Reflection 6: The Importance of On-Line Communities for Learning

This week I have reflected on the importance of on line learning communities and how being active in these can be as effective as physically being in a classroom. Throughout the course to this point, I have been keeping up with other student’s blogs and have been very impressed by the standards. Some of which, such as blogs by JessSag and LadyAmanda have been exceptional. Although a little bit intimidating in terms of other students knowledge and use of digital platforms compared to my own I have found this beneficial as I have been able to see how other students interpret and present information. Having started this course with minimal knowledge and previous use of ICT I have been able to improve my understanding of information covered in this subject through following these blogs and observing others. I have been able to develop my understanding in this subject and gain ideas for my own development, as well as see what has worked well for others. 

The on line community setting that is our class, has also been valuable as I have been able to learn from others as well as putting my ideas and perceptions out there for others to examine. There has been a continuing theme throughout the course and realisation that other students can view my work which has pushed me to try things I would have previously considered as being too hard. The on line learning, particularly through the blog pages have been an important part of this course. They have provided an outlet, not only for information but also allowed myself and others to be creative in how they have conveyed that information. The community is also effective as it allows for participation to occur from others at different times. This is beneficial for those not able to dedicate specific times of the day to communicate and comments or replies can be left on others blogs. Interaction in the form of the de bonos thinking hats provided another form of communication that I had not previously experienced and allowed myself and colleagues to look at a topic from different perspectives and gave the feeling that we were working through a problem or issue together.      

 
The on line community established within this course allows for the reinforcement of learning. Although I did not actively contribute to other peoples blogs in the form of comments I was able to observe the use of platforms I had not previously considered after reading the course notes. Seeing other students like Shane Morse in his blog use Prezi for summiting Mt Everest and Kelsey Warmington blog describing the use of Tiki Toki gave me an additional insight into these platforms and there effectiveness gave me encouragement to use these in my future classes. In my chosen field of History and Geography I will find both these platforms useful in both my own teaching style and allowing the students to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. As mentioned, although my interaction was limited, due in part to lack of confidence or at times understanding of the material I have enjoyed the sense of community and group learning. I hope in the latter stages of this subject and those in the future I will feel more confident in my ability and communicate with others more effectively. I have to date, learned a great deal from Digital Pedagogies and look forward to increasing my knowledge and use of ICT platforms in order to become the best teacher I can possibly be.  

Reflective Synopsis: Assignment 1

The information in this course has given me far greater knowledge of digital pedagogies and a range of tools that I can use as a teacher. At the beginning of Week 1, I felt quite apprehensive as my technical experience with ICT was limited. One of the first pieces of information I read, Sparks and Honey made me consider the absolute difference between my schooling and the technological environment for learning that exists today. I hadn't previously considered the differences between generations and the digital platforms that have come available since my school days in the 80’s and 90’s and how technology will advance further. As a future educator, the material in the first week opened my eyes to the reality that I will have to remain up to date with these advances in order to capitalise on their benefits and to that of the students and my own teaching style. It became a valuable realisation to identify that ICT can be used by the students as well as the teacher and can be used effectively as a communication tool for students between themselves, teachers or people from the local or international community outside the school environment. This allows students to develop communication skills and gain wider perspective of information, far different from previous generations. I found the science of learning interesting in the fact that evolution of the brain has resulted in the current generation having a shorter attention span due to being able to interpret information faster. Judy Willis specifies that ICT can be used to maintain attention through interactive participation in activities and can also reduce the repetition that can be felt by students during traditional lessons.      

The contemporary teacher has an ever increasing range of ICT platforms that can be used to facilitate and encourage learning. Students can also use these platforms to receive and create their own information, learn interactively and demonstrate understanding with and learn from a global audience. Blogs, Wikis and Websites are commonly used platforms for learning where students can learn through collaboration with each other. The teacher is also able to use these platforms to facilitate a sense of ownership and pride in student’s creation or participation. The student is aware that people other than the teacher will review their work and will generally place greater effort into their work. The use of Blogs to supplement teaching and learning is something that I will do in my future classes. Blogs allow the students and teachers to be creative in their approach to learning and provide an avenue for dialogue between the class where ideas, opinions and attitudes can be expressed. Blogs can also be effectively used by the teacher, not only to convey information but also to detail instructions or advice. The interactivity of the blog allows students a place to post questions or comments allowing for collaborated learning. Further examples of ICT that I will use as a Teacher will be the creation of my own video. I will be able to take information required by the syllabus and present that in short documentary styled lessons. I found the creation of the video, although my attempt was quite basic to be enjoyable and upon further practice, I will be able to add my own voice to pictures, add music and other effects such as on screen comments to add to the information being given. I could also make use of time stamps, where certain sections are highlighted, allowing the student to skip to certain sections of the video. The video is also beneficial, as it could be accessed by students any time and can be used to guide their learning outside the classroom. I also enjoyed and will definitely use the platform bubbl.us with future students. I found this will be particularly valuable in displaying information in the form of mind maps, allowing brain storming with students that can develop topics and raise further questions. This not only teaches facts to the students, but also develops understanding of a topic and further promotes collaborative learning.

