kate's eleaning

Thoughts on econferencing. A little bizarre. Sitting in front of the computer, waiting, no clues as to when it will start ie.  No surrounding buzz etc.  A little isolating. Unsure about the technology – weird there is no login details, just the link in an email. Doh! Queensland an hour behind! A little jumpy at times. Small image to view – can make large screen, but fuzzy, speaker pointing to screened images – largely out of shot – annoying. Improving as camera realises and improves shot choices. Sound drops out at times – irritating. Presentation dropped out – very annoying. Email support is helpful, but the irritations are a turn off. Clever that you can separately increase size of slide show and concurrently watch presentation. Presentation has been going for 17 minutes and have been able to view 5. IRONY.

Am enjoying multiplicity of approaches for me – tweeting and following tweets re conference adds interesting back channel. Maybe I should have gone to Queensland after all. 

AMAZING  – listening and watching Alec Couros from Canada – synchronous – then drops  out!! SOOO annoying

FEEDBACK FROM STAFF MEETING: 10/11/09

THINKING SKILLS

In what ways do we believe technology can be used to support and develop students’ thinking skills?

• Discussion facilitated by the teacher through an online forum
• Access to information
• Exposes them to a variety of information/sources/opinions/cultures/philosophies
• How do we define thinking skills?
• Approaching questions – metacognition (currently this is not being done well.  Staff need to understand this. How do we apply this appropriately and effectively?
• Gives them a variety of platforms to achieve
• Tools to help them apply their thinking skills
• Tools to help them reflect
• Focuses on higher order thinking skills
• Time efficient

 What do we believe is necessary to ensure that elearning enhances students’ thinking skills?

• Internet research best practices
• Time management
• Effective searching
• Students must not be overloaded or they will shut down
• Inquiring
• Imagination
• Self-motivated learning
• Self-reflection
• When to apply certain skills

What will we do as a result?

• Balance between different sorts of learning
• Try and teach students to be learners
• More student centred
• More reflection and conclusion
• Get students to express their opinions about how they like to learn.
• More teacher reflection

What do we as teachers need to be able to this?

• Cut down on assessment tasks
• Join together with other departments to collaborate for tasks
• More collaboration – what works, don’t reinvent the wheel
• Standard platform – uniform approach
• Converse with students about their learning styles & make it a collaborative process with the student

 TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE

In what ways do we believe technology can be used by students to transform knowledge?

• Application is key to transforming knowledge
• Assists with articulation
• Creates questioning
• Creates a forum for all students
• Accessing current ideas and information (updates)
• Visual and auditory learning
• Creating the new not reinventing the old
• Increase autonomy & encourage ownership of own learning
• Removal of glass ceiling/open ended learning
• Access & equity
• Up to date/immediacy
• Contextual knowledge
• Our own knowledge
• Pattern recognition – new insights – new relationships
• Collaborative insights – 1 = 1 = 3  Synergy
• Teacher knowledge transformed
• Question assumptions/beware of assumptions
• Wider range of opinions
• Access to cutting edge research/people/mentoring
• Autonomy/ownership of learning. Remove glass ceiling – divergent tasks/open ended lessons
• Freedom of knowledge
• Accessibility of knowledge
• Self direction – independence

 What skills and dispositions do we believe our students need in order to effectively manage and use information and knowledge?

• Be able to validate/critically evaluate the authenticity of the source
• Questioning
• Self-direction
• Critical analysis skills in identifying truth and value
• Self-preservation (OHS, child safety, overload… = resilience)
• Curiosity
• Wanting to learn/understand
• Making a difference/change/grow/develop
• Validation/ critical thinking
• Resiliency – risk takers will take more responsibility for their learning

What will we do as a result?

• Aim to facilitate authentic learning
• Keep in mind the range of learners within the class
• Aim to facilitate independent learning
• Manage our own use of time
• Stay ahead of the pack
• Learn from the students
• Ensure accuracy
• Set up problems/tasks
• Real situations
• I think teachers will become more responsible for the knowledge they impart to students and the responsibility we expect from students in regards to their own knowledge

What do we as teachers need to be able to do this?

• Professional development re apps
• Learn how these might be applicable to particular KLAs
• Time
• Key questions
• Process based

 LEARNING TO BE

What do we believe is important to ensure that the use of technology for learning supports the development of values and ‘learning to be’?

• Will lazy teachers become more lazy?
• That enough time is devoted to training students and teachers in the technology to ensure all can achieve, understand and use it effectively.
• Learn the value of sharing knowledge, accepting that different perspectives are expectable

 What skills and dispositions do we believe our students need to be resilient and responsible users of technology?

