Digital technology reflective synopsis...

Welcome to my reflective synopsis of digital tools and technologies. Throughout this synopsis I wish to take you on a journey and hope that in doing so my learning expedition may become part of yours. This learning journey, like any journey, has been met with snags and road blocks along the way. Digital technology is not without flaw and when Internet connection is slow, lost or times out, Windows or Internet explorer crashes, wiki pages develop 'bugs', links are broken or become inactive, web pages become temporarily unavailable or draft versions cannot be saved frustration levels can rise and so with frustration now out of the way let the journey begin...  

The advancements of information and communication technology (ICT) over recent years has changed the way we communicate, acquire knowledge, share information and learn (Sciadas, n.d., p. 6) These changes and the rate of change has placed learning managers in a predicament whereby they are now faced with preparing learners for an unknown future (TEDtalks, 2006).

Increasing global reliance on digital technology both socially and professionally demands a need  for digital literacy. One of the many roles of the today's learning manager is to suitably prepare learners for the digital world and digital literacy and the application thereof is an ever increasing priority (Jones-Kavalier & Flannigan, n.d.). Our ability as learning managers to effectively facilitate e learning in the learning environment is no longer an nicety but a necessity.

Effective learning managers model the use of and kit themselves with digital teaching and learning tools. Learner interactivity and involvement in an e learning environment is vital for learners to gain user experience and application knowledge. The new generations (generally speaking) have been exposed to digital technology from birth and therefore can be referred to as natives of the digital world. With this in mind, learners can become disengaged without the effective use of digital technology in education. (Prensky, 2005).

With the many digital tools that are available for use in teaching and learning environments it is easy to feel overwhelmed and confused at which tool is best suited to fulfil learning objectives. Selecting the 'right' tool for task is a vital part of effective e learning management. With digital learning opportunities on the increase and with ICT's changing and evolving regularly, learning managers must adopt a technology learning continuum and be prepared to adapt to change as required (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, n.d.). It is reasonable to ask questions like "where will it stop?" or "Is there an end?"

I personally feel like I know less now than I did before because my eyes have been 'opened' to a whole new world that I was somewhat oblivious to - the 'digital technology world'. Perhaps it was ignorance on my part that led me to believe that it was possible to be an effective learning manager with the limited use of information, communication and digital technologies in the classroom! It appears that I was wrong and I now wish to reflect on some of the tools that I have recently explored...

The use of wikis in a learning environment is an excellent option for collaborative, connective learning, with each learner having the ability to share knowledge individually and collectively to reach a common objective. Internet users from all around the world can participate in the collective creation of wiki documents or wiki projects (Augar, Raitman & Zhou, n.d.). Wikis however, are not without implication and learning managers can be challenged with learner participation/involvement and engagement.

Whilst participating in a recent mobile phone wiki project I was able to see that learner participation was vast and varied but overall collectively pleasing. There were differing approaches to task but the objective was met by the effective use of scaffolding. I noted that the scaffolding used in this instance (Debono's Thinking Hats) not only guided the learning but encouraged higher order thinking and critical evaluation - without it learning would have been random, limited and chaotic, wikis need scaffolding.

A digital tool that is often overused in learning environments is that of PowerPoint. Perhaps convenience and comfort could be the possible reason for this and as an effective measure if the presentation aids the presenter more than the learner then the PowerPoint presentation is not being used effectively (ultimately a set of notes on a podium may serve the same purpose). When effectively used, PowerPoint has the ability to assist learners in the cognitive construction of knowledge by introducing that which can not be covered in word alone, ie digital video and imagery, animations, graphs, story boards, interactive activities, timelines, sound and concept mapping to name but a few.

PowerPoint has the ability to really engage learners but on the other hand it can have the adverse effect. Common presentation problems can included the use of too many slides, slides that are too 'wordy', overuse of bullet points and too much information. A good rule to remember is that variety is valued and balance is brilliance (too much of one thing is generally not a good thing!).

