I must say that when I was scrolling through the Delivery Technologies topic on the Moodle website and came to the part which focused on PowerPoint presentations (Central Queensland University, 2009), I was relieved and starting to think that maybe there is a little bit of a Digital Native side to me as I am quite familiar with making and using PowerPoint’s (Prensky, 2001). The main reason why I am familiar with the program is, particularly during secondary school, our assignments required us to have a visual aide when giving presentations to our class. Therefore, PowerPoint’s were usually my choice of a visual aide as they were engaging to my class members and easy to make. When thinking back to when I first started creating PowerPoint presentations for school assignments, I must say that I wasn’t actually taught how to use the program by my teacher, and basically taught myself by mucking around with the user friendly functions.
When making presentations, I prefer to start mine from scratch rather than use a template provided in the program, as I feel that it gives the presentation more of a personal touch and can be designed to suit the particular educational outcomes of the learning experience. Although PowerPoint has been around for years, it is still effectively used within classroom environments by our digital native students today (Prensky, 2001), and I think that the fact that students still find the program engaging shows just how valuable the program can be when using it in the learning environment. One of the main advantages of using a PowerPoint Presentation within the classroom environment, is the fact that the presentation can be designed in order to incorporate all students preferred learning styles; either visual, auditory or kinaesthetic. Therefore, PowerPoint’s help to create an effective learning environment as the learning experience can be of a direct and purposeful nature for students (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).
On the Moodle website I undertook the PowerPoint in the classroom tutorial based upon PowerPoint presentations (ACT360 Media Ltd, 2009), and although I am fairly familiar with the program I found that the tutorial was worthwhile as it allowed me to refresh my prior knowledge learnt about the program, and update my terminology in regard to the programs features. I must say that I usually only make basic PowerPoint presentations by using colourful writing, clip art and slide transitions to engage my audience, and I have always found inserting video clips to be a challenge. However, since undertaking this tutorial I was enabled to overcome my challenge and successfully insert a video clip into a presentation.
Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
ACT360 Media Ltd. (2009). PowerPoint in the classroom. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.actden.com/pp/
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Voki's.
Voki’s were the next part of the digital technologies topic which I covered, and I must admit I would have to say I think I am simply just a digital immigrant (Prensky, 2001) as I had never heard of a Voki before, along with, as previously mentioned a RSS aggregator, Wiki and e.Portfolio (Central Queensland University, 2009).
As my students in my prac class are very interested in learning about Animals and the world in general, as part of their assessment they are required to build an animal enclosure for an animal to live in, therefore, I have decided to create a Voki avatar which has an educational use to it as it is informing the students of a task which they need to complete, whilst engaging the students by telling them the purpose of making an enclosure and who it is going to be made for.
Below is my avatar which I have made in relation to the students current unit Animal Homes:
Get a Voki now!
In relation to educational rationales, the Department of Education and Training states that;
“learning in the Technology key learning area is often structured around 'design challenges'. These provide students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations to which they can respond. Students often tackle design challenges in collaborative teams, working together to design and develop a wide range of viable solutions using materials, information and systems” (Department of Education and Training, 2009).
I strongly believe that by using Voki’s as a learning tool within the classroom environment supports the Department of Education and Training’s aim of providing students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations, along with working in a collaborative manner. Therefore, in regard to the conceptual frameworks from the learning design module I think that it would be fair to say that Voki’s are linked to the Learning Engagement theory as students can be provided with the opportunity to learn in a collaborative context whilst completing a project orientated task which has an outside focus (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), along with, learning retention occurring as students are required to use their prior knowledge learnt in order to complete their Voki and build upon their prior knowledge (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).
Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Department of Education and Training. (2009). Curriculum: learning and teaching assessment- technology. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/technology/index.html
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
As my students in my prac class are very interested in learning about Animals and the world in general, as part of their assessment they are required to build an animal enclosure for an animal to live in, therefore, I have decided to create a Voki avatar which has an educational use to it as it is informing the students of a task which they need to complete, whilst engaging the students by telling them the purpose of making an enclosure and who it is going to be made for.
Below is my avatar which I have made in relation to the students current unit Animal Homes:
Get a Voki now!
