Access/gain information.
Touchgraph is the tool that I have used most extensively since initially being introduced to it in this course. I had found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with search results using standard search engines such as google, particularly when looking for classroom resources. Touchgraph, although a google tool, appears to drastically narrow down the search results to include the most relevant to the search criteria. This finding was confirmed in conversations with colleagues on my blog. A further benefit when using this tool within a classroom environment is that there are no third party advertisements on the site.
The main screen shows graphic representation of the links between websites, this alone would be beneficial in a classroom situation to give students a wider view of the possible search criteria that could be used. The smaller screen to the left lists the sites by relevance, and also allows the user to click each link in turn for a synopsis and live link to the sight. This provides the user with additional insights into the keywords and phrases that may be linked to the original search criteria.
The ability to actually find useful information on the Internet is a fundamental requisite of its efficient and productive use. Upon reflecting further about my own online search experiences I have come to realise the huge responsibility that teachers have to ensure their charges are able to evaluate the information they find online. Information literacy is a skill that needs to be explicitly taught to our students. A comprehensive article by Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor, Department of Instructional Technology, University of Georgia discusses this subject in depth, and also provides a list of eight suggested teaching strategies that can assist teachers in this area.
Present knowledge to an audience.
The use of blogs and wikis within a classroom environment would have to be one of the most powerful information sharing and collaborative tools that teachers have at their disposal. The ability of these tools to reach out to people and places that would otherwise be beyond reach can not be under-emphasised. Having a particular interest in Indigenous Education issues I am always looking for ways to make connections and implement Indigenous perspectives in my lessons.
As outlined on my blog posting the examination of the Learning Design Frameworks (Eisenberg and Berkowitz, 2001; Kearsley, and Shneiderman 1999), undertaken in this course reminded me of a website I had visited earlier which outlined an Indigenous Learning Framework. In examining this framework I began to realise the potential of ICT's and in particular Blogs and Wiki's to provide platforms upon which information can be presented that caters to not only the range of learning styles in our classrooms, but also makes a broader range of knowledge and information accessible in the classroom. Cultural considerations should be at the forefront of the learning managers mind when planning lessons in order to ensure that all student's needs are met. Kim Thompson highlighted this point in her posting on my blog about the Indigenous Learning Framework.
Of the digital imaging software tools that I investigated in this course I would have to say that Picnik and Moviemaker are the ones that really jumped out as useful in my year two classroom context. Children of this age are egocentric, and as such any resource which enables learning to become more personalised will generally provide positive results in the classroom. I recently implemented a literacy lesson in which the production of a scrapbook about a student’s holiday was a major component. The use of a software package such as Picnik and Moviemaker in this context would surely be a great way to engage the digital natives (Prensky, 2001) that inhabit our classrooms.
Picnik is a great tool to encourage creativity in students, particularly in areas such as literacy and art. Uses within the classroom could include the creation of picture books for which students write the script, creation of spelling prompts such as flashcards with pictures taken by students to represent common words and the construction of images for use in other areas of technology such as websites and blogs. One of the main positives of this software is the ease of use and unlike other digital imaging software this application could be quite easily mastered by young children. To this end the relatively limited scope of the software is a benefit rather than a negative.
Moviemaker offers similar benefits but with a greater range of features and therefore applications. The major payoff with moviemaker as demonstrated in my SWOT analysis in my blog comments is that it does require greater user expertise and hence scaffolding in the classroom. The negatives however do not outweigh the positives of using this tool.
Consolidate and refine information.
Bubbl.us was one of the first tools that I explored in this course, but is not the first tool of this kind that I have explored online. Having used various mind mapping tools, and having realised from quite early on in this course just how valuable graphic organisers can be to learning (Marzano, 1997; Frangenheim, 2006) As outlined in my blog posting on this subject I found it useful to delve deeper into the why’s and how’s of their usefulness.
