www.groupassignment.pbwiki.com 

b) 1) Getting the assignment to run smoothly and make sense proved quite challenging. Putting myself in the students and parents shoes had myself asking questions on weather they would understand the assignment. I feel that placing myself in their shoes was essential in creating an assignment where each party understood their role.  

 2) Making the assignment attractive to the student and parent was identified early as a must. Taking into account the students ages (16) I understand that distractions are everywhere. That’s why I wanted through the use of ICT to create an assignment that the students would be interested in. Pictures were a savior in that they draw in students attention and make the assignment look a lot more appealing.  

3) It would be naïve of me to assume that all students these days are attracted to the use of multimedia. YES ICT use is prevalent among teachers. BUT NOT ALL. Falling into the trap of assuming that all teenagers like using ICT is like saying 50 years ago that all students enjoy poetry. I was conscience to make sure that the activities appealed to a vast array of multiple intelligences. This is something that I addressed through: group work, journaling, song lyrics, videos, refection, and interviewing. All students would have found at least one of the questions easier or more beneficial than the other.  

4) Incorporating parent participation: yes I understand that today’s parents are extremely busy, that’s why I have emphasized to my students time management. Making the assignment a more enjoyable rather than daunting experience will enhance parent involvement and excitement. This will in turn rub off on the students and the energy they create will produce fantastic work. The parent is at times asked to reflect and are at times asked to be the learner. Having their child show them a new skill will hopefully make them feel proud of their child.

  5) Making up each group. For this one must be conscience as to how group dynamics may be effected. I feel random groups is an excellent way for parents to interact with each other. Also picking friend groups runs the risk of leaving families out and causing jealousy and resentment. So random groups is the key.

 c)    Having other students read their work I feel will help light the human ignition that Dreikurs refers to. This inner drive will result in high class work as it’s on show for all. A sense of deep satisfaction comes with the end product of hard work and this rewarding experience i’m sure will be felt by all the students. The parents involvement is of a collaborative nature, and they will assist in the increase in energy that will come with this group assignment. Having other people read one work will successfully push the level of work to a higher level. This higher level will come about as many students especially of this age to not like to be judged and if they are they want it to be in a positive light, for the others they will feel a sense of inner motivation as they are enjoying the task and want to do well.    

2. a) When the teacher conveys new information they must do it in a way that will encapsure the student. This can be done through the use of using pictures and othet tools to involve the students. THe student can become the teacher and investigator as they sift through the information at hand in order to find meaning. The teacher no longer needs to be the centrepoint of the classroom, it must be left to the students to become a board of directors where collaboration and participation become the new centerpoint of the room.

Benefits of Using Multimedia in Education

Educational Benefits of Multimedia tools 
(from an Educator’s Perspective) :

• Provide students with opportunities to represent and express their prior knowledge.

• “Allow students to function as designers, using tools for analyzing the world, accessing and interpreting information, organizing their personal knowledge, and representing what they know to others.”

• Multimedia applications engage students and provide valuable learning opportunities.

• Empower students to create and design rather than “absorbing representations created by others.”

• “Encourages deep reflective thinking.

• Create personally meaningful learning opportunities. tech4learning.com

When introducing new information things such as Youtube and movie flicks will no doubt raise student energy levels, Harness this energy and direct it to learning. Finnally on this topic i think it’s iomportant to have a sense of humour and maybe pock fun. For exampl last semester at Stella Maris I showed the girls this clip when studying 1950s women. Lets just say they all of a sudden had sometjing to say .PERFECT

b) encouragement of collaboration among students: Effective communication and collaboration are essential to becoming a successful learner. It is primarily through dialogue and examining different perspectives that students become knowledgeable, strategic, self-determined, and empathetic. Moreover, involving students in real-world tasks and linking new information to prior knowledge requires effective communication and collaboration among teachers, students, and others. Indeed, it is through dialogue and interaction that curriculum objectives come alive. Collaborative learning affords students enormous advantages not available from more traditional instruction because a group–whether it be the whole class or a learning group within the class–can accomplish meaningful learning and solve problems better than any individual can alone. Collaboration between students can be done through the use of web 2.0. The use of BLogs, WIki’s and other sources can lead to a much improved level of student motivation.

