Professional Blog Reflective Synopsis

Learning in the 21st century via the use of ICTs
In the last twenty years, the use of electronics has become overwhelming, resulting in ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) being used more and more for educational purposes. ICTs have the capability to enhance a students’ learning experience through either collaborative or individual activities, social networking and engaging visual and colourful tools that often allow students to interact as a class or with the ICTs (Fasso, 2010). E-Learning is a term used for pedagogical strategies that are enhanced by technology and in particular computer technology (Horton, 2006). E-Learning allows students to not only find information they may otherwise not have access to, but to collaborate with others what information they do find. ICTs allow students to go beyond face-to-face learning. An example may be that Universities use the internet to provide students with information prior to their lectures and tutorials. Some tools using ICTs that will be discussed today include, concept mapping, Blogs, Wikis and the use of video-taping for learning. Throughout the synopsis, the technological tools explained, will also be connected to educational frameworks of which they coincide with.

Productive Pedagogies and Dimensions of Learning
Productive pedagogies is a Queensland formed framework based on reflection of the classroom using four main headings. These include intellectual quality, supportive classroom environment, recognition and valuing of difference and connectedness. ‘Intellectual quality’ focuses on having a deeper understanding of the knowledge content through the use of encouragement to perform at a high standard (Government, 2002). Using higher order thinking helps improve the intellectual quality of a student’s academic work, which can be improved by using ICTs where students can research at a much broader level. This also connects with Dimensions of Learning (DoL) three and four: “Extend and refine knowledge” and “Use knowledge meaningfully” (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).. These two dimensions work on higher order thinking and improving intellectual quality.

The second section of Productive Pedagogies is a ‘supportive classroom environment’. This means that the classroom is inclusive of everyone’s needs and learning styles, whilst giving constructive feedback to individuals and groups in order to support the process of transforming learning to knowledge (Government, 2002). It also relates to students having a chance to give their input into what and how they want to learn. ICTs have the capability of giving student’s greater freedom of choosing how they want to show what they have learnt. Students can use different tools such as Wikis and videos, to demonstrate what they have learnt in an interactive way. Having a supportive classroom relates to Dimensions of Learning one: Attitudes and Perceptions (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).. Comfort and order in the classroom is important in this dimension, as well as making tasks interesting and having all the resources to do that.

The next section, ‘recognition’, relates to a supportive classroom environment, where students who struggle at school or come from a lower socioeconomic environment, may require special recognition and help in order to reach quality intellectual skills (Government, 2002). ICTs have the ability to engage students of any academic level, however this may be a barrier to those who have not grown up with technology. Computers especially, can supply students with tasks of a different level of difficulty, therefore meeting the needs of a diverse classroom. According to Snowman et al. (2009), the use of ICTs for education, engages students that otherwise would be at risk of not participating due to their inability to understand the content discussed in class. Recognition also relates to Attitudes and Perceptions from Dimension one, but it also relates to Dimension five: Habits of Mind (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). Recognising the habits of mind the student has and seeing where they need to improve is an important task.

The last stage, ‘connectedness’, focuses on students learning relating to real world situations, but also allows students to connect with each other either in the classroom or with students or experts from the school and across the world (Government, 2002). With the use of forums and Blogs, students can communicate with experts on a certain subject and relate their academic topic to the real world. This also relates to Habits of Mind including, continuous learning and past knowledge, new situations (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). Real world connectedness is important for every student to see a purpose in what they are learning.

Tool 1: Video-taping
The use of ICTs in a Health and Physical Education (HPE) context is helpful in supporting the learning of students. Students can videotape each other in order to view their movements and skills later on. They are then able to analyse themselves in slow motion and see how and where they need to improve allowing continuous learning. This requires higher order thinking, an important aspect of Productive Pedagogies (Government, 2002) as well as Dimensions of Learning three and four (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). More information on video-taping is available at this link. There is no other way students can see their own performances in slow motion, than the use of video cameras. Still photo shots do not capture every stage of a movement. Some parts of the skill can be missed. Another student could watch the performer and take notes, however this still does not allow the performer to analyse their own movements and see where they think they need to improve.

