Computer technologies are an increasingly important part of the world in which students live.” Our children have been raised in a world of instant access to knowledge” (Strommen & Lincoln 1992). With this in mind it is imperative that students have access to technology in schools, to learn how to use the internet to access tools to suit their individual needs now and in their futures. Theorists such as Prensky (2001) and educators ACARA (2010) agree that for students to learn effectively they must be engaged, motivated and on task and they believe that the use of technology achieves this. Peck & Dorricott (1994) concur with this idea and maintain that “technological tools can foster students’ abilities, revolutionize the way they work and think, and give them new access to the world”.
The following synopsis is an overview of four digital tools that can be used in the learning environment to transform, facilitate, support and enhance learning regardless of context. The aim of this synopsis is to provide you with insightful and useful information on how these digital tools meet the following four categories;
• Access and gain information
• Consolidate and refine information
• Transform information to develop new understanding
• Present knowledge to an audience
The first digital tool we will examine is a Wiki which best exemplifies the category of access and gain information. A Wiki as mentioned in my blog is “a collaborative, community website where anyone can contribute, a wiki is software that handles complex problems with simple solutions. A wiki invites all users to edit any pages or to create new pages within the wiki Web site” (Cunningham, 1995).
Wiki’s can be used in the classroom in various ways; one such way is discussed in my blog where students create a wiki to present their knowledge. Class members are encouraged to visit peers wiki’s to add or edit information and ideas. “This form of collaborative learning allows children to share the process of constructing their ideas, instead of simply labouring individually. The advantages of this collective effort are that children are able to reflect on and elaborate not just their own ideas, but those of their peers as well. Children come to view their peers not as competitors but as resources” (Strommen & Lincoln 1992). "By allowing students to be involved in the construction of the task, meaningfulness and relevance and, therefore, students’ level of engagement can increase" (Marzano 1997).Simple ideas now evolve to a more complex, higher order way of thinking. Students are moving from acquiring and integrating knowledge (Dimension 2) to extending and refining knowledge (Dimension 3). Now we see the teacher serve as a guide, rather than the source of knowledge. "This is consistent with a constructivist approach to learning where students learn best if they take on an active role in their own learning" (Duffy & Cunningham 1996). Wiki appeals to a diverse range of learners as students feel less pressure on their performance due to the expectancy of peers editing and ‘fixing’ any errors they might have. The lesson plan which was designed to use a wiki in the classroom was based on Eisenberg & Berkowitz’s “The Big 6” approach to teaching information and technology skills. To view this lesson plan please go to http://s0154220amanda.weebly.com/wiki.html
The second digital tool websites fits into the category of consolidate and refine information. Web sites hold a plethora of information on a vast range of topics and are an engaging way for students to consolidate and refine information. Web sites bring information previously unimagined by students into the classroom where they can view and discuss events they otherwise could not experience. As mentioned in my blog once students have accessed the information they then can use this knowledge to consolidate their findings and refine the information to complete their tasks. An example of how web sites can be used to enhance and promote higher order thinking is to have students create their own web sites with multiple pages to display aspects of their research. Students are encouraged to upload images and video footage to support their findings including an evaluation page with a SWOT analysis and a reflection page where they can reflect on their learning. Web creation can foster student’s creativity and it caters to a diverse range of learners and learning styles. An example of this lesson can be obtained from my web site at http://s0154220amanda.weebly.com/websites, which is based on Eisenberg & Berkowitz’s “The Big 6” approach to teaching information and technology skills
Teacher guidance is recommended before students are let loose on the internet web sites and it is recommended by Queensland Education under child safety to monitor students use closely. Teachers also have the responsibility to ensure students are aware that not all information on the websites is authentic and instruction must be given to ensure students know how to access information from reliable sources and learn how to distinguish what a reliable source and what it is not.
For the third category of transform information to develop new understanding, I have chosen blogs. As discussed in my blog, blogs are a way for students to experience the rewards of exhibiting their work to a widespread audience, and for them to receive feedback from peers. Blogs allow students to transform information onto their blogs and from feedback and comments from peers can develop new understandings. The blogs user friendly design is engaging and simple for teachers to implement. As it is on the internet it allows bloggers to access their blogs anywhere and at anytime and provides learning outside the classroom. Blogs can be multidisciplinary as they involve reading and writing and can be used in a variety of academic contexts. Huffaker (2005) "the uses of educational technology such as blogs have a two fold advantage: they can promote the types of literacy learning traditionally encouraged in learning, as well as the digital fluency needed to prosper in the digital age".
In an educational setting a blog can be used right across the learning years from P-10. For younger grades a blog can be used as a link between teachers and parents whereby the teacher uploads students work for parents to view or as a weekly newsletter for class and school events for parents to view and comment if so desired. In older grades blogs can be used as an on-line journal to document a science experiment where students upload photos and blog about their ongoing experiment. For an example of how a blog can enhance and compliment learning please refer to my web site to view a lesson plan at http://s0154220amanda.weebly.com/blogs.html. This lesson plan was based on Kearsley & Shneiderman’s Engagement theory which is a framework for technology-based teaching and learning.
Finally for my fourth digital tool I have chosen movie maker which best represents the category presenting knowledge to an audience. As mentioned in my blog movie maker is a fun way for students to present their work to their classmates and is more like play than learning. "Play and experimentation are powerful forces in the development of the individual mind" (Karppinen 2005). Movie maker is a user friendly multifunctional digital tool whereby students can create a movie using images, text, and video. "Simply presenting information in a stimulating and interesting digital video format will not automatically lead to in-depth learning, the value of the tool lies in the ways it is put to use in real life teaching, studying, and learning situations" (Karppinen 2005). As movie maker is so easy to use this makes it transdisciplinary as well as useable right across all year levels. It caters to all learning styles as well as catering to a diverse range of learners to ensure all students achieve outcomes and meets the Queensland Essential Learnings benchmarks. To view an example of a lesson where movie maker has been incorporated into the learning please go to my web site at http://s0154220.weebly.com/movie-maker.html. This lesson plan is based on Kearsley & Shneiderman’s Engagement theory which is a framework for technology-based teaching and learning.
Technology is evolving at an exponential rate and it is important that educational curriculums reflect this fact and ensure that ICTs are embedded into learning so there is not an "estrangement of schools from society, and from the children who live in it" (Strommen & Lincoln 1992). Students need to be proficient in accessing and using digital technological tools by the time they leave school Bruce, (1997) cited in Strommen & Lincoln (1992) explains that "today’s workers need the skills to gather information from diverse resources, including both traditional and electronic means and to merge that information to make common connections he goes on to say that not only problem-solving skills are vital but the ability to identify problematic issues and create logical viable solutions". Technology can motivate students to love learning and in doing so create lifelong learners. Through this E-Learning course it is apparent that technology is something that we will use for the rest of our lives and collaborative learning is a vital skill we need to succeed in society and example of collaborative learning is on my blog
We have established that computer based technology can motivate and engage students as well as “administer individualized lesson sequences that branch and remediate according to students’ unique needs” (Peck and Dorricott 1994). We have discussed the benefits of technology in the way it can promote higher order thinking, promote collaborative learning and allow students to be creative. We have looked at examples of lesson plans using the two teaching and learning frameworks, the Engagement theory and The big 6. Now that we have explored these four digital tools in detail and heard from theorists on the benefits they have in the classroom why wouldn’t teachers use computer-based technology for teaching and learning? I hope that this synopsis has convinced you to use and incorporate these four tools in your classroom.
References
Australian National Curriculum (ACARA) (2010). National Curriculum Draft. [Electronic resource]. Retrieved May 2010. From http:// www.acara.edu.au
Cunningham, W (1995). What is a Wiki, WikiWikiWeb. [Electronic resource] 1995 retrieved June 2010 from http://www.wiki.org/wiki.
Duffy, T.D., & Cunningham, D.J. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. In D.H. Janssen (Ed.), Handbook of research for educational communications and technology: A project of the association for educational communications and technology, (pp. 55-85). New York: Macmillan
Eisenberg, M & Berkowitz, B (2001). Big 6 Skills Overview. Hardcopy received from CQU, June 2010. In class lecture notes, course FAHE11001, 2010, Term Two.
Huffer, D (2005). The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom. AACE journal, 12 (2), 91-98 [electronic resource] 2005 retrieved July 2010. From www.editlib.org
Kearsley, G (1997) & Shneiderman, B (1994, 1998). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. [Electronic resource] 1999, retrieved from moodle,cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=4033
Karppinen, P. (2005). Meaningful learning with digital and online videos: Theoretical perspectives. AACE Journal, 13(3), 233-250.
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arrendondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., Moffett, C., Paynter, D., Pollock, J, Whisler, J. (1997). Dimensions of Learning teachers manual (2nd ed). Aurora, Colorado: McREL.
Peck, K & Dorricott, D (1994). Realising the promise of technology, (Vol 51).issue 7 [online resource] 1994. Retrieved June 2010 from http://www.dromano.com
Strommen, E. & Lincoln, B. (1992). Constructivism, Technology, and the future of classroom learning in education and urban society, Vol 21, [online resource] 1992. Retrieved July 2010 from http:// citeseerx.ist.psu.edu.
The state of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and the Arts). (2007). Essential Learnings Retrieved August 2010 from http:// education.qld.gov.au.
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