Multiply the Learning: Multimedia and the Classroom

I am a full supporter of multimedia if it enhances the learning environment. Multimedia allows students to experience and interact with information on a variety of levels. I think it is important to engage students on as many levels as possible. It is unlikely that students will able to actually visit a rainforest during their class. Multimedia can transport the class on a virtual field trip to the rainforest. Students can see and hear the rainforest flora and fauna. With an increasingly litigatious society, teachers are confronted with a bulwark of paperwork and planning when it comes to taking students on field trips. Virtual field trips may take the place of real field trips but not all the learning should happen in the classroom or in front of a computer.

I have concerns about simulations taking the place of actual experience. I know they train fighter pilots in simulators before they put them in a real plane, but they also put them in a real plane before they send them into a real mission. Regarding dissecting frogs, there is something to be said for actually manipulating a scalpel or pair of scissors as opposed to clicking a mouse. Students should not have to interact with their education through clicking a mouse when they could be doing it hands on.

In the end, as I have said before, I am all for integrating technology, including multimedia, in the classroom, but only if it enhances the lesson. Technology is just one of the many teaching tools.

Title of Learning Object: Paper Airplane Flight Simulator

Grade: Six

Subject: Science

Topic: Flight

URL: http://www.workman.com/etcetera/games/fliersclub/

Description of Learning Object:

A flight simulator for paper airplanes? Yes! It is true. This is perhaps one of the most engaging flight simulators that I have ever encountered. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. Three factors can be adjusted 1) the angle at which the plane is thrown, 2) the thrust or velocity of the throw, and 3) the elevator, which is their term for the amount the wings are bent or angled. Simple things for simple minds, but it is simply fun.

Description of Integration:

Who has not wanted to be a pilot at one time or another? Here is your chance. I would theme this lesson in the guise of flight school so that before the flight cadets fly actual planes they must log some hours (in class time it may only be a five to ten minutes) on the simulator.

This simulator tracks the flight cadets’ best flights. This best flight information can be used for a fun competition to see who can fly the farthest and the shortest distances. I would encourage a class discussion on what they are learning about what it takes to fly far or short. This would lead into the design process for their actual paper airplanes. Congratulations for graduating from the simulator!

Planning and Preparation:

· Just to make sure the students do not stumble on anything they should not, I would scan the links from this website.

· Check computers’ software to see if it can run the necessary applications.

· Since it is themed, it would be best to find an appropriate costume or attire for a flight instructor.

· Plan how to run the “competition” so that it does not become too competitive.

· Plan sponge activities, such as visiting other websites that contain educational videos on flight.

· Plan how to transition from working on computers to discussing airplane design and to building their own airplanes.

General Learning Outcome:

6–6 Students will construct devices that move through air, and identify adaptations for controlling flight.

Specific Learning Outcome:

Students will:

3. Conduct tests of glider designs; and modify a design so that a glider will go further, stay up longer or fly in a desired way; e.g., fly in a loop, turn to the right.

4. Recognise the importance of stability and control to aircraft flight; and design, construct and test control surfaces.

Information and Communication Technology Outcome:

Students Will:

C 1: Access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.

2.1: Access and retrieve appropriate information from the Internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locations (URLs).

F2: Students will understand the role of technology as it applies to self, work and society.

2.2 identify the role technology plays in a variety of careers.

F4: Students will become discerning consumers of mass media and electronic information.

2.1 recognize that graphics, video and sound enhance communication.

The Danger is Out There: Steps to Internet Safety

As more and more educators and students use the Internet, the relevance of Internet safety becomes more and more apparent. How do we use the Internet effectively so that students are not wasting time “searching” the Internet? How do we keep students from stumbling upon a porn site or protect them from pedophiles, hate mongers, and/or bullies, and encourage them to take the moral high road and not cheat? This may seem like a tall order, but a little web awareness can go a long way.

Education is key. First, educators, as well as parents, should gain awareness of the potential dangers of the Internet, some of these dangers were just listed. A great site for raising web awareness can be found at the Media Awareness Network. Students’ web awareness can also be developed. Students can be taught the skills to critically assess websites.

