Dreeew’s Blog

I came across this interesting article called ‘Speaking their language’  by Stacey Kayden who is a learning specialist at Laney College in Oakland, California, and it really spoke to me (bad joke i know).

It confronts an issue that every teacher should be aware of:

Trying to make sure we teach 21st-century students in ways that work for them.

The article states that ‘teaching methods have not kept pace with their (student’s) learning styles and means of absorbing and retaining information.’ It also highlights a new method of learning that could be successful which consists of a new type of electronic textbook which allows teachers to insert notes into a digitized version of the textbook.

To a certain extent i think teaching methods haven’t kept up with students. It would be naive to think that the way people operate today is the same as 50 years ago. Technology has opened new pathways for learning, socialising and living life in general and as educators we must embrace the way our student’s learn and adapt our teaching methods to suit them.

Not only does it benefit the student’s as they will learn more effectively but it also helps us, as teachers, as we continue to develop our professional practice.

Digital game-based learning. Sounds like fun right? Well thats certainly the picture i have in my head. Playing computer games during school time couldn’t get much better for the student!

But what about teachers? It’s their to job to teach and make sure students fulfill curricular requirements so surely they cant just let their kids play games on the computer! Or can they? 

An article entitled ‘Digital game-based learning- It’s not just the digital natives who are restless’  by  Richard Van Eck explains that value of digital games as learning tools for students.

I found this a great article and it got me thinking of various ways a digital game approach could work in my KLA of PDHPE.

Firstly, as we all know, technology pervades every aspect of our students’ lives so we should embrace this and design learning tasks that meet their strengths and learning types.

Students can participate by building games or simply just by playing games that have been created by educators. And what does this do for learning? The answer lies in that these activities are engaging, challenging and interactive for students.

 I can already think of several exciting game ideas for topics such as road safety and drug use. And the excitement and engagement is the best part!

Not only are students involved with these activities, but they are learning aswell!!

This post is i response to Annie Cahill’s blog entry entitled ‘Pedagogy before technology’ .

In this post Cahill states that “In reality not many teachers are using computers within their classrooms, nor are computers contributing substantially to students learning.”

From my personal observations of other teacher’s use of technology in the classroom i can honestly say that there have been instances where digital learning did not contribute to students learning and was implemented purely for the sake of variety and its student centred approach.

There is no question that technology provides teachers with an exciting and interactive tool for creating positive learning experiences for students but it must be implemented for the right reasons.

Here’s a thought:

Why not implement technology so that it involves building meaningful and engaging tasks that challenge students to think critically and develop their skills.

I came across a video on Youtube entitled the ‘Top 10 reasons to use a blog in the classroom’. View it here

This video was made from a student perspective and lists the 10 things they like about blogging as:

1. Improved Literacy.
2. Engaging.
3. Interactive.
4. Promoted ESL participation.
5. Electronic agenda.
6. Distance learning.
7. Formation of learner communities.
8. Technology in the classroom.
9. Suited multi-learner types.
10. Environmentally friendly.

Throughout the movie i could not help but feel as though,in general, student’s  like using technology (in this case blogging) due to several factors.

Firstly it provides them with an opportunity to share information and see what others are thinking. This could help people formulate opinions or proide a basis to discuss different ideas.

Secondly, blogging provided an interactive way of learning. By using all different forms of media (images, videos, presentaions etc.) it has allowed students to immerse themselves in different aspects of their topic which they had a choice over. Blogging is a student centred learning experience that allows students to express themselves whilst still completing curricular requirements.

Lastly, and one of high importance, is the fact that blogs can be accessed at any time. No longer does school rely on face to face interaction between 9am and 3pm. Students and teachers can further their learning at home whilst still being in contact with everyone from school. This creates a school-home link that is essential in ensuring students are kept up to date with school and their work.

Who knows, education in the future might not even need schools.  It could rely on teachers sitting at their own desk initiating online tasks for students at home…… very freaky indeed.

This Post is a reaction to Emily Mcleod’s blog post entitled ‘Mindtools and meaningful learning’ .

After reading both Mcleod’s post and the article she refers to (click here) i am in total agreeance that technologies that embrace engaging learners in reflective and critical thinking about what they are learning are positve learning tools.

As stated in the article, mindtools are applications that represent what people know and act to engage students to think about what they are learning.

 Jonassen states in the article that it is all about learning with technology as ‘when students work with computer technologies, instead of being controlled by them, they enhance the capabilities of the computer, and the computer enhances their thinking and learning’.

As Mcleod discussed, this constructivist approach to learning where students are highly engaged will hopefully enable learners of all different capabilities and styles to have a positive and beneficial learning experience.

Lastly, a thought on its implementation. As Mcleod says, using visualization tools for some aspects would be effective. Other ways to implement mindtools might include:

• Using semantic networking or databases to identify what students already know or have learnt about a topic. This can be very useful when teaching interrelated concepts as students can explore and see their relationship to one another.
• Microworlds – an example for PDHPE could be seen in creating a microworld that deals with road safety and students must navigate through the game/program and master each environment before moving into more complex environments.

These programs are engaging, meaningful and educational. What more can you ask for?

Made available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Available here

Want to see blogs being implemented in a PDHPE classroom. Well then, click here.

The video entitled ‘Blogging in the classroom’ is an example of a PDHPE teacher utilizing blogging in the classroom. It shows a class who work through ‘blog tasks’ in order to learn about sport coaching.  The teacher states that this is an effective method of learning as students will not just throw away their work after they have completed it.

