Mid Semester Statement
Through the readings and exciting lessons, my views on teaching and learning has changed and as a result the way I approach teaching has evolved.
A key reading which has influenced my view on Learning and Technology was Computer as Paintbrush by Resnick. The main point that I took from this reading was that children should create with the computer instead of just interacting with it. The key quote in the article to me was "Research has shown that many of children’s best learning experiences come when they are engaged not simply in interacting with materials but in designing, creating, and inventing with them (2006, p.4)". As a result of this reading I will now be more cautious of just getting children to interact with the computer e.g. typing or researching and instead get my students to create with the computer e.g make music on garage band or create a podcast. You can read my blog post on the main points of the article and its implications for me as a teacher here.
Another key reading during this semester was What is Meaningful Learning? By Jonassen. The key point I took from this article was that “For learning to be meaningful students must be willfully engaged in the task. In order for meaningful learning to occur the tasks that students pursue should engage active, constructive, intentional, authentic and co-operative activities(2008, p. 2).”As a result of reading this article, my method to approaching lesson planning has changed, in the sense that I will make every effort to make the learning meaningful by incorporating Jonassens 5 characteristics into my lessons. For example asking the children to question what they are learning and why and also teaching them in an authentic environment, For example if we are learning about the weather I will take them outside. You can read my blog post about the main points of the article here.
One final key reading was watching the YouTube video “Constructionism in the 21st Century Classroom”. This video highlighted the theory of constructionism and how it is being taught in the 21st century. The main point I learnt from the video was that constructionism is the belief that children learn best when they design and create for themselves as this creates meaning for themselves and thus learning occurs. The key quote that i took from the video was " Seymour Papert believed that when technology is integrated with traditional constructivist activities children create for themselves new experiences and ways of thinking (2006). ” From this I took that children learn in a constructivist manner when they interact with the computer, which has also been highlighted in the previous readings by Resnick and Jonassen. In relation to technology in the 21st century children can learn in a constructivist manner when they design, express and publish work on the computer. Through watching this video and learning about constructionism I will ensure as a future teacher that i allow my students plenty of opportunities to design and express themselves using technology. You can view the video here and my blog post on constructionism here.
A key blog post was when I explored my thoughts on social networking and whether it has a place in schools. This was brought about after my fellow peer Melissa Gray blogged about Facebook. Through this, I came to the opinion that social networking has a place in schools as long as it is tightly controlled. I came to this opinion after reading the article and then thinking about the advantages that social networking can bring to schools, especially Twitter and Facebook. You can view my blog post here.
The article also provoked other thoughts especially this quote “ Some educators say the social-media bans in schools are overkill and privacy fears have overshadowed the positive educational opportunities social media can offer students. They argue the best way for students and teachers not to fall victim to technology is to use it and understand so they can control it ("Teaching the Facebook Generation" 2011)”. This quote made a strong impact on me and made me think about things I had not thought about before. It highlighted to me that children should learn about social networking in schools not only for the education benefits but also to protect them and to teach them about how to use social networking appropriatley. This made me extend my thoughts further than just thinking about learning and also onto the welfare of students.
Some of the Key learning experiences in class over the first part of semester included learning about podcasting, twitter and digital storytelling. Through the study of podcasting in class, I learnt what podcasting was and how podcasting is used in the classroom. I became so excited after learning to podcast, I made one and also complied a list of podcasting activities This was incredibly important to me as it seems podcasting is used in many classrooms today. As a result of learning to podcast, I plan to incorporate podcasting in my future classroom in the many different ways that I blogged about.
Through learning about Twitter, my thoughts on its purpose and place in schools has changed. Before learning about Twitter in class, my thoughts were, How could a 140 character tweet be conducive to learning? But after being introduced to potential ways it can be used in the classroom I became so excited, I created my own twitter account and then researched and compile a long list of the many ways that twitter can be used in the classroom. You can access my twitter account here and view the list here. As a result of learning about Twitter, I vowed to keep my eyes open to using different technologies into the classroom and also that I will definitely be creating and using a twitter account in my future class.
Overall, this first part of semester has proved to be a valuable learning experience and has had an enormous impact on my thoughts on technology and how to integrate them into the classroom. I have also learnt to take risks and to keep an open mind on technologies and their place in the classroom.
Reference:Resnick, M. (2006). Computer as Paintbrush: Technology, Play, and the Creative Society. In Singer, D., Golikoff, R., and Hirsh-Pasek, K. (eds.), Play = Learning: How play motivates and enhances children's cognitive and social-emotional growth. Oxford University Press.
Jonassen, D. et al (2008). What is meaningful learning? In D. Jonassen et al.(Eds).Meaningful learning with technology. 3rd Edtn. pp1-12. Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Pierciery, M. (publisher) (2009) Constructionism in the 21st century classroom [video] Sourced from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEHZFd-QWQI
Macgibbon, A. (2011, 2, 28) Teaching the Facebook Generation. The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved March, 2 2011 from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/teaching-the-facebook-generation-20110227-1ba19.html
Image 1: Morgan, J . ( 2011) Brushes [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/24742305@N00/5557920490
Image 2: Pruitt, S. (2007) Free Dell Flamingo Pink Birthday Laptop [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/40645538@N00/1482848501
Image 3: Epsos, D. ( 2010) Wooden Sculpture of Science Genetics [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/36495803@N05/4370721677
Image 4: Pruitt, S. (2009) Free School Child's Hands Choosing Colored Pencils [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/40645538@N00/3387387075
Image 5: Jay, J. (2006) Exploring an Idea [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/16985707@N00/112404324
Image 6: Shields, L. (2010) iPad Dream # 3 [photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/50064005@N00/5066006163
As I write this I feel a slight tinge of sadness, as the journey over this semester has been an enlightening and rewarding experience. When I initially started this course I did not believe that I would learn a great deal as I thought I was pretty up to date with technology. But throughout this semester my knowledge about technology has grown immensely and my ideas as to the role of technology in the classroom have shifted immensely. Throughout the semester I was introduced to and became skilled in the art of blogging, tweeting, podcasting and making digital stories .I have learnt about many different theories of learning, in particular two theories left an impact on me and will influence my methods of teaching in the future. These theories were Jonassens Meaningful Learning and Paperts Constructionism. Through undertaking practicum with a kindergarten class I had a surreal experience when I finally realised how much technology has changed in such a short period of time and how it has changed the teaching profession and us as individuals. I blogged about my practum experience and how I was amazed at how teaching had changed e.g. that technology has made teaching somewhat different compared to when i was at school and that it has made learning more exciting for children. After coming back from prac I was even more eager to learn in this class, as I finally understood how important it is for my knowledge of technology to be up to date as possible as technology is so present in schools.I immersed myself in the literature and blogged about a very valuable piece of literature called Too Cool for School? No Way! by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler. This article left an impact on me as it highlighted how we must not be scared to introduce cools gadgets e.g. Ipods, Iphones and Ipads into the classroom, that they can be cool and educational at the same time. Another key learning experience post prac was a session with Glynnis Jones on Cyber Safety. I believe this tutorial was so important for future teachers as I believe it will be our responsibility in the future to protect our students from the dangers of the internet especially if we will be there advocating and promoting the use of technology in the classroom. Another important moment this semester was reading a fantastic blog post by my fellow peer Melissa Gray. Melissa wrote about an article she had read in the Sunday Morning Herald.The blog post focused on a teacher who had introduced blogging into her classroom to connect wth other cultures around the world. I found this to be very fascinating as it takes on a whole new level of having penpals in the classroom and this is an idea that I would love to incorporate into my future classroom. You can view the article here, Melissa's original blog post here and my response here. The final point I will make that I have learnt this semester is that my learning journey is not over, but infact just beginning. On my journey to becoming a teacher I will be working hard to be constantly keeping up-to-date with the never ending advances in technology and their potential use in the classroom.