In relation to educational rationales, the Department of Education and Training states that;
“learning in the Technology key learning area is often structured around 'design challenges'. These provide students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations to which they can respond. Students often tackle design challenges in collaborative teams, working together to design and develop a wide range of viable solutions using materials, information and systems” (Department of Education and Training, 2009).
I strongly believe that by using Voki’s as a learning tool within the classroom environment supports the Department of Education and Training’s aim of providing students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations, along with working in a collaborative manner. Therefore, in regard to the conceptual frameworks from the learning design module I think that it would be fair to say that Voki’s are linked to the Learning Engagement theory as students can be provided with the opportunity to learn in a collaborative context whilst completing a project orientated task which has an outside focus (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), along with, learning retention occurring as students are required to use their prior knowledge learnt in order to complete their Voki and build upon their prior knowledge (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).
Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Department of Education and Training. (2009). Curriculum: learning and teaching assessment- technology. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/technology/index.html
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
e.Portfolio.
I found that the process of setting up an e.Portfolio was quite easy, and although I am not familiar with using the Mahara site it appears to be very user friendly and I have gained valuable information from the Mahara videos provided on the Moodle website (Central Queensland University, 2009). I am happy to say that I was able to successfully make my profile on Mahara, along with, create a view which at the moment only has a Technology Unit of work in it which I created in the course Technology Curriculum and Pedagogy last term. I have only put this unit of work up so far as I am currently using the Australian Animals in Captivity View and folder of files as a test run, and look forward to updating my e.Portfolio and adding more of my work to it throughout the journey of this course, in particular for Assessment Task Two.
I think that e.Portfolio’s offer users an incredible opportunity to store all of their work in the one place, which can be accessed wherever and whenever they want during their life, for example, a person could create and use the portfolio as a resource throughout their career by showing their portfolio of work at interviews when applying for a job. The use of using Mahara’s e.Portfolio service can be linked to the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) as it is an authentic task and learning in a collaborative context is provided as networking with people from around the world when creating views on your portfolio is optional, along with, commenting on discussion boards based upon a certain topic.
Within a school learning environment I think that e.Portfolio’s would be a useful tool to be used by students as it would be seen as an authentic task by them as it relates to their real life experiences as it could be used to help get them a job in the future. It would also be beneficial in the classroom environment as it would be engaging for students when delivered in a student centered manner.
I also think that it would be a useful tool for a learning manager to use as it would allow the learning manager to interact with learning managers worldwide, and rather reinvent the wheel when teaching learning managers could share their ideas and resources in order to help ensure that all students are provided with the opportunity to learn in an effective learning environment, as their learning would be enhanced through the range of resources being shared on the website.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
I think that e.Portfolio’s offer users an incredible opportunity to store all of their work in the one place, which can be accessed wherever and whenever they want during their life, for example, a person could create and use the portfolio as a resource throughout their career by showing their portfolio of work at interviews when applying for a job. The use of using Mahara’s e.Portfolio service can be linked to the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) as it is an authentic task and learning in a collaborative context is provided as networking with people from around the world when creating views on your portfolio is optional, along with, commenting on discussion boards based upon a certain topic.
Within a school learning environment I think that e.Portfolio’s would be a useful tool to be used by students as it would be seen as an authentic task by them as it relates to their real life experiences as it could be used to help get them a job in the future. It would also be beneficial in the classroom environment as it would be engaging for students when delivered in a student centered manner.
I also think that it would be a useful tool for a learning manager to use as it would allow the learning manager to interact with learning managers worldwide, and rather reinvent the wheel when teaching learning managers could share their ideas and resources in order to help ensure that all students are provided with the opportunity to learn in an effective learning environment, as their learning would be enhanced through the range of resources being shared on the website.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wiki's.
As I was not familiar with creating a Wiki, I decided to follow the step by step instructions on the Moodle website and create a Wiki using WetPaint. To be honest I thought that a Wiki was simply just the very detailed information which you get off of Wikipedia when wanting to find out about something. However, after engaging with the course content I now knew that a Wiki is a tool on the internet which is “produced by software on a server that can be located anywhere in the world and provide Web publishing opportunities that can be individual or collaborative” (Central Queensland University, 2009).
