ACTIVITY 5a:  BLOG LINKS

Numerous web resources are available in a wide range of disciplines for the individual who has the time, patience and commitment to search for them. I conducted my search in the area of Language Arts, and it became evident that such a task can be overwhelming.  However, narrowing the search down to specific key words, such as resources for a particular grade level did help.

In most cases, the websites that I found were of good quality.  I was able to apply what was done in previous activities in evaluating these websites, and concluded that many of them can be excellent resources for use in our Language Arts lessons.  The worksheets, games, interactive activities and tests that are found on the sites can certainly add value to what occurs in the classroom.  Additionally, resources for teachers, such as lesson plans, give much needed support to the teacher.  

Undoubtedly, the time and energy that was exerted searching and evaluating these web resources was well spent, as I was able to add to the list of those which I currently use in my classroom. 

Following are links to four of the websites that I found most useful:

www.softschools.com

www.henryranker.com

www.toonuniversity.com

mrnussbaum.com

  

Activity 3: Reviewing Educational Software

The practical nature of this module continues to interest me. Activity 3 provided the opportunity for me to focus on criteria for evaluating educational software in very much the same way as I have evaluated textbooks in the past.  

In planning for our students, we can take nothing for granted.  Making the decision to use particular types of software in the classroom, requires that these selections not only suit our immediate purpose, but are those from which our students can benefit most.  I believe that exposure to this activity has given me the platform from which I can now launch into actually evaluating the materials that I choose to use in my classroom.  This, for me, is an essential part of my professional development. Although I did use my own criteria in selecting the educational software which I currently use in my classroom, this activity offers a more scientific method of reviewing and evaluating those that are available to me. 

Activity 2: Experiencing Educational Software

It is difficult to envisage a modern classroom in which educational software of one kind or another is not used.  There are many benefits of using them in the learning environment, not the least of which is the fun element that they add to learning.  I have found from my practice that educational software offers many opportunities for meeting the various needs and catering for the diverse interests of my students.

I was excited about this activity, due mainly to its practical nature and the fact that there was so much to learn from the course readings and from my colleagues. From these, I was able to make a list of free online resources which I intend to bookmark soon.

MODULE 5 - ACTIVITY 1

Although the concept of bookmarking is nothing new to me, social bookmarking was something that was unexplored for me prior to taking this module.  I am however open to learning from and about it, and I am particularly committed  to exploring the possibilities that exist for classroom use.   

My research informs me that social bookmarking is a valuable tool for researching, collecting and organizing bookmarks, among other features.  Once this is done, the information can be accessed from anywhere at any time.  In terms of classroom use, apart from research, social bookmarking can facilitate collaboration among teachers, students and groups.

I am therefore excited to adding this to the repertoire of tools which I currently use.  

MODULE 1 ACTIVITY 2: INFORMATION PROCESSING

It is impossible to teach students everything that they need to know for life in school.  It is therefore important to ensure that they acquire the wide range of competencies that they need in order to function effectively in a complex world.  Information processing, which focuses on exactly how the mind works in thinking, remembering and problem solving, is therefore crucial.  Information processing can be aided by teaching learners how to think creatively, critically and by guiding them in their efforts at reasoning, inquiring, evaluating and decision making.  Clearly, all of this requires careful planning.

The skills of thinking, remembering, problem solving are acquired through the manipulation of information which is gathered through our senses.  They can also be constructed from interaction with past experiences, also known as prior knowledge.  Learners can be assisted in making connections to their prior knowledge through scaffolding, differentiation, teaching them how to self monitor and reflect, to name a few.

Metacognition, which is the ability to think about one's own thinking, is necessary, since it empowers the learner to strategically plan for his or her own learning.  This ultimately leads to self direction, which means that the learner is able to take the initiative in diagnosing his learning needs, setting learning goals, working to achieve them, understanding when they are, or are not achieved, and knowing where to find help if necessary.

In a practical sense, all of this can and should be facilitated in the classroom.  Integrating ICT into the curriculum is one excellent way of teaching and enhancing these thinking skills. 

THE MOST POWERFUL LESSONS THAT I LEARNED DURING ACTIVITY ONE

The question posed in Activity One, though not difficulty, was thought-provoking.  Attempting to identify the single most influential moment in my development as a teacher from a career that has spanned twenty six years, was definitely challenging. The exercise therefore resulted in me reflecting and reminiscing on some special moments that occurred both in and outside of the classroom, from interactions with students, colleagues and parents, to encountering past students who are now contributing members of society.  Indeed, it was interesting to note that those that stand out most in my mind, are the ones that are related to students' learning and development.  