•  Knowledge of processes
• Awareness of copyright and personal work
• Taking responsibility for organisational survival e.g. changing batteries, backing up work…

What will we do as a result?

• Assessments need to be modified
• Classroom management – physical layout of rooms
• Model and teach the skills
• Provide clear guidelines

What do we as teachers need to be able to do this?

• iTALC
• be up to date
• establish protocols around 24/7 access to teacher feedback
• training/ practice/modelling/ time
• teamwork and collaboration

 COOPERATIVE LEARNING

In what ways do we believe technology can be used to support and develop students’ skills and dispositions for cooperative learning?

• Group work using wikis for example
• Use of internet and delegation of tasks within the group using ICT
• Negotiating the format  & presentation of collaborative work
• Use of peer evaluation of student work
• Sharing of knowledge/results/research with other educationalists around the world (both students & teachers)
• Wikis are inclusive of all students
• Allows connection outside of school time – 24/7
• Students are able to drive their own learning
• Flexibility among and between groups (across classes)

What do we believe is necessary to ensure that using technology enhances opportunities for and outcomes of cooperative learning?

• Clear direction to students from teachers
• Clear time frames & composition of groups (consider strengths and weaknesses of each of the students)
• PD of staff to ensure they are well equipped to support students towards collaborative learning ICT tasks
• Code of conduct
• Effective programs that allow students to embrace their learning, but are also guided by limits
• Focus is made clear/clear directives

What will we do as a result?

• Embed collaborative learning using ICT in curriculum programs
• Ongoing teacher training and inservice opportunities
• Clearly stated outcomes
• Discuss and establish rules with students
• Education about privacy laws and integrity
• Validation instruction

What do we need as teachers need to be able to do this?

• Time
• Inservicing
• Mentoring both in and out of the classroom
• Updating of current software
• Network (internet?) available throughout the school
• Collaborative sharing of resources
• Consistency in dealing with issues/problems

I’m just going to make some comments here about the usefulness of the model ‘SECTIONS’ as a method of analysing an existent, (or in our case, emergent) elearning system.

I’m a fan of acronyms, and this model did provide a convenient structure and pertinent questions to guide analysis. The orientation found on page 77 was a compelling argument for the use of the model. The model presented does respond reasonably effectively to the criteria offered.

Nonetheless, I did find it limiting in some ways. In attempting to be a ‘one size fits all’ model, with the capacity for universal application, there were some questions that were less relevant for school contexts. Equally, some relevant questions were omitted. I found the comments under the title ‘Student Differences with Respect to Learning with Technologies’ to be simplistic at best. Relevance was also at question as the focus of the discussion was on university students. Nonetheless, the comments that learning has to be viewed in context remediate this position to some extent.

In our context, catering for learning styles and differentiation, together with adjustments are factored into the construction of teaching and learning programs – with varying success. This is an area under ongoing review.

I think it would have been helpful to include in the model a separate section, or subsection, devoted to examining issues around assessment design and practices. I also think in a school context, that it would be a good idea to have a section focused on parents and their concerns – which are myriad.

I don’t think any single model provides all the questions, or answers. Using a basic framework, and then applying other models will in most instances result in a more comprehensive analysis. The constraints of the word limit for this task, even given surpassing this, makes this unworkable, but is something I intend to do following submission of the task. One model, provides one way of thinking. One also needs to consider the values and attitudes underlying the model. To a certain extent, I found with this model paradigms associated with economic rationalism. This paradigm is not always suited to educational contexts, although it is too frequently promoted.

Given the pace of change in ICT, the publication date of 2003 dates the model in some respects.

Nonetheless, I found the model provided a useful framework for the purposes of preliminary analysis.

Bates, A.W. & Poole, G 2003,  ‘A Framework for Selecting and Using Technology’. in Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

I’ve been working on my second assessment task for uni – elearning technologies. I put it together on a wiki. Kind of dumb really – given that a wiki is designed to be used as a collaborative tool, and this assignment is an independent task. Nonetheless, it was a tool that really worked for me in enabling me to provide links, both internally, and externally. Ideally, I’d like this task, like most of my learning, to be real world relevant.

I’d have liked for this task to have been able to collaborate with colleagues. Word length ends up being kind of tricky.

Some points of explanation.

