There are many questions arising from the ICT and curriculum discussion for educators. This blog was created to provide some background and current information to fuel the debate.
What’s happened to the web? Over the last ten years the web has been transformed from a seemingly endless source of information to a place where we can create and post our own ideas; instead of going to the information, information now comes to us via RSS feeds, for example. John Hedron takes us through the transformation in this excerpt from his book, RSS for educators blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts and wikis in the classroom 2008 published by International Society for Technology in Education. John clearly and simply explains RSS, blogs, wikis, podcasts. He goes on to describe how these tools can be used in education – to share knowledge and ideas, connect teachers to parents, developing information and media skills, opportunities to improve creativity and critical thinking, a medium to assess students work and building communities.
How do we prepare students for the 21st century? Rapidly changing technologies and their influence on the world around us has sparked many to look closely at education: what students are learning and how. Gwen Soloman and Lynne Schrum in an excerpt from Web 2.0: new tools, new schools (published in 2007 by International Society for Technology in Education) provides a background for this direction in thinking about transformation in schools supported by new technologies. This is grounded in the US context however it is very relevant for us here in Australia. The skills identified for 21st century learning can be supported by access to the communication and collaboration tools that NSWDET’s Learning Tools Project could provide in 2009 giving our students ‘interconnectedness, immediacy, interactivity, communications and community ... the very features that keep global businesses competitive and workers in jobs.’ This may not be the incentive that drives educators, but perhaps more equitable access to educational resources does – and I think that is more compelling.
What is the value of online video distribution?The TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) website showcases some of the world’s leading thinkers and researchers to spread ideas. For example, how the research community can link to commercial developers and everyday people is seen as Johnny Lee shows us how a wii controller can be used to ‘make’ an interactive whiteboard!
Gee there is a lot of information on the internet related to ICT policy! Here are some snippets you might find of interest
Since 1983 in the US there has been numerous policies relating to education technology. At the heart of all these documents runs three key themes: Technology is a tool for addressing challenges in teaching and learning, technology is a change agent to trigger changes in teaching and the learning environment and (most recently) technology as means of increasing global competitiveness (familiar?). What is most interesting is the identification of a widening gap in the promise and the potential of the technologies and the way technologies are used in the educational setting. Researchers favour technology use in student-centred inquiry, collaboration and so forth; whilst teachers are largely using presentation software and student-based resources from the internet, with a few introducing technology-rich, student-inquiry teaching strategies into their repertoire.
The ICT test bed project in the UK Evaluation of the ICT test bed project investigated the impact of high levels of ICT in schools with low socio-economic disadvantage, mainly primary schools, some secondary schools and some further education colleges to provide information to policy makers. The key findings of the learning and teaching strand indicate high levels of improved performance at key stage 2 only, GCSE grades didn’t look too good! (but there was a small sample size at this level; let’s not forget that this is a pen-and-paper test!). Researchers did see an increase in effective use of presentation technologies and a greater interaction in the classroom. Researchers also report the effective use of ICT in personalising learning (as you know there is an emphasis on this in the UK) enabling self-directed and differentiated learning. Of interest also is the use of ICT in assessment and reporting.
Closer to home in Australia, the Journal of Australian Council for Computers in Education, published a position paper on media-rich learning communities with recommendations for policy makers. There is an overview of the learning trends of students in the framework of ‘the futures triangle’, an interesting lens through which to communicate a vision. There follows a scenario which outlines the key elements of effective media-rich communities, then recommendations for national innovation. What may be of more interest are the articles that follow: ‘Learning languages in partnership with ICT’, ‘The interactive whiteboard in an early years classroom: a case study in the impact of a new technology on pedagogy’ and ‘ICT-mediated science inquiry: the remote access microscopy project’.
ICT is a broad category when you think about it! In this post, I am looking in general at the progress of integration of ICT into schools and also in particular at some interactive technologies that could be integrated where appropriate.
