Larissa’s Blog

I just read Rebecca’s posting regarding students using technology to host a fundraiser. Technology can be used in so many ways to foster students learning, by relating it to real life concepts. It is through technology that students can find quicker, more advanced ways of doing things. However, it is vital for students to be taught the specific strategies that each program requires, whether that be the choosing key words to type into a search engine such as google, or synthesising information and making judgements on how reliable the information is. Without these skills, students will struggle to participate in todays digital society, and will therefore find it difficult to get a job as more and more employment opportunities require technological skills, that unless taught by primary teachers from day one, students will struggle to acquire.

I just listened to a podcast by Lucy regarding ICT in primary schools. Is technology really in schools? What a great question. From my experience, technology is out there, however not much technology is available, and the technology that is is not utilised well. I recently completed a practicum on a kindergarten class where I was the first person to use the ES1 interactive whiteboard, that had been locked away in the storeroom. The children had only just begun to use the computers for half an hour each week beginning in term 3. They were only allowed to type or play a game using software installed on the computer. What was interesting was the range of knowledge that students bought from home regarding technology. The school is located in Western Sydney, so some students had computer and internet access at home, whilst others could not afford it. Those students who did have computers at home were able to facilitate their peers learning. It was a great example of collaboration among peers as those capable students acted as experts. Technology is expensive and is constantly advancing. Students need to be given the opportunity to access technology at schools, so teachers need to keep up to date with technology and know how to use it correctly, so that these students are not disadvantaged in todays digital age.

I just listened to Emily’s podcast about a school going paperless. What a fabulous concept! A paperless school. I once participated in a practicum on a kindergarten at a school that did not allow worksheets/stencils. Instead, students (even in Kindergarten) did their own writing for all KLA’s. The students therefore developed writing skills at a rapid pace. But wouldn’t it be fantastic if they were able to use technology as well to foster students learning. Students could read and record their voices onto MP3′s so that they can listen to their pace and tones. They could research information using laptops and the internet for group assignments and present those digitally. A fantastic opportunity for students to publish their digital pieces of work, would be on a digital photo frame that could showcase a slideshow of students work. I think that paperless schools are definately something to look forward to, as not only is it great for the environment, it’s fabulous for the student as well! 

Howard Gadiner of Harvard University has advanced the theory that there are multiple forms of intelligence – namely, verbal/linguistic, musical/rhythmic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinaesthetic and intrapersonal/interpersonal. While this definition of intelligence remains controversial, it is commonly believed that there are different learning styles and preferences from one individual to another and that some people learn better from certain styles of teaching and others from other styles of teaching. Appropriate use of technologies gives teachers the power to enhance learning and cater for different learning styles. In order to cater more effectively for individuals without increasing their own burden of checking students work, teachers can, using computers, select learning exercises for different students according to their learning preferences. In class, children take part in a whole range of interactions. There is the teacher who organises their learning activities and answers their questions and there are the groups of children with whom they work. Each child contributes to learning interactions, sometimes as part of a whole class, at other times in a small group, with just one partner or working by themselves.

After reading Rebecca’s posting I was led to an article by Harel (2003). The article addresses the concept of constructionism, a concept that I am now familiar with due to a previous blog posting. Constructionism is based on the theory that “children learn best when they are in the active roles of designer and constructor”. This is more likely to happen in a context in which the learner is consciously engaged in constructing a “public entity”. One example of a teachers use of a sandcastle, started off in students literacy circle time, where students created a digital version of a children’s storybook. The digital storybooks were very popular with the students, but from the teachers point of view, they are also a great opportunity for students to practice fluency, pronunciation and diction. Students select a favourite children’s book, scan the book and edit in special effects using Photo Impressions, record their voices using Garageband, bring the audio and visual together using imovie, then show off their polished piece of work to the infants children. This initial activity provides students with the skills they need to create their own digital story. As the students progress through the term creating these digital stories based on children’s books, they begin to think of their own stories to create. In no time at all, students are creating original and unique digital stories and publishing them infront of their peers, the school community, as well as the wider community on their class blogs. What a fabulous activity for students to participate in.

The NSW DET released a document that brings together the experience and expertise of primary teachers from across the State. It provides ideas and advice to all teachers in the primary classroom for the effective use of computer-based technologies. Importantly it redefines the role of the teacher in a technological classroom.

The introduction of effective computer-based activities into the classroom can have profound effects on social interaction and classroom organization. They provide many possibilities for new or different experiences and ways of interacting. This in turn necessitates some changes in the role of the teacher. A common thread running through research into the use of computer-based technologies in education is that a computer alone will not improve student learning (NSW DET, 2008). The critical factor in the introduction of computing activities is the way in which the teacher integrates computer-based technologies into teaching and learning activities.

The style and engagement of students is critical. Activities can easily be driven by what the technology can do rather than by student needs. It is the teacher who ensures that learning activities with computer-based technologies are meaningful. This involves teachers in: recognizing the diversity of students and groups of students; creating supportive and challenging learning environments; selecting and applying specific software; providing all students with experiences in a wide range of computer-based activities; providing meaningful activities and learning contexts; interacting with students in a range of styles; and valuing prior knowledge and experience (NSW DET, 1997).By applying te above strategies and ensuring that these outcomes are met, students learning will be of the highest standard.

NSW DET (1997) Computer-based technologies in the primary KLAs: Enhancing student learning. Curriculum Support Directorate: Sydney.

NSW DET (2008). Click: A technology guide for parents. Sydney, NSW: NSW Department of Education and Training.

I read an article that addressed the differences between constructivism and constructionism. Most people are familiar with the term constructivism. Constructivism is based on the theories of Jean Piaget, who believes that knowledge is transmitted from teacher to student. Constructionism (Papert, 1993) is both a theory of learning and a strategy for education. It builds on constructivist theories asserting that knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner. Learners don’t get ideas; they create ideas. Constructionism therefore suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external arifact that they can reflect upon and share with others. Papert (1991) differentiated between constructivism and constructionism: “The word with the v expresses the theory that knowledge is built by the learner, not supplied by the teacher. The word with the n expresses the further idea that happens especially felicitously when the learner is engaged in the construction of something external or at least sharable” (Papert, 1991, p.3).

A classroom based on constructionism has many elements that promote a learner-oriented learning environment. In this learning environment, the teacher acts as a facilitator and guides the students along their paths of learning. Students are assigned tasks in which they must implement particular instructional goals. They investigate, create, and solve problems. This is a really important concept when integrating ICT in the classroom. Students learn through themselves, through each other, and through experiences. If the teacher provides students with opportunities to discover knowledge regarding a specific topic, the teacher can act as a facilitator, facilitating and scaffolding students knowledge. In todays society, citizens need to be able to construct their own knowledge and problem solve to participate as active members. Students of today are experts of tomorrow… they need to develop the ability to construct their own knowledge. The teacher should support them through this process.

Technology integration is not often achieved well. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) framework can be used as a means for thinking about how integrated conceptualisations of technology, pedagogy, and content as interdependent aspects of teachers’ knowledge would help to better understand teaching with educational technologies. The article reveals each of the contexts in details, but highlights the importance of integrating each context to create technologoical, pedagogical, content knowledge. TPCK arises from multiple interactions among content, pedagogical and technological knowledge. TPCK encompasses understanding the representations of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that apply technologies in constructive ways to teach content in differentiated ways according to students’ learning needs; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress conceptual challenges; knowledge of students’ prior content-related understanding and epistemological assumptions; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing understanding to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones. “TPCK is a form of knowledge that expert teachers bring into play any time they teach” (p.10). If this statement is true, all teachers should be given opportunities to participate in professional development activities that reveal the strategies needed to continue to invent, revise, expand, update, test and otherwise explore the ways in which we understand and develop TPCK. For many experienced teachers, selecting, adapting, and designing learning activities, projects, and units is review work, but the awareness of how different digital and nondigital tools can be used in service of students’ learning within each of the activity structures/types encompasses new information and/or new ways of thinking about planning for teaching.

From reading Janelle’s posting ‘Classrooms should look like offices’, I was lead to an article that talks about teachers being on a learning curve. Janelle makes an interesting point, that the role of educators will not change with changes in technology. I understand Janelle’s perspective, however I have a differing view. I believe that teachin will change. In the past, teachers have played the role of director – directing and informing students about how and what to learn. These days, however, teachers act as a facilitator, assisting students to learn in new and innovative ways. By acting as a facilitator, teachers are able to assist and encourage students to learn for themselves in a variety of ways, building on their prior knowledge, and through the use of a range of technologies. Dale Spender, an educationalist and an expert on the impact of digital technologies on learning, states that there has been a fundamental shift from “passive to active learners, and active learners need a different range of support staff”. When teachers act as facilitators of student learning, they are fulfilling the role of support staff. Students are responsible for their own learning, with a teacher acting as facilitator, guiding them and assisting them in their learning. By incorporating technology in the classroom, teachers will be able to facilitate students learning and ensure they are provided with the tools and knowledge to be active members in society.