PodCast: E-learning and Constructionism
Response to: I Could, But Will You? By Peter H.
While Peter started his blog with this opinion on the need to train teachers in the effective and efficient use of E-Learning, I will use it as one of my later posts. Anyone can access a computer and some software and take a class on a magical ride that disassociates them from the realities of final exams and syllabus requirements.
A More competent teacher will be able to use the technology as an extension of teaching and engage their students by sugaring the pill of school.
It does, however, take a special kind of educator to become so fluent in their use of technology that the laptop computer, web cam social networking and the blog replace older classroom tools. I am yet to meet that teacher, although I am now confident that within the next 12 months that I will.
In the same way that teaching using the model of Multiple Intelligence takes time and a personal commitment to change one’s paradigm of education, so too will e-teaching require the learning and more importantly practice in using the broad range of strategies and tools available.
Personally, I have been teaching using mind maps on a white board this year. I have tried to incorporate activities and lessons that use multiple intelligences and where possible I have tried to engage students on their level then pull them up to my expectations. At the same time I have learned to become more fluent in my use of Blogs as a tool of recording and communicating. I regard all of this as part of my personal programme of professional enrichment.
Soon, I hope to be able to address Peter’s concerns about using technology in a time and energy efficient manner and rather than sacrifice time to engage my students with technology, economise within my teaching practice.
Response to The Reality about Millenials
Picture from unknown source in author’s personal collection: Attribution and citation required
“Every move you make, Every vow you break, Every smile you fake, Every claim you stake….”
Every Breath You Take by Sting
In her post The reality about Millennials, which is a summary of the speech by Lee Rainie entitled “Life online: Teens and technology and the world to come”.,
Rouba draws a number of conclusions on the implications for teachers and how they will have to amend their teaching styles to meet the learning needs of this new generation.
As an older person who has adapted to many aspects of technology and wants to learn more, I feel myself constrained by the way I was taught to research and learn. Being a pre-millenial I still tend to use the new technology as a digital version of what I did before. While this leaves me at a slight disadvantage to younger people in the technology stakes, I do have the advantage of seeing some of the inherent dangers of the digital divide and why we should be selective in our adaptations.
Somewhere in the next twenty years, between using mobile technology and multi tasking the millennials will breed and their children will need to be taught a combination of pre-millenial life skills and millennia life skills. There will come a time in the next twenty years when the teaching profession will be dominated by early millenials who will have been raised by pod cast and Youtube .It is not impossible to envisage two generations of students for whom reading and television are not the main sources of information, one teaching the other.
Perhaps what Rainie is really trying to say is that we are watching the process of evolution occur within our species, accelerated by assistive technology.
The Toys are there to share
My Second LifeL Avatar: A creative genius, smooth, suave and quite the polished gentleman
Response to Computers are “Boys Toys”!! by Linda
While Linda may feel insulted by the assertion that the uptake of ICT in Australian schools has been retarded by the attitudes of middle-aged women who have no feel for the technology, it is a sad fact. That is not to say that all women over forty feel that way or that the attitude is restricted to women. Many middle-aged men have no concept of what their students or children can possibly gain from their obsession with technology.
On the ABC is an excellent programme called Good Game where two youngish men, probably in their early twenties review the latest computer games and revisit some old favourites. The observation that games seem to be made by boys for boys is generally true.
My partner and I are regular gamers. I play Second Life a fair bit, which could be described as a creative environment that appeals to both genders with an average population age 35 years.
When we feel a bit more ‘old school’ we immerse ourselves in Dungeons and Dragons Online, a middle ages themed MMORPG where participants fight monsters of varying ferocity for rewards of exotic weapons and gold.
For more of a ‘buzz’, we transport our selves to a time several millennia from now and become part of Project Entropia, a MMORPG with a science fiction theme.
While I meet a number of females in Second Life, in the other games my partner is often the only female player we encounter.
My challenge is this to the gaming fraternity: Come on guys, women are not disengaged with technology, they just want content that appeals to their interests.
Making Do: Non Digital Constructivism
Making do in the bush. The author working on a servicable structure he escapes to when he needs to refresh
In her analysis of Seymour Papert’s dissertation Constructivism Vs Constructionism, Maria makes some excellent suggestions about how a constructivist approach to Technology in the Commerce, Business and Economics KLA’s can enrich and deepen the learning experience for our students. This had really made me think, however, what if I am employed at a school that has little or no access to computers as was experienced by one of my colleagues in her last practicum?
As a ‘bit of a bushie’ I have learned to improvise a fair bit and can live quite happily for a month with little or no electricity, no TV radio or Internet and little or no social contact. So, using a constructivist approach in the classroom without the aid of computers should not be too much of a challenge. Instead of a Blog we can use a butchers paper sized scrapbook for students to contribute interesting articles and their reflections. Perhaps instead of Podcasting an important speech, we can secure a transcript and role-play the situation.
My point is that technology has inspired the rise of constructivist thinking and is the most obvious method of applying it. However, why is it that, until now, “Giving children good things to do so that they can learn by doing much better than they could before.” (Papert 1980) seems to stop at Years 6 or 7?
Papert, S. (1980). Constructionism vs. Instructionism. retrieved 29th October 2008 from: http://www.papert.org/articles/const_inst/const_inst1.html
Computers, Youth and Statistics
My 49 year old Avatar in the “Entropia Universe” aided by his 44 year old real life and in game hunting partner take out a ferocious enemy and win a new gun. In our house 50% of the gamers are women and the average age of gamers is 46.
There is an attitude that computers are the domain of adolescent males and that the uptake of ICT in schools has been limited by the number of middle aged women within the various state and federal departments that control education.
According to a recent study, 46% of gamers are now women and by 2014 the average age of computer gamers will match the average age of the Australian population.
While mind maps and other more formal teaching tools using ICT are fine, they represent to me a one way street of using technology. The teachers are trying to impose what they can relate to on to their students and trying to tame the technology to suit their own agenda.
Currently, there is neither the time nor the resources for a bottom up model of introducing and using technology in the classroom. Students seem to be actively discouraged from introducing their digital lives to the school environment. I-pods, mobile phones, face-book and games are all actively banned at most schools, not without sound reason.
Below I willl share a few random thoughts on each of these four technologies and how they may actually help in the school environment if they can be subtly manipulated.
I-Pods: If I had a visually impaired student I would be likely to record course material for them to assist their learning. Listening skills are extremely important to this sector of the student population. Perhaps the lecture components of certain lessons could be recorded and made available for all students. Personally, I learn much more effectively from hearing information than reading it. My eyes get tired after about an hour, while my ears seem to be almost unstoppable.
As an assessment tool, students can be encouraged to record their findings rather than type them. Oral presentations given during school time can be time consuming.
Mobile Phones: The modern phone is more than just a voice tool. They take photo graphs, can store data and video material and can be used to access information from a variety of sources. The traditional school excursion usually involves a series of worksheets which students complete slavishly like salesmen completing their weekly sales reports (cheat sheets we used to call them when I was a young salesman.
On an excursion, a mobile phone can be used to create a journal of the sites, sounds and reflections of the day, promoting higher order thinking. Of course, the students then would be expected to collate and create from this basic data by uploading the observations to their home computer.
Face Book: Rather than fight this technology, it is time education departments launched their own platform. I realise it would not be as ‘cool’ to the students, but they could use it to share their school experiences and communicate with students from other schools in a safe and facilitated environment.
The platform can also be used to communicate a range of activities from inter-school sports to fund raising days. Students communicate out of school and have been getting into trouble since time began. Perhaps it is now opportune to start building online communities that will promote the sharing of ideas rather than demonising the technology and pretending it does not exist.
Games: On the latest episode of Good Game the ethical and intra-personal skills of computer gaming were discussed. There is a growing attitude that to play effectively in a game players need more than motor skills and aggression. They need a sense of environment strategic skills and in the case of collaborative MMORPG’s teamwork and negotiation skills.
While ’shooter’ games are not appropriate, there are sporting games, simulation games and discovery games, all of which draw out parts of a student’s thought processes in a way that traditional schooling is not capable.
Again, perhaps educators should start looking at developing content, in collaboration with students and marketing and disseminating that content among the wider education community.
This post has been far longer than I have intended but is a summary of what I have read about and thought about during the last semester. I started off believing that ICT in schools was potentially a massive waste of time and money, but now realise that perhaps it is time to start harnessing the enthusiasm and energy of our students to elevate the educators to their level of technical sophistication.
Learning for meaning: Technology promoting advanced teaching strategies
Predicted to be a computer of 2005 by Chris Boese http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2009/2043865634_bbd69d7913_m.jpg
In the article “Conceptual Models of School Learning’ Grabe and Grabe (2001) revisit some fairly established, but at the time they were written quite radical learning and teaching strategies.
They demonstrate how even old ideas and approaches can be more effectively applied with the application of new technologies they ever could have been previously.
It is also suggested that the solitary nature of assessments no longer reflect the skills students will need in their careers and indeed undermine the values of the globalised world.
Stimulating activities, new technologies and collaboration will not undermine education, but rather develop young minds to become more self directed and critical of the world around them.
Grabe, M. & Grabe, C. (2001). Conceptual models for school learning. In M. Grabe & C. Grabe (Eds). Integrating technology for meaningful learning 33rd Edtn. pp 56-76. Houghton MifflinPlace of Publication : Boston
Watching History Happen
This post is being written just after 2pm on Wednesday November 5, 2008, one window working on an assignment, another window being used to keep track of the US election results using an Interactive US Election Map (the link may have been erased by now).
