Comix, Collaboration and Digital Pedagogy

I have had the chance to read articles written about cyber slang and I have come to understand the obsessive behavior of the learners to use acronyms and slangs. This is the twenty first century characterized by technology and a fast changing world. You try to fight the system, you are left behind and have no one to blame but yourself.

Online collaboration is not an easy task. As a student of CCTI, I have had some collaboration online in the previous three courses working on one task or other. It is not an easy thing if the people you are grouped with are facing challenges such as electricity or internet problems or are hindered by family issues here and there. However, it is fun being in position to collaborate with colleagues and sharing ideas. It eases the work and reduces the tension in fulfilling the task.

I have learnt to create a comic strip and it has been an exciting experience. I have always admired the people who created comics for newspapers. I have now discovered the secret. Presenting my understanding in a comic strip has been a bit of a challenge too but once one masters the steps it becomes very easy.

The potential this holds is that;

·        It creates room for social media to develop its own language of communication that will embrace all users of technology because of its ease and minimization of time and space.  

·        It encourages even those who would have been reluctant to join digital globalization to come on board, since they do not want to be left out.
·        It promotes understanding of how technology can be used to serve our interests and the interests of the learners and much more.

 

How a Changing Education Landscape is Affecting Me and My Teaching Practice

 
The Changing Education Landscape is giving me an opportunity to explore various ways of teaching so as to make a greater contribution to the education of my learners.  First of all, the education system has been so static that it has failed to address the problems of society, and yet so many cultural and social changes have taken place since the designing of that system. The system is so boring to the students, places the children of given ages at the same level and subjects them to standardized testing. This is wrong since children have differing abilities and interests.  The Changing Education Landscape is meant to address such issues and has awakened me to the fact that there is need to think differently about human capacity.  I have learnt that in order for effective learning to take place, children should be allowed to mix according to their interests, and they should be allowed to explore, and that learning is more effective when there is collaboration involved as Sir Ken  says; 

"Most learning happens in groups" and that "Collaboration is the stuff of growth".

Separating the learners and judging them separately is not the best way to educate. The Changing Education Landscape promotes Information revolution. As people comment on a given topic, more about that topic is likely to come up through investigations and research. As users of digital technology, we are still failing to differentiate between its intended use especially the students who engage in watching porn movies and entertainment mostly.    

With digital technology and literacy we agree that as teachers the process of dictating notes to students cannot be part of this program instead we should give them room to find out things for themselves. At the same time there is need to give them a conducive environment that would enable them to carry out their own research and to learn. Allow them to curate the relevant sites for learning. Encourage and give them room to freely explore and just watch them being captivated by their discoveries. Through collaboration, research and investigation the learners can get more informed about a topic or issue. Learners can make their own choice of their publishing platform since there are a number of them available already, and they can also use technology to create anything beautiful like a wordle.

However, all this is not without challenges. First and foremost, the learners may end up more knowledgeable than the teacher and this is embarrassing the more reason why teachers need to be on board. Secondly, the time allocated for the subject on the time table may hinder rather than promote progress in cases of face to face programs. Thirdly, some of the students come from poor families and may end up left behind because they lack the tools. Also, there is a danger of the learners being misinformed in case the sites have not been properly evaluated since this is a platform where everybody is free to post anything.  Lastly, the students can easily divert to irrelevant and destructive sites especially when they are working on their own or away from everybody else.

 View my wordle. 

Technology Enriched Teaching

I have learnt that in order to have a successful technology enhanced lesson I need to take a number of things into consideration. Through the ASSURE model lesson plan I have realized that in order for the teaching and learning to be effective, I need to take the following important issues into consideration. 

