Although the course ‘ICTs for Learning Design’ at CQUni has been incredibly complex and time consuming, I can safely say that it has been one of the most rewarding and interesting courses that I have studied. I have had fun! Throughout the last 8 weeks, I have been introduced to a vast variety of technologies (see blog posts ‘Wiki’s are amazing’; ‘Voki Avatars’; ‘Power Point Presentation’; ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’; and ‘I’m lovin’ it!’) that I would have been too timid to access on my own accord, but that I am now reasonably competent in! May wonders never cease! I now know what a wiki is; how to create a blog (as evidenced right here!); what a glog is (thanks to Carolyne Thornton, who is also completing this course); how to use Flickr; what function Google Earth has; and a variety of other technologies. This course has also been great in helping me to refine some skills that I already had, but was not working to their full advantage, such as Power Point presentations. I have had a great time thinking of ways that I will be able to use these different technologies within the classroom setting (see blog posts 'Wiki’s are amazing’; ‘Voki Avatars’; ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’; and ‘I’m lovin’ it!’). Also, whilst learning the basics on these technologies, I have been learning about pedagogies for teaching, and how they will directly relate to my lesson planning, lesson implementation and how I will interact with my future students. I have examined in detail Kearsley and Shneiderman’s (1998) ‘Relate-Create-Donate’ theory (see blog post ‘Wiki’s are amazing’); Maslow’s (1970) ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory (see blog post ‘A picture is a worth a thousand words’); Marzano and Pickering’s (1997) ‘Dimension’s of Learning’ theory (see blog posts ‘Power Point Presentation’; ‘Voki Avatars’; and ‘I’m lovin’ it!'); Dale’s ‘Cone Theory’ (Abilene Christian University, 2000) (see blog post ‘Voki Avatars’); and Lynch’s (2003, as cited in Aldred, 2010) ‘8 Learning Management Questions’(see blog post ‘Power Point Presentation). I have examined these theories and how they can directly link to the use of ICTs in the classroom, and help to bring about creative and higher order thinking – by using ICTs to think outside of the box (for example, as a teacher “How can I implement this lesson uniquely?”, “What resources do I have at my disposal to make this lesson relevant and engaging for my students?”. For students “How can I find out more about this subject?” or “What do other people think about this? What are my own personal opinions? How can I share these opinions?”).
Throughout my blog postings, I have made it evident that I believe that ICTs can be used very effectively in enhancing lessons – they can be used as ‘hooks’; or they can be used as the ‘means to an end’ (such as research, or the method by which the lesson takes shape). They can also be used to support student learning, such as creating a glog for Technology or a Power Point for Media studies; or uploading and editing a photo on Flickr for Visual Arts. ICTs effect the methods by how students learn (in a positive manner, I believe). The beauty of ICTs is that it modernises every aspect of the students learning, thereby making it relevant to today’s culture and our students. The use of ICTs is also beneficial because learning can take place almost anywhere. Students can access and execute their lessons from their classroom, the library, their home – anywhere that they have access to a computer and the internet. A classic example of this is my own learning through this course and my undergraduate program that I have completed – virtually all of my learning has taken place externally through the use of the internet and my computer. Who knows what the future will bring in regards to the protocols of learning through the ICT medium for students in primary and secondary schools.
There are, of course, procedures that must be followed when using ICTs, which I have demonstrated throughout by own blog – ensuring that my language has always been appropriate; that any comments that I have posted on others blog’s have been courteous (on blogs by Natalie Arthur; Sally James; Kendal Lane; Toni Jordan; Miriam Slattery; and twice on Carolyne Thornton’s); ensuring that any theories have been referenced to the appropriate sources; by being respectful of copyright laws; and by not including the names, details or photos of any of the students, parents, or teachers that I have encountered at my school placement. It will be extremely important when implementing ICT based lessons with my students that they too are made aware of the correct Netiquette procedures and why they are important to adhere to.
I have thoroughly enjoyed learning all of these new technologies and I have implemented the use of them into my blog every week, whilst thinking of how I can use them in a classroom setting in the future - but finding that the future is now! I have already used them in my lessons at school and within my own personal life. At school, I have used a Voki Avatar to introduce a lesson; I have used 2 different YouTube clips; and I have used 2 different Power Point presentations – all within four lessons. Within my personal life, I have used Flickr to create an invitation for my son’s birthday party using a photo of him; and I have created a birthday blog for him, where it gives all of the details for his birthday party, rather than trying to fit all of the information on the invitation. People are beginning to think that I am some sort of ICT Wizard – when really, it is about being a bit brave and just giving them a go. I am very keen to continue learning about ICTs and how I can use them in my personal life and within the classroom – I have found them incredibly interesting and motivating for my own learning and I imagine that they would be the same for my students. I also want to keep learning about ICTs because I want to be the best teacher that I can possibly be (see blog post ‘Epiphany’), and that means engaging and inspiring my students in their learning.
Thank you for sharing the first part of my ICT learning journey with me.
- Leesha
Reference List
Abilene Christian University Adam's Centre for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Active learning online. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Aldred, S. (2010). Week 2 - Learning design fundamentals. Lecture notes distributed in the course EDED 20491 - ICT's for Learning Design, at Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, on March 8, 2010.
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Education Technology, 38(5), 20.
Marzano, R & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning: teacher's manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria : ASCD.
Maslow, A. (1970). Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs. Retrieved on March 8, 2010, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=9976&week=3
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