Pam’s musings on life

I would like to share an article that I read some time ago by Mitchel Resnick (2002) called Rethinking learning in the digital age.  In it he advocates for a fundamental rethinking and change in the way we approach learning and education and the way technology can be used to support them.

Education has typically been thought of in terms of information; both what is important to know and how to transmit that knowledge.  Likewise, computers are usually viewed as information-giving machines, so the two can be paired together to help share the information!

I have to admit that I think this way, as computers are useful for giving information!  But perhaps they can be used for much better purposes, such as creating?

As Resnick says, “If we use computers simply to deliver information to students, we are missing the revolutionary potential of the new technology for transforming learning and education” (p. 33).

The best learning experiences are had when engaged in designing and creating (Resnick, 2002), and computers are a great tool to use to design and create things that are not otherwise possible (Regan, 2008).

It is not as easy to use computers this way, especially in the classroom, as it requires more thought, creative thinking, and time.  But the outcomes for the students will (hopefully!) make it worthwhile.

I found really interesting Resnick’s (2002) explanation of digital fluency: being able to use technological tools, and then using those tools to create and design.  Relating it to being fluent in a language made a lot of sense, as being fluent in a language means being able to construct or tell stories using that language, not just use it to say hello or ask where the toilet is.

Article references:

Regan,B. (2008). Why we need to teach 21st century skills – and how to do it. Multimedia and Internet @ Schools, 15(4), 10-13.

Resnick, M. (2002). Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age. In G. Kirkman (Ed.), The Global Information Technology Report: Readiness for the Networked Word. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

I recently discovered the wonderful world of Scratch.  Scratch is a program with its own programming language that enables the user to create their own interactive animations, games, stories, music, or art.  It is based on the theory of constructionism, where the user is learning by actively creating their own creations.

What does one learn by using Scratch?  Well, according to the guys at the Lifelong Kindergarten Group, you learn:

21st century skills

• creative thinking, clear communication, collaboration, etc.

Mathematical ideas

• coordinates, variables, random numbers

Become digitally fluent

• be able to use technology tools, use those tools to create

Learning is meaningful and motivating.

And much more!

I have downloaded my own copy of Scratch and registered online.  It took me a minute or two to work out the basics (and read a ‘getting started with Scratch’ document), and I created a very simple animation.  I can see how it can be used for much more complicated creations.  They describe it as a low-floor and high-ceiling program, in that it is easy to use the basics, but the possibilities can be endless.  A great program to use with students!

I totally agree with you, Kathy, when you say we don’t really need training and support, all we really need is time and a little guidance, but where does that time come from?  Excellent points.  The wiki course by Shelley Paul, 23 things looks wonderful; just what I would need to learn about what’s out there.

My e-learning subject, I felt, did not provide enough time or time for guidance (2 hours a week!) given the amount that we were expected to learn.  If this is how we start off, will it get any better when we are actually teaching?

I also agree with Jenelle that some training and support would go a long way.  This of course depends on the teacher and how familiar they are with technology in general.

In regards to Kathy’s comments “If the software is too difficult to pick up the first time then you shouldn’t bother using it,” I can see the merit in thinking this way: software should be easy to use these days, and one can often get frustrated when trying to figure out how it works when it is not easy.  However, I think that thinking this way can lead to restrictions in the software that we use!  One could end up using this as an excuse for not using any software (or hardware!), as the feeling of ‘too difficult’ is very subjective.  Some of the best software may look complicated and take a little more time to figure out, but once it is can provide rich learning experiences and lots of fun!

I came across the organisation, One Laptop Per Child through John’s blog, which was more about the laptop itself than it was about the organisation.  However, I was curious about what he was talking about and decided to check it out myself.

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a non-profit organisation with the mission of creating “educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.” For more information on the OLPC Foundation, click here.

The laptop they would be giving them is called the XO and it looks like this:

Image from: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/explore.php

They claim that the XO embodies the theory of constructionism by being highly programmable and built from free and open-source software.

I think this a great organisation to help the children in developing nations break out of the cycle of poverty caused (partly) by lack of education.  Providing a laptop to each child will help provide them with the skills and knowledge that they will need to survive in today’s world.  It is a good start to eliminating the extremes between wealth and poverty.

But it is only a start, not the solution.  It is obviously to be used with school students in these developing countries, that is assuming that the ‘poorest’ children are actually able to attend school and learn how to use their laptops.  The needs of these developing countries are so many and diverse, and the needs of the children in them are usually basics such as food and water.  Providing a laptop to children who don’t have clean water to drink or enough food to eat seems a little bit silly . . .

