Week 6 - Reflective Synopsis

 

In my previous reflective blogs I have used images, videos, graphics and other animations to make my posts interesting and engaging.  In this final blog my reflective synopsis I have chosen the more tradition text method in order to capture my own e-learning journey and further consider the functionality of the tools we have had the opportunity to explore over the last six weeks.  The synopsis will look at e-learning and the theoretical concepts underpinning it.  I will refer to my weekly reflections within this synopsis and build this experience with technology into the SAMR model to further justify the learning benefits that potentially result from the use of digital technologies.  This reflective synopsis will also reveal important considerations around the use of technology in the classroom setting.  It will highlight the importance of using digital technologies for clear learning benefits and emphasis the need to work safely, ethically and legally. 

Since the arrival of the internet in the 1990’s, computer programs have seen rapid growth throughout the globe.  On a daily basis millions of people access some form of digital technology.  It is hard now to imagine how the world would survive without technology at its current level.  The arrival of the digital world has brought with it many changes to our society.  These changes are present in the way we function, live, operate, work and more importantly the way we learn.  These changes have sparked the need for massive reforms in the area of education. 

 As we are living very differently now to what we were 50 years ago and with the evolution of the digital world contributing to that change it is not surprising that the students of today will learn in different ways to students from years ago.   Appropriately, we began our introduction to the ICT course by looking at these differences and understanding how we need to adapt our learning designs to accommodate these differences and be successful in the delivery of educational material to students.   I discussed learning theories in an earlier blog acknowledging their relevance in understanding how students learn and the way they learn.  This knowledge can then help us as teachers to provide for them in a classroom context.  To gain a broader understanding of how these theories could be functional for me I considered how I could apply each of these theories to one of my teaching streams of Health Education and Physical Education.  Please refer to my week One Blog on learning theories for my more lengthened discussion on this topic. 

A requirement of this synopsis was to use one technology of choice with consideration of SAMR model and then propose with justification using eLearning theories how the tool could be used at the substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition levels.  As our learning has involved the use of a blog I decided to use this tool as my technology for consideration in the SAMR model. 

When considering learning theories in this instance I would align the cognitive constructivism learning theory with the substitution level as at this level students were encouraged to write on a given topic in their blog.  At the modification level when students were encouraged to share knowledge and access the ideas of others the characteristics of the social constructivism theory were displayed.

SAMR Blog



 

The Australian curriculum recognizes that our young generation will need to be highly skilled in the use of ICT’s and supports the use of digital technologies across all areas of the curriculum.  The scope of ICT in the curriculum is not fixed but is responsive to ongoing technological developments (ACARA 2014).  The Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals for young Australians 2008 that in the digital age young people will need to be highly skilled in the use of ICT’s ((MCEETYA 2008). 

During the course of the last six weeks we have been provided with lots of information and material which has allowed me to expand on my current knowledge base and skills.  I can confidently say that at week six I have so much more ability now in the area of ICT than I began with.  One consideration around ICT that really stands out for me is the purpose of their use in an educational setting.  ICT’s are certainly engaging, innovating and interesting and thus provide opportunities for students to experiences visually appealing activities.  These experiences are important for students but as stated in lecture notes (EDED20491 ICT’s week three March 23, 2015) the most important aspect in the use of these tools is the learning that is generated through their use. 

The big picture here is that ICT’s encompass so many different things and can be used in a myriad ways to address so many challenges.  This makes the use of ICT’s in an education setting a challenge for teachers as they need to ensure they introduce ICT’s into the classroom when there are clear learning benefits for their learners.  The learning that is generated through the use of digital technology needs to be specific to the desired outcome of a course/unit or subject area.  Teachers need to be familiar with pedagogies that best support the learning in a particular subject.  They need to find out which ones meet the needs of the learners and which ones match the curriculum in their subject area and then introduce them in the most effective way into their classrooms. 

The other concern with the use of ICT’s is the risks that come with working in an online environment.  Teachers need to be vigilant in their monitoring of online material.  Teachers must inform students of what constitutes inappropriate and appropriate behaviour for working online.  Acknowledging of sources of information and the exchanging of personal information are two areas in relation to legality, privacy and safety where students will need guidance on what is and what is not acceptable.  The Australian Curriculum: Health and Education (ACARA) states that: Students will develop an understanding of ethical online behaviour, including protocols and practices for using ICT for respectful communication during physical education class sessions (ACARA 2015). 

Organization elements of ICT capability
Source: Australian Curriculum





I will conclude now by saying that it is through the use of ICT that we have access to delivery modes for learning in line with this course.  It allows us the flexibility to extend our potential and maximize our learning gains.  That said, here I am now finishing up an ICT task with a more boring presentation of text??? I can only justify that by saying that I had a lot to say in my final reflection and the best way for me to address the task was to mostly scribe :-).

Thank you for assisting in my learning experience.

Mercia

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).(n.d.). The Australian

curriculum: General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Critical-and-creative-

thinking/Introduction/Critical-and-creative-thinking-across-the-curriculum

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACAR). The Australian Curriculum

General capabilities, Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/information-and-

communication-technology-capability/introduction/scope-of-ict-capability

Central Queensland University [CQU]. (2015). Learning theory: A brief overview of learning

theory. Retrieved 14 April, 2015 from

https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=15608

Department of Education and Training. Smart Classrooms, A Strategy for 2011-2014.

