LEARNING IN HAND

PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (PDAs)

AS A TOOL FOR CLASSROOM BASED LEARNING

PDAs have become tools for teaching and learning and a number of teachers have adopted  handhelds and pocket PCs technologies into their lessons. An example of this is a technology-based lesson plan designed by Stephanie Beisch on Vocabulary learning found on the website : learninginhand.com

The lesson was designed to help 6-8 graders increase their vocabulary. The content area for this lesson can therefore be rightly identified as Language Arts.

The goal of the lesson include helping students to learn the meaning of new vocabulary words,  locate synonyms for each vocabulary word, collect and store definitions and synonyms in their database’ and create programs that will enhance others’ learning.

The vocabulary is learned using a technology called Noah Lite.

On a whole, the lesson can be said to follow the constructivist approach to teaching. The lesson is very much student-centered and the teacher is a guide or helper. A critical look at the procedures involved in the lesson reveals that it encourages creativity and innovation among the students. For instance, students create an animation that describes their assigned word and share their original animations to each other.

 It also promotes interaction among students and helps them develop their analytical skills since they are to create their own quizzes at the end of the lesson.

Besides, I think Stephanie Beisch does a very good job by providing options for  the students in the lesson plan so that they do not remain at the recall level but can actually apply the concept to similar and even higher levels of syntactic and discourse organization.

 

I think this lesson plan provides a good example of how such PDAs can be used effectively in the classroom.

DIGITAL STORY TELLING

My first experience with digital story telling was with Dr. Thompson in the CI 505 class. Since then I have used the concept on two occasions to teach Narratives in Academic Writing. I am always trilled with the personal touch that my students give to their narrations. One thing that stands out is that they love to tell the stories from their personal point of view and in a more reflective way than they usually do on paper.

I can't wait to have more knowledge and experience with Digital Story Telling.

http://www.teacherspodcast.org/

SOMETHING FOR DISCUSSION IN CLASS TODAY

I FOUND THIS DEBATABLE ARTICLE FROM LITERACY IS PRICELESS AND I REALLY NEED YOUR OPINION ON THIS ISSUE, COLLEAGUES.

Articles
Digital debate: Prepare kids for exams or life? - eSchoolNews Article
An Australian educator’s decision to let students use cell phones and the internet during exams has prompted a global dialog about the nature of 21st-century assessment–and whether the definition of cheating should be changed in light of ubiquitous technology use. (article excerpt)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?

POD CASTING IN ACADEMIC WRITING

My goal this past week in my English 101C class was to draw students attention to the fact that they can integrate the development of writing, speaking, listening and reading skills in their writing class. This is to get them stop compartmentalizing the development of these language skills.

I, therefore, introduced them to using Pod casting to report their findings from a survey that they are doing in groups for the EN G 101c class.

They seem enthusiastic about the idea of making an oral presentation in the form of a Podcast which will be 50% of their grade on the survey paper. They will be doing the presentations next week and I am very eager to see how they will do on this task and whether they will be motivated to do something like that on their own for the rest of the projects they will be doing in the class.

If it turns out very good, I will do a pilot study on this for a possible conference paper.

MEETING THEM WHERE THEY ARE AND GUIDING THEM TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE

Student today live, sleep and wake up with IPods. Many love to read and listen, and watch a lot of “thing” using the IPod but show little love for reading books.
This week I did a lot of reading on Podcasting and video games in the reading/ writing class. I listened to a number of Podcasts form ITunes and I was very impressed with how this technology could be used in the classroom to ensure creativity, collaboration among students and help make learning materials more authentic. I think it can be a very powerful tool for cooperative learning if used effectively.
I read about teacherspodcast.org. in Literacy is Priceless and visited the site. Colleagues, I think there are wonderful examples of how we can use Pod casting to create the sort of 21st century classroom that Dr. Schmidt zealously encourages us to aim at.

Something worth pondering
Reading Literacy is Pricelss I found that the New York Times published a very interesting article by Motoko Rich titled, “Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers.”
“You can’t just make a book anymore,” said Mr. Haarsma, a former advertising consultant. Pairing a video game with a novel for young readers, he added, “brings the book into their world, as opposed to going the other way around.”

Colleagues, what are your reactions to this assertion? How can we use these tools to meet them where they are and help them reach where they need to be in today’s 21st Literacy?.

This week has been a very busy but an interesting one for me. I got some new ideas on Web 2.0 and some beautiful experiences doing the homework with the Palm One.

I am getting more and more convinced that New sch0ols need new tools.

Motivation and Technology in the Classroom

This week, I have been reflecting on how to motivate students to love using technology in the classroom.

I have been using some technology such as Google doc., Inspiration and Compleat Lex tutor to teach academic writing. During my one-to-one conference with my students I found out that there are about four of them who prefer using technology for entertainment and not for academic work in the classroom. I have been looking for ways to help them come to appreciate technology not only as a tool for entertainment but also a tool for academic work.

I have come to realize that learners bring different perspectives to the technology based classroom. While some are highly motivated, others are very passive about using technology in the classroom and still others do not want to use technology for academic work, especially in the classroom. I think that all three groups need to be motivated. Those who show high motivational intensity towards using technology to study in the classroom will have to be helped to maintain their level of motivation and those who are less motivated require careful guidance from pedagogical applications to this approach.

Making students aware that learning through multimedia technology demands new learning strategies and self-directed learning is a crucial first step.

