Reflective Synopsis

My journey along the ICT path could easily mirror any student that I may encounter as I teach. I began this process with trepidation and very little enthusiasm as I was entering an unknown world. I am quite proficient in office based technologies such as Word, email, PowerPoint, the Internet etc but to go that on step further and explore many new ICTs was quite daunting.I therefore had to really force myself to engage in the coursework – which is the focus of this entire course – how do we engage our learners.How ironic.

Many educators have posed this problem and many theories have been put forward. Engagement Theory, also known as Relate-Create-Donate focuses on the learner connecting with a project, having some sense of control over its content and direction and producing a real world outcome that has meaning to someone outside of the classroom. The role of technology in Engagement Theory is to facilitate all aspects of learner engagement (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) the key word is ‘facilitate’. The traditional approach to teach technology is to show students how to use it but we need to go one step further and use ICTs across the entire curriculum so they become tools rather than a ‘subject’. This is vitally important if we are to mould students that can operate in the Knowledge Economy where know-how and expertise are as critical as other economic resources (Wikipedia, 2010).

A critical aspect of using ICTs in the classroom is to ensure they have an authentic purpose and not to use them just for the sake of it. This is one aspect I am struggling with at the moment. Being introduced to many new digital tools at once I am trying to work out where I will integrate them into the curriculum and not being very experienced in the classroom does make this difficult. I have been exploring all of the new tools and then bookmarking them for future reference. A few that I have really gelled with immediately are Wikis, Vokis, YouTube/Teachertube and Blogger. These were all new to me and to find that they were quite user friendly will ensure that when I use them with my students I will be able to convey my enthusiasm.You can view my first reaction to Wikis here and Vokis here.

Another light bulb moment for me was also realising that Word, PowerPoint and the Internet are also ICTs that are to be used with my students. As I use them so often I forgot that these are basic tools that will need to be taught, so I have more confidence in myself to be able to integrate ICTs.

It is important to stop and reflect on how ICTs contribute to active learning not what due to the rapid changing face of technology. This enables a Learning Manager to interchange digital technologies with one another especially in order to be responsive to student input. There will be many students who will have experience with new and innovative digital technologies and will be able to share them with there peers (and their teacher!).

Reviewing my fellow GDLT student's blogs has exposed me to new ICTs as well. Carolyne Thorton found a website to make online digital posters called glogs. Click here to read more about them and see her great glog! Using digital posters allows for students to be creative who may not have the tactile skills required for the traditional approach. It also allows students to use sound which adds another dimension. Glogs would engage older students who may view using paints, pencils, glue and other art materials as kids stuff.

Emma Plumb wrote about music for teaching in her blog. I was very interested to explore this and found Chris Brewer describes the process as taking a 'Learning Journey by playing reflective music while you verbally lead them on an imaginative journey related to an academic topic'. This is a great way to use a variety of senses to acquire and integrate knowledge as discussed in Dimension 2 of Dimensions of Learning (Marzarno & Pickering, 1997). By using music to give an LEP heavy in information content it would avoid a 'Chalk and Talk' lesson. View my posting to see a more in depth example of using music to teach with this method. There are so many ICTs out there it has been very helpful to me to have my peers recommend great classroom resources. It will be important to adopt a lifelong approach to learning by remaining open to continuous learning as described by Costa (n.d.) in his Habits of Mind.

While discussing digital media it is essential to be aware there is a widening gap between media-rich and media-poor children (Russell-Bowie, 2009). Many children and some schools do not have the economic resources to supple technologies such as iPods, mobile phones, digital cameras and computers. If the plan is to use ICTs during a lesson it may only be feasible to use them during the school day, adding homework that involves access to a computer may be insensitive to the child that does not have one at home. I posed this question on my blog and it created some interesting dialogue with my peers.

The old focus of ICTs was to teach students how to use technology; the new focus is to integrate technology seamlessly across the entire curriculum. By doing this and creating authentic activities we can engage our learners in the classroom.

References:

Costa, A. (n.d.). Describing the 16 Habits of Mind. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.mindfulbydesign.com/sites/default/files/16%20Habits%20Info.pdf

Kearsley, G., & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved April 08, 2010, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., Arrendondo, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Moffet, C.A., Paynter, D. E., Pollock, J. E., & Whisler, J. S. (1997). Dimensions of Learning Teachers Manual (2nd Ed). Denver, Colorado, USA: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.

Russell-Bowie, D. (2009). MMADD about the arts! An introduction to Primary Arts Education. Sydney: Pearson Education Australia.

Wikipedia. (2010, February 21). Knowledge Economy. Retrieved from April 12, 2010, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knowledge_economy&oldid=345461413