View from the Hill

Just read this article by Jamie McKenzie which was presented to the class by Brendan and Alix. Some very worthwhile thought in this and important to for those of us dealing with the use of technology in the classroom. It’s true that there is a perceived pressure to use technology at every opportunity in the classroom, but as McKenzie states “The choice of tools to support student learning should come after the designer has clarified learning goals and considered which strategies are most likely to produce results”. That’s right – he has a sound argument that a teacher should not find some technology to use and then design a lesson around it, but rather the lesson and its aims and strategies should be thought through first and then use available technology if it helps to achieve those aims.

MacKenzie makes his point in a slightly humorous style but with serious intent. Some teachers are uncritically thrusting technology into lessons without due concern for its effectiveness as a learning tool, and students’ learning is suffering as a result.

Although his use of sarcasm doesn’t always help his cause, we would do well to heed his call to “emphasize learning goals and strategies when planning lessons…(and) then select tools that match (the) purpose”. Technology would then be useful and relevant in lessons as well as exemplifying to the students how to make the best practical use of the technology that immerses their daily lives.

David H

Great title for an interesting concept – the idea that the way children learn by actively creating something like a sandcastle can also be true in the digital world. This article by idit harel supports the constructionist theory proposed by Papert that “children learn best when they are in the active roles of designer and constructor”.

It is interesting to ponder that the problem solving thinking in a simple past-time like building a sandcastle can be replicated with digital activities. I guess it’s true that children do need to work their minds through a variety of problems to be solved in building a sand castle – how do I compact the sand hard enough so it does not collapse? Can I divert water around it by building a moat? Will it be strong enough to support a second level? So it can also be with a digital task, particularly when constructing something on the computer or engaging in a process that will cause something to happen.

harel makes the point also that the end product of the exercise need not necessarily be the most beneficial learning aspect. The process of constructing can provide opportunities for discovering new knowledge along the way, just as building a sand casatle provides opportunities for discussing the ocean, tides, marine life etc, so the process of constructing something digitally can provide opportunities for learning about the topic involved, be it a cultural/historical topic, or related to literacy, for example.

Harel also makes a good point in saying that digital learning provides the opportunity for continuity in the learning, for while sand castles don’t last and get washed or blown away after a while, digital media can be returned to and built upon at a later date. This would allow children to modify their work as their knowledge increases, an important advantage in digital learning, and one that enhances the overall learning experience.

Harel greatly stresses “open-ended play” as a key approach in this type of learning. This appears to be a good idea, however I still believe that children need their learning directed to a certain extent, otherwise there would be no need for teachers at all (except to mark homework). This raises some important issues, such as: how can children reach stated outcomes with their learning if it is not being guided to some extent?

An interesting article though, which summarises the ideas behind constructionism in a very succinct way.

David

Photo: Flickrcc Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Just been reading this blog posting (voted most influential edublogs posting of 2007).

I found it highly opinionated with little solid evidence to back up its grand statements. Sure, I can agree with a general premise that teachers are at a severe disadvantage if they are not technologically savvy, not to mention how their students would be on the back foot as a result, but I would like to see something that backs up their argument better than making bald statements like: “If a teacher today is not technologically literate – and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more – it’s equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read and write.”

This is clearly a nonsense statement as teachers who cannot read or write would not be in that position (teaching) and the limitations of not being able to read or write are obviously far more limiting than not being technologically literate. One could not even become technologically literate without reading and writing. So in short this statement proves nothing and is unhelpful.

Their comments about the relative likelihood of success with and without technological skills has some validity to it I feel, but really the best thing I could say about this article is that it stirs up thought about the issue and how important we think our own levels of technological literacy are. Apart from that it is mainly just an opinionated rant.

David

This is a challenging but easy to read article called Listen to the Natives. It’s interesting in that it points out the differences between those brought up with digital technology (referred to as “Digital Natives”) and those from the previous generations who have had to learn digital technology (”Digital Immigrants”) and the challenges this poses for teachers, who are probably ‘immigrants’, teaching children who are ‘natives’.

