Each learner in a teacher’s class has a unique combination of prior experience, prior knowledge, perceptions and attitudes, learning style, intelligence, personality and temperament. Catering for each individual is an ongoing challenge for teachers. When teachers of today grew up they had“less rich in media, less rich in communication, and much less rich in creative opportunities for students outside of school”.
If you have a look below, the figure shows the steps involved in lifelong learning, each ICT’s willhave one or more lifelong learning component/s to them.
Model of lifelong learning
When it come to ICT’s a lot of them are on the internet, students can change them from home and interact with each other and the public. So therefore there are a lot of safety factors that are need to be considered. This is the MODEL ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES IN THE SCHOOLS that the United States Department of Justice has made, this is what is written
Students must
- Respect and protect the privacy of others.
- Use only assigned accounts.
- Not view, use, or copy passwords, data, or networks to which they are not authorized.
- Not distribute private information about others or themselves.
- Respect and protect the integrity, availability, and security of all electronic resources.
- Observe all network security practices, as posted.
- Report security risks or violations to a teacher or network administrator.
- Not destroy or damage data, networks, or other resources that do not belong to them, without clear permission of the owner.
- Conserve, protect, and share these resources with other students and Internet users.
- Respect and protect the intellectual property of others.
- Not infringe copyrights (no making illegal copies of music, games, or movies!).
- Not plagiarize.
- Respect and practice the principles of community.
- Communicate only in ways that are kind and respectful.
- Report threatening or discomforting materials to a teacher.
- Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that violates the school's code of conduct (such as messages that are pornographic, threatening, rude, discriminatory, or meant to harass).
- Not intentionally access, transmit, copy, or create material that is illegal (such as obscenity, stolen materials, or illegal copies of copyrighted works).
- Not use the resources to further other acts that are criminal or violate the school's code of conduct.
- Not send spam, chain letters, or other mass unsolicited mailings.
- Not buy, sell, advertise, or otherwise conduct business, unless approved as a school project.
Students may, if in accord with the policy above
- Design and post web pages and other material from school resources.
- Use direct communications such as IRC, online chat, or instant messaging with a teacher's permission.
- Install or download software, if also in conformity with laws and licenses, and under the supervision of a teacher.
- Use the resources for any educational purpose.
Supervision and Monitoring. School and network administrators and their authorized employees monitor the use of information technology resources to help ensure that uses are secure and in conformity with this policy. Administrators reserve the right to examine, use, and disclose any data found on the school's information networks in order to further the health, safety, discipline, or security of any student or other person, or to protect property. They may also use this information in disciplinary actions, and will furnish evidence of crime to law enforcement.
I believe that this what students and teachers should be following on ensure a safe environment with-in the school network and on the internet. Through-out the rest of this reflective synopsis I will provide an overview of my selected ICT’s that I have chosen and where I believe that I can apply them in the classroom to make my teaching more productive and efficient for students.
ICT one, Blogs, in short blogs are a journaling tool, the blog is on the internet for everyone to see and comment on. The biggest application I can see for them is would be in my Information Technology and Design (ITD) discipline which involves designing and building an object to do a specific job. The way I would get the students to use it would be to journal their project work, for example I would get them to blog about their idea’s of the project in the first post, then blog about the information and resources that they’ll need in the next post, and so on right through to reflecting on how well they thought they went and did the object that build do what was required? Why/why not? Also by using a blog to do this journaling I as the teacher can see what stage of the project that they are up to, and they have all their work, idea’s, plans on the internet for them access anytime and work on anytime, plus they won’t lose their work. By using the blog I could provide feed through-out the project and so can other students, this way they are helping each other. Blogs are a part of the Constructivism theory, “learners construct their own reality or at least interpret it based upon their perceptions of experiences, so an individual's knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events.”
ICT two, Wiki, in short wikis are like an online working space where anyone can add and take away information. The Main applications I could see using wikis for would be long term group work, say 4-8 week long projects for either Mathematics or ITD. For example if I gave a Maths class a group work assignment, they could have a list of tasks required to do and with the wiki the students could do bits and piece of each task, sharing around the information they collect and work they do. By using the Wiki the students have all of the group work in one place and don’t have to meet up at anytime to see what the others have done. They can help each other out and the teacher can monitor their progress. Out of the four learning theory’s Wiki, like blogs, use Constructivism theory. With wikis they let the learners control their own work space (own Reality), there’s more than one student so the mental structure of each student will be effecting what goes on the wiki and what gets taken off. The only thing that the entire group must negotiate on is the interpretation and beliefs of the project definition. Now looking at the Big 6 and Dol frameworks, again like blogs, the wikis fall under the stage 4 through to stage 6 in the big 6 framework. They engage the student, provide a place for extracted relevant information to be stored, help organize information from multiple sources, present the information, then anyone can judge the product, but unlike blogs the wikis don’t keep every bit of information on the web page therefore there’s no record of the process take to get to the final product. Wikis are the perfect ICT for Dimension 1, Attitudes and Perceptions, Structure opportunities for students to work with peers. “Opportunities to work in groups toward a common goal, when structured appropriately, can help students feel accepted by their peers”.
ICT three, Power Point, in short a power point is a bunch of pages that form a sequence of summarised information. The main application of a power point is to provide a summarised presentation of information. For example I, as a teacher will give a presentation about a few different Maths problems, in the power point I would show step by step how to complete the math problems. Once the power point is loaded up on the school network the students can access it anytime they want and go over the maths problems in their own time and practise if they need it. With power points students can start controlling their own learning and time, one of the big benefits is that they can view class work whenever they want and by doing so can access the information in case they were away or just weren’t paying attention in class. Out of the four learning theory’s power points are a part of Cognitivism learning. Cognitivism is “modelling the mental structures and processes that seem necessary to more fully explain human behaviour”. (Allen 2007, 41) The model is the information on the power point and how the students should by mentally going about their processes. Now looking at the Big 6 and Dol frameworks, in the Big 6, power points only helps at stage 1.2 Identify information needed, because the power point only gives a small amount of very important information. Power points are very good at addressing the Dimension 2, Acquire & Integrate Knowledge, Provide or construct with students a written or graphic representation of the skill or process they are learning. “Students may need a written or graphic representation that describes or depicts each step”.
ICT Four, Concept Maps, in short concept maps have lots of information on one page show how it all links together. The main application that a concept map is used for, is to put lots information down on a page to show how all of it links together. For example in ITD I could get the student to make a concept map at the start of a project to get all their thoughts down on one page and how all the ideas link to the project. Out of the four learning theory’s Concept maps are a part of cognitivism theory. A concept map will model on paper the mental process that will help structure the student’s concept of a topic. Now looking at the Big 6 and DoL frameworks, in the Big 6, concept maps will help in stages I and 2, Define the information problem, Identify information needed, determine all possible sources and Select the best sources. Considering the DoL framework concept maps best help in the Dimension 3, Extend & Refine Knowledge, Provide students with graphic organizers or representations to help them understand and use the process of comparing. “A powerful way to help students understand the process of comparing is show them how to represent their thinking in a graph or picture”.
“Students are convinced that school is totally devoid of interest and totally irrelevant to their life”.
Appendix
Online conversations
Miss C said...
I like the idea you had of using voki character creation as an icebreaker for students. Students could add their voki to a class wiki at the start of the term. I always like to see new ways of promoting a positive class culture!
ASH,s e - Learning said...
This is a great tool it would really get students attention and mind on the job. It is a fun way to get the students engaged with the class.
Mick said...
This post has been removed by the author.
Mick said...
My first impression of a Voki wasn't very good, I thought it would distract the students more than it would help them. After I reading your idea's and using them as an ice-breaker activity I may have to reconsider my opinion.
Thanks
ASH,S Blog said...