·        I have to know my learners thoroughly i.e. age, status, their problems both financial, social and cultural, whether they have some prior knowledge of the topic or not. Knowing them helps me to plan for them accordingly.
·        I have to have the objectives of the lesson properly stated so as to conduct the lesson in a way that would lead to the achievement of those objectives. The objectives should be aligned in such a way that they ensure that there is learning expected to take place. As I teach I keep in perspective the objectives set out for the lesson. This helps me to keep in line with the requirements of the lesson.
·        Lessons require specific materials for successful learning process to take place.  Identifying and assembling these materials makes the lesson easy to conduct and the objectives easy to achieve. 
·        The teacher needs to select appropriate methods to use to conduct a lesson. This course has taught me to put into consideration the methods I intend to use for each lesson. You get the opportunity to select the appropriate methods required before hand and match them to meet the objectives of the lesson. 
·        One gets the time to decide which media is appropriate for that lesson/topic and also have websites lined up for students to visit to enhance the mastery of the concept/skill/ topic.
·        I have learnt that utilizing the methods, media and materials lined up for the lesson eases my work as a teacher and at the same time helps me to conduct the lesson in a systematic way that enhances the learning process. The utilization of these materials helps in providing a deeper understanding of concepts/ skills/ topics. Getting the students to use the media and the materials gives them the chance to experience the things and learn more through experiencing.
·        Learners also get chance to participate in their own learning. They get to experience and carry out hands-on activities that are very essential in the entire process. Experiencing something is the best way to learn. Getting the students/ learners to experience is the best way to teach the learners. Children love to work with computers. When brought in touch with the computers their interests are aroused, they are eager to touch and explore and tin the process they are acquiring deeper understanding of the concepts/ skills/ Topics.
·        There is need to carry out evaluation and revision during and at the end of the lesson. This gives me a chance as a teacher to ascertain if there is any learning that has occurred and to what degree it has been achieved.  At the same time it helps me to ascertain whether the objectives set out for the lesson from the start have been achieved.

ASSURE - Plan Participation

Have you succeeded in planning for your students to be actively engaged?

The ASSURE model has helped me to successfully plan for the activities that will engage my students. The activities indicated in the 'utilize materials' section require the learner to be actively involved in problem identification, problem solving and creation of final product. The activities emphasize the importance of researching, networking, collaboration and sharing ideas in the learning process.  

In what ways will they be involved in activities you have not previously tried in your classes?
In my class I have always had the students to read the text aloud and once in a while view the video of the text using a VCR and TV. This has always allowed for general comments and various view points from all corners of the class about different aspects of the play ranging from the plot, costumes, characters, events, themes, stage use and directions, and relevance of the play to contemporary society.  Once in a while they have been engaged in role playing too. The role play has always been done in smaller groups to help them to identify with the characters and try to understand their actions or why they behave the way they do and this has been a very valuable tool in enhancing their views and perceptions of the characters. They have also had to work in smaller groups on a task assigned to them and this has always promoted sharing of ideas.  

What I have not tried in class before is using technology to teach a lesson; or even getting the learners to search the web for information let alone using PowerPoint for presentations. Our classes are designed in a way that there are no computers and no sockets to tap into the power in case a teacher wanted to use technology to teach. Activities such as searching the World Wide Web for information on a task that has been given to them will be an interesting new thing to them. Children like to work with machines. Putting them in groups to search the web, collect information from the sites given to them, writing out the reports together and preparing presentations to be done using PowerPoint; are things they have not been subjected to before.

Is it an effective way of planning a technology-enhanced lesson?
I should think so. I really think it is an effective way because it allows the teacher to organize a lesson that provides for room for sharing for the learners as a group and as a class. The teacher in a way is promoting collaboration among the learners. It also caters for getting the learners to learn to work together and assist each other in the group to use the technology tools available to get deeper understanding of the concepts or skills. Furthermore, it helps the teacher to have focus and have systematic handling of the lesson.   In addition to that, it is good for disrupting the usual and boring order of classroom sitting and lesson planning; and introducing an aspect of excitement and change. Planning for the students to carry out their researches, identifying the websites for them to visit eases the teacher's work as well as the students' role in the whole learning process.   The idea of them getting the opportunity to use the projector and make presentations using PowerPoint is sure to fascinate them and they are likely to concentrate on accomplishing the tasks. The mere thought of interacting with the machine and carry out a hands-on exercise, already capture more than enough interest for the lesson. It is enough motivation in itself. 

How would you change the process to make it more effective?
Allowing the students to search other Sites that they come across that are related to the study topic. Limiting them to the sites given them may not yield the desired results 100%, but giving them a chance to navigate through the links they come across might motivate them to learn about other essential things related to the subject or topic under study. The nature of the timetable may however not allow for this to happen.

 

ASSURE: Designing Technology-Enhanced Lessons

When objectives are clearly stated, it gives the teacher a chance to prepare a lesson with the materials that align with the stated objectives. The set objectives for the lesson help the teacher to select the instructional methods, media and materials which help in achieving those objectives. Having to select the methods, media, and materials before the lesson is such a lesson enhancing tool that I feel gives the teacher confidence knowing that all the materials required for a successful lesson have been put into consideration and gathered, and are at hand and ready for use. In most cases teachers stammer during a lesson when they realize that some of the items required for an effective learning process have been forgotten. Planning for these things before hand helps to reduce this lack of confidence. With technology, if any of the materials needed for the lesson is missing it becomes a big problem. There is no way students will access the resources/ websites in class if the teacher has forgotten to bring a computer/laptop; or how Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will be carried out without a projector? Therefore, the need to select the methods, media and materials before-hand to ensure that effective learning takes place.

Secondly, once the methods, media and materials have been selected and put together, the teacher indicates which of them will be used at which step of the learning process. The ASSURE model therefore helps the teacher to think systematically and know how to handle the lesson effectively.

 

The Value of Analyzing My Students

It is good to know my students in order to help them learn effectively. If as a teacher, I understand my students I will be in position to get them to produce very good grades. I would find a way of getting closer to them and develop good rapport with them, identify with them in their problems and always try to make it easier for them to approach me and also get them to love the subject. Analyzing my students empowers me with information and gives me an advantage over them that enables me to operate effectively. Through analyzing my students I get to

·       It makes me more aware of their strengths, weaknesses and challenges and plan well how to maneuver them, help the students to overcome them and get my students to learn effectively.

·       It helps me to choose the appropriate instructional method that would best suit the learning process.
·       It makes me aware of the dominating learning style of the students and gives me the opportunity to build from that to ensure effective learning.
·       When I am aware of their preferences in terms of style of learning, I can mobilize what is required, design and set aside tasks that fit within their preferences.
·       I get to know how to handle each of my students so as to get them to learn effectively.

Apps and Software for Teaching

In Designing learning there are several principles of learning that are presented and they all have areas that they emphasize in the process. Authentic learning theory and Constructivist theory give learners chance to experience things in the real world by creating an environment that gives them chance to play their role in increasing their knowledge. It allows them the opportunity to observe, engage in, invent and discover in the way that makes sense to them. It also emphasizes continuous assessment of the learner.  Learners interact with the problem and also have an active role in the problem solving for instance in  drill and practice, quizzes, games and puzzles. The learners are given chance to control their own learning and they set pace and time for it and are given immediate feedback.  There is a vast supply of software on the net that caters for Authentic learning and Constructivist theories. With online learning, learners have a hands-on experience, they do everything themselves, navigate through the links and get answers to the many questions they have, and are also in position to create their own products. With Multiple Intelligence Theory on the other hand, where the teacher or educator is expected to take into account the fact that learners have differing intelligence levels and learn differently, the various software online provides for all levels too. There are instructional games such as brain games like Sudoku, Metrix, mind games, Lumosity , Crossword puzzles. Others software include; Quizzes, Tutorials, Typing lessons, Exam software, developer and programming and e-learning programs. Socratic Approach lays emphasis on getting the learners to think and think of thinking. It also makes it clear that there is never one answer to a question, and that when one question is seemingly answered it raises a string of questions in its wake. As is evident with the software available, there are many questions that are answered and yet there is much that still need to be answered and the process is continuous. Some software is meant to task the students with thinking. Through using the software, the students will also be inspired to also come up with their own questions about a topic. Navigating through the software arouses students' interest and thinking. They will not be satisfied with one answer and that they are made aware of existence of other answers to the same problem. TPACK and  SAMR theories introduce the aspect of technology into the teaching and learning process and offer various ways in which technology can gradually be introduced without causing dismay or panic among the students and teachers.

In all these principles the major/ key issues emphasized include; Collaboration, experiencing, researching, recreating, different intelligence levels, Reworking and observing and giving the learner a chance to make meaning out of these learning situations. In all these situations, the learner is encouraged to make use of technology in their learning process. The principles help the teacher to determine what kind of software to use with each category of learners. Since amongst the available software we have quizzes, puzzles, instructional games, and others about different activities that could be used to engage the learners, the teacher will find little or no problem in identifying the software and apps that would best suit the learning situations of his students.

The different kinds of software have activities set out for students as well as teachers. Some of the activities specified include classroom activities, group discussions as well as individual tasks all of which require collaboration, experiencing, researching, and recreating, reworking, observing e.t.c. The most engaging educational software is the instructional games, and drill and practice software. Adults as well as children are easily captivated and taken up by the online games and quizzes.  Aside from that, the attention is very concentrated and intense when it comes to games. The nature of activities in these software are such that all areas of a topic are touched upon however briefly.