Tool 2: Concept mapping online
Students can also create a concept map online, such as on Bubbl.us to continue the learning journey through higher order thinking. Students can brainstorm ideas of any topic when using a concept. It allows ideas to be written down quickly and ‘gets the ball rolling’. It can also be used for example, after watching the videos on experts completely a physical skill, to take note of the sequence of activities they see on the video. However, completing a concept map can now be more engaging and efficient, by using online programs such as Bubbl.us. This relates to data through senses, a Habit of Mind (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). An online concept map is ideal as it is quick, it can be changed easily if a mistake has been made, and it can be accessed from home also if it is emailed to the student or uploaded on their Blog or Wikispace. Concept maps online can be made colourful and interactive, therefore being more engaging then a piece of paper and pen! An example of a concept map can be found here and further information on the benefits of concept mapping.

Tool 3: Online Blogs
The use of Blogs enables students to keep a journal online of what they are learning, and then reflect on what they have learnt to help transform knowledge. Students can comment on each other’s Blog entries and work collaboratively to continue learning. This has the potential to work very well as long as the teacher sets questions and guidelines as to what to include in their comments. By allowing students to comment on other Blogs, students are able to connect with each other. This is linked to ‘Connectedness’, an aspect of the Productive Pedagogies framework (Government, 2002). Teachers can also comment on the Blogs and provide feedback to the students on their online journal. The teacher may be able to clarify aspects of what they are learning and give written feedback instantly. For students to comment on each other’s Blog entries, students need to be aware about “Netiquette” and the ethical issues of online tools, including cyber-bullying. For more information on Netiquette and ethics, see the “Comment on Netiquette”. For more information on Blogs and how they benefit learning, please click here.

Tool 4: Wiki spaces
Students would also benefit using a Wikispace during HPE especially when theory is based on group work. An example of using a Wikispace in HPE could be that students as a class or in groups create a textbook on the fitness principles, the anatomy of the body and nutrition and add to it as they continue to learn these topics. By the end of the term, there would be a Wikispace with all the information they need for their end of year exam or assignment etc. The textbook can be created on any topic the class is working on. This method of using ICTs in HPE can promote Connectivism in the classroom, which allows continue learning to occur (Siemens, 2004). This is a task that would be very difficult to create without the use of a computer. Wikispaces makes the task even simpler as all students can access the one “textbook” being created. Obviously this tool can be used for many other activities also. Netiquette needs to be taken into consideration with the use of Wikispaces also. For more information on Wiki’s, please click on the link here.

Limitations to using ICTs in secondary HPE
Due to HPE being both theory and practical, some ICT tools cannot be used on the oval. For example, it would be silly to have a projector on the oval with PowerPoint or video showing. Firstly, the glare on the screen would make it impossible to see the picture, the large space would make it hard for any sound to be projected from the speakers, and there is a high possibility with other classes on the oval, that the expensive equipment could get damaged. If students need to see a PowerPoint or video on the topic, this should be done in the classroom during a theory lesson, or before a practical lesson. However, in the classroom, as long as there is access to the internet and computer labs, there is no limit to what tools can be used. It is often difficult though, in a large school, to get access to a computer lab when you want one. Planning well ahead of time is a necessity so the teacher can book the computers in time.

Although there are a huge range of Web 2.0 tools available, not every tool is available to a school. Some however, can be unlocked by the school so the teacher can access them and use them in the class. Other tools often require a subscription or sign-up fee, which is something the teacher would have to discuss with the school. When trying new online tools, the teacher should check with the school for permission just to be certain there is no reason why that certain tool or ICT cannot be used at school. This will take a little bit extra time, but it could save time down the track.

There are some tools that would not be useful in a HPE context. Using Google maps would not be useful as there is not much point doing mapping for HPE. There are more important ICTs that should be used in HPE to enhance the learning experience. Google Mapping would just be a waste of time. It is a tool that would be suited for SOSE when completing tourism for example.
Another tool that would be used very rarely in secondary HPE is a Voki. This tool allows students to write something and it is said by an animational character on the screen. This can be very useful for students who do not like public speaking, however it is something that is more suited for younger children or intellectually disabled students. A Voki would be almost pointless in a HPE context also and probably more time consuming that what it is worth.

ICTs for an inclusive classroom
ICTs allow students with different learning needs to be included in the classroom. Computers are very “patient tutors” as they are capable of repeating themselves as many times as necessary (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010). For disabled students with a hearing impairment, there are a huge range of computer programs that do not make sounds. On the other hand, for those students who have issues with reading, the computer can ‘speak’ to them to enhance the learning experience. Students with a visual impairment however, will find great difficulty in using a computer as will students with motor impairments, as it becomes difficult to use the mouse (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010). This is a huge limitation when creating an inclusive classroom.

The use of ICTs allows students to connect with data via other senses. Students are not constricted to learning via “talk and chalk”. They have the opportunity to learn visually, kinaesthetically, auditory and interactively which is an important Habit of Mind to consider ensuring students are engaged and learning (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

References

Fasso, W. (2010, August 14). Active learning, learning diversity and the theory. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, FAHE11001 Managing E-Learning, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91792

Government, Q. (2002). Productive pedagogies: Classroom reflection manual. Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from URL: http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/curriculum-framework/productive- pedagogies/html/manual.html

Horton, W. (2006). E-Learning by design. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of learning: Teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). VA, Alexandria: ASCD

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

Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Barlett, B., & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons.

Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, K. (2010). Educational psychology (2nd Ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia.

My Comments

The comment I have made on Simon’s Blog explains how more thought needs to be taken into consideration when including the use of ICTs in certain parts of the country that have a lower socioeconomic status. The comment can be viewed here.

The comment I wrote on Kirsti’s Blog is agreeing with her post at how useful concept maps can be to engage students in higher order thinking. Kirsti’s Blog entry as well as my comment can be viewed here.

The comment I wrote on Michelle’s Blog talks about how Blogging in school can be a useful tool but needs to be monitored and used carefully. The comment can be viewed here.

The comment I wrote on Simon’s Blog regarding Netiquette and ethicality talks about how teacher’s need to model behaviour and be conscious of cyber-bullying in the classroom. The comment can be viewed here.

The comment I wrote on Courtney’s Blog discusses the use of Weebly and asks how you would incorporate other choices into a task if some student’s cannot use the computer well. The comment can be viewed here.

You Tube

You tube is a website that allows anyone to add videos for friends to see or for the entire public to view depending on the privacy level. Anyone can comment on these videos also and give them a rating. There are now millions of videos on You Tube, some of which can be very useful to education. Teacher's, students, university professionals, add videos to You Tube to share their knowledge. This can be very useful for teacher's when planning a lesson as they can implement a video from the internet.

When implementing a video into a LEP, the teacher must ensure that learning is the centre of the lesson, and it is not a waste of time. Extra discussion or questions etc need to be asked to ensure students are thinking about the content and developing further knowledge (Smith, Lynch & Knight, 2007). The use of videos can link content to real world situations and give students another reason to actually learn what is being taught, an aspect of Productive Pedagogies (Government, 2002).

I have attached a YouTube video showing the energy systems of the body. A video that is ideal for senior PE. It has all the information required, however it is a definite must that the teacher stops the video during the class to clarify definitions and to generate a discussion to ensure students are understanding the video.



Watching this video will allow students to gain knowledge. A very important aspect of Blooms Taxonomy framework (Miller, Williams & Haladyna, 1978).


References
Government, Q. (2002). Productive pedagogies: Classroom reflection manual. Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from URL: http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports/curriculum-framework/productive-

Mann, D. (2009). Using YouTube videos in education. Retrieved from URL: http://www.techforschools.com/handouts/youtubeineducation.pdf

Miller, H., Williams, R., & Haldyna, T. (1978). Beyond facts: Objective ways to measure thinking. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications, pp25-30.

Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Knight, B.A. (2007). Learning Management: Transitioning teachers for national and international change. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia

PowerPoint

PowerPoints are an ICT that have been around for many years. I used to use them in secondary school for oral presentations to allow the audience to have a visual representation of what I was talking about. It made the presentation more engaging and interactive. The teacher's I had at school also used PowerPoints occassionally, however they used simple tools such as slide transitions and pictures. They did not understand the many other fantastic options PowerPoint gives you.

There is a term called "Death by PowerPoint" or "PowerPoint Paralysis", where teacher's use the tool too often and it becomes something that students dread. As a student now completing Managing E-Learning, I have discovered that the world of PowerPoint was much more than I ever thought it could be.

PowerPoint can display pictures, graphs for statistics, videos, animiations, hyperlinks to more information, text and much much more! The use of creative PowerPoints helps students engage in the content and stay alert.

PowerPoint can be saved and looked at again later. Handouts can be printed out for students so they do not neccessarily have to take notes, and for students who were away in class, they can easily catch up by reading the handout. However, with PowerPoints, there still needs to be interaction with the students, more explaination of the slides, and discussion in the class to create higher order thinking. PowerPoints can be interesting and engaging, but if it looks great but does not require students to think flexibly, than there is little point in creating the slides in the first place.

In summary, PowerPoint can be very useful in the classroom however, it needs to be used wisely and not too often. Sometimes it is a good thing to use technology in the classroom, and then there are times where ICTs should not be used.

References
Teachnology. (2010). Powerpoint in the classroom. Retrieved from URL: http://www.teach-nology..com/tutorials/powerpoint/learn_powerpoint/

The Big Six

The Big Six thinking hats created by DeBono, are a useful tool when decision making. It allows students to decide on something from different perspectives. The Big Six can be a wonderful tool, however it needs to partnered with another Framework in order to cater for behavioural and classroom management. Another framework such as Dimensions of Learning, would be appropriate as it looks at the attitudes and perceptions of the students, their habits of mind etc. To see more information regarding the Big Six framework, you can click on the link to my wiki - DeBono 6 Hats.


Refereces
Mind Tools Ltd. (2010). Six thinking hats. Retrieved from URL: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm

Comment on Blogs

Comment on Blogs

The comment I wrote on Michelle’s Blog talks about how Blogging in school can be a useful tool but needs to be monitored and used carefully.

Comment on low SES

Comment on lower socioeconomic status and exclusion due to the use of ICTs

The comment I have made on Simon’s Blog just explains how more thought needs to be taken into consideration when including the use of ICTs in certain parts of the country that have a lower socioeconomic status.

Comment on Netiquette

Comment on Netiquette

The comment I wrote on Simon’s Blog regarding Netiquette and ethicality talks about how teacher’s need to model behaviour and be conscious of cyber-bullying in the classroom.

Comment on Concept Maps

Comment on Concept Maps

The comment I wrote on Kirsti’s Blog is agreeing with her post at how useful concept maps can be to engage students in higher order thinking.

Video-taping for learning

Video-taping and feedback

Video-taping is one fantastic idea to help students learn using their visual senses. It is ideal for HPE as students can perform a skill, have it video-taped, watch the video and see where they need to improve. The video-tape can be paused to take still photos of their performance using 'print screen' on the computer. Students can then break down each step of the skill and see how this compares to experts. One example of this, is a tennis serve. Students can break down their serve to each phase and compare each of the phases to an experts serve. They can then analyse what they need to do to improve and finally practice their serve again, all of which requires higher order thinking, an important aspect of Productive Pedagogies. Students can practice, and then after a few weeks for example, can film themselves again to see if they have improved. It has been proven also by Onate et al. (2005), that the use of video-taping a skill, results in greater improvement than not video-taping a skill.
Due to the level of analysis, comparison and evaluation required, the use of video-taping in this way would be best suited for higher middle phase HPE students and senior students. By allowing students to practice the skill or movement and compare their videos afterwards, connects the task to the real world and increases engagement, another important aspect of Productive pedagogies. Watching videos of experts perform the movements that they wish to perform, allows students to visualise what they want to do. By just video-taping a student and allowing them to research, analyse and reflect on how they should be performing the skill, students have a transformation of learning to knowledge. As a result, students learn vital skills for life via as simple and interactive ICT.