Therefore, I created an account with WetPaint and I decided to treat my Wiki as if it was my own individual website which I would you use to share my information with others worldwide in order to help them with their teaching and learning. Although I am treating it as my individual site, at times it will become a collaborative site as people will have the opportunity to edit the information which I have provided them with in order to suit their situation. Currently my Wiki is in the process of being completed and has part of a Technology unit on it which focuses upon Australian Animals in Captivity, a unit which I designed for a Year One class earlier on during the year. If you would like to check out my Wiki you can access it by clicking the following link, and remember feel free to use and edit the information that is on there.
My Wiki: http://ausanimalsincaptivity.wetpaint.com/
Wiki’s are definitely a learning tool which allow users to work collaboratively with many diverse people, and are similar to RSS aggregators as they can also be used to deliver learning experiences to students based upon the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). For example, students could be focusing on a certain topic and create a Wiki where they interact with their peers from a range of schools and as a group develop a PMI or K-W-L chart so that they can reflect upon their current learning in order to enhance their future learning (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
In my future role as a learning manager I think that using Wiki’s will be useful for not only my students by also for myself, as I am interested in engaging more with the website and checking out other people’s Wiki’s as I believe it will be an effective learning process as I already feel engaged when using the tool. I am pretty sure that I will find plenty of information on there which will be useful to use within my classroom environment, which in turn, will be beneficial in helping to create an effective learning environment for all of my students.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.
Therefore, I created an account with WetPaint and I decided to treat my Wiki as if it was my own individual website which I would you use to share my information with others worldwide in order to help them with their teaching and learning. Although I am treating it as my individual site, at times it will become a collaborative site as people will have the opportunity to edit the information which I have provided them with in order to suit their situation. Currently my Wiki is in the process of being completed and has part of a Technology unit on it which focuses upon Australian Animals in Captivity, a unit which I designed for a Year One class earlier on during the year. If you would like to check out my Wiki you can access it by clicking the following link, and remember feel free to use and edit the information that is on there.
My Wiki: http://ausanimalsincaptivity.wetpaint.com/
Wiki’s are definitely a learning tool which allow users to work collaboratively with many diverse people, and are similar to RSS aggregators as they can also be used to deliver learning experiences to students based upon the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). For example, students could be focusing on a certain topic and create a Wiki where they interact with their peers from a range of schools and as a group develop a PMI or K-W-L chart so that they can reflect upon their current learning in order to enhance their future learning (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
In my future role as a learning manager I think that using Wiki’s will be useful for not only my students by also for myself, as I am interested in engaging more with the website and checking out other people’s Wiki’s as I believe it will be an effective learning process as I already feel engaged when using the tool. I am pretty sure that I will find plenty of information on there which will be useful to use within my classroom environment, which in turn, will be beneficial in helping to create an effective learning environment for all of my students.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.
RSS Aggregator
Prior to engaging with the courseware of this course Managing e.Learning, I had never heard of the term RSS Aggregator and had no idea as to what one was. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication and allows you to monitor other Blogs or Websites that have an RSS Feed" (Central Queensland University, 2009). As I had previously created a Gmail account in order to sign up to this blogging service BlogSpot, I decided that I would use Google Reader as my RSS Aggregator as part of Assessment One for this course as I would be able to use my Gmail account to access the service.
Although I had signed up to Google Reader and had found out what RSS standed for, I was still a little bit unsure of what exactly and RSS aggregator does, therefore, I watched the YouTube clip by Lee LeFever called RSS in plain English, and LeFever gave a very clear and concise definition of what the purpose of having an RSS aggregator is. After watching the clip and now knowing that an RSS aggregator acts as your home base on the internet and the information which you regularly follow such as news and blogs comes to you, rather than, you having to check each individual blog and news site that you follow, I strongly believed that an RSS aggregator would be a beneficial tool for me as I could see it saving myself time when using the internet and it allowed me to enhance my knowledge in relation to technology.
After checking out the Google Reader website in more detail, I figured out how to add a subscription, therefore, I copied and pasted the URL’s of my course colleagues into the site so that their blog posts would appear in my feed ready for me to monitor. So far I have found seven of my peers and have added them successfully to my aggregator, and over the journey of this course I hope to add more of them to my blog.