  

The use of Digital Pedagogies through various forms of ICT can lead to the achievement of complex outcomes, such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. These levels, present in Blooms Taxonomy generally occur as an extension to information being learnt and are well served through ICT.  The Taxonomy is concerned with attaining higher order thinking and generally used in the design of learning and courses. ICT can be used effectively using the taxonomies categories, such as remembering, ICT can be used for flash cards, reading or rote learning. ICT can also be used to achieve understanding through cooperative learning or Internet searches. Further categories of Blooms Taxonomy such as, applying can also be achieved via collaborative learning in the form of blogs. Analysing of information can occur through on line debates and other platforms such as fishbowls that encourage group involvement with discussions being observed by their peers. The final categories consisting of evaluating and creating can also be demonstrated through ICT in the form of blogs or surveys where students are able to put pieces of information together while learning from each other. Evaluating technologies for learning can be considered using the SAMR model. In using the model teachers are encouraged to redefine learning by using ICT to create new tasks. Consideration into the modification of those tasks with functional improvement using ICT or the direct substitution with no functional change to original methods. Although ICT for children can be greatly beneficial for learning there are concerns over Internet security that can pose a risk for students and teachers. It is imperative that teachers are aware of safe and reliable websites. Teachers can gain access to trusted Governmental sites such as cybersmart that provides on line safety, particularly for schools. Areas of concern such as on line bullying, chat rooms exposing children to sexual predators or other dangers should be closely managed. Students should also be made aware of copyright laws and the impact that particular actions performed while on line can leave a permanent foot print.

Digital Pedagogies, Week 5 - Personal Reflections 

I found the presentation tools examined this week to be quite interesting and will add well to others that I have discovered during this course. Although I found some quite complex and difficult to use, others were user friendly and were enjoyable to use as well as providing an effective visual learning aid. I am partial to these type of applications as I have always connected best with visual learning aids and believe they would assist me well as a teacher of a class. For my demonstration of some of the visual aids, I chose a mind map that I was able to complete via bubbl.us. I found it really simple to use yet quite effective visually. Different colors, fonts, size and position of boxes can be adjusted easily. The tool allows me to brainstorm ideas for key topics and create concept maps. Multiple tabs can be added and linked to a central point. Further tabs can be created branching off sub topics. This could be used in the classroom as a demonstration from the teacher and then given to students to create their own. I looked at other applications for creating visual learning such as Gapminder which I found a little more complex to use and would be best suited to display technical information such as statistics. In my 2nd teaching area, Geography I will find this particularly useful in presenting information such as population growth. Additional tabs can added to the same data, with options for maps and colour coding representing different values or occurrences. An impressive ability of gapminder is the motion chart that can present a time line that indicates changes over certain periods of time. Another tool examined was, Dipity that is a tool that I am sure will find useful in particular in History classes. Time lines can be created by the entire class with all students work visible to others. Events on the time line can also be made interactive with additional information or links being added to the event. It is complex to use and the user needs to have pretty good technological knowledge to operate but the visual display of information is worth the effort required. Although I particularly like dipity, I did not choose to use it for an example as it is hard to upload information and even getting my head around what seem to be basic concepts were a challenge. The tool is something that I would like to invest more time into over my studies as it will make a valuable teaching tool.   


The mind map below, made through the bubbl.us site seems to only have minor representation through the SAMR model. In terms of its transformation of educational pedagogies, the Redefinition part of the model does not apply here as the form of a mind map is achievable without the technology and has been completed previously on paper or in books that can be handed out to the class.  Partial elements of Modification are present as technology has allowed for significant redesign of the task in the form that the information in text boxes can be added to or changed by multiple users and the map can be accessed remotely rather than just in the classroom. In terms of the enhancement side of the SAMR model, Augmentation is present as the technology can be used by the teacher/student as a direct substitute for previous methods, such as the map on paper and handed out to the class and has functional improvement. As mentioned text can be edited, or pictures or other audio/video clips can be added to the squares, allowing for more user interaction. Overall I feel that the visual learning tools will compliment my teaching approach in History and Geography and can be used to explain new information or for students to create their own, demonstrating that key concepts have been understood.  

Digital Pedagogies Week 4 - Personal Reflection

Power point presentations (PP) are a valuable resource in which teachers can use in order to convey information to students. The (PP) makes an excellent addition to oral lectures, allowing for the student to listen and gain further understanding through pictures, videos, audio files, graphs or tables. It is also a valuable teaching tool, as the oral, can be recorded and added to the presentation allowing for my future students to receive the information as many times as needed in order to understand the material. I like the idea of the (PP) as it will allow me to be creative and keep the material interesting for students. I particularly like how the (PP) allows the creator to manipulate images, changing the resolution, colors, size or borders. I also think that the power point would provide a good tool for students to use as they could present their own research to the class, allowing for students to learn from each other. I personally found making the (PP) relatively easy to create and the program is user friendly, allowing for input of a range of different forms of information. I believe that the (PP) would be a valuable addition into classes, particularly in my chosen field of History and Geography. Both subjects can be supported well through the use of pictures in order to assist in understanding and retention of information.   

In terms of the SAMR model, computer technology, in this case the (PP) is a very effective use of technology present in the classrooms of today. Areas of the model, such as ‘substitution’ are present as the technology has replaced the traditional lecture where the teacher would use pictures in front of the room or through handouts to the students. There is no real functional change on the method of teaching, however, the technology allows for students to access the presentation at any time to assist understanding and retention. The ‘augmentation’ in the model is also a factor in the (PP) as the computer can be used as an effective tool to perform common tasks. The (PP) can be accessed and added to by students with their input being immediately visible to the class. Comments can be added to provide feedback and it can edited or changed if needed. I find the area of ‘modification’ present also, as reflected in the model. Common classroom tasks are being replaced, to a point, by the technology. The group aspect of this type of learning, and instant audience, gives the student a more personal type of ownership over their input into the work. The final aspect of the model ‘redefinition’ is present in the (PP) to a point. The technology definatley is needed to create the presentation, particularly with multiple authors and instant availability for feedback. The (PP) can also be accessed at any time by students, however the idea of the (PP) type of presentation was still achieved through lecture and pictures, however the impact on students, I feel is far greater today than previously.

 
The power point presentation below is a basic example of how I would use the technology in order to help get information across to my students. I chose the topic of Convict Australia and basic functionality and concepts of the (PP) are briefly described. 

Powerpoint Example

Convict Australia from 282614

Digital Pedagogies Week 3 - Personal Reflections 

I found the material this week quite interesting and felt a connection with the use of visual aids for learning. I have always found that as a student both past and present I have been able to interpret and retain information better when assisted through visual aids. Visual learning takes place through the use of certain pictures or images that relate to the subject material being taught. Through using images, I would be able to add to my explanation of a point of interest by showing a picture accompanied by verbal or written information. I could also successfully use images to assist in memory retention for the students, or in turn could ask the student to produce an image, therefore re enforcing the information, but also assisting myself in determining if the student has understood the concept and is able to demonstrate that understanding.



I like the concept raised in the course material that images can be used to support critical thinking. I totally agree with the example of the class looking at ww2 propaganda posters. A deeper and more mature type of thinking and learning can be achieved as the class is able to look far beyond the initial image and its message to consider the social attitudes of the time and reasons behind the poster. I can remember this method being very effective in developing my own interest in history while I was at school. The concept of Visual literacy is interesting, and defines the importance of the student needing to be able to identify and have a basic understanding of the subject matter in order for the image to assist the learning process.


I found the See-Think Wonder link was also reminiscent to how I was taught different topics, particularly in History. I didn't realise how broadly used the concept is in classrooms. I  like how it gives the teacher the introduction point to a new topic.The student is then encouraged to just look at the image and think of what the image is, understand it, then consider what is essentially behind the image. The critical thinking element creates the 'wonder' for the student who as they learn more throughout the topic they are able to answer their own questions raised during that initial moment the student was introduced to the subject matter.


The image such as the one used below could be used when introducing a History class to a topic, for example; Society in Ancient Egypt. The image can be edited and re sized, position of the image can be placed where desired to support certain text. Images can be uploaded to class blog sites and can be obtained from a vast number of sources via the Internet, mobile phones or web cams. Images can be uploaded onto a class blog where other students can participate in adding their own images.

image from: egyptraveluxe.blogspot.com

The use of Video clips to provide and support learning can also be highly valuable in my future classes. To stay with the example of introducing a History class to Ancient Egypt, a video can be used to help convey information. A video can also help to develop a students own understanding and conjure enthusiasm and further questions for the topic. I have previously spent a lot of time using You Tube, however I have never considered the prospect of being able to create my own video as a tool for teaching and learning. I created the video below using only still images accompanied by music. It is my first attempt at doing something like this and it is very crude and basic. I look forward to enhancing my skills in this area and being able to add my own audio commentary and video images to future projects.

In reference to the use of images, the SAMR model indicates that there is a level of substitution  present. Technology has taken place over the traditional methods of pictures at the front of class or handed out to students. While there is no real functional change to the method of teaching, the current technology allows for the information to be accessed anytime and updated by teachers and students. I feel as though the Redefinition stage of the model is clearly demonstrated in terms of video images as the notion of creating your own documentary to support learning was not an option a few decades ago. Technology has been able to modify the way in which the traditional teacher can deliver information, the teacher is ''virtually'' available (through recordings) any time for students to learn. It is an area in which I will definitely use in future classes and will encourage students to create their own documentaries on topics as part of group work that I believe will encourage creativity and overall knowledge of the topic.