The group discussion was quite interesting, and I noted some commonalities in responding to the second part of the activity.  Many of my colleagues agreed that the principles of collaboration, staying current and relevant, listening and being open-minded can help us in our efforts at being more receptive to the influences that help us to develop as teachers.  

There is no doubt that I have learned quite a lot from both the readings and the group interaction for the activity.  I was reminded in Whitaker's article that my students are not empty vessels to be filled by me, but that through active engagement and voluntary participation, the students in my class can have maximum benefit from classroom interactions.

DIVERSITY

The concept of diversity focuses on the ways in which people differ. There are racial, ethnic, cultural, social and economical differences. Students also have differences in interests, abilities and learning styles. Consideration of all of these differences in the classroom ensures inclusion and an appreciation and respect for these differences, as opposed to exclusion, which results in frustration.

In the classroom, one of the ways by which diversity can be catered for and celebrated is to give students the opportunity to be heard, that is, to express their opinions in a non-threatening environment. This certainly strikes a chord for me, since I  believe that there is great intolerance within the Vincentian society for a different opinion and divergent thinking.  If we begin to cultivate in our students the willingness and courage to be different, as well as the ability to accept differences in others, then we can become catalysts of change.  

Prior to completing Activity Three, I had never given serious thought to how diversity and assessment are related.  Students come to us with a variety of interests, abilities and needs.  They have varying learning styles.  Including a wide range of assessment methods ensures that learners are given ample opportunities to show what they are capable of doing.  Hence, the child who is not a good writer, but who is an excellent artist should not be deprived of the opportunity to experience success and a sense of accomplishment.  By tailoring the assessment methods to students' learning styles and interests, the teacher is then able to gather data that accurately represents what each child can or cannot do.  This is crucial, since the goal of assessment should not only be to get a picture of students' weaknesses, but also of their strengths.  

In addressing the diversity of our students, the assessment techniques that we use should be varied, flexible and authentic.

Activity 2: What we Assess

This activity, and indeed the module thus far, have caused me to soberly reflect on my assessment methods, and techniques, and have challenged my beliefs about the role of assessment in my classroom. I have been guilty of adopting a rather traditional approach to assessment, despite having a fairly good head knowledge of what should obtain.  

The activity at hand required that I focused on what I assess in my classroom, and as one who is deeply concerned about the quality of teaching and learning that occurs there, I used the opportunity to carefully evaluate my practice.  One thing that stood out was the fact that much of my assessment data was collected through written tests and exercises, which do have their place, but are insufficient when used alone or when relied on too heavily.  The assessment of my students' analytic and critical thinking skills, their interactions with each other and ability to work in teams are among the areas that I concluded need improving. These I will definitely work on, not out of obligation, but as a result of my conviction that failure to do so is foolhardy and hinders progress within my classroom.  I was reminded of how crucial it is to engage in assessment of and for learning.  

As a literacy instructor, I must also comment on the value of the readings to my area of specialty.  The articles "Process Assessment for Writing" and "Product Assessment for Writing" are valuable resources on which I will draw in the very near future. They demonstrate in practical, logical steps how I can assess my learners' thinking processes, provide scaffolding for them as they work through the various stages of the writing process, and how I can assess their final product through the use of rubrics.  Excellent resources for teachers of the Language Arts!

My assessing future certainly looks bright and I do look forward to applying much of what I am learning when I return to the classroom in a few weeks' time.

Reflection on Assignment 2

Although time consuming, Assignment Two presented numerous learning opportunities in website evaluation.  It taught me how to do this in a more scientific manner, as opposed to merely expressing an opinion as to whether or not a particular website appeals to me.  The skills developed through this aspect of the module will definitely prove useful. 

Self-Networking

While many of us can acknowledge and appreciate the value of social media and social networking as an educational tool, there are others, including some educational administrators who hesitate at the mere thought.  This reluctance is not without basis, as these tools can be easily misused and abused.

Although I am a fan of social networking and have profiles in many of them, I am yet to use them optimally with my students for educational purposes. My reading has shown that, for instance, Facebook groups (check out mine on Facebook "Vincy Teachers") or class pages can be created, Twitter can be used for sending messages and reminders, class blogs can be created for a variety of purposes including reflection, journal writing, and professional collaboration can be established on Linkedin.