References

Onate, J., Guskiewicz, K., Marshall, S., Giuliani, C., Yu, B., & Garrett, W.E. (2005). Instruction of jump-landing technique using videotape feedback: Altering lower extermeity motion patterns. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 33(6), 831-842.

Google Mapping

Linking to a point on the a certain map. This is often used by apartments and caravan parks etc, to give directions to their location. It could also be helpful if doing a tourism topic in class. Students can find tourism locations, give directions, and send to others.


View Bundaberg Tourism in a larger map

What are Concept Maps?

Benefits of Concept Maps

A concept map is created when an individual or group brainstorm ideas, using keywords related to the topic they want to investigate. This results in a graphical representation of their thoughts and can be the beginning of further investigation (Cicognani, 2000). Concept maps allow a student to define their educational goals more easily through a visual representation of their data and ideas. According to Cicognani (2000), concept mapping can be used to achieve all stages of the Bloom’s Taxonomy framework, by using the keywords from the concept map as the kick-start to the learning journey.

The six stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy include:
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

Through concept mapping, it is possible to incorporate all six of these stages into the learning journey of a class. Knowledge can be remembered, memorised and recalled from a concept map. Comprehension involves describing something in one’s own words, which is ideally what a concept map allows a learner to do. Application includes problem solving, which can start from the ideas brainstormed in the concept map. Analysis involves digging deeper into the information and understanding how it was put together, therefore developing on the ideas placed in the concept map and determining why they were put together. Synthesis allows the learner to form a new ensemble using ideas from the analysis stage, therefore just showing how everything is linked to the original concept map. Evaluation develops opinions and judges decisions made through the learning process, which therefore links back to the start of the learning journey, which was concept mapping.

I also found this below list, taken straight from Cicognani (2000), to be very informative about what concept mapping can do for learning.
White and Gunstone (1992) list six uses of concept maps:
· to explore understanding of a limited aspect of a topic;
· to check whether learners understand the purpose of instruction;
· to see whether learners can make links between concepts;
· to identify changes that learners make in relationships between concepts;
· to find out which concepts are regarded as key ones; and
· to promote learner discussion.

It is obvious that a simple tool such as concept mapping, can be an ideal way to engage students in a new topic and begin the learning journey with a bit of fun. Adding ICTs to concept mapping and allowing students to use a program such as Bubbl.us, makes the process even more engaging as students, especially middle phase learners, are technologically savvy and have grown up using technology. This therefore, relates more to their own real world experiences. An example of a concept map is given below courtesy of Bubbl.us.

References:

Cicognani, A. (2000). Concept mapping as a collaborative tool for enhanced online learning. Educational technology and society, 3(3), 1-9.

Why use a Blog?

What is a Blog?
A Blog is basically an online program that allows individuals to have their own personal webpage that they can add journal entries to. These then can be publicly accessed if the author wants them to be, or can be kept private and used as a personal journal. If the Blog is made visible to the public, anyone is able to comment on the journal entries. These comments however, are monitored by the administrator to ensure they are acceptable content for everyone to read. Blogging is much easier than ordinary websites as there is no HTML used, therefore making it more suitable for school students (Bartlett-Bragg, 2003).

Blogging for learning
Blogging has the capability of allowing students to think critically via higher order thinking (Barlett-Bragg, 2003). With deeper learning, students have a chance to contextualise meanings of different concepts. Blogs can be helpful for learning as students can maintain a Blog to keep a record of their learning experiences in class and then when their Blog is commented on, they can critically reflect in order to continually learn (Barlett-Bragg, 2003). By keeping a journal via a Blog, students can reflect on what they are learning in order to help transform knowledge.
Blogging has become a wonderful tool for middle-phase learners who are so technologically savvy and have grown up using ICTs. Blogging is a type of ICT that is an appropriate pedagogical approach to engage students (Barlett-Bragg, 2003). Research by Barlett-Bragg (2003), showed that students feel Blogging gives them greater freedom to focus on the topics they want to, write as much or as little as they want, and gives them somewhere to record their classroom experiences which they can access 24/7. Students can make their Blog personal by adding pictures (See Right) and videos also. All of these reasons just show how Blogging would be a useful pedagogical strategy in my classroom.

