An inspirational video
Seeing Allanah Kings report got me thinking today, technology is moving so fast and it is the way of the future unquestionably. And this is a great thing it allows for so much more collaboration, problem solving and reflection all at the touch at the finger tips, but what about those that are “stuck” behind, they are missing so much. Now I believe we shouldn’t abandon the pen and paper but we shouldn’t ignore the changing future. That is why seeing Allanah King’s video was so inspirational I am not very technological minded I do enjoy experimenting and whilst I am from that generation that has used computers unfortunately my school and prac school did not encourage it all that much. So it was so refreshing to see this teacher take courses and get comfortable with using the technology before she taught it. And the benefits she speaks about are mind blowing. From blogging children are in control of writing and taking photos and contributing to the class blog, now every class has a class blog and children are encouraged to contribute to each others blogs by commenting, it is a way to celebrate learning and share facts and lessons with others. Allanah King also contributes to the blog in the form of notices to parents this shows the wider community that the blog does have. Parents are also able to view what the children have been doing through out the day. The wider communication does not stop there they have links a site counter which allows children to see a map which shows who is looking at their blog and where they are globally. This means that their work is viewable to the world and anyone can comment making what they learn so much more valuable and these comments become a source of inspiration. They also have a clock linked to their blog which allows students to see what the time is in their collaborating schools in New York and Wales, it just goes to show that information and communication are all at the click of a button again something pen and paper can not provide.
The class also has a delicious account which allows children to save websites and come back to them with a click, this serves as an archive where children can return and share information from sites that they have found.
Another area that is discovered is podcasts, this improves literacy and focusing on learning, whilst each week 3 students act as the class monitors but sometimes they do class podcasts.
Allanah King states that technology is difficult but the trick is to master it yourself and then teach it to the children and once the children understand it there is such a buzz in the classroom. Just in watching this short video I am so intrigued and inspired to want to be able to learn more, because the benefits are obvious, they are taking over traditional forms of learning. Now nothing beats a good book and by no means should we abandon traditional forms but let’s not fall behind with this new exciting beneficial way to learn.
Creating from Scratch
The MIT Media Lab is now allowing children to do what only expert programmers could do, and that is turning children from media consumers into media producers. In Stephanie Sshorow’s article “Creating from Scratch” We see the benefits of this program. It allows children to create their own interactive stories, games and music and this can all be put on the Web, a perfect way to celebrate achievement, provide feedback and inspiration.
This is a major jump in technology and may be hard for people to use but Scratch opens the gates for everyone and makes it quite easy to use by simply snapping together graphical blocks. Scratch is highly collaborative that allows one to come back and modify their work, as their knowledge increases so does their work. Children can go and modify and extend one another’s projects, and also learning from one another in the process. The array of different projects allows us to see that children can simply explore anything that captures their imaginations.
The benefits of using such a program are obvious, as children work on their products, they learn to think creatively and solve problems systematically- skills that are critical in the 21st Century believes Resnick.
Students are able to design goals for their projects and problem solve, they collaborate, co-operate and co teach. Scratch gives children to the power to drive their own learning and be masters of their own creations. Students are able to work at their own pace and modify when needed and this is when true learning does occur. This isn’t ultimately about the final product it gets students to think about the process whilst always being able to come back to the project, this is one advantage that Technology has that pen and paper can’t really compete with.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)And the girls?
I came across Lauren’s blog on girls and ICT. She raises an important issue that the Queensland Department of Education and the Arts are implementing.
ICT is seen proximately as a male field therefore it is dominated by males. This stereotype has seen females lost somewhere behind. The 2005-2008 Girls and ICT Strategy provides ideas to improve girls interest, motivation
and participation in ICT. I believe this is a great idea; technology is one of those things that when you truly do understand it the sky is the limit. Technology allows things to be accomplished that sometimes a pen and paper can’t do. Smart boards, Internet lessons that allow children to work at their own pace not everyone else’s pace, Blogs, podcasts the list is endless, and girls shouldn’t be deprived of learning these things.
The YouTube video that is inserted really pushed through this idea that Girls are just as good when it comes to technology, they just need a chance and the opportunity to keep being sustained, I like the way it points out that technology Is the way of the future which is so true so lets not leave the girls or for the fact anybody behind.
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Collaborative Learning: Just because it is there???
I want to climb “mount Everest because it’s there” that is basically the message of Terry Freedman’s article on collaborative learning. He comes out and says that the reliance on, collaborative tools such as blogs, podcasts and wikis isn’t the way children should be heading solely for their research. Now to a certain degree I do see his point he raises the point of the reliability of these sources, and it is true anyone can change the information in these sources. And shouldn’t we be teaching children to treat these sources just like they would any other way. We encourage children to cross check information, basically this new way of presenting information is not only a new source of information for children but it also allows them to develop their skills in questioning and comparing sources. Freedman states that teachers shouldn’t be using this technology just because it is there, which is true if we do use it just because it is there it loses its effect, but it is like anything if it used properly it can be quite a good thing. As teachers we shouldn’t be rejecting this new technology, rather we should be encouraging it, it allows for new perspectives, questioning skills. Freedman leaves us with the thought that these activities are useful for children to set up. And it is it involves research, writing and editing and they are easy to set up. So if they are useful for children to use why can’t they be a valuable source of information to children?
Reference: http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_420.php accessed 13/05/08
Uncategorized | Comment (1)Sand Castles Go Digital!!!
I just read a thought provoking article on constructionism “Sand Castles Go Digital” By Idit Harel.
The ways in which we learn are quite complex and has been at the heart of teaching for many years, and this is what I loved about this article it took a simple sand castle, something that everyone has a child has constructed and turned into a metaphor for learning.
It is a common belief that play is good for children, and the reason why this play is good is because it allows children to drive their own learning experience. And this is what Contructionism, a theory pioneered by Seymour Papert holds that children learn best when they are in the active roles of designer and constructor.
So whilst these sand castles offer the greatest unplanned learning in the moment, they offer limitations this includes a child can’t revisit their creation the next day, add to their creation or simply show a friend. So what does this sand castle offer technology? Quite a lot really we are taking this idea of the children being in these active roles of designer and creator, giving them the web, the computer or technology which offers these children a wide-open learning environment in which children can explore the world, express themselves, save their work, revise, add or even re-create their work. I guess the most important part of technology is not necessarily the technology that we do use it is rather how we use this technology. This unplanned learning with children in control allows for the best learning experience to take place.
Reference: http://www.mamamedia.com/areas/grownups/new/21_learning/sand_castles.html accessed 11/04/08
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