Consider the articles of Prensky(2001) "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" and Prensky(2005) "Engage Me or Enrage Me" and other authors who are critical of Prensky's broad brush generalisations, Margaryan and Littlejohn(2008) and Thrupp(2009).What is your belief and understanding of todays learners? Is there substance to the "enrage or engage" argument?
Prensky(2001) asserts that we can be classified as 'digital immigrants' or 'digital natives' and as these titles suggest 'digital natives' are completely comfortable with technology as they have grown up surrounded by digital alternatives. 'Digital immigrants' on the other hand need to learn how to engage with technology. Prensky claims that immigrants have an 'accent' and this 'accent' is obvious to a digital native.
Prensky(2005) also suggests that we have the choice 'Engage Me or Enrage Me.'
Margaryan & Littlejohn(2008) offer data that suggests not all students are engaged in meaningful digital learning activities but are limited to using social networking sites, email, YouTube videos, word processing and web searches and in fact that not all students are digitally active.
I agree with Prensky's assertions with respect to the idea of digital natives, digital immigrants and even the accent. However I do not agree with his extreme leaps for which he offers only anecdotal evidence.
He suggest that 'digital natives like their graphics before their text rather than the opposite'. I would suggest that most people prefer their graphics before their text, natives and immigrants alike. The beautifully illustrated first texts/books with incredibly detailed calligraphy would suggest love of pictures/images/art was here long before the digital age. Do we not all look at the cover of the book before we buy it?
I think many of his assertions of a new language and new content are ever evolving and not something new but something that every generation has had to adapt to in some form or another. For example music is ever evolving as are social and ethical issues and we as a society have to strive to keep up!
That is not to say we should not be taking full advantage of the wonderful opportunity that ICT has to offer us. IWBs are revolutionising the classroom as the World Wide Web has revolutionised the availability of knowledge. Calculators, graphics calculators, skype, ipads...there is ongoing and rapid development of new technologies and we must find ways to utilise them effectively.
As educators we must be developing stimulating teaching practices that constantly engage our students and that includes integrating digital technologies into the classroom.
To offer some of my own anecdotal evidence, I have found that school students greatest use of digital technologies (outside of school) is for communication followed by researching information and games/pleasure. What sort of communication? It is certainly not in the form of a blog, a forum or a wiki. It is in the form of instant messaging, facebook/social networking and skype and sometimes an email (to a lesser extent). Instant communication! This is not to say it is not educational, just that as digital immigrants like to talk on the phone or face to face, digital natives like to 'talk' via txt/facebook/instant messaging/skype through their computer or their mobile phone.
Monday 28 February 2011
Saturday 26 February 2011
Learning Styles
I have completed the online questionaire by Felder and Solomon and my results are as follows...
If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of the scale.
If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment that favours that dimension.
If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.
What is your learning style? What sorts of learning experiences would suit you best with your learning style?
I have a score of 1 on the Sensing vs Intuitive scale which indicates a very balanced learning style. I do enjoy learning facts and using proven methods to solve problems but I feel equally at ease with abstract ideas and being innovative.
Sequential learning style is a slight preference over Global learning with a score of 3 on this dimension of the scale. I am a very logical person and prefer a logical stepwise mode of learning but I do easily make large leaps between subject matter and do enjoy linking ideas and concepts.
The score of 11 as an Active learner is a bit of a worry as it suggest that using Reflective learning is not going to work for me.
I have a score of 9 as a Visual learner which suggests that I would have some difficulty learning without an environment that supports visual learning styles.
What sort of learning experiences would suit me?
I would thrive in an environment with hands on activities enriched with visual stimuli linking the activity with the theory. Learning by doing would be very appealing.
In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?
There would be a diverse range of learning styles in a classroom of 25 students and this would require a diverse range of strategies to engage all of the students during a lesson. Group activity work could be employed to engage the active learners and to strengthen the reflective learners in this style of learning. A quiet reflection time at the end of a lesson would similarly benefit both learning styles.