Utilising WebQuests are a great tool for keeping students on task, since students are directed to specific websites. WebQuests also protect students from stumbling on inappropriate material. Another method to protect students from inappropriate material is to use child-friendly search engines such as Yahooligans.

In the end the key to promoting web safety is to promote awareness by identifying the dangers and learning the various ways to keep students on task and to protect them from the potential dangers.

Let's Talk About . . .: Discussion Boards in the Classroom

There are numerous pros and cons to using discussion boards in the classroom. A pro is students may feel more comfortable contributing to a discussion board than to an in class discussion. I would like to mention though that I think it is important for students to develop public speaking skills. It might be best not to rely too heavily on discussion boards, but first focus on developing a healthy learning environment in which all students feel comfortable contributing to an in class discussion. Discussion boards may provide students with time to reflect and think about a response before they contribute. Students would also have time to work on their writing skills and work towards making well written and well edited contributions. Their overall content and delivery may be of higher quality. There is a chance for cyber bullying on discussion boards, which is clearly detrimental to a healthy learning environment. The chance of cyber bullying may require more involvement from the monitor, in our case a teacher, which is good. The closer the teacher monitors the discussion board the better because s/he will then gain a better understanding how the students are interacting and what they are discussing. Teachers can still be actively involved in the learning process. I do have an issue with the accessibility to discussion boards. I invite you to continue a discussion on accessibility. Visit vBulletin Forums, under Education 3508--Fall 2007, select Section PQR , and the discussion is under Open Discussion.

There are also several ways discussion boards can enhance the learning experience.

1) The discussion can be initiated in the classroom. Students could then continue the discussion online. As mentioned above, this gives students the chance to think before they answer. Also, due to time constraints not all of the students may have contributed. Everyone can contribute to the discussion board.

2) Discussion boards can enhance writing workshops that are initiated in class. Students can submit work to the bulletin then another student can TAG it, or help with editing. The student can then use this feedback to improve his or her work.

3) Discussion boards can be used for an assignment on debates. Students could practise posting premises backed by evidence. They could also visit other discussion boards in which other people might be debating and, with class instruction, and learn to evaluate the debates.

4) There is potential beneficial for group work. Students no longer need to meet in person, which is sometimes difficult, to co ordinate a group project. The final project could be one that could be totally online, for example a webpage.

5) Discussions can extend beyond the classroom. Students from around the world can contribute to the discussion, which may introduce to students to new ideas and perceptions. Multiculturalism and acceptance of others is important in today’s globalised world.

Finding the Path to Successful Technology Integration: Concept Mapping

Topic A in the grade six social studies curriculum entails an exploration of the needs of the individual and how those needs are met by the local, provincial, and federal levels of government. Students explore the structure of each level of government, including the names of the various leaders, and discover which level of government is responsible for meeting which needs. This concept map provides that information. However, I do not think that I would use this exact concept map in the classroom. Depending on the skills and knowledge of my students, I could leave out certain information, such as the names of the mayor, premier, prime minister, and so on, send my students on a WebQuest to the Lethbridge City Hall, the Alberta Legislature, and Parliament Hill to retrieve the missing data. It would be akin to an electronic fill in the blank. I could also start a lesson in which the students build a basic concept map of something familiar to them. After the students gain confidence with the Inspiration program, I could again send them on a WebQuest to research sites that detail the structure of governments. With this knowledge, students could then go on to build their own concept maps. They could also research the services provided by each level and include that in the map or represent the data in a T chart. In small groups, students could also specialise in one level of the government and represent it in a concept map. That group could then join with another group specialising in different level and link the two concept maps together. This assignment could even include a fieldtrip to City Hall, during which the students could interview a representative of the city and ask them questions about the structure and roles of the municipal government. As I might keep repeating, the limits of tool such as this are limited only by the creativity of the teacher.

Several ICT outcomes are met in the lessons suggested above.

6.S.4. Students will use graphic organizers, such as mind mapping/webbing, flow charting and outlining, to present connections among ideas and information in a problem-solving environment.

6.S.7 Students will access and retrieve appropriate information from the Internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locators (URLs).

and organize information, using such tools as a database, spreadsheet or electronic webbing.

