Synopsis of my eLearning Journey (So Far)

Since the 1990’s there has been a massive boom in Information Communication Technologies (ICT). This has opened up limitless opportunities for enhancing learning environments. Tools such as webquests, ePortfolios, Youtube, PowerPoint, wikis, blogs and Wikipedia are just some of the ways educators can take learning to a new level.

Current learning theories suggest that students need to be able to “relate”, “create” and “donate” (Kearsey, & Shneiderman, 1999) within their learning tasks, be engaged and interested (Prensky, 2005) and be supported within a flexible network containing resources and learning supports (Oliver, 2001). Through experimentation with ICT tools, I’ve seen just how these tools could be used to provide an effective learning environment. ICT has now allowed learning:
- To be engaging, relevant and fun,
- To move from a desk to anywhere and anytime,
- To incorporate knowledge from the greater community and the world,
- To relate first hand with real and authentic tasks,
- To have access to unlimited resources and information,
- To be supported through extensive collaboration and networking opportunities, and
- To be shared and developed beyond the initial learning task.

This blog is actually an assessment for a course in eLearning. It’s given me the opportunity first hand, to experience web-based learning. I’ve learnt so much through experimentation with ICTs and have through this blog, created a resource for my teaching and learning that can develop and grow in years to come. It would have been great to collaborate more with my peers on these posts, and although I did follow many blogs and make comments, it didn’t seem to stimulate the interaction I would have liked. Having a personality that wants to grasp the big picture before taking action didn’t help in getting posts published sooner, which in turn would have allowed more time for peers to interact. The opportunity to view my peers’ blogs did however provide opportunity to see different perspectives and create motivation in making my blog interesting and relevant. I also appreciated the reliable interaction with Scot Aldred, my lecturer, and my peers through the learning system Moodle. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the skype conference recordings, which were helpful and made me feel, as a distance student, more connected.

This learning experience has given me resources to enhance my future in the music education industry. Each tool in some way or another could be used. In particular I value the ICT tools that enable music to be shared and collaborated on. I can see now how ePortfolios (through sharing music and projects), royalty free music (to use as examples and enhancements), Youtube (for access to unlimited music videos), interactive animations (to make music theory fun) and online quizzes (to encourage students to do their homework), could quickly become a part of my teaching today. This blogging experience has opened up a door of opportunities that go well beyond the scope of this blog.

Many ICT tools have been discussed in this blog and how they could be used practically and in relation to learning theories. However, ICT is a domain that can never really be harnessed. Within two decades the Internet use has grown from basically nothing, to people carrying it around in their pockets. By the time the majority of the population grasps a new technology application or device, technology has moved on and we are again left behind. Maybe we should be encouraging teachers and students to accept and welcome change and learn 'how' to keep abreast with ICT developments instead of training them in using specific, current technologies. The emphasis should be on developing the ability to be an independent and continual learner in a digital world where change is the constant. No one can ever afford to assume they know everything about ICT. Instead, we all must grasp one simple statement:

Never stop learning, because the eLearning journey is never ending...


References:

Kearsey, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 19, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Oliver, R. (2001). Seeking best practice in online learning: Flexible Learning Toolboxes in the Australian VET sector. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 17(2), 204-222. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from html://www.proquest.com/

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me. Educause Review, Retrieved July 22, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Top 10 Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom

This YouTube video summarises the use of ICT tools in the classroom.

Google Earth: The World in Our Hands

Google Earth is a tool I will play with for hours. I have always been aware of this application, but never really considered its use in education. It doesn’t need much thought though, as it can be used to show students exactly what a particular country looks like or any location that is being studied regardless of the curriculum area. There is also the added benefit of Google Street View and Google maps.

Maps have always been a bit disconnected from reality, yet Google earth allows students to relate and interact with their map. Prensky (2005) believes that students today have so much interaction in their everyday life that school work is in comparison, non relevant. Google earth can bring relevance to the curriculum. Tasks could be given that are similar to a treasure map, so that students are required to find specific landmarks in order to reach their destination, or areas of degradation of the environment illustrated first hand through exploration on Google earth. The opportunities are endless, the technology unbelievable and we literally have the world in our hands.


Reference:

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me. Educause Review, Retrieved July 22, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

ePortfolios: A Steep Learning Curve to a World of Opportunities

I kept putting off my research and experimentation with ePortfolios, namely Mahara, simply because it didn’t seem that simple to use. The learning curve however, is worth it when looking at the benefits. Students and teachers alike can use ePortfolios to upload projects, images, documents and other files. So, to begin with, it can be used as a file storage system. From these ‘artefacts’, users can develop ‘views’ that are viewable to predetermined groups. These views can be used to present assessment, facilitate research and discussion, as a showcase for an individual’s abilities and even as an online resume. In this digital world, the ability to navigate and use ICT is as important as the information being conveyed. ePortfolios can demonstrate ICT skills to assessors, employers and whoever is viewing. They literally become a showcase of the user’s abilities that can be constantly updated and used in many contexts for many years to come.

Sites such as Mahara are also a community, making learning more connected through collaboration. This ePortfolio website houses a community surrounding the University of Denver. There are many networking possibilities of a fully developed web-based community such as this. The connections allow for better curriculum development through ongoing feedback, better coordination across different faculties and also community involvement.

WebQuests

A WebQuest may be defined as, “An inquiry-orientated activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet” (Dodge, 1995, cited in March, 2004). I had actually never heard of WebQuests before and initially they seemed a bit gimmicky. When I looked closer however, and visited some WebQuests, I realised that this tool could really capture an audience and make tasks seem much more meaningful.

WebQuests are an excellent platform from which to undertake problem based learning activities. Problem based learning can be described as a method of learning where students take control and responsibility of their own learning, learn a general set of useful skills and in the process acquire and retain content (CQU, 2002). It is usually undertaken in a group, making WebQuests perfect for bringing together and organising information from a variety of sources.

Due to the time teachers would need to invest into setting up a WebQuest, it may be more profitable for teachers to conduct WebQuests over an entire term, and if possible integrate different curriculum areas. For instance a WebQuest might require students to solve the problem of supporting a refugee camp in Africa. In this way SOSE, Geography and Maths could be incorporated in exploring a solution to the problem. There is also the possibility joining classes or of connecting with a sister school on the other side of the globe to help spread out the planning amongst teachers.

Best WebQuests (March, 2009) has a great page that deals specifically with music called, Art&Music WebQuests. If I continue to pursue a career in music education in a class setting, I will definitely consider the numerous benefits of WebQuests.


References:

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2002). What is PBL? Problem Based Learning. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/content/what_is_pbl.htm

March, T. (2005). The learning power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, 62(4), pp.42-27. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from http://tommarch.com/writings/wq_power.pp

March, T. (2009). Best WebQuests. Com. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from http://bestwebquests.com

Royalty Free Music!!

Incompetech is a website that contains royalty free music that can be downloaded easily and for without cost. Being in the music education industry, this has opened up so many possibilities! Firstly, you can search for music by genre, instrumentation, mood or feel. This enables me to find examples for students to listen to quickly and easily. Secondly, I can use the music to make my video, Powerpoint, animations, podcasts, and other presentations more interesting. Thirdly, the site can be used in student tasks. For instance, I may ask students to: ‘Find three pieces of music that create an aggressive feel, with each piece using a different set of instruments.’

Incompetech also includes a list of other royalty free music sites:
Jimmy Gelhaar
Jon Roberts
Anthony Kozaar
Audionautix
Danosongs

My exploration of this tool has resulted in Incompetech being bookmarked for lots of future use.

Podcasts: A Lecturer in Your Pocket!

Podcasts have many benefits in the educational sphere. I’d never really explored the possibilities until I created an account with iTunes. Now I have access to a never ending supply of podcasts that can be used to educate my students and myself. Podcasts also allow students to learn anywhere and anytime providing they have internet access. This has become the student culture of the digital age where learning takes place wherever you are. When combined with RSS, podcasts from various websites can be accessed in a reader, saving time and making students more likely to use the technology.

Engagement learning theorists (Prensky, 2005; Kearsy & Schneiderman, 1999) support the use of ICT in encouraging students to relate to their learning material. Eash (2006) explains exactly how podcasts can be used to engage students. She states, “Podcasts actively engage students in their own learning. Since they are already used to hand-held MP3 technology, integrating it with curricular content comes naturally. Students even become teachers as they help lead the way during implementation.” Podcasts can also be used as an assessment tool when students are required to make their own podcast surrounding a particular topic. What better way than to teach students how to teach others through sharing information, whilst simultaneously learning about that information!

This video shows how one grade four classroom used podcasting in a project where they were required to illustrate and narrate using ICT technologies.


References:

Eash, E. (2006). Podcasting 101 for K-12 librarians. Computers in Libraries, 26(4). Retrieved August 19, 2009, from http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr06/Eash.shtml

Kearsey, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 19, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me. Educause Review, Retrieved July 22, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Web 2.0 vs Static Websites

Most of my exploration has been surrounding interactive websites and Web 2.0 technologies as opposed to static websites. Static websites are non-interactive sites where there is only one author. Web 2.0 on the other hand, allows anyonen to donate material to a website. It is a joint project where information is added, tagged, discussed and even removed where appropriate. The video below, The Machine is Us/ing Us, demonstrates how through this process we have actually become the internet.


Many researchers (Dale (ND) cited in Adam’s Centre for Teaching Excellence, 2001, Siemens, 2004) have long held the view that the most effective learning comes about through participation and engagement rather than being an observer. Web 2.0 technologies now bring this learning to life as students can interact with their learning material. This is not to say that static websites are useless, but they are much more limited in their ability to involve the learner.

References:

Adam’s Centre for Teaching. (2001). Why use active learning? Active Learning Online. Retrieved August 10, 2009 from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. eLearn Space. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Voicethread: The future of Online Collaboration?

I had no idea such a useful tool existed! Voicethread is like a combination of youtube (video), flickr (images), facebook (networking), MSN chat, skype and webcams! To be able to look at an image, document or video and discuss it via audio or webcam, in addition to actually doodling on the image creates so many opportunities. I could see its possibilities after playing around with the site, uploading images and watching it at work. It would be especially useful for distance learners, visual art and music students who could then participate in real time discussions, focussing on specific aspects. I also like the account settings that can create specialised spaces for groups such as school or university students.The screenshot above (Courtesy of the University of Carolina) demonstrates how Voicethread could be used in a university setting. Although initially I thought the tool seemed gimmicky, Voicethread is in some ways the future of collaboration.

File Storage: More Useful Than You Might Think

File storage is one of those tools which I never thought would be that useful. However, after setting up an account with Media Fire I’m beginning to see the advantages. Now, I have unlimited storage which I can access from any computer all over the world. There is no need for memory sticks or sending attachments via email and I can even use it as a backup filing system for my home computer. Not only that, but my files can be switched to viewable, allowing them to be shared with other users and making MediaFire also a collaborative website.

SlideShare: Share Presentations with a Global Audience

SlideShare is a great way to share and obtain PowerPoint presentations. I easily uploaded my simple creation Kid's Story after registering for free. I'd really like to add audio to this sometime and work out why my animations didn't work. But at least I can now share it with the rest of the world!

Kid's Story

View more presentations from partonjane.

The following presentation gives some basic ideas on using SlideShare, YouTube and TeacherTube in the classroom. These slides also point out the possibility of using SlideShare for school projects so that work can be shared with peers, teachers and others who are interested. This is another way to engage the students in meaningful activities.

Slideshare, You Tube and Teacher Tube In Classroom

View more documents from rachelboyd.

Wikipedia: Reliable and Real

I was first introduced to Wikipedia by a friend who, after hearing I had started university again said, “Just don’t ever quote from Wikipedia!” He then laughed and made me think Wikipedia must be really inaccurate and unreliable referencing material. Needless to say, I never used it, until I saw the reports on Wikipedia Vs Britannica. Cauchi (2005) reported that studies done by Nature Magazine revealed scientific entries from both encyclopaedias contained errors. The average entry in Britannica contained three errors in comparison with Wikipedia’s four errors. So Wikipedia isn’t far from a trusted referencing source such as Britannica.

So, how can educators use this tool? I searched Wikipedia for an answer and found it on the page, Wikipedia: School and University Projects. The page suggests Wikipedia be used for students to add and edit Wikipedia entries for school projects on any subject. This is a great idea considering all the hard work that goes into assessment items, only to be tossed in the bin after a grade is given. Wikipedia however, could preserve all the hard work and research and make it available to the rest of the world.

Kearsey and Schneiderman’s (1999) engagement theory supports students “relating” to the real world, “creating” solutions and “donating” them back to the community. Wikipedia provides a perfect platform. There are other wiki sites and webquests that could be used for this purpose, but students may not consider these sites well known by the population. When using Wikipedia however, students know this website is viewed by almost everyone who regularly uses the internet, making their task more authentic.


References:

Cauchi, S. (2005, December 15). Online encyclopaedias put to the test. The Age. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://www.theage.com.au/

Kearsey, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 19, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Quizzes: ICT or no ICT? That is the Question

I love doing quizzes. Whether they’re summative or formative I don’t really mind, because for some reason I don’t view them as ‘work’. Perhaps it’s the abundance of personality or dating quizzes available that we do in our free time with the goal being, ‘self improvement’ or, ‘finding out who we really are’. And they can be used not only for adults but also for children and in any subject area.

I created this simple quiz Grade 1 Music Theory to explore the possibilities of this ICT tool. It was very easy and had numerous options such as, allowing one attempt or multiple, displaying final result or hiding result, showing correct answers or not at the end of the test and even the option of having the test timed. I tested my quiz on a couple of my students. They seemed to put much more concentration and effort in than they would if the test had been on paper and in black ink.

So yes, I will use ICT in the form of online quizzes, probably more in summative assessment. It’s a way of making the learner feel in control of their own learning and able to assess their progress in a non threatening way.

Animations or Animated Textbooks?

I had never really explored the possibility of animations in education and learning and was quite surprised at the amount of animations available for free on the Internet. Animations are an ICT tool that would work particularly well if each student had access their own computer. This allows for students to progress through the material at their own speed. Animations are also fun, engaging and almost like an interactive textbook.

The following sites are animations that I could possibly use in music education:

Science of Music
This site is really fun and interesting for primary school children. Many activities could be done in pears and discussed later as a group, or using an interactive whiteboard.

Flash Animations for Teaching Music History
I actually found this website taught me a lot about structure and scales in music. By allowing only parts of the material to be revealed (depending on what is clicked), students can digest the information more easily then if it was all presented together.

YouTube, TeacherTube and Videos

Generally speaking, interesting and relevant multimedia will enhance a presentation. This is especially true of videos, when used as short, interesting clips to add dimension, explain, illustrate a point or introduce a new concept. It can also portray emotions better than many other tools. Consider a visual image of a bruised and beaten child in comparison to a video of that same child retelling the experience through their tears. The video provides a more thorough illustration, enabling students to relate to the emotions surrounding the issues being discussed.

YouTube is an excellent source for videos, but it can be difficult to find useful clips among the masses. TeacherTube is a great host of purely educational videos. The following video from Teacher Tube explores personal space and could be used for prep and primary school aged children. Having worked with children I understand that social etiquette issues can be hard to grasp for their young minds. However, this video could be used to open up discussions on the subject and be a way of simplifying an abstract concept.


The following websites also contain video clips that may be used as a teaching tool in schools:

Australian Children’s Television Foundation: Learning Centre
Teachers can search for learning activities or units of work according to curriculum areas and grade levels. The learning material is based around hundreds of video clips from children’s Australian television series.

Teacher's TV
This is an excellent site, although only available to UK viewers (I discovered after being disabled from accessing the videos).

Interactive White Boards: Why Not?

Students today need to engage in their learning and interactive whiteboards can be used to hold students attention in this fast paced world. I’d never actually explored interactive whiteboards, but after some research and exploration, I can see that the opportunities are endless! The following website edna.edu.au contains links to websites and applications that can be used in teaching all areas of the school curriculum. I was particularly interested in the music page which I explored in more detail, and became distracted playing all the games! One link conatined this virtual keyboard which could be used in a group settings to explain chords, scales notes, rhythms, music styles and practically any basic music or complex music theory.

