to address community and organisational interests".
In light of this, Scot suggested that rather than a white fella teaching black fella culture and artwork, why not contact members of the local aboriginal communities and ask someone to come along and explain it all first hand? Not a bad idea I thought to myself, and so much more engaging for my students to hear it and experience it first hand.
Scot also pointed out that Aboriginal cultures around Australia are very diverse and the people and tribes who live here in Mackay have very different art and culture to those who live, for example, in Alice Springs. Anything I may teach my students about artwork from Alice Springs, on which my PowerPoint was based, may be completely irrelevant to Mackay.
This whole issue has got me thinking about Aboriginal people, the copyright associated with their artworks and their sensitivity to white fellas teaching others about Aboriginal art and culture.
On the one hand its very frustrating to think that many teachers will be put off teaching aboriginal art and culture in their classrooms because of copyright and related issues and simply put it in the too hard basket. I have also thought that these very issues will hinder the integration of aboriginal and white culture, if white teachers are not able to teach aboriginal culture in schools.
I then thought about the Queensland Government's Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) and their guidelines for 'Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools'. The guidelines talk about personal and professional accountabilities for teachers (page 14) and state that, "Education Queensland employees are professionally accountable for providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives within their curriculum and pedagogical practices for both Indigenous and non-indigenous students, .... and that these Indigenous perspectives are woven into the fabric of the school environment".
In terms of my Aboriginal Art lesson - what should I therefore be considering in order to properly embed this aboriginal perspective?. Some of the issues are:
- Aboriginal people attach their sense of identity to their art and culture and are therefore sensitive about white Australians teaching it.
- White Australian's don't know or understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and art on an intimate, first-hand basis, and only know what they have read or learned second-hand.
- We white Australians are arguably ill-equipped to properly teach in these areas.
- Are there any local people or parents of the school who could help my students learn about local Aboriginal Art, their symbols and their meanings?
- What help is available through local aboriginal groups and communities like Nulloo Yumba?
- Are there any aboriginal staff members at my school or staff who have connections with the local aboriginal communities that I can tap into?
- Can my timetable be flexible to take advantage of local aboriginal people, based on their availability?
- Do any local aboriginal communities have resources available for use in my classroom?
- Can a partnership with local aboriginal people be established for teaching Aboriginal Art and Culture at my school, across all year levels and on an ongoing basis?
- Is there a partnership already in place at my school that I may be unaware of?
Re-reading these guidelines, in light of my recent PowerPoint debacle, has given me a new perspective. For a start, I can see that community partnerships with individual learning sites is really key to successfully embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives.
My initial thoughts were that issues and sensitivities surrounding white people teaching aboriginal art and culture, as descried to me by Scot, are just more barriers to overcome on the road to integration and that the situation is truly hopeless. I can now see however, that to teach Aboriginal Art and Culture and to do it justice, it needs to be taught by local people, and therefore local people need to be involved in schools either as direct employees or by way of a partnership within the school.This in turn will bring great benefits, as the increased involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the education of our students will help to improve relationships between our cultures, build partnerships, create understanding and increase community involvement, which will ultimately aid integration. Like an exponential curve, the pace of integration may then gain momentum.
I think page 24 of the article summarizes this issue quite well. "Teachers can gain confidence to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives by recognising that their role is more one of facilitator, as opposed to being the experts".
So, over the coming weeks, I may not be showing my beautiful PowerPoint presentation, but I am hoping to do something far more interesting. That is, to facilitate my students learning by making contact with, and establishing a relationship with, a local aboriginal person who can teach my students about aboriginal art and it's symbols from a first hand, authentic and engaging point of view.
References:
'Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives', Qld Government, DETA, extracted from http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/indig-persp.pdf
Conversation with Scot Aldred, 20 April 2010, CQ University Lecturer, ICT's for Learning Design.
Deta web site: http://deta.qld.gov.au/
What to do with those constant questions?
Ever get asked those crazy questions from your kids in the car? The ones that you just cannot answer with any degree of knowledge but find yourself making up something that sounds feasible, just to get your kids to be quite? Well ... there comes an age when your child will no longer be satisfied with made up answers to life's little but important questions. That age is approximately 8 and a half.
My son James, who is 8 and a half, is now asking more and more complicated questions. Questions like "How did World War II start Mum?" and "Why did Hitler do all those horrible things Mum?", and it's no longer enough to fob him off with some made-up answer just to give myself a break! As a mother, I want to foster his natural curiosity, encourage his inquiring mind and give him accurate information, not squash his questions as though they are unimportant.
Remember this very funny advertisement...courtesy of You Tube?
Just recently I have been responding to my son's questions with, "That's a bit complicated for me to explain James - let's go home and look it up on the Internet."
Sometimes I even say, "I don't know the answer to that questions James - let's look it up together!".
I don't think there is anything wrong with admitting I don't know something, and then finding out with my son - together.
I plan to translate this to my future classrooms...
In my future classrooms I will encourage the natural curiosity of my students, even indulge them a little and look things up on the Internet when they have questions. Where this type of thing would have been too time consuming and impractical in the past, and considered an unnecessary diversion from the curriculum, it is now easily achieved with the aid of the Internet and a computer or Interactive White Board.
In my future classrooms I will admit when I don't know the answer to one of my student's questions, and then use the ICT's we have available to show them how to find out. For example, a tool like Wikipedia is a ready source of information about almost any topic under the sun, and it also contains links to related websites for students to investigate in more detail.
Isn't this the ultimate in student-centred learning?
In this article by Geraldine O'Neill and Tim McMahon, they conclude by saying that "The changing demographics of the student population and the more consumer/client-centred culture in today’s society, have provided a climate where the use of student-centred learning is thriving. The interpretation of the term ‘student-centred learning’ appears to vary between authors as some equate it with ‘active learning’, while others take a more comprehensive definition including: active learning, choice in learning, and the shift of power in the teacher-student relationship."
I can see that the use of ICT's in the classroom, as I've described above, will definately result in more active learning, student-directed learning and a change in the traditional relationship between student and teacher. While some may view this as a negative, from my point of view it's very freeing.
No longer will I, as a teacher, be expected to be the font of all knowledge; we can find things out together. No longer do I have to be wholy responsible for what my students learn; they can ask questions and guide their learning too.
To me, technologies like the Internet and the Interactive White Board offer a more interesting way to look upon teaching as a profession as we are now so fortunate to have at our disposal the most amazing tools for learning!. I'm glad I've waited until now to enter into the world of teaching.
Thanks to my friend Hazel and her latest post "Tough Questions" for inspiring this post.
References:
O'Neill.G, and McMahon.T, (2005) Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers?, University College Dublin. Extracted from
http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/oneill-mcmahon-Tues_19th_Oct_SCL.html
Video of BigPond advertisement courtesy of You Tube
My son James, who is 8 and a half, is now asking more and more complicated questions. Questions like "How did World War II start Mum?" and "Why did Hitler do all those horrible things Mum?", and it's no longer enough to fob him off with some made-up answer just to give myself a break! As a mother, I want to foster his natural curiosity, encourage his inquiring mind and give him accurate information, not squash his questions as though they are unimportant.
Remember this very funny advertisement...courtesy of You Tube?
Just recently I have been responding to my son's questions with, "That's a bit complicated for me to explain James - let's go home and look it up on the Internet."
Sometimes I even say, "I don't know the answer to that questions James - let's look it up together!".
I don't think there is anything wrong with admitting I don't know something, and then finding out with my son - together.
I plan to translate this to my future classrooms...
