Puzzled, interested and excited are three words I would use to explain my feelings coming into this course. What is a wiki space? How do I use a blog? What is E-Learning? Question after question after question flooding my thoughts. I could sense myself beginning to feel overwhelmed but as the weeks progressed, so did my learning. My knowledge of E-Learning has developed immensely and still continues to every day. I am inspired by the benefits of E-Learning being utilised in the classroom and can’t wait to continue my E-Learning journey. I now have an over flowing brain full of new knowledge about a wide range of technologies that I, to be honest, had never even contemplated learning about and in some cases never even heard of. But what does this all mean exactly? What have I learnt so far and how has it impacted me as a future learning manager? What exactly is E-Learning?
What is E-Learning? Why is it important in education?
The term E-learning is loosely referred to the integration of education and information and communications technology (ICT) (White 2012). However, we can try and define e-learning more narrowly as a combination of new technologies into learning design that allows learners to develop the skills and knowledge to be digital participants in today’s technological society. It is clear to see that within today’s society technology is such a relevant tool used for communication and knowledge construction. So what does that mean for education though? As educators, we need to not only understand and use these modern technologies but also come to understand their place within our classroom (Pahl & Rowsell 2005). Digital technologies are prevalent in today’s society and we need to be able to incorporate learning theories and practices into our classrooms that enable our learners to become ‘digital participants’ (Hague & Williamson 2009).
When I say ‘digital participants,’ I am referring to learners who are equipped with the capacities to be active in interpreting the world around them (Hague & Williamson 2009). Technology has the capacity to change the nature of what it means to learn, it is changing the ways in which we engage our students. We are enabling learners to be digitally literate and allow them the opportunities to develop critical skills and social awareness such as evaluation and contextualisation and understanding their identity and collaborating and communicating with audiences in context (Hague & Williamson 2009). Learners in the 21st century engage with technology as a part of their everyday lives. So it comes as no surprise that the Queensland Curriculum suggests that students should recognise the importance to discover the use of technology practices. The world we live is pigeonholed by information and communication technologies revolutionising teaching from the old ‘Taylorism’ era to a new ‘Knowledge Economy’ Era.
As a future teacher in this era it is my responsibility to enable students with the skills and knowledge to be able to correctly and proficiently understand and utilise ICT and online tools in everyday parts of their lives. This course, so far, has opened my eyes up to a wide range of online tools and has enabled me to explore the topic of e-learning and the benefits there are when utilising them in an educational environment. Just as it is my responsibility to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to make sense of their world including its art, history, religion etc, it is my responsibility to enable my students with the skills and knowledge to make sense of the digital world (Hague & Williamson 2009). I will need to adapt and work cohesively with the curriculum and ICT tools to meet learner’s emerging needs in this constantly changing digital society.
Theorists, Frameworks & Productive Pedagogies within Education
In the past six weeks of studying in this course it has become abundantly clear that it is important to keep up to date with changes in society, technological influences, current theories and the most productive ways to incorporate learning with technology to enhance student learning. As a future learning manager I must be able to recognise how technology and media offer opportunities for learners to participate in new kinds of social activities and learning within the classroom environment (Hague & Williamson 2009).
It is imperative that we as learning managers take the time to get to know our learners and understand their past experiences and prior knowledge as this affects how they will interpret and understand new experiences and knowledge. We need to recognize that every learner is individual and will construe new experiences and knowledge in all different ways.
Learning theories have helped shape the nature of classrooms for as long we can remember. Skinner’s behaviourist theory saw teaching as a process of transmitting external knowledge to students through demonstration, reinforcement and controlled and sequenced practice (Nichols 2007, p22) arguing that behaviour was the only observable and measurable response to learning (Nichols 2007). Although Skinner’s ideas are a little outdated for learning in the 21st century, we cannot entirely dismiss this theory.
Piaget’s theory opposed Skinner’s behaviourist theory maintaining that individuals must make use of their own prior knowledge and experiences to construct their own new knowledge and understandings (Nichols 2007). Piaget’s ideas and notions revolutionised learning; taking the emphasis from student’s behavioural performance to student’s own understandings and perceptions of learning contexts by constructing learning into an active and adaptive experience (Nichols 2007).