Above is a slide show highlighting the benefits of web 2.0 collaborative learning.

c) Classroom management methods will be differnt from the traditional classroom. The teacher is still in control but more of a team member rather than director. Yes they need to guide the students in the right direction but it must be noted that ‘cracking the wip’ will not be a method that will bring out student collaboration. An excellent article on this topic is by Francisco Serbo in his article A proposal for interactive-constructivistic teaching methods supported by Web 2.0 technologies and environments, in the article he  illustrate a proposal for a methodology of academical teaching, based on cooperative learning paradigm, which also relies on cutting edge e-learning techniques. He highlights the use Web 2.0 resources to fulfill requirements coming from our vision of an interactive-constructivistic “learning space”, where blended-teaching paradigm may be proficiently applied. He proposes a plan for extending an existing Free/Open Source Software Learning Management System, to create a cooperative and community-based learning space adherent to his proposal.

The use of Wiki’s in the classroom also assist teacher in monitoring of group work. As may happen in written assesments one student usually the brightest will do all the work. In the case of Wiki’s the teacher can track who has contributed with the click of a button.

 http://www.classroommanagement101.com/blog/ to the left is a site on classroom management and how to use it in a way web 2.0 environment.

d) Ensuring that learning occurs at Blooms higher levels:

How do we learn best? Any teacher will tell you that direct experience is the best teacher. Often, classroom teachers will conduct experiments and demonstrations or have the students watch or participate in variety of experiential activities. A good teacher is a facilitator and allows students to share ideas and explore. Today the teacher has another tool in the classroom that allows students to do the same things as in the past. This new tool is hypermedia.

In 1956 Benjamin Bloom developed the taxonomy for the cognitive domain of learning-a linear progression through knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis to evaluation. The classroom teacher focuses on addressing the cognitive levels of knowledge and comprehension as building a foundation for critical thinking, and there are some teachers who work at the application level. The higher-levels of the domain (analysis, synthesis and evaluation) are now coming to the forefront as we teach how to think, not what to think. This move toward critical/conceptual thinking is to be applauded. However, DL is currently no further along than the classroom in supporting high-level cognitive skills development. Much of DL appears to be geared to focus on knowledge and comprehension, which works well with procedural and technical training.

As mentioned earlier, the role of the teacher in the classroom has change to facilitator/mentor. This role is part and parcel of student-centered learning, a DL perspective to the formula. Two other key aspects of the process are the constructivist approach to learning and cognitive flexibility theory. These theories help us understand how a teacher assumes the facilitator role and increases the students’ motivation to stay engaged in the learning process.The constructivist approach asserts that meaning is constructed by the learner, and not imparted by the teacher. Today, classroom teachers impart knowledge to give the students what they, the teachers, know, yet, students do not always understand. Why? Because the way the teacher learned the material may not be the way a student can process the material. Johnny was told to sit up straight and keep his eyes open as the teacher read the story to the class. However, Johnny was listening to the teacher with his eyes closed, visualizing the story. But sitting up in class and watching the teacher read, he saw the other students and was distracted. The cognitive flexibility theory states that information, procedures, and principles are best applied using the judgment of the problem solver in a given situation.

What about the three higher-level activities of Bloom’s cognitive domain–analysis, synthesis, and evaluation? How do instructors develop them and apply them in authentic problem solving situations? They do so by using best judgment of the problem solver in a given scenario to an interesting problem.

 http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/blooms.htm this webaddress outline what exactly Bloom Taxonomy is.

BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY

CreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing. 

Evaluating

Justifying a decision or course of action

Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging

Analysing

Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships

Comparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

Applying

Using information in another familiar situation

Implementing, carrying out, using, executing

Understanding

Explaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarising, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining 

Remembering

Recalling information

Recognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding.

To ensure Blooms higher levels occurs one must:

 Despite some limits the use of Bloom’s taxonomy will carry efforts farther toward generating high level thinking than will efforts based on no framework or lack of any means to recognize discrete thinking levels. Bloom’s levels are easily understood, and students can be quickly taught to employ them.

   So as a start, give your students the Bloom taxonomy and web site in Table1. Have them generate their own questions for review sessions or quizzes, and have them label their own level of reasoning elicited by each question. Overwhelming emphasis of traditional education lies in the lowest Bloom levels, so students may have to struggle initially to produce high-level questions; they perhaps haven’t seen many and have constructed none! By requiring practice, you will give your students two great gifts. One will be an initial recognition of specific qualities that constitute high-level thinking. Second will be a growing awareness for what one must actually do for oneself to progress higher in learning and thinking.

   To reach high levels in meaningful ways requires a solid content foundation at lower levels. A need in curricular design is mapping of just when and how students will reach the higher levels. Introductory courses should address foundations, but upper level courses need rich engagements in high-level thinking.

Refer to top youtube clip at top of page…

Web 2.0 is an exciting new innovation that will enhance the learning in classrooms if used effectively. Web 2.0 provides a base for open and collaborative communication to take place in a variety of ways. Learning will come about as student interaction is rife throughout schools around the world. Students are encouraged to be as creative as they like as they in a sense become their own teachers, where they can work in the directions of their own multiple intelligences. This paper will discuss the benefits of web 2.0 when used in the classroom it must be noted that the use of Web 2.0 in the classroom has not surfaced without debate. Some have argued that learning through ICT creates a divide between those who have access and those who don’t (Chi-Syan Lin, 2004). While some experts focus on the idea of ‘self production’ to argue that learners find the process of learning more compelling when they are producers as much as consumers, others argue that the majority of learners are not interested in accessing, manipulating and broadcasting material. In response, this paper will argue that Web 2.0 does in fact life the level of learning in the classroom and that Web 2.0 will assist students in participating in a level of deeper learning (Dornan, 2007).

There are a number of Web-based services and applications that demonstrate the foundations of the Web 2.0 concept, and they are already being used to a certain extent in education. These are not really technologies as such, but services (or user processes) built using the building blocks of the technologies and open standards that underpin the Internet and the Web. These include blogs, wikis, multimedia sharing services, content syndication, podcasting and content tagging services. Many of these applications of Web technology are relatively mature, having been in use for a number of years, although new features and capabilities are being added on a regular basis. The key to analysing the benefits of such tools, is asking oneself how do these services ad hance the learning that goes on in the classroom (Big Blue Brings Web 2.0 to Schools, 2006).

Blogs for example can provide a platform for collaborative and open learning to take place. Blogs are now being successfully incorporated into the classroom in an attept to create a inclusive high level learning environment. Multimedia has been incorporated into blogs, for example there are now photo-blogs, video blogs (vlogs), and, increasingly, bloggers can upload material directly from their mobile phones (mob-blogging). Closely linked to Blogs are Wikis. Wikis have been extremely successful in lifting the level of student involvement in the classroom. A Wiki demands collective contributions and students lift their game as they know other students will be reading their work. Wiki pages have an edit button displayed on the screen and the user can click on this to access an easy-to-use online editing tool to change or even delete the contents of the page in question. Simple, hypertext-style linking between pages is used to create a navigable set of pages (Richardson, 2007).

Web 2.0 also provides the services where sharing of multimedia is made possible. Students can learn creatively as they share photos, videos, songs and podcasts. This is made possible thanks to Web 2.0 features such as YouTube, Flickr and Odeo. These popular services take the idea of the ‘writeable’ Web (where users are not just consumers but contribute actively to the production of Web content) and enable it on a massive scale. Literally millions of people now participate in the sharing and exchange of these forms of media by producing their own pod casts, videos and photos. This development has only been made possible through the widespread adoption of high quality media technology such as hand-held video cameras (Hamalainen, 2007).

Web 2.0 appeals to students multiple intelligences. Students can express themselves using the vast arrange of Web 2.0 services provided. When students can work towards their strengths they will unknowingly become more confident and enthusiastic regarding their school work. Gone are the days where students were strong in one or two subjects. Web 2.0 has broken down the barriers between art and English or computer studies and maths. Web 2.0 will bring the students who previously struggled at school up to the same level as their fellow peers.

In conclusion the benefits of Web 2.0 can not be denied. Features such as Blogger, Wiki, Youtube and Flickr successfully work collaborative in a bid to excite students about learning. When used appropriately in the classroom Web 2.0 can become a haven for deep learning where the teacher and student both benefit. Communication will lead to an open learning environment where each student will work harder in an attempt to impress their peers. Web 2.0 is the future and should be embraced.

Reference List 

Chi-Syan, J (2007), Inhabited Virtual Learning Worlds and Impacts on Learning Behaviors in Young School Learners, International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, Vol. 5 (Issue 4, pp. 99-112.   

Dornan, A (2007), Underpinnings Key to Web 2.0 at Work, Information Week, (1156), p.39.  