I agree Mick. I didn’t think much of a Voki at first. But ice breakers are what they are, to get to know each other and bring out personalities. I thought it would be a very creative way for students to have a bit of fun. Also it would be good to use as an introduction to a topic...Thanks Mick for your comments.
Regards
ASH
1 comments:
Mick said...
Hi Cameron,
I also have ITD as one of my discipline area's, I would never have thought that you could use Google Earth and Maps for this discipline area. I like the idea's that you have came up with.
thanks
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3 comments:
Doug said...
Very interesting Bryce, I too can relate to the setting up and navigating of the blog pages. This has been very frustrating but I am slowly getting better.
rockyroad said...
I do agree with you Bryce. I have a class cohort now but most of them cannot access the computer at home. I would dare say that a blog will likely be more usable in a class of upper primary where most students have an access to the internet and can type with ease.
Mick said...
I would have to agree with Bryce and Doug to a certain extent about blogs being hard to set up. But I believe because of this day and age students in upper primary through to grade 12 are very computer literate and will have no trouble setting up a blog, even if they had to work it out for themselves.
2 comments:
Jason said...
Hi Mick,
I like your enthusiasm for PowerPoint, it is a very good platform for delivering the written word and as you state delivering more interaction for example data, picture, sound, and movie. I think that, "as future teachers" we need to consider the wider applications of PowerPoint including its use as a independent learning tool which students can easily take with them. This tool needs to provide point notes to help them with their cognitive processes. The PowerPoint can also be used by teachers as lesson plans without being shown to students and accessed as the lesson progresses. They can also be used to help both teachers and students progress through practical activities like sporting activities, music sequences or science experiments. Of course they could also be used as study guides.
Jason.
Mick said...
Hi Jason
Thanks for some enlightening idea's on how to use power points more effectively, even though I haven't seen these different idea's in action, I can certainly see how they would work.
Mick.
2 comments:
paul said...
Agreed. Very flashy indeed. My feeling is the 'Prezi' creates a distraction and the learners will be more engaged with its roller coaster style of presentation rather than the content of its text.
Mick said...
From my point of view 'Prezi's' would only be useful in an art context, but then if you take a look at how I learn which reflects the way I perceive the world, I'm very logical and I don't see any advantage to having flashy distractions when learning.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
voki...
The voki, available at http://www.voki.com/ , is a great audio tool. It is an interactive animation that can be cued to say whatever its creator desires.
Also, you can design your character from a range of faces, clothes, background and much more to be visually suitable.
The voki can adopt the user's own voice by downloading specific audio or it can draw from a bank of a range of accents, with the dialogue typed in.
It is a valuable tool which can be used to scaffold learners otherwise challenged by the written text.
It could be used for student based learning tasks, issuing instrucions, reading maths problems, reading stories and a multitude of other ways to engage students.
paul
2 comments:
Sara said...
I also identified the engagement potential of Voki as I explored it's various features. The benefits of the student engagement that would result from the students being able to follow instructions from a comical computer character is undeniable.
I also agree with your use of Voki as a literacy tool, this would be highly beneficial in allowing students to hear what they have written or perhaps script their understandings to share with their peers.
Mick said...
I was talking a friend about Voki's and we both agreed that Voki's can be used for an ice-breaking tool. It can help students (especially the young ones) to know each other. It's great because some students have low social skills and by making a Voki and sharing it around the class students can to get to know a little about each other.
2 comments:
Mick said...
Speaking from a students point of view, power points would have to be my favourite digital tool because, it's like what you said in your post, they can be used to remind us of what the main points were. This is what I love about them, students don't have to go back to the teacher straight away, they can go through the main points of what they have be taught(in some cases not taught because they didn't show up for class) by themselves and if they don't understand the information the first time they can go through it a second time, if they don't understand it the second time they can look at it a third time and a forth and as many times as they want until they understand.
paul said...
Music to my ears, Mick! The more advanced the learning stage of the learner, the less 'flash' and 'fizz' required. The powerpoint is a 'cut-to-the-chase', tried, tested and practical tool that will outlast the rest, as has the humble pad and pen.
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