Digital imagery is yet another powerful tool for teaching and the fact that visual literacy is now being regarded as being of equal importance to 'main stream' literacy it's vital that learning managers 'get it right' (Davis, 2008, p. 7) We live in a visual world and therefore relate extremely well to picture, however there are challenges surrounding the use of digital images in learning environments. It's important to understand that digital imagery can either 'make' or 'break' learning! It can either reinforce learning and promote learner engagement or distract and denote learning.

To ensure success in using digital images for teaching purposes consideration should be made as to image relevance, appropriation, interpretation (one image can raise as many varying opinions as the number of students in the classroom!), parental permission (where required), purpose and reasoning behind image use. Prior to using an image questions should be asked such as: "What am I trying to achieve by presenting this image, what's the purpose?", "What emotive behaviour will this image promote?", "Is it relevant, can it be misinterpreted?" From a personal view point I recently read a blog posting that had a conflicting picture which distracted me greatly from the reading in such a way that all I can now remember is the picture and nothing of what was written!

Blogging in another effective learning tool and supports a constructivist learning approach. Whether it's in the creation or the reading of a blog there's learning involved. "Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom" (Department of Education, Western Australia, n.d.) Like everything however, blogs also have implications.

Learners can be intimidated by the thought of sharing information, whereby others may share inappropriate information or visit more tangents than topics! It is therefore necessary at times (objective dependent) to utilise scaffolding to guide the learning. Scaffolding tools such as PMI charts and SWOT analysis are but few of many that can be used. I have personally noticed that when using scaffolding in blogs the depth and breadth of reflection greatly increases.
 
Unlikely adventures require unlikely tools (Helm 2007). Effective simulations and interactive web activities can model and substitute 'real world' experiences in a safe and controlled manner (Marks, 2005). I recently had chance to explore interactive simulations and was affected by an activity called Darfur is dying. It brought to my attention how desperate some of the refugees must be for peace and freedom as they live their lives in fear.

In some ways it has changed perspective of refugees in making their situation 'more real' to me. Furthermore, this experience encouraged me to research and learn more about the motivation behind the creation of 'Darfur is dying'. I discovered that it was to promote global awareness of the genocide in Sudan and to generate humanitarian aid and support and therefore the activity fulfilled it's intended purpose.

Darfur is dying could easily be incorporated in a study of refugee awareness for a social studies topic. From an e learning perspective a PowerPoint presentation on refugees could be created and presented, an interactive simulation used, a visit to an affected country with Google Earth, possible communication with refugee representatives on Skype, topic related web research, a structured wiki activity with appropriate scaffolding followed by some reflective blogging could bring about some really powerful learning!     

An important aspect to remember in using digital tools is that learning comes from the journey, not the destination (Don Williams), it's an expedition! Not everyone can explore a desert on camel back but many can explore a desert with the aid of PowerPoint, digital sounds, digital images, digital video and Google Earth!

The more we make the learning 'alive', the more we make the learning 'real', the more we help our learners to 'see' and the more we help our learners to 'feel' the more effective the learning will be and digital technology is an effective means in doing so - this is what I have really taken from managing e learning thus far and this is what I really believe it's about.
 

Reference List

Sciadas, G. (n.d.) Our lives in digital times.
Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/56f0004m/56f0004m2006014-eng.pdf

TEDtalks. (2006). Do schools kill creativity: Sir Ken Robinson 
TEDTalks [video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY

Jones-Kavalier, B., & Flannigan, S. (n.d.) Connecting the digital dots: Literacy of the 21st century Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/ConnectingtheDigitalDotsLitera/157395

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage or enrage me.
Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (n.d.) E learning & ICT.
Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/elearning/proflearn.htm

Augar, N., Raitman, R., & Zhou, W. (n.d.) Teaching and learning online with wikis.
Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/pdf/augar.pdf

Davis, D. (2008). First we see.
Retrieved from http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/36372/NRVE_Final_Report.pdf 

Department of Education, Western Australia. (n.d.) Blogs in education.
Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

Helm, Z. (Author & Director), & Gladstein, R (Producer). (2007).
Mr Megorium's wonder emporium [Motion picture]. 