In regard to school learning environments, I think that the use of RSS aggregators and blogs would be beneficial for students, as it would allow them to receive feedback from their peers and teacher, along with, interact in a collaborative manner with students from a range of schools including their own, for example, if a student was required to keep a blog as part of an assessment for one of their key learning areas, their teacher could ask a colleague from another school if they would like to join their class in the process of creating and monitoring blogs. Therefore, RSS aggregator’s could be used to support the Relate-Create-Donate process of the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), as the option of learning in a collaborative context is provided to students whilst ensuring that their experiences when networking on the internet is of a positive and safe manner.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
LeFever, L. (2009). Video: RSS in plain English. Retrieved July 30, 2009, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU
Although I had signed up to Google Reader and had found out what RSS standed for, I was still a little bit unsure of what exactly and RSS aggregator does, therefore, I watched the YouTube clip by Lee LeFever called RSS in plain English, and LeFever gave a very clear and concise definition of what the purpose of having an RSS aggregator is. After watching the clip and now knowing that an RSS aggregator acts as your home base on the internet and the information which you regularly follow such as news and blogs comes to you, rather than, you having to check each individual blog and news site that you follow, I strongly believed that an RSS aggregator would be a beneficial tool for me as I could see it saving myself time when using the internet and it allowed me to enhance my knowledge in relation to technology.
After checking out the Google Reader website in more detail, I figured out how to add a subscription, therefore, I copied and pasted the URL’s of my course colleagues into the site so that their blog posts would appear in my feed ready for me to monitor. So far I have found seven of my peers and have added them successfully to my aggregator, and over the journey of this course I hope to add more of them to my blog.
In regard to school learning environments, I think that the use of RSS aggregators and blogs would be beneficial for students, as it would allow them to receive feedback from their peers and teacher, along with, interact in a collaborative manner with students from a range of schools including their own, for example, if a student was required to keep a blog as part of an assessment for one of their key learning areas, their teacher could ask a colleague from another school if they would like to join their class in the process of creating and monitoring blogs. Therefore, RSS aggregator’s could be used to support the Relate-Create-Donate process of the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), as the option of learning in a collaborative context is provided to students whilst ensuring that their experiences when networking on the internet is of a positive and safe manner.
Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
LeFever, L. (2009). Video: RSS in plain English. Retrieved July 30, 2009, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU
Effective e.Learning Design
Effective e.Learning is the next topic which I have covered as part of the courseware for Managing e.Learning. The first part of the topic discusses how 21st Century learners are engaged by e.Learning, and according to Waterhouse 2005, “At a very basic level e-learning is using information communication technologies (ICTs) to engage, enhance and extend learning in flexible and innovative ways, now and in the future” (Central Queensland University, 2009).
In relation to e.Learning, in 2001 Prensky suggested that learners can be identified as either a digital native or digital immigrant. To an extent I would have to agree with Prensky’s generalisation about digital natives vs. immigrants as today’s students are natives to digital technology when compared to past students, including myself (Prensky, 2001). For example, for prac this year I am in a year one class and the students are making their own PowerPoint presentations, where as, when I was in primary school my class and I weren’t able to make PowerPoint presentations until we were in year five which was in the year 2000. Therefore, even though I am only nineteen years of age I feel that at times I can be considered as being a native to digital technology when compared to older generations such as my parents as when I was in year five they didn’t know how to make PowerPoint presentations, where as, when compared to current primary school students I could be considered as being a digital immigrant. I think that if digital immigrants are provided with appropriate training and resources they could quickly become natives to digital technology. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager, I want to be perceived by my students as being a native to digital technology as this will help to enhance the students learning as students would be more engaged in their task as we would share some of the same interests and real life experiences.
The internet can play a large role in a student’s e.Learning journey, the issue of Internet Safety definitely arises when implementing learning experiences to students as it is quite easy for students to unintentionally expose themselves to sexually explicit, pornographic, violent and hateful material. For example, at times when entering websites that you think are appropriate for use within school learning environments images of a pornographic nature are displayed in pop ups (Central Queensland University, 2009).
Cyber bullying and physical dangers are also associated with using the internet, in particular, the risk of students meeting a person online who they do not know and arranging to meet them in person. As we all know from media reports people who have met up with a person who they met online can result in very dangerous situations. When I was still in secondary school three years ago, Education Queensland had a system put into place that everything that a student did on the internet was monitored and access to inappropriate sites would be blocked immediately when a student clicked on the link to view the site. However, even though many sites were blocked as they weren’t seen as being educational, for example, msn. In regard to instant messaging there were ways of getting around the blocked site and gaining access to msn, such as, by logging into your account through websites like Meebo. Although communicating through social networking websites with others on the internet can be quite dangerous, I think that it does need to be done by students as it will help to enhance their learning. Therefore, I think that learning managers should encourage their students to use safe communication sites such as chat rooms on the Learning Place, as the students are guaranteed to be associating with other school children.