Firstly, the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology provides us with an overview of where we are now in ICT integration in schools and what could we be doing in the future. Colin Baskins sets the scene with the Australian policy context, outlines the project and discusses the findings. Whilst this work was done in 2006, the comments are still relevant particuarly highlighting the disjuncture between ICT infrastructure imperatives and those of teachers - curriculum and pedagogy. "There is a growing awareness of how large the training and professional development needs are, not only in relation to pedagogy, curriculum change, IT skills and awareness, but also in relation to wider 'cultural change' issues, as school systems develop and roll out new systems and processes over time."
For some lighter reading, Classroom news (you need to be a subscriber, free!) technology news for today's teacher, gives us a pot pouri ranging from a description of Barack Obama's education plan, "Imagine a future where our children are more motivated because they aren't just learning on blackboards, but on new whiteboards with digital touch screens; where every student in a classroom has a laptop at [his or her] desk; where [students] don't just do book reports but design Powerpoint presentations; where they just don't write papers, but they build web sites; where research isn't just done by taking a book out of the library, but by eMailing experts in the field; and where teachers are less a source of knowledge than a coach for how best to use it and obtain knowledge ...". Buried in email? gives us some welcome tips for managing the daily deluge. Also of interest is the story of a pilot project at PLC where students can use mobile phones and the internet during exams. Interesting concept.
Lastly, from the National School Boards Association, the report from a study (supported by Microsoft, News Corporation and Verizon) into students' social networking habits. Creating and connecting, details the results of a study conducted via three surveys (students, parents, school leaders) which describes students online social networking activities. It notes that educators require students to use the internet for homework and research, they are not yet convinced of the value of social online networks as a communication or collaboration tool in the educational context. Parents have high expectations with those surveyed supporting the use of social networking. The recommendations (food for thought) are: consider using social networking for staff communications and PD; find ways to harness the educational value; ensure equitable access; pay attention to student leadership; reexamine social networking policies and (not surprising given the supporters of this study) encourage social networking companies to increase educational value.
Well ... what does a one-to-one laptop classroom environment ‘look’ like? And, how can we support teachers facing this reality?
What do we know from the numerous one-to-one computing initiatives that have been running in the US since 1994?
Here is a selection of some readings to give you a sense of where the thinking currently lies:
·Implementation and effects of one-to-one computing initiatives: a research synthesis – this paper synthesises findings from a number of studies into the impact of one-to-one laptop initiatives. Students in these programs often improve their technology literacy and skills in the use of word processing tools (explains the other studies that find that students length and quality of writing improves). It isn’t clear yet as to the effects of student attainment. We probably need to be very clear about the goals of the implementation and methods to monitor the effects to get really good data about this. This paper does provide some ‘pieces of the jigsaw’ and as usual, there is a need for more research!
·Fostering girls’ computer literacy through laptop learning – can mobile computers help to level out gender difference? – this study found that students using laptops outperformed those from non-laptop classes having a significant effect on students computer literacy – in particular, their knowledge about hardware and software, and the use of the internet for retrieval of information and for communication. There was no difference found between girls and boys. Why? No doubt more research into impact of self-confidence for girls
·Anytime, anywhere learning final evaluation report of the laptop program: year 3 – this is the final report on the implementation of a laptop program in Michigan. They found that students increased their use of computers as learning tools, they improved their ICT skills and computer work became meaningfully integrated into curriculum. Also their findings suggest improved writing and problem-solving skills.
·The laptops are coming! The laptops are coming! – this is a short article by a teacher who reflects on what she has learnt after one year in a laptop program. She provides an interesting list of questions that she would have liked to have asked at the start.
Are you creating documents with several contributers? Do you find that you have a problem with version control? Try Google docs - you have only one version and you can invite as many people as you like to contribute. This short video by Common craft shows you how.
The latest video to be doing the conference rounds is on by Professor Michael Wesch. It is a four-minute guide to web 2.0 (a term which is fast losing its currency, like cloud computing - these terms are becoming meaningless). However, it is a good visual of some of the potential of the web environment.
Have you visited slideshare.net? People post their slideshow presentations no audio but even so some very interesting (and also very strange! but that's the web) stuff. George Siemens has posted some thought provoking presentations, e.g. Rethinking teacher: networks and social connections.
What does a social media classroom look like? a collaboratory?
