Week 3 Initial Reading Thoughts

Response: Topic 1 – Three vignettes

I found this to be a good read, as having examples of different ways to incorporate technology effectively and then see what is a waste of technology clarifies how to incorporate the ideas of digital pedagogy. In the third vignette, it is clear that the teacher guided the students in order to ensure that the information they use is correct and suitable, and also allows the teacher to monitor plagiarism. However in doing this, the teacher has removed any benefit and trust to the students. This teachers approach was designed to be the most helpful and suitable for students yet shows an ignorance of the benefits of allowing students to problem-solve and find information themselves.

Response: Topic 2 – Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a very simplistic name considering the drastic effect that this development has had on society. People of all ages and abilities have the chance to become creators, there are more entrepreneurs now than ever, and information is becoming more accessible to all. However with this comes the responsibility of sifting through information to find what may be trustworthy, the risks involved have become common enough that we, as users, must be educated within school on the dangers of the internet (See previous blog post on Ethics and Safety). Teachers who keep these risks in mind, however, can use a range of tools to improve educational experiences for their students. Three of these very adaptable tools are Blogs, Wikis and Websites.

Response: Topic 3 - summary of activities and thoughts.

Blogs:

I had not used blogs until this course, and I honestly find it is very similar to Facebook. I can upload images, thoughts, documents, embed website content and videos, and receive feedback on those posts. I can follow other blogs and see what others are doing, and have found the options nearly endless. Blogs could potentially encourage debates on topics through the teacher posting controversial information and having students comment and debate (Monitored closely). Teachers could have polls for students to complete, and have students use blogs to create their own debates! The options are endless.

Wikis:

Wikis are another tool I had not used until this topic, and I am finding that they are handy for group work in many forms! They are flexible and allow a range of people to edit the same document. This could be very effective for brainstorming and collaborative learning in classrooms. They can be structured to guide learning and can be very handy for sharing ideas and completing scaffolded activities (See Thinking Hats from Week 2 postings).

Websites:

Websites are useful for adding and providing information, however they are not as interactive as the other two types of tools presented this week. They are useful as they allow for complete control, any restrictions or benefits are completely within the control of the creator of the website.

I actually find this very restricting as you cannot collaborate in the creation of a website, however they can be very useful there is a particular requirement, and can be a creative way for students to express themselves.

SAMR Evaluations:

Week 2: The mobile phones debate using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats

I have just completed the Thinking Hats activity for the use of mobile phones in classrooms. The answers below are in the context of being a Distance University student, and on using wikis and the Thinking Hats combined to combine and explore different ideas.


What was the purpose of this activity?
I believe the purpose was to expand thinking, and force students to not only seriously consider a range of perspectives, but also become familiar with technology. This activity was a great example of how a scaffold can be created for students in the classroom, where they can express creativity and opposing views, while being guided by the creator of the wiki. It incorporated technology into learning, higher-order thinking, creativity and problem-solving (all elements of good digital pedagogy).

What would this activity fall under in the SAMR model or Blooms Taxonomy?
 I think this falls under Modification in the SAMR model as it would not have been possible to see the ideas of the other students in this course in a logical format without technology, in this case the Wiki. Even the use of forums would not have been as effective, because in the Wiki the ideas were already organised and students just had to add their ideas in the relevant sections.
It was definitely higher-order thinking as not only was I required to add my thoughts, but justify them as well. That falls under the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy, evaluation. Even while structured, the activity made you think about why, and think about the opposing views and attempt to justify them as well.

What are the benefits or issues in participating in a Wiki?
The benefits:

• Opportunity to collaborate
• Opportunity to discuss and evaluate
• Use of technology to link people that may be in different physical locations
• Able to be flexible, allow for creativity in responses

The issues:

• Possible plagiarism 
• Possible that activities are misinterpreted due to lack of face-to-face communication
• Can get messy with too many users
• Can take a great amount of time to set up

How could an activity like this one benefit your students?
In the context of a Year 9 Maths class, a wiki could be used as a discussion area. Students can brainstorm and complete activities over the wiki. It can allow shy students to actively participate in class discussions, and can guide student thinking quite easily.

