Conclusion- Assignment 1

In general,ICTs are often used as an "add-on" in the classroom, demonstrations of cutting -edge programs and possibilities often intimidate rather than encourage educators, and teachers often resent the naive rhetoric of ICT integration typically associated with top-down policy imperatives.(Cuban,2001:Healy,1998). This holds true for people like me who have been brought up on a staple diet of chalk and talk during our times of studies. So it was with great anticipation and a feeling of trepidation that I approached the subject wherein I was to involve myself with technology to create wikis, blogs and e-Learning frameworks. Even an ICT- resistant "traditional" teacher cannot deny that the World Wide Web(WWW) houses endless and ever current information on all manner of topics, and that multimedia CD-ROMs are at the very least useful for skills-based tutorials or for making information links more attractive.(Cameron Richards,January 2005,Volume 9,number1).Effective learning through an integrated use of ICTs often occurs despite, not because of , the role of the teacher(Loveless,Devoogd &Bohlin,2001). So it is very important that I embrace the designs of  e -learning and the activities that I engaged in my assignment gave me the confidence(sometimes shakily, I must admit with all the stops and starts that happened along the way) to integrate more effectively ICTs in my teaching and learning.The integration of ICTs in teaching and learning is more likely if the tools and resources of the Internet,multimedia, and related technologies are seen as being integrally connected with literacy learning in the wider sense of learning as a matter of accessing information,communicating,and applying knowledge(Kress,2003;Lankshear &Snyder,2000). Thus it can be said that an across-the -curriculum approach does not just complement and extend a more skills-focused and specialised use of ICT in formal education,but is a key to ICT integration in teaching and learning(Richards,1998; Roblyer & Edwards,2000).In addition to promoting the learning of generic skills and applied knowledge orientations instead of mere skills or content transmission, an across-the-curriculum approach is useful for recognising and promoting the idea that to effectively integrate ICT in education teachers need to increasingly become designers rather than merely transmitters of learning (Kimber,2003). This is especially true in the digital age where young learners tend to be more confident and have great familiarity with everyday(especially visual) literacy aspects and functions mediated by ICTs than the older teachers and parents(Hird,2000;Richards,2000) 

My approach to the three activities and my learning from them, in terms of the relation to principles of Learning Theory has been explained in my previous blog postings. I felt that the first activity of posting my Profile( which is now lost in the eternal black hole of the www!!!) was easy to start with as I followed Wendy's scaffolding video. The only problem I faced was that there was no number against my name as per the video so I used the old tried and tested way of cut,copy and paste(being a Digital Immigrant) and Voila! there it was. The good thing was that the template was already provided by Wendy Fasso, the course coordinator, which was another scaffolding done for our support. The profile wiki was meant to introduce me to the class and vice versa.This learning activity certainly had elements of Behaviourism as I noticed my self having a sense of achievement once I had done the activity inspite of the hiccups. Since the learner is viewed as an information processor(Cognitivism) the information of my fellow students helped me to select a partner for my next activity. I can use this activity as a starting point to know my students and also get the students to share their likes and dislikes in front of the whole group(Connectivism).

The next activity was based on the matching up of partner after reading the profiles which turned out to be harder than I thought as I did not go to the first class. The group was divided into Rockhampton and Flex and in my group there was only one profile to whom I sent an invitation but got no reply. However later on the learning Theory was opened to the whole class and I could select Naomi. We discussed the topic over the mail, phone and met at CQUs computer lab to collaborate our thoughts on Mark Prensky Digital Native or Digital Immigrants. The activity for me was Connectivist in nature as we not only used the digital technology but also collaborated over the various means of communication. The learning theory gave me an opportunity to actually partner up with anyone in the group which when when taken to the school context can allow the students to partner up globally thereby increasing their interaction and learning. The scaffolding of the activity was done through the PMI itself. I got to read not only that article but since the topic was so interesting, I did a lot of other similar reading thereby leaving a lasting impression on my memory of the facts which I could recall at a later stage. For me to implement the activity in the class, I have to be careful of the pitfalls in pairing up the students as the participation of a quieter person in the pair might be a lot lesser than a vocal one.