I have developed a wiki to function as staff support, and to encourage collegiality and collaborative learning. In this way, I am hoping to model a successful community of practice for staff (Wenger 1998) that they can create in their classrooms. As noted in numerous papers, research, wikis and articles, 21st century learning involves new ways of thinking about knowledge, (Kalantzis and Cope 2008) and teaching and learning. Collaboration, critical thinking skills, creativity and the ability to use a variety of tools successfully to explore the learning and work in an enquiry model (Wilhelm 2007) necessitate change in contemporary teaching practices. While many of these skills have always been taught, to varying degrees in traditional classrooms, the fundamental pedagogical principles, and tools, are new for many. ” It also requires a paradigm shift in how educators orchestrate the act of learning. More important than just using the technology appropriately, faculty need to learn how to personalize their instruction and incorporate student activities into that instruction.” (Barr, Gower and Clayton 2004)

The wiki and Moodle are yet to be launched. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the dates for staff development and consultation have been delayed until later this term. This is disappointing as I was hoping that these would be fully functional by this time – both for the imperative of this task, and for the learning experiences for staff. The first goal of staff meetings is to collaboratively develop and create an an elearning vision for the school. Following this, the wiki and moodle will be launched. Dates for the laptop rollout continue to change. At the very earliest, it will be week 6 this term.

The wiki is designed to work as a collaborative learning tool for staff, the moodle as the medium for curriculum delivery. As staff uptake of Delicious has been slow, I have put links into each page to facilitate access, and to model sharing resources. I am hoping that the invitation to comment on the resources or post discussions will be efficacious.

The learning activities presented on the ConnectED page are designed to encourage active learning, employ a wide range of learning skills, and to promote personal engagement and investment in the learning outcomes. A continued focus will be on fostering metacognitive skills and awareness in students. In addition, the learning experiences presented here are intended to model how to effectively integrate and reflect the College learning platform. The platform has four dimensions: Learning to Be, Transforming Knowledge, Learning Collaboratively and Thinking Skills. The ConnectED page is the beginning of what will become an exemplar for staff. The teaching team are currently revising this unit of work, and so the program has not been posted on the site at this time.

I am optimistic about the implementation phase. While some staff are apprehensive about the future, many are expressing interest, and are enthusiastic.

References:

Barr, H., Gower. B and Clayton, J ( 2008)  Faculty Response to the Implementation of an Open Source Learning Management System in Three Tertiary Institutions in New Zealand, Computers in the Schools, v 24, no. 3- 4, pp. 125-137

Kalantzis, M. and Cope, B. 2008 New Learning: Elements of a Science of Education, Cambridge University Press, Australia

Kalantzis, M. and Cope, B. 2008 New Learning: Elements of a Science of Education, viewed September 13, 2009 <http://newlearningonline.com/new-learning>.

Wenger, E. circa 2007, Communities of Practice: A brief introduction. viewed April 13, 2009, http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm

Wenger, E.  1998,  Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System. viewed April 15, 2009. http://www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge-garden/cop/lss.shtml

Wilhelm, J 2007, Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas with Guiding Questions, Scholastic, US

What have I found to date in entering the moodle world? Some refreshing moments, and honestly, some frustrating times.

Process and chronology.

So. I completed my ‘five week’ moodle training course. Honestly I put it off, thinking it would be incredibly time consuming and like everyone else, I live in a time poor world. It took me an hour and a half. I did gain some basic skills, and some sense of making my way around.I don’t know that it was particularly good value for money. In the promotional material, it suggested that if you are familiar with wikis etc, you probably won’t have any trouble. This is probably true. I think we can offer better inhouse support than is offered through this course. Others may be better.

I have currently been in my new job for 8 days. The start date kept being delayed for a number of reasons – waiting for my replacement to be appointed and start being the main one. In that time I have spent a lot of time in handover – more than happy to do so.

This week I spent about three hours in total, spread over several days with a tech colleague who is conversant with Moodle as a result of his previous school environment. This has been very valuable. As a learning model, one on one, just in time learning is absolutely the best model. Conveniently, we work in the same office space, so this was effective and useful – ironically physical geographic proximity has been a big help. The good news is that it hasn’t been difficult to find my way around – adding resources, setting up courses, adding users…

In terms of staff development, I think the best model will be to target ‘champions’ from each faculty and work with them one on one, or in small groups. While this seems an ‘expensive’ mentoring option, I do think it will prove the most efficacious. This is particularly so as participants will be starting from different skill bases, and with different areas of interest and needs. Some will want to concentrate on inputting a range of currently used resources, others will need and want to be creating new ones. Some will want to use a relatively narrow range of resources, that  initially, won’t fully utilise the learning potentials available.