I agree with the department restricting students internet access, however, at times I felt that the amount of sites which were blocked restricted my learning within my classroom environment, for example, when surfing Google for information for a research assignment half of the sites that you would click onto to have a look at were blocked. Therefore, to use the information from the sites we were required to access the site outside of school hours on our home computer or at the local internet café.
Therefore, access and equity is another issue involved in relation to e.Learning. There are four main groups of students associated with the access and equity issue of e.Learning; students with a disability, from an Indigenous background, cultural and linguistic diversity and their gender (Blackmore, Hardcastle, Bamblett & Owens, 2003).
As a result, in order for the use of ICT’s to be advantageous to all learners, it is essential for changes to be made when using ICT’s in the learning environment in order to make learning effective. The main change which I think needs to be made is that if the schools/learning managers require their students to use ICTs throughout their schooling years, the school should receive funding from the government which ensures that ALL students have access to using these resources outside of their school environment, for example, if a year seven student is required to make a PowerPoint presentation for their assignment, they should be given access outside of schools hours to a computer in order to complete the assignment. Students could receive access to a computer through a lending scheme with the school where the student borrows out a laptop for the night. If a lending scheme is unable to be implemented, the school should have their computer laboratory open for a period of time after school so that the students whose families do not own a computer have an equal chance to completing their assignment and learning, regardless of how diverse they are. For example, I know that when I was at school some of the students in my class did not have a computer in their home environment, and even though we were given a limited amount of time during our school day to complete our assignment in the computer room, we were still required to finish the assignment outside of school hours. Therefore, the students without computers in their home tended to become disengaged in their task, had a negative experience when working with ICT’s and did not reach their full learning potential.
Uncle Ernie’s Holistic Framework was also covered in this topic and I think that a better understanding of Indigenous culture and perspectives in all Australian students could be achieved by adopting Uncle Ernie’s framework or one similar to his within school learning environments, as it caters to students preferred learning styles whilst embedding Indigenous perspectives into their learning experiences (Grant, 1998). I believe that e.Learning could facilitate Ernie’s Holistic approach by setting up a site which has Aboriginal elders filmed discussing the six processes- land, language, culture, time, place and relationships in relation to Indigenous people, as their culture is based upon oral information rather than written information (Grant, 1998). Therefore, students from various schools could be added into a live chatroom and could discuss with the elder and other peers their thoughts and understanding of the six processes and information which has been delivered by the Indigenous speaker.
Reference list:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Blackmore, J., Hardcastle, L., Bamblett, E., & Owens, J. (2003). Effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning for disadvantaged school students. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D63F92A3-6931-464F-9970-D599BE3E390E/4520/ICTreport.pdf
Grant, E. (1998). My Land My Tracks: A framework for the holistic approach to indigenous studies. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/uncle-ernies-framework.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
In relation to e.Learning, in 2001 Prensky suggested that learners can be identified as either a digital native or digital immigrant. To an extent I would have to agree with Prensky’s generalisation about digital natives vs. immigrants as today’s students are natives to digital technology when compared to past students, including myself (Prensky, 2001). For example, for prac this year I am in a year one class and the students are making their own PowerPoint presentations, where as, when I was in primary school my class and I weren’t able to make PowerPoint presentations until we were in year five which was in the year 2000. Therefore, even though I am only nineteen years of age I feel that at times I can be considered as being a native to digital technology when compared to older generations such as my parents as when I was in year five they didn’t know how to make PowerPoint presentations, where as, when compared to current primary school students I could be considered as being a digital immigrant. I think that if digital immigrants are provided with appropriate training and resources they could quickly become natives to digital technology. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager, I want to be perceived by my students as being a native to digital technology as this will help to enhance the students learning as students would be more engaged in their task as we would share some of the same interests and real life experiences.
The internet can play a large role in a student’s e.Learning journey, the issue of Internet Safety definitely arises when implementing learning experiences to students as it is quite easy for students to unintentionally expose themselves to sexually explicit, pornographic, violent and hateful material. For example, at times when entering websites that you think are appropriate for use within school learning environments images of a pornographic nature are displayed in pop ups (Central Queensland University, 2009).
Cyber bullying and physical dangers are also associated with using the internet, in particular, the risk of students meeting a person online who they do not know and arranging to meet them in person. As we all know from media reports people who have met up with a person who they met online can result in very dangerous situations. When I was still in secondary school three years ago, Education Queensland had a system put into place that everything that a student did on the internet was monitored and access to inappropriate sites would be blocked immediately when a student clicked on the link to view the site. However, even though many sites were blocked as they weren’t seen as being educational, for example, msn. In regard to instant messaging there were ways of getting around the blocked site and gaining access to msn, such as, by logging into your account through websites like Meebo. Although communicating through social networking websites with others on the internet can be quite dangerous, I think that it does need to be done by students as it will help to enhance their learning. Therefore, I think that learning managers should encourage their students to use safe communication sites such as chat rooms on the Learning Place, as the students are guaranteed to be associating with other school children.
I agree with the department restricting students internet access, however, at times I felt that the amount of sites which were blocked restricted my learning within my classroom environment, for example, when surfing Google for information for a research assignment half of the sites that you would click onto to have a look at were blocked. Therefore, to use the information from the sites we were required to access the site outside of school hours on our home computer or at the local internet café.
Therefore, access and equity is another issue involved in relation to e.Learning. There are four main groups of students associated with the access and equity issue of e.Learning; students with a disability, from an Indigenous background, cultural and linguistic diversity and their gender (Blackmore, Hardcastle, Bamblett & Owens, 2003).
As a result, in order for the use of ICT’s to be advantageous to all learners, it is essential for changes to be made when using ICT’s in the learning environment in order to make learning effective. The main change which I think needs to be made is that if the schools/learning managers require their students to use ICTs throughout their schooling years, the school should receive funding from the government which ensures that ALL students have access to using these resources outside of their school environment, for example, if a year seven student is required to make a PowerPoint presentation for their assignment, they should be given access outside of schools hours to a computer in order to complete the assignment. Students could receive access to a computer through a lending scheme with the school where the student borrows out a laptop for the night. If a lending scheme is unable to be implemented, the school should have their computer laboratory open for a period of time after school so that the students whose families do not own a computer have an equal chance to completing their assignment and learning, regardless of how diverse they are. For example, I know that when I was at school some of the students in my class did not have a computer in their home environment, and even though we were given a limited amount of time during our school day to complete our assignment in the computer room, we were still required to finish the assignment outside of school hours. Therefore, the students without computers in their home tended to become disengaged in their task, had a negative experience when working with ICT’s and did not reach their full learning potential.
Uncle Ernie’s Holistic Framework was also covered in this topic and I think that a better understanding of Indigenous culture and perspectives in all Australian students could be achieved by adopting Uncle Ernie’s framework or one similar to his within school learning environments, as it caters to students preferred learning styles whilst embedding Indigenous perspectives into their learning experiences (Grant, 1998). I believe that e.Learning could facilitate Ernie’s Holistic approach by setting up a site which has Aboriginal elders filmed discussing the six processes- land, language, culture, time, place and relationships in relation to Indigenous people, as their culture is based upon oral information rather than written information (Grant, 1998). Therefore, students from various schools could be added into a live chatroom and could discuss with the elder and other peers their thoughts and understanding of the six processes and information which has been delivered by the Indigenous speaker.
Reference list:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Blackmore, J., Hardcastle, L., Bamblett, E., & Owens, J. (2003). Effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning for disadvantaged school students. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D63F92A3-6931-464F-9970-D599BE3E390E/4520/ICTreport.pdf
Grant, E. (1998). My Land My Tracks: A framework for the holistic approach to indigenous studies. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/uncle-ernies-framework.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Monday, August 3, 2009
Active Learning and Learning Diversity.