6.S.9 Students will use selected presentation tools to demonstrate connections among various pieces of information.

Together at Last: Technology and Lesson Planning

Title: Legends of the Land

Grade: Five

Activity:

• The aim of the activity is to introduce the students to the cultural diversity of Canada through the stories of the First Nations peoples. Students use the school library to find a book of a First Nations story. After reading the story, students will visit the class website which will direct them to a video recording of a First Nations story. Then they will be directed to a site with an audio recording in Oji-Cree and English. In small groups of two or three, students will discuss what they liked or disliked about the stories, how the stories differed from what they were accustomed, and what they thought of the different media. This discussion could be recorded electronically using a table. Using the information from the table the students will discuss what constitutes a good story. Students will individually draft a story, but only in point form. Students will go through the five steps of writing in small groups. The final product will be a story that they record orally and share with the class. Story should tell of the student’s relation to the land.

General Outcome: 5.2 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the people and the stories of Canada and their ways of life over time, and appreciate the diversity of Canada’s heritage.

Specific Outcomes

Values and Attitudes

Students will:

5.2.1 Appreciate the complexity of identity in the Canadian context:

• recognize how an understanding of Canadian history and the stories of its peoples contributes to their sense of identity

• acknowledge oral traditions, narratives and stories as valid sources of knowledge about the land and diverse Aboriginal cultures and history

Knowledge and Understanding

Students will:

5.2.2 Examine, critically, the ways of life of Aboriginal peoples in Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:

• What do the stories of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples tell us about their beliefs regarding the relationship between people and the land?

SKILLS AND PROCESSES

Students will:

5.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking:

• re-evaluate personal opinions to broaden understanding of a topic or an issue

• generate original ideas and strategies in situations of individual and group activities

5.S.5 demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building:

• work collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal

5.S.8 demonstrate skills of oral, written and visual literacy:

• select appropriate forms of delivery for written and oral information, taking particular audiences and purposes into consideration

• respond appropriately to comments and questions, using language respectful of human diversity

ICT:

5.S.2 develop skills of historical thinking:

·organize information, using such tools as a database, spreadsheet or electronic webbing

5.S.4 demonstrate skills of decision making and problem solving:

·use graphic organizers, such as mind mapping/webbing, flow charting and outlining, to present connections between ideas and information in a problem-solving environment

5.S.8• listen to others to understand their perspectives

·communicate effectively through appropriate forms, such as speeches, reports and multimedia presentations, applying information technologies that serve particular audiences and purposes

References:

Alberta Education. (2007) Histories and Stories of Ways of Life in Canada. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/social/default.asp

Fiddler, Jerry. (d. 1983) Legend of Iyash. Retrieved 28 October 2007, from
http://legends.knet.on.ca/

Sacred Circle: Creation. (n.d.). Retrieved 28 October 2007, from http://www.edukits.ca/aboriginal/origin/grade4/videos/index.htm

Rationale:

I believe this is a good use of technology in the classroom. First, students are not wasting precious time sifting through numerous web pages looking for First Nations’ Stories. The students are going directly to the sources. Second, the students are able to hear the stories. This is significant because the original stories were all oral. Hopefully the students will be able to appreciate that oral story telling is a valid form of story telling and conveying cultural values. Third, students will be able to take steps to gaining confidence presenting in front of the class. I believe that students might be more comfortable recording their stories than presenting them live in front of the class.

Linking Us All Together

I just posted my first comment on someone else's blog. The following is my comment:

TAG! You’re It!

T: Tell something you like.

I like the enthusiasm for the potential of using blogs in the classroom. I also like that I share a similar level of experience with blogging. It makes me feel more secure in starting my own journey in implementing technology in the classroom.

A: Ask a question.

What are some teaching strategies that you could use to keep students focused so that they do not spend the precious class time surfing the net or chatting? How could you structure “computer time”?

G: Give a suggestion.

I find it difficult to suggest an area for improvement. I might suggest a long term goal to revisit this blog once you have taught for a while to see how or if your philosophies on implementing technology have changed.

