Photo Courtesy of Shena Macdonald
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Sometimes teacher training, feels like being hustled by taxis in Warwick triangle- everyone is in a hurry with not enough time and the way taxis drive you are just waiting for the pending disaster. However, I hope this blog shows you that introducing technology into the classroom is a much slower paced journey.
One of teachers' biggest fears is that the computer will replace the teacher. I don't think this is the case. For computer-supported learning to work you need good teachers... I have learnt so much from how Mrs Moore organises her lessons and this skill is very evident in the way she arranges her blog posts! Sometimes my posts tend to be too long and overcrowded, but Mrs Moore's posts are to the point and broken into measurable chunks. It just goes to show that very experienced teachers know exactly how much information to put on a page! So creating a blogpost follows similar principles to planning a lesson or composing a worksheet.
Another fear that prevents teachers from introducing technology is the perception that technology is actually bad for learning. I watched a short clip by the Epipheo team and Nick Carr that tackled this notion in such informative way (see link below). Carr speaks about how developing incredible ideas takes focus and time. Carr maintains that the distractions of a multi-tasking internet environment prevents ideas moving from short-term to long-term memory. My personal perception is that technology can be a wonderful way to facilitate focused work and idea development, but learners need teachers to show them how to use computers in a focused manner. Using links is a wonderful way to direct learners' attention to specific texts or articles/ videos. Surfing the internet or bouncing through social media updates is definitely not focused learning.
Another common misconception amongst teachers is that online learning forums are very complicated and their knowledge of computers is too basic. The thing I like about using Google Apps For Education is that it builds on skills I am comfortable with- such as creating a word document, email and powerpoint. Starting with computer skills you are familiar with will make you feel more confident. Learners may be excited about online learning, but they are also afraid. Thus a teacher confidence acts as the learner's safety net that encourages them to explore new territory.
I thought I would crash and burn in front of my learners when I introduced my online classroom, but I discovered my online classroom actually began functioning like insurance for unlikely events. Just today Mrs Moore was telling me how she forgot it was theory and had prepped for practical, but working off her online classroom archive made constructing a lesson on the spot much easy.
In fact I started working online to save face! My handwriting is so terrible that my exploration into online learning was fuelled by a need to be able to type everything!
When I realised how little the learners knew about working online, I felt a lot bolder in venturing out in a new direction. You see learners are competent at navigating social media but working online is still a challenge for them. Also working online is about learning not being computer whizzes. Thus students need teachers to guide them in answering questions. The feedback opportunities that working online offers enables teachers to encourage and inspire learners. This personal encouragement is vital to learners' development! It is something only skilled teachers can offer- not a cold machine!
Creating digital textbooks, is about adapting curriculum content to suit your classroom! Yes that content can be shared with lots more people- but it still needs a teacher to unpack it in a way that their learners relate to! I love the way online learning empowers me to create and alter content in an immediate, professional manner. I think many departments at Durban Girls High have years worth of incredible content combined with valuable work experience!
I love creating content and assessment and watching how it enhances learners' understanding, but I find that my time is often limited by administrative tasks. I am so grateful for the time Mrs Moore has given our department to invest in finding computerized tools that decrease teaching admin. For example we have created our own online bank of comment codes for marking projects, which saves typing time. We have used subject meetings to explore apps that mark for us- unfortunately most of art theory is essay writing but I am sure automated marking of multiple choice questions would benefit other departments.
Machanic (2001) says that many online learning experiments are sabotaged by lack of time and resources devoted to staff training. Yes, working with a computer may be different-like changing from a manual to an automatic car, but if we give ourselves time to enjoy each pitstop and road sign then we will find that in the long run the computer will become the administrator and this will free us to do what teachers do best- TEACH!
Mrs Moore and I have slowly been integrating online learning tools into our teaching environment. It certainly wasn't an overnight migration! Many of our experiments were birthed in subject meetings and hours of discussion. Some of that discussion was subject specific and other discussions were with other educators, ICT professionals and the school management team. Which brings me to another important point on successfully navigating the world of online learning! ICT Training must be scheduled into your department's year plan. There are so many different online learning systems that learners and educators are going to get confused if everyone is doing their own thing. Working as team will make sure your department grows together and will save you many hours of travelling down dead-ends. Collaborating with Mrs Moore has been a treat and I would have been very lost without Mrs Moore's enthusiasm and strategic thinking skills.
Of course no-one can think clearly in a traffic jam! If you want to learn to drive a car- you have to find a quiet place with a good instructor who is happy to let you blunder along trial and error style. And don't worry getting a drivers licence may come with a few hours of practise but the freedom it brings is well worth the effort. So if you are interested in embarking on your own unexpected ICT journey...clear out the taxis and browse through the blog or pop in to our art studio and we'll help you plot out a map.
Interesting Links:
Link to epipheo video on what the internet is doing to our brains
Reference:
Carr, N. and Epipheo Studios, (2013). What the internet is doing to our brains. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKaWJ72x1rI [Accessed 14 Jul. 2014].
Machanic, M. 2001. [online] 11.3 Faculty Development in Higher Education: "Best Practices" Review and Planning Recommendations for Technology-Rich Learning Environments; Mindy Machanic. Available at: http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews11_3.asp [Accessed: 11 Feb 2014].
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