Queensland Government. Retrieved 4 April 2015 from:

http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/documents/strategy/pdf/smart-

classrooms-strategy.pdf

Johnson, D. (1999). Handout for teaching students right from wrong in the digital age. Retrieved

from http://www.janinelim.com/bc/4thur/ethics.pdf

 

 

 

Week 6 Reflection 5 - Technologies

This week we have been introduced to many more new toys (tools) to play with. The ICT unit has definitely provided us with opportunities to engage and become familiar with resources many of which may be suitable inclusions for our own teaching areas. I have found through participating in this blog reflection activity that I have not only learned through the course content and materials but through having the opportunity to view the blogs of other students and learn from their ideas and presentations. The creativity in the blogs has been amazing and I am now building a bank of ideas on how ICT would be best utilized in a classroom environment to reflect the learning outcome desired.
 
I spent some time experimenting with the technology tools this week and through my brief interaction with them (I could of easily spent hours playing with them all) I created the followingText2MindMap pretty quickly.

Body Organ Systems

 

My subject teaching areas are Health education and Physical education so naturally when I am considering these tools I am thinking of how they would be useful for achieving learning outcomes in these two disciplines. I can see where tools like Google maps and Earth would certainly compliment subjects like Geography and Science. I quickly applied the text2mindmap to health by using it to identify Body Organ Systems.

There are many ways where these Group 4 tools would be useful in a classroom setting with the text2mind map I created useful for study purposes and helpful with memory retention. As standalone tools they don't stand out for me in my particular subject areas.  If I had more time experimenting with these tools I may find more potential use for them in Health and Physical education study areas.  These tools are interactive, engaging and interesting and technology like this can always be useful during stages of the learning process.

Over the course of the last six weeks the unit’s learnings have required students to experiment with a wide-ranging assortment of ICT’s with many of these tools have been unfamiliar. The tasks have been well scaffolded which has helped me acquire strong learning gains.  The tasks required me to work with online activities (many of which I did not realise even existed) that have had me absorbed with their interesting content and creative systems. I am at the stage now where I am thinking about the future and the use of ICT’s in my subject areas. Being a visual learner, like many of our students today I can see how helpful our ever evolving technology is in the learning environment and how it can make learning process easier.

As mobile learning is included in the course materials for next week I thought I would include a brief wind up with my opinion on the use of mobile learning in the classroom.

If technology like mobile phones and the IPad are used in daily life then why shouldn't they be used in the school setting?  Like all other tools they should be carefully selected based on what outcomes are needed in the best interest of the students. 

It’s a short post this week but think I recall Heather mentioning in one of her tutes that blogs tend to start out quite long and then end up getting shorter so I guess I am in with the norm.

Mercia


References: Engagement Activity 10, retrieved April 8, https://www.text2mindmap.com/ The Horizon Report 2011, Edition, p.5.

Week 5 Reflection 4 - Presentation Tools

Week 5 - Wow we are nearly half way, how time fly's. This week in ICT’s we have been asked to examine a set of interactive and multimodal presentation tools. One of these tools I am familiar with and have used as a format for my own assignments and for several sporting presentation nights I have been involved with. The tool I am referring to is PowerPoint and this has been used frequently as a presentation tool in most units I have been enrolled in during my university years. My first thoughts when beginning this reflection was to select the tool I was most familiar with and discuss that tool in more in detail. My exposure to all this new technology has encouraged me to become adventurous so now I have decided to have a play with all three presentation tools, include a small presentation of each one in my blog this week. I will then make my decision on which one to explore further after I have spent time familiarizing myself with Gloster and Prezi both of which I have not had any experience with before. This is where I begin to think out of the box ………

I have had a play with Glogster and must admit I enjoyed how the tool provided so many graphics, texts and layouts all of which encouraged creativity. The only barrier I can see to a Glog is one’s own imagination. I believe it is could be the tool teachers could access when the topic they are planning to teach is commonly less stimulating to most students so as to create interest levels. From the short period of time I had experimenting with my Glog I believe it could be a great study accessory with students utilising Glogs to include learning material relevant for up and coming exams. It could also be especially beneficial to those students who don’t learn well in the traditionally text-orientated subjects if they supported their own learning through the use of a Glog. The Glog I created is intended for physical education classes as it highlights the importance of sports nutrition. I used source http://b-7bobcats.wikispaces.com/09-10 as recommended in our course information to create my first Glog which is attached below.

I was asked during my interview at my prac school to do a small presentation about myself as an introduction to the physical education and health education classes I will be working with next term. As mentioned I am familiar with PowerPoint so began putting something together in that format. As we are focusing on presentation tools I thought It might be a good inclusion in this weeks Blog. Unfortunately it wasn't until I finished creating the PowerPoint that I realised I needed Microsoft professional 2010 PowerPoint to be able to include this PowerPoint Portfolio as a slide share in my blog. My only option to share in this case was to provide a link to view it. https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=DDB0254059411FB8&resid=DDB0254059411FB8%21108&qt=sharedby&app=PowerPoint

Here is my first attempt at using Prez ...


And the winner is ….. Very hard to choose as I have found the 'new to me tools' Gloster and Prezi a lot of fun to play with as I can see how well they would work in certain learning environments and for particular learning outcomes. For the purpose of the refection I believe Powerpoint is the tool that is most versatile and one that could be adapted to any learning environment. It is easy and simple to use and preparation time is minimal. Until I accessed the links and other information provided in our weekly overview this week I was unaware of the more creative ways to use PowerPoint only having used the more traditional ways. The virtual museums are impressive and perfect for presenting historical and geographical type learnings. From a health and physical education point of view I can see it being a fantastic tool for anatomy and physiology presentations in with the 3D format being able to assist with understanding body organs, systems and how they work together. I also believe it is necessary to have a tool that is simplistic and one that can deliver more traditional and text orientation lessons when needed through the use of a technology. PowerPoint has the power!

Mercia

References

Gloster 2015, Retrieved from Https://edu.gloster.com Lecture notes and engagement activities

Week 5 ICT's Prezi 2015, Retrieved from https://prezi.com/ij8rslbrez1f/presentation-tools-in-prezi/#