The ICT Course

Now that we are close to the end of this intense programme I can reflect on the experience I had. I was interested in doing this course as I saw the relevance of it in my classroom practice. I did enjoy the practical aspects which included making my first e book and digital story. The concept-mapping software was also fun to use. However, there was more to this course than having fun with my creations.

I was given the opportunity to experience the technology as a first time learner/user in most cases. This allowed me to temporarily fit into my students' shoes as I imagined how the classroom participation could be when I bring these tools into my classroom. I am almost certain that, in spite of their regular use of the computer, the majority of them would not have been introduced to all that was demonstrated in this ICT course. As a result there will be sessions where instruction will be given to them on how to use the relevant technologies. I can just picture their excitement when they learn they can write their own books and narrate their own stories.

Some, I imagine, will try to get my permission to bring/use their camera phones to take pictures to incorporate in their digital stories. This brings me to another relevant issue, that of cell phone use in the school. Where I work camera phones are banned. This was decided as students used the technology inappropriately ( I will let you use your own imagination ). Once again this points to the fact that students will continue to need guidance to what is the appropriate and inappropriate use of technology.

It is my hope, of course, that we will be equipped with enough digital cameras that there will be little justification for a case for them to be allowed to bring in those camera phones. Narrow minded or backward thinking you feel ? Well, I rather be seen that way for now until there can be standards set in the education system and certainly within my school environment that will prevent the use of technology from being more of a headache than a positive step in the teaching and learning practice.

Collaborative Learning

I have never really thought of the concept before but as we worked during our lab sessions I realised that collaborative learning was taking place. According to an article posted on 'The Global Development Research Center's ' site ; http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/index.html collaborative learning can be defined as 'the grouping and pairing of learners for the purpose of achieving a learning goal. It is a setting in which learners of various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal'.

While I am almost certain this strategy was not planned by our group tutor it most certainly occurred. As we were given different tasks within the lab sessions those who grasped the concepts faster than others were assisting their colleagues. So, inadvertently collaborative learning was taking place in almost all the sessions. The purpose of achieving the specific learning outcome from each session by all learners was usually accomplished via this unplanned method.

It was clear that there were learners of various performance levels but all learners learned from each other. Critical thinking was certainly enhanced as the questions raised by the others encouraged the 'faster' learners to reflect on the method of delivery and the features of the tools under study. It was a successful experience. It has opened my eyes to the possibility of using it as a strategy within my classrooms. I believe the active learning involved will benefit all performance levels within my classroom. It is certainly a method I will research.

Digital Storytelling

I downloaded the Photo story 3 and ventured into the field of digital storytelling using the various prompts as my guide. The activity was quite enjoyable. I produced a 90 second story entitled' The happy reunion'. There are many features to help enhance the story. I particularly liked the feature which allowed me to adjust the photos such as 'black and white' and 'colour pencil' which added a creative touch. Of course the music option is quite useful especially when you do not have your own music. I felt proud of my story and my husband seemed quite impressed.

However, the end product requires some measure of planning before it can reach the final stage. Quite similar to e books, the digital story should be conceptualized and placed on a story board before bringing in the technology aspect. Once again the tenets of story telling/information giving must be recognized and followed.

I believe it can be a great learning tool as it allows for thought processing. That is,before the final product we have to think clearly about the purpose of the digital story. For instance, if we are using it to examine historical events we must first decide which aspect of the history will be the main focus, determine means of research and find ways of sourcing relevant data. The narration that is a part of this tool also helps to improve students' thought processes (sequencing for example) and reviewing skills.

The digital story telling affords many learning and teaching outcomes. The Photo story 3 is easy to use even for someone who is not that computer savvy. Students will definitely appreciate the tool and it will enhance student engagement and even motivation to do assignments using it to produce the final result. Happy producing colleagues !

Ebooks

As I sat in the lab waiting to create my e book using Microsoft PowerPoint I was filled with some excitement at the thought of creating a book. I have ,at times, fancied the thought of writing a book. I guess this is the first step. The exercise revealed the need for the development of certain skills in order to produce an e book. Of course one must be familiar with the Microsoft Power Point or some other relevant technology. Therefore, as an instructor one must first develop the skill before passing it on to the student. I know most of us believe that this generation is so techno savvy that little instruction maybe needed. However, this is not always the case. Assumptions must not be made when it comes to incorporating technology in the classroom.

The process of creating the e book still required actual storytelling skills. As was mentioned in the TPACK article (Harris & Hofer,2009) the technology must always remain the tool and not become the main focus of the lesson. For students to create an e book they still need to be taught the elements of a story. There must be planning, usually through story-boarding, before they even reach to the computer. Other writing skills still need to remembered since e books can be used in other forms of writing beside that of narratives.

Expository and even Persuasive writing can be accomplished via the e book. Rhodes and Milby (2007) point out benefits such as enhancing students' retelling skills, developing sequencing and even identifying main ideas as some of its potentials. There is also the added advantage of giving disabled children greater access to classroom materials. It is seen as a vital scaffolding tool which can also be used to model fluency. Of course the fact that it is interactive allows for student engagement and supports student-centered learning. In the Reading classroom the e book should definitely be utilized.

Using the Web for research

One of my colleagues is always complaining that when she gives students projects to do they simply go online,print the entire page and present the information as their own. Of course I ask her if she explains the concept of plagiarism to them. Her response indicates to me that she simply gives a definition of the term without actually demonstrating to the students how to use information effectively.

Her situation brings to mind my own shortcomings in giving instructions to students to go on the internet and do their research. Like my friend, I have thrown them into the research world via the World Wide Web without much instruction or direction. I guess it is assumed, by some teachers(myself included), that since we know how to use the internet appropriately for research our students also have that ability.Added to this oversight is the position that they are always on the computer so using it for assignments should be no problem. We are truly mistaken.

It is clear, from personal experience, that we need to explicitly teach students how to use the internet re research. As I completed the task given to us, in which we had to decide valid sites versus invalid ones, it became clear that when we do not give students guidance in using the internet we are missing an opportunity to develop critical thinkers. It is imperative that we show them that all sites are not equal. When this is explicitly done then we are assisting them in developing a necessary skill which will be vital in this age of media bombardment.

Vocabulary Instruction

Essential to comprehension and therefore reading is one's vocabulary knowledge. The following is an excerpt from a book entitled "Teaching and Learning Vocabulary:Bringing Research to Practice" Heibert, E & Kamil, M. (eds.) 2005. It makes for interesting reading. I think it offers some ideas which can be implemented to assist students' acquisition of vocabulary.

The concluding statement of the National Reading Panel's (NICHD, 2000) synthesis of vocabulary research provides a succinct summary of classrooms where students' vocabularies expand and are elaborated: "Dependence on a single vocabulary instruction method will not result in optimal learning" (p. 4-4). This conclusion is understandable in light of the complexity of what it means to know a word (Beck & McKeown, 1991; Nagy & Scott, 2000). This conclusion also means that educators need to design classrooms experiences that are multi-faceted, if students are to acquire new words and increase the depth of their word knowledge. The design of these environments does not come about, however, by happenstance. The National Reading Panel identified eight specific findings that can provide a scientifically based foundation for the design of rich, multifaceted vocabulary instruction. These conclusions of the National Reading Panel are summarized in Table 1.1.

TABLE 1.1
Summary of the National Reading Panel's Specific Conclusions
about Vocabulary Instruction

1.	There is a need for direct instruction of vocabulary items required for a specific text.
2.	Repetition and multiple exposure to vocabulary items are important. Students should be given items that will be likely to appear in many contexts.
3.	Learning in rich contexts is valuable for vocabulary learning. Vocabulary words should be those that the learner will find useful in many contexts. When vocabulary items are derived from content learning materials, the learner will be better equipped to deal with specific reading matter in content areas.
4.	Vocabulary tasks should be restructured as necessary. It is important to be certain that students fully understand what is asked of them in the context of reading, rather than focusing only on the words to be learned. Restructuring seems to be most effective for low-achieving or at-risk students.
5.	Vocabulary learning is effective when it entails active engagement in learning tasks.
6.	Computer technology can be used effectively to help teach vocabulary.
7.	Vocabulary can be acquired through incidental learning. Much of a student's vocabulary will have to be learned in the course of doing things other than explicit vocabulary learning. Repetition, richness of context, and motivation may also add to the efficacy of incidental learning of vocabulary.
8.	Dependence on a single vocabulary instruction method will not result in optimal learning. A variety of methods was used effectively with emphasis on multimedia aspects of learning, richness of context in which words are to be learned, and the number of exposures to words that learners receive.

Note. From National Reading Panel (2000), page 4-4.

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The IRA English Language Arts Standards

I decided to read the detailed English Language Arts Standards as created by the IRA as it plays a role in the Lesson Plans Portfolio. I also felt it should be read to see what was so different about these standards that I did not already know or use in my own lesson plans. My eyes were opened! Included in this document are 12 standards that should be considered by the teacher in the English Language Arts department. The standards go beyond the basic ideas of set induction, evaluation and strategies. It delves deeper into the objectives of a lesson with great focus on guiding and improving students' abilities.

The IRA standards have challenged my lesson planning to go beyond the taxonomies of Bloom and Krathwohl. While reading it I began to reflect on my lessons and the level at which they met any of the 12 standards and I must admit that they came up a bit short. For instance, standards 1 and 2 discuss the range of materials that students should read and I know that this is rarely met as the focus tends to be narrowed to the given texts. In some cases little exposure to material outside of the prescribed texts occurs. The reality is that many of the 12 standards are not purposely thought of or even developed in lessons.

I realised, from this reading, that lessons need to be better planned and students need to be challenged and exposed to a variety of readings, activities etc. if we are to truly prepare them for success beyond the classroom. One problem I believe is the treatment of subjects as separate entities. There is generally little collaboration across subject areas and curricula. For instance, an English teacher may not give an assignment which requires detailed research as say a History project .This limitation may prevent such standards as 7 and 8 being met in her classroom.

Essential to accomplishing the standards is the collaboration of subject teachers in planning curricula delivery. What do you think?