This postcard was found on postsecret.com. PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. There bizzare secrets!!! take a look…

My project will be in the field of history HISTORY!!!!     1950s and 60s Housewife

Here it is:

The 1950s Housewife

Prior information: In the weeks leading up to the assignment I will send a letter out to parents informing them of the upcomming assignments. They will be notified that their participation is essential for the assignment to be a success. I will also highlight what benefits this assignment could have on them and their children. They will learn new ICT skills where now the word youtube wont send a shiver up their spine.  I will make an effort to give them sufficient notice as I understand that parents today are extremely busy. I will also assure them that parents living out of the country can also be included as it is all online. Here goes………………

 Introduction: All students will be broken up into groups of three. The students are asked to work side by side with their parents/parent and contribute to a group wiki. Before the sense of worry sets in here is some information to put you at ease about what wikis are and how they can be useful to learning.

Common questions  

How will this help my students?

 ”When students write a paper, they’re usually writing for one person: their teacher. When students know their peers and parents will read what they write, students care and they try harder.”

When you use a wiki, your students get a gentle introduction into online collaboration, and they’ll remain engaged beyond the classroom. Many of our educators tell us about their students getting hooked on PBwiki and editing it from home and on the weekends!

Why use a wiki instead of a blog or forum?

Blogs are great for one-to-many communication, such as one person writing about personal finance. Forums are good for letting many users ask questions and letting many people answer. Wikis are excellent for collaboration. Iwant to let students collaborate, add files, suggest links, and create a document that’s comprehensive and up-to-date.

The Group: Here are the groups

1) Lawlers, Smiths, Comans

2) Volpatos, Martins, Cooks

3) Jos, Flomers, Gins

4) Mcalister, Rakes, Brakens 

5) Jones, Bruce, pinkton

The Task

1)  Each group is to create their own Wiki page. Within this site each family has their own page when they are asked to answer questions and implement Web 2.0 tools. On the Home page is the task that needs to be undertaken.

2) Also on the home page (group page) must be an entry from each individual involved answering the following questions:

Q1)  What are your initial thoughts and trepidations towards the assignment?

Q2) Parent: How do you feel your son or daughter will cope with teaching you about Web 2.0?

Student: How do you think the extra responsibility on you will help you to learn?

Q3) Are you excited about the prospect of learning with your son or daughter Mum or Dad?

Then after this reflection is done each family can then move into following the questions. Now each family is to create their own page where they are to undertake the following tasks:

1) a) The student must interview their parent on 5 questions regarding their schooling and upbringing. In this task we are trying to compare the education of students in todays education system to those in the 50′s 60′s and 70′s. An example of a question may be. What subjects were available to you at school? or What year did you leave school?  (here the questions and answers must be posted on the family’s page).           

b) I would now like the parents to construct five questions to ask their child along the lines of the use of ICT (computers). E.g what is myspace?

2) After this each family is asked to download a youtube clip to their page. This clip should be about life for a 1950′s housewife. Here I want the student to demonstrate how this is done. If having trouble message someone else in your group. (below is an example)

3)

a) Each parent is then asked to compare their upbringing with someone who grew up in the 1950s, simmilartities, differences etc. Approximately 6 to 8 lines.

b) The student is asked to do the same, but compare their schooling to that of someone who was in their teens and early twentyies in the 1950′s. 

4. We will now look closely at the 1950s housewife. I want each family to post a song that reresents womens struggle in the 1950s and 60s. Comment must be made by each member to how this song is relevent. (think ‘I am women’ Helen Reddy) heres an example:

(Helen Reddy and Ray Burton)
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
‘Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
‘Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh, yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin’ arms across the land
But I’m still an embryo
With a long, long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh, yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong

I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

The family page will now be looking like a wonderful collaboration of what life was like for people in the 1950s.  

5) As a group I would like all families to answer together the question, In what aspects of your family life are similar to that of the 1950s? and in what ways are they differnt? take into account gender roles, work hours, occupation, free time? (10lines)

Closing note: The above tasks will work towards making the students more knowledgable in the roles of womens in the 1950s and will help parents become more comfortable with the use of ICT. These tasks I have chosen will also hopefully assist in appealing to students multiple intelligences!

This game teaches students how the body is made up. Looking closely at the organs, muscles and skeleton make up of the human body. Here is the site http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/3djigsaw_02/index.shtml?skeleton and have a look for yourself.

Here are three benefits that spring to mind:

- This ICT tool will appeal to current day students as they are confident in the use of ICT and will be extremely happy to be using computers in the classroom. Another alternative is to use the game on a projector for schools with limited amounts of computers.

- This tool will apeal to those students who are not linguistic learners. Arguably linguistic learners are ably accommodated to but now learners such as kinesthetic interpersonal and logico learners will excell.