Myslef, i feel as this was a prime example of technology being used positively and in the right context. Students would find the task engaging as the use of blogs enabled them to direct their own learning and allowed them to display creativity.

A big issue with implementing technology is the question of why is it being used. The correct answer would involve factors like:

• it enhances students learning.
• provides students with an opportunity to develop and master skills.
• it is a meaningful and positive task.

Too often technology is used for the sake of using it…

I strongly advise teachers and other professionals to consider the use of technology and the reasons behind its use.  There is no doubt there is a big place for technology in the teaching and learning. Just do it for the right reasons!

This post is in reaction to Bianca Esposito’s post entitled ‘Critical Issue: Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students’. This post deals with an article that suggests using technology to provide meaningful learning experiences for all children, especially those at risk of educational failure. You can view the article here .

The article states that using technology in the classroom, a majorly constuctivist approach,  ’will help students to develop higher order skills and to function effectively in the world beyond the classroom.’

Reasons for this, outlined in the article include:

• Technology also can help students develop positive cooperative learning relationships
• Students of varying abilities share information and work together in teams to make decisions and solve problems. Therefore, students will work in a collaborative environment.
• All students have opportunities to use a variety of modern technologies to support their learning and discover new skills.
• Using technology for meaningful activities also helps integrate a variety of disciplines, more closely resembling activities that people undertake in the world beyond the classroom.

Whilst this method of aiming towards real world skills for students at risk sounds effective and meaningful there are several barriers that need to be overcome before it can be implemented. this includes:

• Updating schools technology which requires additional funds that many schools do not have.
• Ensuring all teachers are fully trained with using the technology so that they can effectively teach and faciliate students learning.
• Maintaing a curricular focus for activities so students still fulfill outcome requirements.

Overall, this article presents many interesting views on teaching students who are at risk of educational failure and many of the goals and considerations presented in this article should be taken into consideration when implementing such a program.

It is of my opinion that a strategy such as this would be a success in teaching and facilitating students to reach their social, emotional, and intellectual potential and provide them with the tools to succeed after school.

This is in response to Karl Fisch’s post ‘Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?’.  It is also a response to Matthew Kearney who commented on Fisch’s post. You can read what Kearney had to say here.

Fisch states that “…there’s a general feeling among teachers (not all teachers, but many) that it’s okay to be technologically illiterate” whilst Kearney states “my guess is that other professions possibly have a similar attitude & this situation is possibly just a symptom of the ‘digital revolution’ we’re living in right now.”

i agree with both statements but i think it goes alot further. i feel as though that this thought of being inferior or having less skill and intelligence pervades Australian culture. In schools today, you can see that certain students’ feel as though it’s cool to know nothing. It comes back to the great Aussie ‘battler’ stereotype. There are many reasons for this and one is most definitely the attitudes of the kids parents.  As Fisch describes, it sends the wrong message to their kids if they say they were never good at something ( be it maths or another subject).

Now,back to teaching and being computer illiterate …and ill quote Fisch who says “In order to teach it, we have to do it. How can we teach this to kids, how can we model it, if we aren’t literate ourselves? Pretty much hits the nail on the head with that one.

My thought…..

Teaching is never stagnant.Times change and we must change with it.We need to be open to new concepts and resources and continually evolve and adapt our teaching and learning experiences

Made available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Available here

Developing your professional practice as a teacher involves being open to new ideas and adapting them to fit your style of teaching.

So, would i adapt and implement the idea of blogging as an educational tool?  furthermore…would you???

I honestly dont think i could give a definite answer to this question as i still am very inexperienced with blogging and i would question my knowledge in this area which could obviously affect the quality of my teaching.

However, its all about getting involved!!

I came across an interesting article by Adora Svitak called ‘Creating Bloggers’  (check it out!) which gives an outline of a lesson plan for introducing and teaching students how to blog.

The main aspect of this lesson plan involves students’ becoming familiar with blogs by visiting and evaluating certain sites. This leads to students’ thinking about what kind of blog they would want to create and for what audience. Therefore, the idea of speciality blogs is introduced.

I feel as though this would be a worthwhile process as it gives students’ choice and control over their learning and thinking.

Another important aspect of this lesson plan also involves the students actually assessing their own blogs through the same method they evaluated others. This self assessment creates a student-centred approach which makes students responsible for their work.

Whilst i am still unsure about blogging and it’s place in the classroom i do feel that this would be an effective and positive way to introduce students’ to the concepts involved with blogging.

Made available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Available here

• Are computers used too much?
• Are schools putting to much emphasis on technology in the classroom whilst compromising other areas?

In an article by Todd Oppenheimer entitled ‘The Computer Delusion’ , he puts forward an interesting argument that computer use has no good evidence behind it’s heavy use and that modern day schools are neglecting other areas of study and skill that are vital for life in the real world.

An interesting point from this article comes from Dennis Frezzo, an electrical-engineering graduate from the University of California at Berkeley who is now teaching. Even with his vast experience and expert knowledge of computers he still prefers to keep his class focussed on physcial projects in an effort,as he states, “to keep computers in their place.”

Another teacher, Rose Ortiz states that ”these kids are all language-delayed.” So what does this mean?

With the implementation of computers, students do not have to think about correction of spelling, vocabulary and structuring their work. For a further opinon i refer you to a post by Ben robinson entitled ‘Computer Overload’ , who presents a similar argument that computers are overused.

when looking to why technology should be included in education one can look no further than the the number of jobs requiring computer skills today.  According to this article it has increased from 25 percent of all jobs in 1983 to 47 percent in 1993.

So, there is definitely a place for teaching students computer skills.

The questions that still remain,however, entail what do we teach and how?