Knowledge is actively constructed by students; it is not simply passed from teacher to student” (Snowman et al., 2009, p.11). Effective teaching is when the learners reach the learning outcomes and store this information to build upon and recall in the future. For this to occur, the learners need to be engaged and taught to their individual learning style (Snowman et al., 2009, pp. 373-419). Using e-learning within the classroom opens the door to a greater range of teaching styles and enables to teach to a diverse range of learners. With the 21st century learners being very fluent with technology and the different forms of applications used within the internet, computers, mobile phones and even I pads, they are very keen to use this type of equipment and learn how to use different sites and application within these technologies. “Our students today, are all ‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the internet” (Prensky, 2001, p. 1). E-learning is the new future and is rapidly moving in and out of new forms of technology. The black board was a magnificent creation, however soon followed by the white board and now even the white boards are phasing out and the interactive white board is taking its place. As teacher’s we need to keep up and use these advances to our advantage, as a new way to engage learners and teach them the vital skills they need in the future. As Prensky (2001) says “the technology age has resulted in a different style of student learning and a new methodology is required in teaching and learning processes”.
According to UNESCO (2010) students need fluency in both literacy and lifelong learning skills to be able to succeed in a forever changing and challenging world. E-learning technology comes in many shapes and forms and can be used to teach any discipline area. Throughout my e-learning journey, like shown in my blog I have been investigating the different types of e-learning available and how I will use these in my teaching and to enhance the experiences my students will learn from. I firstly explored on-line spaces including blog’s, wiki’s and websites (weebly). Next I investigated in the most popular and most effective online learning tools the multimedia technologies. I explored images/pictures, videos/you tubes, prezis. Also through investigations of my own I found mind mapping applications such as Bubbl.Us and also fun and interactive animations which can be used to teach young learners about pets and clocks, from Gadgets. Also I explored the technology use of mobile phones in the classroom. At the beginning of my journey I was against e-learning and this was due to the fact I rarely use computers and do not have internet access at home. So I am not very fluent with this technology. However after commencing my journey and realising how easy it is once I persist through barriers and learn how to navigate through each site and also implementing some tools into my teaching practises, I now have transformed my perspective and believe e-learning tools can be effective and engaging to learners.
All these tools are effective at engaging learners in new and unique ways. Prensky (2001, p. 4) agrees “This future content is extremely interesting to today’s students”. Through deep exploration into all these ICT’s I discovered tools I would be comfortable using and tools I would not use until I gain a deeper understanding of the technology and how it can improve my learner’s outcomes. The four best ICT tools I have found to be the most effective and enable students to research and find information, communicate ideas and knowledge as well as develop their multimodal skills include using a blog, using Bubbl.Us, using you tubes and using mobile phones.
Applying ICT tools in a teaching context is easy and effective. Blog’s are spaces for people to reflect and communicate ideas and processes with others. Through writing a blog and using it to investigate and reflect on ICT tools; I have found blog’s can incorporate other ICT tools and they have many strengths towards having great opportunities for learners to develop their skills and communicate knowledge to other people. This can enhance the capacity to work in teams in the classroom and with teams outside the classroom as well. I have investigated further into the use of blog’s in my blog. Blog’s will enhance, support and transform the students learning by allowing the students to be involved in intellectual and content driven dialogue through critical reasoning and sharing thoughts, processes and ideas when reflecting and communicating within their blog. I have also found a limitation to blogs as reflected in my blog, that some networks such as the university network do not allow specific webpages to open. In this case I couldn’t comment on Cathy’s thoughts through her blog, but I needed to put her blog entry into mine and comment on this through my blog. Although I commented on Cathy’s blog she cannot she my comment unless accessing my blog. However most networks allow this to occur and before implementing this into my teaching practises I should make sure the students can comment on each other’s blogs.
You tubes are videos and recordings of experiences. You tubes are countless and are available on just about any topic, issue or idea. This supports the students through interpretation of learning. As well as being a multimedia technology it has the ability to give the most in terms of positive outcomes in learning out of all the online learning tools (CQU, 2011). You tubes are a tool I have already considered and implemented into my classroom practises. I have reflected in my blog about you tubes in my classroom. Students can find videos of every day tasks and real life experiences, this is an opportunity for students to locate any activity or task they wish to participate in and make meaning out of the task. Marzano and Pickering
Mobile phones, as discussed in my blog are a very controversial tool. People have different views on whether they should be allowed into the classroom as an ICT tool. This has a lot to do with the alarming rate of bullying and inappropriate pictures and recordings taken with them. I believe mobile phones as a tool in the classroom can be quiet successful; especially in a room that does not have the availability of computers and internet. Mobiles have more applications then just txting, calling and playing games, the technology has rapidly grown and mobiles can achieve many tasks including taking still photos, recording videos and sounds, access to the internet which provides just about any ICT tool. With mobiles becoming less expensive and growing in the amount of applications available on the tool, mobiles are the next best thing compared to computers. Mobile phones can be used to research, interpret, analyse and communicate knowledge. However as there are a range of unethical behaviours that occur during use of these devices, sufficient scaffolding needs to be incorporated into using the device in a safe manner. Further scaffolding should be provided to the learners around using the applications on the mobile phones as although most students have and use a mobile phone regularly, a small number of students do not have a mobile and need to understand and be clear about how to use the device.
A learning ICT tool that I found quiet interesting and exciting was Bubbl.Us. Bubbl.Us is a mind mapping or brainstorming application. Through my teaching experience every class I have seen or walked into has done a brainstorm or mind map. I’ve seen too many students get bored with the same old bubble on the page. Bubbl.Us allows the learners to get on a computer and make their own. They can add as many bubbles as they like and change the colours and fonts. Through my own investigations of using Bubbl.Us as seen in my blog, I found it so simple with the edit button next to your bubbles. There are only a few buttons you can click so it was easy to locate all the functions. I found this application fun, exciting and it didn’t take long to do. As an adult learner finding this interesting, the young learners should enjoy it and get motivated to participate in class discussions around the mind mapping. Mind mapping is a magnificent activity in the classroom as it allows me to know and understand what my learners know and what they don’t know. This can help structure what I am going to teach and how I should teach it. Bubbl.Us can be a strategy used as they first part of a KWL chart, to find out what they know. Marzano and Pickering
Through my investigations, reflections and evaluations of using information communication technologies throughout my e-learning journey, I have seen the potential ICT tools have to greatly improve literacy and lifelong learning skills. However I have also seen the potential danger they can have if safety processes are not scaffolded and implemented into the learning process for students. As discussed in my blog, using ICT tools especially those on the internet have danger by being accessed by the public, inappropriate messages, pictures or recordings being placed on the internet and also bullying other students. The students need to be aware of the safe, ethical and legal guidelines when using these tools. The most important thing the students need to know about is what sort of information they can put on the internet and what sort of information can be dangerous to put on the internet. Secondly the student’s need to know how to acknowledge their sources to avoid copy righting. I have discussed further in my blog about the safe, legal and ethical guidelines when using ICT tools. Although there are a few safety issues that should be addressed with the students Knight and Lynch (2010, p. 58) agree “the internet has expanded access to the education agora such that we can communicate and exchange information with others in ways that can better enable us to achieve our core mission, to improve learning outcomes for the students in our care”.
Through out my continuous and active involvement in this collaborative space for learning, I can now understand how classrooms and ICT’s can have a positive impact on my learners. I have been able to reflect on my own learning and see how others have learnt through these communication tools. I have noticed that I can learn just as much from investigating others work and reflections as much as reflecting myself. “Reflection is what enables us, according to many theorists, to generalise, as we create ‘mental models’ from our experience. It is, in many ways, the process of learning from experience” (Prensky, 2001, p. 5). As a teacher I can use these forms of interactive technologies to manage continuos learning with my students. Using these tools I have been able to use problem solving strategies, persistence and communication with others to work through my difficulties to understand new knowledge and construct meaning. All these strategies contribute to being a lifelong learner and I can see how my future learners can embrace these skills through using ICT’s. I have used collaborative learning by creating a wiki space, contributing to our class wiki and also viewing and commenting on other’s blog’s.
Effective lessons can be implemented into classroom practise, if the appropriate planning is in place. Ewing , Lorie and Higgs (2010, p. 91) suggest “planning is a metacognitive, reflective process in which a teacher thinks, reflects, adjusts, redirects, fiddles and fine-tunes the various components until a powerful lesson emerges”. If we plan ICT’s into our lessons effectively the students can use them to their advantage to get the most out of their learning. By also incorporating higher order thinking activities like discussed in my blog, while using these e-learning tools, the students can activate their brains and learn more effectively using ICT tools and higher order thinking activities. I believe mixing the two will achieve the best outcomes for the learners.
References:
CQU (central Queensland University
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arredondo, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Moffett, C. A., Paynter, D. E., Pollock, J. E., Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of Learning Teacher’s Manual (2nd ed.). Alexandra , VA
Knight, B.A., & Lynch, D. (2010). Applied Learning Management: New Approaches for the New Millennium. Frenchs Forest , NSW: Pearson Australia
Prensky, M (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon (NCB University
Prensky, M (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part Two: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon (NCB University
Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., & Bartlett, B. (2009). Psychology Applied to Teaching (1st ed.). Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia
UNESCO (Institute for Information Technologies in Education). (2010). Medium Term Strategy. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001904/190434.pdf
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