Grounding experiments in ICT theory & experience

Photo courtesy of Shena Macdonald

Although our online process seemed very spontaneous it was actually grounded in Mrs Moore’s years of research style teaching as well as her vast collection of articles on current developments in education and online courses.  Moore has also presented numerous projects for Microsoft and Google on blended learning, flipped classrooms and catering for a variety of learning styles. Mrs Moore has been working with integrating ICT into education for many years- in fact she was making me laugh the other day when she said she had no idea how the first computer that arrived in her classroom worked and the principal just smiled at this panicked teacher and said- "you're a bright person I am sure you will figure it out!"...Well, Mrs Moore has certainly used her intelligence to mastermind many successful computer-supported projects!

We recently did a strengthsfinder course at school and Mrs Moore’s top 5 strengths are in the ideas category, which explains why we are constantly trying new things in our studio classrooms! We seem to never stick to the same curriculum content and are constantly adding new links.  Being a young teacher, who likes to appear in control, I have adopted the strategy of smile and nod, and scrabble to research various terms at the end of any discussion with Mrs Moore- I often feel like the duck who is gliding along but its' legs are paddling like crazy underwater.  Although in reality I think I appear more like a toddler with a million questions. What follows is some of the pearls I discovered from Mrs Moore’s presentations, our departments research, and various discussions with lecturers and colleagues. Our move to online learning is not only about using computers in the classroom.  

It is all about incorporating Flipped classroom and blended learning theory.

Harvey Singh ( 2003, pp. 51-54) in a Journal Article titled “Building Effective Blended Learning Programs” states that first generation e-learning courses where too similar to their classroom counterparts in that their single mode of instructional delivery did not provide sufficient choices, engagement, social contact, relevance, and context.  According to Singh, studies have proven that combining multiple delivery modes in a blended learning environment facilitates greater learning and performance.  Blended learning is when one merges a variety of learning tools as well as events-based activities (Singh, 2003).  Thus an example of blended learning is combining a classroom based discussion with a digital worksheet that learners can complete in their own time.  

Thus Singh proposes that digitally delivered learning needs to be more than an online presence for it to be effective.  Singh (2003) reinforces the notion that catering for a variety of learning styles and allowing learners to collaborate with educators in a various manners will boost course outcomes. As our journey in e-learning has progressed, Neith and I have spent considerable hours discussing a variety of learning styles and delivery modes that we could translate into a digital classroom.

For example digital mindmaps cater for visual learners whereas practical application benefits kinesthetic learners. Thus I will set up a digital worksheet for those who enjoy writing, and other learners will create a mindmap on A3 card and others will use prezi. I also set up a practical hand-generated element that stimulates the kinesthetic learners. It may sound like a lot of work, but once it is done you just copy and paste the links for the next year and learners enjoy the work so much more that it makes the extra effort worth it.



Link to PPT discussing our application of blended learning

Link to PPt on Flipped Classroom Application at DGHS

Encouraging learners to try new paths

Photo Courtesy of Shena Macdonald

One of the main problems our learners have is time management.  I spend many hours tracking who has handed in and I often have to carry piles of marking home.   I am always terrified that I will lose someone’s script.  Therefore the idea of online hand ins was appealing, as it meant I could mark anywhere, so long as I had internet access and the sharing of internet links could assist me in tracking learner’s hand in status.  

However, learners are sometimes slow in trying something new, so we offered the learners bonus marks if they did their work online.  Many of them found the online process easier and have began using online presentation forums for other subjects as well.  

As teacher working online has improved my record keeping and assessment process, but I have realised that you have to allocate lesson time to getting the learners familiar with online learning environments.  For example in 2013 I decided to try a photo project with the Grade 8s (click here to view the project http://studio2-41.blogspot.com/2013/02/grade-8-advertising-challenge.html).  I asked them to email the pictures instead of printing them,  as it would save paper and being able to email is an important life skill.  Well, it took them a whole term and I realised that although this generation may seem technology savvy, but they have no idea how to use technology to generate work.  Thus there is need to teach learners to move beyond social networking into working with technology rich learning environments that prepare them for the world around them.

Some of the learners are more familiar with computers and others take longer to familiarise themselves with online learning. Thus I demonstrate in a new school in class and also spend time assisting learners individually at second breaks and during the lessons. I find that learners tend to work in pairs and this makes them more comfortable working online. I have also been testing creating online tutorials that show learners screenshots of processes discussed in class. However it seems that learners mostly learn through trial and error, but they need a push to get out of the comfort zone and take the first step. So as a teacher one needs to be firm in your expectation of their ability to conquer new tasks so that they don't give up too early, but encouraging and approachable at the same time, so that they feel comfortable asking questions. Also learning a new skill takes time so don't rush online projects. For some learners switching on a computer and locating the chrome icon is a challenge, so make sure you are wandering around the class interacting with them as they progress through the project.

Another problem we have had with introducing online learning is that the computer resources sometimes don't co-operate. For example our computer labs had a very slow internet connection so it took a long time for the projects to load. Thus I try to set the learners an online task with a hand-generated element so that they have an activity to start with while they are waiting for the computers to load.

Another method of introducing online learning is to start with devices that learners are familiar with... such as cellphones...the learners seem to be addicted to these devices and are so excited when they find out they can use them for school work.. however I shall write about that experience in another post.

link to PPT on how learners access our blogs