Reflective Synopsis

Reflective Synopsis:

Since becoming a ‘pre-service teacher’ I have been consciously taking note of the content, pedagogy strategies and resources, in this case technology, my lecturers use to teach me. I feel it reasonably safe to assume that the way I am being taught in turn reflects the beliefs  of my teachers and the approaches I am encouraged to follow as a teacher.

As I reflect on the assessment of this course, beginning at the initial blogs on Learning Theories and the TPACK Framework, to my own application of each of the technologies, it has become evident that throughout the whole assessment process I have been constantly taught how to ‘learn by design’ as inherit in the TPACK Framework. 

With each blog I was scaffolded through an ‘Introduction and Overview’ and provided with a ‘Learning Material’ link. I was then required to undertake ‘Learning Engagement’ activities wherein I was to consider the content and navigate my way through using this new technology.

Each blog provided an opportunity to experience ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’ wherein I was able to provide comments on other blogs and comments were posted on my blog.  Another example of collaboration was the engagement activity in week 2 where I took part in the deBono's mobile phone class wiki debate. Whilst the content of the wiki had little to do with my course learning, the process and application of using the wiki was very insightful as a first time wiki user.

In an attempt to follow this collaboration of learning approach I created my own wiki page  to engage with my fellow class mates in responding to the SWOT activities for week 3. Whilst this didn't exactly ‘take off’ I can see how the process could have been an effective example of ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’ using wiki.

The blog itself was used not only as a tool for my own learning reflections, but was a great way for my teachers to assess  my knowledge and understanding and to provide feedback.

The ‘learning by design’ process emphasized the reality, and the words of Mishra and Koehler (2006), that as a teacher I cannot simply learn about technology and expect that I will be able teach technology. Without the ‘hands on’ exposure to digital technologies my digital pedagogy could remain limited to the confides of teaching based on ‘behaviourist design’ whereby students learn only ‘from’ technology as opposed to ‘with’ technologies via constructivism theory (Mishra and Koehler, 2006). This is not to say that there isn't a place in e-learning for ‘behaviourist design’ such as the use of quizzes or PowerPoint presentations which are useful tools in teaching critical learning aspects or assessing understanding. See week 5 blog wherein I prepared a very simple PowerPoint presentation which I then uploaded to my wiki. Clearly the PowerPoint needs refinement, yet I can see how this informative approach, using visual, audio, and text, to teach with ICTs could work to engage students.

That being said, I now appreciate the time required to properly learn and implement technology. On reflection I feel that I did not allow myself adequate time to ‘play’ with each of the technologies mentioned in my blog and am not entirely happy with the outcomes, yet they serve the purpose of this assessment.

I also observe the utilization of the Revised Bloom’sTaxonomy. To me it appears that the sequence of the activities began with Blooms ‘highest level of intellectual behaviours’ and ended at the ‘lowest’:

1. creating a designing and constructing my blog and wiki;
2. evaluating by posting and collaborating;
3. analyzing by linking and tagging;
4. applying by uploading Youtubs, downloading, playing with technologies; and
5. understanding by of this reflective blog
6. (remembering by taking part in the pending quiz) 

In respect to ‘Ethics, Issues and ICT,’ in week 3 I posted blogs that included SWOTs on the on-line technologies - blogs, wikis, and website. Importantly, in each of the SWOTs ‘Threat’ section I included security and safety concerns. Working legally, which includes appropriate referencing, also needs to be considered when working with on-line technologies. I do not see these ‘Threats’ as being matters that would prevent the use of ICTs in learning. Rather, it is up to me as the teacher to ensure that students are aware of their ethical and legal responsibilities.

In educating students on their ethical, safety and legal responsibilities I refer to the Australian Government’s ‘Cybersmart’ website. This website is a great resource in providing practical information, resources and advice on being safe, legal and ethical on-line. The website also provides ‘Resources and Lesson Plans’ for teachers to effectively teach students, via multimedia resources, ‘cybersafety.’ 

The other aspect of digital safety, ethical, and legal considerations is the protection of my own character as a teacher. I am aware of the many ways digital information can be misinterpreted, misused, misrepresented etc. Thus, being aware of the current rules and protocols relevant to the education environment I teach in will be fundamental in reducing this risk. 

I see that it is my job as a teacher  to effectively incorporate learning technology through my digital pedagogy that is challenging and enjoyable. Effective digital pedagogy relies on 'knowing your learning' - their learning styles and preferences, including differences in learning. In developing a digital pedagogy, as a teacher I am required to provide students the opportunities to achiever the ‘Student ICT Expectations’ as set out by the National Statements of Learning from Information and Communication Technologies and the Australian Curriculum. Whereby students are expected to:

• Inquiring with ICT
• Creating with ICT
• Communicating with ICT
• Ethics, Issues and ICT
• Operating ICT

The result = 'The Contemporary Effective Learner'

In assisting the development on 'The Contemporary Effective Learning,' and by way of summarizing Andrew Churches views on effective digital pedagogy, I have become aware that my digital pedagogy needs to consider content that is relevant to the curriculum as well as  engaging and relevant to the student. My digital pedagogy needs to involve ‘higher order thinking’ in line with Bloom’s Taxonomy and collaboration, all expressed using ‘appropriate’ ICTs following the TPACK framework. 

In contrast to my first blog I know longer feel the ‘computer literate, immigrant.’ I have learnt a great deal about this rapid and ever developing technological world. I am without doubt destined to a life of learning and adapting to ensure students are constantly enthused with learning and provided with the education they need to remain contemporary. I can definitely see the potential to educate using ICTs!

Reference List:

• Australian Government. ‘Cybersmart.’ Viewed at http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Schools/Teacher%20resources.aspx
• Churches., A. ‘Bloom’s Introduction.’ Viewed at http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+-+Introduction
• Fadel., C (for Metiri Group – commissioned by CISCO). ‘Multimodal Learning Through Media: What Research Says.’ 2008. CISCO Systems.
• Mapuva., J et al. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts; Harnessing Technology for Enhanced Learning Achievement through powerful web tools. South Africa.
• Mishra., P and Koehler., M. 2006. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge. Teachers Collage, Columbia University. USA.
• Queensland Government. ‘Smart Classrooms’ viewed at http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/enabling-learners/digital-classroom.html.
• Queensland Government. ‘Towards Tomorrow’s Queensland’ viewed at http://www.energyfutures.qld.gov.au/energy-in-queensland/towards-Q2.htm
• Queensland Government. 2005. 'Contemporary Learning: learning in an online world Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South.' viewed at: https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/Documents/2012/september/engaging-and-challenging-students.pdf

Week 5 - PowerPoint and Google Earth

PowerPoint:

This week I was able to have a look at some multimedia resources that are used for presentation – PowerPoint, Prezi and Glogster. I have selected PowerPoint to review further. Again I feel that this form of teaching/learning medium will be used more at the primary school level (especially the lower lever primary which I will be focused on during my first prac).

I know that PowerPoint is by no means a new technology. It was around way back when I was at school! But clearly our knowledge and understanding of how to use PowerPoint to present information has advanced since then. PowerPoint presentations are now not simple slides of dot points. PowerPoint presentations now offer an opportunity to incorporate visual, text and audio – creating an opportunity for ‘higher order thinking.’ (CISCO Systems (2008) accessed from: http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/Multimodal-Learning-Through-Media.pdf).

I had a quick practice using PowerPoint and prepared a really simple 'dummy' word additional problem PowerPoint for Grade 1. I have uploaded it to my Wiki at - http://gracegannonict.wikispaces.com/space/content. I was able to include some visuals, text and audio with relative easy – don’t get me wrong, it’s no masterpiece by any means of the imagination, but it works for the purpose and the intended audience.

I will no doubt use PowerPoint as part of the pedagogy not only for teaching with but hopefully to get students to create their own PowerPoint presentations.

PowerPoint is definitely not a high tech tool or overly exciting. But for the purposes of lower level primary school students, I think it’s an appropriate tool.  

Google Earth:

I love it. This tool was something I relied on almost every day as a Town Planner. It’s easy to use and fun to play with.  I can image using Google Earth to play games like – ‘where in the world is____?’ ‘Can you find _____?’ or ‘How far away from the school is _______.’ Students could even create their own questions and answers for other students.

There are great websites that provide lengthy lists of ideas for implementing Google Earth into the classroom. Most of the ideas listed are more suited to high school students, rather than primary school. Nonetheless, some of these websites include:

• Google Earth - http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/GeogP/gearthplan/.
• Google Earth for Educators at: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/education/.
• Professional Learning Board – Teacher Continuing Learning online at: https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/google-earth-in-the-classroom/.

Week 4 - Visual Images

This week I found out that my first Embedded Professional Learning (EPL) experience (aka prac) will be with a Prep class! So I’m now trying to get my head around how I can incorporate ICTs into my pedagogy for a prep class............

