How ICT policy is infected by neo-liberalism

The article delves deeply into what ICT should be used for in schools, not the many possibilities ICT opens schools up to. Brown (2003) determines that in order for schools to be efficient in their use of ICT, they must not overuse ICT beyond its original intentions. This article discusses that on the one hand, it is highly critical of the hidden curriculum and noneducational intentions behind the growth of ICT in schools. At the same time, concerns raised about the ICT related school reform movement should not be construed as further ammunition for a nea-conservative backlash. The position advanced is not nea-conservative. In this regard, the paper goes beyond simple dichotomies of illusory hype versus pessimistic Armageddon (Abbott, 2001) as ICT is neither demon nor panacea, such binary positions underestimate the complexity of and dynamic tensions within the new digital landscape (Brown, 2003).

In 1997, the level of public concern over the lCT movement was heightened when the Atlantic Monthly attacked the spurious evidence supporting the computer delusion in schools (Oppenheimer, 1997). After a thorough investigation of the literature Oppenheimer (1997) concluded that “There is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve teaching and learning” (p,45). This claim has been the cornerstone by which many critics have based their criticisms of ICT in schools. While there is a grain of truth in the conclusion, it exaggerates the evidence evaluated by Oppenheimer in the opposite direction (Reeves, 1998).

As in everything in learning, it is not about the amount of material you give to students, it is about the context in which the material is given that makes is relevant. The same has to be said for ICT in education. There is no point in assuming that ICT by itself is going to improve learning significantly, it has to be the context in which it is used that will improve learning. This is a vital point Oppenheimer (1997) fails to acknowledge in his Critique; ‘that such pedagogical enhancements would often be impossible without the capabilities of new technology’ (Reeves, 1998, p52).

When I was taught through the use of ICT’s at first our learning was distracted by the new shiny technology that was available to use in front of us everyday. However as the teachers became better at teaching with them, our ICT learning improved dramatically. The context in which the ICT was taught became more of the focus rather than just using it because it was there. My school found the balance between using ICT and using it in the proper context for the classroom. Granted it took them some time, but once they had decided what was going to be used, what for, and how we would use it; learning with ICT’s less about the ICT teaching us, and more about the teachers teaching us using the ICT’s as their tool.

 

Reference List:

Abbott, C (2001). ICT: Changing education. London: Routledge/Falmer.

Brown, M. (2005). The growth of enterprise pedagogy: How ICT policy is infected by neoliberalism. Australian Educational Computing, 20(2), 16-22.

Brown, ME (2003). Beyond the digital horizon: The untold story. Computers in New Zealand Schools, 15 (1),34-40.

Oppenheimer, T. (1997). The computer delusion. The Atlantic Monthly, 280 (1), 45-62.

Reeves, T. (1998). ‘Future schlock: ‘the computer delusions,’ and ‘the end of education’: Responding to critics of educational technology. Educational Technology, 38 (5),49-53.

A bridge too far? Explaining beginning teachers’ use of ICT in Australian schools

It was found in the study undertaken by 35 new Western Australian school teachers that while their pedagogy revealed that they believed in the use of ICT in schools as a prominent tool, their practice did not reflect this. Teachers (particularly beginning teachers) used ICT for administration and preparation, but seldom in ways that they could describe as student-centred. Teachers therefore need to be better educated on the multitude of uses that ICT has in the classroom, so they become more proficient and confident teaching these ICT’s to students. Indeed according to Dede (2008), the general public is confused about what types of ICT (if any) are effective in education.

Auld et al (2008, p. 10) extends this observation to the teaching profession pointing out that: Teachers are confronted with an eclectic array of theories and instructional designs and bombarded with confusing, even romantic views on what technology is capable of delivering. It would seem that, whilst there is a vast amount of research into the use of ICT in educational settings, much of this is scattered and a synthesis of the research has not yet been achieved (Voogt & Knezek, 2008).

Pedagogical reasoning provides opportunities for teachers to make connections with their schools by accessing equipment, infrastructure and support, following procedures and so on. When I was in school my teachers were nearly always on the ball in terms of using ICT’s for administration and following procedures, and then there were a group that used their computers for more than just admin. The ability to confidently use ICT’s in the classroom engages students that bit more and keeps them completely interested in everything that happens via the technology. Whether it is using the projector to screen the latest trends of the stock market in economics, to inputting information into a new software that can solve for x in mathematics. Students will remain engaged for the lesson, and the teacher has an easier time teaching the class as it keeps everyone on track.

The biggest obstacle of course is the confidence of the teacher. If the teacher isn’t as confident with the technology as they need to be, the students will pick up on this and exploit this weakness. Teachers need to take an extra bit of time to perfect their ICT’s so that when it gets to the class, they can use them confidently and without pause. This when I was in school always kept me engaged, and meant that if someone was stuck, rather than the teacher not being able to help and telling them to start again; the teacher was able to solve the problem and keep the student on task.

