Reflective Synopsis

Reflective Synopsisof the use of ICT's in Primary School Classrooms

E-learning is a powerful, relatively new concept that involves the use of information communication technologies (ICT’s) for the enhancement of learning experiences.  In recent years our world has been transformed by technological developments, which have provided a vast number of new tools and methods that can be used to enrich educational settings.  A further effect of this technological advancement is that educational settings are no longer confined to the classroom; there has been a massive increase in the development and use of distance education, improving the educational opportunities to those in remote areas and those for which traditional on-site education is not viable for their lifestyle.  By using engaging ICT’s in a primary school setting, you are likely to have increased student engagement, a decrease in disruptive behaviour and an improvement in student learning outcomes.  It is important for educators to understand the potential for utilising ICT’s within their teaching, as well as finding ways for students to use their creativity with ICT’s in order to facilitate their own learning.  In order to do this, it is imperative that teachers have a sound understanding of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model, also known as TPACK.  You are able to view my overview of TPACK here.

In the following reflective synopsis, I will critically evaluate my experience in working with a wiki and the potential of wikis, digital videos, PowerPoint and Interactive Learning Objects in a learning environment.

Working in a wiki

Wikis are a powerful constructivist learning tool.  Its very nature is steeped in constructivist theory; in that it knowledge is actively constructed by multiple contributors within a learning environment (Liu, C. & Matthews, R. 2005).  The main principle of wikis is that the content of the wiki space can be edited by any visitor, exposing each of the wiki participants to a wide variety of perspectives that they may have not previously considered.  As such, a wiki is constantly in a state of revision, resembling an evolving organism constructed from the information and ideas of many (TeachersFirst. 2013).

I participated in a wiki activity with my fellow GDLT students with the topic being the pros and cons of mobile phone use in the classroom.  I had never actively participated in a wiki before, so the learning experience was a new one.  I did have some issues with the logistics of working within a wiki (this is outlined in my blog posting “Working in a Wiki: A Reflection” which you can view here).  However I found that it was a very effective learning tool.

The scaffolding of the wiki employed the De Bono’s Thinking Hats routine.  (For a brief overview of de Bono’s Hats, have a look at De Bono’s Thinking Systems website here).   This was an effective way to organise each of our perspectives, and gave us all an easy way to compare perspectives and expand upon our own ideas. 

Using Wikis in Primary School Education

As described above, wikis are a collaborative space inhabited and edited by a number of users.  While I found certain elements of the wiki difficult to work with at first, I believe that primary school aged children would be able to effectively engage with this tool provided they receive a sufficient amount of instruction on how to work within one.  I also explored blogs and websites which I found great potential in both as a learning tool, but I have decided to focus upon wikis as they are more student centered and collaborative than the other tools.

As part of my exploration of wikis, I created a dummy wiki designed to be used by a Grade 6 class to aid in their collection of information for a class project on the positives and negatives of renewable energies.  The project would involve the class being divided up into five groups with each group given a type of renewable energy to focus on.  The students would then conduct their research on their type of energy, and use the wiki as a space to collect and share their findings.  The students would then compile a poster presentation using the information they have gathered.  To explore my wiki, click here.

I believe that wikis would be particularly effective for use in the classroom; it allows all students to communicate without limitations in space and with minimal time constraints, which is particularly effective for those students who take longer to formulate their responses or find it difficult to speak up in face to face class situations. Due to their collaborative nature, it would be important to ensure that access to the wiki is controlled through either having users require a password or needing to be added to an approved user list.  This would ensure that it is only the students who are able to edit information and reduces the chance of inappropriate information being added.  To get an in-depth on my reflections on wikis in primary school education, you can explore my blog posting here.

Using Digital Video in Primary School Education

The use of digital video is an engaging way to both present information to students, as well as being able to have students create their own for learning.  The process of creating a digital video can be used to develop learners' computer literacy skills and also has the potential for increasing student engagement. I explored creating a digital video using Windows Movie Maker, and enhanced it with an audio file.  You can read my reflection and view my digital video here.  

According to John Sweeder of La Salle University, digital video works to meet the varied cognitive, social and technological needs of the learners of today by presenting curricular content in a new way (2007).  In other words, digital video engages the increasingly visual and digital learners of today using a new method of presenting visual information.  

When exploring this tool, I surmised that digital video could be used by classes to present video diaries of their classwork.  This would provide a different and exciting way to display their achievements, which could then be uploaded onto a blog, wiki or website for parents and other teachers or students to view. One of the major legal issues that would need to be addressed is that of privacy laws.  In order to use images of students or their work, permission would need to be obtained from parents.  Failure to do this would leave teachers open to legal prosecution.  That said, if permission was obtained, I believe that digital video would be an effective tool to enhance and present learning outcomes.

Using PowerPoint in Primary School Education

PowerPoint is a very widely used and popular piece of software, and with good reason.  It is a simple way to present and organise information using a slideshow format in which you can embed video, images and audio with the aim of engaging your learners.  PowerPoint is such a common tool that I believe learners should not only be consuming information that is presented within PowerPoint, but should be able to create their own presentations in their early school years. 

My exploration of PowerPoint involved creating a presentation about reptiles.  I was able to embed pictures, information and video files to enhance my presentation with the objective of engaging my learners.  To explore my reflection of using PowerPoint in primary school classrooms, click here.

Upon exploring the capabilities of PowerPoint, I believe that it is effective both for the presentation of information to students, but for students to present their work.  For example if I was to build off my previous example of the renewable energies wiki, students could compile a PowerPoint presentation using the information they have gathered and developed in their wiki.

Using Interactive Learning Objects in Primary School Education

Interactive learning objects are in my opinion, a wonderful tool for facilitating learning amongst primary school students.  They can be defined as “any digital resource that can be reused to support learning” (Wiley, D. A. 2000). I focused on interactive games accessible through Scootle such as Letter Planet.  To view my reflection upon interactive learning objects in the classroom, click here.

I found that interactive learning objects are useful in that there is a vast number of them readily available, and (if they are accessed from a reputable source such as Scootle or the Learning Place), have been developed with the purpose of supporting curriculum requirements.  They are engaging and often provide motivation through digital ‘rewards’ for students to do well.  I predict that using interactive learning objects to facilitate learning in a primary classroom setting would increase student engagement and result in an increase of learning achievements. 

Conclusion

In an increasingly technological world, it is important that we as educators work to incorporate ICT’s into our teaching using appropriate scaffolding and pedagogy, with the aim of better engaging learners, improving classroom behaviour and increasing student learning outcomes.  It is no longer a question of should we use technologies in classrooms, but how should we use them to improve education delivery.  With these new technologies comes new opportunities, but also raises legal issues of privacy and intellectual property that we need to be vigilant to uphold.  We have a wealth of innovative options to use in our teaching practice, and I believe that it is only through engaging our learners using ICT’s and supporting them with effective pedagogy can we truly make the most of this brave new world.

References

Lui, C. & Matthews, R. (2005). Vygotsky’s Philosophy: Constructivism and its Criticisms Examined. International Education Journal. 6(3), 386-399. Retrieved 19^th April, 2013 from http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/iej/articles/v6n3/liu/paper.pdf

Sweeder, J. (2007). Digital video in the classroom: Integrating theory and practice. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education. 7(2), 107-128.

TeachersFirst. (2013). Wiki Walk-Through. Retrieved 19^th April, 2013 from http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The instructional use of learning objects (pp. 1-35). Retrieved 19^th April 2013, from http://www.reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc.