Problems I May Overcome and Solutions to These

Digital Camera Exercise:

Problem: Resources - It is unlikely that there will be enough digital cameras to provide one for each student. Solution: The students will divided into small groups. They will collect field data as a group, however their journals are to be completed separtley.

Problem: Resource Failure. Solution All cameras should be checked to ensure proper functioning prior to the field trip. Batteries should be fully charged and a set of spares should be packed. In the case that a camera fails to work during the field trip, that particular group will be divided up amongst the other groups.

Problem: Misuse of Resources - Students may abuse the privilege of using digital cameras. Unfortunate issues such as theft, damage or inappropriate use of the camera may come about. Solution: The cameras will be used under the best supervision possible for such a task. The cameras will be signed out by each group and signed back in at the end of the trip. There will be consequences for any group that fails to return their allocated camera back in it's original condition.

Problem: "Digital literacy" of students - There may be students that are not equipped with the knowledge of how to use this digital technology. Solution: Prior to commencing the filed trip, I will give the class a brief run down on the basics of using the camera (eg. taking photos, zoom, videos and preview). The students will be working in small groups so peers will be able to provide support for each other.

Blogging

Problem:"Digital literacy" of students - Students will have varying degrees of digital literacy. Solution: I will attempt to give each student a basic understand of the blogging site by running through basics step-by-step. The computer lab lessons will not have a lot of content in them in order to allow me to facilitate help where required, whilst more digitally capable students work ahead.

Problem: Online risks - risks include cyberstalking and identity theft. Solution: Before signing up, I will talk to the students about online safety and we will have a group discussion on the importance of keep safe online. Each student will be provided with a handout of online safety tips. Students Will be under strict supervision when signing up and will be required to use their student ID number as their display name. They will be instructed to provide no personal information, including their name. Each student will be required to set their page to 'private'.

Problem: Site blocking - Most schools have blocked access to social networking and blogging sites. Solution: Research into a safe and reliable blog site is essential. The school may in fact have its own 'edu blog' which may be a good option. Failing this, permission may be requested for access to an externally hosted service provider.

Problem: Cyberbullying & page vandalism Solution: Prior to signing up student will be given a talk on appropriate use of Internet, which will cover cyberbullying. By having their pages set to private, the students should not have anyone accessing their page other than their class mates. In the occurrence of a student cyberbullying or vandalising another student's blog page there Will be serious consequences.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Theorist Jerome Bruner believes that learning is an active process by which learners construct new ideas  and concepts based on prior knowledge (O'Malley, Vavoula, Glew, Taylor, Sharples, Lefrere, 2003. p15 ). By allowing the students to collect their own field data they are building on what they already know and strengthening their understanding of the topic.

Bruner's theories also entail that learning should involve active dialogue (O'Malley, Vavoula, Glew, Taylor, Sharples, Lefrere, 2003. p15 ). By encouraging group discussion on the field trip findings, the students are able to critically think about their findings by asking questions and coming up with solutions, therefore broadening the way they think about and understand the topic.

By presenting their findings on a blog, the students are able to further critically think about the task at hand as they read and analyse each others findings. They will learn from each other by not only reading each others  blogs but also by receiving comments and feedback from each other.

Sources: 

O'Malley, Vavoula, Glew, Taylor, Sharples, Lefrere. (2003). Guidlines for Learning/Teaching/Tutoring in a Mobile Environment. http://www.mobilearn.org/download/results/guidelines.pdfS.[accessed 1 August 2010]

Teaching and Learning Activities

Lesson 1 & 2 (double lesson)

Field Trip (Molonglo River Corridor) - This teaching episode aims to give students the capacity to use prior in-class knowledge identify and assess environmental change in the area. Using digital cameras, students are able to demonstrate their understanding and ability to identify environmental change.

Because the students are looking at examples of environmental change first hand, they will be able to get a better understanding of the issues and the effects they will have. The task aims to trigger group discussions amongst the students. As a teacher, I will be able to point out and discuss any issues in greater depth.

