“In order to challenge digital technologies to deliver a genuinely enhanced learning experience, it is possible to use the educational theories already developed about what it takes to learn” (Laurillard, 2009). Effectiveness of collaborative learning largely depends on the quality of student interaction (Kaendler, Wiedmann, Rummel, & Spada, 2015).
Laurillard(2009) writes about four different learning theories:
Instructionism is the most prominent theory with instruction being the main focus and using technology for assessing.
Constructionism is building knowledge from making doing and sharing. Learners have to share and discuss the actions they take, and the products they make, in the practice environment (Laurillard, 2009).
Socio-cultural learning is the importance of conversation in learning and making use of communications technologies (Laurillard, 2009).
Collaborative learning combines the social and construction elements of learning and integrates technology to support both.
The best approach for my assignment and lesson planning is a combination of all learning theories as each approach focuses on a different aspect of the learning process and different uses of digital technologies.
Kaendler, C., Wiedmann, M., Rummel, N., & Spada, H. (2015). Teacher Competencies for the Implementation of Collaborative Learning in the Classroom: a Framework and Research Review. Educational Psychology Review, 505-536.
Laurillard, D. (2009). The pedagogical challenges to collaborative technologies. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5-20.
Friday 5 February 2016
Thursday 4 February 2016
Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning as defined by Chai & Tan, 2010 (as cited in, Sing, Wei-Ying, Hyo-Jeong, & Mun, 2011) is social interactions that targets deeper knowledge. De Hei, Strijbos, Sjoer, & Admiraal (2015) states collaborative learning contributes to student education and prepares them for teamwork if planned and implemented properly.
The key issues raised about collaborative learning for teachers and students by Sing, Wei-Ying, Hyo-Jeong, & Mun (2011) are:
• Students are engaged in off-task talking
• Group members may not contribute good ideas
• Students may have difficulties resolving conflicts
To overcome these difficulties teachers need to take into account the social and cognitive benefits for collaborative learning. When working in these groups students need to feel safe and supported, have a good scaffold and set learning goals to build skills, variety of assessment, feedback to promote positive independence. Students will work productively in groups if they are provided with more choices on their topic and the people who form their group. Studies have shown they learn better, socially bond, gain ideas and complement their team’s strengths (Sing, Wei-Ying, Hyo-Jeong, & Mun, 2011).
Describe briefly (one or two sentences) what a group of your students would look like if they were using a form of ICT of your choosing and participating in each of the following:
The teacher uses open ended questioning and a looser structure so the student has a greater power over the direction and nature of the learning activity using the ICT and their skills in using it (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). An activity where all students could be involved at the same time could be a Google Doc for prior knowledge details before a unit starts or to voice an opinion on a topic.
Synergistic interactivity is independent reflective activity carried out by students collectively in the whole-class setting (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). A synergistic interactivity for the class would be to create a mind map as a whole class activity using MindMup, MindMeister or Lucodchart.
I could use a variety of Interactivity with ICT in my assignment depending on the type of activity the students were engaging in.
The key issues raised about collaborative learning for teachers and students by Sing, Wei-Ying, Hyo-Jeong, & Mun (2011) are:
• Students are engaged in off-task talking
• Group members may not contribute good ideas
• Students may have difficulties resolving conflicts
To overcome these difficulties teachers need to take into account the social and cognitive benefits for collaborative learning. When working in these groups students need to feel safe and supported, have a good scaffold and set learning goals to build skills, variety of assessment, feedback to promote positive independence. Students will work productively in groups if they are provided with more choices on their topic and the people who form their group. Studies have shown they learn better, socially bond, gain ideas and complement their team’s strengths (Sing, Wei-Ying, Hyo-Jeong, & Mun, 2011).
Describe briefly (one or two sentences) what a group of your students would look like if they were using a form of ICT of your choosing and participating in each of the following:
Group interaction
Is group work is set up in advance by the teacher but is coordinated by the learners who work independently with minimal input from the teacher (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). A group activity that may be set in the classroom would be for a group of students to use iMovie to create an end of year pictorial of what the class had done that year or an excursion movie to be played at a school assembly.Authoritative interactivity
Authoritative interaction with ICT is when the teacher plans fixed questions with specific answers (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). This could be used as an assessment task in the classroom. The use of Google forms, Survey Monkey or Active Vote on the interactive whiteboards could be examples of authoritative interactivity.Dialectic interactivity
Dialectic interactivity with ICT is a constructive mode, where the learner is the object of probing questioning by a teacher and is planned so the student can understand the subject matter (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). This could be an activity where a teacher has hyperlinked websites to a class blog for the student to access particular sites to gain knowledge on a topic or perhaps a web quest.Dialogic interactivity
The teacher uses open ended questioning and a looser structure so the student has a greater power over the direction and nature of the learning activity using the ICT and their skills in using it (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). An activity where all students could be involved at the same time could be a Google Doc for prior knowledge details before a unit starts or to voice an opinion on a topic.
