Interactive Whiteboards     This is awesome – a must to look at and listen to!

On my last day of prac this semester I had the chance to watch a few lessons conducted with an Interactive Whiteboard. Wow! It was incredible. The learning technologies that these boards can afford to children is spectacular. One class had been learning all about the Antartic. They then settled down to watch a vodcast on the Antartic. The classroom was transformed in to a cinema as such and the children saw the animas move, they heard the calls of the birds and the seals; they heard the crashing of snow falling in to the icy waters. This Interactive whiteboard brought the Antartic in to the classroom.

I listened to a really interesting debate about interactive smartboards which I urge you to listen to. If you click on the dark pink link at the beginning of this blog it will take you to it.

It debates the good and not so good about interactive whiteboards. The main message is that interactive whiteboards have shown that student engagement and student learning are greatly improved through the use of an interactive whiteboard, and that today’s students are demanding interactivity.

However, as with so many articles i have read and blogged about it says that this learning technology is really only as good as the teacher using it, thus, if the teacher is not particularly proficient with the software, then the learning curve will not be as great or as stimulating for the students as what it could be.

Again there is that underlying message in this video that teachers need to be technologically proficient to teach the students of the future.

I read Janelle’s posting on “Socialising in  Cyberspace” and as a mother of three children (aged 4, 7, and 8), I back Janelle in her thoughts about this new phenomenon . I too am really uncomfortable with people spending vast amounts of what I see as unproductive time on these socialising networks.

While I admit that this obsession with social networking web sites is not my generation and I find it hard to understand, I do find it worrying that people are publishing too much of themselves for the world to see, and also, that we are losing the niceties of society. For example, does anyone write a letter to thank someone for a gift they have received?

When I was little I loved receiving pretty stationery sets with which to write letters to my great-aunts, or to the pen-pals I met when I went camping with my family every Easter.

Nothing I believe, can take away the magic of receiving a hand written letter in the mail. My children’s faces light up when a letter is sent to them. I am still a fan of calling a friend for a chat, or arranging time for a walk and a talk, a coffee in a cafe, or a fun mum’s/girls dinner. I also prefer to look at printed photos with a friend rather than up on some web site they have directed me to!

If you wish to read the article it can be accessed here.

I read an article by Qing Li – “Bullying in the new playground: Research into cyberbullying and cyber victimisation” in the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, (2007). Vol 23(4), 435-454 and it looked at adolescents’ cyberbullying experiences. In this study, one in three adolescents had been a victim of cyber bullying, and one in five have been a perpetuator of cyber bullying. Almost half of the victims did not know who the predators were. I find this really worrying, because cyber bullying is obviously more covert and this makes it harder to track down the person(s) responsible.

The article agrees that while computers in classrooms have a positive effect on learning, the introduction of technology also brings with it a range of new problems eg cyber bullying where electronic technologies are being used to bully others. Li states that too few teachers are aware that their students are victims of cyberbullying, and that as a result of this there are now “…worldwide calls for educators, researchers and policy makers to take action..” to address this problem.

Li says that the researchers who are currently conducting research studies in this area suggest that by introducing anti-bullying programs in schools and treatments for bullying in schools that it may help to reduce cyberbullying. Li also states that schools need to play a significant role in combating cyberbullying.

Li however argues that while schools may restrict internet use and e-mails, it will not prevent people from being victims of cyberbullying because the predators will find other avenues around the schools preventative policies.

I agree with Li that this is a new phenomenon and a frightening problem that requires much research in to how teachers and schools are best going to combat this. I believe hard-line policies and approaches will need to be developed to prevent this as well as making people aware of cyberbullying and what is unacceptable behaviour and unacceptable usage of an electronic device.

My 8 year old daughter has a school e-mail and she gets a thrill out of sending me something from time to time. It is sweet and cute. However, I do not encourage the use of her prowling the internet or making use of e-mail accounts because as a mother, my wish is to protect her from undesirable spam as was commented on in Veronica’s blog. I would not find explaining a Viagra ad to my child hilarious, but highly disturbing.

Photo Ref: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=children+using+computers&page=2

I read with interest Mrs Guyatt’s response to the article “Does Easy do it? Children, Games and Learning” by Papert, S (1998) which puts forth the idea that some children find school hard, or boring, because the teaching methods used by schools ie chalk and talk are not necessarily the way that some children prefer to learn.

The article proposes that children who play lots of computer games ie Play Station, WII, Nintendo, etc may prefer to learn via a joystick, a games console, and an educative game that helps them read or learn maths edutainment style.

