Computers, Learning & Practitioner Based Research

Candace M. (May, 2013). Samr in 120 seconds. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us0w823KY0g

Technology itself is wide reaching.  These can include new and exciting methods of utilising technology into the curriculum such as QR Codes – which can create new and interactive learning experiences eg. A scavenger hunt.  Mobile phones can be utilised with downloadable programs, internet browsers, cameras, GPS – all of which again can create new exciting learning experiences.  Augmented Reality is an upcoming technology that can create a real life learning experience for students, and allow them to become more independent thinkers and learners as their learning world is enhanced by the touch of a button.  It is important to consider the SAMR Model when implementing technology (Substitution à Augmentation à Modification à Redefinition) to ensure technology simply isn’t a replacement for traditional methods, and is rather a NEW experience that will increase student learning.

Dunn, J. (2013). What is a flipped classroom? Retrieved October 24 2013, from http://www.edudemic.com/what-is-a-flipped-classroom-updated-for-2013/

Blended learning is a teaching strategy that blends distance and online learning with traditional classroom methods.  It involves utilising internet resources and online websites such as Moodle as a means of transferring information from teacher to student with varied online learning activities and pedagogical approaches.  Another aspect of blended learning is the ‘flipped classroom’ whereby traditional ‘homework’ tasks are instead completed in the classroom, and traditional classroom lectures are recorded and watched at home in order to complete necessary classroom activities.  This allows teachers to create higher-order thinking activities for students to complete in the classroom, as well as facilitate effective understanding of content.  This concept is further developed in Universities and further education and opens up the doors of education to those who previously may have had limited access to Degrees, such as countries in Asia.

There's a lot to know about Creative Commons. To get you started, this printable guide to Creative Commons will get you up and running in no time.

11/10/2013 A guide to copyright and education

In terms of students using material for their assignments, as it is considered educational purposes, they have fairly ‘free game’.  As long as this is not used for advertising purposes, then students can basically do as they please!

27/9/13 A website with an extensive list of articles, blogs and tips on how to incorporate technology into the classroom, and deal with the ethics of doing such.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’.  This is a quote that sums up utilising technology in the classroom.  The more technology you implement, the more responsibility you have to ensure your students use it in a safe and ethical manner.  The internet brings up a lot of issues regarding piracy, identity theft and cyber bullying to name a few.  Students have a world of information to choose from, and it is up to us as teachers to ensure the content they view is appropriate to the content within the classroom.  Education using technology is one thing, however we also need to educate students about technology simultaneously to ensure they develop a holistic view of the importance of cyber ethics along with appropriate attitudes and actions when using the internet.

Hamilton, P. (November, 2012). Technology in education. Retrieved September 20, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXyCECMxhOs

For years now the school system has been a ‘transmitter’.  Information is fed into schools via curriculums and syllabi, and teachers then transmit this information across to students.  However as society evolves and our students evolve this is no longer an effective way of teaching.  Gone are traditional methods of students being ‘empty vessels’, because this is not the case.  The hardest part about teaching these days is students have a world pool of knowledge at their fingertips via. The internet.  They may already know about your specific topic eg. Oranges have Vitamin C, as they have read it online somewhere whilst conducting research on other topics.  As teachers it is our responsibility to be the facilitators of CORRECT knowledge.  Filter through all the biased, incorrect, misleading information our students pick up, refine what is correct and disregard what is incorrect to ensure our students are researching appropriately.  We need to encourage a deeper level of thinking when using the internet.  Students are capable of finding the content, however teachers must refine their skills of analysing and defining appropriate sources of such content.  21st Century Learners demand quick instant information with a variety of mediums such as text mixed with graphics and as such we need to continually develop our innovative creative teaching strategies to keep them engaged and encourage effective learning.

Significance is the main gateway to successful teaching, engagement and learning.  Students will have a willingness to learn if they learn about content that is significant to their lives.  As a teacher, it is our responsibility to create the idea of significance for students.  At the end of the day they will decide themselves what is valuable to them but it is possible to foster the idea of significance in students.  A good introduction and a hook will help connect students to the subject area being taught and may assist in engaging them.  We have the content in the form of a syllabus, however it is HOW we teach this syllabus that makes a difference between a success or failure in the classroom.  Creativity is important strategy to harness the main element of a successful lesson – ENTHUSIASM!  If your students are enthusiastic, they will want to learn!  This involves both creativity as aforementioned along with aiming to create an idea of inclusivity – bringing the knowledge of the classroom into their lives to establish significance.  At times school is the only form of stability children have.  By harnessing an environment of connectedness, you will create a willingness to learn.

As an educator, I am always looking for new and interesting quotes to use in the classroom. I use them on handouts, assignments, worksheets, presentations, as classroom decor, and most importantly,...

6/9/13 It took a life-threatening condition to jolt chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam out of ten years of "pseudo-teaching" to understand the true role of the educa...

“A teacher that can be replaced by a machine, should be”.  Our teaching becomes less about traditional spoon feeding content based lessons, and more about utilising the content and the technologies available to us to create new and innovative learning experiences that encourage critical thinking and analysing, which can harness skills necessary for future employment.  As teachers, our job becomes less about being the provider of knowledge, and more about being the catalyst that arouses curiosity and a willingness to learn.

A short video from AITSL that defines 21st Century Education

When technology is outdated, which is sometimes the majority case in schools, it can inhibit learning and waste previous time that could have been spent learning in other methods.  In most schools technology is used as an ‘add on’ feature to the curriculum and subjects.  However it is vital that this idea is revolutionalised and technology is seamlessly incorporated into teaching and learning.  We need to realise that our students have grown up in a different world and will not respond to the traditional methods still taught in schools.  We talk about ‘literacies’ such as numeracy and spelling/handwriting but technology is a literacy that most students are now using more-so.  As teachers we need to be up-to-date and on par with our students and their computer literacy, and utilise the technologies available to us in our subject areas.  It isn’t simply about word processing, powerpoints and smart-boards.  It is about harnessing technology itself and incorporating it into the syllabus to make the content and outcomes relatable to tech-savvy students.  Technology itself forms part of the AITSL standards, thus needs to be emphasised on a greater scale and learned more efficiently.  University subjects may assist teachers on this matter.  Is it possible that more technology related subjects need to replace other subjects within a Degree?