Author: lorelladerrico

The Driving K-12 Innovation document presents 5 hurdles which the education is facing when new e-learning tools are presented in the teaching and learning environment. This is a close detail of how each hurdle is presented.

Nowadays technology is the centre of attention even when it comes to education. It is always being discussed on how we must include technology in out classrooms but little do we now that the most important thing is how we must link pedagogy with technology. Technology on its own will not be as beneficial as it is when linked to pedagogy.

In fact as stated in the document COSN Driving K-12 Innovation Hurdles schools tend ”to prioritise technology over pedagogy”. (COSN, 2019) But the most important thing is that school communities must ”work together toward that vision and keep the focus on student learning.” (COSN, 2019).

1. Students and educators may be given the freedom to choose what is best for them in order to achieve their particular learning goals meaning that the learners are offered with various equipment and then they choose what they need in order to complete their projects.

2. As stated in this document, technology should never take place the pedagogy but it states that technology is there to define ”the knowledge and skills that students need in order to succeed in a digital world”. Thus teachers are encouraged to plan different pedagogical skills which link to the choice of the right technology decisions and encourage the learners to prioritise the technology’s educational value. (COSN, 2019)

3. Teachers should be given adequate support and should be offered with the right professional development in order to avoid the bridge between technology and pedagogy. Therefore, the teachers can improve their learning strategies in order to help their students achieve their learning goals.

4. After reading this document and evaluating the real situation in my class, I can state that the technology is seen as a ‘fun’ activity. When in fact this has a different vision of what it really is. We have to transmit to our students that the e-learning tools we use in the classroom are not there to substitute the learning (substitution, SAMR model) but to enhance it in order to achieve and form the 21st digital skills.

“When undertaking this work, schools and districts may begin with the implementation of new technologies as opposed to defining quality pedagogical practices and building an understanding of the core instructional strategies that, when implemented, have
the greatest impact on learning.” — Tara Nattrass, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning, Arlington Public Schools (VA)

5. Moreover, I agree with what Tara Nattrass states in the COSN (2019) document. The implementation of new technology should be there as a part to enhance the pedagogical practices that we were already in classrooms. As the TPACK states that these are there to compliment each other and not to replace one another.

”New technology is taking over the traditional classroom. This new system is called e-learning.” Webdesign, I. (2019) The e-Learning system is divided into 2 categories: synchronous and asynchronous learning. 

What is Synchronous learning?

Synchronous learning is a learning which can occur online through a chat platform. This type of learning can only happen on an online community where it involves online messaging and therefore it cannot occur in a traditional environment. Through this learning process, the students can keep in touch through the online chat by asking questions instantly to their peers or to their teacher.

What is Asynchronous learning?

On the other hand, Asynchronous learning can take place both online and offline as it ”involves coursework delivered via web, email and message boards that are then posted on online forums”. Webdesign, I. (2019)

On the contrary to synchronous learning, through asynchronous learning the students are not able to have instant messaging with the other learners and their teacher. An asynchronous learning enables you to be more ”self-paced” and hence complete your work at your own time. Webdesign, I. (2019)

What is the difference between synchronous learning and asynchronous learning?

Synchronous learning is when the teacher is giving an online lecture at a specific time and during that time, the learners have to interact with other students and answer questions. During that specific time, the teacher is also observing the interaction and enables the educator to give real time feedback.

Asynchronous learning, on the other hand, can be offline and online. It involves of different tasks and lectures which are placed on an online learning platform but can be accessed and completed at your own pace. Therefore, you don’t need to be online at a specific time.

Reflection on my experience: I am currently doing some courses online which involve both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Through experience, I think that both learning types are beneficial because synchronous learning can be effective when having the teacher online to give you real time feedback whilst on the other hand asynchronous learning can be very effective when you have to complete a task not in a specific time. Hence, I think that experiencing both learning styles is beneficial for the learner.

References

Webdesign, I. (2019). Synchronous vs Asynchronous Learning: what’s the difference? | Easy LMS. Retrieved from https://www.easy-lms.com/knowledge-center/lms-knowledge-center/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-learning/item10387

Blended learning: is a mix of both face-to-face learning and online learning. In a blended learning environment, students can attend a lesson which is taught by the teacher in a classroom environment while they can be able to complete some courses online on their own outside the classroom.  https://www.edglossary.org/blended-learning/

”In a nutshell, blended learning is a strategy that brings together the best of both classroom learning and eLearning.” (Gaikwad, 2017)

Blended learning is a way in which the educator can interact with the learners even through different given tasks online and not only through the ‘traditional’ way of teaching in a classroom. Through blended learning, the educator can formulate differentiated learning environment as it can encourage students to work at their own pace whenever and wherever they are able to, whilst also managing to give them real time feedback.

Blended learning can engage and involve the students more in the learning process as it may be more ‘attractive’ to them as it encourages more the use of ‘e-learning tools’. Through this learning process, the students can also engage in an online learning community where they can be able to discuss, reflect and give feedback on each others work. In fact through this process, the learners can also benefit from the learning as it encourages the learners to develop their 21st century skills whilst achieving their learning goals. Four reasons why blended learning is effective. (2019)

References:

The Definition Of Blended Learning. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/the-definition-of-blended-learning/

Four reasons why blended learning is effective. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.dexway.com/four-reasons-why-blended-learning-is-an-effective-way-to-learn-english/

While working on the curriculum map together with my colleague Elaine, I realised that most of the time the use of technology in the class was being used as a form of substitution.

However when thinking about what can be done to improve the use of technology in the classroom, we came up with other activities that can be done in order to involve the students more into becoming more digital citizens as they collaborate together to create something or for them to grow as independent learners.

We chose to think about how we can involve the use of technology through cross curricular activities. A cross curricular activity we did recently at school was a Maths cooking activity which involved the practise of everyday situations and combined to this activity we had a Maltese writing activity (instructional writing). When planning this activity together, we did not think of technology tools which can be used to enhance the lesson but decided to opt for a more ‘traditional’ method – that is the use of pen and paper.

When looking back at the activities and trying to opt for different methods of how we can include the use of technology through the method of SAMR. We realised that during the cooking lesson, children could use the tablet to take photos in order to help them write the instructions later. It is quite useful to those students who finds it difficult to remember the procedure.

Whereas for the Maltese writing, we opted the use of an app on their tablet – Comic Strip, which will help the students to focus more on their instructional writing. Through the use of the pictures that they took while doing the cooking activity and the writing of the instruction, the students will find it easier to write and visualise the recipe.

This activity, can also be done by those students who find it difficult to write sentences. Instead of writing sentences, these students can place the pictures in order in the ‘Comic Strip’ app and write key words related to the picture.

In fact, this activity will help them realise that sometimes recipes or instructions are accompanied by pictures in order to help those visual reader understand better whilst catering also for those who are not able to read.

Comparing this activity to SAMR model, I think that this falls under Redefinition as the students will be collaborating together with their partners to make a recipe using the pictures they took and then writing the sentences. If they would not have used their tablets to take pictures, the students would not be able to use the pictures while writing sentences – they will have only the sentences on a paper. In this way, they also created a recipe themselves which they can share with their friends and family.

Learning Design

The learning design is about the learning style and the teaching process. It provides tools and ways in which it enables you to describe who is in the learning activity.

”The learning design specifies the teaching and learning process, along with the conditions under which it occurs and the activities performed by the teachers and learners in order to achieve the required learning objectives” (Conole & Fill, 2005). It is then through the different learning tasks, tools, support and specific delivery of the lesson that the learning goals are met by the learners. (https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/designing-learning-objects-generic-web/16853)

Digital Citizenship

Being a digital citizen is beyond being able to use smartphones or tablets but being able to be a a digital citizen is to be able to know what are ”the norms and rules we follow to act appropriately when using technology.” (Hughes D., N:A) It is essential that we should teach and instil in our students the meaning of digital citizenship as they are living their lives communicating and collaborating with others on the digital world.

Kathie Kanavel– Coordinator for Educational Tech, Santa Clara Unified School District, says, “Digital citizenship is really important for 21st century skills, because being a 21st century citizen means that you can collaborate and communicate, and you need to do that not only the people you face with but also those that you encounter in digital world.”

http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1331-why-is-digital-citizenship-important-even-for-youngest-kids

Active Learning

”Active learning refers to a broad range of teaching strategies which engage students as active participants in their learning during class time with their instructor.” (The University of Minnesota, January 2019)

An active learning environment encourages learners to discover, enquire, discuss and create things together while participating actively in different teaching activities which involve meaningful thinking. In such an environment, the teacher is there to guide the learners in achieving their goals, helping them in constructing their knowledge and providing them with the necessary tools to achieve the learning goals.

”Curriculum mapping is a process for collecting and recording curriculum-related data that identifies core skills and content taught, processes employed, and assessments used for each subject area and grade level.” (Education World, 2019) https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/virtualwkshp/curriculum_mapping.shtml

I think that the use of the curriculum mapping is quite useful when planning cross curricular activities in your classroom. Through the curriculum mapping you’ll be able also to plan effectively what is best for your class. In my opinion, I think the use of the curriculum map is quite effective because it will enable you to think deeper into the learning goals and see which ways are best to be taught.

https://eductechalogy.org/2018/06/23/how-curriculum-mapping-supports-teachers-in-the-articulation-of-learning-goals/

In this modern world, there are different learning environments we can opt to, in order to cater for our learning needs.

Face-to-face learning:   involves a traditional classroom environment where the teacher and the students will meet up in a physical space at a specific time and day. https://www.colleges.co.za/face-to-face-learning

Online learning: is a modern approach to learning. ”It includes learning with the assistance of the Internet and a personal computer.” (Justin Keel, Frostburg University) The learning takes place on an online learning platform where the students can access the lectures and material to the course. They can learn at their own pace wherever and whenever they have the possibility to do so. They do not need to attend any classes physically but they can study and learn at their own convenience. https://www.frostburg.edu/nursing/distance-learning/what-is-online-learning/

Blended learning: is a mix of both face-to-face learning and online learning. In a blended learning environment, students can attend a lesson which is taught by the teacher in a classroom environment while they can be able to complete some courses online on their own outside the classroom. https://www.edglossary.org/blended-learning/

”In a nutshell, blended learning is a strategy that brings together the best of both classroom learning and eLearning.” (Gaikwad, 2017)

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-blended-learning-resources

”Growth in technology within the education sector has increased rapidly” (LingoMedia 2015) in these recent years. Different tools are introduced to the classroom to enable the learning capabilities of the students and the teachers are looking for techniques which will help them use these digital tools effectively. Therefore, we need to keep track on how to use this digital tools effectively in order to make them beneficial to all our students.

”Dr. Ruben Puenedura has described the stages of technological advance in education as the SAMR model. SAMR has become a widely adopted roadmap to the integration of technology into classroom settings.” (LingoMedia, 2015)

The SAMR model describes each stage in way to encourage educators to find ways in which the use of technology will help their students in order to have effective and beneficial learning environment. http://lingomedia.com/stages-of-edtech-the-samr-model-for-technology-integration/

http://lingomedia.com/stages-of-edtech-the-samr-model-for-technology-integration/

”The term 21^st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically important to success in today’s world.” (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2016) https://www.edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/