Of the multimedia devices focused on this week - images, videos and audio – I have decided to look more closely at images. Why?? Whilst I think all of the devices should be implemented into the learning process, I think that at the primary school level visual images is perhaps the most used device.

 Some interesting facts relating to visual learning:

(source: ‘The Visual Teaching Alliance’ at http://www.visualteachingalliance.com/).

So in order to reach the majority of my students my pedagogy needs to include a significant amount of visual material. Of course using visual images to explain and demonstrate work to students is a useful method of teaching. However my pedagogy aims at maximizing students using visual images to ‘Create’ their own visual images.

The Queensland Government – Smart Classrooms website at http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/working-digitally/index.html provides great practical examples of how students can creatively incorporate visual images in the classroom, some of the examples include: 

• Practising – use digital audio to record and practice oral presentations
• Digital storytelling – use a series of photos with digital camera and ’Paint’ to create a digital story.
• Narrating – use digital camera to capture images and use the photos to tell a narrative story.

Another great website for examples of how to incorporate multimedia in the classroom is ’20 Ways to Use Multimedia in the Classroom’ prepared by SONY: see  http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/education/sellsheets/academic_20ways.pdf. As the website was developed by SONY there is some product bias, but still some great ideas.

A White Paper titled ‘Multimodal Learning Through Media – What Researchers Say’ produced by CISCO Systems (2008) suggests that the most effective use of multimedia devices is adding visual, verbal, audio and text into a combined teaching strategy as it produces greater opportunities for ‘higher order thinking.’ (source: CISCO Systems (2008) accessed from: http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/Multimodal-Learning-Through-Media.pdf).

Following that line of thinking, and focusing on lower primary school aged students an example of incorporating visual images, that combines verbal, audio and text could be a PowerPoint presentation. For example I could prepare a PowerPoint presentation for step by step demonstrations of maths problems using images and narration whist making comments and asking questions and the class worked through the problem.

week 3 - a final note

As a final note, I can see how I could follow Bloom’s revised Taxonomy and the TPACK model to incorporate on-line technology into my pedagogy – some technologies more than others. 

Personally I feel that if I can use on-line tools to: better help my students engage and collaborate; learn not only from, but with, the technology; and produce creative, high level thinking to produce outcomes, then I will have successfully used ICTs to meet my own aspirations as a teacher...I just hope we don't take the use of ICTs as a tool for learning too far!!!

Week 3 - websites

Hells Bells!! Now I have my own website - http://ictsatschool.weebly.com/ - who would have thought?!

In setting up my website I was in charge of what content I wanted to add, what it would look like, what links to add, etc. I knew no one else could comment on it, change it, or delete it. And whilst I had all this freedom I am still to figure out what I want to use it for...I’m not particularly interested in having my own website for any personal reason so without any need assessment wise I’m not sure how much I will use it.

Nonetheless, I can see how I could use a website as a teacher to connect students to endless amounts for information and resources relating to course content. A personally constructed website will be able to ensure that what my students are learning/being exposed to is directly related to what is being taught.

For completeness the following SWOT on websites for learning/teaching is provided:

STRENGTHS Endless amounts of information – access to world wide web Great to learn from Available anytime/anywhere Cannot be changed/amended etc. Good for linking to blogs etc Good teacher tool for showing examples, information etc Reliable resources	WEAKNESSES Limited, if any, collaboration or interaction Relies on the author covering unbiased content etc Relies on having a computer and internet which not all students have access too = disadvantaged students
OPPORTUNITIES Teachers can display exactly what they want students to learn Provides great information/resource for students	THREATS Information can be incorrect, misleading etc. students need to be able to determine what information is reliable or not Security issues with having children’s profiles on the web

Week 3 - Wiki

Yeah - my wiki is up and running.

So what is a wiki – my own short answer is that it is a on-line tool for multiple author participation and can be edited/changed/deleted by anyone.

In this course I have already been involved in a number of wikis – a wiki debate on mobile phones in the classroom (week 2 blog); practice quiz; and the creation of my own wiki (http://gracegannonict.wikispaces.com/).

To put my wiki to the test my first post asked for some help (collaboration) with filling out SWOT’s for the use of blogs, wikis, and website in the classroom so that I could use them for my blog posts. In theory this would have been a great collaboration and production method. But because I have a limit of 5 members I could only ‘invite’ a limited number of people – and no one responded – fail! Not to worry, real world collaboration in the classroom didn't fail me and our discussion at this week’s class helped me fill in some of the following SWOT table. 