The article points out that technology is changing so fast, and ‘natives’ ability to absorb that change is so great, that even in-service training for teachers is useless. This article suggests that teachers need to take their teaching cues from the students themselves and allow the students greater say and control of their digital learning. It seems they feel teaching should be more about facilitating the students applying their knowledge to the tasks at hand.

This is all well and good but I feel technology is not an end in itself. Indeed there are many time wasting and superfluous uses of it. One only has to take a stroll through the university library to see how many computer screens are attending to Facebook at any given time. Students may indeed be aware of a wide range of computer uses and applications, and it is good to draw on that, but they need to learn to control and use technology, and not have it control them. This is where ‘Digital Immigrants’ (teachers) have a valuable role in the classroom.

The article goes on to discuss the concept of ‘herding’. In other words students being obliged to attend to specified tasks as a group or class, which it suggests is only for the teacher’s benefit. There may be a valid point here that for the sake of expediency or control teacher’s try to manage the class being involved in the same activities. The article’s suggestion that students be allowed to choose what they want to be part of may have value in allowing them to explore their capabilities and creativity, but it may also be reflecting notions of individuality and a desire for personal control that are more prevalent now.

Somewhat surprisingly the writer even advocates the use of mobile phones in the classroom, saying basically that it’s up to the teacher to be more engaging and entertaining than the attention getting aspects of a mobile phone. It seems paying attention out of respect for the teacher has gone by the by, and God forbid that people might get bored. Does this reflect that the speed of technology has given a generation of people the attention span of a gnat? Maybe I’m a dinosaur, but I feel that technology has great advantages for practical use, but let’s not throw out of human relationship, mutual and interpersonal communication and interaction in the process.

David

So far this semester in some ways it’s been information overload being exposed to such a wide range of resources and digital capabilities for education. However it has also made me acutely aware of the enormous potential for education that the digital age brings.

One thing that I have appreciated about the course so far is that there is a strong emphasis on using technology for sound educational reasons, not just for its own sake. I wholeheartedly concur with this approach. In seeing so many programs and websites which all have there varied uses, I find I want to just focus on ones that enhance the learning experience and add value to people’s lives rather than ones that cause you to spend a lot of time administering them but have limited real value or use.

We have learnt a lot of techniques already. Making podcasts (I never imagined it could be so straightforward) and embedding look to be particularly useful. LAMS also looks to be a seriously useful tool for a teacher. I am already quite familiar with iMovie, and therefore am well aware of the possibilities that that presents, however, I wasn’t aware that Garageband had so many wide applications.

I have never done blogging until now, and I must say I am in two minds about it. I can see some good potential for it in a professional sense, e.g. someone puts out some ideas for comment from some research they have done and people offer helpful feedback; however, some of the literature links that have been blogs have been largely opinionated rants. From what I have seen of blogs in general on the web, substantiated research seems to be given little regard. So I can’t see a lot of value in merely maintaining a blog to just ‘blow my trumpet’. I could have a lot of opinions on a lot of topics but who really cares what I think? Nonetheless it has been interesting visiting the ‘blogosphere’ and seeing what it’s all about.

Overall though, so far e-Learning has been an eye-opener and I’m sure I will be picking the eyes out of the available resources for my digital toolbox.

Listened to a really interesting podcast this week about creative play with Professor Mitch Resnick from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Link: Resnick Podcast

He has spent years researching the question: What
happens when you encourage children to be creative doers and thinkers rather
than passive learners?
He says the old style of learning has focussed on the transmission of
information from teacher to student. He sees teaching for this generation as
being about creative learning where children learn through doing and
creating. Technology can greatly assist in this process. He sums up the
learning process thus: imagine – create – play – share – iterate (repeat)

He sees the future need of society being for creative thinkers to deal with
rapidly changing social conditions. Teaching creative thinking will assist
children in inventing opportunities for themselves and the society around
them in the future. This in turn will he believes help them to feel in
control of their lives. It’s a valuable article to access because it gives
some really worthwhile insights into a way of thinking and teaching that
prepares children for the future both personally and for society’s benefit.

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