- Lastly the site is extremely well planned and therefore students will find it hard to sail off track. Therefore the teachers job  of supervising is made much easier.

September 12th, 2007 · No Comments

Hyperlink: http://search.ebscohost.com.ipacez.nd.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23647698&site=ehost-live 

Abstract

The article discusses the effects of computer and Internet technology on higher education. While technology has extremely promising benefits for education in the United States, it has mainly been used to facilitate the delivery of content rather than change the ways people are educated. The author believes the problem is that most course-management systems were developed at a time when the Internet was seen primarily as a mechanism for information delivery. To improve this, teachers should look toward the evolution of “Web 2.0,” which focuses on new means of creating and presenting data. 

Reflections

It is remarkable to find that all educators, old and new, are noticing the potential to change the way people teach and learn. However in giving a critical look at technology, the article looked at real benefits of this new advancement in technologies.  Except for a few small pockets of innovation, many of the technological tools we use in the classroom — from course-management systems to PowerPoint — help primarily not with teaching students to think, but with the most pedestrian aspect of teaching: the delivery of content. As the article notes, we do need to understand that the problem is not the idea of a course-management system itself — a basic set of tools for content delivery, evaluation, and communication — nor the various uses of such systems, many of which serve their purposes quite well. Rather, the problem is that most course-management systems were developed at a time when the Internet was seen primarily as a mechanism for information delivery. We need to turn to the web 2.0 where people can now put ‘themselves’ into the internet. People can have a say and students can now be granted to opportunity to ‘collaborative’ learn.

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Understanding and Promoting Complex Learning Using Technology-By Phillip Abrami

September 12th, 2007 · No Comments

This paper serves as the introduction to a collection of 8 projects and a commentary seeking to understand and promote complex learning using technology. Selective evidence on the current state of technology for learning in schools is summarized along with numerous recommendations. Key issues associated with the uses of technology to promote complex and active learning are highlighted. It is argued that accessibility and interactivity with the material and other learners are important features which influence the underlying motivational and cognitive processes which affect complex learning using technology. The nature of cooperative learning is briefly summarized emphasizing positive interdependence and individual accountability as means to promote peer interaction. Fourteen learner-centered psychological principles are listed under several headings: cognitive and metacognitive, motivational and affective, developmental and social, and individual difference factors influencing learners and learning. Finally, key issues in the technology integration process are discussed: creating the school vision, taking stock, partnerships, professional development, implementation, and review.

ReflectionsThe article did well in showing how technology supports individual and collaborative processes which promote responsible, effective and active learning which in essence will encourage learners to be self-regulating.When describing the role of Leaning and cognition, the article focused on the importance of cognition on the cultural setting and environment of the learner. Therefore it was of essence that the composer of the text emphasized the importance of the social context of learning within and between individuals in both real and computer mediated virtual environments. In describing the importance of psychology on technology and learning the author also suggested lifelong learners, whether inside or outside the classroom, self-regulate their own learning. Such is an interesting point as it shows that learners will engage with the learning task cognitively, metacognitvely and motivationally. Overall it makes a clear point of how technology plays an important role in the process by enhancing students interactively with the material to be learnt.

Abstract: The past 15 years have seen a significant increase in the use of technology in higher education. In fact, professors now find it difficult to imagine teaching without the Internet, course-management systems, Microsoft Office, e-mail, and other technological applications. Course-management systems allow faculty members to deliver materials to their students with greater ease than was previously possible. However, the most significant problem with course-management systems is that they are built around the credit-based course, not the individual student. One answer may be found in the latest evolution of the Web, often called the “read/write Web” or “Web 2.0,” some of whose improvements are already available. One of the developments has been the ability of people to write to the Web without the specialized skills once necessary to create a Web page. The resulting change is that, rather than simply reading from the Web, people everywhere are now creating online content.st 15 years have seen a significant increase in the use of technology in higher education. In fact, professors now find it difficult to imagine teaching without the Internet, course-management systems, Microsoft Office, e-mail, and other technological applications. Course-management systems allow faculty members to deliver materials to their students with greater ease than was previously possible. However, the most significant problem with course-management systems is that they are built around the credit-based course, not the individual student. One answer may be found in the latest evolution of the Web, often called the “read/write Web” or “Web 2.0,” some of whose improvements are already available. One of the developments has been the ability of people to write to the Web without the specialized skills once necessary to create a Web page. The resulting change is that, rather than simply reading from the Web, people everywhere are now creating online content.

This article realises the reality that teachers today are being forced to incorporate web 2.0 into their classrooms. This may seem a daunting prospect for many teachers especially those who are not comfortable with implementing technology into the classroom. Teachers share resources in a bid to make preperation easier. The problem with this is that catororing for each individual task may prove to be a difficult task.

USING TECHNOLOGY

Thursday September 13th 2007, 12:14 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

Understanding and Promoting Complex Learning Using Technology-By Phillip Abrami

September 12th, 2007  

 http://search.ebscohost.com.ipacez.nd.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5028426&site=ehost-live

This paper serves as the introduction to a collection of 8 projects and a commentary seeking to understand and promote complex learning using technology. Selective evidence on the current state of technology for learning in schools is summarized along with numerous recommendations. Key issues associated with the uses of technology to promote complex and active learning are highlighted. It is argued that accessibility and interactivity with the material and other learners are important features which influence the underlying motivational and cognitive processes which affect complex learning using technology.

The nature of cooperative learning is briefly summarized emphasizing positive interdependence and individual accountability as means to promote peer interaction. Fourteen learner-centered psychological principles are listed under several headings: cognitive and met cognitive, motivational and affective, developmental and social, and individual difference factors influencing learners and learning.

Finally, key issues in the technology integration process are discussed: creating the school vision, taking stock, partnerships, professional development, implementation, and review.

Reflections

The article shows how technology supports collaborative learning within the classroom and how it supports the individual in learning and most importantly learning effectively. This in turn will enable students to be self learners which is important. In describing the importance of psychology on technology and learning the author also suggested lifelong learners, whether inside or outside the classroom, self-regulate their own learning. Such is an interesting point as it shows that learners will engage with the learning task cognitively, metacognitvely and motivationally. Overall it makes a clear point of how technology plays an important role in the process by enhancing students interactively with the material to be learnt.

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What web 2.0 can teach us about learning?

Thursday September 13th 2007, 12:09 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

What Web 2.0 Can Teach Us about Learning- By Edward Moleny

September 12th, 2007

Hyperlink: http://search.ebscohost.com.ipacez.nd.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23647698&site=ehost-live 

Abstract

The article is about the effects of computer and Internet technology on higher education. While technology has extremely promising benefits for education in the United States, it has mainly been used to facilitate the delivery of content rather than change the ways people are educated. Edward Moleny believes the problem is that most course-management systems were developed at a time when the Internet was seen primarily as a mechanism for information delivery. To improve this, teachers should look toward the evolution of “Web 2.0,” which focuses on new means of creating and presenting data.

 Most educators including teachers are noticing a way on how to change the way they teach and the way students learn. It is extremely important for us to look at technology and the advancements which come along with technology and how it can be used as a means of teaching students and for them to be able to use technology to learn in a more collaborative environment.

Within classrooms most educators are allowing students to use technologies but these don’t allow students to think. Management systems such as PowerPoint help but don’t allow students to think. The problem is that most course-management systems were developed at a time when the Internet was seen primarily as a mechanism for information delivery. We need to turn to the web 2.0 where people can now put ‘themselves’ into the internet. People can have a say and students can now be granted to opportunity to ‘collaborative’ learn.

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Abstract: Beyond sequencing and notation exercises, the traditional music teacher has been somewhat conservative in embracing technology. In a study on the attributes necessary to teach music effectively, pre-service and early career music teachers did not mention skills and knowledge in technology as highly important. Experienced teachers, however, acknowledged the need for skills in managing technology as one of the most important aspects of teaching in which proficiency is required. Given that technology is a major part of education and life practice, and that the current cohort of school students has not known a world without technology, the perception of both music teachers and music students are worthy of investigation. Technology is also perceived as a masculine pastime. The review of the literature reported here indicates that engagement with technology in boys’ schools is an area for future research.

Reflection: This paper describes a proposed project that examines pre- service teacher motivation and confidence in the use of technology in schools and which will seek to provide a template for professional learning and music technology in pre-service and in-services phases.

I strongly believe that students all around the world should be updated via media reports of whats happening in the ‘big bad world’. http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Provides a easy to read yet informative guide for people of all wlks of life. I feel this would be beneficial in the classroom for subjects such as geography, social science, business studies, commerce, economics and history. The BBC news site provides search keys and bold headlines so students will find it hard to become lost.

In conclusion I beleive a student who is well informed of current world events will be able to hold conversations with adults and elders in which will help them gain the confidence and communication skills that is neccessary when finding a job.