NZ taking lead in classrooms of the future

TV NZ had a news clip on recently about classrooms of the future which is well worth watching.

Classrooms without pens and paper, and lessons given online, could soon be the classrooms of the future. This is already starting in some NZ schools.

A Ministry of Education pilot programme at Howick College has allowed students to use their cellphones in the classroom.

This style, called mobile learning, was moving the learning out of the classroom and into the family and community. Teaching and learning is no longer confined to the classroom but is also outside the four walls. Many classrooms have their own blogs and wikis.

More on e-portfolios

As I am part of a group talking about our experiences with e-portfolios I have been thinking a lot about things that I have found this year.

One of the things I have always found is that you can not assume that everyone has the ICT skills at the start. Scaffolding must be put in place for students which will also help them to become independent learners. Someone this year produced tutorials with a lot of information on a page. Our students became confused and would ring/email or come and see me for extra help. I used 'just in time learning' and produced a small book of how to tutorials which were placed in our online learning environment. What students liked with these was that there was only one concept for each tutorial so that they didn't become confused.

Our students use Mahara as do a lot of schools here in NZ. They do not share their e-portfolios with each other although the option is there. I personally would like to see them sharing and giving each other constructive feedback.

I certainly agree with Ewan McIntosh's comment that e-portfolios should be:

for the whole, open web: otherwise we set ourselves up for nearly only
introspective learning with people who share our viewpoints, cultural biases and
outlook on learning and life.

I found that a lot of students wanted feedback from me throughout the course - how much better to get feedback from their peers as well as others from completely different backgrounds.

At an intermediate school in Auckland children have been developing their e-portfolios for some time. A long time ago I discussed Jess's eportfolio on this blog:

I find this e-portfolio inspiring as I can see how Jess developed this over the three years. You can see the growth in her learning as well as how she is also a ‘guide on the side’ to other’s learning (through discussion areas she has on her wiki, tutorials or videos she has developed for the learning ).

This e-portfolio was started in 2007 by Jess and developed through 2008 and 2009. It uses a range of Web 2 tools to demonstrate her personal growth and learning and is fully public as she uses several wikis and blogs. She has done blogs which include reflections about her learning for example there are different blogs for her science inquiries. In her wiki she has a page where she asked her parent’s opinions on what they would like to see in her e-portfolio. This was recorded and put into her wiki. She has developed an area for her own ‘voice’ where she talks about Web 2 tools and 21st century learning.

Jess gets feedback from all over the world – this is authentic and meaningful for her. It is interesting to see how these comments were continuing through 2009 and that Jess was still developing her e-portfolio then – becoming a life-long learner (although no longer being at the school). It is also interesting that the high school she goes to does not continue these on.

E-portfolios

We have been using e-portfolios with our students as part of their first year programme. These are to be continued throughout their training and hopefully beyond. I have made a small video to explain about the stages of the portfolio process and how the technology can enhance a portfolio - i.e. e-portfolio.

E-portfolios are being used in many New Zealand schools so it is important that our students understand them for when they are teaching themselves. We are using Mahara which has been developed here in New Zealand.

It is interesting that Mahara and other LMS are for private use or just with a small community of peers for example. I really like the way some children in Auckland used wikis and blogs to make their e-portfolios. Jess made this one back in 2008. You see some real value in her e-portfolio when you read all the comments that have been made. This is what other e-portfolios lack.

I have also made a Prezi about e-portfolios for anyone interested.

The Tate Movie Project

The Tate Movie Project is a great Web 2 site for schools.

The project is for schools in the UK however there is no reason why other children cannot use the site. I set up an account to check it out. You design your avatar and then visit the studio where you become involved with making the movie. As you complete each step you get an award.

In this site the children design characters, write their story and make the storyboard. They use animation and sound in their movies. I can see this site being a great hit with children and would really motivate reluctant writers.

Spreadsheets

I have just been reading Terry Freedman's post on spreadsheets.

I was so pleased to see someone voicing my thoughts.

The spreadsheet above was used for children to check their tables, there are different worksheets for each one.

I love spreadsheets for all sorts of things - I make many that can be used in all sorts of ways.

This idea is simple and can be used in any curriculum area. It uses a if/then statement, it changes the red sad face to a smiling green one and gives the user their score.

In this example the user has to solve the problems in order to uncover the hidden graphic.

I have found some ideas like this to be really useful and fun to use in the classroom. Many children then want to learn to make these themselves - learning in an authentic and meaningful context.

In our pre-service teacher training we do not use spreadsheets with our students in any way. It is such a shame I think as they are so great and versatile for the classroom. The thinking by many people is that 'spreadsheets are old hat, no one uses them any more'. I wonder if others agree with this?

Creaza

Another great Web 2 tool for the classroom is Creaza. This site has several different parts to it requiring one login.