Do you have some ideas on this?

Social networking, A Tool for Modern Literacy

This piece is my reflection on Social networking as a Tool for Modern Literacy.

The Internet has brought about online communities established through e-mails, instant messaging services etc that seem to be growing faster than. Majority of our students today join these communities to share interests and activities. Social networking has created powerful new ways to communicate and share information and despite all the challenges that come with social networking, it can be turned into effective TOOLS for teaching and learning.
Research has shown that “While social networking sites can increase a person's circle of friends, they also can increase exposure to people with less than friendly
intentions.” (http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/social-networking-sites.aspx). However, I personally think that like every tool, social networking has its positive and negative sides, strengths and weaknesses and this should not lead to a decision to abandon that tool altogether. Rather, one must maximize the positive side of it and try to control the negative influences.
I agree with Kajder (2005) that creating communities for writers help students
to become literate in their own voices and to see writing as a tool for thinking. It is only when students can identity their own voice in writing and that they can construct identity through literacy.

It is, therefore, important for instructors to provide children and the people with learning challenges effective access to technology that can help them become members of social networks that can be used to promote literacy development.

As Baugh (2000) points out, this idea of introducing learners to technology must begin with children learners. We need to empower them at the early stages of literacy to see technology not as an end in itself but as a TOOL, and therefore a means to an end. “Integrating keyboarding instruction with content learning promotes viewing the computer as a productivity tool rather than another subject “(Baugh ,2000).

As Stewart et all. ( 2007) rightly point out, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles supported by technology can provide the flexibility necessary for helping all students overcome the challenges that come with modern technology use in teaching and learning.

REFLECTIONS ON CLASS ACTIVITIES

For me, what is motivating about our software discussions in the CI 556 course is that we don't just look at theoretical concepts behind various types of software but actually do "hands-on" tasks with those software in order to have a feel of how it works and the kind of learning strategies and skills that can be developed by students who use these technologies. These activities help me address the burning question I have on my heart as a ESL teacher in Ghana : How can I help promote the use of modern technology in teaching Reading and Writing to ESL students in Ghana?

The class activities on Comic Life, Bailey's Book House, Kid Pix Duluxe and Bookflix gave me some food for thought.

Reflecting on our discussions on Comic life and Kid Pix Duluxe in class, I came to the conclusion that these two software can promote students' creativity and innovation because students can generate new ideas, products and processes and create original works of personal or group expressions. This creativity and innovation is what I see lacking in Bailey's Book House.

As a teacher, using such software in my instruction will help me facilitate and inspire student learning activities because I will be promoting creativity and innovative thinking and inventiveness.These can help promote communication and collaboration among students because they can interact on and collaborate as they work on common projects with peers, learn how to communicate ideas and information to multiple audience. Comic Life and Kid Pix Duluxe will also help students develop critical thinking and decision making strategies.

My motive for using Bookflix will be because digital images are very effective in aiding comprehension among students with various learning styles. This software can help me as a teacher to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments, an approach that will make my teaching very effective.

As I sum up my reflection on these software, I recall that imortant advice that was given by Bull and Bell(2005) that the aim for using digital images in teaching should be to help students ACQUIRE, ANALYZE, CREATE AND COMMUNICATE.

EXAMINATION OF SOFTWARE

It is often said that "When you do not know where you are going every road seems right!" That is why i couldn't agree more with Bransford (1999) that as teachers we need to know how people learn in order to be able to effectively adopt modern technology in the teaching and learning process.

I strongly think that in addition to knowing how people learn we must also heed the call by (McKenzie 2003) to evaluate softwares before we buy and use them in teaching and learning.

In doing so, we need to be aware that whatever Taxonomy we use in categorizing and assessing softwares A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR TO CONSIDER IS HOW THE SOFTWARE DESIGN ADDRESSES BOTH EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND COGNITION. THIS APPROACH WILL ENSURE THAT THE LEARNER IS PUT FIRST IN THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN INSTRUCTION.

I ,therefore, find McKenzie (2003)'s proposed evaluation criteria very helpful. Indeed, if practitioners will carefully evaluate software from the point of view of its CONTENT, INTERFACE, DESIGN and DOCUMENTATION in relation to the learner then we shall be promoting technology not as an end in itself but as an educational tool. It is in this way that technology can help us stimulate multiple intelligences and achieve educational objectives.

As instructors who know where we are going with our students, it is our responsibility to choose the right paths (softwares) that will help us get the students there in such a way that when we can't carry own they can go on.

FIRST DAY OF CI 556 WITH DR. DENISE SCHMIDT

Before our first meeting in class I just kept wondering what this whole idea of integrating Technology into the Reading and Language Arts Curriculum meant. I was at sea as to what exactly it was that I had gotten myself into by signing up for CI 556 at Iowa State University . But as the saying goes: " The first cut is always the deepest"; and this is what that first day of introduction to the course did for me. Not only did that beautiful introduction clear my confusion but it also succeeded in convincing me that I cannot give what I don't have and that I need to first love technology to be able to get my students to love it; that I need to first utilize it to be able to infuse it into any type of curriculum.

Together with my very enthusiastic course mates we have boarded that train which will take us deeper into how to integrate Technology into the Reading and Language Arts Curriculum and we know we are in safe hands. We will learn how to UTILIZE and TEACH others to utilize and infuse technology into Literacy