Clearly, the possibilities are numerous, and I have committed myself to turn what is now a hobby into an activity that will benefit me professionally.

Something to think about: Why has Facebook been blocked from the wireless networks in our Vincentian schools?

Reflection on Assignment 1

I thoroughly enjoyed working on Assignment One.  It offered an excellent opportunity for me to sincerely reflect on my teaching practice through an analysis of the seven roles of the educator. In some instances, I measured up well, while in others I was found wanting.

The practical component of the assignment, though not difficult, provoked some thought while attempting to match the documents with the various roles.

SPREADSHEETS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES

Spreadsheets can be very useful in the classroom, and many of us can attest to their potential for economizing on time and effort.  Many years ago, recording and analyzing students' test scores were tedious affairs that one did not look forward to.  The spreadsheet brings an end to this and makes managing, analyzing and sharing data far less burdensome.  Its presentation capabilities through the creation of graphs and charts are also significant. 

Despite the fact that I have been using spreadsheets for several years, I still found Activity 4 somewhat challenging.  It was time consuming.  I had to work with formulas that were previously unfamiliar, which meant entering them several times in some instances in order to get the desired outcomes.  It was certainly an exercise in patience, but one from which I learned a lot.  The "new" formulas will definitely assist me in doing more detailed and meaningful analyses of students' scores.

The Word Processor as a Teaching/Learning Tool

As a Language Arts teacher, I find the word processor particularly useful in and out of my classroom.  It can be effectively used as a teaching tool and also for lesson preparation.  In my classroom it is used in creative writing as a thesaurus, spelling and grammar checker, for collaborative writing and publishing of finished work. Naturally, this brief list is not exhaustive, and there is much that I need to learn in order to maximize the use of this important tool.

The activity at hand, as a consequence of my frequent use of the word processor, was relatively simple.  Notwithstanding this, more thought than usual was put into planning the lesson. thus making the activity one that was quite reflective and meaningful.

The Seven Roles of the Educator

Undoubtedly, the seven roles of the educator are key ingredients in the teaching and learning process.  These functions essentially capture the essence of what is involved with being a teacher in the contemporary classroom.  

Having said that, it is important to note that some of the roles appear to contradict many of the traditional roles with which I had been exposed decades ago firstly as a student, and then as a young, bright-eyed teacher.  One case in point is the role of mediator, which, if not completely absent, was accomplished incidentally rather than that which was deliberately planned for. 

Although attempting to rank these roles in order of importance would be difficult and indeed futile, I am especially challenged by the roles of interpreter, scholar and learning specialist.  In my daily classroom practice, I attempt to reflect constantly on whether or not what I do adequately meets my students' needs.  Consequently, I am on a lifelong quest to re-tool and re-train myself to face the daily challenges that accompany the task of teaching this generation of students.

The Integrated Approach

As one who has training in Language Education, I have been long sold on the integrated approach as a method that is effective in classroom instruction. Consequently, when I again encountered it in this module, I had no problems seeing its value in the ICT enabled classroom.  

Despite its many benefits, there are challenges to be faced when seeking to use the integrated approach.  There is the issue of limited technological resources, lack of support from administrators and colleagues, lack of training, and problems with adapting the existing "old" curriculum to this new teaching approach.

What I however consider to be the greatest challenge in our Vincentian context, relates to the beliefs of our teachers re how teaching and learning should take place.  Ours is still a very traditional system, with a teacher-centered approach.  The integrated approach demands that the learner becomes the center of all that occurs in the classroom; hence there is a major conflict between the traditional and integrated approaches.  Success in using the latter would therefore require significant adjustments to one's philosophy of teaching.

I have personally been able to significantly adjust my method of operation in my classroom.  This did not happen overnight, nor was it easy.  In fact, it is still a work in progress. I do intend to continue to refine my classroom practice, all to the benefit of the students under my care. 

Minimally Invasive Education

The concept of Minimally Invasive Education is one that I find especially fascinating.  The basic premise of MIE is where a learning environment is created that is intended to generate the impetus that learners need to induce learning.  In short, it is educating learners with as little interference or intrusion as possible, and was borne out of experimental work conducted in India by Dr. Sugata Mitra. 

The results of Dr. Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiments may cause one to wonder, as I did, whether the advancements in technology will one day eliminate the need for teachers.  While I do not believe that we will ever get to that place, what I do know is that the presence of technology has indeed brought about definite shifts in the way teaching and learning take place.  There is therefore much to learn from Mitra’s work. 