Marks, D. (2005). Commentary on simulation in education.
Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/class/symbsys205/commentaryonsimulationineducation.htm

You spin me right around baby!

Several months ago I was sitting in the lounge room with my amazed father, looking at an aeriel picture followed by a street view picture of my brother's house in New Zealand on Google Earth! It really is an amazing experience to 'have' a view of the world in the palm of your hands and to be able to visit just about anywhere with the click and scroll of a mouse. At this point we could actually question the need for a physical globe in the class room with the accessibility of Google Earth but we must consider that an actual 'physical' model of the globe is important to assist learners kinesthetically, particularly with the interactive globes that are available today - to see is one thing, to touch and feel is another.

The teaching opportunities with Google Earth are quite limitless when you think about how it can compliment the learning of history, geography, science, main stream literacy, social and environmental studies and global connectivity. Let's take a subject topic like renewable energy for example with a focus on wind farms... the class has just learnt about wind power generation, seen images of wind turbines, studied the basic science behind the operational aspects, explored the advantages and disadvantages of this form of power generation but they haven't yet seen a wind farm nor have they seen global positioning of such. Here's where Google Earth can make a big difference as a learning tool in the classroom! The learners can use Google Earth to locate and 'tour' previously selected wind farms on the globe and 'see' for themselves, making the learning 'real' to them.

In preparing this posting and using Google Earth to visually visit a wind farm in South Australia my children were instantly drawn to the screen asking questions like: "Dad, what are you doing?" "Can I have a look?" Whilst I was learning and exploring the many avenues of Google Earth they stayed by my side - there's certainly no issue with engagement and this led to the exploration of other things so distraction is something to watch for! I found it interesting and somewhat disappointing to discover that my children have not yet experienced learning with Google Earth in their classroom environments - it's something that I will definitely be utilising where appropriate as a future learning manager.

What we did together is make a tour of the Starfish Hill Wind Farm in South Australia using the recording tool on Google Earth. I couldn't really work out how to share it in this posting and gave up after several attempts. However I do have the map coordinates of the site if you are interested in viewing and giving the recording option a go: 35°34'18.28" S 138°09'39.47" E

The real beauty about Google Earth is that it allows you to be there without actually 'being there' and I wish that when I attended primary and secondary studies that the technology was available for us to electronically visit places for the day like Rome for example rather than just reading about it!

Interestingly, the Google Earth tool bar has some great application options which include measuring, recording (both voice and tour), exploring the sky, moon or mars, viewing maps, printing, sharing or emailing places, changing the time of day and lighting aspect on the earth, adding a place mark or path, viewing historical imagery, overlaying imagery and there's more but I'm really at infant stages in my exploration thus far so there may yet be a sequel - stay posted!

The Google Earth Education Community have a great website which assists in learning more about the application of Google Earth in education including tutorials, please feel free to peruse at your leisure...  



 

Visual Communication

What is this picture telling you? Was it a mistake or intentional? Is it art? Who took it? Why? What were the circumstances? What does it represent? Does it have a meaning?..... and so many more questions and so very open to interpretation!

This picture was taken by my oldest son as part of an art project. He was experimenting one day with pencil shavings and he liked how they looked and wanted to create artwork with them. He chose the colours he wanted to use and as he sharpened the pencils he allowed the shavings to fall randomly on a white piece of paper like Autumn leaves falling to the ground and consequently the picture is called 'Autumn'. He deliberately took the photo at close range to create a slightly 'out of focus' image to promote softness and colour blending. Is that what you were thinking?  

Many have heard Napoleon Bonaparte's quotation: "a picture paints a thousand words" or perhaps even Vincent Van Gogh's saying in that "a good picture is worth a good deed". It's interesting when you stop and really think about how much we rely on pictures for communication in everyday life. Our expressive terms, our verbal communication, our non verbal gestures and movements paint a picture of our daily lives.