In my future classrooms I will encourage the natural curiosity of my students, even indulge them a little and look things up on the Internet when they have questions. Where this type of thing would have been too time consuming and impractical in the past, and considered an unnecessary diversion from the curriculum, it is now easily achieved with the aid of the Internet and a computer or Interactive White Board.
In my future classrooms I will admit when I don't know the answer to one of my student's questions, and then use the ICT's we have available to show them how to find out. For example, a tool like Wikipedia is a ready source of information about almost any topic under the sun, and it also contains links to related websites for students to investigate in more detail.
Isn't this the ultimate in student-centred learning?
In this article by Geraldine O'Neill and Tim McMahon, they conclude by saying that "The changing demographics of the student population and the more consumer/client-centred culture in today’s society, have provided a climate where the use of student-centred learning is thriving. The interpretation of the term ‘student-centred learning’ appears to vary between authors as some equate it with ‘active learning’, while others take a more comprehensive definition including: active learning, choice in learning, and the shift of power in the teacher-student relationship."
I can see that the use of ICT's in the classroom, as I've described above, will definately result in more active learning, student-directed learning and a change in the traditional relationship between student and teacher. While some may view this as a negative, from my point of view it's very freeing.
No longer will I, as a teacher, be expected to be the font of all knowledge; we can find things out together. No longer do I have to be wholy responsible for what my students learn; they can ask questions and guide their learning too.
To me, technologies like the Internet and the Interactive White Board offer a more interesting way to look upon teaching as a profession as we are now so fortunate to have at our disposal the most amazing tools for learning!. I'm glad I've waited until now to enter into the world of teaching.
Thanks to my friend Hazel and her latest post "Tough Questions" for inspiring this post.
References:
O'Neill.G, and McMahon.T, (2005) Student-centred learning: What does it mean for students and lecturers?, University College Dublin. Extracted from
http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/oneill-mcmahon-Tues_19th_Oct_SCL.html
Video of BigPond advertisement courtesy of You Tube
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Can't wait to get my hands on one of these...
To coin a term my sister-in-law uses a lot, I think interactive white boards are "Gold". What an amazing tool to have in the classroom, and I believe an investment in this technology for all classrooms would be money well spent.
At my children's K-12 school in Mackay they are very fortunate to have Interactive White Board's (IWB's) in every classroom, from Prep upwards. The school is also working toward a Vision 2012, where all students will be learning with the latest technology on offer.
This You Tube video about IWB's, provided in our course, is evidence that both teachers and students love to use them. Yes - they require significant investment, Yes - they take time to learn and time spent experimenting, but the teachers and students can learn together.
Not only do IWB's offer many benefits in terms of student-teacher interaction, student-centred learning, active learning and increased student engagement, but they also offer additional benefits. For example, learning resources can be easily shared, such as those avaialble on 'Promethean Planet', where teachers from around the globe share their ideas and lesson plans developed for the IWB technology.
In addition, IWB technology reduces duplication of effort and offers an environmentally friendly way to teach, without the need for paper resources, photocopying and endless paper shuffling.
As this is the Year of Environmental Sustainability I reckon IWB's are the way to go! I'm sure there must be some grants and funding available out there?...
At my children's K-12 school in Mackay they are very fortunate to have Interactive White Board's (IWB's) in every classroom, from Prep upwards. The school is also working toward a Vision 2012, where all students will be learning with the latest technology on offer.
This You Tube video about IWB's, provided in our course, is evidence that both teachers and students love to use them. Yes - they require significant investment, Yes - they take time to learn and time spent experimenting, but the teachers and students can learn together.
Not only do IWB's offer many benefits in terms of student-teacher interaction, student-centred learning, active learning and increased student engagement, but they also offer additional benefits. For example, learning resources can be easily shared, such as those avaialble on 'Promethean Planet', where teachers from around the globe share their ideas and lesson plans developed for the IWB technology.
In addition, IWB technology reduces duplication of effort and offers an environmentally friendly way to teach, without the need for paper resources, photocopying and endless paper shuffling.
As this is the Year of Environmental Sustainability I reckon IWB's are the way to go! I'm sure there must be some grants and funding available out there?...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Why Let our Students Blog?
A fellow student has just shared this excellent resource for teachers at The Learning Place . It contains program information on all sorts of topics, ranging from ICT's in the classroom and why and how we should use them, to ideas on literacy, numeracy and maths. This teachertube video shows some very compelling reasons for why we should let our students Blog.
I was particularly interested in this, as I am planning to set up a class Blog for my year 6/7 class this term, and I'm hoping it will be well accepted by the school community, and perhaps even generate some more interest in using Blogs in other classrooms at my school. As the video shows, allowing students to Blog improves students' communication, literacy, ownership, enables collaboration and sharing, stimulates discussion, empowers and provides motiviation and engagement, creativity and excitement.
What a wonderful way to incorpate Active Learning and Engagement Theory into lessons. If a student can learn something new, create something (e.g. an artwork or a short story) and then donate it to the Class Blog for fellow students and the entire school community to view, this ensures that a student is given every opportunity to engage with their learning? I struggle to think of a better and easier way to achieve this level of engagement!
As shown in this brief teachertube video, setting up a classroom Blog also allows students to reflect upon what they have learned and communicate it to others, it extends the walls of the classroom to other classes within the school, the wider school community, even the world, and gives all students a voice and an audience, even those who would otherwise not be heard. For example, children with special needs or those who are simply too shy to step up and speak out. Blogging can also enable learning to take place 24/7, whenever the student feels compelled to do so.
The last line of the video sums it up very succinctly - 'Write to learn, Blog to learn'
Thanks to http://rachelboyd.blogspot.com/ for this teachertube video and to my fellow student Carolyn Thorton for sharing this information about The Learning Place.
I was particularly interested in this, as I am planning to set up a class Blog for my year 6/7 class this term, and I'm hoping it will be well accepted by the school community, and perhaps even generate some more interest in using Blogs in other classrooms at my school. As the video shows, allowing students to Blog improves students' communication, literacy, ownership, enables collaboration and sharing, stimulates discussion, empowers and provides motiviation and engagement, creativity and excitement.
What a wonderful way to incorpate Active Learning and Engagement Theory into lessons. If a student can learn something new, create something (e.g. an artwork or a short story) and then donate it to the Class Blog for fellow students and the entire school community to view, this ensures that a student is given every opportunity to engage with their learning? I struggle to think of a better and easier way to achieve this level of engagement!
As shown in this brief teachertube video, setting up a classroom Blog also allows students to reflect upon what they have learned and communicate it to others, it extends the walls of the classroom to other classes within the school, the wider school community, even the world, and gives all students a voice and an audience, even those who would otherwise not be heard. For example, children with special needs or those who are simply too shy to step up and speak out. Blogging can also enable learning to take place 24/7, whenever the student feels compelled to do so.
The last line of the video sums it up very succinctly - 'Write to learn, Blog to learn'
Thanks to http://rachelboyd.blogspot.com/ for this teachertube video and to my fellow student Carolyn Thorton for sharing this information about The Learning Place.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Just been thinkin'...
I've just been thinking that images available for free from the internet, like those from Flickr, could be used by students in an engaging way in the classroom.
For example, my 5 year old daughter Caitlin is seriously into drawing and learning to write and spell words at the moment. She is in Prep. and her teachers tell me that she draws the most wonderful pictures in class and then asks them to write the stories to go with them. Here's one example of Caitlin's artwork and story telling.
If a 5 year old can do this, imagine how engaging it would be for older students to relate an event that had happened during the school holidays, create a story about it and then donate this to the class or to the global audience. Yes - it's Engagement Theory with a slight twist!