An eight-minute video created by Howard Rheingold gives us a glimpse of the affordances of an integrated environment incorporating social media tools like Delicious, Twitter, blogs, Flickr and wikis. Howard tells us know to worry about keepng up with technologies, it is better to try and keep up with the literacies and pedagogies that technologies can provide.
Are you really reading when you go online?
This NY Times article explores the debate about the effects of ICT on reading in the digital age. Many children are engaged in reading fragmented, non-linear and somewhat variable quality of online text. Will this lower literacy levels? As usual this is a complex issue with no easy answers.
The one-to-one computer experiment
In Birmingham, Alabama some school students have been given the green and white XO laptop as a pilot of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative. Will this program work? e-school news reports as educators in the US look on.
The NSWDET Connected Classrooms Program Bulletin No. 3 listed ideas from students about who they would like to talk to via videoconferencing:
Other Student Representative Councils
HSC experts including past students
Experts in English
Authors
Successful business people
Political figures
WWII survivors
Music teachers
Native speakers of languages other than English (students also would like to talk to students in schools overseas).
How interesting! Now what does the research suggest about the impact of videoconferencing in the classroom and the factors associated with effective use.
The evaluation report for the UK’s DfES Videoconferencing in the classroom project (.pdf) suggests there is clear evidence of the educational potential of videoconferencing and identified a number of factors associated with effective use (e.g. support from senior staff, careful preparation and planning, robust technical support, links to relevant events and curriculum support). No surprises here!
In NSW, we are supporting schools via TaLe with information and examples of why, when and how to use videoconferencing (TaLe links can only be accessed through the Department of Education and Training portal).
Multitasking: Do we need to deeply engage in everything or maybe not everything is that important that it requires our undivided attention! Perhaps we can afford to partially attend to a few things at once? Or is there a serious outbreak of distracted students who cannot concentrate and focus, who have a disturbingly short attention span? Read on ...
Stoooopid ... why the Google generation isn’t as smart as it thinks in the Times Online is an interesting article that may all be ‘moral panic’ about the loss of the ‘skills of concentration’ and the horror of our distracted students but it certainly is thought provoking. What is the potential of our students being distracted by the use of laptops with wireless internet connections during lessons? How can this sort of classroom be managed for effective learning?
The Atlantic.com published the provocative article, Is Google making us stupid? Do we risk becoming ‘pancake people’ spread wide and thin as we rely on the web to fill us up with content and forget about deep thinking? This is indeed a most interesting (and I daresay controversial) account of how the internet has affected our concentration and the way we think. I must admit to being sceptical about this missive but it sure makes a good read (i.e. if deep reading hasn’t become a struggle for you!).
Some research (published as The laptop and the lecture: the effects of multitasking in learning environments ) by Helene Hembrooke and Geri Gay at Cornell University confirm the well-established research findings on the negative effects of multitasking on performance where one group was allowed to browse, search and engage in social networking using their laptops throughout a lecture then tested immediately after. Interesting findings when further analysis was done on the laptop group.
Information behaviour of the researcher of the future reports the findings of a study commissioned by the British Library and JISC to identify how young people (the so-called Google generation) access and interact with digital resources. This report includes a discussion on the myths and realities of the Google generation, skills gaps and the implications and challenges.
What does the research say about the education benefits of learning with digital technology? Well quite a lot - and not much!
Kathryn Moyle and Susanne Owen (University of Canberra) have put together a very readable literature review: Students' voices: Learning with technology (2008) which describes some of the research on students' expectations about learning with technologies. It gives us a great insight into students access to computers, the applications students use and their proficiency with ICT tasks. It notes that there is a limited amount of Australian research and little research which looks at deeper levels of student learning with digital technologies.
The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment (Boston College) published the article (2005), Learning with technology: the impact of laptop use on students achievement - great title! This is certainly something we would like to know. This study reports that students scored significantly higher test scores and grades in writing (greater length and higher quality), English and mathematics when immersed in a laptop program. These results were probably positively influenced by the teachers that volunteered for the program. However there are some interesting observations made that make this worth reading.