Many of us have found ourselves sitting and listening to a friend or family member as they try to 'paint a picture' of a recent personal experience through verbal communication. I can recall many instances when I have been given an object description or a place description only later (after 'seeing for myself') realising the great differences between verbal and visual communication and perception - "It looks nothing like I thought it would"! We have all experienced times when someone starts drawing a picture or a diagram to help 'show' us what something 'looks' like! Our increasing reliance on imagery is really quite fascinating! How often have have you asked questions like: "Have you got a 'picture' of it?"  "Can I please have a 'look'?" Or what about a statement like:.. "I'd really like to 'see' that!"

Everywhere around the world people are drawn to pictures and imagery. From the first 'permanent' photograph (approximately 200 years ago) to what we have available today in digital photographic and video technology the world has made quantum leaps and changes in how we actually communicate. Proof of this can be found with an increasing number of universities now catering for a variety of courses in visual communication whereby once it was merely a thought. Please refer to the following advertisement from The University of Western Sydney...

A Career in Visual Communication

As a Visual Communication graduate, you'll enjoy a broad and exciting range of career options. You may work as a:

• graphic designer
• photographer
• illustrator
• art director
• design journalist
• information designer
• interactive multimedia designer
• web designer
• design educator
• animator
• television or video designer

As learning managers we are not going to have the same qualifications as a visual communication graduates (unfortunately) but hopefully what we will have is a great respect for visual communication, to know when and where to use it and to appreciate its value and power in the learning environment. The power of a picture must never be underestimated!     

Below, I have used a PMI chart to explore the pluses, minuses and implications/interests on using digital images as a learning tool...

P M I           Pluses, Minuses, and Interesting/Implications

TOPIC: Using digital images in learning environments....

+	-	i
Learner engagement Assist in knowledge retention  Promotion of critical thinking Promotion of creativity Creates discussion focus Supports text and learning Promotion of emotive behaviour Images are memorable Convenient - easily accessible Learner interactivity Activates visual sense Can be used to support scaffolding A universal language Aids in visual literacy development	Learner distraction Promotion of emotive behaviour Misinterpretation Open interpretation  Conflicting morals/values Over use - desensitisation Under use - just 'another' bunch of words Selectivity - finding the 'right' image can be time consuming Image availability Additional resources required Parental opposition/objection Not all learners are 'visual'	Copyright infringements Picture appropriation Parental permission Child protection Digital resource availability Web safety Image accessibility  Picture suitability/topic relevance Digital imagery knowledge requirements  Up-skilling to meet technology advancement demands Must be used in balance and in coordination with other learning tools to be 'truly' effective

And... I'm sure that there is much more that can be added to the list but it's important for us as learning managers to critically evaluate the use of digital images in learning environments - only then can we truly appreciate their worth and know of the implications that surround them. The benefits of using digital images and visual communication in learning environments outweighs the implications when considering the promotion of: higher order thinking, critical analysis, critical reflection and creative development (Of course as with anything correct application is required). We can also draw conclusion that learning and practicing visual literacy is vital for not only learning other literacy skills but for our success in in the new age of digital technology both socially and professionally.  

Death by PowerPoint!

How many times have you sat in a classroom or lecture and thought I'd rather stick a pen in my eye than sit through this tedious, brain numbing or *yawn* boring session? You know the ones - where the presenter reads every single word from the power point slides or where each slide contains paragraphs of information - too much to take in! What about when the presenter flips through the slides at such a rapid rate that your brain turns to scrambled egg trying to make sense and reason out of it all! The list goes on... over crowded slides, too many bullet points, under use/over use of multimedia or digital images etc... Please stop that- it's killing me! I don't want to die right here in this PowerPoint presentation!

POWERPOINT IS A CREATIVE BALANCING ACT - too much or too little of one thing is generally a bad thing!

Last year I was involved in a 3 month course whereby on every lecture day PowerPoint presentations were used to supposedly 'enhance' the learning. During the grave yard session (after lunch) I used to find great amusement in watching people fight off the heavy eyes and do everything within their power to 'stay awake'. Great techniques were used like stretching, moving around in the chair, blinking hard, breathing deeply, and lastly the rub of the eyes and the fight with the eyelids. Eventually these people would succumb to a bit of shut eye and 'nod off' for a while - very entertaining for me too see but it's not funny in the sense of the effectiveness of the presentation or in the achievement of the desired learning outcomes.