The last activity was to about the use of mobile phones in schools through DeBonos 6 Hats .Intuitive and the Positive hats as I had a preconceived notion about the use of mobiles It was more coming to grips with the blatant use of technology which was more of a status symbol in my country and during my times of education.The scaffolding of the task was done through the wiki and Debonos 6 coloured hats. I felt that it was constructivist in nature as the activity allowed me to construct and create on the previous knowledge I had about the subject. It had shades of Behaviourism as over the course of reading the comments and writing my own, my thinking was shaped through reinforcement. I feel it is a great tool to bring to the classroom environment as it gives me a clearer picture of the class's thinking pattern and helps me to design tasks accordingly. It encourages participation of one and all and as mentioned in the class by Ms. VJones on 15/03/11,if the class is too big then they can be broken into smaller groups to work on one hat at a time there by making sure that everybody contributes. Network learning is the way of 21st Century(from Moodle.CQU).

I also made a learning framework wherein I incorporated the Blooms taxonomy as well the principles of Learning Engagement theory(relate-create-donate). Being a science teacher I took it in a context of an example of "Recycle Waste" and develop that idea onto a bigger scenario.,actively using the ICT tools on each step of learning. As Marzano and Pickering (1997) suggest, that the most effective learning occurs when the students develop an in-depth understanding of a basic concept so that they can extend and refine the knowledge they initially acquired. 

There is an array of designs all using different learning theories. However,social constructivist learning theory can be regarded as distinct for present purposes in so far as it represents an influential approach to how learning with ICTs lends itself to collaborative activities and the concept of bonded learning communities and "rich" learning environments.(e.g., Barab,Kling,& Gray,2004). As Norman (2002) has argued, any effective design process needs to be understood as an interactive communication with "users" in terms of functionality and flexibility as well as form. That is precisely why the learning frame work that I have designed has a grounding in terms of the contextual approach to the topic so that the students can relate to it and come up with ideas that are functional.

Too many teachers still lack confidence in using ICT and this is often made worse by a lack of appropriate software,unreliable computers and Internet connections, and insufficient technical support when things go wrong.(OFSTED,2002,p.15). which brings me to the discussion Ms.Jones was having on 15/03/11 in the class where she had horror stories to recount about the actual scenarios that teachers face. It is how I deal with those unforseen circumstances and come out on top will make me a better teacher as well as make the learning journey of my students an engaging one.

I would like to close by quoting Sophocle's-

One must learn by doing the thing

For though you think you know it

You have no certainty until you try.

References:

• Barab, S., King, R., & Gray, J.(Eds).(2004). Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning.Cambridge, England:Cambridge University Press.
• Cuban,L.(2001). Oversold and underused: Computers in the classroom.Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press
•  Fasso, W.(2011) Instructions to modify Profile wiki Retrieved from http;//moodle.cqu.edu.au/file.php/17135/Profilewiki/Profilewiki.html
• Hird, A. (2000). Learning from cyber-savvy students: How Internet-age kids impact on classroom teaching. Sterling, VA: Stylus
• Kimber, K. (2003). Technoliteracy, teacher agency and design: Shaping a digital learning culture. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
• Kress, G.(2003). Literacy in the new media age. London: Routledge.
• Lankshear, C., & Snyder, I. (2000). Teachers and techno-literacy. Sydney:Allen & Unwin.
• Loveless, A., Devgood, G., & Bohlin, R.(2001). Something old, Something new: Is pedagogy affected by ICT?  
• Marzano, Robert J., Pickering, Debra., et al. (1997). Dimensions of Learning Teachers Manual.
• Norman, D. (2002). The design of everyday things(2nd Ed). New York: Doubleday.
• OFSTED (2002) ICT in schools: Effect of government initiatives. Progress report April 2002. Office for Standards in Education, London. Online: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/public/index.htm
• Richards, C. (1998). An across the curriculum framework for computer literacy in education. Proceedings of Australian Computers in Education Association conference. Retrieved June 29, 2004 http://www.cegsa.sa.edu.au/acec98/acec98.htm
• Richards, C. (2000). Hypermedia, Internet communications, and the challenging of redefining literacy in the electronic age. Language Learning and Technology, 4(2), 55-77. 
• Richards, C. (2005). The design of effective ICT-supported learning activities: Exemplary models, changing requirements, and new possibilities. Retrieved from January 2005, Volume 9, Number 1 pp. 60-79
• Robyler, M. D., & Edwards, J. (2000). Integrating educational technology into teaching (2nd Ed.).Merrill, NJ: Prentice Hall