Miss Ng gets taught a lesson…

I just read Mr. Favaloro’s blog post: What the research says about digital video in teaching and learning.

We can’t guarantee that videos will bore students to death; because it all depends on what sort of video they’re watching. If they’re watching a video where the characters walk and talk and do nothing else, then students will be bored. On the other hand, if they’re watching a video where there is (some) action in addition to walk and talk, then students are likely to be interested.

I have used videos in both professional experiences and felt that it was a wonderful medium to use. One of the advantages was that it was a welcoming change from listening to your teacher talk. The students got an opportunity to hear another voice, another opinion, another perspective on the topic they were studying (if the video went hand in hand with the topic). This is good, because the video may have information the teacher has not talked about yet.

On the other hand, sometimes it was hard to find a video which related to the topic the students were studying and was appropriate to the students’ age group. In that case, we can forget about using a video and use other teaching strategies available.

In conclusion, I feel that videos are a good medium to use in teaching, but there are limitations. If you use it too often, the students will definitely get bored.

Computers are a lot like paintbrushes, in the sense that they are used as a “medium for design and creative expression”. Apple Macintoshes are known to be efficient at this.

According to recent research by educators and psychologists, computers are making today’s children engage in “mindless” and “passive” consumption (I think it may be due to video games). This is true, because that is how computers are used most of the time. That was how I used a computer when I was younger. But they don’t have to be used that way. We, as teachers, can help children use computers to make their learning more engaging and thoughtful.

The paper uses the example of Alexandra’s marble machine to highlight how new technologies can foster learning. Through experimentation, Alexandra was able to improve the inner workings of the machine. Not only that, it helped her develop the skills of working scientifically. So basically, she has learnt by doing, which is consistent with John Dewey’s “theory of inquiry” (1910).

Another example I can think of is when you’re teaching the concept of projectile motion in physics. Teachers can ask students to design a computer program which models this concept. Students “play around” with the variables which affect the path (and destination) of the projectile. In doing so, they will have learnt so much about this concept and developed the skills of working scientifically, because they have created a program and “experimented” with the variables. This will benefit the visual (because they’ve seen it) and kinaesthetic learners (because they’ve done it).

Reference

Resnick, M. (2006), Computer as Paintbrush: Technology, Play, and the Creative Society, Oxford University Press

I read an article on constructionism and constructivism.

The language of the article is too academic for my liking, but it makes the distinction between constructionism and constructivism quite well.

OK, let’s put into simple English what they mean:

Constructivism (Piaget’s theory) – learning is a process where learners are actively constructing knowledge.

Constructionism (Papert’s theory) – inspired by constructivist theories, which are associated with experiential learning. In other words, learning by doing.

Doesn’t this remind you of progressive education?

Reference: Ackermann, E. (2001) Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the difference?

I just read Fisch’s blog post.

No, I don’t think it’s OK to be technology illiterate. According to the Professional Teaching Standards set out by the NSW Institute of Teachers, teachers are required to use ICT (information and communication technologies). I know this because I spent some time looking through this document.

Some of us are mature age students (not me, I’m under 25) who, unfortunately are “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001). This would mean they need to spend some time learning how to use technology before they can teach or pursue other professions… Because most professions require technology skills. Or simply use technology to do fun things, such as gaming (not that we’ll be playing any games right now).

I think those who are not very proficient when it comes to using technology are very enthusiastic about learning how to use it. For example, there are some senior citizens who want to learn how to use email so they can stay in touch with family and friends. Proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks…

Oh, such a depressing post from Fisch. I’m gonna need some cheering up…

References

NSW Institute of Teachers, Professional Teaching Standards, NSW IT.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–2.

The article talks about how the internet and “constant evolution of technology” have changed the way we find and access information. Libraries bring the world together and they “transcend time and place”.

Because the internet is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, we can access it all the time (even on Xmas day). With wireless connections we can access the internet anywhere. So basically, the world is your library.

Another point the article mentions is “the digital library doesn’t eliminate the need for a physical library, for the library as place. Libraries are gateways to knowledge.” The internet can replace print media such as books (which can sometimes be quite heavy to carry around). What this means is that a properly equipped physical library with access to the internet and specialized rooms for group and individual study is a useful learning space.

