Assessment 2
As a requirement of becoming a teacher in the 21st century I am attempting to become technologically savvy. As I have embarked on my Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (GDLT), I am not only learning new approaches in academics but also new uses of technology through my courseware in Information Communications Technologies (ICT’s). I am hoping that not only will this knowledge enhance my teaching skills but hopefully make me a better teacher as I create more relevant and engaging lessons.
As stated in Dimensions of Learning, Dimension 4. “The purpose of acquiring knowledge is to be able to use it meaningfully.” (Marzano & Pickering. 1999. P 189). I feel that this statement not only applies to school but to anyone furthering their education in general. (Not just in a scholastic sense). Taking into consideration the different learning abilities of students, technology based learning no longer disadvantages those with learning difficulties and in conjunction with being aware of different learning styles and personalities a more student centered learning environment will be produced.
Over the past several weeks I have been introduced to blogs, wikis, an-line journals (Mahara) and a multitude of technical applications to enhance many aspects of teaching and learning. Using these technologies will create a more relevant curriculum and prepare our students for their futures. As stated in Futurework (1999. P 3) “The continued evolution of technology affects both existing and future jobs.” This article stresses the importance of using technology in school, as jobs in our future will not even have been created yet.
Students today have more electronic gadgets than any generation before them and this in itself is reason enough to try and keep them engaged during the learning process. It is no wonder Greg Kearsley and Ben Shneiderman (1999. P 1) are implementing their Engagement Theory to promote “a framework for technology-based teaching and learning”. Teaching students using strategies from last century (1970’s, 80’s and 90’s) will lose their interest as there is no relevance in the class delivery.
Many of the students in my university study group have benefited by being a part of a team. Learning becomes so much easier when you communicate freely with your peers and lecturers via on-line courseware (Moodle) and our personal blogs because it has created “successful collaborative teams”. (Kearsley & Shneiderman. 1999. P1). It is in this way that using ICT’s in class succeed. Computers are a fantastic research tool but we can take that one step further, by incorporating what the students already know (LMQ 1) in their use of email and MSN as a communication tool and get them to use the same principles in school. This produces an “authentic setting for learning” (Kearsley & Shneiderman. 1999. P 5) by using the components Relate-Create-Donate, (Kearsley & Shneiderman. 1999. P1) and should improve the learning skills of individual students by giving them a relevant purpose with their work.
Making use of Wikis promotes the students to actively engage in group work in and out of school and is an indispensable tool for remote or incapacitated students to keep up to date with school projects. Being able to incorporate many other technologies into the Wiki, such as you tube clips, images, videos and Vokis provides an engaging tool to participate in class activities with authentic outcomes.
Students creating Blogs provides a tool for communication, encouraging quality work as it has the possibility of being viewed by many. Blogs can be used by teachers so that students may access lessons, for revision, or information for projects outside of school. Encouraging students to use the new software programs (for example: Photo Shop and Corel Draw, etc) to enhance/ embellish their work keeps them more focussed on the task at hand simply because they are using technology. Teaching with ICT’s promotes good rapport between the teacher and the student as we no longer appear “square or nerdy”.
Vokis and Avatars are a whole lot of fun. They are perfect to introduce new topics or electronic bodies of work by novelty factor alone. A tool that teaches unsuspectedly is priceless. The fun factor is a silent encouragement to play with visual concepts and sound. Literacy skills will be enhanced by the unwary student. I have expanded on these technologies in my previous blog entries: http://gdlts0190268.blogspot.com/2010/04/icts-in-education.html
Powerpoint presentations are a very effective way to cater for all learners. When used to their full capacity they can engage auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners. Used in conjunction with an Interactive Whiteboard this becomes a very strong teaching tool. Having had the opportunity to teach in this way recently, I found that the students are engaged and are willing to participate and contribute to the learning experience.
In conclusion the further into my studies I get, the more I realise how important it is to include ICT’s in the curriculum. Providing authentic activities to engage students will provide them with the scaffolding to become life-long learners. Using technology has now become a fact of life and in order for our students to become proficient at it, we, the teacher also need to become proficient.
Blogs I have commented on:
Futurework. (1999) Trends and Challenged for work in the 21st century.
Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design,
Kearsley, G., and Schneiderman, B. (n.d.) Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44470
Marzano. R.J. & Pickering. D.J. (1997) Dimensions of Learning (2nd ed). Alexandria, Virginia USA. McREL.