Lesson 3 (computer lab)

-Introduction to appropriate Internet and computer usage. Class discussion on approriate use of internet. The class will be provided with a hand out on internet usage expectations.
-Internet and blogging safety.Class discussion on internet saftey. The class will be provided with a handout on internet safety.
-Set-up blog sites - Going through step-by-step instructions, the students will set up their blog sites.
-Teacher will give students a brief introduction to the capabilities of the blogging site. Students will have the opportunity to experiment with the site and get to know the tools and applications.

Lesson 4 (computer lab)
- Teacher will provide the class instructions on uploading data onto their blog. Students will then upload their own data onto their blog.
-The remainder of the lesson may be used for students to work on their journal entries. Students may wish to do further research to add to their entries.

Lesson 5 (computer lab)
- Teacher will provide the class instructions on how to "follow" peers. Students will then demonstrate this task themselves. Each student should follow at least 2 of their classmate's blogs and will be asked to read and provide comments and feedback after submission of the assignment.
-The remainder of the lesson will be used to work on journal entries.

Why mobile learning and blogs?

Often referred to as 'digital natives', twenty first century students are growing up surrounded by digital technology. Digital cameras, computers, IPhones, IPods, and Web 2.0 technology are second nature to the majority of youths today. The fact is that this technology is so convenient and relatively easy to use on a basic level. My aim in this teaching episode is to enable the students to engage in the project by using tools that they are able to relate to. By doing this I hope to help build their understanding of the topic. In saying this, I have chosen to integrate ICT into the lesson through the use of mobile learning and blogging.

Giving students tools that they can relate to will help the students to better engage in their own learning. Yelland states, "Theories of learning (e.g. Bruner 1977; Piaget 1972; Vygotsky 1978) that underpin Western education systems are grounded in the belief that humans learn best when they are engaged and actively constructing meaning." (Yelland, 2007, p8) . Sources from "The Perry File" state that 73% of students would be interested in using a mobile device in their studies (The Perry File, 2010), while The Neilson Company found that, “Globally, social networks and blogging sites are the most popular online category".  So by giving my Year 9 Ecology students a digital camera and allowing them gather their own findings, they are not just looking at pictures and reading or listening to information. The students are in fact finding the information first hand and presenting and sharing their information in a way that will hopefully trigger interest.  Therefore the students are able to reap more benefits from the task.

Mobile learning proves to be a convenient tool, particularly for use in fieldwork. Because of their light-weight, small and quick to use abilities, mobile learning tools can be a much more effective way of collecting multimedia field data, in comparison to the traditional pen and paper. Students are able to record photographs, video clips, video recordings and interviews.  Not only is this a more effective way of data collection, it is for the most part, a lot quicker and much more appealing.

Blogging allows the students to creatively present their work online and share it amongst peers.  The students are then able to share, read and comment on each other's work. Essentially the students are then able to learn from each other.

In summary of these points, I will take advantage of the popularity of ICT's by integrating them into the learning episode. The integration of mobile learning will act as a convenient research tool for the students. Presenting their findings on a blog will provide the students with a creative way to express their findings and enable them to share these findings with their peers. 

Sources:

-Yelland, N. (2007) The Millennials. (online) https://docutak.canberra.edu.au/eres/docs/24700/yelland.pdf. [accessed 29 July 2010]

- nielsenwire. 2010. Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global Time Spent on Social Media Sites Up 82%. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/led-by-facebook-twitter-global-time-spent-on-social-media-sites-up-82-year-over-year/[accessed 29 July 2010]

-The Perry File.2010. Why use ICT in the the classroom? Justification for using Mobile Learning. http://elpc.tumblr.com/[accessed 29 July 2010]

Learning Outcomes

Looking at Curriculum Framework for ACT Schools, Every Chance to Learn, the Year 9 Biology & Ecology unit is centered around the following out comes:

-20.EA.2 - Some of the processes by which human activities change natural environments in positive and negative ways.
-20.EA.3 - Population growth impacts on environmental systems.
-20.EA.6 - Conduct case study investigations into local and/or national systems to identify changes and predict their impacts.