Reference: Byrne, A. (2008), “Library Scan”, U Magazine, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW.

I used a data projector to do a power point presentation for Year 9 Science during my practicum at the school just up the road from where I live.

Some of the advantages included:

Good for focusing student attention (did not have to say, “Face the front”). The children automatically looked at the projector screen when it was presented in front of them.

Can be used to present movies (D.V.D.) and (flash) animation, in addition to static images.

Some of the limitations included:

Cannot be used during a power blackout. In that case, write on the black/white board. This would sound like you’re doing things the old fashioned way, but at least you don’t have to cancel the lesson. Otherwise, the students will miss out on a whole lesson’s worth of learning!

Have to make a booking with the lab technician (who does everything including first aid!) before you can use it.

Another point I would like to make is about smart boards. It was surprising how the classrooms did not have smart boards, even though it was a technology high school. But we hope to see them in a few years…

I just read Warky’s blog dated Jul 30, 2008.

I really agree with you. The feelings I’ve had thus far are similar to yours, but I have had to bottle my feelings in order to stay out of trouble. And I have been out of trouble so far. I hope I can keep this up.

If I were you, I would post my personal thoughts on a personal blog, not on an educational blog. I know that your opinions are constructive, but I’m afraid this blog is not the place to express them. We don’t want to land in hot water, do we?

P.S. You forgot to mention literacy.

I loved the photo of the cat on your sidebar. It was hilarious.

It was very brave of you to show your “concept podcast” on your blog. I agree that it was better than “mumbling into a microphone”, which I did. You couldn’t here me that well, because I didn’t project my voice…

I recently read another article about youth and technology. The title of the article is a reference to a Savage Garden song, “Truly Madly Deeply“. I think the authors chose this title because it is a reference to a song which most people know. The title goes to show how young people are influenced by pop culture as well as technology. The article mentions that “music is possibly the single greatest mechanism by which youth facilitate their three needs”. Those three needs are community, self-expression and personalization, and they are interlinked.

The article talks about major trends which have shaped this generation of young people. Such trends include:

In general ,young people have an optimistic view of the future, even though there is a much doom and gloom in this world. Geographically speaking, youth from developing countries (e.g. India, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea) also seem optimistic and find that technology will make their lives easier. On the other hand, youth from more developed countries (e.g. Australia, United States and Canada) seem to have a negative view about what technology can do for them, which I found quite surprising.

The article once again is quite long and it talks about some of the ideas that were mentioned in the previous article I read.

I feel it is good to know what issues affect the young people of today (since I will be working with them!), so I can develop strategies to help them if it is necessary.

Reference: Global youth, media and technology (2007), Truly Madly Deeply Engaged

I recently read a speech about young people and technology, which I was able to relate to, since I am in that age group. These people are called millenials. They are a “distinct age cohort” (born 1982-2000). I think they are also known as Gen Y. They are different from their parents, who were Baby Boomers.

There is something special about today’s young people which make them different from previous generations. Young people are the nation’s future. They have a restrictive upbringing, because of rules and “parental anxiety”, safety helmets and media censorship. They are confident and team focused. They are high achievers (most of them). They feel the pressure to perform. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Young people are surrounded by technology, mostly the kind their parents did not have (e.g. mp3 players, iPods, gaming consoles, broadband internet and wifi). The other point to make is that they learn how to use new technology very quickly, which is advantageous in the 21^st century. But their parents struggle to keep up… Ever tried to teach your parents how to use a computer? You would have tried without success… If you were successful, tell me about it.

The speech is quite long and goes on to talk about going wireless and portable devices (with some statistics to prove it), how the internet is central to young people’s world (and the reasons why they use it), multitasking, being unaware of the consequences of using technology (e.g. downloading media illegally, sharing material online), the rate at which technology is evolving and how technology shapes the way young people learn.

Reference: Rainie, L. (2005) Life online: Teens and technology and the world to come. Speech to annual conference of Public Library Association. 23/3/06. Washington, Pew Internet & American Life