Use of an overview of the lesson as well as a step by step list detailing facts/activities that will be covered could engage both sequential and global learners. Visually stimulating activities such as the use of colour, diagrams, graphs and digital technologies would be appropriate.
With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?
Interactive whiteboards offer an abundance of opportunities to provide stimulating learning design in the classroom. They can be used with the teacher at the front of the class instructing the students or as a group activity where students are interacting themselves with the whiteboard thus being suitable for both active and reflective learning styles. IWBs are ideal for the use of colour and movement, photographs and diagrams and as many different combinations of learning only limited by the teachers imagination.
Educational games, instructional videos, research information, images and educational resources are available online to enhance lessons in a variety of ways.
Computers are an essential part of the classroom with many applications designed specifically for education.
What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?
. Do you prefer to work with others in a group or do you prefer to work by yourself?
. Do you prefer to participate in an science experiment or watch a demonstration?
. Do you prefer to learn facts or do you prefer to hear about the big picture?
. Do you prefer diagrams and pictures or words to explain a topic?
If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of the scale.
If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment that favours that dimension.
If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.
What is your learning style? What sorts of learning experiences would suit you best with your learning style?
I have a score of 1 on the Sensing vs Intuitive scale which indicates a very balanced learning style. I do enjoy learning facts and using proven methods to solve problems but I feel equally at ease with abstract ideas and being innovative.
Sequential learning style is a slight preference over Global learning with a score of 3 on this dimension of the scale. I am a very logical person and prefer a logical stepwise mode of learning but I do easily make large leaps between subject matter and do enjoy linking ideas and concepts.
The score of 11 as an Active learner is a bit of a worry as it suggest that using Reflective learning is not going to work for me.
I have a score of 9 as a Visual learner which suggests that I would have some difficulty learning without an environment that supports visual learning styles.
What sort of learning experiences would suit me?
I would thrive in an environment with hands on activities enriched with visual stimuli linking the activity with the theory. Learning by doing would be very appealing.
In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?
There would be a diverse range of learning styles in a classroom of 25 students and this would require a diverse range of strategies to engage all of the students during a lesson. Group activity work could be employed to engage the active learners and to strengthen the reflective learners in this style of learning. A quiet reflection time at the end of a lesson would similarly benefit both learning styles.
Use of an overview of the lesson as well as a step by step list detailing facts/activities that will be covered could engage both sequential and global learners. Visually stimulating activities such as the use of colour, diagrams, graphs and digital technologies would be appropriate.
With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?
Interactive whiteboards offer an abundance of opportunities to provide stimulating learning design in the classroom. They can be used with the teacher at the front of the class instructing the students or as a group activity where students are interacting themselves with the whiteboard thus being suitable for both active and reflective learning styles. IWBs are ideal for the use of colour and movement, photographs and diagrams and as many different combinations of learning only limited by the teachers imagination.
Educational games, instructional videos, research information, images and educational resources are available online to enhance lessons in a variety of ways.
Computers are an essential part of the classroom with many applications designed specifically for education.
What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?
. Do you prefer to work with others in a group or do you prefer to work by yourself?
. Do you prefer to participate in an science experiment or watch a demonstration?
. Do you prefer to learn facts or do you prefer to hear about the big picture?
. Do you prefer diagrams and pictures or words to explain a topic?
These are very simplistic ideas and I would hope to develop a more rigorous approach than this.
How does ICT support differences in learning styles?
Due to the very nature of ICT, it is ideal to support different learning styles. It can be used for group or individual work. ICT by its very nature can be very visual but also very auditory.
Many devices can be used for students with disabilities to enhance their learning. For example, keyboards are useful for students with handwriting difficulties and software is available to cater for students with vision difficulties.
How long before we see iPads or a similar device as a standard piece of equipment for our classrooms?
I think that we are on the edge of an ICT revolution! The speed at which technologies are being developed and improved upon is accelerating and it will be a challenge to keep abreast of all the opportunities that will become available.
How does ICT support differences in learning styles?
Due to the very nature of ICT, it is ideal to support different learning styles. It can be used for group or individual work. ICT by its very nature can be very visual but also very auditory.