I believe that as teachers, we sometimes ignore the fact that our students are in possession of many of the skills - technological and otherwise - that they need to investigate and discover for themselves.  Consequently, we fail to tap into their potentials, and we lose them in the process. 

Thankfully, however, all is not lost, as we can work diligently towards changing the way we do things in order to maximize the use of ICT in our modern classrooms, bearing in mind the lessons learned from Mitra's experiments.

The Learners' Charter

The opportunity to participate in the creation of the Learners' Charter was a fulfilling experience for me. Being able to focus on the rights of learners to acquire quality education using ICT was a necessary perspective for me, as a class teacher, to have.  Completing the charter from the learners' perspective also added value to the experience.

Since it was my first time using MindMeister, I valued the activity even more, as it exposed me to yet another ICT tool that I can employ in my classroom.

An Audit of my School's ICT Use

The Fairhall Government School is a newly constructed primary school. The institution has one computer lab which is equipped with thirty desktop computers. Due to infrastructural constraints, only twenty of these are presently in use. There are also two computers each in the special education room, and library and one each in the principal's and secretary's offices, counselor's room and the preschool.  Students in Grades Two to Six have their personal netbooks, given to them under the government's One Laptop Per Child Initiative.  Additionally, the school is equipped with a number of peripheral devices such as multimedia projectors, printers and an Interactive White Board.  

While there are many teachers who do not use the school's computers regularly, those who do, do so for varying purposes. In most instances, they are used for the preparation of teacher-made tests and for documenting and filing of students' test scores.  Some teachers also present lessons using PowerPoint, and the viewing of videos (particularly on youtube) is fairly common.  The internet is also relatively heavily used for the gathering of information and research, as well as for accessing online activities and resources for students' use.

Administratively, ICT tools are used mainly in word processing, and to a lesser degree for communicating with teachers, parents and the Ministry of Education.   

In addition to the utilization of the netbooks for the educational purposes as prescribed by their class teachers, students use them extensively for entertainment.  They play games, view music videos and movies and chat with friends. These activities do not usually occur during class time, as there are strict rules governing the use of the devices.

I teach Information Technology as a subject only in Grade 6 (two classes). Prior to this academic year, it was offered in Grades 2 to 6, however, an administration decision was made to put that program on hold due to limited human resources. 

I believe that the resources that are available at the school are severely under-utilized. There remains some resistance among some staff members, particularly the older ones. Compounding that is the reality that the IT Coordinator at the school, who happens to be me, has a full teaching schedule which does not allow for the offering of any significant amount of assistance or support to these teachers.  What is however encouraging it that there is a small core of teachers who have wholeheartedly embraced ICT integration, which is an indication that there is hope.

Conclusions: ICT Integration in Developing Countries

The general opinion among my colleagues is that although it is not impossible for developing nations to compete with those that are developed in the matter of ICT integration, it will be extremely difficult for this to occur.  For sure, both parties will not be operating on a level playing field, since developed nations have many advantages, not the least of which are finances and expertise; hence any attempt at competition will undoubtedly be met with numerous challenges.

Of greater importance than the issue of competing, in my view, is the necessity of having well defined, workable ICT integration vision and goals.  The determination to succeed and hard work must accompany these if any progress is to be made.  Obviously, trying to reinvent the wheel is not only unnecessary but it is foolish.  As such, much can and should be learned from these same developed countries, thus avoiding many of the pitfalls that they encountered.  In so doing, there is really no need to compete, as the developing nations can now maximize the resources available to them and work within their limitations to achieve success at ICT integration.

My Thoughts on E-safety

The issue of e-safety in general is one that should get the attention of all technology users.  However, whenever the focus is on children, a higher level of attention is necessary, since they are among society's most vulnerable and should be protected at all cost.

 A few short years ago, parents were concerned about television and its impact on the minds of the young.  While this remains a factor, I think that there has been a shift, and the safety of our children as they interact online is now of paramount importance. 

While I concede that there is a lot that can be taught explicitly by discussing the risks involved, viewing videos, and so on, I am convinced that one of the best ways of fostering e-safety awareness in our students is by teaching through doing.  The modeling of desirable behaviors, and actively encouraging our students to do the same are essential elements of e-safety.  Above all, as teachers, we are to be constantly vigilant and employ "with-it-ness", so that as much as is humanly possible, we are aware of what our students are doing while they are in our care.  In this way, our students will learn to enjoy the technology through safe and confident use.