Another busy week, another day and another dollar! Eh? Anyway, why is it that the level of work one has can never be constant? If it could, it would certainly make life a helluva lot easier including studying this Masters! Then again, it would also make life predictable and boring?
So, to continue this digital reflective artefact - thanks Petrea for allowing this to represent that although it won't be easy to summarise all my thoughts for the whole semester in a space on my blog as this whole blog is the space where all my thoughts are collected including all the mini-assignments that have been done throughout! Okay, I tend to go on a bit, but if one looked carefully enough, most of my thoughts (apart from the really personal ones) are here for all and sundry to digest!
Just had my eyes prodded open to the wider possibilities of computers in education after reading "Rethinking learning in the digital age" by Mitchel Resnick. Wow! I've usually used them as technologies "to reinforce outmoded approaches to learning" but the analogy made with finger paint really rammed home the point that there's far more to it than meets the initial eye.
"Indeed, the computer is the most extraordinary construction material ever invented, enabling people to create anything from music videos to scientific simulations to robotic creatures. Computers can be seen as a universal construction material, greatly expanding what people can create and what they can learn in the process." (Resnick 1998).
"Unfortunately, most people don’t use computers that way today. When people are introduced to computers today, they are typically taught how to look up information on the Web, how to use a word processor, how to send e-mail. But they don’t become fluent with the technology." I couldn't help but exclaim, "Right on!" when I read this. So, are you digitally fluent? Because if "being digitally fluent involves not only knowing how to use technological tools, but also knowing how to construct things of significance with those tools" then I'm a complete beginner!
But as I read, I kept on thinking how I could shrink the "fluency gap" as I was also one of the "small handful" who are not able to use the technologies fluently. Of course, I could become more digitally fluent myself but how could I use "the revolutionary potential of the new technology for transforming learning and education" in my educational context? After all, I just teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to adult students and they come to us already pretty much IT savvy so what more could I possibly add? If I was working in the primary or secondary sector, yes, I can make a difference but adults and adult education? Unless I teach IT...
There is constant talk/literature that "teachers need to restructure their presentations and delivery, not simply add technology to their current approach" but I think that this applies minimally to teaching English. Of course, I can see the benefits of using blogs, wikis, etc. but is there anything else? The students I teach are here for short courses (usually 24 hours per course and each lesson could be 2 or 3 hours) and have specific needs, eg. to improve their business writing, their spoken English, etc. so I really don't have that much time to integrate "technology as a central tool for enhancing pedagogy" into the curriculum so that "real changes can occur". So, in essence, that's why I'm here!
Michael
References
1. Constable, P 2003, ‘For the long term’
2. Resnick, M 2002, ‘Rethinking learning in the digital age’
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Activity 3.7
Hi all
Seems AVG is quite popular here - could that be because it's free? Saying that, I use that on my home computer as well! I used to use Trend Micro's PC-cillin until the licence ran out and an IT friend asked me why I bothered buying it. So he recommend AVG (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1)! I'm from the old school of thought that certain essential software must be purchased - after all, you DO get what you pay for but if you can save the occasional dollar here and there, then why not?!
McAfee Anti-Virus was recently adopted by the university as the virus protection of choice - it used to be F-Secure Anti-Virus but there were numerous feedback from users which found that it could not guard against some viruses in time for those newly propagating viruses. By subscribing to McAfee, staff home machines are also covered so that means I have 2 anti-virus programs installed on my home computer. As my learned IT friend said, "you won't get one anti-virus that will protect you from all known viruses, so you might as well have a couple!"
He also recommended the following free programs to keep PCs secure:
1. SpywareBlaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
2. Windows Defender - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=435bfce7-da2b-4a6a-afa4-f7f14e605a0d&displaylang=en
3. Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
All the anti-virus programs I use are updated as soon as there are updates available.
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Activity 3.6
Hi all
It's very interesting to read about all the wonderful ICT integration and technology plans implementation happening in different schools around the world.
Unfortunately, the article ‘Making good change happen’ refers only to schools but I work in a further education environment, which in a lot of ways I can generally assume to be easier than working in a school, in terms of being networked, deployment of resources and professional development.
The students (adults) who come here are generally IT savvy but I don't think the same can be said of some of the teachers/lecturers! As stated in previous posts, it's amazing how IT illiterate some of the higher echelons are!
I can only speak about my particular department (TEFL), which is a very small fish in a huge ocean (meaning we don’t have much say in anything), but ICT integration is certainly viewed as “an optional ingredient to the meat and potatoes of instruction”. We don’t have a formal technology plan per se but the uni as a whole probably does, although I know nothing about it. We only have a few full-time staff members but over 20 part-time teachers and it’s very difficult to involve these teachers in any kind of ICT initiative, never mind their “enthusiastic endorsement” – after all, they are just part-time and work at various places to make ends meet so why should they invest their precious little time in this? The article states that 30-60 hours per year must be provided for teachers to “meet, to learn and to invent classroom units” but I can’t ever see that happening here. The uni has plenty of IT training and seminars ranging from Photoshop and Dreamweaver to Linux, Access and Visual Basic, but this is restricted to full-time staff and students.
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Activity 3.5
Hi all
It’s been very interesting to read the range of classroom arrangements that currently exist and what people actually wish for.
I think I can safely assume that in general, universities will be better equipped than schools. I’m lucky enough to have mostly what I would like in a ‘perfect’ classroom as most of the university networked classrooms are equipped with the following:
- PA system
- Wireless microphone
- Visual presenter
- OHP
- VCR
- DVD player
- LCD monitor
- LCD projector
- PC
- Audio recorder
In addition to the above, notebooks can be borrowed for classroom presentations, business trips, exhibitions, etc. If the classroom doesn’t have what you want, there’s an ‘equipment loan service’ whereby you can check out a full-range of AV items such as a visualizer, cassette player, slide projector, etc.
Although I have more than enough at my disposal and since we’re in dreamland here, my setup would be to have all of the above as well as the following:
- Hexagonal tables with 2 in-built computers for 4-6 students
- Promethean interactive whiteboard (http://www.prometheanworld.com/)
Although some people like to have computers along the wall, I have never been a great fan. Developing communicative activities for the classroom becomes problematic if the students are seated facing the wall away from the rest of the class. I prefer to have students placed in small groups around hexagonal tables evenly spread around the room so that they find it easier to negotiate and collaborate on tasks. The teacher can manoeuvre quite easily between the tables in order to respond to the learners’ needs. The students also have plenty of room to write and also have a clear view of their computer screen, the teacher and the board. The monitors can be placed under the table at an angle and this helps to improve screen visibility and keep the monitors from obstructing students’ line of vision as well as reducing reflected glare from the lights.
I included an interactive whiteboard because as I mentioned elsewhere, I have had experience using these interactive whiteboards (IWBs) when I worked at the British Council (BC) Hong Kong (from 1998) where it was one of the first BC teaching centres (TC) to use this relatively new technology. Since then, as far as I am aware, all BC TC worldwide have started using or are planning to use these Promethean IWBs in ALL their classrooms and that’s a lot of TC as they operate in over 100 countries!
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