Perhaps the greatest hindrance to interactive white boards is the inability of teachers to know how to actually use this tool. However, the steep learning curve (particularly for those teachers who are less digitally knowledgeable) is well worth it when students can engage and interact with their learning, which in turn increases knowledge retention.

Learning Management Systems: Uni Beyond 2000

Learning Management Systems have become synonymous with tertiary education and for good reason. By accessing a single website, students can view course profiles, contact information, assessment information, resources, links and learning material. They can also take part in forums and chatrooms, and submit assessment items.

Most of my experience has been with Blackboard. The video below is a basic introduction to this system.



I’ve only just started using Moodle which seems to be more flexible then Blackboard and seems to facilitate embedded videos, images and other ICT tools as well as allowing for students to construct their own profiles and create more of a community atmosphere.

Playing with Picnik

I have never ever edited a photo in my life, yet in just one hour look what I have done! Picnik is unbelievably simple yet the effects to me, look professional. The capabilities here are huge. Touched up images give a more edgy and up to date impression. I think this is important in an educational context, particularly as educators are expected to know how to use these new digital technologies, particularly in reaching "digital natives" (Prensky, 2001).


Reference:

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Retrieved July 22, from http://www.marcprensky.com.html/

Flickr: Fun Photoshare

Flickr, a fun and useful photo sharing community! At last, a way to obtain images to use in this educational blog! I’d previously used pictures found on Google images, but being unsure of copyright restrictions I deleted them to be on the safe side. So I’ve set up my own account and can use it for networking, education and sharing with family and friends. There are also groups to join that relate to different topics and you can search for images using tags and tag clusters. Another advantage is the ability to upload high definition images.

I’m a very visual learner and find scrolling through text unengaging, finding I skip paragraphs that don’t have images. Flickr images can be the sparkle in the text and used to enhance powerpoint presentations, blogs, wikis, posters and many other teaching tools. I easily created my own account and have shared my own pics. So now I’ve added an image from Flickr to each of my blog posts, just so the visual learners out there will be more inclined to read everything.

Source

Images courtesy of Flickr

The Power of PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an educational tool I find especially useful in presentations, lectures and introducing a course or topic. ‘A picture can tell a thousand word’ and PowerPoint uses visual as well as audio making presentations more memorable, interesting and giving visual learners added benefits. It's become an essential ICT in many learning environments, particularly adult education.

I decided to test my abilities by creating a PowerPoint that could be used in primary schools to introduce a topic in SOSE. It’s a short story about a girl who uses the internet to make friends and connections with other children from all over the world. Using Microsoft paint, I drew original childlike pictures for clip art to illustrate and animate my story. I had used PowerPoint before, but never experimented with the animated options. Now I’m addicted and have transitioned every page using different effects, made clip art enter from off the screen, made arrows spin and text flash! If I have time I'd like to convert it to video and embed it in this post, but for now I’ve posted a couple of slides below...

Avatars: the face of eLearning?

Avatars are virtual characters and provide a realistic human side to online education and ICT. There are many benefits and students can instantly relate to it. Unlike reading a paragraph of text, avatars may be considered fun and visual. They are an excellent tool for attention grabbing in a world where visual stimulus is higher than ever before. Prensky (2005), highlights the need for students to be engaged and interested to facilitate optimum learning. He discusses the vast amount of stimulus children engage in in their free time. Computer games, television, mobile phones, social networking, iPods and other internet applications all involve high visual and audio stimulation and many are highly interactive. Avatars can be used for the purpose of capturing attention and bringing learning to life.

Avatars are also a great tool for assessment. Students may be given tasks that are to be presented using an avatar such as Voki. The option of sharing their avatar with the rest of the world can also be inspiration for them to put in more effort, and the environment is safe as they are not sharing any images of themselves, only a representation. It’s also a way of encouraging creativity and shyer students acn be encouraged by giving them ‘a voice’.

Here is a voki I’ve created with a simplistic example of using it for a school homework task.


Get a Voki now!


I love this wiki Voices of the World. It is well worth a visit as it hosted a worldwide learning activity for school children using voki. Each school had to produce an animated character using the audio recording option to record their voices saying the sentence, “We are the (school) from (location) and you’re listening to voices of the world”. Students were able to hear different accents and different languages. It’s a great example of a meaningful task in learning to appreciate globalisation and make connections worldwide using ICT.

Reference

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me. Educause Review, Retrieved July 22, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

The Super Wiki

I have now set up a wetpaint wiki eLearning and Music. It is devoted to ICT and music education and it took me only half an hour! What better way to provide a meaningful outlet to my own research and also gain more knowledge through others’ contributions.

I consider wikis to be one of the top ICT learning tools. We have entered the information age as we now have access to global knowledge (through an infinite number of webpages) , in addition to the ability to add to that knowledge and collaborate worldwide (through web 2.0 or the interactive component of the web). Pesce (video podcast, 2008, June 2) believes wholeheartedly in using the interactive side of the web. He considers himself to be a constructivist stating, “I believe that children learn through interactions with their environment”. So, if a student’s environment now includes the internet, shouldn’t they be interacting with it in every area of learning? And, what better way to interact and collaborate than using wikis?

The following video discusses in more detail how wikis can be used in education.




Hopefully my wiki will develop into something worthwhile. All I have to do according to wetpaint’s tips for a successful wiki is, “Build better content”, “Encourage participation”, “Promote your site” and “Invite others to participate”. All of these suggestions I haven’t yet done, but if, and when I do, it may develop into a site that is shared, quoted and tagged by multitudes of students and educators. Ok, well maybe not that successful, but it’s good to have big dreams!

Reference

Pesce, M. (2008, June 2). Those wacky kids. Australian Council for Education Research. Podcast retrieved from http://www.viddler.com/explore/mpesce/videos/14/

Digital Illiteracy

I found this cartoon courtesy of John Carr. It really demonstrates the digital divide and how students today can appear to be speaking a different language to teachers who are 'web 2.0 illiterate'.

Blogs, Their Usefulness and Aggra"what"?

Yes, this is the first Blog I have ever set up.
Yes, it took me a very long time to figure out how to get it started.
Yes, it took me even longer to work out how to utilise Google reader and RSS feeds.
Yes, I am a "Digital immigrant" (Prensky, 2001).
Yes, I wish I had discovered blogs and aggregators sooner!

Through these new experiences I’ve discovered just how useful blogs are in communicating with thousands of people and how easy it is to follow blogs through RSS. Viewing tonnes of blogs and websites through one simple reader is truly magnificent. Only one month ago I was scared of the term ‘RSS’ and thought I could ignore this tool because I would ‘never need it’. Now I can’t cope without it as it saves me hours of visiting numerous websites of interest just to see if something new has been posted.

Blogs are also a tool with endless possibilities for learning and teaching. Primarily they are used for reflection and journaling, and provide an excellent way to share and present thoughts. Oliver (2001) theorises that an effective learning environment incorporates learning tasks, learning resources and learning supports. With a meaningful task assigned, students can use blogs to reflect on set topics in addition to collating learning resources and presenting researched material. Blogs can also allow reader's comments, which facilitate effective collaboration with other students and learning supports such as lecturers or experts in the area being studied. In addition, blogs can be used to gather original (primary) research through the use of tools such as quizzes and polls.

I’ve found this website written by Annette Vee very interesting as it discusses just how to use blogs in education.


Reference

Oliver, R. (2001). Seeking best practice in online learning: Flexible Learning Toolboxes in the Australian VET sector. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 17(2), 204-222. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from html://www.proquest.com/

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Retrieved July 22, from http://www.marcprensky.com.html

Image courtesy of Flickr

Immigrants Teaching Natives?

How can we engage students in a digital world where the students themselves may know more about communication and IT than the teacher? Unfortunately, the lack of ICT tools in the classroom may be due to a lack of IT ability in teachers. After all, the students have grown up as “digital natives”, and the teachers have had to adapt to this new world as “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001). So, teachers need to speak this new digital language fluently to communicate effectively.

This blog is an explorative learning journey from “pencil to .com”. It will explore the emerging digital tools that have so much potential in effectively engaging these “digital natives” in meaningful learning.

Reference

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Retrieved July 22, from http://www.marcprensky.com.html/

Image courtesy of Flickr