Reflective Synopsis

Introduction

When reflecting on the dynamic nature of education, it is evident that over the past decade a major shift has occurred in the realms of learning and pedagogical theories. This has specifically been fuelled by the increasing impact technology has had on society and culture. Perhaps the most directive of all recent technologies in the arena of information and thought transversal, is the internet, and in particular, Web 2.0. This vast network includes applications and tools for social interaction, for expression, for collaboration, and for sharing, exchanging and producing knowledge (O’Reilly, 2005).

At the centre of Web 2.0 lies the notion of connection (view introduction to this blog). Younger generations who have grown up in the midst of these developments are natives to a highly digitalised and connected world (Prensky, 2001). Considering the fact that today’s young people are used to such a great level of instant connectivity, it would be understandable if they felt disengaged and discontented without these technologies, which have become a part of their daily “vocabulary”. McMahon and Pospisil (2005, p.421) found in their studies that millennial students focus on social interaction and ‘connectedness’ with friends, family and colleagues, preferring group-based approaches to study and social activities.

The direct implication of this in terms of education is that learning managers are challenged to facilitate learning which is equally as connective and socially engaging. This gives way to the notion of connectivism – a learning theory that essentially builds upon constructivist perspectives of education and values social interaction as an integral aspect of knowledge construction (Siemens, 2005). Exploring and harnessing the immense capabilities of web 2.0 and other ICTs to facilitate rich learning is therefore the answer to the demands of both the contemporary learner, as well as the 21^st century knowledge economy. See mindmap.

Through this course some online applications and ICT tools have been investigated and, with the above theory in mind, their use for educational purposes evaluated. This blog contains entries related to: Blogs, Concept maps, Wiki’s, Websites, PowerPoint, prezi, images (Flickr, Picnik), using video (YouTube) /Creating video, Google Earth and Skype.

Typical of Web 2.0 applications/sites, all of the above are characterised by their capabilities to allow for collaboration, expression and interaction. Anderson (2005, p.4) describes the concept of educational social software as “…. Networked tools that support and encourage individuals to learn together while retaining control over their time, space, presence, activity, identity and relationship”. It is the social presence afforded in these technologies that allow students to have a face and voice that is not only social but also effective in a community of inquiry (Rourke, Anderson, Archer, & Garrison, 1999).

Context

Of all the above tools that were investigated through this course, only some were considered for further discussion in this reflective synopsis, due to their suitability as aligned to my future teaching context. I considered each tool under the light of primary school education and its usefulness for students and teachers typical to that environment. More specifically, I anticipate a student profile of learners aged between 9 and 12 years of age – a developmental stage which is characterised by enthusiastic, information-hungry individuals. This context really extends rather than limits the opportunities for ICT integration into the classroom curriculum, especially since year 4-7 learners have mostly already acquired a great deal of computer literacy and digital communication skills. Generally, this cohort is well looked-after by school communities in terms of their access to resource, so I envision a classroom with an Interactive White Board, and a number of desktop computers (or even a Netbook computers per learner).

If the manner in which these tools are utilised within the curriculum…

- places emphasis on learning, not on the actual technology;

- allows the learning manager to supervise and monitor learners using certain websites;

- protect learners’ privacy and identity at all times,

then considerations for using these e-learning tools with this age-group would have been covered sufficiently. Other limitations would include the degree of technical ability of students, where, for instance, a year 7 student would not be expected to utilise photo or video software to the degree a high schooler can. Taking into consideration the fact that learners at this age are only still developing many higher order thinking processes, independent learning skills and social interaction abilities, tools like Blogs and Wiki’s would not be as in-depth, and consequently as easily engaging as they would be for older aged students.

Four Digital/E-learning tools

In the light of this context, I have decided to reflect upon the usefulness of the following tools:

Digital photos (including Flickr and Picnik), Google Earth, Skype and digital video (including YouTube and MovieMaker).

1. Digital Photos

“Millenials not only value connectedness and interaction, but they are predominantly visual and active learners”. (McMahon & Pospisil, 2005 p. 421)

In my blog entry Picture this, I argue for the inclusion of digital photography into school curriculums from a visual literacy perspective. A host of links to useful, online image-tools are posted on that blog. In the following two blog entries, Creative Commons and Flickr and Let’s go on a picnic, I discussed in more depth the diverse pedagogical strengths of Flickr and Picnik. These entries contend that Digital Photography in the classroom is especially useful for the pedagogical purposes of transforming information and presenting knowledge – both of which form part of pedagogical frameworks like the Big Six and Bloom’s taxonomy. Most of the classroom activities I discussed as they relate to Flickr and Picnik involved the following higher-order thinking skills:

- Analysis

Learners are required to analyse the syntax and semantics of visual texts and make meaning of an image, what it communicates and how that image communicates a particular message. Through experimenting with various elements of an image with Picnik’s creative functions, and through being exposed to various image-genre’s by browsing Flickr, learners engage in the intellectual functions of analysis and deconstruction. Furthermore, these skills coincide with scientific literacy through labeling pictures and English curriculum through storybook analysis.

- Evaluation

Learners evaluate their own visual (and other) products or creations, and that of their peers, through documenting a process and commenting on each others’ work online. By collaborating online with other students through Flickr, they learn to critique and discuss constructively.

- Creation

Examples of creative applications for this e-tool can be found by looking at Digital storytelling, artistic visual expression, and preparing content to be presentable to an audience (photo manipulation, the use of digital cameras, etc.). This is the arena in which these e-tools really come to life.

2. Google Earth

Apart from reflecting on my personal affinity towards Google Earth, I have argued for the inclusion of Google Earth into school curricula in my blog entry, Where’s Wally. This application enables learners to gain a realistic picture of the world in which they live, through a highly visual, highly interactive interface, interesting enough to captivate the attention of even the most blaze learners. Google Earth can help to foster spatial thinking and develop critical technology and thinking skills. Lesson plans can be developed to help students consider the construct, context, and quality of spatial data. Students can also work independently on an interactive basis while also collaborating with others with comparable interests (Patterson, 2007).

This tool is therefore especially useful for accessing or gaining information in an authentic manner. This stretches beyond geography: Google Earth’s layer function offers versatility of subject matter and consequently practically any information – be it up-to-date Flickr pictures, Wikipedia articles or historical events – can be interpreted from a spatial perspective in an interactive manner.

3. Skype

This application offers a powerful collaborative tool enabling learners to connect with people anywhere in the world for the purposes of

- Accessing information through talking to or hearing from experts or professionals;

- Consolidating knowledge through interaction, conversation and discussion with people across the world;

- Transforming knowledge through connecting it to real-life applications and contexts, and seeing it from different perspectives.

- Presenting knowledge to an audience outside of the classroom environment.

In my blog entry on Skype, I mentioned the fact that it allows learning managers to connect learners with those who are directly related to what they’re learning about, instead of simply teaching learners a topic from an outsider’s point of view. Marzano and Pickering outlines in the Dimensions of Learning framework that learning is maximised when learners perceive their classroom tasks as valuable and interesting (Marzano and Pickering, 2006). What better way to do this than to give them opportunities to be connected to a “world of teachers”, instead of one.

4. Digital Video (YouTube/MovieMaker)

Much of what has been mentioned above regarding digital images is true for Digital video as well. In the blog post “Video killed the library staff” I outlined a theoretical construct which argues for the inclusion of video as a transformative learning tool. Perhaps the greatest argument in terms of including video, is the fact that no other form of media is so prevalent in our culture, and the fact that it is so engaging. It appeals to a variety of learning styles. In my blog post I also made extensive reference to YouTube as a necessary component to classroom curricula, specifically because of this previously mentioned fact. From investigating the various possible uses of video clips, I concluded that it can assist learning along any of the six stages of The Big Six pedagogical framework. I have resolved to collect video clips from this website under different categories, each useful for the different stages of the learning continuum. Furthermore, learners are able to utilise higher-order thinking when presenting knowledge through video. They can publish it on YouTube/Vimeo and further collaboration could occur, prompting evaluation of the product.

Conclusion

Conclusively, it is notable that all of the above mentioned tools or applications have been portrayed more useful for their ability to tie learners to a greater network of knowledge interaction than what the classroom or teacher alone can offer. In the process of interacting with this course’s material and through reflecting on the notion of connection and its relevance to learning, I am convinced that my task as learning manager is to enable my learners to be fully engaged with the dynamic, global learning exchange of the 21^st Century knowledge economy.

References

Anderson, T. (2005). Distance learning – social software's killer ap? Paper presented at the ODLAA

Breaking Down Barriers Adelaide, South Australia.

Doering, A. & Veletsianos, G. (2007). An investigation of the use of real-time authentic geospatial data in the k-12 classroom. Journal of Geography, 106(6), 217 – 225. Retrieved online, August, 2010, from

http://www.informaworld.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/smpp/section?content=a791422810&fulltext=713240928

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., Arredondo, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Moffett, C. A., et al. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Virginia, USA: McREL.

McMahon, M., & Pospisil, R. (2005). Laptops for a Digital Lifestyle: The Role of Ubiquitous Mobile

Technology in Supporting the Needs of Millennial Students. Paper presented at the EDUCAUSE

AUSTRALASIA Conference: The Next Wave of Collaboration.http://www.educause.auckland.ac.nz/?15

O'Reilly, T. (2005). What Is Web 2.0:Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of

Software [Electronic Version]. Retrieved August 2010 from

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html.

Patterson, T.C., (2007). Google earth as a (not just) geographic education tool. Journal of Geography,106 (4), 145-152. Retrieved online, August, 2010, from http://www.informaworld.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/smpp/section?content=a788160864&fulltext=713240928

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon. MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001.

Rourke, L., Anderson, T., Archer, W., & Garrison, D. R. (1999). Assessing social presence in

asynchronous, text-based computer conferences. Journal of Distance Education, 14(3), 51-70.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning Theory for the digital Age. Retrieved online, August 2010, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Comments

JACQUES said...

I have posted a link to our Ensuring Student Success wiki on my blog. So for anyone who was interested to look at that wiki as a workin example of what Selina was talking about, then just go

to my blog, entry number 3.

August 28, 2010 2:21 AM

JACQUES said…

Hi Hannah. Certainly true - especially in your context of teaching HPE - that pictures are much more

effective for instruction. However, I'm not so sure if I can agree with the general statement you made that

images are more effective than podcasts simply because it gives a visual link to the information. I would like

to believe that for some learners who have a preference for aural learning, podcasts would be just as engaging

as pictures. August 28, 2010 2:38 AM

JACQUES said…

I agree with Rikky, that this e-tool is right up in the geography/history/science alley. I've been thinking of

ways you can incorporate Google Earth into your HPE lessons, and I wondered whether the idea of

sport/human movement across the world is something you can look into? Perhaps use Google Earth as

a means of letting your learners investigate specific sport events like the Olympic Games or Soccer World Cup.

Then there's always the history/geography behind various sports: where did a sport come from, why do they play

certain sports in certain regions, how does environment affect movement, etc. Something to think about, but a

challenge for sure! August 28, 2010 2:44 AM

JACQUES said…

I have posted a link to our Ensuring Student Success wiki on my blog. So for anyone who was interested to

look at that wiki as a working example of what Selina was talking about, then just go to my blog, entry number 3.

August 28, 2010 2:21 AM

JACQUES said…

please note that, on this mind-map, Connectivism is not meant to be connected to Behaviourism.

That line actually continues through to ICT. I know the connection lines in my mind-map may come

across as being random but they are well thought-through, i promise!

on Concept map on 8/28/10

JACQUES said…Thanks Hannah. Until I read up about wiki's in conjunction with the week 2 content of our course, I wasn't

aware of all the many uses of it either!

on 8/29/10

JACQUES said…

Thanks Selina and Hannah. Now the challenge is for us to think of ways we can begin to incorporate

this effectively. 8/29/10

SELINA said…

I found that the lilnks to th good and bad design features website was very useful. Thank you.

You have also presented a convincing arguement on why teachers should use websites to support learning.

By Selina on On weevils and weebly on 8/28/10

HANNAH said…

This page would be really beneficial to any teacher..it was great how you used so many different examples

and not just in the one field either; you mentioned about how you could use blogs in primary, middle and

secondary school settings. I never knew that you could possibly use a wiki for so many different things

either... great job!

By Hannah on From slate and chalk to wiki and blog on 8/29/10

HANNAH said…

Creating a website is very time consuming and as teachers, there's not always heaps of time to be

spending on things which are unnecessary. But you have shown the significance of creating and using

these websites in the classroom to be effective. Teachers want to know that what they are using is worth

their time and effort. The weevil was pretty cool aswell!

By Hannah on On weevils and weebly on 8/29/10

HANNAH said…

Jacques, I love it. So true about the scenario you introduced at the start...haha. The use of references were

great and really added to your post. Great job!

By Hannah on Power down on 8/29/10

SELINA said…

Thank you Jacques I was wondering where it went.

August 28, 2010 4:52 AM