Synopsis

The 21st Century has launched a dynamic technological revolution. Student’s today seek more than the conventional style of learning and require critical engagement with technology in the classroom. E-learning is a growing trend among many higher educational institutions. Learners and teaching professionals are attracted by the many benefits of e-learning, such as the flexibility of learning anywhere, at any time and at an individualised pace (Leung, 2003). The usage of technology outside of school hours has risen dramatically and there has been a significant drive for ICT’s to be implemented into the curriculum. It is essential for teachers’ today to stay educated and up to date with digital teaching tools to facilitate opportunities for students to learn through different technologies. The following synopsis will focus on a range of digital tools which I have explored and analysed to determine their potential and usefulness in the classroom. To support my learning and understandings of the technologies I will be using Dimensions of Learning and Bloom’s Taxonomy, in addition I will discuss engagement theories such as The Big6 and provide details of the advantages of the tools in association with pedagogy in the classroom.

Prior to interacting with the coursework I believed that I had reasonably good knowledge of digital tools and how they can be utilised effectively in the classroom (see Week One post). However, after examining and exploring all of the digital tools available for both students and teachers I came to see the unlimited possibilities that allow students to share, gain and explore new information such as blogging (see Blog, Blogging, Blogger! post). According to Oravec, (2003), ‘Blogs are emerging in many educational contexts as vehicles for personal expression and the dissemination and critique of Internet materials.’ It also suggests that ‘constructing weblogs can be of aid in motivating students to write and do research over an extended period of time (as well as share their efforts), giving them a platform from which to analyse the various Internet materials they obtain both independently and in the course of their classroom studies.’ Blogs, pedagogically help students collaboratively learn and both peer and self assess. Giving students the opportunity to work with their own blogs allows for personal growth and to ‘help students work in groups towards a common goal, when structured appropriately, can help students feel accepted by their peers’ (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). Online blogging contributes significantly to the overall students learning, through scaffolding, peer and self assessment and transforming information to develop new understandings.

Another interactive digital tool that I have explored is concept mapping using Bubbl.us which is a online website where you can make clear and easy to read concept maps (see Concept Mapping post). Online concept mapping tools are valuable for gathering and organising large chunks of information and streamlining this content into a chart which can be used to display complex information. I believe that online concept mapping is extremely beneficial for all students and their learning styles because it provides student's the opportunity to construct knowledge for themselves by organising learning content into a clear, concise concept map. Concept mapping is seen as a teaching strategy, according to Chiou, (2008) the concept mapping strategy can significantly improve students’ learning achievements compared to using a traditional expository teaching method. Marzano & Pickering, (1997) highlight the value of providing students with graphic organisers and representations to help them understand and use the process of acquiring knowledge and using it meaningfully. ‘Teachers can help students become highly engaged in tasks, whether students perceive the key knowledge as meaningful or not. By allowing students to be involved in the construction of the tasks, meaningfulness and relevance is achieved, therefore, student’s level of engagement can increase’ (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). This blends with the Big6 framework (see The Big6 is well...Big post) which allows the learner to classify, group and present information (Eisenberg, 2001).

Another digital teaching tool that I have explored and analysed is Weebly which is an online site where you can create your own website (see Websites post). This tool is a great way for students to become engrossed in their own learning, simply because you are giving the students the opportunity to discover or figure out new information for themselves (Marzano & Pickering, 1997). By creating their own Weebly website students can decide what content is to be posted and no one else can change it without permission from the author. Adopting Bloom’s Taxonomy framework as a lens, I see that making a website fits with the synthesis stage of learning where students are able to invent, compose and construct a new product, which they will name and plan a marketing campaign (Dalton & Smith, 1986). Teaching and learning can take place anywhere, at any time, and at any pace. However, there are still critical inhibitors to e-learning, such as insufficient telecommunications infrastructure for multimedia communication, the high cost of course development, privacy issues (see comment about website privacy) and the cultural change required for both the teaching staff and the learners. According to Leung, (2003) an important goal of e-learning is that it should be equivalent to or better than the learning provided through other delivery modes, such as the traditional face-to-face and classroom-based methods of instruction. I created an S.W.O.T analysis of the website that I developed (see Websites post) which prompted my Higher Order Thinking by asking certain questions and other pedagogical elements such as analysing central concepts from a range of different viewpoints.

