This weeks reading was about the relationship between a teachers beliefs and their technology use in the classroom. Today teachers have greater access to different ICTs and more opportunities to gain technology skills (Ertmer, 2005). However, teachers seem to be using technology for tasks such as word processing and research rather than tasks that require higher order thinking skills (Ertmer, 2005). The reading suggests that teachers may be hesitant to teach and demonstrate ‘high level’ uses of technology in the classroom because of their beliefs which were formed from their past experiences with technology (Ertmer, 2005, p. 26).
Teachers need to feel confident and comfortable using technology because ‘the decision regarding whether and how to use technology for instruction rests on the shoulders of classroom teachers’ (Ertmer, 2005, p. 27). Therefore their beliefs concerning technology are going to have an effect on these decisions. In order for the teacher to feel more confident and comfortable with using technology, they should be gradually introduced to the different uses and applications of said technology (Ertmer, 2005).
Ertmer (2005) states that ‘the further a new practice is from existing practice, the less likely it will be implemented successfully’ (p. 31). Therefore a teacher could begin by using technology for a purpose they already value. Once they are familiar with that technology and value it, they can start using it to accomplish more tasks (Ertmer, 2005). For example, to successfully implement the use of ‘email’ in the classroom, the teacher should use it to communicate with parents and colleagues prior to introducing it to the class. This enables them to be familiar and comfortable with the technology and they will be more likely to allow students to use email for many different purposes (Ertmer, 2005, p. 26).
Therefore, I believe that it is extremely important for teachers to become more confident and comfortable using technology because today’s society is becoming more technology orientated. Students need to know how to use technology for various purposes and teachers need to be able to effectively teach this. I will definitely give my future students the opportunity to use technology on a daily basis in my classroom.
References:
Ertmer, P.A. (2005). Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs:The final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational Technology Research & Development, 53(4), 26-37.
Speech Teacher Uses Technology by Old Shoe Woman (flickr).
This weeks reading was on the topic of WebQuests. According to Dodge (1997), a WebQuests is an ’inquiry-orientated activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet.’ There are two types of WebQuests; short and long term. Knowledge aquisition and integration is the instuctional goal for short term WebQuests whereas the instructional goal for longer term WebQuests is extending and refining knowledge (Dodge, 1997).
To ensure that students are using their time efficiently whilst competing the set task, WebQuests should include: an introduction, a task, resources, process, a guide on how to organise the information and a conclusion (Dodge, 1997). It is important for these components of the WebQuest to contain questions that ‘require original thought’ (McKenzie, 2000, p. 1). This means that rather than simply gathering information to answer a question, students need to reflect and put some thought into the answer (McKenzie, 2000).
Whilst completing a WebQuest, students should be using higher order thinking skills such as ‘comparing’, ‘classifying’, ‘analysing’ and ‘constructing’ (Dodge, 1997). Questions such as ‘why?’, ‘how?’ and ‘which is best?’ (McKenzie, 2000, p.2 ) allow students to use these higher order thinking skills.
Therefore, I believe that WebQuests are valuable tools in the classroom. If the right type of questions are asked, students can use their higher order thinking skills which in turn leads to meaningful learning. I will defininely be using WebQuests in my teaching as I think they allow students to complete a task in a fun, creative and effective way.
References:
Dodge, B. (1997). Some Thoughts About WebQuests. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from The University of Notre Dame Portal.
McKenzie, J. (2000). The Question is the Answer. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from The University of Notre Dame Portal.
The second reading for this week was on the topic of Elearning. Elearning is where teaching and learning takes place online. It is ‘anywhere/anytime’ learning meaning that students can learn in an environment of their own choosing at a time that is suitable for them (Cowley, Chanley, Downes, Holstrom, Ressel, Siemens & Weisburgh, 2002). However, due to lack of motivation and self-discipline in the students, this can turn into ‘never/nowhere’ (Cowley et al, 2002).
Elearning requires students to be aware of what they need to achieve, be organised with the management of their work and be self-motivated to complete their work (Cowley et al, 2002). Students also need to be disciplined, self-directed, and be able to use a computer and the other ICT involved with elearning.
I do not believe that elearning is an effective teaching and learning method. I believe that it does not take into account the varied skills students have with ICT and I do not think that it effectively caters for their different learning styles. Also, due to all the teaching and learning taking place online, there is no face-to-face interaction between student and teacher. I believe that face-to-face interaction between student and teacher is extremely important as it allows students to ask questions and receive clarification immediately (Cowley et al, 2002) and on a more personal level.
Therefore, I believe that elearning will not be an important part of my program as I think face-to-face interaction between student and teacher is more important. While I believe that it is important for students to become self-motivated, organised and disciplined, I do not think elearning is the only way to achieve this.
References:
Cowley, J., Chanley, S., Downes, S., Holstrom, L., Ressel, D., Siemens, G. & Weisburgh, M. (2002). Preparing students for Elearning: Elearning course. Retrived March 16, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/Preparingstudents.htm
Day 223 – Learning to use computers by LShave (flickr).
One of the readings this week described the concept of meaningful learning and how technology can be used to support it. It begins by talking about using standardised testing as a form of assessment and how this does not foster meaningful learning. Standardised tests assess skills and knowledge that are out of context, and do not encourage collaborative learning; all of which decreases the level of meaning the students gain. Students are not fully engaged in this process and make no attempt to fully understand the knoweldge being tested because they are more concerned about achieving a passing grade. (Jonassen, Howland, Movra, & Crismond, 2008).
I agree with this argument that standardised tests are not a meaningful activity. Generally, when students are preparing for a test they focus on memorising facts and figures, rather than understanding this information. When the test is completed, they are not likely to retain this information because it holds no meaning to them.
The reading goes on to discuss what meaningful learning involves. According to Jonassen et al (2008), meaningful learning is when students choose to be engaged in a task that employs ‘active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative activities’ (p. 2). When technology is used to engage students in these types of learning, students will be able to make more meaning (Jonassen et al, 2008).
Technology can be a powerful tool in the classroom when students learn with the technology rather than from it (Jonassen et al, 2008). This means that students should use it to ‘represent what they know’ (Jonassen et al, 2008, p. 6) in a way that is meaningful for them. When used in the correct way, technology can get students to think and reason. This is meaningful because ’students learn from thinking’ (Jonassen et al, 2008, p. 7).
The video below shows several ways that technology can be implemented in the classroom to support meaningful learning:
Therefore, it can be seen that using technology is extremely important for creating meaningful learning for students. This is because when ’students use technologies to investigate, explore, write, build models, build communities, communicate with others, design and visualise, they are engaged in deeper levels of thinking and reasoning’ (Jonassen et al, 2008, p. 10). I believe that teachers should aim to make technology a significant part of their teaching and use it in fun and creative ways so that students will get the most out of it.
References:
DSC_8855 by lord mayhem (flickr).
Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R.M. & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.
This weeks reading was on the topic of social constructivism. It spoke about a study that was undertaken to see what some teachers thought constructivism was and if they actually implemented a constructivist approach to their teaching.
Constructivism can be defined as “the theory according to which every child builds his own knowledge from the inside, through his own mental activity, in interaction with the environment” (Kamii, 1985, as cited in Brewer & Daane, 2002, p. 417). This theory recognises that the child actively builds their knowledge instead of passively recieving it (Brewer & Daane, 2002).
I believe that adopting a constructivist approach to teaching is beneficial to the students. It encourages students to use their prior knowledge in order to increase their understanding of a new topic; that is, they are building their new knowledge upon their prior knowledge. It also encourages students to be autonomous learners and make their own judgements instead of “accepting what everybody said or what the teacher said” (Brewer & Daane, 2002, p. 418). Students are also given the opportunity to learn from each other and share their thoughts through peer interaction, group work and class discussions (Brewer & Daane, 2002).
It is for these reasons that I think that students can benefit from constructivism in the classroom and I will certainly aim to implement this approach to teaching in my classroom in the future.
The link below is an example of how ICT can be used in a constructivist approach to teaching. It is a link to an online game where students have the opportunity to actively build their knowledge and build on their prior knowledge.
This week’s readings were on the debate of ‘Digital Natives’. I learnt from these readings that the term ‘Digital Natives’ refers to the generation born between the years 1980 and 1994, and ‘Digital Immigrants’ are those born before this time (Bennet, Maton & Kervin, 2008). It has been claimed that because the ‘Digital Natives’ live in such a “technology-rich culture” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 776) and possess different skills and interests from previous generations, there is a need for education to fundamentally change.
The majority of today’s students are ‘digital natives.’ Their lives are immersed in technology hence their familiarity and reliance on ICT (Bennet et al., 2008). On the other hand, many teachers are ‘digital immigrants.’ According to Bennet et al (2008, p. 777), digital immigrants lack “the technological fluency of the ‘Digital Natives’ and find the skills possessed by them almost completely foreign.”
It has been suggested that today’s students “think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors” (Prensky, 2001, p.1) and are said to be multi-taskers, experimental learners and “dependant on communication technologies” for various purposes (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 776). Prensky (2001, p. 2) argues that today’s teachers (digital immigrants) are “struggling to teach” these students because of these differences. Prensky (2001) continues that teachers do not fully appreciate the skills students have gained from their experiences with technology and this creates “alienation and disaffection among students” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 777). To resolve this problem, it has been suggested that “curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and professional development” (Bennet et al., 2008, p. 777) needs to change.
I disagree with Prensky for the main part. While I agree that society has become more technology driven and that today’s students have been brought up surrounded by ICT, I believe that you cannot generalise about a whole generation. Every child is different; they have different interests, skills, learning styles and there are also the cognitive differences that need to be considered. It also cannot be assumed that every child has access to the same technologies. This can differ depending on culture, socio-economic status and location (Bennet et al., 2008). Therefore I disagree with Prensky’s claim that education needs to change in order to cater for ‘digital natives.’
While I believe it is important for teachers to familiarise themselves with and include the many different applications of ICT in the classroom, I do not think this should be done at the expense of the children who do not have the skills with or access to this particular technology. I believe that it is more important for teachers to have balance in the classroom (for example, using books as well as the Internet) whilst still keeping up to date with the many technological advancements outside in the society.
A brief summary of the debate and my reflection can be found on my Concept Map.
References:
Bennet, S., Maton, K. & Kervin, L. (2008). The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of the evidence. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 775-786.
Holly taking test on computer by Wade from Oklahoma (flikr).
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. MCB University Press, 9(5), 1-6.
Reading aloud to children by Old Shoe Woman (flikr).