How amazing for students to be able to produce their own illustrated books using images freely available from Flickr and the world wide web. They can even upload their own images for use in creating a book or short story using free software like Photo Story for Windows. Who would have thought kids could do all this.....
This technology enables so many oppportunities for creative expression and true engagement. I just have to look at my daughter to see how engaged she is when she is being creative, to know that I will be using Flickr, Photo Story and other image technologies in my future classrooms.
Talkin' to Leesha has more great ideas on how to use Flickr in the classroom - and thanks for inspiring this post Alicia.
Image: Cailtin's artwork from Arthur family photos.
For example, my 5 year old daughter Caitlin is seriously into drawing and learning to write and spell words at the moment. She is in Prep. and her teachers tell me that she draws the most wonderful pictures in class and then asks them to write the stories to go with them. Here's one example of Caitlin's artwork and story telling.
The Princess Who Lost Her Key
One day a princess girl lost her key. She went through the
woods looking for her key.
Then she found a hole and someone came along and helped her dig out her key.
She put it in her door and opened it and went home and lived 'Happily Ever After'.
If a 5 year old can do this, imagine how engaging it would be for older students to relate an event that had happened during the school holidays, create a story about it and then donate this to the class or to the global audience. Yes - it's Engagement Theory with a slight twist!
How amazing for students to be able to produce their own illustrated books using images freely available from Flickr and the world wide web. They can even upload their own images for use in creating a book or short story using free software like Photo Story for Windows. Who would have thought kids could do all this.....
This technology enables so many oppportunities for creative expression and true engagement. I just have to look at my daughter to see how engaged she is when she is being creative, to know that I will be using Flickr, Photo Story and other image technologies in my future classrooms.
Talkin' to Leesha has more great ideas on how to use Flickr in the classroom - and thanks for inspiring this post Alicia.
Image: Cailtin's artwork from Arthur family photos.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Engaging students through the Arts
I've been asked by the mentor teacher at my school to design my first lesson around Art. She has given me free reign, which is both wonderful and frightening at the same time.
I have been thinking of incorporating a number of Learning areas into my lesson plan, including Art, English and SOSE and really loved this video about the Arts that was included in our coursework for the subject Pedagogical Content Knowledge. I found this video to be very moving and it really demonstrates the importance of Art in our lives and the way in which Art can enhance and engage the students in very powerful ways.
This video has inspired me to do my art lesson on Aboriginal Art, which will allow the students to explore both the style, colours and symbols of Aboriginal Art, create their own class symbols and then design individual artworks in the style of aboriginal art that tell their own personal story.
I am now searching for ways to incorporate ICT's into my lesson and will include a video and some other visuals for my students, by way of introduction. I may also create a class blog, so that each student can tell their story and display their artwork for the rest of the school to view.
I think the use of ICT's and Art in combination, is both inspiring and engaging.
Good luck planning your learning experiences.
I have been thinking of incorporating a number of Learning areas into my lesson plan, including Art, English and SOSE and really loved this video about the Arts that was included in our coursework for the subject Pedagogical Content Knowledge. I found this video to be very moving and it really demonstrates the importance of Art in our lives and the way in which Art can enhance and engage the students in very powerful ways.
This video has inspired me to do my art lesson on Aboriginal Art, which will allow the students to explore both the style, colours and symbols of Aboriginal Art, create their own class symbols and then design individual artworks in the style of aboriginal art that tell their own personal story.
I am now searching for ways to incorporate ICT's into my lesson and will include a video and some other visuals for my students, by way of introduction. I may also create a class blog, so that each student can tell their story and display their artwork for the rest of the school to view.
I think the use of ICT's and Art in combination, is both inspiring and engaging.
Good luck planning your learning experiences.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Vokis are fun - even for big kids like me!
I have been thinking about some educational uses for Vokis, or Avatars from other sites. At first, I just thought they were a bit of fun and served no educational purpose, but as I've been working through the ICT's for Learning Design coursework I have found that I've really enjoyed viewing and listening to each of the 'Avatars' scattered throughout the course. I think they are just a bit different (for now!), and a nice visual introduction to a learning session.
I have also been thinking about how students could use them and how I could incorporate them into my lesson designs in an effective way. Here is one idea I've come up with.
To introduce a lesson about healthy eating, I could incorporate a Voki for each of the five food groups, then split the class into five groups to research the answer to the question/s posed by the Voki. See the examples below:
Get a Voki now!
Get a Voki now!
I could then use a few different Vokis to introduce group discussion about the different foods we like to eat, which food group they belong to and whether or not they are healthy for us.
For example:
Get a Voki now!
I think the students would love to both play and watch these Vokis, and they may be enough to 'hook' students into the lesson. The students could also create their own Voki and talk about a type of food and the food group it belongs to.
I like them... my kids and I had fun creating the Vokis on this page and I believe incorporating some creativity and fun play into a lesson plan is a great way to engage our learners.
In this TED video from You Tube, that was part of our coursework, Sir Ken Robinson talks about creativity and the Arts in education and how they should be given as much importance as Maths and languages. I think a little 'Voki' may go a long way in this regard!
I have also been thinking about how students could use them and how I could incorporate them into my lesson designs in an effective way. Here is one idea I've come up with.
To introduce a lesson about healthy eating, I could incorporate a Voki for each of the five food groups, then split the class into five groups to research the answer to the question/s posed by the Voki. See the examples below:
Get a Voki now!
Get a Voki now!
I could then use a few different Vokis to introduce group discussion about the different foods we like to eat, which food group they belong to and whether or not they are healthy for us.
For example:
Get a Voki now!
I think the students would love to both play and watch these Vokis, and they may be enough to 'hook' students into the lesson. The students could also create their own Voki and talk about a type of food and the food group it belongs to.
I like them... my kids and I had fun creating the Vokis on this page and I believe incorporating some creativity and fun play into a lesson plan is a great way to engage our learners.
In this TED video from You Tube, that was part of our coursework, Sir Ken Robinson talks about creativity and the Arts in education and how they should be given as much importance as Maths and languages. I think a little 'Voki' may go a long way in this regard!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Hot Cross Mum talks about competition
An old friend of mine from my time working in the UK has been writing her blog "Hot Cross Mum" for some time now. She normally emails me her posts so I can read them, being the non-blogger that I am. Now, I am pleased to report, I'm actually getting the hang of all this stuff! I have joined Hazel's Blog as a follower, and for the first time have visited her Blog and seen it in detail! I am impressed, particularly with all the awards she has been nominated for.
Her latest blog is for all of my student colleagues out there, particularly those who are mothers. Enjoy this post from 'Hot Cross Mum" and have a wonderful Easter break.
Natalie
Her latest blog is for all of my student colleagues out there, particularly those who are mothers. Enjoy this post from 'Hot Cross Mum" and have a wonderful Easter break.
Natalie
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Simple Truths
This is an extract from Michael J. Fox's new book, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future - Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned".
It's a really small little book and it caught my eye in the bookshop as a little holiday read!
Here it is:
A Professor stands before his class with a cardboard box. From inside he produces a large, clear, empty pickle jar, and then a series of golf ball-sized rocks, which he then drops one by one into the jar until they reach the brim.
"So?' the teacher asks. "Who thinks the jar is full?"
Hands shoot up, and a qucik scan of the room confirms unanimity - yes, it's full.
Next our of the box, a bag of sand, which the professor pours in amongst the rocks. Tiny grains cascade over, around, and in between the larger stones until there is no space left.
"Is it full now?" A show of hands and a chorus of voices responds - yes it's full.