Another tool that I encountered throughout my learning is YouTube (see YouTube post). YouTube is a website which allows people to upload videos or view them in a matter of seconds. This tool can be used for innovative ways, especially as a platform that could play an important part in your students learning process. It depends on how the teacher uses the video to support and extend learning, teachers must know not rely on the videos but to use it as an aide to start a discussion, serve as a writing prompt, start an investigation or a hook at the beginning of a unit. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy using this digital tool links with the beginning phase, knowledge, where you can ask students to describe, locate, list or name, this gives students the opportunity for Higher Order Thinking and begin to be engaged in the topic at hand (Dalton & Smith, 1986). In relation to Marzano & Pickering, 1997, they believe that student’s initial attitudes and perceptions have a major impact on what will be learnt, they say that ‘when our attitudes and perceptions are positive, learning is enhanced; when they are negative, learning suffers’. While analysing this digital tool it became apparent to me that according to the framework of the Big6, digital videos uses the information, synthesis and evaluation phases, which allows many uses through schools such as analysis and observation (Einsenberg, 2001). Using digital video doesn’t cater for all learners, however, according to Cheng, (2009) ‘video uniquely conveys the visual-auditory presentation of information which is inherently beneficial to cognitive learning’.

Prior to this course I thought I had strong knowledge of how to use digital tools and the purpose of them. However, it was only until I created my blog journal and began exploring, discovering and analysing the purpose of digital tools I now know that they are used to transform, support and enhance learning in the classroom. To guide my thinking throughout this course I have adopted frameworks such as Bloom’s Taxonomy, Dimensions of Learning’s and The Big6. Those particular frameworks allowed me to critique through a diverse lens. Teachers in the 21st Century need to keep themselves updated with technology and what it has to offer, not only for themselves but their learners. In addition, educators need to keep in mind the importance of working legally, ethically and safely on the World Wide Web by testing videos, websites and interactive material before sharing it to your learners. Digital tools should enhance, support and extend students thinking and learning, as digital tools are merely mediators of learning. Educators alike need to remember when using digital tools in the classroom that ‘the product of education is a continuous process of learning. It is also common belief that learning is strongly associated with the teaching process’ (Kanji, 1996).


Discussions with peers (Click on links below to view comments)

Concept Mapping comment
Concept Mapping comment
Wiki comment
Images comment
Google Earth comment
Websites
YouTube

References

Cheng, Gary and Chau, Juliana(2009) 'Digital video for fostering self-reflection in an ePortfolio environment', Learning, Media and Technology, 34: 4, 337 — 350

Chiou, Chei-Chang (2008) 'The effect of concept mapping on students' learning achievements and interests', Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45: 4, 375 — 387

Dalton, J. & Smith, D. (1986) “Extending Children’s Special Abilities – Strategies for primary classrooms” pp36-7, Retrieved August 5, from: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Eisenberg M. (2001). The Big 6. Retrieved August 5, 2010 from: http://www.big6.com/2001/11/19/a-big6%e2%84%a2-skills-overview/

Kanji, Gopal K.(1996) 'Quality learning', Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 7: 2, 147 —152

Leung, Hareton K. N.(2003) 'Evaluating the Effectiveness of e-Learning', Computer Science Education,13: 2, 123 — 136

Marzano, R.J., & Pickering, D.J. (2006). Dimensions of Learning: Teachers Manual (2nd ed.). Heatherton, NSW: Hawker Brownlow Education

Oravec, Jo Ann(2003) 'Blending by Blogging: weblogs in blended learning initiatives', Learning, Media and Technology, 28: 2, 225 — 233