Many devices can be used for students with disabilities to enhance their learning. For example, keyboards are useful for students with handwriting difficulties and software is available to cater for students with vision difficulties.
How long before we see iPads or a similar device as a standard piece of equipment for our classrooms?
I think that we are on the edge of an ICT revolution! The speed at which technologies are being developed and improved upon is accelerating and it will be a challenge to keep abreast of all the opportunities that will become available.
Thursday 24 February 2011
Multiple Intelligence
As suggested in the Week one ICT Activities, I have undertaken the Multiple Intelligences Test at the Birmingham Grid for Learning Multiple Intelligences Website.
I believe this test has rendered a fairly accurate picture of my strengths and weaknesses and was very pleasantly surprised to have confirmation of my perception of self.
Strengths
According to the test, I am People Smart, Number Smart, Word Smart and Picture Smart or in other words, have Interpersonal, Logical, Linguistic and Visual/Spatial Intelligences.
Yes, this is me. I love talking and being with others and am very empathic (I feel your pain). On the flipside, I am very logical and mathematical, I love puzzles and Mr Spock is my hero. I love reading and books, spelling comes naturally but I am not a great writer. I think in pictures/images, can read a map
and love all forms of art and craft. To provide evidence, I will tell you about myself. I have Physics and Maths Bachelor Degree and a Diploma in Meteorology. My career for 14 years was as a Weather Forecaster, analysing maps and writing weather forecasts and communicating with people.
Weaknesses
My Kinaesthetic, Naturalistic, Music and Intrapersonal skills are not so developed.
Hmmm, I am clumsy and I could possibly do a wobble just standing still. I knocked another GDLT student's lunch out of her hands this week. Oops! Yes, I am kinaesthetically challenged. I took tennis lessons for a while, but while my brain understood the physics of Federer's backhand, my body would just not comply.
My musical skill is non-existent. I love listening to music and I love singing, but even my children ask me not to sing. Quite sad really. I am completely in awe of singers and musicians.
I love nature, walking, hiking and camping and have no trouble understanding it in a scientific and artistic/aesthetic manner but I am a bit scared of animals and things that move.....like moths or dogs. I just don't understand them at all, in a physical sense.
During the residential school, one of the students made the comment that Number Smart and Word Smart don't go together. In my world (and mind) however, numbers and words are just different languages/patterns/sequences and logic and comprehension go hand in hand. For me also, the visual is an equally important part of this idea. A triumvirate, if you will. I must have a visual image to be able to understand, either in my mind or on paper in front of me. By writing my ideas down, or taking notes and seeing what I have written, I have another visual input. If I cannot visualise/imagine then I cannot understand.
How would this information help tailor my learning design?
I need a lot of visual stimulation to achieve optimum learning so I would choose options that would engage me visually. Perhaps realising that physically, I am not completely aware of my own space , there maybe some strategies that enhance and develop those senses. One might be incorporating some yoga or meditation into my daily routine which potentially would not only help develop my intrapersonal skills but increase my awareness of my own body. Mathematics and music are linked and maybe exploring the mathematical side of music might be a strategy to increase awareness and understanding.
Julienne
My results code: nw36dd50204ds
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Hello!
I would like to introduce myself....
My name is Julienne and I am a mum, wife, daughter, friend and colleague. I am passionate about my family and I love being with and interacting with people. Helping others gives me immense joy. I am very excited and very scared at the same time at the prospect of full time GDLT (primary).
I love using technology but this is my very first blog ever! I am looking forward to experimenting and learning with the many forms of digital technology that are available. More importantly, I am very excited to learn how to effectively implement and evaluate these technologies into the learning environment of primary schools.
My name is Julienne and I am a mum, wife, daughter, friend and colleague. I am passionate about my family and I love being with and interacting with people. Helping others gives me immense joy. I am very excited and very scared at the same time at the prospect of full time GDLT (primary).
I love using technology but this is my very first blog ever! I am looking forward to experimenting and learning with the many forms of digital technology that are available. More importantly, I am very excited to learn how to effectively implement and evaluate these technologies into the learning environment of primary schools.
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