Now the professor smiles. "But wait." Both hands dissappear into the box and re-emerge simultaneously, each holding a can of beer. The crack and his of the pop tops are drowned out by laughter in the classroom as the amber nectar popurs into the jar with the rocks and sand. Once the din of the students subsides to a collective chuckle, the professor confiently declares, "Now it's full."
"This jar represents your life," he continues. "Make sure the first ingredients are the big stuff . . . the rocks - your family, your work, your career, your passions. The rest is just sand, minutiae. It's in there. It may even be important. But it's not your first priority."
"What about the beer?" a kid in the back yells out.
"Well," comes the answer. "After everything else, you always have room for a couple of beers with friends."
Extracted from:
Fox, Michael, J. (2010) A funny thing happened on the way to the Future: Twists and turns and lessons learned, Hachette Australia 2010
It's a really small little book and it caught my eye in the bookshop as a little holiday read!
Here it is:
A Professor stands before his class with a cardboard box. From inside he produces a large, clear, empty pickle jar, and then a series of golf ball-sized rocks, which he then drops one by one into the jar until they reach the brim.
"So?' the teacher asks. "Who thinks the jar is full?"
Hands shoot up, and a qucik scan of the room confirms unanimity - yes, it's full.
Next our of the box, a bag of sand, which the professor pours in amongst the rocks. Tiny grains cascade over, around, and in between the larger stones until there is no space left.
"Is it full now?" A show of hands and a chorus of voices responds - yes it's full.
Now the professor smiles. "But wait." Both hands dissappear into the box and re-emerge simultaneously, each holding a can of beer. The crack and his of the pop tops are drowned out by laughter in the classroom as the amber nectar popurs into the jar with the rocks and sand. Once the din of the students subsides to a collective chuckle, the professor confiently declares, "Now it's full."
"This jar represents your life," he continues. "Make sure the first ingredients are the big stuff . . . the rocks - your family, your work, your career, your passions. The rest is just sand, minutiae. It's in there. It may even be important. But it's not your first priority."
"What about the beer?" a kid in the back yells out.
"Well," comes the answer. "After everything else, you always have room for a couple of beers with friends."
Extracted from:
Fox, Michael, J. (2010) A funny thing happened on the way to the Future: Twists and turns and lessons learned, Hachette Australia 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
ICT's in Education - A Student-Centric Paradigm?
What does technology offer that could change the learning design in education from a teacher-centred to student-centric paradigm? Mmmm – what a good question.
Firstly, what are the technologies or ICT’s (Information Communication Technologies) we are talking about? The list, as we have seen so far, is quite extensive and it’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are a few of the ICT’s we know are used in education today: Blogs, Wiki’s, electronic white-boards, Avatars (like this Voki), Claymation, Animations, Power Points, Digital cameras and videos, ipods, computer games, web information sources, and of course the internet.
This has really got me thinking. On the one hand I have spent countless hours feeling annoyed and frustrated learning about this new technology, like the ‘Digital Immigrant’ I am, and trying to master it all (quickly), but on the other hand I have been totally and utterly engaged and now consider myself ‘hooked’. Hopefully one day I’ll even be able to pass myself off as a ‘Digital Native!’
I have felt the thrill of publishing posts to my Blog, knowing that someone out there will read it and think or feel something, and perhaps even respond! How amazing is that?.
Blogging provides satisfaction on so many levels. This was highlighted in the course work via this You Tube video which shows how students from Korean International School created their own Wiki-based history text book and Blog. As the narrator said, “images don't animate in textbooks like they do here...Textbooks don't include videos!".
In the end, not only did the students learn all about world history, but they felt the thrill of being publishers, and of receiving feedback from the global audience that had sat up and paid attention to what these students had done. What an amazing learning experience that would be!. I guess that’s what Kearsley and Shneiderman’s (1999) ‘Engagement Theory’ is really all about.
According to Engagement Theory, Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999), students [in order to learn effectively] must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. They go on to say that in principle such engagement can occur without the use of technology, however the authors believe technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise.
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), state that engaged learning means that all student activities involve active cognitive processes such as creating, problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making and evaluation. In addition, students are intrinsically motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the learning environment.
I can personally understand engagement theory in relation to creating and publishing to my Blog. I am intrinsically motivated (i.e. internally motivated) to succeed and do it well as I enjoy it, I find it a challenge and like the fact that other people may actually read and respond to my thoughts.
Engagement Theory is also based upon the idea of collaborative teams, working on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside of the class (Kearsley and Shneiderman, (1999). Again I refer to the example earlier of the Korean students who created their own on-line text book using Blogs. These students worked in collaborative teams on a meaningful project (Relate), that they could all be involved in designing (Create). It was certainly ambitious but was ultimately rewarding from the point of view that the students’ could (Donate) their work back to the real world and the real world took notice and responded! These students would most certainly have been engaged and experienced the ultimate in learning (heck – life!) experiences – students creating their own text book, which is published to the web and contains moving pictures, videos and links. In my mind that is very student-centred learning.
Moving pictures in text books is all a bit ‘Harry Potter’ really! Speaking of Harry Potter and motion pictures brings me to the notion of ‘suspension of disbelief’. I remember hearing a famous film director, George Lucas I think, talking about the ‘suspension of disbelief’ in films, which is the X factor that really makes us believe what we are seeing, empathise and sympathise with the characters and be transported to another realm. Furthermore, the audiences are truly engaged with what is taking place on the screen, as evidenced by their wide eyed absorption and silence. Anyone who saw ‘Avatar’ recently at the cinema will understand this concept!
Perhaps this suspension of disbelief is quite achievable in education through the use of ICT’s and creating authentic Learning environments? In an article by Oliver and Herrington (2003), they talk about creating Authentic Learning Environments where a suspension of disbelief takes place and assessment is authentic.
Oliver and Herrington (2003) state that "there is increasing evidence that in order to fully engage with an authentic task or problem based scenario, students need to engage with a process that is familiar to moviegoers throughout the world - the suspension of disbelief. For example, consider the suspension of disbelief that audiences must undergo to enable them to become engaged with movies such as Star Wars, Mad Max, The Matrix, The Truman Show, and Back to the Future."
References:
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon (NBC University Press Vol. 9, No. 5, October 2001)
Herrington, J., Oliver, R. and Reeves, T. C. (2003). Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 19(1), 59-71.
Kearsley, G., and Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theroy: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning.(gkearsley@sprynet.com)
Felder, R.M. and Brent, R. (2004) The Abc's of Engineering Education: Abet, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cooperative Learning, and so on. North Carolina State University/Education Designs, Inc.
Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition
Aldred, S. (2010) ICT's for Learning Design courseware. CQ University, Rockhampton, QLD Australia
Firstly, what are the technologies or ICT’s (Information Communication Technologies) we are talking about? The list, as we have seen so far, is quite extensive and it’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are a few of the ICT’s we know are used in education today: Blogs, Wiki’s, electronic white-boards, Avatars (like this Voki), Claymation, Animations, Power Points, Digital cameras and videos, ipods, computer games, web information sources, and of course the internet.
This has really got me thinking. On the one hand I have spent countless hours feeling annoyed and frustrated learning about this new technology, like the ‘Digital Immigrant’ I am, and trying to master it all (quickly), but on the other hand I have been totally and utterly engaged and now consider myself ‘hooked’. Hopefully one day I’ll even be able to pass myself off as a ‘Digital Native!’
I have felt the thrill of publishing posts to my Blog, knowing that someone out there will read it and think or feel something, and perhaps even respond! How amazing is that?.
Blogging provides satisfaction on so many levels. This was highlighted in the course work via this You Tube video which shows how students from Korean International School created their own Wiki-based history text book and Blog. As the narrator said, “images don't animate in textbooks like they do here...Textbooks don't include videos!".
In the end, not only did the students learn all about world history, but they felt the thrill of being publishers, and of receiving feedback from the global audience that had sat up and paid attention to what these students had done. What an amazing learning experience that would be!. I guess that’s what Kearsley and Shneiderman’s (1999) ‘Engagement Theory’ is really all about.
According to Engagement Theory, Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999), students [in order to learn effectively] must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. They go on to say that in principle such engagement can occur without the use of technology, however the authors believe technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise.
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), state that engaged learning means that all student activities involve active cognitive processes such as creating, problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making and evaluation. In addition, students are intrinsically motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the learning environment.
I can personally understand engagement theory in relation to creating and publishing to my Blog. I am intrinsically motivated (i.e. internally motivated) to succeed and do it well as I enjoy it, I find it a challenge and like the fact that other people may actually read and respond to my thoughts.
Engagement Theory is also based upon the idea of collaborative teams, working on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside of the class (Kearsley and Shneiderman, (1999). Again I refer to the example earlier of the Korean students who created their own on-line text book using Blogs. These students worked in collaborative teams on a meaningful project (Relate), that they could all be involved in designing (Create). It was certainly ambitious but was ultimately rewarding from the point of view that the students’ could (Donate) their work back to the real world and the real world took notice and responded! These students would most certainly have been engaged and experienced the ultimate in learning (heck – life!) experiences – students creating their own text book, which is published to the web and contains moving pictures, videos and links. In my mind that is very student-centred learning.
Moving pictures in text books is all a bit ‘Harry Potter’ really! Speaking of Harry Potter and motion pictures brings me to the notion of ‘suspension of disbelief’. I remember hearing a famous film director, George Lucas I think, talking about the ‘suspension of disbelief’ in films, which is the X factor that really makes us believe what we are seeing, empathise and sympathise with the characters and be transported to another realm. Furthermore, the audiences are truly engaged with what is taking place on the screen, as evidenced by their wide eyed absorption and silence. Anyone who saw ‘Avatar’ recently at the cinema will understand this concept!
Perhaps this suspension of disbelief is quite achievable in education through the use of ICT’s and creating authentic Learning environments? In an article by Oliver and Herrington (2003), they talk about creating Authentic Learning Environments where a suspension of disbelief takes place and assessment is authentic.
Oliver and Herrington (2003) state that "there is increasing evidence that in order to fully engage with an authentic task or problem based scenario, students need to engage with a process that is familiar to moviegoers throughout the world - the suspension of disbelief. For example, consider the suspension of disbelief that audiences must undergo to enable them to become engaged with movies such as Star Wars, Mad Max, The Matrix, The Truman Show, and Back to the Future."
Anyway, in short, Blogs are fantastic!. I love writing and publishing my thoughts and it provides an immediate reward and the opportunity for instant gratification by way of a comment or response. I can see enormous potential for the use of Blogs in classrooms, both at an individual student level and a class level, where students can contribute to a class Blog that is accessible to all members of the school community or publish their own Blog as a way of recording and reflecting on their learning throughout the year. What a great way to keep parents informed of student progress!
Wiki’s, although I am yet to master mine, also have amazing potential to help students to work collaboratively on projects and to retain the information they are receiving. A classroom Wiki could be set up for any numer of projects to encourage students to work together to solve problems or find solutions or simply to share ideas, discuss topics, or create a text book as described above!
This brings me to Active Learning, the multi-directional learning experience in which learning occurs teacher-to-student, student-to-teacher and student-to-student. (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence).
"Active learning is anything that happens in a class that engages students with the material being presented", Felder M., Brent, R. (2004)
Active Learning involves Activity based learning experiences which can take many shapes and include whole-class involvement, teams, small groups, trios, pairs and individuals. They also take many forms and include talking, writing, journaling, discussing, conferring, building, creating etc. In this way, students are more in control of their learning experiences and have opportunities to self-direct their learning. (ACU Adams Centre for Teaching Excellence).Here is a web site with some ideas for activities utilising Active Learning.
Active Learning is supported by research on how students retain information. For example, Dale’s Cone and the Learning Pyramid, which both indicate that students have a higher retention rate of information if they are exposed to many different types of delivery and ultimately, direct purposeful experience (Dale’s Cone) and opportunities to practice by doing, teaching others or immediately using the information (The Learning Pyramid).
I believe activities such as creating and using Wiki’s and Blogs, creating an Avatar (such as a Voki) or using ICT's to facilitate learning, not only involves Active Learning but also leads to a more student-centred or student directed learning experience. The website of Irving Independant School in Texas shows how Primary students have used Claymation technology to learn about cycles of the earth, e.g. the water cycle. My favourite clip is called Wilson's World. Take a look here.
After some initial frustrations I am now seeing the benefits of Mahara – an e-portfolio tool – in the education environment and also as a personal tool for myself. I like the way this on-line portfolio can be your “portfolio for life”, Aldred, S. (2010), and the fact you can store any and all documents you produce including projects, blogs, powerpoints, assessments, ideas, videos, photos of art-work etc. Over time this has potential to be an amazing record of one's learning, work and life in general.
I think Mahara and other e-portfolio tools, are a wonderful way for students to record their learning and keep important files, reports, assignments, projects or artworks they have completed. An e-portfolio could be developed for class groups where each student has their own 'View' to update, or used by an entire class group collaboratively, to record what they are learning along the way. What a great way for a learning site to keep parents informed of student progress.
How can I use ICT’s to engage my learners? Here is another wonderful example of how animation technology can be used used by indigenous students to bring to life their dreamtime stories and widen the interest in the community. The clip below is courtesy of You Tube. Information about other Dreamtime Animations, can be found at this website.
By way of summary I would like to re-state some 'ICT Rules' from Aldred, S. (2010), and concur that ICT’s can make teaching more learner effective (and student-centred), widen the appeal of lessons and activities (and cater to different learning styles and personalities), provide opportunities for home/study, and enrich the learning experience. Furthermore, Aldred, S. (2010)believes the use of ICT’s can streamline teaching practices by enabling paperless management of learning resources (how eco-friendly is that?) use self-marking / objective testing tools (e.g. on-line quizzes) and promote collaborative group work and self assessment.
I can attest to all of the above as I have experienced them first hand in the 'ICT for Learning Design' courseware at CQ University.
I believe the use of ICT’s for the ‘Digital Native’ in our 21st Century classrooms just makes good sense; and utilizing a diverse range of ICT’s and other learning activities will help to engage a wider audience.
References:
Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon (NBC University Press Vol. 9, No. 5, October 2001)
Herrington, J., Oliver, R. and Reeves, T. C. (2003). Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 19(1), 59-71.
Kearsley, G., and Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theroy: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning.(gkearsley@sprynet.com)
Felder, R.M. and Brent, R. (2004) The Abc's of Engineering Education: Abet, Bloom's Taxonomy, Cooperative Learning, and so on. North Carolina State University/Education Designs, Inc.
Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition
Aldred, S. (2010) ICT's for Learning Design courseware. CQ University, Rockhampton, QLD Australia
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A cyclone is a learning experience
Cyclone Ului, my first and hopefully last experience of nature in all it's fury, has been and gone, but definately left it's mark. We spent 2 days preparing our house for the cyclone and 2 days cleaning up the mess - with more to come.