Cisco Systems commissioned a literature review on emergent findings on technology use in schools by the Metiri Group, Technology in schools: What the research says (2006). They make the opening comment that although after three decades of computers in schools, their use remains controversial (interesting!). A range of types of technologies are examined: TV, radio, calculators, interactive whiteboards, quick-response systems, portable ICT devices, virtual learning, computing laboratories and 1:1 ratio of computers to students (this is the only section I have read to date). The trends and research (both descriptive and rigorous) is examined in relation to knowledge and skills, content expertise, information processing and visualisation, higher-order thinking and sound reasoning and authentic learning experiences. A great starting point for some further reading.
One-to-one computer initiatives are not new - there are a large number of programs worldwide designed to make laptops available to all students in schools.
Digital Education Revolution: the aim of this program is to provide world class education to prepare students for life beyond schools by equipping them with the skills for life, work and study in an increasingly digital world.
There are 896 schools benefiting from Round one funding - of these there are 302 NSW government schools (48% of the total funding) These schools are listed on the website
A total of 116 820 computers will be provided in Round one
So, what's happening overseas? Do laptops impact on learning? What professional learning support needs to be provided? Here are some readings to get you started:
Miracle or menace (Educause quarterly no. 3 2004) This article outlines the limitations but focuses on strategies to bring learning to life in the laptops classrooms and describes the challenges for teachers in looking at curriculum in a new, fresh and innovative way
Implementation and effects of one-to-one computing initiatives This paper is a synthesis of research about the effectiveness of these programs. It provides some interesting findings about the use of computers by students, teacher beliefs and the effectiveness of professional learning programs.
Laptops for learning This report on a taskforce for the implementation of laptops in Maine, US describes guiding principles for bridging the digital divide, teaching 21st century skills, reforming teaching methods, providing effective professional development, using laptops for formative assessment, multimedia tools and benefits.
There are many great educational websites for teachers and students. Here is a selection of some I've come across recently:
Earth album is a great example of a mash up, combining photo editor, Flickr and a mapping tool to give you an ingenious way to explore the world.
Zoeybot is a virtual desktop that allows young children to search in a safe web browser environment.
Stepping into history is a conference to be held in the virtual world of Second life - great concept.
Kids know it is a great website for kids to find out more about animals, geography, dinosaurs and much more through games, videos and music. It's a lot of fun.
There is real interest in mobile computing here and overseas but what does this mean for teaching and learning when all students have laptops? What can we do to provide support for teachers?
This eschools news page is a collection of stories about some school systems that have taken up the one laptop per student challenge.
The internet creates wonderful opportunities for our young people, but there are others that can take advantage of our vulnerable youth. The Byron review focuses on what people can do to protect and educate their children but there is still a clear and definite role for educators in schools.
This could be 'seen' as safety in a digital world being incorporated into curriculum where appropriate and the teaching of critical information literacy skills in the digital world.
Will the potential of videoconferencing in the classroom be realised?
The 2004 Report for school of the DfES video conferencing in the classroom project, outlines the UK project which aimed to identify the factors that had the most impact on teaching and learning. No surpises here as the report confirmed the importance of curriculum focus in effective video conferencing.
The 20-page document is an easy read and provides some models of use which could form the basis for exploration among our schools with support that is clearly focused on teaching and learning.
A recent post on Slideshare (a site for sharing your presentations), by Mike Sharples University of Nottingham, Disruptive mobile learning, can certainly spark your imagination when considering questions such as:
How can we enable effective 1:1 digital learning in the classroom?
What can we do to connect learning about the world with learning in the world?
How can we extend the classroom into everyday learning?
The point is made that ballpoint pens, calculators and more recently mobile phones have been banned from classrooms because of their disruptive nature. However, if the educational potential of handheld technologies can be realised, then this may be a way forward (probably via laptops??).
The recent Cisco paper, Multimodal learning through media: what the research says, pulls together some recent research in neuroscience, cognitive science and mulitmedia. Quite a good read which clearly supports the efficacy of multimedia in learning. It does raise quite a few questions:
What does this research mean for interactive classrooms using IWBs and videoconferencing facilities?
How can we reduce cognitive load?
What considerations need to be in place to allow for dual coding?
What types of activities afford the best opportunities for students to learn basic skills? higher-order skills?
Is scaffolding required and if so, what does it 'look like'?
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