This is history in the making The values of the old World conquest of the New World are being challenged as direct genetic descendant of the third World is vying to become one of the most powerful men in the entire world.
Thanks to common technology, a decent computer and a high speed internet connection, it is possible to watch the event unfold as it unfolds with virtually no delay. If I was teaching right now all of my classes this afternoon would be in ICT rooms, the students observing the counting of state seats and researching commentaries, predictions and reflections.
90 minutes later, during a lecture on Technology in the Classroom a message came via Text Message through a mobile phone connected to a news Service “McCain concedes defeat”
The digital divide is perhaps not that great. We older people just need a reason to connect.
Unpopular Culture
Not Quite Art: Download the VODcast from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/notquiteart/
WOW!! A whole new means of self expression, a whole new way of producing art, a whole new opportunity to develop an audience.
There is a movement developing, one that challenges the notion of property, redfines art and defines the global audience, and it can all be done from the comfort of one’s own desk. This movemment is known by its proponents as ‘mashing’ and the main vehicle is the creative commons environment.
Mashing is taking samples of visual and audio data and manipulating them to create new pieces of expression, similar to the paper and paste colages we did for High School art projects or those perfectly dreadful “Hooked On” medleys that were popular in the Discoteques of the 1980’s.
But forget cut outs from old magazines or splicing eight millimeter film or over dubbing from audio cassettes. These new creations can all be developed digitally using a range of software originally designed for the production of comercial advertising, for example GarageBand, Audacity, and PhotoShop.
This concept of mashing, the implications for copyright and the rise of the Creative Commons movement are the subject of a thirty minute documentary called Unpopular Culture, one of a series of programmes from the ABC series Not Quite Art.
While many artists and studios are spending millions of dollars prosecuting what they term as ‘unfair use’ of their ‘intellectual property’, a group of artists have banded together to make their work available to be maniplulated and expanded upon.
many of these newer artists remain virtually unkown to their friends and family, yet in the global online community have followings numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands.
This programme is well worth viewing for anyone considering the moral dilemma of what constitutes ‘fair use’ or who has a creative urge and is curious of some of the new means of self expression.
An Introduction to Second Life
Second Life, is a three dimensional virtual world which has been in operation since 2004. It boasts over 2 million residents from every continent in the world, of whom over fifty thousand are on line at any one time.
The world has its own economy and the currency used in the game can be bought and sold for US dollars for around $250 Linden Dollars for one $US.
Introduction:
I first entered Second life in March 2006, a period of my life when I had way too much time on my hands. What I found was not a game, but rather an alternative universe where I was able to meet a variety of people, develop a range of skills and reflect on the Real World by observing how the virtual world was being developed.
It was, for a period a full immersion.
It was in Second Life that I first discovered my interest in teaching, as I became a lecturer in Second Life skills being paid a couple of dollars an hour by the developers to run classes for new residents on subjects like etiquette, building, adapting scripts (in game programs) and avatar design.
Of course, all good things must come to an end and after about fifteen months I reduced my hours in the game, but took from it a concept that the environment could be used to educate real life students in subjects as diverse as visual arts, commerce, mathematics, computer programming, literacy, expression, science and geography.
Requirements:
- Access to a computer with the minimum system requirements listed at the following link:
http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php
Please note that the game can not be accessed from
the UTS computers, but is generally
available at most Internet Cafes
- Access to a high speed internet connection
-
Speakers and a microphone to enable voice communication within the game. There is the option of communicating through the keyboard similar to messenger, but progress faster if you can use voice.
Preparing to enter:
To start the tour you will need to register a FREE account and create an avatar. Please do not worry about giving honest answers to any of the questions. I have never received spam or other unsolicited emails from Linden Labs, the producers of the environment.
1. Go to WWW.Secondlife.com and select the “Get Started” link
2. On the next page you will be asked about joining a community. Just choose the option that says “skip this step take me straight to Orientation Island”
3. On the next page the registration process starts. The First Steps are to choose an Avatar Style and a name. Follow the steps and give a VALID email address as you will be asked to refer to an activation link.
4. Once you have completed the account application form, you will be sent an ‘activation link’ by email. Click on this and you will then be directed to a page that that will allow you to down load the program, also known as the ‘viewer’. This is a large file (21mb) and can take up to 20 minutes and install.
5. Once the download is complete and you have installed the program, enter the environment. Experiment with the controls and read through the help tips, then slowly start to explore. Other residents are very friendly and some form of help is usually at hand.
General:
Remember that some areas of Second Life are adult in nature and, while these can be easily avoided it is against the Terms of Service of the game for people under 18 to enter the grid either on their own account or accounts they may have access to.
There is a separate grid for teens (13-18) and specialized grids, which will be reserved for use by schools being constructed.