Mindomo: With this tool you can make mindmaps for visual learning, developing creativity and problem solving. You can organise and present your ideas visually.

Cartoonist: with this tool you can create your own cartoons. You can use their professional backgrounds, characters, props, images and text. You can also create title cards, speech balloons, thought balloons, or scream balloons. You can also combine all this with your own images.

MovieEditor: MovieEditor is an online video editor to create movies, complete with professional-looking titles, transitions, effects, animation, music, and narration. It is a timeline-based video editor, similar to traditional desktop-based video editing tools. The difference - MovieEditor is web-based and a web browser with Adobe Flash gives you instant access! You can export the result to your favourite media player, or directly to YouTube or Facebook.

AudioEditor: AudioEditor is an online audio editor for recording, slicing, and mixing audio. It is useful if you want to publish the finished sound clip as a podcast.

This tool follows established conventions for sound editing, allowing you to place sound files along a timeline, across several channels.

You can also record sound and add it as a track on top of your final edit.

Digital Story Tellling

I came across a site recently which interested me. It is The Elements of Digital Story Telling. Digital story telling is a great idea to use in the classroom. Something the teacher needs to think about is the different types of media that can be used and the different combinations. Digital story telling may be done using a single medium, multiple mediums (where two or more mediums are used but not interwoven), or multimedia (where two or more mediums are woven together in a seamless presentation).



They are looking at such questions as:

• What is unique about the digital environment?
• How do users respond to it?
• How can its potential be maximised?

These are all questions we, as teachers, want to know about.

On this site you will find:

• A taxonomy of digital story telling
• An analysis of current practices
• A showcase of innovative story forms

Dropbox

I have downloaded a great tool from the web - and it is free (as a teacher don't we love the free stuff?). Dropbox.

Dropbox allows you to put files into a single folder and share between computers or with others. It is great.

Here is a great video to explain Dropbox.

University Educators as Role Models

Guest Post
By Kate Cunningham

Educators are excellent and natural role models for the students they teach and are often held in fairly high regard. When learning a subject matter they are truly interested in, students can often be drawn to the professor in hopes of finding guidance, advice and support. And because students at the age of young adulthood often look to people of success and power when searching for outside influences, many will strive to emulate their professors in academic, social and professional ways. Generally, there are three types of role models recognized at the university level: academic, mentor and citizen.

Academic role models are the most common role models associated with university level educators and professors. As the name suggests, students will look to their professors as leaders in their academic discipline and admire their scholastic successes. Professors are academicians and scholars that have extensive experience and expertise in their field of study. They also strive to engage their students and to provide them with a thorough education. Research studies have proven that students that are taught by successful, interesting, encouraging and engaging professors often show improvements in their grades and personal growth. Academic role models challenge their students, provide them with stimulating information and foster their love of learning.

A mentoring role model is one who becomes personally interested in their students, their careers and futures. This type of professor is generally active in the field professionally and provides students not only with an environment of educational excellence, but also with moral support, encouragement, advice, and career development in the field. While there can be a fine line between mentoring and inappropriate relationships, many professors can take an appropriate vested interest in students who show great promise in the field. Experts believe that students with university level mentors have increased chances of career development and employment opportunities. This is due to the fact that fostering a relationship with a professional that is already in the field can offer students a great deal of insight, advice and connections. Mentoring role models can individualize their students, taking into account any special circumstance, limitation or talents. They provide career guidance by relating personal experiences in a supportive manner.

The last type of role model is that of citizen. This type of professor takes the education outside of the classroom and is incredibly active in the community. They aim to represent the school and classroom in the outside world and for the betterment of society. Students will look to these types of university level educators as a model for contributing, helpful and professional members of a community. This person could hold a leadership role in local government, volunteer with local organization and non profits or even organize charity events.

While there are several types of role models professors can embody, there is no denying that a professional educator who is engaging, active, compassionate and interested in the futures of their students can make a great impact on the young minds they aim to shape.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Kate Cunningham, who writes on the topics of online university rankings. Kate is a Junior English Major at the University of Texas, and is also freelance part-time as a writer for onlineuniversityrankings.com. She welcomes your questions and comments at her email Id: cn.kate1 @ gmail.com.

Lifelong learning in a digital age

Steve Wheeler has put a new presentation into SlideShare, it says it all. I find it so interesting that in tertiary institutions, where they are training people to be classroom teachers, they lecture to their students about these points but still in the old dreary mass lectures (where you see the students dozing off - some things don't change - or text messaging - the newer way to disengage). I wonder sometimes if these lecturers ever consider themselves to be good role models for their students?

I know that some teachers or lecturers are slowly changing but I wonder how long it will take before others do? Does money have anything to do with it?

Lifelong learning in a digital age

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler.