Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
Plato (Glogster, 2010)
The idea written above by Plato is very powerful. When students are taught in a way in which they are amused, or engaged, they will be more likely to remember the information and experience and use it in their own individual ways. How then, do we teach to engage? One effective way is to meet the students where they are at; talk a language they understand. Studies by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that 72% of households have access to the internet and computers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). With this in mind it can be seen that learning managers should use this valuable resource to help cater for the learning needs and preferences of the students. ICTs for learning can be used and embedded throughout many different learning experiences and can be used for instruction, elaboration, research, direct feedback and assessment for and of learning. The ICT resources I have reflected on could be used in many different ways including those outlined above to facilitate and monitor the students learning throughout a unit of work. The technologies I have been exploring for the past 8 weeks have impressed and inspired me to be more creative in planning learning experiences that will engage my learners.
Although it is not possible to talk about all the ICTs that I have been researching and experimenting with, there are a large number that I would like to use in my lesson plans. I'm sure this list will continue to grow as our world is forever changing and moving toward an unknown and exciting future filled with ICTs. I never would have thought or imagined in primary school that one day I could have a touch screen mobile phone (iPhone) that works like a phone, computer with internet access, word processing tool, and music playing device all in one! What a wonderful and convenient communication, research and leisure tool. I can only imagine what the primary learners of today will be seeing in their futures.
Even though learning can be enabled in many other ways, ICTs create an engaging platform for the learning to occur. In their Learning Engagement Theory, Kearsley and Schneiderman (1998) state, “While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology, we believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise”. The following report will identify some of the ICT learning tools I have explored throughout the course that I think could be used very effectively to engage and facilitate learning in my present and future classrooms.
e.Portfolios (Mahara)
The first ICT tool is the e.Portfolio. e.Portfolios are a great way for primary students to demonstrate, reflect on and present work and achievements in ways that cater for each individual’s needs. In my blog post http://tonijordan.blogspot.com/2010/03/hi-everyone-i-have-been-thinking-bit.html I have explained the ICT in more detail.
This ICT is a great way of organizing and presenting students' work rather than storing it in physical folders in the classroom. Mahara and other E.portfolio sites allow students and teachers to upload their files into an online storage device and create ‘views’ displaying work, links, information etc. with individual privacy settings. This learning tool makes it is possible to study the improvements made by students in their work, encourage students by leaving learner-specific feedback, in the form of comments or private messages, encourage students to work together, by leaving each other messages or comments providing points of view or information peers might have missed out (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000), create blogs (weblogs), lessons, appropriate research link pages, create documents for projects and embed other material from the internet into the ‘views’. This learning tool could be used effectively to monitor and direct student progress through the learning sequence.
Interactive Whiteboards
Another valuable ICT learning tool is the Interactive Whiteboard. IWBs are touch screen whiteboards used via computer and projector connections. They are practical, physical and actively engage students in their learning which is essential for effective learning (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). They allow teachers to scaffold information sourced from simple Internet searches or specific IWB programs which incorporate the purposeful and relevant resources required for effective and efficient student learning according to the Learning Pyramid (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). As the students are able to physically engage with the IWB, the kinesthetic learning styles are catered for (LdPride.net, n.d.) . Students are able to see the consequences of actions on the board immediately and the feedback is direct, purposeful and relevant to their learning experience (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). Many programs on the IWB encourage problem-solving and higher order thinking which help students build thorough understandings of the knowledge and skills they are learning (Oliver, 1999).
YouTube, TeacherTube and SchoolTube.
The last learning tools focused on are the YouTube, TeacherTube and SchoolTube websites. Finding relevant and engaging videos is a lot easier to do using these sites. With new videos being uploaded to the sites daily, it’s not hard to find a video relating to any subject area. Students are engaged through both visual and verbal resources that help to cater for the visual and auditory learning styles of the students (LdPride.net, n.d.) . According to Active Learning Theory, the more active the students are in the learning, the more relevant information they will retain and use in their own lives (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). Videos are also great learning tools as they can be paused to check student understanding and allow the students to ask questions or try out the tasks identified in the video. It is important for students to feel as though their work relates to real world, authentic situations (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). If the videos the students view are based on real world situations the students may be able to connect more easily with the learning. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) suggest that students engaging with others, in a collaborative setting on a project based task with an authentic focus are more likely to learn effectively. This tool could be used as a part of the donate phase of a task where students could create a video and upload it to share with others around the world.
Glogs
Glogs were an ICT learning tool that I had not yet encountered in the study of the coursework. However I came across them while observing and commenting on a peer’s blog and found them interesting. After exploring the tool, I found that it could be used as a substitute for cardboard posters. As well as information and picture texts, Glogs can include videos, website links and audio files to showcase student learning or be used as a basis to implement learning experiences which encompass a wide variety of activities, information and resources.
These ICT tools along with countless others could be used to create and implement effective, engaging learning experiences. By using these technologies, students have more opportunities to explore topics through different mediums. As Learning Engagement Theory suggests, students learn best through opportunities to work as small groups on authentic real world tasks using a range of tools and activities that cater for their individual needs (Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman B, 1998). As a future learning manager I plan to embed many different ICT learning tools in my unit planning to engage and teach my future students. I think ICTs are an important and valuable learning resource, which should be explored and included in all key learning areas, where possible, to ensure the students learn effectively and are engaged in learning through the use of authentic learning tasks.
Reference List:
Aldred, S. (2008). Learning Design. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/Scot.Aldred/learning-design-1103898
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009, December 16). Household use of Information Technology Australia 2008-2009. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Australian Bureau of Statistics: http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0/
Glogster. (2010). Glogster. Retrieved 2010, from Poster Yourself: http://edu.glogster.com/
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman B. (1998). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved 29 April, 2010, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Oliver, R. (1999). The learning design construct. Retrieved 29 April, 2010, from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm
The Abilene Christian University Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). How does active learning work? Retrieved 29 April, 2010, from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/howdoes.htm
Here is a list of blogs that I have commented on:
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