While I think this is a good theory, and quite a plausible one, I still think some children spend far too much time on computer games and I would not want to see such learning enter the classrooms. My step-sons spend too much time playing computer games and they are socially inept. They have trouble playing with children for long periods of time and constantly ask if they can play the play station.  I would hate to see them spend even more time playing on a computer – even if it is helping them to learn.

Photo Ref: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=computer+games&m=text

Shu-Hui Hsieh Chang and Roger A Smith have written an article “Effectiveness of Personal Interation in a Learner-Centred Paradigm Distance Education Class Based on Student Satisfaction” in the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Volume 40, No. 4, Summer 2008.

The article extols the benefits of distance education, praising it for making learning accessible to students all day, everyday; allowing them much control over their learning schedules; and for being a ‘wall-less university’ in effect allowing people the chance to undertake a degree without having to physically relocate closer to the university where the particular degree is offered.

However, one downside of the virtual classroom, according to Perez (2001) is that many students report that they miss the personal interation between the lecturer and their fellow students.

The students further report that virtual classrooms prevent them from asking questions of their lecturer, and engaging in discussions with their fellow classmates.

Rost (2001) says research regarding “distance education, and on-line instructors” could potentially decrease the quality of Education.

After reading this article, I have taken on board the criticisms of student satisfaction with distance education, but I still feel that distance education is a great way forward, and that it makes tertiarty education so much more accessible to people who might not be able to attend a course physically. I feel that distance education is fair and equitable, and I believe that students should be able to ask their lecturers questions via e-mail, and participate in class discussions via podcasts, and blogs.

Distance Education has my vote.

Thank you Monique and thank you NSW Department of Education and Training for publishing and directing us to the article “The A-Z of Technology”.

Why is this so great?

It’s great becasue we are not of the generation that we teach and so many of us are not up with the technology or jargon that our students use. I believe that as teachers, it is imperative that we have some understanding as to where our students are coming from, what things excite them and where their head-space is at.

This article keeps you connected to your class and makes you feel less of an alien when you are teaching a generation who is so very different from yourself.

I am like you Jenelle, and I do wonder if educational blogging for school children is useful. I agree with what the artilces by both Stephen Downes (2004) Educause Review Vol 39 no5 pgs 14 -26 and All the Worlds a stage, by Fallon say in that educational blogging IS an avenue for parents to review and keep themselves updated with their child’s class work; for students to catch up on work; for homework, handouts and supplementary material, as well as  mentoring other students.

Yes, I do agree with you that it exposes them to a wider audience and it gives them a voice, which is all positive, but I do fear that it exposes them to to wide an audience, and leaves them at the mercy of predators.

For me, the jury is still out on the uses of educational blogging!

A computer software package has been developed called Personal Problem Solving Guide (PPSG) that helps children deal with health and social decisions re: smoking, bullying, sex, alcohol and drugs.

Students in American schools who get in to trouble often or who have trouble with social skills, or emotional issues are referred to a Social Decision Making Lab where they work with a facilitator and PPSG to help them work through their issues by making their own decisions.

I think it is a great use of computers and computer software because, for example, if a child is being bullied, the computer will ask how the bullies make them feel, what do they wish would happen to the bullies, and how can they explore ways of dealing with bullying and their emotions.

The program asks the child several times how they can deal with bullying and their emotions in order to have the child write not just one or two responses, but several responses to how they can deal with bullying. The idea is that when the child leaves the lab, they have several concrete ways on a  print out that they will use to help them deal with the issues they face. The great thing about this is, they have tried to implement their own strategies to over come their issues.

This information was in an article called “Using Technology to Promote Healthy Decision Making”, by Victoria Poedubicky, Lois Brown, Heather Hoover, and Maurice J Elias. It was in the journal “Learning and Leading with Technology” Volume 8, Number 4, Dec/Jan 2000-01, which is published by the International Society for Technology in Education, which is housed at the University of Oregon.

I read an article called “A Love of Learning” by Kim Cotton, in Issue 08 of “Click” magazine. “Click” magazine is produced and printed by the Department of Education and Training, Sydney.

I really agreed with the article becasue it spoke about a need for computers being in children’s lives, but it also spoke about the need for parents to turn off the computers and spend time with their children, so as to ensure that computers did not disconnect families.

The article was balanced becasue it said small amounts of computers usage was a positive in children’s lives as long as the parents used the ‘on-line’ time to connect with their children.

It suggested some of the ways were to spend time exploring the internet with your child; asking children to show you the new skills they have learnt; and directing your child to fun useful sites and saving them as favourites.

The article rang true with my beliefs on computers in the lives of children – while it supported computer usage in a child’s life, it still agreed that children do need to spend time off-line connecting and physically playing with other children.

Cheer, cheer for this article.