(Every Chance to Learn – Curriculum Framework for ACT Schools, 2009, p200)

Using these, I have developed a specific set of learning outcomes for the students to achieve from the task:

-Ability to identify and asses changes to the environment.
-Illustrate understanding of the causes and effects of environmental change
-Analysis of the prevention or solution to environmental change.
-Provide evidence of environmental change using digital imagery.
-Display the task using a blogging site.
-Analyse and critique the work of peers.

Teaching Episode

As the teacher of a year 9 Ecology class, I will be setting my students an assignment task.

In class the students have been learning about environmental issues and impacts of erosion, salinity, water flow, water quality and wildlife. To support and develop the student's understanding of these issues, the class will be taken on a field trip to the Molonglo River Corridor, where they will be asked to identify and assess the environmental damage in the area.

The students will be utilizing mobile learning. Working in small groups, they will be provided with a digital camera and asked to show evidence of 2 examples of environmental change in the area. This may be shown as one or a series of pictures, or it may be shown as a short video.

The students will then be given 3 lessons in the computer lab to set up their own individual blog page, upload their pictures or video and reflect on their findings. They are to write 2 entries (one for each example), and should answer the following questions:
-What type of environmental change has occurred?
-What is the cause of this change?
-What further impact will this change have on the area ?
-How could this change have been prevented?

After submission of all the assignments, the students will then be required to read 2 of their peers blog sites and give a brief comment on their findings.

A few final words

This course has definatley been an eye opener for me, as I had no idea about all the different uses of technology in relation to education. Sure, I am a 'digital citizin'. I have a mobile phone, I frequently use the internet and I log onto social networking sites more than occasionally, but I had never given much thought of how this technology could be used to help educate students. Probably because when i went through school, the only experiences with digital technology was a monthly trip to the computer lab to research on the multimedia encyclopedia.

With Web 2.0 technology, students are able to have the whole world (or at least the whole world wide web) instantly at their finger tips. The ways in which classes can be made to much more interesting and interactive amazes me, for example, using Google Earth to conduct social science or language lessons, or using simple video animation. Even the more basic tools like using digital cameras and voice recorders have the ability to create a more attractive learning environment. As I follow my path to a career in education, I now have the knowledge to embrace ICT as a tool for creating a rich learning environment.

Blocking is Not the Answer

Social networking and blogging sites are some of the highest visited sites on the web today, particularly by young people. Schools should not ignore this fact as the use of social networking sites increase dramatically. Instead, schools should be embracing the use and demand of these sites as they hold significant educational opportunities. Despite the obvious problems, such as cyber bullying and cyber safety, the benefits of giving schools access to social networking sites are far too great to ignore. Instead of blocking or restricting access to social networking sites, schools need to come up with a solution that allows students the opportunity to gain the educational benefits from these sites while using the technology safely and appropriately.

In recent years we are seeing extremely high numbers of young people using social networking sites. A survey conducted in 2009 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that a huge 79% of children aged 5-14 years use the internet (ABS, 2009), while the Neilson Company found that, “Globally, social networks and blogging sites are the most popular online category… With 206.9 million unique visitors, Facebook was the No. 1 global social networking destination in December 2009 and 67% of global social media users visited the site during the month. Time on site for Facebook has also been on the rise, with global users spending nearly six hours per month on the site” (nielsonwire, 2010).With such high usage, it is obvious that there is a huge interest in Web 2.0 technology, therefore it would be sensible for educators to develop digital literacy skills in order to use this as a tool for learning in the classroom.

Because of the interest in social networking and blogging sites, class content delivered using this technology is more likely to grab the attention of students. This kind of delivery is a more user-friendly, attractive and interactive way of delivering information, Tapscott and Williams point out, “Increasingly, people prefer to participate in a new generation of user-fabricated communities where users engage and co-create with their peers” (Taranto & Abbondanza, 2009, p38). This type of learning is also more appropriate for students that have struggled with more traditional methods of teaching as
Notley states, “Case study research has suggested that the flexible, personalised, experiential and informal learning opportunities that online network platforms provide can better suit young people who have struggled with the industrial one-size-fits-all style of teaching that still characterises the mainstream school systems in most developed nations” (Notley, 2008. P8). So we can see that by targeting the interests of young people, we are more likely to see results in their learning.