With a simple search in touchgraph I came up with a study undertaken in the United Kingdom:
Using mind-maps to raise standards in literacy improve confidence and encourage positive attitudes towards learning. In a nutshell this study found that teaching students how to use mind maps led to positive outcomes: “Not only did their work rate improve but their attitude and self-esteem enabled the group of Y5 children to achieve considerably higher standards than were expected at the beginning of the year, in their Key Stage 2 SATs”. The link to this study is below.
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ntrp/lib/word/Cain.doc
A further reading of interest is by Budd (2003), which emphasises the importance of the image itself in mind mapping:
The central point in the Mind Map must always be an image because the brain is drawn to an image more than a word”.Budd quotes research undertaken by Driscoll which emphasises the importance of association in both memory and learning. When looking at mind maps under the lens of engagement theory (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999), it can be seen that the use of mind maps in small group situations Budd (2003) address the underlying principles of this theory
Students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks.As Budd (2003) states:
The creation of Mind Maps in small groups instead of by individual students is to facilitate a deeper analysis of the topic through brainstorming. Moreover,small group activities allow students to voice their ideas, support their ideas with evidence, listen to other points of view, and gain confidence.
Transform information to develop new understandings.
Learning objects and learning styles.
Although learning objects are a tool that I had used with my previous year six practicum class, it was only recently that I had the opportunity to incorporate a learning object into my current year two practicum. As detailed in my blog the ability of such tools to trigger understanding in students who may otherwise struggle with conventional teaching methods should not be overlooked. Whilst the Learning Object is not the answer to engaging all students who would not otherwise be engaged, nor will it always provide such obvious results, it can be argued that when embedded within a constructed teaching and learning sequence, they can provide valuable scaffolding of student understandings.
According to Low et al (2010), learning objects that are designed to incorporate peer collaboration and interaction assist in developing student’s construction of knowledge. They state that it is imperative however that teacher’s are diligent in selecting and evaluating the effectiveness to the individual learning objects in order to ensure high levels of relevance and academic value.
The use of learning objects as individual or group resources is also a factor that needs to be considered in the classroom. In the context of a year two cohort, the introduction of the learning object is possibly best done in a group situation, and ideally with the use of a Smartboard. Once the learning object has been thoroughly investigated there is scope for students to move onto an individual or paired situation in a computer lab to consolidate skills. This will enable adequate scaffolding of the task to be undertaken and help to ensure that students are gaining knowledge from the learning experience.
In conclusion, the construction of this blog and the research undertaken throughout this course has allowed me to not only discover a range of valuable tools to use in the classroom, but has also encouraged me to justify why they are useful. I believe that it is this critical evaluation that will enable me to provide valuable learning experiences that incorporate ICT's, not just for the sake of using such resources, but rather because they add to the depth and value of the learning experiences I am implementing.
Selection of the comments posted by Phillipa Hahn
Podcasting with Juliet
Frameworks with Juliet
Moviemaker with Olive
Learning Objects with Sara
Blogs with Justin
References
Brady, L. (2006). A Collaborative View of Learning. In L. Brady, Collaborative Learning in Action (p. 67). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
Budd, J (2003). Mindmaps as Classroom Exercises. Retrieved on 24/08/2010 from:
http://www.legacy-irc.csom.umn.edu/faculty/jbudd/mindmaps/mindmaps.pdf
Eisenberg, M., & Berkowitz, B. (2001). Big6 Skills overview. Retrieved July 11, 2010 from http://www.big6.com/
Frangenheim, E. (2006). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme, QLD: Rodin Educational Publishing.
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory. A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from: http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91796
Lowe, Kat, Lee,L ,Shibeci,R, Cummings,R , Phillips,R,and Lake,D (2010 Vol4 no 2). Learning objects and engagement of students in Australiand and New Zealand Schools. Brisitsh Journal of Educational Technology , 230.
Marzano, R. J. (2006). Dimensions of Learning. Heatherton,VIC,Australia: Hawker Brownlow education.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
