Interactive Whiteboards

For Assignment 2 I wrote a proposal to the BOT for the installation of Interactive Whiteboards into the classrooms at my school.  During my research I found many potential educational benefits of using Interactive Whiteboards:

• Increased student motivation and engagement
• Enhanced demonstration and modelling
• Quality interactions between teachers and students
• Catering for a range of learning styles
• Social benefits
• Teacher workload (workload is initially increased but later decreased as the resources created are more permanent)
• Interactive whiteboards can be used to support Inquiry Learning

During my research I also found many potential challenges that come with using interactive whiteboards but most of these challenges can be overcome by providing adequate and ongoing professional development for teachers.  

I wish I had an Interactive Whiteboard in my classroom!

Integrating Technology

This is the second time I have come across the article 'Integrating technology: Some things you should know' (Dias, 1999) in my postgraduate papers.  I like the definition given for technology integration:

 'technology is integrated when it is used in a seamless manner to support and extend curriculum objectives and to engage students in meaningful learning'.  I think this is an important point, technology needs to be integrated because if it is a separate subject (an 'add on') it will not be used to it's full potential.

Dias lists the barriers to Technology Integration

• Time - to learn how to use the software and hardware, to plan, to collaborate.
• Training - professional development is a key part of technology integration.
• Resources - without the appropriate hardware and software to support the curriculum integration cannot take place.
• Support - leadership, technical and financial support is essential.

At my school I have the time (ICT Lead Teacher Release), I have the training (ICT professional development contract), what I am lacking is resources and financial support.  I would love to use so much more NET in my classroom but I just don't have the resources.  I believe that all 4 of these barriers need to be overcome for effective Technology Integration to take place.

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

I found Prensky's article very powerful.  "Our students have changed radically.  Today's students are no longer the people our education system was designed to teach".

Prensky says that today's children are 'Digital Natives' because they have grown up surrounded by and using technology such as computers, video games and the internet.  The rest of us, who have adopted new technology are 'digital immigrants'.  He says that 'digital immigrant' teachers are struggling to teach today's students who speak an entirely new language.  He concludes that if we as educators really want to reach the 'digital natives' it is us who will have to change.

This article certainly was food for thought, it makes me wonder if the children who still do not have computers at home would be considered to be 'digital natives'?

I-learning and e-Learning

I found the Gwen Gawith reading 'I-learning and e-learning:embracing complexity' very interesting.  A large number of schools have picked up Inquiry Learning as a response to the new curriculum document.  My school uses Gawith's Action Learning Model.

"Information literacy emphasises and focuses on the discriminating use and the transformation of information into knowledge.  The ability to find and use information with discrimination and to transform it into knowledge, does NOT depend on ICT or libraries but may be greatly aided by them"

I came to similar conclusions in my assignment about the integration of Inquiry Learning and e-Learning.  In an already overcrowded curriculum, e-Learning is in danger of becoming an 'add on', an extra subject for teachers to fit in.  Inquiry learning provides a vehicle for e-Learning to be integrated and in turn e-learning supports the inquiry process in many ways.

While researching for my assignment I came across the Ministry of Education document 'Enabling the 21st Century Learner - an e-Learning Action Plan for Schools 2006-2010'.  I thought the definitions provided in this document were some of the clearest I have read.

e_Learning: Learning and teaching that is facilitated by or supported through the smart use of information and communication technologies.

Information Literacy: The lifelong ability to locate, evaluate, use, and create information.

Inquiry Learning and ICT

For my assignment I have been looking at the use of ICT in Inquiry Learning.  My school uses the Action Learning model created by Gwen Gawith.  It seems to me from my readings, that you don't need ICT for Inquiry Learning, but it is a tool that can support it.

Inquiry Learning also allows ICT to be integrated and not just an 'add on' in the curriculum.

ICT can be used at all stages of the Action Learning Model:

Stage 1 - Deciding - Software such as inspiration can be used for brainstorming, or ideas can be recorded using an interactive whiteboard.

Stage 2 - Finding - Students can use search engines, search library catalogues, electronic encyclopedias, copying and pasting into word processing documents, use fax and telephone, and much more.

Stages 3 and 4 - Using and Recording - Students can revisit websites, use editing programmes such as paintshop, use the photocopier and scanner for images, drawings, maps etc.  They could record their findings on a blog.

Stage 5 - Presenting - Students could present their information using Powerpoint, a data projector, photostory, Moviemaker, word processing.

Stage 6 - Evaluating - Students could share their learning with a wider audience using a blog etc.

I also think that using ICT in Inquiry Learning raises student enjoyment hugely.

Why use it?

I found some of Roblyer and Edwards points interesting, especially the part about justification for using NET.  I am in the situation at the moment where the management at my school is resisting the move to interactive whiteboards because they are worried that they are just a very expensive version of 'chalk and talk'.  

Some of the justifications they made for using NET were:

• Motivation of students is high when using NET
• NET provide unique instructional capabilities
• Support for new instructional approaches
• Students require these skills to make it in the world today

Because my school uses Inquiry Learning I was also very interested in Kellow's comments about how NET can be used to support the inquiry process:

• Helps the children understand complex concepts
• Helps with decision making
• Gives the children access to current information
• Strengthens the home-school connection
• The children are able to communicate their findings to a wider audience.
• Gives the children tools to use at all stages of the inquiry process

I would like to use NET more during the inquiry process but my school uses COWS and the children always seem to have problems connecting to the internet, logging in etc.  They are also quite time consuming to set up.  I think COWS would be more suited to older children who would be able to set them up independently.  I would rather use a computer suite with 7 & 8 year olds to eliminate the frustration that we seem to experience every time we use the COWS.  The 4 computers that are permanently in my classroom are constantly in use though.

NET in my classroom

This week I have been thinking about examples of NET that I use in my classroom and trying to decide on my topic for Assignment 1.

My children use: Microsoft word for writing, Windows Moviemaker for editing videos, they search the internet for images and information for their inquiry learning topics, they use educational websites such as Spelling City, Software such as Comic Life and Kidpix etc.  My ICT lead teacher professional development that is coming up is on Webquests.  We have also done a little bit of work on podcasts.  My school uses COWS and I myself use social networking websites.

I would like to chose a topic that has a good amount written about it, I guess the next step is to do a bit of research on that.