But in itself the spirit is there.  There are after all many organisations who provide assistance in gaining their basic needs; this one is concerned about their educational needs and learning opportunities.

Image from: http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/give-a-laptop.php

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=COHcdy2McPU

I found this video absolutely brilliant.  It is about a girl with Cerebral Pasly who cannot speak or walk on her own and has limited hand movement, and how assistive technology has helped her be able to communicate with those around her.

I cannot imagine what it would be like not be able to talk or write or express myself.  The video shows that she is quite alert and smart, but trapped by the limitations of her body.  She goes to a special school called Elim school who has been developing specific technology to assist Melissa in communicating.  This shows that technology can be used to help children with all backgrounds and ability levels learn and develop their potential for learning.  Very inspirational.

Just read about and watched Allanah’s collaborative dance video, and have to say, very cool.  I love the idea of involving children in a fun way of collaborating with other schools from around the world; through the universality of dance.

All of the students (and teachers!) on the video look like they are enjoying themselves, and I’m sure they had a great time dancing to music and being recorded doing so!  I’m sure they were also very excited to see the final product; to see themselves in a video as well as students like themselves around the country and the world. Really opens up their eyes to the unity of our globalised world.

Although the students themselves were not using the technology to make this video, the fact that they knew other schools were participating, and saw them in the final product, still leads to educational outcomes through the use of technology, as the students are better able to see the connectedness of our world and opens their eyes to people outside their schools or city.

Allanah also used imovie06 to make this video, which makes me imagine what I can do with my future students using the same software!

Image from www.flickr.com/photos/58117789@N00/343536251

I am very impressed that Natalie has taken up the opportunity of competing in a digital image competition, and won!  I think her collages are great, and her vision that e-technology should be integrated across all KLAs is a good one to have. Often using technology in schools is still very much separate from the rest of the learning experiences (perhaps due to a lack of computer access for the whole school?)

Her collages represent the past, present, and future of teaching and learning, and the potential that e-technology has to help achieve educational outcomes.  Although the past, present and future of technology are very different, I noticed that a few images are used in all three collages.  To me this means that although e-technology continues to advance, the best ways that children learn often stay the same.

Well done Natalie! (where did you possibly find the time??)

I have to agree with John: Inspiration can sometimes be a bother.  I bought a copy of Inspiration for my old computer which is now dying, and haven’t found out yet if I will be able to re-install my bought copy onto my new computer (unlikely).  Also, when trying to access Inspiration on my dying computer, it sometimes tells me that the copy was bought for a different computer and is not valid! (it’s like reading my thoughts and pre-empting me). Whether this is Inspiration talking or my dying computer, I do not know.

When I first discovered Inspiration, I was in love and thought it was wonderful, as it was the first mindmapping software that I had known.  Being one that doesn’t like drawing them by hand, it was a breakthrough.  But I can see John’s when he says it can be cumbersome to use, and more time can be spent choosing shapes, colours, and pictures than deciding what to put in the mindmap.  I may soon be checking out the online software John recommended, bubbl.us, and seeing how it stacks up against Inspiration.

It is interesting to think about the possibilities that technology, both current and future, can bring to education, as Mathew discusses.  How schools and teachers can keep up with the constant change and advancement is a big issue for me.

While they may have great potential, technology is only as good as the person who uses it.  Teachers, being in general time poor, will not always have the time to keep themselves up to date, and will not be able to use the technology available (both hardware and software) to its full potential.

The other issue for me is the cost of some technology.  While a lot of great tools are available free online, getting computer and internet access for every student and school in the country, and not just those who can afford it by themselves, can be a challenge it itself.  Then upgrading and so on can be almost impossible.  How can we influence the learning outcomes with learning technologies for these students?

I was especially interested in the exciting hardware that Annie points out, which is currently being produced by Microsoft for commercial purposes.  While one can think about how it could be used in the classroom, and it would be rather fun (for a while anyway) the price tag that is mentioned at the end puts a damper on the idea.  Many schools are still trying to install interactive whiteboards; how long will it take for this technology to be affordable for all schools?  By then, will the current trend have moved on to bigger and better things?

The possibilities are great; but how to implement them in the classroom successfuly (and for ALL students) is the real challenge.

In our e-learning class a few weeks ago, we had to design a comic strip using Comic Life (a great program!) on how students learn most effectively.  Here is the one I made: