Technology and Learning: August 2010

What is E-Learning
According to Zhang (2003) in a new world economy where change is the key driving force and competition, knowledge sharing and transfer and information technology showcase this change the traditional approach of chalk and talk learning does not always satisfy all the needs of learners. Learning within this economy can be seen to be one of the most valuable commodities and educating students in the way of technology is a key part of this learning. According to McAllister and McAllister (1996) teaching and more importantly learning is no longer singularly restricted to the traditional classroom and thus teaching and learning methods must become more portable and most importantly flexible.

Electronic based learning programs according to Zhang (2003) are crucial to meeting this new challenge of providing a platform for instructional content. E-Learning via the use of the internet allows students the ability to access information when and where they need it. This learner centric approach emphasises the changing face of education where learning can be seen to be personalised and flexible (Adam, Slonim, & Yesha, 1997). Zhang (2003)states that a transition is occuring from "teaching by telling" to "learning-on-demand" or "learning by asking or doing." This shift sees the embrace of constructivist theories of learning in which learners are seen to be actively involved in if not central to all learning that occurs. This constructivist approach brings responsibility back to the learner but allows the freedoom of choices as the learner is able to choose the best way they are able to learn. E-learning is not designed to replace traditional classroom teaching according to Zhang (2003)it is however designed to be used as a "complementary mechanism" to promote lifelong learning.
According to Beam and Cameron (1997) E-Learning provides the following benefits: location flexibitily, cost and time savings, self paced and just-for-me learning, Collaborative learning environments, better access to the instructors and unlimited use of learning materials. Collaborative seems to be the overall theme which summises E-Learning.

E-Learning - Improving Pedagogy and Lifelong Learning

If we are as teachers are expected to educate students with an expectation of creating an environment in which learning is given absolute importance then we ourselves must be constantly learning as well. Zhang (2003) states that it is estimated that 50% of all employees skills become outdated within 3-5years. This means not only what we are learning at university will be redundant be the time we finish our degree it also means that what we teach out students will also be redundant by the time they leave school. I believe it is important we set the expectation of learning within ourselves to show students that the learning doesn't just stop when they leave the classroom.

In evaluating learning tools we as a cohort have broken down learning barriers, we have experimented, innovated with and crtitqued tools for which we are now able to use, to pass on the learning to our students. Our effectiveness to engage with information and ideas which are ever changing can be seen to be the only way to truely keep students directly envolved with their world. Traditional schooling has allowed for students to expect that information will be dumped infront of them. However E-Learning encourages the leaners to ask questions, to elicit their personal opinions, and to share different ideas with each other without inhibition. These basic traits allow us as learning mangers to build comprehsion strategies and allow frameworks such as Blooms Taxonomy (Frangenheim, 2006) to challange students to think outside the box and use higher order thinking skills to make more meaningful connections with information.

Learning Tools
Access and gain information
YouTube
Wiki

Weebly
According to Zhang (2003) the internet is helping us move towards a new frontier of learning. Internet applications like Weebly are helping to shape the way in which students access and gain information. It can be seen that information from these applications is meeting the needs of the 21st century learner who is demanding the "anytime, anywhere" attitude to information. Weebly's website development abilities are only limited by the imgination. However according to Kerrey and Isakson (2000) this power has only just recently been tapped into to transform education.

Weebly has a multitude of uses within the new age classroom. The biggest advantage to web based tools like Weebly is that students are able access information such as homework, assignments and notices in the same place where they can collaborate and discuss the same content, wherever and whenever they feel like. The view that learning is a social practice is very evident when considering the way in which Weebly aligns with The Big 6 Framework. This collaboration of technology and information according to Alavi (1994) has seen better student involvement, better performance, and higher participation and productivity than individual learning.

As a learning manager I would be inclined to use Weebly as a cumulating resource in which the students would piece by piece structure information and knowledge to better show their learning journey. It is the ability of this learning tool to provide a balanced base for learning to be scaffolded in any direction required by the learning manager and more importantly the students.

