Reflective Synopsis

Reflective Synopsis Assessment

How wonderful to be a student in today's schooling system! The digital tools available and technology if utilised and correctly implemented are engaging and fun for both students and learning managers.

In the course we were introduced to 3 different frameworks for ICT learning designs these were TPACK, Learning Engagement Theory and the Big Six. I like the Big Six framework as described on moodle it "is highly relevant for any sort of problem-based learning in any learning area. The Big Six approach ensures that you use ICT in all phases or stages of learning to maximise the outcomes for students. It has been a fundamental approach in many regions and districts in Queensland to ensure that ICT is integral to learning" (Aldred, 2010). The big six works on a process model for solving problems as outlined here

There are multiple digital tools that are available for learning managers and throughout this course we have looked at just a few web 2.0 tools that can be used in conjunction with digital devices such as computers, digital cameras and voice recorders.

My synopsis requires me to address which tools I would use in my classroom to engage the students and I believe the first tool that I would use would be the blogs. Blogs are a great communication tool that allows others to post questions and/or comment on the ideas blogged. Not only can they be used as an assessment tool as we are doing now but also as diary of events which can be incorporated into Early Phase Learning. An example of this is the learning manager sets up a blog, shows the students and asks them to generate questions to be posted. This is explained further on my Week 1 Blog entry - Blogs.


Therefore the next tool I would definitely use would be Google Maps. I never would have thought that they could be used in this way - Google Maps allows you to create your own maps and add pins for points of interest that can have a picture uploaded and text. In class we did this by taking a picture at the University then created our own map and pinned a point of interest to our map which we then posted on our wiki or blog. The google map I created can be viewed on my wiki space from my entry blog here I would also use Google Maps to introduce students to there surroundings either locally or globally. I would do this by asking them questions about landmarks in their town that they know of and then show them on the map, we could even create our own and add pins with information that they know about the landmark. Globally I would do the same; ask questions, show them where they are, provide information to them about that landmark and then point out the reference of where it is to where they are at the time. This visualising of what normally can't be seen other than in texts or on hardcopy maps is a real advantage.

Another tool that I would use in Early Phase teaching is the old Microsoft Office Powerpoint, although not for powerpoint presentations as it is commonly used for but for the use of interactive pages that it allows you create. In Week 2 we created a powerpoint that asked a question and gave answers that if you got correct it would hyperlink to another page with either a correct response or try again. The advantage of powerpoint allows you to add pictures, sounds and texts. I could see this as being used as an assessment tool, that is interactive and fun as it can be translated into a kind of game which can call on prior knowledge all ready known by the students. As fun activities you could also have students create stop motion in powerpoint something as simple as a dog chasing a ball.

The last tools that I could use are Glogster and Blabber. Glogster allows you to setup a safe online virtual classroom where you can post classroom projects, add blabbers just to name one of many online graphics tools. Blabbers are a tool that can be used by getting students to draw or obtain a picture, record their voice on a voice recorder explaining the picture and then joining them together making the picture talk with their actual voice speaking. Amazing what can be done and this can then be shown to the parents as part of their portfolio.

As noted earlier we used multiple web 2.0 tools, however I at this time could not comprehend how I could incorporate them into my teaching these being wikis, movie makers, podcasts, RSS Feeds and websites just to name a few. I think they are too complex for my students but it is most likely my naievity of these tools that makes them at this time not as user friendly to me, rather than them being tools that are not suitable for Early Phase teaching. However with the ever changing technological advances and the sharing of knowledge on the World Wide Web I am sure that in the future I will know exactly how to incorporate these into my teaching in the classroom.

Obviously I also need to take into account of the class infrastructure and architecture; are the resources available; are the web 2.0 tools supported and if not I will need to have a closer look at them and do some research to see if they can be used in any way.

When starting the course some 7 weeks ago I really questioned how I would introduce these tools and technology into an Early Phase classroom, how mistaken I was going to be. I realised it was not about whether students were going to be computer literate but rather it was more about exposing them to the technology that is out there including computers but also other digital devices such as voice recorders and digital cameras. It's also about students being actively involved with their learning and having choices of how they learn, by including ICT it can create a student guided learning environment rather than a teacher driven learning environment as experienced in the past.

The transformation of learning utilising ICT has astounded me by the engagement of students and teachers in a supportive learning environment. As I see it gone are the days of photocopied worksheets for activities and in with the new digital tools of today.

I only wish that I end up as one of the technological savvy learning managers who introduce a whole new look on teaching and learning.


References

Aldred, S. (2010). Effective e-learning design. Retrieved from CQUniversity moodle, FAHE11001, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91796

Eisenberg, M.. (2001, November 19). The big 6 skills [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.big6.com/2001/11/19/a-big6%E2%84%A2-skills-overview/

Google. (2010). Google Maps. Retrieved from http://maps.google.com.au/

Kearsley, G. & Sneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Wikispaces. (2010) Wikispaces. Retrieved from http://www.wikispaces.com/