I have started to develop our Moodle site, obviously it has a long way to go. The basic structure is I think user friendly. Having had a look at the wiki function on Moodle, I have decided to run a separate wiki for staff using wetpaint. The interface and functionality is more effective and appropriate for our uses. I believe Moodle is upgrading in the new year. This is good as many functions are currently quite cumbersome. For example, resequencing courses etc, requires a time intensive and repetitive method of arrowing down, or up through the course list. A drag and drop, or something similar would significantly improve this functionality. (It may be of course that clever moodlers know how to do this!)

Initially I did poke around the Moodle help site, but found this a little overwhelming, time consuming without great return, and frankly, not that useful. I think as I develop greater expertise, this may be more useful.

We ran a trial test on Moodle today, with a colleague from the PDHPE department. He is very keen to move forward, and this enthusiasm is not to be wasted. He had a ‘dummy’ stress test to trial with Year 8, in preparation for running an authentic testing experience with Year 10. Our tech colleague only works three days a week, and so was absent today. He did establish the test scenario with our host, and advise them of the stress test. Unfortunately, what began as a promising experience, turned into a disaster. Initially, students were able to find the site quickly, following the provided instructions. As more students came on board, the problems emerged. We are still investigating the cause. We know our bandwidth is currently problematic, (in fact inadequate!). It appears though that the problem may not have resided there. Of the two classes engaged in the trial, only 12 students were able to get to the site. Of these, only four were able to logon. None were able to move further.

This is obviously very disappointing and frustrating. When people are entering new territories, they need to have positive experiences. This is particularly the case in a classroom of 25 – 30 students. Good will and enthusiasm are easily lost. The PDHPE coordinator has undertaken to run another test, recognises the difficulties, but really, like all of us, just wants it to work.

There is a bit of a divide I think in the e world, or ICT, or whatever it is called in whatever time and place. There are those that are techy – who know about the bandwidth and speed and megabytes and… , and those that don’t care about all that, they just want it to work. They, we, want to be able to walk into class, and be confident that the planned learning experiences can go ahead, and work. We want to maximise student learning, in all circumstances. Then I guess there are those that are a bit of both. Fundamentally, the important thing is that the learning has to be paramount. The pedagogy has to be high quality and purposeful. Rich learning experiences are supported by metacognitive reflection.

I have learnt a lot thus far, and will continue to do so. I find I’m working/ thinking quickly, and critically, and constantly making connections. It’s enjoyable. At the heart of that ongoing learning, is mindful curiousity, interest and a willingness to try. That sounds a bit preachy, and is not intended to be so.

Fundamental to all of this is educators’ attitudes to learning and power relationships in the classroom. Huge paradigm shifts for some. Challenging times for us all.

Where to from here? Continue building the wiki and Moodle site. Prepare and present staff meetings to explore values and attitudes surrounding elearning. Develop a school vision for elearning.Develop resources. Work with staff to ‘elearn’ teaching and learning programs and resources. Collaborate. Learn. Discover.

One person’s utopia is another’s dystopia. Nonetheless, its important that we aspire to change, to improve, to grow – the question that is left begging is – whose vision deserves support. There is a lot of rhetoric floating around the fringes of the laptop/digital revolution. Again, Miranda words echo “oh brave new world…”. The irony also echoes.

Yes, we need to move forward. No, we can’t adopt a Henny Penny, or Ossie Ostrich approach.

Yes, technology offers enormous potentials. One utopian vision – learning anywhere, anytime … All very well if you have the access, the skills, the reliable internet… And yes, all this gets better all the time, and none of these points are a good reason not to move forward.

What often gets lost in the rhetoric however, is the question of pedagogy. This should be the first and last question. Technology by definition, is a tool, not an end in itself.

My husband’s utopian vision, simplistically summed up here (coming from the perspective of a socially and economically disadvantaged public high school in western Sydney) =

1. a truly comprehensive and inclusive  school

2. being free of external demands ie. BOS requirements so that the school can develop and deliver effective and relevant curriculum

3. most importantly, being able to hand pick staff who can engage kids in their learning.

His third point, comes back to mine – pedagogy is at the heart. All points, easily become the stuff of a dystopic nightmare all too readily – e.g. is the curriculum delivered ‘only relevant’ – in that case where is the expansive transformative capacity of education?

For me – quality teachers, unafraid of change, filled with mindful curiousity and able to inculcate that in their students. A profound shift in power relationships between teachers and students, great spaces that invite and create a powerful and positive climate for learning, technology that is reliable, free and works. An environment that celebrates creativity, critical thinking, innovation….

Watson – 2001
Fascinating in that already it is so dated in many respects, but in others, raises interesting questions. The comments about computer ratios is of course almost redundant now, as the laptop roll out continues. And yes, some teachers are responding in a ‘Henny Penny’ kind of way – ‘the laptops are coming, the laptops are coming’. And reasonably so. There has been insufficient support to date, insufficient time given to planning and implementation, program development, discussion re impact on pedagogy (the latter takes a LOT of thinking through as vastly different teacher/learner relationships emerge). Nonetheless, the steam roller proceeds inexorably to its destination. The SMH had an article about the NSW BOS this morning, positing the idea that the current year 9 will be sitting many of their exams online. I’ve just finished marking Extension 2 English, and one piece of input from BOS officer is that the BOS is planning on introducing/extending online marking next year by 10%. There are innumerable consequences to this decision, not the least of which are questions of equity.
Sorry for getting side-tracked.
The article. Watson does offer some useful food for thought though – in identifying the simple question – “who it to provide the teaching for these ICT skills, and where will it happen?” (Watson p.255)This is in fact relevant to the my previous points. There is a fundamental assumption present it seems, that the students already have a strong skill base when they get their laptops. I beg to differ. In my year 7 class I have a number of students who have strong skills, and are able to problem solve effectively, and interestingly, the group does learn in a ‘new’ way – point of need, collaboratively, and creative problem solving are at the base. I certainly am not the expert in the room. However, as a group, their basic keyboard skills are widely variant, very few ‘touch type’ for example. Is it important for us to teach this very basic skill? Who will do so? How? When? Presumably online, do we have a basic skill level we expect all students to achieve? When these students are sitting their HSC online, their keyboard skills, accuracy and speed will be critical to success.
Watson is also right in pointing out what is present in most literature, teacher attitudes to change – simultaneously “threatened .. and not impressed” (Watson, p.251). This is a key point I need to address in my workplace – both in real terms as part of my job, also, as part of my assignment.
I also like what he has to say about wisdom, “acquiring ICT tool skills may be relatively easy but gaining wisdom to use them effectively is not”. The propensity of students to use the web etc as a tool for information location is valid. What we definitely need to work on is developing our students skills in transforming this knowledge, re-creating it, re-mixing it, challenging it. He’s right, pedagogy must be at the heart.
Watson, D. 2001 Pedagogy before Technology: Re-Thinking the Relationship between ICT and Teaching Education and Information Technologies 6:4, 251- 266

Bull
Raises lots of interesting points. I like the point about the movement from passive (watching TV), to more “active and creative pursuits” (Bull et al p.100). This is true for many, almost unconsciously is my observation. Talking with my daughter (16) and my students, however, they seem to see the divide between school and these pursuits more strongly than I do. If this is the case more broadly, then it is something we need to think about and address. Certainly it is true for many teaching staff. For me, I see the opportunities and get excited. These attitudes have the potential to even further marginalise school and the experiences associated there, from students ‘real’ lives. Do we, or they want to blur those ‘boundaries’, can we really imagine a schooling that does in fact realise the potential for anywhere, any time, any how? This involves breaking down huge barriers, the challenges of the local/global divide, questions of privacy etc are of course important, and yes, I don’t work 24/7. It also involves reconsidering questions of power and authority, at both systemic and individual levels.
The reference to Sterling (2008) is spot on – “not all the writing (online) is brilliant, of course, but they are engaged in ideas.” Therein lies the crux of it, to what extent in a traditional classroom model are they engaged in ideas. I love the title of this weekends festival at the Opera House – Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Wonderful.
The challenges identified in the article are real and present. I particularly resonate with the last “only limited research is available to guide best practice.” (Bull et al p. 102) I have been trawling through countless searches looking for best practice to provide models for staff. From my point of view, there is some, (QLD and VIC departments of Education are putting forward some good materials, again systemic issues as lots of material is only available for those in the departments!), however a lot of what I’ve found is great in some respects, but weak in others, e.g. not necessarily requiring higher order thinking skills. I’ll keep looking. If anyone knows of anything, I’d love the link.
They’re right too, “social media are changing the world in ways not yet understood”, nonetheless we do need to be mindfully curious, and critical.
Bull, G et al 2008 Connecting Informal and Formal Learning: Experiences in the Age of Participatory Media Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8(2), 100-107

Wow! What an amazing resource.

Fantastic to use in the classroom, although as noted in a comment on Jud’s blog, a pity that they are available for listening only, no remixing etc. However, just listening is good too – we don’t always have to ‘do’ something with what we find.