So from the 3 month course what I can I remember a year down the track? Some of the images, some of the diagrams, most of the digital video presentations, some of the sound effects but interestingly very little of the words.

After learning more about PowerPoint as a teaching and learning tool my opinion of it has changed - it's no longer just a slide presentation to me. When used effectively PowerPoint can be an extremely useful tool in establishing a 'multi-sensory' learning environment, reinforcing learning and scaffolding the learning. The world itself is a multi-sensory environment therefore our brains are accustomed to multi sensory stimulation for learning. Furthermore studies reveal that "uni-sensory stimulus regimes do not engage multi-sensory learning mechanisms and, therefore, might not be optimal for learning" (L. Shams & A. Seitz, n.d.).  In addition to this learners may have differing learning styles and a multi-sensory approach aids in catering for these differences.

Let's think about the senses that we can stimulate through effective usage of PowerPoint as a 'carrier' of information... The first is quite obvious: the visual sense which includes but is not limited to - text, words, sentences, images, diagrams, pictures, visual signs, digital video and visual movement. The auditory sense: sounds and sound effects, music, voices and voice recordings/spoken word. Kinaesthetic involvement - interactive slides that incorporate physical involvement be it with a key board, a mouse, digital pen, voice and or video recorder. Taste and smell do get a little difficult to 'describe' or 'show' only so can be reinforced separately.

Allow me to elaborate using chocolate as an example... I have prepared a lesson on 'manufacturing'. I have used PowerPoint to take us on a tour of a chocolate manufacturing facility with the use of digital images, words, diagrams, recordings, sound effects, interactive slides and digital video. The presentation was a learning success but I now want to add to it. I have organised a block of chocolate from the factory that we just toured. We can now enhance the learning by smelling, touching and tasting the chocolate. Hand in hand, the learning is now completely multi-sensory and the likelihood of complete comprehension and retention looms high. Another benefit is that we have not even stepped foot out of the classroom to do so! What may have taken a day's excursion has now been covered in just over an hour.

Having had chance to use PowerPoint and reflect upon it as a teaching and learning tool I have come to the conclusion that PowerPoint is similar to a carrier pigeon in that it 'carries' a message from learning manager to learner and at times visa versa. The pigeon will always deliver a message whether it be effective, less effective or even relevant depends on what is tied to its foot:)!

   

TPCK...

I've been trying to get my head around the TPCK or TPACK concept properly and I think I have finally done so with the aid of a wiki page that I stumbled across in my research. I think this model (located on the wiki page) helps explains it well...



As you can see 'content knowledge', 'pedagogical knowledge' and 'technical knowledge' interconnect. The cross over between the three categories create 'pedagogical content knowledge', 'technological content knowledge' and 'technological pedagogical knowledge'. Finally, at the heart or core we arrive at TPCK - Technological, pedagogical, content knowledge.

This is the "kind of knowledge required for the effective integration of technology in the classroom" (College of education, Michigan State University).

Many of us have developed a relatively sound pedagogical knowledge - the 'how to teach' part of learning management including how our learners best learn. We understand that content knowledge is our own knowledge about the subject or topic that we are actually managing but technological knowledge is the challenging one.

The pedagogy of teaching is relatively reliable and stable, subtle changes do occur but at a comfortable pace. Content knowledge can be accessed and attained at a rate within our control but technology however is a problem in the sense that "the ground is effectively shifting even as the problem is presenting itself" (College of education, Michigan State University).

As learning managers it is essential that we up-skill regularly to meet the steep technological demands of education. To 'effectively integrate technology into the classroom' we need to ensure that the balance between content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and technical knowledge is sustained. Without this balance the 'core' (TPCK) is directly affected which disrupts the learning environment and our effectiveness to manage it.

For further information please feel free to peruse the wiki page that helped clarify TPCK for me (link available in the opening paragraph).