Web 2.0 is able to provide rich learning opportunities for students. It allows instant and immediate access to educational resources. Integrating Web 2.0 technology into the classroom gives students the opportunity to learn the skills to research, collaborate and critically evaluate information. Students are also able to share their own work with peers and provide comments and feedback on each others work. Learning researcher, Christine Greenhow states, "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They're also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential” (ScienceDaily, 2008). Students are not only learning valuable skills of online network use, but they are also able to become more responsible for their own learning which in turn enables the learners to feel more fulfilled from their educational experience.

The use of social networking and blogging sites does in fact pose some risks. Researchers have identified chat rooms, instant messaging services, and social networking sites as online environments where people can be groomed by pedophiles, sexually harassed, and be exposed to violent or pornographic material (Notley. 2008. p3). These sites also leave open the threat of cyber bullying. However, blocking these web sites from schools does not in fact solve the problem, as young people are still accessing these sites from home, where these threats still lie. The best solution is to inform and teach children about the risks, how to deal with the risks and how to use Web 2.0 appropriately and safely. Notley’s source Byron emphasizes this need for media literacy training in schools, “We need to empower people with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to embrace new technology to make the decisions that will protect themselves” (Notley, 2008, P5)

Given the significant educational benefits of social networking and blogging sites, it is not appropriate to block access to these sites in schools. Blocking these sites is depriving students of the opportunity to not only learn from the rich resources that Web 2.0 has to offer, but also denies them of the opportunity to learn how to use the technology safely and appropriately. Instead of blocking social networking and blogging sites, schools need to equip both educators and students with the knowledge of the technology to be able to safeguard them selves against ay potential cyber risks.


Sources
- nielsenwire. 2010. Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global Time Spent on Social Media Sites Up 82%. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/led-by-facebook-twitter-global-time-spent-on-social-media-sites-up-82-year-over-year/[accessed 16 July 2010]

- Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2009. Household Use of Information Technology, Australia 2008-2009. http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0/ [accessed 17 July 2010]

- Notley, T. 2008. Online Network Use in Schools. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/14997/1/14997.pdf[accessed 16 July 2010]

-ScienceDaily. 2008. Educational Benefits of Social Networking Sites Uncovered. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080620133907 [accessed 16 July 2010]

Cartoon Reflection

Just a little cartoon I found and thought I would add, partly because its relevant, partly to brighten the page up a bit and partly because im procastinating.

In short, the cartoon is pointing out how people try to cut Web 2.0 technology away from young people with out understanding the benefits of the technology, but rather focusing on the negatives.

Site Blocking in Schools

Web 2.0 Site Blocking in Schools


This report discusses the issue of site blocking in schools, with a particular focus on sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia.

The report agrees that Web 2.0 technology is able to provide rich learning opportunities to improve student learning and support Internet literacy, however it does raise several concerns including :
- Teacher lack of knowledge and confidence
- Concerns of cyber safety and bullying
- Professional risk of allowing students to access social networking sites
- limited bandwidth
- inflexibility in site blocking systems
- unable to access relevant info from blocked sites

The report states that site blocking is necessary and a key component to every schools cyber safety strategy in order to provide protection from illegal and inappropriate sites. However, Wikipedia, Facebook and YouTube provide a mixture of valuable content and risky content.

In solution to the problem the report recommends that a Web 2.0 policy is developed and Web 2.0 aware content filtering, Web 2.0 tools and safe access to Web 2.0 rich media content are put in place.

Educational Benefits of Social Networking

Educational Benefits of Social Networking Sites Uncovered

A very pro-social networking article, discussing the positives of using social networking sites in schools.

A study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that when using social netwroking sites, students increase their Information Technology skills, creativity, openess to new or diverse views, and communication skills.

Greenhow is quoted as saying, "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They're also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential."

Educational Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Uncovered

ScienceDaily (2008-06-21) -- In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have discovered the educational benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. The same study found that low-income students are in many ways just as technologically proficient as their counterparts. ... > read full article

Statistics

Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global Time Spent on Social Media Sites up 82% Year over Year | Nielsen Wire

A few interesting stats:
- An 82% increase in social networking sites in December 2009 from the same time in the previous year.

- Globally, social networking sites and blogs are the most popular online catagory

- Globally, time spent on Facebook averages 6 hours per month.

With statistics like these, the demand and the need for proper education on social networking sites can not be denied.


Household Use of Information Technology

Statistics from the ABS:
-shows an increase in internet usage over the years
-shows that 79% of children aged 5-14 years use the internet- im not neccesaarily surprised but that is a huge number

"Online Network Use in Schools"

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/14997/1/14997.pdf

This is another article supporting the use of social networking sites in schools.

Notley points out that Australian politicians and media commentators claim that online networks support a broad host of threats to young people including peadophilia, bullying, spread of unwanted pornographic and violent material. She later mentions the risks of identity theft, spam, advertising and virus'. She argues the issue by providing statistics that show the high usage of internet by young people, and states that with these high numbers, young people should be learning how to avoid and deal with these risks while enjoying the benifits.

Notley finds that in Australia there is no National strategy to ensure young people are receiving an appropriate education in how to deal with web risks while enjoying its benefits.
There are Learning Place spaces which are managed by teachers and administrators but are these restricted spaces as benificial as autonomous spaces? Notley argues that that they are not as they do not allow young people the oppurtunity to experience the World Wide Web and use online networking skills in a safe, meaningful and effective way.

"Powering Students up"

http://www.scribd.com/doc/25034899/Powering-Students-Up

This article gives a solid argument that embraces the use of social networking sites in schools.

Taranto and Abbondanzo argue that with such high demand and popularity amongst social networking sites, the banning of this technology in schools is not only "inappropriate but borderline irresponsible" in order to provide the best educational experience for students.

The authors discuss that "Academic Social Networking" as the best way to incorporate social networking into the classroom as it delivers the content in an "attractive and conductive manner".and gives schools the opportunity to demonstrate appropriate use of social networking tools.

Toranto and Abbondanzo discuss the importance of teaching students appropriate social networking habits including proper use of language, spelling and grammar as well as securtity of personal information.

Research Journal Entry Summary

It’s the 21st first century and we are living in a world of technology, and the education world is no different. The days where students sit at their desks with a pen and paper in hand, reading from the chalkboard and the teacher drumming information at them appear to be diminishing. With all the new technology in the world today, we have been introduced to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a great tool for learning but has technology gone too far?

ICT has been introduced into both primary and secondary schools in order to support and encourage learning as well as teaching. The ways in which ICT is being integrated into the classroom is increasingly stepping out of the box. Where before the main technologies being used were computers with simple programs. Now we are seeing tools like interactive whiteboards, voting systems, digital cameras, Nintendo Wii and high-speed internet access with online interactive learning programs where parents can get involved.

The use of technology in class seems to target the student’s interest. A study in Europe of the impact of ICT in education shows positive effects on student’s motivation, learning, teamwork and collaboration. In the study they find that 86% of teachers across Europe see an increase in motivation, and attention when computers and internet are used in class (Balanskat, A. Blamire, R, Kefala, S. 2006. p30 online). The studies show that teachers preferred not to look at the student’s actual attainment but rather the effects that using computers and internet have on behaviour, motivation, communication and processing skills and find a common theme in the positive effects it has in these areas,

“ ‘The children …are completely committed to doing that work, finishing
that task ... you can certainly see the motivation. They will all want to go on the computer and the work they produce is far superior, and not just in terms of presentation … they have more time to consider the consequences of what they are learning’ (Year 6 teacher and literacy co-ordinator, Westbrook Primary School)”
(Balanskat, A. Blamire, R, Kefala, S. 2006. p30 online)

The study then goes on to find that, “….multimedia and interactive content on interactive whiteboards is engaging and motivating, particularly for primary pupils, and that students pay more attention during lessons thanks to the stimulating nature of the presentation” (Balanskat, A. Blamire, R, Kefala, S. 2006. p30 online)

With such high motivation to be involved in the learning process, it would be assumed that the students would in turn see an improvement in academic results and abilities.