Synergistic interactivity
Synergistic interactivity is independent reflective activity carried out by students collectively in the whole-class setting (Beauchamp & Kennewell, 2010). A synergistic interactivity for the class would be to create a mind map as a whole class activity using MindMup, MindMeister or Lucodchart.
I could use a variety of Interactivity with ICT in my assignment depending on the type of activity the students were engaging in.
Beauchamp, G., & Kennewell, S. (2010). Learning in Digital Worlds: Selected Contributions from the CAL 09 Conference. Computers & Education, 759–766.
De Hei, M. S., Strijbos, J.-W., Sjoer, E., & Admiraal, W. (2015). Collaborative learning in higher education: lecturers’ practices and beliefs. Research Papers in Education, 232-247.
Simmons, C., & Hawkins, C. (2009). Planning to teach an ICT lesson. In Teaching ICT (pp. 54-105). London: SAge Publications Ltd.
Sing, C. C., Wei-Ying, L., Hyo-Jeong, S., & Mun, C. H. (2011). Advancing Collaborative Learning With ICT: Conception, Cases and Design. Singapore: Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Wednesday 3 February 2016
Classroom Behaviour Management and Technology
The five elements of classroom management identified by Lim, Pek & Chai (2005) discusses supporting activities for ICT tools for lessons, the role of the teacher, establishing expectations and procedures using ICT and the role of students and technical support.
Supporting Activities for ICT Tools
Teachers can sometimes assume students are able to effectively complete all tasks using ICT because they are Digital Natives. Just like any other task children need to have a clear understanding of what they need to do to and the skills to successfully complete an activity. Providing effective explicit teaching of new skills, printed instructions for regular activities as well as some peer assistance could be beneficial to students who are still developing their skills. Teachers therefore need to identify students who need extra support using ICT and model and guide them to develop their confidence and minimize behavioural issues.
Role of Teacher
The teacher's role is transformed through incorporating technology into teaching and learning (Rose & Kadvekar, 2015). Therefore teachers guide their students by becoming facilitators of learning when using ICT in the classroom. This approach is not new to most inquiry based schools but some teachers may need to adjust their management style to accommodate ICT to ensure classroom harmony and task completion. Teachers need to be aware and monitoring the classroom while students are using ICT. Teacher’s expectations, routines and supervision need to be establish to ensure they are conscious of everything that is happening in the classroom.
Role of Student Helpers
Student helpers give teachers and extra set of skills and the opportunity to focus on the lessons (Lim, Pek, & Chai, 2005). Assigning students the responsibilty to handle remedial tasks or peer tutor their skills ensures the teachers are able to guide struggling students and considerably improve the student’s technological knowledge.
The Role of Technical Assistants
Technical assistants are not usually found in the classroom during lessons. The technical assistants that work in our system are behind the scenes purchasing and maintaining hardware and software.
Establishment of Rules and Procedures
Establishing rules and procedures when using ICT should be explicitly taught before the technology is used. In the example from Lim, Pek, & Chai (2005) it appears the example discussed was a computer lab situation. It has been more than ten years since this article so most computer labs have now been dismantled with schools opting for more hardware in individual classes. With more technology available the need for rules and procedures is essential to help the teacher manage the lesson. Teachers using positive reinforcement will increase the student’s positive behaviours (Roblyer & Doering, 2014) during these lessons. Students need to understand there will interruptions to their screen time and the students also need to manage their time to ensure smooth transition between lessons.
These five elements are incorporated into every lesson in classrooms to create a positive environment for learning and to effectively reach curriculum outcomes.
Interactive Computer Technology
Teaching young children is a behaviour management nightmare for some teachers. This age group are active, egocentric and always wanting to take center stage. Incorporating interactive computer technology is a way to have all the learners focused and help maintain a productive classroom. The interactivity has a dual purpose. Not only does it help manage the group but it also encourages positive peer feedback with the right guidance. I use interactive activities every day in a variety of lessons and contexts. The children love to show everyone how clever they are or become the teacher when they come to the front of the class.
In conclusion I believe if your lessons are challenging and engaging classroom management issues will be minimal and everyone will have a productive experience.