I have seen sides of myself I haven't seen before, or not often, and not sure I want to see again! For a start, 4 kids in a hot,dark,humid house, with a dog, a cat and no electricity or running water, is probably enough to try anyone, but throw in two thawing freezers, no flushing toilets or showers, a husband who is away for work (and staying in a nice hotel I might add!) and rain that just won't go away, and you have one very unhappy mum!
Last night however, as I reflected on my horrid day, my inability to study, my quick temper, my inability to have a hot shower or even lie in my bed and read a book, I told myself to 'suck it up!' and look at how lucky I am. Our house is still in one piece, we have food to eat, water to drink and no-one near or dear has been harmed or even remotely injured!
I then began to think about my own personal 'Habits of Mind', and how little voices in my head (no I'm not going crazy!) were responsible for the way I looked at my situation and the way I decided to 'be' in this post-cyclone moment. I decided there and then, with my glass of red wine by candlelight, that I was going to be more positive.
I have noticed that I have been feeling very frustrated, annoyed and even angry with the lack of power and it's ability to make my life comfortable and easy. However, then I decided to think creatively and make some other arrangments. For example, I need to wash my hair, so a friend suggested I use the shower at the gym. I was feeling stressed about not being able to study, so I decided to find an air-conditioned office with power to study, (fortunately my husband's workplace had a spare office today), I have several loads of washing to do and no power to turn on the machine, so I am taking up my friends offer to borrow her machine. My kids can't have a shower or bath, so this morning before school we all had a swim. You know what - being positive, pro-active and thinking outside the square made me feel better.
I have seen sides of myself I haven't seen before, or not often, and not sure I want to see again! For a start, 4 kids in a hot,dark,humid house, with a dog, a cat and no electricity or running water, is probably enough to try anyone, but throw in two thawing freezers, no flushing toilets or showers, a husband who is away for work (and staying in a nice hotel I might add!) and rain that just won't go away, and you have one very unhappy mum!
Last night however, as I reflected on my horrid day, my inability to study, my quick temper, my inability to have a hot shower or even lie in my bed and read a book, I told myself to 'suck it up!' and look at how lucky I am. Our house is still in one piece, we have food to eat, water to drink and no-one near or dear has been harmed or even remotely injured!
I then began to think about my own personal 'Habits of Mind', and how little voices in my head (no I'm not going crazy!) were responsible for the way I looked at my situation and the way I decided to 'be' in this post-cyclone moment. I decided there and then, with my glass of red wine by candlelight, that I was going to be more positive.
I have noticed that I have been feeling very frustrated, annoyed and even angry with the lack of power and it's ability to make my life comfortable and easy. However, then I decided to think creatively and make some other arrangments. For example, I need to wash my hair, so a friend suggested I use the shower at the gym. I was feeling stressed about not being able to study, so I decided to find an air-conditioned office with power to study, (fortunately my husband's workplace had a spare office today), I have several loads of washing to do and no power to turn on the machine, so I am taking up my friends offer to borrow her machine. My kids can't have a shower or bath, so this morning before school we all had a swim. You know what - being positive, pro-active and thinking outside the square made me feel better.
This whole cyclone experience got me thinking about Marzano & Pickering (1997) Dimensions of Learning, Dimension 5 - Habits of Mind. As I began reading, I realised that I had some very healthy Habits of Mind, for example, I was planning appropriately (fill up water buckets before it starts to rain again), monitoring my own (negative) thinking (look how lucky you are), Identifying and using available resources (a spare office at my husbands work, my gym for a shower, my friend for washing clothes) and evaluating the effectiveness of my actions (next cyclone don't buy so much fresh food because when the power goes out it won't stay fresh!).
I was also responding appropriately to feedback when my kids asked me for the hundredth time why they couldn't bake a cake or watch TV - I said, "no you can't watch TV because there is no electricity, but you can make a cubby house!"
Most importantly I have been persevering and will continue to do so.
From this experience, I can see that I have some very useful Habits of Mind, but also some unhealthy ones that are there, lurking in the background, ready to sabbotage my good intentions if I let them. I have learned through this whole cyclone experience, not only to appreciate what I have, but also to listen to those nasty habits that have a way of leading me down a pathway I just don't want to go. In this way, Cyclone Ului has helped to illuminate Marzano and Pickering's and Costa and Kallick's, 'Habits of Mind' at work in my own mind.
I can see how unhealthy habits of mind could stop or prevent students from learning from their experiences and instead lead them down a slippery slide of despair or hopelessness. I also saw, that sometimes you just need a helpful voice to guide you or suggest a different strategy, and that if you're open to hear this you can learn from it.
I hope I will be a positive guide for my students in the future and help them develop healthly and effective Habits of Mind.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Education or Edutainment - what do 21st century students really want?
I have been pondering this question for a few days and I think the answer is really quiet simple. As we have read, the old fashioned 'chalk and talk' method of teaching where the students are 'talked at' and sit through class after class of lectures, reading, lectures and more reading, is just not enough to engage the modern learner, and this is really no surprise...
The 21st Century learner has a wealth of exciting and interesting technology at home including Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, i-pods, mobile phones, digital cameras the internet and so on - the list continues to expand on a monthly basis. Why then, would students want to leave these tools at home when they come to school?
This notion has been explored in a great article by Marc Prensky (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'. In his article Prensky (2001) states that "Today's students - K through college - represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, video cams, cell phones and all the other tools and toys of the digital age."
Prensky (2001) goes on to say that "It is now clear that as result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with it, today's students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors".
Traditional classrooms must seem pretty ho-hum in comparision to the exciting world of technology.
For many of us, now studying to become teachers, we can remember our childhoods and schooling as a time when there were no computers in schools, let alone at home, most of our free time was spent playing outside, and televisions and microwaves were the most modern pieces of technology in the home.
I think it's important to remember that although technology is now part of our world, for many 21st century students, technology IS their world.
The 21st Century learner has a wealth of exciting and interesting technology at home including Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, i-pods, mobile phones, digital cameras the internet and so on - the list continues to expand on a monthly basis. Why then, would students want to leave these tools at home when they come to school?
This notion has been explored in a great article by Marc Prensky (2001), Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'.
Prensky (2001) goes on to say that "It is now clear that as result of this ubiquitous environment and the sheer volume of their interaction with it, today's students think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors".
Traditional classrooms must seem pretty ho-hum in comparision to the exciting world of technology.
For many of us, now studying to become teachers, we can remember our childhoods and schooling as a time when there were no computers in schools, let alone at home, most of our free time was spent playing outside, and televisions and microwaves were the most modern pieces of technology in the home.
I think it's important to remember that although technology is now part of our world, for many 21st century students, technology IS their world.
Prensky (2001) has given students of today a new name. He calls them "Digital Natives". He states that "Our students of today are all 'native speakers' of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. That makes the rest of us, those not born into the digital world, 'Digital Immigrants'". Prensky (2001).
So - yes - I believe the 21st century student does want entertainment at school, or "Edutainment" as Prensky (2001) calls it, but not in a frivolous and directionless way, but in a way that enables them to engage with their learning, to make a connection with others in their class, their school and the wider community, in a way that lets them relate what they are learning to the real-world and in a way that prepares them for their futures.
I believe the following You Tube video is a wonderful example of how teaching is being transformed by the use of technology in the classroom and really inspires me to be creative and keep on learning.
I also love this quote,
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." John Cotton Dana
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Priorities
Here's a little message for my fellow students to help keep up the motivation.....
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child". (anon).
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child". (anon).
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I just want to Belong....
I have been blown away by reading Kunc, N 1992, The need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Axis Consultation and Training.