STRENGTHS Student collaboration – each student contributing Constantly being updated Available anytime/anywhere Teacher can ensure all students are on the right track / otherwise direct them back to the main ideas Easy to use

WEAKNESSES Very little authorship control Students work can be deleted/changed etc Can be hard to see any real outcomes other than personal updates/responses (lack of need for factual information and research) Requires very clear instructions as to what is appropriate Comments could be offensive/cause intimidation Not everyone is able to, or prefers using on-line mediums and having other read their opinions Information posted can be incorrect, misleading etc. Relies on having a computer and internet which not all students have access too = disadvantaged students No spell check

OPPORTUNITIES Great tool to learn with – technology, writing, etc. Anytime/anywhere tool Individual creativity Collaboration Can choose who makes changes etc

THREATS Students work can be deleted/changed etc Information posted can be incorrect, misleading etc. Runs the risk of being used solely as a tool for individual entertainment rather than a learning tool Security issues with having children’s profiles on the web

Personally I don’t know how much emphasis I will put onto using wiki as an on-line learning tool into my pedagogy. Not really sold on the idea of student’s work, or my own work, being edited and even deleted without consultation.  

Week 3 - blog about blogs

Blogs, blogs, blogs, blogs.....they are consuming my world at the moment. To boot, this blog is actually a blog about blogs!! In particular, looking at the ways I can effectively incorporate the use of blogs as an on-line tool into my own pedagogy.

I’m not going to go into any detail on describing what a blog is as it is pretty evident given we are using a blog now that you are aware of how they work. What I am going to focus on is how blogs can be used for learning.

To begin the thinking process I comprised the following SWOT. Some of the points also came from ideas of other class members during our last class. I also tried to seek comments from other via my wiki but this didn't quite work out (read my next blog for more comments on that process).

STRENGTHS Single authorship/ownership – reflects own ideas and allows for individual creativity Student collaboration Available anytime/anywhere Parents can see how and what their children are learning Teacher feedback Teacher can ensure all students are on the right track / otherwise direct them back to the main ideas Easy to use

WEAKNESSES Time consuming for both students and teacher Can be hard to see any real outcomes other than personal updates/responses (lack of need for factual information and research) Requires very clear instructions as to what is appropriate Runs the risk of being used solely as a tool for individual entertainment rather than a learning tool Comments could be offensive/cause intimidation Not everyone is able to, or prefers using blogs and having other read their opinions Information posted can be incorrect, misleading etc. Relies on having a computer and internet which not all students have access too = disadvantaged students

OPPORTUNITIES Great tool to learn with – technology, writing, etc. Anytime/anywhere tool Individual creativity Collaboration and production Connections with the world

THREATS Information posted can be incorrect, misleading etc. Negative comments posted by other children Parents making comments on own child’s blogs or other children’s blogs Runs the risk of being used solely as a tool for individual entertainment rather than a learning tool Security issues with having children’s profiles on the web

I now draw on the assessment work I am doing as part of this course using blogs as a way of thinking about how blogs could be used for learning.   From the perspective of a learner I note that the assessment required that I set up my own blog and then use it to respond to weekly course activity questions. We are then encouraged to review and comment on other student’s blogs. Students are then given feedback from our lecturer.

Looking at the approach from a teacher’s perspective I think I can see how the use of the blog as a tool for learning may have been constructed. That is, it appears to me that the course purposely began with scaffolding - providing various manuals on the various ICTs that the course will cover, including how to create and use blogs, wikis etc. The course content was then broken down into sub-topics with specific blog activities relating to each - thus the teacher was guiding the learner/making sure the learner was focused on the important information. Throughout the course learners have been provided practical examples and ideas on how to complete blog activities, yet ensured that the end product was learner derived (or centered . I think this is an effective approach for ensuring creative, learner centered  individual output as well as student collaboration. It also means that our lecturer can scaffold effectively, provide feedback, and provides as bases for assessing students work. 

Looking back on my notes  I can see how the TPACK and Bloom’s revised Taxonomy could have been used to construct this course and its use of blogs and how I would be able to incorporate blogging into my own pedagogy.

As the unit notes suggests, the important element to the success of the blog, as a tool used in this course, is that the blog itself was used as a tool not only to learn from, but also to learn with. As a pre-teacher I can now see from this practical experience how blogs can work, despite the weaknesses and threats, into my pedagogy.

To finish I was also interested to find that the Bloom’s (revised) Digital Taxonomy now includes blogging as an appropriate verb to fulfill both the Creativity and Evaluation levels of learning – see http://www.techlearning.com/printablearticle/8670