Consolidate and refine knowledge

Bubblus

According to Zhang (2003) the strength in information technologies is in its ability to collect and interpret huge amounts of information to facilitate people's learning and decision making. Concept maps like Bubblus are graphical tools which are used for the representation of information or data. Mazarno and Pickering (2006) state that allowing students to create graphic organisers is an important part in allowing them to make the most sense out of information.
Bubblus can be seen to be a very versatile tool to have in any classroom. As a learning manager I could see myself using this tool frequently in early childhood classrooms to help students brainstorm to clarify topics and information. I would work as a group when introducing this tool but would scaffold students to be able to use the tool as independent learners in the future. Teaching students brainstorming strategies such as this tool allows, I believe gives them necessary skills to help build lifelong learning .

According to Novak (2006) one of the most powerful uses of concepts maps is not only as a learning tool but as an evaluation tool. In reading further into concept maps and the way in which I currently use them I see we really only take the information contained within them on face value however the real learning lies in using this tools constantly throughout the learning process. Blooms taxonomy follows this same process from building surface knowledge about the content of the concept map, to analysing the data, evaluating it and then creating a product based on its content.

Transform information into new understanding
Prezi
Powerpoint

Picnik

Picnik is an interesting web based tool which allows photos to be edited. This tool is a very dynamic and allows for all skill levels to edit and manipulate photos with extreme ease. According to Burmark (2004)there is a natural progression to the way in which we process information; first the picture than the words. She states further that traditional schooling runs into trouble when it tries to reverse this natural order. I believe Picnik is an interesting way to allow students to see how their view of something may different from someone else's. Giving students an identical image such as the one used on my blog and then allowing them to manipulate it to the way they like, allows students to appreciate the fact that everyone is different. Looking through the context of my early childhood classrooms I can see that software like this would be greatly used to engage students and help develop early understandings of critical literacy. Giving students examples of how easy a picture can be edited to convey a different meaning I believe shows them just how visual texts can be used to promote a set way of thinking.

Given the curiosity of young students, developing skills within a program like Picnik would be very simple allowing students a level of "play" time with the program will allow them to build the skills needed to meet their level of creativity. According to Zhang (2003) allowing students to practice with newly acquired knowledge or skills is fundamental to e-learning effectiveness. It would be easy to become sidetracked with such an interesting tool in the classroom. I believe we always need to be thinking of the purpose of the tool to then critically evaluate its effectiveness for our students. As dynamic as this tool is it many educational contexts it would fail to be seen as something of extreme importance. I would be more inclined to use this tool simply as a accessory in which students have the skill to use it independently to aid with other school work they might need the program for.

Present knowledge to audience

Movie Maker

Hofstetter (1995) views interactive multimedia as "the use of a computer to present and combine text, graphics, audio, and video, with links and tools that let the user navigate, interact, create and communicate..." Movie Maker is one such multimedia device. I see Movie Maker as my own personal definition of an e-learning tool. According to Zhang (2003) Movie Maker and other such multimedia technologies are the most attractive and promising technologies in learning. The multimodal forms of text which embed themselves within a movie maker creation are all as interesting as each other. Allowing students to see how each of the components come together to build a final product allows them to continue on the development of critical literacies. I believe like most of the other learning tools that were investigated a lot of the learning within Movie Maker is reflective.

Encouraging students to follow the blooms train of thinking allows them to evaluate and critique their own creation to better gain an understanding of not only the program but of its uses as well. When it comes down to using a lot of these tools I can see that probably the best people to critique and comment on their uses will be the students as they use them within the classroom. I think a massive advantage to a teachers own pedagogy is being willing to take ideas and criticism from the students. Using their ideas in turn will increase the teachers use of such learning tools and help develop their own practices for the future.

Reference List

Adam, A., Slonim, W., & Yesha, Y. (1997). Globalising Business, eudcation, culture therough the internet. ACM , 115-121.

Alavi, M. (1994). Compter-mediated collaborative learning: An empirical evaluation. MIS Quarterly , 159-174.

Beam, P., & Cameron, B. (1997). But what did we learn....? Evaluating online learning as process. Computer Documentation, (pp. 258-264). Quebec.

Burmark, L. (2004). Visual Literacy: Learn to See; See to learn. Alexandria: Burmark and School Media.

Carswell, L. (1998). The 'Virtual University': Toward an Internet Paradigm? Computer Science Education .

Frangenheim, E. (2006). Reflections on classroom thinking strategies. Loganholme: Rodin Educational Publishing.

Hofstetter, F. (1995). Multimedia Literacy. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kerrey, B., & Isakson, J. (2000). The power of the internet for learning: Moving from promise to practice. Education Commission .

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (2006). Dimensions of Learning - Teacher's Manual. Hawker Brownlow Education: Heatherton.

McAllister, N., & McAllister, D. (1996). Providing education electronically to non-traditional sites: New delivery to new audience. Systems Documentation , 187-193.

Novak, J. (2006). The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them. Technical Report IHMC , 36.

Zhang, D. (2003). Powering E-Learning in the new mellennium: An overview of E-Learning and Enabling Technology. Information System Frontiers , 201-212.

Professional Discussion

Justin said...: Hi Sarah,

Being that the video is probably quite large the time its going to take to up load is going to be huge. Even if you just pick the best part of the video you like and just shorten it down I think you will be getting the same effect. Easier not harder my friend!; August 4, 2010 12:12 AM
Mrs Daisy said...: Thanks Justin

I have taken your advice and after consulting with Jackie have taken a screen shot of the video to show how it works.

2 comments:

Red Zebra said...: Hi Justin
I to, have used Movie Maker quite a few times for my personal use and within an educational setting. Teaching students to use this program would require a large amount of time to explore and create. It would also be the appropriate time to teach students of the ethical issues such as copyright that apply to online use of images and correctly referencing the work of others http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools.
This may also lead to opportunities to engage in conversation about cyber safety which is a concern amongst many stakeholders today as children may be exposed to material that is inappropriate.; August 16, 2010 12:56 AM
The Jackel said...: Hey Justin
I am one of those digital immigrates that you refer to in this post. I totally agree with you that a have ago attitude must be taken on board to get the most out of this program. However I would take it a step further and say that this sort of attitude needs to be used to make full use of most of the digital tools looked at throughout your blog. With a little bit of practice and time spent on the relevent digital tool anyone can create a great learning experience involving technology.
Matt; August 21, 2010 4:26 AM

2 comments:

Juliet said...: Hey Phil

How wonderful to have created the opportunity for Bill to enjoy the success of learning. It demonstrates to me not only the importance of using a range of technologies to address the different learning styles and multiple intelligences of our students but how engaging appropriate learning objects are for our digital natives.

We too have an interactive whiteboard in the class, although I have yet to see it in use. The other day the class were introduced to a new unit on gloablisation using an old globe and a series of outdated and dusty books. The teacher pointed to the birthplaces of some of the students in the class as we all struggled to get a view. I looked at the whiteboard and wondered how much more effective google earth may have been to assist comprehension of the earth and the positions of the countries. We could have zoomed into the countries,to the different birthplaces,and linked to images. The possibilities are endless.
So, I take heart from your experience and the positive way your teacher reacted. I will include ICT within as many of my lessons as I can, so I too may encourage and give my mentor teacher the confidence to incorporate what I see essential tools in the 21st century classroom.
Thanks for your post Phil,
Juliet; August 11, 2010 6:05 PM
Justin said...: Ah Phil, welcome to the joys of my work most days... As Jules has said we all need to make sure we recognise our successes and reflect on what made them a success. I find with the children I work with mainly it's someone taking the time. I think we also underestimate the value of success for children and more importantly the students which have learning difficulties. I think you have found a way in with this young man, I think that is a universal thing with ICT's and younger students they aren't afraid to have a go and in a way most of them are unsure not just the student with the learning difficulty so it's nice for students to feel like they have a even playing field for a change to.

Keep up the good work!

Justin