Now that I have piqued your curiosity, check out the blog.

The Good, the Blog, and the Ugly: Technology Integration and the Classroom

Technology is changing. Technology is changing us. Technology is here to stay.

With technology experts predicting that 2045 marks the date for “a profound and disruptive transformation in human capability . . . [where] . . . nonbiological intelligence created in that year will be one billion times more powerful that all human intelligence today.”(1), who can argue?

Furthermore, access to inexpensive computers, via the One Laptop Per Child initiative, coupled with the ever-penetrating communication infrastructure ready for the propagation of a truly world-wide World Wide Web, may mean that we will be living on a “Flat Earth.” Stand aside Harold Innis Harold Innis , look out Marshall McLuhan Marshall McLuhan , space and time in the global village will never be the same.

But wait. What happened when we switched from the slide rule to the calculator? Or made the transition from quill pens and ink wells to ballpoint pens? Or gained access to inexpensive, mass-produced paper? Or even turned on an overhead projector for the first time? Just because these items seem commonplace now does not mean that they did not represent some sort of technological epoch. Would it be wrong for me to argue that some form of technology has always existed in the classroom and that developments in technology are not new?

Is it really a quantum leap from the overhead projector to the interactive whiteboard and the PowerPoint presentation? I do not think it is especially if the teacher is unable to use the new medium effectively in order to engage the students and enhance the lesson. For example, Mr X teaches from a PowerPoint presentation, using print as well as photos and figures to reach the visual learners. If he just lectures from his presentation, he may as well use an overhead projector. Ms Y, in the next room, is using the overhead. Yet, her students are formed into two teams with each team at the front of the class and on either side of the screen. Each team possesses one fly swatter. The answers to Ms Y’s questions are projected on the screen. The members with the swatter are poised and ready to swat the correct answer to Ms Y’s questions. In my opinion the class playing Swat is more engaged in the learning process.

Sure the Internet is a wealth of knowledge, but the abundance of information could be a detriment to the students. Ms Y instructs her students to research the Internet for information on the life cycle of newts. Her students Google (it is interesting how that has become a verb) life cycle of newts and spend the rest of the class sifting through a potential 700,000 or so sites. Clearly, time could be better spent. Mr X’s students are studying toads. His students also search the Web. Yet Mr X is more specific and asks for information from three sites, one government of Canada site, one site from another grade school, and one site from the United States. For his younger students, Mr X already has three sites chosen for his students and simply provides the URLs, a strategy known as Webquest. The Internet can also be wealth of things children should not see at school, or ever for that matter. Webquests can protect students from visiting unwanted sites.

It would be easy to continue with a shopping list of good and bad examples of technology integration. I have not even mentioned the potential for audio media. But I think I have said enough. However, I would like to conclude by commenting on barriers for technology integration. I think that main barrier for effective integration is the mindset that since technology is there we should use it. I believe this mindset creates a purblind perception of technology in which the understanding of effective teaching is lost. An understanding of how to teach should be established first and then, almost contemporaneously, an understanding of the tools used to teach, in this case technology, should be developed. In this way, the priority is placed on effective teaching teamed, hopefully, with a respect for the potential possibilities for technology integration. How do we overcome this barrier? What I am doing is trying to take full advantage of our Com Tech course. What will you do?

First Blog Entry Ever . . . For me that is.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

--From Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15)

I would like to clear up any misconceptions right off the bat. I am not a devote Shakespeare fan. Yet, my travels have led me to Stratford-upon-Avon where I toured the home in which Shakespeare was born. I do not portend any mystical second coming. And the only magic I believe in is that which we create ourselves.

Before I speed off ahead of myself, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is David Relkoff. Some people call me Dave. I prefer David, but, at the end of the day, it does not really matter. I hail from the small town of Cranbrook, British Columbia. My parents and younger brother still call Cranbrook home. My older sister resides in the funky city that is Montreal. Yes, I am a middle child.