By integrating ICT into the classroom there is a dramatic change in how the students learn. Where previously the teacher would be feeding the students information, the teacher would now act as more of a guide to students. When students are using ICT, they may be more involved in independent learning as well as collaborating between students. This allows students to ask more questions and research answers therefore broadening the way they think.

Using ICT in classrooms does not only affect the students but the teachers as well. Jenkins discusses the significant changes in the teacher’s role:

"• Change in relationship with pupils
• Change in role to facilitators and managers who support learning
• Change in the content and scope of teaching
• Change locus of control, from teacher to learner"

(Jenkins, J.1999. p3 online)

For many teachers, in particular the older generation of teachers, this change may prove to be challenging for reasons such as personal pedagogical beliefs on teaching and the ‘art of teaching’, fear or inability to change the configuration of the class from ‘teacher teaching’ to ‘teacher guiding’, or may simply find it too difficult to learn and keep up with the new technologies. The European ICT Impact report tells us that, “Teachers’ poor ICT competence, low motivation and lack of
confidence in using new technologies in teaching are significant determinants of their levels of engagement in ICT. These are directly related to the quality and quantity of teacher training programmes.” (Balanskat, A. Blamire, R, Kefala, S. 2006. p5 online).Therefore it is crucial that in order to effectively integrate ICT into the classroom, teachers need to be well equipped with knowledge of the technology. Another barrier is limited access to ICT resources, be it due to poor funding or organisation or resources. The Australian Government has introduced a scheme called the Digital Education Revolution, which promotes the integration of ICT in the classroom by providing sufficient ICT resources (computers, programs, high speed internet access) to schools (years 9-12), as well as providing education and professional development courses to teachers. By giving teachers the knowledge, understanding and the resources to effectively use ICT into their education programs, they are then have a more positive outlook on the technology and are more like to do so.

In answer to the question I asked myself earlier, is technology taking over the classroom? My answer is no, I don’t believe it is taking over the classroom (yet). Teachers are still organising and providing a basis to support student’s learning. Teachers are using technology as a powerful tool and this integration of ICT in the classroom seems to be a positive step for learning. Looking at the clip “Robot Teachers Taking over the Classroom” is where technology begins to cross the line. Once the classroom loses the human element of teaching is where it will start to see issues as it will be a long time before technology will be able to provide the human qualities that constitutes great teaching.


Sources:

Jenkins, J. Teaching For Tomorrow. The Changing Role Of Teachers in the Connected Classroom. p.3(accessed 29/06/2010) from http://www.eden-online.org/papers/jenkins.pdf

Balanskat, A. Blamire, R, Kefala, S. 2006. p30. The ICT Impact Report.accessed 1/06/2010 from http://ec.europa.eu/education/pdf/doc254_en.pdf.

Video:Robot Teachers Taking Over the Classroom. (2010) video retrieved 26/06/2010 from http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=89874776

ICT in action

This source seems alot like an advertisment for ICT, however it does give a good overall look at how ICT is used in the classroom and lets us look well out of the box. We see a whole range of new technologies used in clip including computers/laptops, interactive whiteboards, internet, Nintendo Wii, voting systems and digital cameras.

On the plus side, all this technology enables:

parents to log on and veiw online learning
fitness and brain training which is proven to increase concentration
an increase of class participation
homework to be downloaded and then uploaded when completed (no more dog chewing the homework excuses!)

However, as I was watching this clip, a few points struck me. With all this use of computers, both in class and for homework, would we be seeing a decrease in writing abilities? So I asked Google, who gave me this site http://ec.europa.eu/education/pdf/doc254_en.pdf which is a record of the impact of ICT over schools in Europe and it stated that studies show that ICT supports and improve reading, writing and language skills.

Another question I had was in regards to using the Ninentendo Wii for fitness. great for a rainy day but should we not be encouraging children to get outside and get a bit of fresh air?

And with such a high usage of internet, internet saftey would also be a big issue and something to keep a close eye on.

Entry Four - The Government Support of ICT in Schools

http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/DigitalEducationRevolution/Documents/DERNatPartnership.pdf

This is the National Partnership Agreement on the Digital Education Revolution. Basically the Australian Government is supporting the use of ICT in schools by investing $2.4 billion over seven years (2008-2014).
The funds will go towards providing ICT equipment to secondary year students, high speed broadband internet connection to schools, professional development and learning for teachers, online curriculum tools and resources and online learning with parent access.

The aim by December 2011 is for there there to be a 1:1 computer to student ratio for secondary students with high speed network access and digital resources.

The government believes that this will bring beneficial change to teaching and learning in Secondary schools.

Entry Three - So who is the teacher?

http://www.eden-online.org/papers/jenkins.pdf

In this entry I am looking at the role the teacher plays since integrating ICT into the classrooms.

The source is slightly old (1999) but I found it an interesting and inviting read. Plus its points are still relevant to today.

The source discusses that ICT has significantly changed the teacher's role but by no means has lessened it.
Ict is a valuable tool that can encourages learning. However some of the changes are a cause for concern, for example the impact on teachers. Are the teachers comfortable changing their role from being a projector of information to simply supporting learning?
I know myself, a young woman who been using technology everyday for as long as I can remember would feel well out of my comfort zone using ICT in the classroom (at this stage), so I can easily see that an older generation of teachers may find it difficult to learn to integrate ICT into the classroom, particularly if they are technologically challenged, or have strong pedagogical beliefs about teaching. To me the solution to this is educating the educators about the benefits of integrating ICT and allowing them to learn the technology. This then leads us back to the Digital Education Revolution policy that enables professional development for teachers.


Jenkins, J. Teaching For Tomorrow. The Changing Role Of Teachers in the Connected Classroom. (accessed 29/06/2010) from http://www.eden-online.org/papers/jenkins.pdf

Entry Two - Technology Changing Education

http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=digital_learning


This paper is an interesting read, giving a brief overview of the world wide web and its uses. It goes on to discuss the Digital Education Revolution policy which is a positive step towards providing greater ICT in schools.

White goes on to discuss trends in ICT and the fast development of the web which has now become so powerful and information is so easily accessed. Further more we can not only access this information from our computer but so many other more portable devices which mean we have the information right at hand when we want it and we can share information and connect with others much more easily.

Some good points that categorise benefits of ICT in education.

One paragraph in particular interested me, that discussed a recession in the printing of newspapers yet saw that a huge amount of people were accessing the newspaper online. The statistics got me thinking that yes, technology is making its way into the classroom, but this to me gives a small insight into the fact the our current society is one of technology (obviously with all the gadgets etc), but now the classroom is adapting, including and using this technological world.

White, G. ICT Trends in Education (2008) accessed 28/6/2010 from http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=digital_learning.

Entry One - So is technology taking over?

Watch videos at Vodpod and more of my videos

"Robots taking over the classroom" - the title scares me a little. Immediately I envision a world where technology literally has taken over. We are already seeing the replacement of checkout staff in shops for "self-serve" checkouts, but is this really where the future lies in education? Robots taking over human teachers?

The thought of robots taking over is rather troubling, however these robots are proving to be a positive step in South Korea at the moment. Currently the robots are only being used as teacher's assistants and are filling the gap where such required staff is not available. The Government funded project is proving to initially expensive, however in the long run may work out to be economical considering they don’t require a salary.

The robots are able to fulfil duties such as checking the daily attendance, supervising, taking photos of the children, check whether a child is well or not and can lead the children in certain classes.

With such a high level of technology a clear line should be drawn as to what exactly is the role of the teacher in the classroom?
The Korean Government states that they do not wish to replace teachers, but give them an invaluable tool. This reminded me of a point a fellow classmate brought up: "ICT stands for 'It Can't Teach.'" A point I completely agree with. These robots can be programmed to do almost anything, but however great the technology; it will never provide the same human qualities that constitute great human teaching.

Video:Robot Teachers Taking Over the Classroom. (2010) video retrieved 26/06/2010 from http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=89874776

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