 

Reference List:

Auld, G., Holkner, B., Fernando, A., Henderson, M., Romeo, G., Russell, G., et al. (2008). Exemplar schools using innovative learning technologies. Paper presented at the Australian Computers in Education Conference (ACEC), Canberra, Australia.

Bate, F. (2010) A bridge too far? Explaining beginning teachers’ use of ICT in Australian schools. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(7).

Dede, C. (2008). Theoretical perspectives influencing the use of information technology. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (Vol. 1). New York: Springer.

Voogt, J., & Knezek, G. (2008). IT in primary and secondary education: Emerging Issues. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (Vol. 1). New York: Springer.

Why mobile technology makes sense in the 21st century classroom.

Kids in schools have mobiles. If you can teach students how to use their mobile in a different way, and hold their attention you have a good lesson. You can never assume as a teacher to tell students that you know more about a device they use every day than they do. Students will immediately put up a brick wall and road-block any attempt to teach them from there in. If however you show them a particular skill they might never have known you could use on this device, students will be engaged.

To use mobile technology in class to teach students would be a bold step for all involved. You have to be able to keep the students interested for the entire lesson, so they don’t get sidetracked. Having their mobile in their hands during class lends to all kinds of temptations. So to get beyond these temptations we have to create a lesson that makes students want to stay on track. Text messages will be sent, and messages received which, despite the best intentions cannot be stopped, but to have students ignore these messages and stay on task would be a wonder.

Students in this day love games, and especially computer games. If you can create a lesson around playing a game on your phone or tablet, and make it educational you will teach students to use their technology for more than everyday messaging and social communication. To use the technology to research assignments while in class would go along with what Isard was discussing in the article. We need to encourage students to use their resources that they access daily in more educational ways. Teachers need to make the step towards building new technologies into all levels of curriculum.

Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Many teachers possess pedagogical and content knowledge of their field of expertise. This comes as part of being a competent teacher. However an expert teacher will use their pedagogical and content knowledge along with their technological knowledge and create something better than before. In this day and age of students, everything is based around technology for them. They are going to log onto Facebook or Twitter the first chance they get just to stay in constant contact with the rest of the world. It becomes the teachers’ job to then get ahead of their technological advances and show them how to use technology in different ways. In this way teachers keep their students interested and intrigued while in their classrooms. Using Twitter as a classroom tool is in some ways risky but in other ways genius. If you don’t keep the students interested and engaged you risk losing their focus; if you create a lesson that keeps them busy and intrigued as to the end result they will stay on the lesson plan.

This is of course a difficult line to walk as some students may finish the activity sooner than others, but as long as there is constantly a new activity to partake in students should always be engaged. Integrating TPACK into teaching separates those that would rather stick with the old and trusted ways and those who want to educate themselves in technology so they can then educate their students. When I was in school if teachers set us work to complete using new software the whole class was enamored with it and strove to learn the software because it was a new technology. Any new technology that a teacher makes interesting leads students to want to learn it. Even an old website that everyone is familiar with, if a new aspect can be ‘unlocked’ by following different paths it will become interesting for students.

By providing alternatives to age old websites by creating a webquest for example, means that students are required to use the new website and learn it to complete the webquest. In this way the teacher sets new websites to learn, and the students have to find their way to gather the information necessary to complete the quest. Students won’t see this as learning if they are set a goal and they have to follow the steps to reach the goal, this will become more game style than learning. The end result is that students will have learnt a new technology and teachers have made their class enjoyable and technology based.

ICT’s in Education

Overview/Description

Advantages and Disadvantages

How it can be used in the classroom.

1. Bubbl.us

2. WordPress

Website used for blogging. Create a post with a subject and a body of text that allows others to read and comment on it. Just as you can comment on others’ blogs.

This website is good in the way it allows all to view someone’s post and comment on it. It also allows the blogger to approve someone’s comments, or not if they don’t want it attached to their blog. You can share your views on a fully public forum.

In this way however it allows the blogger to only approve those who agree with their views, and not allow for a completely open forum of discussion.

This could be used in a classroom by a teacher to set homework, or assignments as the teacher can check to see that the work is done, and easily access the work online. Can be used as a forum for debate between classes.

3. Wolfram Alpha

Website that enables students to find data and carry out investigations in mathematics. It does not limit the search to basic mathematics but also to a broader range of results such as local time, anagrams for words, rhyming words. It doesn’t have everything in the system, but when it is in there it is akin to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Advantage is that it allows a classroom teacher to use as a resource in the classroom while teaching. If the information is in the system, all the information is going to be relevant, up to date, and completely accessible. The mathematical side of Wolfram Alpha is great, it allows you to put in an equation and it solves for you automatically. It means that students can focus less on the answer, and more on the method for solving.

For a disadvantage however it does not include everything that could be searched. Too lengthy or too specific criteria cannot be searched very well. Need to keep searches simple. It does allow students to simply put in the equation they need solving and it is solved for them.

It could be used in the classroom to search for information on a particular subject as well as used to solve mathematical equations online. The equations include a variety of images and methods to solve and these can be seen and taught accordingly.

4. Prezi

A website that allows the user to create presentations on a grand scale. You can start from a massive page with headings of information with tiny pictures, to zooming in completely onto the tiny pictures and making them huge. Allows for a lot of information to be presented on one page, while roaming around the page to present each piece of information separately.

An advantage of this is that it allows a large range of information to be presented in an interactive and entertaining manner that engages students attention. It presents a great way of creating information to be shared with others.

It does allow for students to get side-tracked and lose their way trying to find cool photos rather than focus on the information they are putting into their presentation. Information can be forsaken for presentation, when this tool is there to amplify the information presented, not be there instead of if.

It would be an asset for any teacher in the classroom. Allows for great presentations to be made, that will engage students in the imagery while giving them information to be learned. Will allow students to use as a tool for presentations whether individual or group.

6. Survey Monkey

Allows you access to survey questions that other people, and the website have used. Can create your own survey with your own questions. Put the web address anywhere and anyone can have access to the survey and answer. Can view results in different formats. Instantly analyses peoples responses for the creater to view.

Anonymous answers; you don’t know how people responded, which gives students confidence to be honest with how they answered. Questions have a lot of flexibility; you do not have to give options to choose, you can leave a comment box for students to answer the questions.

Cannot see which people have written which comment.

Could be used as a reflection and for feedback from the students in a classroom situation.

7. pixlr.com

A basic photo editing and manipulating website. Very basic, but has some cool features e.g. adding text, colours, overlays etc. Students could use it to create a poster or a comic etc.

Has different versions (basic, advanced etc.) Can be used like photoshop. If photoshop is not installed on computers, this is a great stand-in program.

Is really just a web-based photoshop. If you want a more in depth program for editing photo’s photoshop is the better way to go.

FREE and easy to guide students through in a classroom situation.

8. Google News Archives

Can search over hundreds of years of articles (newspaper and web based articles). Specify the search for topic and time.

Easy to filter the search to get specific results

Page is difficult to navigate at first. You can’t filter the search until a search has been done

Great use in a classroom as long as prior research has been done to find out what will happen if a particular search is performed. Could use this for students to search a specific event from history, or a specific item and compare it to the modern age e.g. prices of eggs, milk, bread etc.

9. Sportplan

Website that can be used to access sports plans for a wide variety of sports. Can also be used to draw lesson diagrams to portray how movements will be made in the lesson you are teaching.

Highly advantages for PE teachers to use in their classes as an ICT resource. Also can be used by any other teacher who wishes to take their class outside. Is great to browse and find skills or games that are related to the area of learning they are teaching.

The only disadvantage is that the diagrams are static, and don’t move the players with the skilled movement.

Can be used by all teachers teaching sport, or coaches at a high level. Easy to draw diagrams in class, or have diagrams ready made before class to be put on screen during class.

10. Juke box print

Website that can generate different types of designs such as brouchers, posters, business cards etc. Great for assignments in class that require students to hand out brochures or business cards to complete their assignment.

It is quick and easy to use and produce different designs. It is free and offers lots of colours and designs

Sometimes it can be difficult to operate e.g. change sizes etc. It may not suit all needs

Juke box print could be used to create posters, information display i.e. brochures, creating name cards/business cards.

Digital natives

Digital Natives:

I read through the opening three pages of Digital Natives and found myself thinking immediately of my first practical. Prensky writes that the drastic changes that occurred at the end of the 20^th century in terms of technology have created a divide between what he terms are two different kinds of technology users. One are the Digital Immigrants who grew up in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s and had a set learning style that they have been used to for decades. The other are the Digital Natives who have grown up living, breathing and being a part of technology. When Prensky was writing about the divide between learning styles of the two digital species, I began thinking about how education can be incorporated into games to enable students to stay interested and entertained at the same time. On my first practical I was in a year 1-2 class and as a part of every day we used the interactive whiteboard for kids to learn on. We gave the student’s computer time to play a series of English, Maths or Science games. The students in the class couldn’t wait for each opportunity to use something interactive with their learning.

When I read further down and found Prensky began talking about just what I was thinking I found that I was agreeing with everything he was saying, and thinking how I would incorporate this digital learning into my own field of study, PE teaching. The accessibility of iPad’s and smart phones in any workplace means that as a part of teaching you can demonstrate digitally how you wish the students to move in a particular play in sport. Or you can record their movements and point out how well they performed a particular skill.

In my school every classroom had a projector and each student had their own laptop as well as the teachers having theirs. It was only logical that a majority of classes that the computer was involved in was taught using the projector for examples. Our teachers, while being digital immigrants, learnt that they needed to interact with us on the same plane we were on, and in many cases they spent time researching how to use programs for new lessons and it became such that each week I would learn something new on the computer.

The easiest way of communicating with students is doing it through their area of interest. The digital natives are all interested in new games and new technologies, so if you can teach them something new regarding technology they will be far more interactive and attentive than you forsaking their digital knowledge and relying on ancient methods of teaching.