Lim, C. P., Meow , S. P., & Ching , S. C. (2005). Classroom management issues in information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated learning environments: back to the basics. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, p391.
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Essex: Pearson.
Rose, A., & Kadvekar, S. (2015). ICT (Information And Communication Technologies) Adoption Model For Educational Institutions. Journal of Commerce and Management Thought, 558-570.
Supporting Activities for ICT Tools
Teachers can sometimes assume students are able to effectively complete all tasks using ICT because they are Digital Natives. Just like any other task children need to have a clear understanding of what they need to do to and the skills to successfully complete an activity. Providing effective explicit teaching of new skills, printed instructions for regular activities as well as some peer assistance could be beneficial to students who are still developing their skills. Teachers therefore need to identify students who need extra support using ICT and model and guide them to develop their confidence and minimize behavioural issues.
Role of Teacher
The teacher's role is transformed through incorporating technology into teaching and learning (Rose & Kadvekar, 2015). Therefore teachers guide their students by becoming facilitators of learning when using ICT in the classroom. This approach is not new to most inquiry based schools but some teachers may need to adjust their management style to accommodate ICT to ensure classroom harmony and task completion. Teachers need to be aware and monitoring the classroom while students are using ICT. Teacher’s expectations, routines and supervision need to be establish to ensure they are conscious of everything that is happening in the classroom.
Role of Student Helpers
Student helpers give teachers and extra set of skills and the opportunity to focus on the lessons (Lim, Pek, & Chai, 2005). Assigning students the responsibilty to handle remedial tasks or peer tutor their skills ensures the teachers are able to guide struggling students and considerably improve the student’s technological knowledge.
The Role of Technical Assistants
Technical assistants are not usually found in the classroom during lessons. The technical assistants that work in our system are behind the scenes purchasing and maintaining hardware and software.
Establishment of Rules and Procedures
Establishing rules and procedures when using ICT should be explicitly taught before the technology is used. In the example from Lim, Pek, & Chai (2005) it appears the example discussed was a computer lab situation. It has been more than ten years since this article so most computer labs have now been dismantled with schools opting for more hardware in individual classes. With more technology available the need for rules and procedures is essential to help the teacher manage the lesson. Teachers using positive reinforcement will increase the student’s positive behaviours (Roblyer & Doering, 2014) during these lessons. Students need to understand there will interruptions to their screen time and the students also need to manage their time to ensure smooth transition between lessons.
These five elements are incorporated into every lesson in classrooms to create a positive environment for learning and to effectively reach curriculum outcomes.
Interactive Computer Technology
Teaching young children is a behaviour management nightmare for some teachers. This age group are active, egocentric and always wanting to take center stage. Incorporating interactive computer technology is a way to have all the learners focused and help maintain a productive classroom. The interactivity has a dual purpose. Not only does it help manage the group but it also encourages positive peer feedback with the right guidance. I use interactive activities every day in a variety of lessons and contexts. The children love to show everyone how clever they are or become the teacher when they come to the front of the class.
In conclusion I believe if your lessons are challenging and engaging classroom management issues will be minimal and everyone will have a productive experience.
Lim, C. P., Meow , S. P., & Ching , S. C. (2005). Classroom management issues in information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated learning environments: back to the basics. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, p391.
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Essex: Pearson.
Rose, A., & Kadvekar, S. (2015). ICT (Information And Communication Technologies) Adoption Model For Educational Institutions. Journal of Commerce and Management Thought, 558-570.
Monday 1 February 2016
Planning and Conducting Lessons with Technology
Deciding on the objectives and assessments is in Phase 2, Step 3 in the Technology Integration Planning Model (Roblyer & Doering, 2014). If the teachers have clear expectations and a focus on observable outcomes, they can plan a range of assessment strategies including ICT (Board of Studies) as part of an ongoing process. These assessments should be valid and based on syllabus outcomes.
The lessons I have in my assignment are based on Kindergarten English. To assess these lessons I would view the quiz results in the Raz Kids website to check comprehension skills of my students to cover the outcome:
ENe4A demonstrates developing skills and strategies to read, view and comprehend short, predictable texts on familiar topics in different media and technologies.
I could also see the improvements from working with the handwriting app from pretest samples of the child’s handwriting and post test samples to cover the outcome:
ENe3A produces most lower case and upper case letters and uses digital technologies to construct texts.
Board of Studies. (n.d.). Kindergarten - Year 6 Assessment Strategies. Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://syllabus.bostes.nsw.edu.au/support-materials/k-6-assessment-strategies/
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Essex: Pearson.