Although I have studied Maslow in the past, when presented in the context of students belonging in schools, and therefore feeling a sense of community and being ready, willing and in the right ‘head space’ for learning – it gives Maslow’s theory a whole new perspective. It also makes perfect sense!
Although I have studied Maslow in the past, when presented in the context of students belonging in schools, and therefore feeling a sense of community and being ready, willing and in the right ‘head space’ for learning – it gives Maslow’s theory a whole new perspective. It also makes perfect sense!
Image from Arthur family photos
Maslow’s Theory of the hierarchy of needs states that in order for an individual to achieve self actualization (pursue inner talents, creativity and fulfilment) they first need to have the lower order needs met, such as food, water, shelter, comfort, safety, security and freedom from fear. They are then able to move on to achieve a sense of ‘Belonging and Love’ and ‘Self Esteem’ (achievement, recognition and respect) which ultimately leads to ‘Self Actualization. Maslow believes that unless lower order needs are met, higher order needs will never be achieved.
Many women can relate to this… “Most dieters engage in a form of self-talk (reinforced by weight loss commercials) that is totally consistent with the inverted hierarchy of needs in that they say, "If I lose 50 pounds and go from a size 16 to a size 10 (achievement), then I will feel better about myself (self-esteem), and perhaps then I will be able to regain the lost romance in my marriage (belonging)." Kunc, N, 1992.
Another very good illustration of the damage done by not feeling a sense of belonging is illustrated in this extract from Kunc’s article.
“When youths join gangs, their physiological needs are met: food, shelter, warmth, and their quasi-physiological needs, such as sex, heroin, and crack, also are met. Youths are provided with a sense of safety in the knowledge that if they are ever harmed by another individual or group, the other gang members will retaliate viciously against those who caused the harm. Moreover, youths are given a strong sense of belonging within the gang, and in this environment the belonging is not based on achievement but instead on simply "wearing one's colors." After passing a one-time initiation ritual, the sense of belonging provided by gangs is extremely close to unconditional. And given this almost unconditional acceptance and inclusion within a gang, the youths' feelings of self-worth naturally flourish. Anchored in this newly found sense of inclusion and self-worth, many youths begin to focus in those areas in which they excel, such as the criminal code (with all of its technicalities and loopholes), karate, stealing BMWs, extortion, and so on.”
Kunc goes on to say that “Belonging is no longer an inherent right of being human. And our schools, being a reflection of society, perpetuate this belief”.
It sounds over simplified to say, however if the youths described above had been able to feel a sense of belonging in school, they may have focussed their considerable talents on more valuable and constructive past-times.
Hence the key word for me in this article is belonging.
The lack of 'belonging' seems to be responsible for the perpetuation of any number of problems in schools and society at large, including the rise and rise of the multi-million dollar weight loss and fitness industry, problems with drugs and violence on the streets and in our communities, increases in suicide rates among young men in particular, and many other of societies ills.
This builds a strong argument for managing diversity, in all its forms, in the classroom, school and school community as a whole. We as learning managers will need to ‘walk the walk and talk the talk’ and be models of inclusive behaviour.
For example, give praise to a child in class who has come up with a quirky, unusual idea that doesn’t fit the 'normal' mould, incorporate children with disabilities and focus on their strengths and what they can do and can contribute rather than what they can’t.
Kunc, N. 1992, particularly focuses on and advocates against the self-contained classroom for children with disabilities and special needs. By reading this article and looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs I can see that this makes perfect and logical sense. As Kunc states,
“The tragic irony of self-contained classrooms is that as soon as we take away students' sense of belonging, we completely undermine their capacity to learn the skills that will enable them to belong. Herein lies the most painful "Catch-22" situation that confronts students with disabilities -- they can't belong until they learn, but they can't learn because they are prevented from belonging. This injustice is compounded by the fact that the lack of progress in a segregated class is seen as further evidence to justify the need for segregation”.
Let’s value the contributions of others and foster the appreciation of diversity in the classroom as it is representative of the real world in which we all live.
Let’s embrace the beauty of our individualism as it adds colour to our world.
As my husband says to me – “it’s lucky we’re not all perfect like you or what a boring place this world would be!" (He does love me really!).
Currently there is a media focus on violence in schools, school gangs, bullying (cyber and traditional) unmanageable classroom behaviour and other ‘problems’ with the school system in general. The latest event being a 12 year old child stabbed to death at the hand of a 13 year old fellow pupil in a seemingly well off and supportive school environment. I wouldn’t mind betting that once the media hype dies down and the real truth of this tragic event unfolds, at the heart of the matter may be bullying and a feeling of not belonging.
As Kunc concludes, “It may be wise to pause, if only for a moment, to consider that our social malady may stem not from the lack of achievement, but from the lack of belonging".
So - How can I ensure all of my students are ready to learn?
Firstly, I think we as teachers and future teachers need to get to know our students on a personal level in order to understand what is going on for them. We may have eaten breakfast after a good nights sleep, however many students have not. Hence the reason some schools offer breakfast for students.
Secondly, I think we need to identify those students whose basic physiological and safety needs are not being met and do what we can to alleviate these issues. This is really an issue for teachers, schools and the school community as a whole, but we as learning managers play an important role in identifying these issues and bringing them to the fore.
Thirdly, we as teachers/learning managers need to encourage diversity, foster a sense of belonging and even go so far as to celebrate our differences and make them into a positive, learning opportunity. We also need be models of desirable behaviours that foster a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Once again it comes down to effective learning design that caters for the diverse needs of all students in the class and in this way, fosters a sense of ‘I can do it’, ‘I’m making a valuable contribution’ and ‘I belong’.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Teachers or Learning Managers? What's your fancy?
Image from Arthur family photosAs Smith and Mienczakowski (2003) state, in their paper The Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) and Education Capability,
“Education Queensland’s vision is that teachers are no longer the gatekeepers of knowledge but managers of the learning experiences of children”.
In the design of the Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM), upon which the GDLT is based, Smith and Mienczakowski have focused more on Mode 2 knowledge as outlined by Heath, G. (2000), where teachers of today need to be flexible, futures oriented and work as part of a team across various disciplines and learning sites.
“teacher professionalism will increasingly be assured by the currency of life-long learning and the capacity to mediate the processes of understanding and personal development for the learner”.
That is, teachers will be learning managers.
For me, one of the most important points made by Smith and Mienczakowski’s paper is the movement toward “self-managed learning and student autonomy over what, how and why learning takes place.” (Foley, 1998)
Students of the 21st century want to be in charge of their learning and it needs to be relevant to their lives.
"The trend toward creating capability rather than competence”, as mentioned by Smith and Mienczakowski (2003), is quite interesting. No longer will teachers be completing their studies and being deemed competent to teach in a specific subject area and learning site, but instead they will have the skills and capability to work across a number of learning sites, across a variety of disciplines and be able to incorporate their intuition, share ideas, act on their initiative, be flexible, take risks and demonstrate their own values in their style of teaching.
I believe from my readings, that the BLM has taken a solid step toward improving teacher training and bringing it into alignment with the requirements of the 21st century knowledge-rich environment and knowledge economy.
“Education Queensland’s vision is that teachers are no longer the gatekeepers of knowledge but managers of the learning experiences of children”.
In the design of the Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM), upon which the GDLT is based, Smith and Mienczakowski have focused more on Mode 2 knowledge as outlined by Heath, G. (2000), where teachers of today need to be flexible, futures oriented and work as part of a team across various disciplines and learning sites.
They go on to say that this will require teachers to continually renew their pedagogy and skills.
