Synopsis

The idea of using ICTs within classrooms has been very fascinating for me. My schooling occurred at a time when ICTs were being introduced but not in every class room and only when it seemed like the thing to do. Our own presentations were done on PowerPoint but the use of a PowerPoint within the classroom for learning was unheard of. During my time at university the use of ICTs increased with the development of the blackboard online systems and uploading of notes, but still no where near the ideas that have been presented in this course.

Kearsley and Shneiderman's (1998) Engagement Theory states the need for meaningful engagement in course content and activities involving others. I have already had hands on experience of this in action during my EPL and I believe that the only way to encourage learners to become fully engaged with content is to present it within a medium that they are interested in.

Blogs, wikis, and the Learning Place are all examples of how students can have meaningful involvement in discussions and start their own discourse about subjects. These resources also allow for students to feel more comfortable presenting their own opinions as they are given the time to think over what they want to say. This helps satisfy Maslow's Hierarchy of needs from the bottom levels of physiological need and saftey to the top with self actualization. The use of these platforms as a meeting place for ideas and opinions give many students an opportunity to shine in an area where they may feel pressured or too shy to come forward and suggest an idea.

Active learning, as expressed in Dale's cone, is also highly present within the uses of ICT's. I feel that it is possible for teachers to provide highly learner centered lessons, with a focus on the learner dictating the pace and the level of their education. By doing this it is possible to present meaningful experiences for the learners. Of course in some cases it is necessary to ensure that learners are on task and actually engaged with the course content. However, I believe that if you work with the learners to find a medium that they are interested in, one that they learn best from (LMQ3)it is almost always possible to excite the student with the content (Smith et al. 2003). I also feel that if you address how the learner learns best you are also able to give them a feeling of belonging, and maybe even encourage the learner to succeed in an area they themselves had written off. The use of real world ideas and situations to aid in this is addressed in the Relate section of the Engagement Theory.

ICT use within projects or final assessments are a brilliant way of addressing the Create and Donate sections of the Engagement Theory. By allowing the creation of a final assessment piece that can then be uploaded onto youtube or a PowerPoint to be placed onto the Learning Center you are giving the learners a real world, authentic outcome to their assessment. A final piece of work is no longer something that sits in a file for a few years, forgotten about. With the use of ever evolving ICTs, final assessments can become a vital learning tool for other students, something a teacher may use in a future class for explanation, or even just to get a hook into a lesson.

I feel that there is so much more to ICTs than anyone really understands at the moment. Every day, within my EPL and my studies, I'm being introduced to a new method or reason to use ICTs. I pride myself on being quite technologically savvy, with a burning desire to get my hands on new technology, but often I have a tendency to over look a very useful teaching tool as simply a fun product for example Google Earth and Flickr

As educators I feel that we must always try to take something away from a lesson ourselves. This means talking to our students about what they are currently interested in, the latest ideas that they have for a project, or maybe even the latest games they are playing. It is vital that we understand how they learn and what they are interested in for us to help keep abreast of how best to present information to them in a meaningful way.

Our learners are engaging with ICTs on a daily basis and have access to things such as the internet, iPods and iPhones, and media 24/7. As such we, as educators, need to find a way to use this to our advantage. By using aggregators or readers along with blogs for your class you can keep up with the information they are engaging with. It's also possible to integrate these ideas into pedagogical techniques as mentioned in my previous post.

Although the use of ICTs is ever increasing in classroom and as a learning tool, it’s important to understand that not all students have access at home to the technology. This is something that I have discussed with the teachers at my EPL school and through comments on other students blogs. I feel that as educators we must make sure that we allow our students to engage with technologies throughout our lesson planning, to ensure they have the engagement with the materials, but that we do not unduly punish those that do not have full time access. Of course, most school have libraries and computer labs with access, however I feel that concessions must be made available to these learners.

ICTs are an ever evolving concept and as such I believe that it is important not to become too caught up in the use of a particular platform or technology. It is important instead to simply become flexible and open to the ideas and potential uses of the ICTs. ICTs can also be integrated into courses in a way to engage all learning styles, even within the same ICT. I feel that it is important to be constantly aware of changes that are occurring or new ideas that are being presented. Our roles as teachers is to endeavour to find meaningful experiences and methods to present ideas in an engaging manner within the content and courseware. This will allow learners, as a multiliterate generation, to dictate how they make the most of their educational experience.


Reference:

Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved April 24, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465