After a welcome graduation from high school and a couple years at the local community college, I ventured to Atlantic Canada, where I graduated with a BA in History, English minor, from Dalhousie. Stories from my days in Nova Scotia will have to wait for another day. Without a set direction, I worked for a year and applied for grad school. The prairies were on the horizon for me. I called Winnipeg home while I pursued an MA in History with a minor in rock climbing. Climbing on the prairies! What? Winnipeg has the fortune of being close to Ontario and the Canadian Shield, the largest exposed mass of granite in the world. Since I have yet to visit Yosemite, Squamish, Indian Creek, the Verdon Gorge, (I have climbed in the Alps, but again I am getting ahead of myself) please do not take it from me that Canadian granite is some of the best rock in the world.

During my time as a grad student, I started working with children. Working with children changed my life. For the better? That has yet to be seen. Stuck with a Masters and uncertain as to whether I really wanted to work with children for the rest of my life, I sought employment at summer camps, outdoor education centres, and as a ski instructor, anything that would put me on the front line with children. In that time, I have worked in Ontario, BC, and Switzerland. Yes, I am a traveler. I am also a skier through and through. Skiing is more than a sport for me. It is a way of life.

Currently, the prairies are home yet again and I am at the University of Lethbridge, pursuing a BEd. I just keep telling myself that the wind is a good thing. I look at it as a alternative energy source.

In life people adopt many roles and titles. To bring magic to the campers at the outdoor education centres, we staff take on nature names. Newt is my nature name. The eye in 'Eye of Newt' is therefore my eye. Through this blog you will have the opportunity to see through my eyes.

Since I am striding down the path to becoming a teacher, I am also on a mission to acquire a liberal amount of technical savvy. First step: write a blog. Check.

Now, how can blogs work in the classroom? Simply put, I think that the use of blogs in the classroom is only limited to the creativity of the teacher, with some exceptions that I would like to discuss later.

In this day and age, we are confronted with an ever-quickening access to an overabundance of information. How do we sift through it all? Critical research skills are a necessity. Researching blogs for content and veracity would be a use assignment. The assignment would extend beyond the basic skills required to navigate websites and, instead challenge students to question the content of the sources. The online sources could be compared to print sources as well. The goal would be to develop the critical literacy skills of the students.

The potential for exploring the dissemination of knowledge also abound. Mainstream media, be it TV or newspapers, present one view of a story or may fail to report on an event entirely. Blogs can provide alternate opinions or draw attention to important events that are neglected by mainstream media. Students would still require to read these critically. Touching on this could spark an assignment on censorship. Thinking as a Social Studies major, I could link this to historical periods during which people were subject to totalitarian regimes and censorship. Soviet Russia springs into my mind right away.

In terms of writing, blogs can work as a forum for student discussion. Students may be more likely to share through a posting than talking in front of the class. Stronger students may also be asked, or take upon themselves, to provide assistance to students who may be struggling with either the content of the assignment or the mechanics of literacy. Teachers could also post to individual students to provide feedback and assistance. I still think there are merits in grand discussions in the classroom. For one, in class communication is more immediate. There is not that lag time of waiting for someone to post a point and for someone to read that point and then post his or her point. But if no one is willing to talk in class, then the discussion would not be successful anyway.

One thing that concerns me about blogs is the ease and immediacy with which information can be posted on blogs. For example, Mr. X uses his PDA to record a fatal car crash and its aftermath. He posts the event on his blog minutes later. This blog could reach the family members of the victim(s) before the proper authorities had time to contact them.

Speaking of the ease and immediacy of posting information on blogs, part of me fears that this could turn into a form of public surveillance. Do not get me wrong, it can also be used to hold people accountable for their actions. Yet, at the same time, it only reflects one view and people should have a chance to defend themselves. Taken to an extreme, though I feel uncomfortable with the thought of this public surveillance. How could my paranoia benefit me in the classroom? This could lead into a unit on George Orwell's 1984.

One of my last concerns about blogging pertains to accessibility. Blogging requires basic literacy skills. What if students are still struggling with reading and writing? As well, blogs can be accessed at any time from anywhere. Any time and any where there is a computer with Internet access. Some students do not have access to this technology at home and I would not be surprised if some schools did not possess the necessary technology as well.

Regardless of how we use blogs in the classroom, I think that it is necessary to keep in mind that they are just one tool of many.