Vygotsky’s learning theory took Piaget’s constructivism theory one step further by proposing that it is within social environments that learners construct their own understandings (Nichols 2007, p22). Vygotsky considered Skinner’s behaviourist approaches which focused on the external (behaviour) and Piaget’s approaches which focused on the internal experiences of each learner to be co-dependent processes of learning (Nichols 2007) urging Vygotsky to investigate the nature of the co-dependence between individual and social processes in the construction of knowledge (Nichols 2007, p22).
This brought a focus to research on brain development to expand understanding of human learning. Extensive research into the connections of the brain and learning have resulted in affective teaching strategies being implemented into learning environments to provide adequate learning and assistance to individuals (Nichols 2007). Neuroscientists found that neural connections between the emotional and cognitive parts of the brain support Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s notions that learning is an active, social process and individuals are capable of managing their own learning (Nichols 2007, p 26).
By incorporating learning theories into our classrooms, it allows us to understand and implement the best learning practices to meet our learner’s needs in an engaging and effective way. The article “Engage me or Enrage me” by Mark Prensky made me aware that we need to engage students within the classroom. He pointed out that we need to scaffold on top of what our students already know in a challenging, interesting, relating and engaging way to avoid our learners becoming bored and inattentive which in turn, could result in behavioural problems.
Other frameworks such as the TPACK framework and Blooms Taxonomy provides teachers with information about learning designs and how to use the correct technologies in the correct situations within the classroom. Bloom’s Model is an extremely useful structure for any learner manager and should be incorporated into the classroom as much as possible. It allows students to explore different levels of learning, thinking and experience and can scaffold student’s higher order thinking skills. As a future learner manager, I intend to utilise blooms model in the classroom every day, by incorporating the structure into my learning plans.
Picture retrieved from Google Images
The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework attempts to identify the knowledge required by teachers to enable technology integration in their teaching. It is an expansion from Shulman's idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge. It combines three primary forms of knowledge; Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) and Technology Knowledge (TK).
The TPACK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isolation and focuses on the intersection of all three elements. It is an essential framework for teachers in the 21st century. Teachers need to implement a range of diverse learning strategies to ensure that all students in the classroom are being engaged in their learning. The TPACK framework assists teachers with learning design decisions about the content they will be introducing to their students and what technologies would best help them achieve success for every student in their class whilst incorporating the curriculum and productive pedagogies.
Picture retrieved from http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/what-is-tpack/
Weekly Activities & Tools
Every week we have a look at several technological tools that could be beneficial if used in an educational environment. We then look more closely at one particular tool and the safe and ethical practice of those tools.
Group 1: Blogs & Wikis
Blogs and Wikis – or can be referred to as Web 2.0 Tools. I blogged a reflection on my experience for both my blog and my wiki, however I pulled more focus towards the Wiki Activity and experience. During this week, I participated in two wiki activities – The Online Practice Quiz and the Mobile Phone Wiki (Using De Bono’s Hats). I found that both of these Wiki activities were structured in a way that supported our online learning, by allowing us to learn in an engaging environment. We were able to collaborate with other learners and share our own ideas and see the ideas of others which provided an overall excellent learning experience.
Students in the 21st century need to be engaged in their learning and I believe that the use of a wiki space allows students to collaborate and share their ideas in a creative and engaging way. I have included a PMI chart in my Wiki Reflection exploring the benefits and negatives of a Wiki within the classroom.
Group 2: Podcasting
This week I investigated in further detail podcasting and the benefits of utilising this tool within the classroom. Podcasts are a type of digital media that allows individuals to upload, download and share files on the internet for others to access. These sorts of ICT tools weren’t utilised during my schooling, we just used the main ones – the internet, power point etc, so when it came to exploring podcasting I was a bit hesitant as to what benefits this tool could actually bring to the classroom. After further investigation however I found that podcasting in the classroom would be an extremely useful and beneficial tool for both the teacher and the students.
Creating a podcast allows students to share learning experience... it provides them with a world-wide audience that makes learning meaningful and assessment authentic (Department of Education 2012).
Not only are teachers able to use podcasts as a learning tool, such as an introduction to the topic of study, but it could be utilised as a means of assessment. This would allow students an environment where collaboration is encouraged and creativity is desired. It engages students in their learning and allows an interesting way of learning and presenting information and assignments.
I have included a link to my reflection on podcasting in the classroom which includes a PMI chart.
Group 3 – Prezi
This week I explored the program Prezi as a digital tool. Prezi is a relatively new idea and program that allows the user to create and engaging and interesting online presentation. It has similarities to the classic Power Point, but is much more interactive. It allows students to upload images, videos, audio files, zoom in and zoom out and much more. It gives the learner the opportunity to work individually or collaboratively to produce a creative and interactive presentation in an engaging and interesting way and I believe if used correctly would enhance student learning. Through the use of Prezi learners are able to create a presentation that is visually captivating.
PREZI PRESENTATIONS – PMI CHART
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POSITIVE
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MINUS
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INTERESTING
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Extremely creative and engaging
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Some students may struggle navigating the program
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It can be used as a progressive tool. Added to each week by students studying a particular subject
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Free and accessible
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Only basic Prezi is free, to use more tools a cost is involved
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It’s all one page – there are no slides.
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Allows the use of all different types of ICT such as images, audio files, youtube etc
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Some students may not have access to the internet
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You can zoom in on particular text, or part of a picture to emphasis its importance
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Creates an interactive presentation
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Students can use Prezi as a presentation aid.
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Allows collaboration
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Group 4 – Online Concept Mapping
Concept mapping by hand is something I have done before and to tell you the truth, I hated it. However, online concept mapping using bubbl.us I found interesting, engaging and extremely easy to use. The easy navigation of the website and how easy it was to create links and move idea boxes makes this technological tool suitable for most ages. It is an extremely visually oriented learning tool and provides a very capturing presentation. This tool could be used individually, as a group or perhaps even as a class if able to. One limitation of using an online concept map is that is takes away the option of other learners leaving their comments and collaboration of ideas. However, there are many benefits of using online concept mapping in the classroom. It is an excellent way to showcase your knowledge and encourages students to use their brain whilst being creative.
Safe, Legal and Ethical Uses of Digital Tools
Internet safety in schools is a constant worry in today’s society. Student’s are at risk of exposing or being exposed to inappropriate content such as pornographic content, cyber bullying, offensive, violent or hateful images, audio and text and much more. Due to the rise of use of technology and in particular the use of the internet within educational environments certain policies and procedures are in places as a result to protect the students and teachers.
Most computers have limited access to the internet with certain pages blocked from students that are deemed inappropriate. When dealing with children and the internet, you must ensure that they are aware of the copyright and safe, legal and ethical policies the school has in place. As a future learning manager, it is my responsibility to ensure that my learners are aware of the responsibilities they have when dealing with text, audio files, images etc online and the appropriate way to reference their information.
As a learning manager I will need to model these policies in my own use of ICT tools within the classroom - lead by example essentially and ensure correct referencing. One major concern when incorporating the use of ICT tools into the classroom is the potential for cyberbullying. However, schools across Australia are aware of cyberbullying and are implementing strategies surrounding internet safety to attempt avoid this.
For further information on safe, legal and ethical uses of information online I have attached the following links:
What have I learnt from this?
These tools have allowed me to realise the opportunities available for 21st century learners to share their learning journey with others. Prensky (2001) states that "Our students have changed radically... Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." This statement is true. We now live in a technologically driven era and we as learning managers need to be able to have a deep understanding of digital tools and the benefits of each in the classroom as well as a deep understanding of learning theories such as Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s. If we have a complex perception of those and use them cohesively with Bloom’s Taxonomy and the TPACK framework, we as learning managers will be able to provide our learners with the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful lifelong learners.
Reference:
Department of Education, 2012. Podcasts in the classroom. Viewed 3rd August, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/
Hague, C & Williamson, B (2009) Digital participation, digital literacy and school subjects: A review of the policies, literature and evidence, Retrieve on 12th August 2012 from http://www.futurelab.org.uk/projects/digital-participation
Nichols, K. (2007) What is Learning? Current knowledge and theories. In R. Smith, D. Lynch & B.A. Knight (Eds) Learning management: Transitioning teachers for national and international change. (pp. 21-29). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia
Pahl, K., Rowsell, J. (2005). Multimodal literacies: new ways of reading and writing (Chapter 2) in Literacy and education: understanding the new literacy studies in the classroom. London: Paul Chapman Publishing
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retreived from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
White, G (2012, June 15). E-Learning Definition. Australian Policy Online. Retrieved from http://apo.org.au/commentary/e-learning-definition