The lessons I have in my assignment are based on Kindergarten English. To assess these lessons I would view the quiz results in the Raz Kids website to check comprehension skills of my students to cover the outcome:
ENe4A demonstrates developing skills and strategies to read, view and comprehend short, predictable texts on familiar topics in different media and technologies.
I could also see the improvements from working with the handwriting app from pretest samples of the child’s handwriting and post test samples to cover the outcome:
ENe3A produces most lower case and upper case letters and uses digital technologies to construct texts.
Board of Studies. (n.d.). Kindergarten - Year 6 Assessment Strategies. Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://syllabus.bostes.nsw.edu.au/support-materials/k-6-assessment-strategies/
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Essex: Pearson.
Planning Lessons with Technology
Roblyer & Doering (2014) tell us to integrate technology we need to understand what outcomes we expect from using technology as well as knowing the best way of assessing the outcomes.
When planning for lessons I use DuFour’s four critical questions
1. What do we want our students to learn?
2. How will we know they have learned it?
3. How will we respond when they don’t learn?
4. How will we respond if they already know it?
These questions help me to make sure the curriculum is my main focus.
Lesson plans are a planning tool (Simmons & Hawkins, 2009). Every teacher plans their lessons in their own way and in varying styles. When planning my lessons I create a day book from my Key Learning Area programs. While creating this day book I prepare my lessons for the coming week including all resources and tools need for those lessons. It is important to go through this lesson planning process for every lesson (Simmons & Hawkins, 2009) to ensure you are organised, the lesson runs smoothly and you are focused on the learning outcomes.
At the start of each lesson we discuss prior lessons and what we are learning to do this lesson - our lesson aim. I will then do a warm up activity which is something to capture the children’s attention encourage them to want to be involved. I will then model or explicitly teach the content before the children complete an individual task on at their level. During this independent time I will assist any children who need it and give positive feedback to all students. At the end of the lesson we will reflect and review our learning goal.
I am not in the habit of using set lesson plans as I like to cater all lessons to the needs of the class that I have. I did find The Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Lessons, 2012-2015) website has a range of lesson plans. http://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/
The greatest advice I would give to a new teacher is to plan ahead and be prepared. There is always something happening at school which takes your relief from face to face teaching time when you had planned to get something done like extra-curricular activities, Professional Learning Team meetings, meetings with other teachers or staff, meetings with parents, OT, Speech Pathologists, Special Needs planning and meetings the list is endless.
Australian Curriculum Lessons. (2012-2015). Australian Curriculum Lessons. Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into
Teaching. Essex:Pearson.
Simmons, C., & Hawkins, C. (2009). Planning to teach an ICT lesson. In Teaching
ICT (pp. 54-105). London: SAge Publications Ltd.
When planning for lessons I use DuFour’s four critical questions
1. What do we want our students to learn?
2. How will we know they have learned it?
3. How will we respond when they don’t learn?
4. How will we respond if they already know it?
These questions help me to make sure the curriculum is my main focus.
Lesson plans are a planning tool (Simmons & Hawkins, 2009). Every teacher plans their lessons in their own way and in varying styles. When planning my lessons I create a day book from my Key Learning Area programs. While creating this day book I prepare my lessons for the coming week including all resources and tools need for those lessons. It is important to go through this lesson planning process for every lesson (Simmons & Hawkins, 2009) to ensure you are organised, the lesson runs smoothly and you are focused on the learning outcomes.
At the start of each lesson we discuss prior lessons and what we are learning to do this lesson - our lesson aim. I will then do a warm up activity which is something to capture the children’s attention encourage them to want to be involved. I will then model or explicitly teach the content before the children complete an individual task on at their level. During this independent time I will assist any children who need it and give positive feedback to all students. At the end of the lesson we will reflect and review our learning goal.
I am not in the habit of using set lesson plans as I like to cater all lessons to the needs of the class that I have. I did find The Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Lessons, 2012-2015) website has a range of lesson plans. http://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/
The greatest advice I would give to a new teacher is to plan ahead and be prepared. There is always something happening at school which takes your relief from face to face teaching time when you had planned to get something done like extra-curricular activities, Professional Learning Team meetings, meetings with other teachers or staff, meetings with parents, OT, Speech Pathologists, Special Needs planning and meetings the list is endless.
Australian Curriculum Lessons. (2012-2015). Australian Curriculum Lessons. Retrieved February 1, 2016, from http://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating Educational Technology into
Teaching. Essex:Pearson.
Simmons, C., & Hawkins, C. (2009). Planning to teach an ICT lesson. In Teaching
ICT (pp. 54-105). London: SAge Publications Ltd.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)