Issues of Blogging
Teachers need to ensure that the use of Blogging as a pedagogical strategy in their classroom is accepted by the school. It is still a relatively new phenomenon, especially in schools, and some persuasion may be needed to get the school on board.

Summary
After I have been using Blogs for the past couple of months, I have realised how useful it could be when I am teaching. I am excited to give it a go as a pedagogical strategy to engage my students and allow them to reflect on their learning and aim towards higher order thinking. I really feel students will be able to connect with each other at a greater level also when they get a chance to comment on one another’s Blog entries. Blogs allow for greater online collaboration (Goodman-Jones, 2003). Students will have greater freedom, and classroom tasks can aim to be more student-centred, which is what I would like to aim towards when I become a teacher.

References:

Bartlett-Bragg, A. (2003). Blogging to learn. University of Technology. Sydney. Pp1-12.

Goodwin-Jones, R. (2003). Emerging technologies: Blogs and wikis environments for on-line collaboration. Language, Learning and Technology, 7. Pp1-10.

WIKIs

What is a Wiki?
Wiki's have become one of the most popular tools on the web for collaboration and sharing of knowledge (Louridas, 2006). To see an example of a Wikispace, you can have a look at the one I am creating by clicking on here.
Benefits of a Wiki
The benefit of a Wiki is that it can allow students to communicate to each other and collaborate over a topic in class, whilst also connecting with other students and experts that can access their wikispace on the web.
Students can add to their wiki anywhere in the world as long as they have the Internet!
Other students can add to someone-else's Wiki and also edit it.
If someone edits your wiki, you can see the history and change what has been edited if you do not like what they added or deleted.
Students can work as a class to work on a project and add to the wikispace as they find more information. This is an example of the Connectivism theory, where people "connect" with each other to find accurate information. Connectivism promotes continual learning also according to Siemens (2004).
However, if Wiki's are used in the classroom, rules need to be made explicit so cyber-bullying does not occur or is at least limited and then dealt with.

Disadvantages of a Wiki
Using a Wiki for educational purposes where students can edit pages and add to each-other's pages, can sadly result in cyber-bullying. This is obviously a huge issue, however if the teacher keeps a close eye on the class's discussions online etc, it can be handled. The teacher should give students guidance in what to add to the Wiki so they are limited to what they can write about but can still have more freedom than writing an individual essay for example.
Obviously, the teacher needs to be aware of the safety and ethics of everyone in the classroom in order for students to learn effectively and prevent emotional abuse and cyber-bullying.

So to conclude, although it is scary that cyber-bullying can occur in the classroom, I am still willing to give Wiki a go as I really feel the way Wiki can connect students in the class, is a bigger advantage than the disadvantages of Wiki. As I am majoring in HPE, an example of using a Wikispace could be that the class has to create a Coaching course online for a particular sport and explain how this sport relates to the fitness principles. Students would be given websites from their teacher to look at so they did not waste time looking at useless websites. Therefore students could create this Wikispace together in class, and everyone can add to the space. This would connect the class and help each student research, learn and relate their new knowledge to the real world, in order to help them with the summative assessments. Students will find making a Wikispace interesting and engaging, rather than copying off the whiteboard! I am eager to try it. There is no reason not to give it a go - if it fails, well at least I gave it a go. I am aiming to be a teacher who can relate to the students of the 21st century. I feel Wiki can definitely help.

References:
Louridas,P . (2006). Using Wikis in software development, IEEE Software, vol. 23 (2). pp.88-91. Doi:10.1109/MS.2006.62.

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