How did the scaffold support the collection of a range of perspectives?
The scaffold meant that instead of reading each persons ideas as one idea, it forced me to consider other ideas and it guided my thinking. It also allowed me to read on particular ideas where I was struggling, and made much more sense to read then a collection of paragraphs on all the perspectives from each student.


It was quite difficult for me to complete this activity, as I have very strong views on the topic in particular. I was pleasantly surprised to find afterward that I better understood the opposing view, and felt I had learned even though I simply added my voice to a discussion. That I could voice my opinion was strangely fun, and I think that students would also appreciate the chance to engage in a way where their voice is just as loud as that popular student, or the smart kid. Completing activities over wiki's means that students have an equal voice and support through scaffolding or reading others opinions, and I really like the idea now that I have participated in one myself.

Week 2: Working legally, safely and ethically

As I read through copyright rules and regulations, I remembered a scene from my first prac. The Year 8 students were completing a research assignment on different drugs as part of HPE, and were required to add a bibliography at the end of the assignment (as one would expect). However, not only was this extremely difficult to encourage the students to do, many were not aware of how to complete it! I knew that students would write it up differently to the APA style I am accustomed to, so I asked them to write down the name, year and what website they visited. When the teacher learned how frustrated I was becoming at having to repeat myself, he stood up and made the students open their diaries to the example in there. And yet even with this example clear as day, students still struggled. I know I always reference when I am creating anything, even the PowerPoints I made for some classes had a list at the end and the captions under the pictures, but how to teach this effectively? How can you make a student create the habit of referencing?

 I am glad to read that cybersafety issues have reduced in Australia, yet this is still a major issue for students. I would like to see students learn how easy it is to lose control over the internet, and how easy it is to fall into a trap. One idea I have is 'catch the creeper'. Set up a classroom with the students, and add all as anonymous users (with different names). Over the course of a week or term, have students converse casually and try to find out which is you, you being the 'creeper'. It not only would allow you as a teacher to get to know them better, but it should be very difficult for the students to pick you out - and they know you and their classmates well. I would love to see if this would work, especially if there were a larger group, say all of Year 8 plus a teacher 'creeper' for every 30 students for them to pick out.

One immediate downside could be teachers being seen as creeps, but you could always make the title "Find the teacher".

What ideas do you have to help promote cybersafety?

Week 2: Frameworks and Taxonomies

I really enjoyed reading more about Blooms Taxonomy and the SAMR model, although I had heard of these previously. I  like that teachers can use these to find out whether what they are doing is worth extra effort, or if there are simple changes possible to improve upon their teaching. For example, in my first prac while writing up questions for a discussion, I used Blooms Taxonomy to create questions that encouraged higher-order thinking.

The following Venn diagram represents Blooms Taxonomy, Digital Pedagogy and the SAMR model, and how they link together yet each have individual characteristics.  Each definately have their own benefits and reasons for following them, but hey, there isn't a reason you can't use all three in your practice!

Week 2: The nature of Digital Pedagogy

Week 2 Blog

Response: The nature of digital pedagogy

The clear pedagogical principals that are presented in this section are brilliant, however I very rarely see this active in classrooms. It sounds like a big ask when teachers also have to follow standards set by the National Curriculum and then again differentiate for the students in each class. This can be, in my opinion, especially difficult in Secondary schools because of the sheer amount of students and classes that have to be catered for in different ways (Primary teaching is no easy task, but teachers would have far more opportunities to learn about their students).  These principals in my opinion are a very big part of the recipe for the perfect classroom, as it would engage all students and would allow students to leave school with a wealth of relevant knowledge and skills.

Pedagogy interpretation table: (Note I am writing this in the context of a secondary math teacher, therefore all examples are in this context)

Pedagogy	What is looks like in practice	What it does not look like in practice
Facilitating deep knowledge through higher order thinking	Posing diverse questions, asking students to solve problems using knowledge and skills taught in class.	Asking questions with answers such as True or False. Students simply reciting facts instead of understanding them and the uses of those facts.
Facilitating collaborative learning in which conversations are important	Having tables organised in groups, with opportunities for students to discuss or problem solve in groups.	Having rows and a strictly quiet classroom.
Supporting students in knowing how they learn best	Ensuring that there are multiple ways for the students to learn, such as providing written materials, demonstrating on the board, allowing students to work out on their own etc..	Lecturing students for the full lesson. For every lesson, until the tests.
Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real-life contexts	Providing a context and example of when this might be useful.	Simply providing values and asking students to solve the problem.
Is relevant to students, and connects to their background knowledge	Asking students to provide information in regard to the context of questions to make it relevant to their own life, hobbies etc..	For example, posing a question that is relevant to city classrooms in a mining based rural classroom.
Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves	As above, as well as asking students whether they would prefer a revision sheet or a revision lesson for example.	Never asking or responding to any input.
Is socially supportive, engaging and values cultural knowledge	Promoting acceptance, without discrimination of any kind.	Allows teasing of certain students.
Is supportive of the development of active citizenship, and strong group identity	Teaching students to be responsible and allowing small discussions regarding social issues when appropriate, for example in a transition.	Quelling any discussion, possibly with an opinion that the teacher describes as fact when it is an opinion in popular debate that impacts the students.

*(first prac – just to see other ways I could have planned lessons)

Response: Engagement activity 4

My pedagogical framework ideas:

Week 1 Responses and Thoughts

Response – What is e-Learning

Gen Z begins with people born from 1995 (is that inclusive? I was born in ’95 and never considered myself in this group…) and the results of research on this group has apparently been shocking. Personally I think this generation has been largely shaped by technology advancement, such as the increase in online shopping, shorter attention spans and becoming entrepreneurs (Sparks and Honey, 2015). With the ability to now remain connected easily all over the world, there is also pressure to fit in (again, I am young so I don’t know how it was previously, but I know that I personally felt incredible pressure from Facebook, even getting bullied in high school because my Facebook account wasn’t open enough). It is amazing what this generation may yet achieve, they have a much broader access to knowledge and may yet change the world with this wealth of knowledge.

It is therefore important that teachers continue to educate using these technological tools, as not only do current students already know how to use and learn from them, but they are far more likely to engage with these tools. It is also important teachers recognise that students often have a broad range of knowledge and have shorter attention spans, incorporating debating or short videos into the classroom for example may prove more effective than an hour long lecture.

Response – Learning preferences and the brain

Main messages from the video that I could perceive (Edutopia, 2011):

•  Student’s brains go into a state of stress when bored – definitely explains why they have trouble sitting still when bored, it is a form of stress!
•  This can cause the information to be sent to the ‘animal’ part of the brain, where it is no use.
• Students should not feel stressed in class, whether it be from boredom, fear or any other stressful event. No one can think during a stressful time, why expect children or teenagers too???
•   Create curiosity in the classroom.
•  Create signals for when you want particular attention. Eg, write something in green, also creates novelty.
•   Create a safe environment! This again reduces the stress as noted in the first bullet point.
•   Attempt to develop student’s problem solving and analysis skills.
•   Scaffold learning (this is something I found effective in my first prac, I set three levels of learning for each activity, and students were to work through at their own pace. If they struggled or got questions incorrect, they completed more questions from that section).

Ways I would incorporate these ideas into a classroom (other than already mentioned), would be to have short videos on the content for in between sections as a transition, ask more open questions, or to have mini whiteboards for the students so that I can receive feedback at a class level without the stress on students of failing.

Response: Digital Technologies and ICT in a range of contexts

Brief thought as I was reading, there really is a way to incorporate ICT into any subject. Two examples from when I was in high school:

• 1.       Maths: We logged onto accounts that the teacher had set up that had us answer sets of questions as quickly as possible. He was able to monitor everyone’s progress from a master account, and we were able to get corrected answers and automatically increasing difficulty. He could see exactly where we were, and we competed to have the most answers correct, the quickest time or just to improve their own results.

• 2.       English: We used Sparknotes to compare the books we read with those that were similar. We could understand the basics of a book in a much shorter time, and we were all challenged to find and justify our own examples.

In a classroom that does not utilise ICT as often, I imagine the planning and scaffolding would be a great deal harder for the teachers, and students would not be as engaged. Students like variety and technology, why not use that to the best advantage?

Edutopia (2011). Big thinkers: Judy Willis on the science of learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/big-thinkers-judy-willis-neuroscience-learning-video

Sparks and Honey (2015). Meet generation z: forget everything you learned about millennials. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/sparksandhoney/generation-z-final-june-17