Prior to participating in this Managing E-Learning course I had never heard of the conceptual framework; the Engagement Theory. The Engagement Theory supports technology-based teaching and learning within classroom environments, in order to ensure that students are meaningfully engaged in their learning experiences, completing authentic tasks and interacting with their peers, which in turn, creates an effective learning environment. In relation to the students learning activities, the theory suggests that the following three components are evident (also known as the Relate-Create-Donate process);
- Collaborative context,
- Project-orientated learning, and,
- Outside authentic focus.
After attending practical visits in schools for the past two years, I have witnessed many learning experiences, some of these experiences the students were engaged and in others they were disengaged, and it is particularly obvious that half the battle of getting students to achieve learning outcomes is getting them to be engaged in their task, for example, there is currently a student in my prac class who finds it hard to concentrate when doing book work such as handwriting or mathematics. However, the minute that you use positive re-enforcement and tell the student that if they do their math’s work they can have five minutes free time on the computer, they do their work straight away as they find technology engaging. Therefore, I believe that the Engagement Theory is a framework which I will implement within my classroom during my future role as a learning manager as it is well known that the students of today thrive on being able to use technology. It will not only improve my students chances of achieving learning outcomes, but it will also allow them to individually develop the skills required to be used in everyday life, such as, working as part of a team, communicating, problem solving and decision making (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
Also in relation to the topic of Active Learning I looked at learning effectiveness and learning retention. Dale’s Cone which was developed in the 1960’s displays the least-most effective methods of learning, and shows that information delivered though verbal methods is the least effective way of learning, where as, hands-on experiences are most effective. Although this study was conducted forty-nine years ago, I think that the majority of students today still find hands-on learning experiences most effective as they find them authentic and engaging. Learning retention is when students can use their prior knowledge learnt and apply it to new situations and continue learning by building on their prior knowledge in order to develop new perspectives. It is believed that learning retention occurs throughout concrete-activity based experiences due to the input, process, output method (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).
The next part of this topic covered learning styles and personality, and after completing the learning style questionnaire developed by Felder I determined that I am more of a reflective, sensing, visual and sequential learner. I wasn’t really surprised with these results as far back as I can remember during my time at school I preferred to think about things to myself first prior to trying them, I am engaged when learning about facts and links to the real world, remember information best when it has been delivered in picture form and gain a better understanding of information in linear steps (Felder & Soloman, 2005). I also completed the personality quiz which focused on the four criterions Extraversion and Introversion, Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling and Judging and Perceiving. The result which I received was ESFJ which means I am an Extravert, with a sensing, feeling and judging personality, and I would have to agree with these results also as I understand and believe information received from the external world, make decisions based upon my emotions and am usually very organised and act according to my plan (Human metrics, 2009).
In regard to Multiple intelligences which is the next part of the Active Learning and Learning diversity topic, Howard Gardner “noticed that learners had a variety of abilities in different areas for which contemporary learning theory could not account” (Central Queensland University, 2009). In relation to Multiple Intelligences, during my weekly day visits in a primary school it is definitely evident that there are a variety of learning styles which need to be catered for. After completing the multiple intelligences test I determined that I am mostly Interpersonal and Intrapersonal, and the least intelligence which I have is Naturalistic (Birmingham City Council, 2009). I also took the emotional intelligence quiz and found out that I have below average emotional intelligence (Ivillage Limited, 2009).
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is based upon the approach that the main need in order for humans to survive is physiological, therefore, food, water and shelter etc. It is believed that physiological needs must be met prior to being able to achieve the needs of safety, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Maslow believes that learning environments in schools provide students with the opportunity to achieve the majority of the needs mentioned above; however, some schools do not see that caring communities is of great importance for the students. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager I feel that I will be able to help create caring communities for my students by using various strategies from the Dimensions of Learning framework(Kunc, 1992) & (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
The learning theory was also apart of this topic and I was familiar with the terms Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and Connectivism as I had previously learnt about them in Learning Management 3 last term. Therefore, I found this part of the topic extremely useful as I feel that it helps you understand the learning processes which occurs when teaching students and I was able to refresh my prior knowledge learnt as I regularly get confused with Constructivism and Behaviourism (Central Queensland University, 2009).
Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Birmingham City Council. (2009). Multiple intelligences. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Felder, R., & Soloman B. (2005). Index of learning styles. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html
Human metrics. (2009). Jung typology test. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jungtype.htm
Ivillage Limited. (2009). Test your emotional intelligence (EQ). Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/tests/eqtest.htm
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Kunc, N. (1992). The need to belong: rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.normemma.com/armaslow.htm
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.
- Collaborative context,
- Project-orientated learning, and,
- Outside authentic focus.
After attending practical visits in schools for the past two years, I have witnessed many learning experiences, some of these experiences the students were engaged and in others they were disengaged, and it is particularly obvious that half the battle of getting students to achieve learning outcomes is getting them to be engaged in their task, for example, there is currently a student in my prac class who finds it hard to concentrate when doing book work such as handwriting or mathematics. However, the minute that you use positive re-enforcement and tell the student that if they do their math’s work they can have five minutes free time on the computer, they do their work straight away as they find technology engaging. Therefore, I believe that the Engagement Theory is a framework which I will implement within my classroom during my future role as a learning manager as it is well known that the students of today thrive on being able to use technology. It will not only improve my students chances of achieving learning outcomes, but it will also allow them to individually develop the skills required to be used in everyday life, such as, working as part of a team, communicating, problem solving and decision making (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
Also in relation to the topic of Active Learning I looked at learning effectiveness and learning retention. Dale’s Cone which was developed in the 1960’s displays the least-most effective methods of learning, and shows that information delivered though verbal methods is the least effective way of learning, where as, hands-on experiences are most effective. Although this study was conducted forty-nine years ago, I think that the majority of students today still find hands-on learning experiences most effective as they find them authentic and engaging. Learning retention is when students can use their prior knowledge learnt and apply it to new situations and continue learning by building on their prior knowledge in order to develop new perspectives. It is believed that learning retention occurs throughout concrete-activity based experiences due to the input, process, output method (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).
The next part of this topic covered learning styles and personality, and after completing the learning style questionnaire developed by Felder I determined that I am more of a reflective, sensing, visual and sequential learner. I wasn’t really surprised with these results as far back as I can remember during my time at school I preferred to think about things to myself first prior to trying them, I am engaged when learning about facts and links to the real world, remember information best when it has been delivered in picture form and gain a better understanding of information in linear steps (Felder & Soloman, 2005). I also completed the personality quiz which focused on the four criterions Extraversion and Introversion, Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling and Judging and Perceiving. The result which I received was ESFJ which means I am an Extravert, with a sensing, feeling and judging personality, and I would have to agree with these results also as I understand and believe information received from the external world, make decisions based upon my emotions and am usually very organised and act according to my plan (Human metrics, 2009).
In regard to Multiple intelligences which is the next part of the Active Learning and Learning diversity topic, Howard Gardner “noticed that learners had a variety of abilities in different areas for which contemporary learning theory could not account” (Central Queensland University, 2009). In relation to Multiple Intelligences, during my weekly day visits in a primary school it is definitely evident that there are a variety of learning styles which need to be catered for. After completing the multiple intelligences test I determined that I am mostly Interpersonal and Intrapersonal, and the least intelligence which I have is Naturalistic (Birmingham City Council, 2009). I also took the emotional intelligence quiz and found out that I have below average emotional intelligence (Ivillage Limited, 2009).
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is based upon the approach that the main need in order for humans to survive is physiological, therefore, food, water and shelter etc. It is believed that physiological needs must be met prior to being able to achieve the needs of safety, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Maslow believes that learning environments in schools provide students with the opportunity to achieve the majority of the needs mentioned above; however, some schools do not see that caring communities is of great importance for the students. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager I feel that I will be able to help create caring communities for my students by using various strategies from the Dimensions of Learning framework(Kunc, 1992) & (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
The learning theory was also apart of this topic and I was familiar with the terms Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and Connectivism as I had previously learnt about them in Learning Management 3 last term. Therefore, I found this part of the topic extremely useful as I feel that it helps you understand the learning processes which occurs when teaching students and I was able to refresh my prior knowledge learnt as I regularly get confused with Constructivism and Behaviourism (Central Queensland University, 2009).
Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Birmingham City Council. (2009). Multiple intelligences. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Felder, R., & Soloman B. (2005). Index of learning styles. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html
Human metrics. (2009). Jung typology test. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jungtype.htm
Ivillage Limited. (2009). Test your emotional intelligence (EQ). Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/tests/eqtest.htm
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm
Kunc, N. (1992). The need to belong: rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.normemma.com/armaslow.htm
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.
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