This is the continuous learning referred to in the article by Heath, G. 2001 Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment, Australian Association for Educational Research Conference. Fremantle December, when he states that“teacher professionalism will increasingly be assured by the currency of life-long learning and the capacity to mediate the processes of understanding and personal development for the learner”.
That is, teachers will be learning managers.
For me, one of the most important points made by Smith and Mienczakowski’s paper is the movement toward “self-managed learning and student autonomy over what, how and why learning takes place.” (Foley, 1998)
Students of the 21st century want to be in charge of their learning and it needs to be relevant to their lives.
"The trend toward creating capability rather than competence”, as mentioned by Smith and Mienczakowski (2003), is quite interesting. No longer will teachers be completing their studies and being deemed competent to teach in a specific subject area and learning site, but instead they will have the skills and capability to work across a number of learning sites, across a variety of disciplines and be able to incorporate their intuition, share ideas, act on their initiative, be flexible, take risks and demonstrate their own values in their style of teaching.
I believe from my readings, that the BLM has taken a solid step toward improving teacher training and bringing it into alignment with the requirements of the 21st century knowledge-rich environment and knowledge economy.
Mode 1 and Mode 2 Learning. What?
Differentiate between Mode 1 and Mode 2 learning, and discuss the implications for you as a teaching professional?
Wow – sounds ho-hum – but it’s not really…. read on.
From my reading of the article by Heath, G. 2001. Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment, Australian Association for Educational Research Conference, Fremantle, December, I understand that Mode 1 learning is very much steeped in tradition and draws on the requirements of the Industrial Revolution and the skill set required for industrial production – chiefly the ability to read, write and understand arithmetic.
According to a book published in 1994 The New Production of Knowledge written by a team headed by Michael Gibbons (Gibbons et al, 1994), Mode 1 learning is based on knowledge produced in universities and other traditional research centres and is characterised as being discipline based, localised and subject to quality control by peer review. Mode 1 learning is based on the objectivity of knowledge.
In contrast to this, Gibbons et al, 1994, characterise Mode 2 learning as being produced in the context of application rather than in traditional research centres, trans-disciplinary rather than single disciplinary, produced in diverse (global) sites rather than localised, produced in teams rather than by individuals, subject to social accountability and reflexivity. It also involves quality control by market acceptability as well as peer review.
From the readings it appears that schools of today are basically products of the industrial revolution and that up to this point in society, teachers have been seen as possessing the knowledge that needs to be taught and passing this on to students in typical school settings.
I think Heath, G. (2000), puts it quite well when he states that "in a knowledge-scarce environment teachers were among the few people in the population who possessed knowledge and to a greater, or often lessor degree, the skills to transmit it”.
Today however, in our knowledge-rich environment, there are a multitude of knowledge producers and knowledge distributors. Schools and universities are no longer the main sites for learning and universities and research centres are no longer the sole producers of knowledge.
I believe that teachers/educators of the future will play an incredibly important role in filtering large amounts of knowledge and communicating it appropriately to students. Teachers will be learning managers and mediators. Rather than hold all the answers, teachers will facilitate learning by accessing the available information/knowledge and helping students to organise, prioritise and sift through information in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
I think teachers will act like filters of information.
I also believe that ‘life-long learning’, ‘on-the-job training’, and ‘continuous learning’ will not only be expected of individuals and firms/ organisations, but they will become an essential part of society in order to keep pace with the rapid changes taking place on a global scale. Why should the same not apply to the teaching profession?
For me one of the key concepts in my readings was from a Finnish report into teacher education, as referenced by Heath, G. (2000), which suggests that the future of the school as an institution will depend on the importance it gives to the learning of teachers and the extent to which the school acts, not as a monopoly, but as a partner in the delivery of education.
The school environment will change dramatically over the next decade or two, and I have seen evidence that this is already occurring. My son’s school requires all Grade 4, 7, 9 and Senior School students to have their own lap-tops for daily use in the classroom, and makes regular use of on-line learning tools and an electronic whiteboard in most classrooms. This type of technology in schools will require an enormous amount of investment in re-training teachers of today to be equipped to teach in the 21st century classroom.
There may also be a noticeable difference in society whereby those students who have access to technologically savvy schools and teachers, may have a significant advantage over those students who do not. But it’s not just about technology, it’s about knowledge management.
Wow – sounds ho-hum – but it’s not really…. read on.
From my reading of the article by Heath, G. 2001. Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment, Australian Association for Educational Research Conference, Fremantle, December, I understand that Mode 1 learning is very much steeped in tradition and draws on the requirements of the Industrial Revolution and the skill set required for industrial production – chiefly the ability to read, write and understand arithmetic.
According to a book published in 1994 The New Production of Knowledge written by a team headed by Michael Gibbons (Gibbons et al, 1994), Mode 1 learning is based on knowledge produced in universities and other traditional research centres and is characterised as being discipline based, localised and subject to quality control by peer review. Mode 1 learning is based on the objectivity of knowledge.
In contrast to this, Gibbons et al, 1994, characterise Mode 2 learning as being produced in the context of application rather than in traditional research centres, trans-disciplinary rather than single disciplinary, produced in diverse (global) sites rather than localised, produced in teams rather than by individuals, subject to social accountability and reflexivity. It also involves quality control by market acceptability as well as peer review.
From the readings it appears that schools of today are basically products of the industrial revolution and that up to this point in society, teachers have been seen as possessing the knowledge that needs to be taught and passing this on to students in typical school settings.
I think Heath, G. (2000), puts it quite well when he states that "in a knowledge-scarce environment teachers were among the few people in the population who possessed knowledge and to a greater, or often lessor degree, the skills to transmit it”.
Today however, in our knowledge-rich environment, there are a multitude of knowledge producers and knowledge distributors. Schools and universities are no longer the main sites for learning and universities and research centres are no longer the sole producers of knowledge.
I believe that teachers/educators of the future will play an incredibly important role in filtering large amounts of knowledge and communicating it appropriately to students. Teachers will be learning managers and mediators. Rather than hold all the answers, teachers will facilitate learning by accessing the available information/knowledge and helping students to organise, prioritise and sift through information in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
I think teachers will act like filters of information.
I also believe that ‘life-long learning’, ‘on-the-job training’, and ‘continuous learning’ will not only be expected of individuals and firms/ organisations, but they will become an essential part of society in order to keep pace with the rapid changes taking place on a global scale. Why should the same not apply to the teaching profession?
For me one of the key concepts in my readings was from a Finnish report into teacher education, as referenced by Heath, G. (2000), which suggests that the future of the school as an institution will depend on the importance it gives to the learning of teachers and the extent to which the school acts, not as a monopoly, but as a partner in the delivery of education.
The school environment will change dramatically over the next decade or two, and I have seen evidence that this is already occurring. My son’s school requires all Grade 4, 7, 9 and Senior School students to have their own lap-tops for daily use in the classroom, and makes regular use of on-line learning tools and an electronic whiteboard in most classrooms. This type of technology in schools will require an enormous amount of investment in re-training teachers of today to be equipped to teach in the 21st century classroom.
There may also be a noticeable difference in society whereby those students who have access to technologically savvy schools and teachers, may have a significant advantage over those students who do not. But it’s not just about technology, it’s about knowledge management.
The 21st century teacher will require a whole new set of skills, and I believe schools of today need to start making the transition now so they are ready for the future.
I believe teachers will be a conduit of knowledge, both connecting the students to the multitude of knowledge producers and also to the users of the knowledge, in order to achieve their educational outcomes. As for the changing nature of educational outcomes ... that's a blog for another day.
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