As part of the integration of IT into the classroom, initially in Stage 4, but with the view of extending the process in Stage 5 and 6, the year 7 team are working on an iLE@RN project of investigating ways in which Moodle and other Web 2.0 tools, such a Wikis, Blogs, Nings and Google Docs can assist teachers in crossing the exercise book/notebook divide for the recording of student’s regular work.
We are now looking for comments from you all on how the process could/should work. Some of the questions that need to be addressed are;-
What are the positives for students and teachers?
What are the pitfalls?
How do we maintain our focus on literacy and numeracy?
How can we make sure we can access, mark and provide feedback?
What happens to the students who don't have access to a laptop at school?
What happens on Thursday sports day?
I am sure there are many other questions that need to be addressed! Your comments and thoughts are requested! To leave a comment or add to a discussion click on the add comment link below.
Thanks for your time
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testing!!! Welcome to the real world. This is how the business community functions...with electronic media. Bridget
ReplyDeleteHi Michael,
ReplyDeleteWhat are the positives for students and teachers? This is a better way for students to keep track on how much effort and time they put in their subjects. It's good times when they need to revise. It is a great way for them to contact the teacher in private or address the class on a forum.
The teacher is now able to post work in advance and prepare them self for the term in advance (if they can). Teachers can also place suggested online resources for the students to see when they are not in the physical class
What are the pitfalls?
Well... there needs to be a contract of rules that the students will HAVE TO follow. They have to know about the responsibility of having access to the program. It's best if we test it to see if they are respectable to not use it as a means of cheating or last minute studies. (hope that makes sense)
How do we maintain our focus on literacy and numeracy?
there are many games to help us with the numeracy aspects (for every subject)
literacy will definetly increase... but we NEED to post websites to extend their vocabulary in the given subjects' metalanguage!
(Dictionary.com can help them with pronunciation if need be)
How can we make sure we can access, mark and provide feedback?
hmmm... never had to do that...
i guess this is where the human side comes in.
We can either e-mail them individually or speak to them one-on-one
What happens to the students who don't have access to a laptop at school?
Well... we don't have to use this resource in AALLLLL the lessons... but it will be the main secondary reference online resource. It is within our control, so we will not have to worry about students entering the wrong websites.
What happens on Thursday sports day?
If the school insists on the students ALL buy text books, then we can just go back to written activities - not necessarily textbook work, but activities that do not have to surround digital media.
Hope that helps!
Bernie Bousamra
I feel we have a responsibility to ensure our students grow up with the ability to use pen and paper in a range of situations. This is as important as ensuring they are capable technology users. Students are well aware of many of the WEB 2.0 tools, long before we introduce them. Teaching them to use this technology effectively, while not allowing it to be a distraction is our latest challenge. Keeping an organised book is an important skill, many students who cannot do this, struggle with sheets etc... also find it difficult to organise work on a computer. Naming and saving work, filing, effective use of folders all needs to be mastered. I have seen that many students struggle with this and therefore with finding their own relevant materal.
ReplyDeleteManaging the many usernames and passwords has also proven to be an issue for many students.
While these tools are a wonderful resource, it is imperative that safe and ethical use is explicitly taught, organisation skills, developing and storing usernames and passwords, time effectiveness etc.. MUST be taught from the beginning. One could almost say we need our students on board with these issues before we can begin the GOOD stuff. Beyond that, our possibilities for teaching tools, motivation and positive learning environments, various tech based resources and information at our fingertips are endless. How to bridge the gap? The computer tools should be used as a specific resource, for specific purposes, not just as a glorified workbook. This new technology should complement the use of students workbook, not replace it.
Rachel Danos
I don't think the problem we have as teachers is exercise books vs. computers but rather what it is were are doing with them. Web 2.0 tools are great for assessment tasks, making presentations and creating an online portfolio but for the day to day routines of learning (e.g. stage 4 - spelling tests, literacy exercises, note-taking, scaffolding) a combined exercise book is essential. The Middle School initiative of having English, R.E. and History in one book this year has made the collection of work a breeze and even though I'm using a wiki with my class (http://roomc2.wetpaint.com/), it would never be possible to have the entire years content of work online. Just a rant, now here are some answers to the above questions:
ReplyDeleteWhat are the positives for students and teachers?
Work is Accessability everywhere.
What are the pitfalls?
Accessability is unreliable.
How do we maintain our focus on literacy and numeracy?
You can't. Typing isn't writing. Nuff' said.
How can we make sure we can access, mark and provide feedback?
We can...moodle, wikis, blogs, nings all allow for work to be checked by the administrators i.e. the classroom Teacher
What happens to the students who don't have access to a laptop at school? This is why we have computer labs and the library.
What happens on Thursday sports day? See the above.
Kuch
One other thing i find good about the Moodle system is if students are COMPLETELY reliant to their computers they would be able to download our any sheet we create and upload.
ReplyDeleteWe can leave a window of opportunity to have sheets available if there are some who prefer to write.
I believe we should help them be organised where ever possible.
Dear Michael,
ReplyDeleteI have very much enjoyed reading the posts from others on this very topical issue. Many good points have been raised.
It is a reality that the HSC is still performed with paper and pen! I think what I have read above is really highlighting the importance of balance. It is imperative that we as teachers keep pace with new technologies and use them well in the classroom. To not do so would be failing our students as we prepare them for life after school and for life long learning!
The reliabilty of the network is critical. We have to be confident that we can use all of these wonderful resoureces when needed. If this is not the case then people, I believe, will note use them.
I look forward to following the discussion.
Thanks,
Mark Compton
Dear Michael,
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the comments posted and feel that technology needs to have a significant presence in our day to day teaching. However, I feel that the writing ability of our students has deteriorated markedly over the past few years and balance is what is needed.
I fear that technology has progressed so quickly that it won't be long before students are talking into their laptops and will no longer need to even type what they want to write.
Yes, we need to keep in touch with advancements in technology and use them to create a more diverse learning environment, but I also think that we can still draw upon many of the "old school" teaching practices to develop many of the basics that students seem to be lacking in todays learning environment.
Paul Graziani