Reynolds, N. (2002) Computers, Creativity and Composition in the Primary School: An Analysis of Two Compositions: Australian Journal of Music Education volume 1(16-26) retrieved from Informit database 15 September 2010
This artical by Reynolds looks at eight students of grade three and grade four
Monday, November 15, 2010
Digitizing the Art Room
SHIN, R. (2010). Taking Digital Creativity to the Art Classroom: Mystery Box Swap. Art Education, 63(2), 38-42. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
This article by Shin looked at taking digital creativity into the art classroom. Shin mentioned how this generation is so tech savvy and that educators need to use new technologies in their teaching and not just consider these technologies "as a detrimental part or contempary pop and visual culture". the paper firstly explored the concept of digital creativity and then looked at case studies into three separate art activites that classes done using web 2.0 technologies. This was a great article that will really help my research.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Creativity and technology
Hay, Stephen and Kapitzke, Cushla(2009) ''Smart state' for a knowledge economy: reconstituting
creativity through student subjectivity', British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30: 2, 151 — 164This article didn't offer a whole lot in the way of research is was basically about governance and society and looked at how the state of Queensland has used industry and school partnerships to design courses around industry requirements such as aerospace and minning. This article was insightfull and it did allow me to see creativity from the view of entrepreneurship, and how skills or attitudes like responsiveness, foresight, and adaptibility are the kinds of traits we need to instill in our students
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Last Post
I decided to embed this video as it is one that really inspires me as a future educator. Sir Ken Robinson talks about the state of our education system today and where he sees it needs to go. The other reason is to demonstrate I can embed videos as part of my whole blogging experience! :)
Friday, October 29, 2010
Conclusion
Before conducting my research into the topics of Interactive Whiteboards and Laptops my initial thoughts surrounding technology was that schools and education systems kept up to date with society and mainstream trends due to the belief that technology makes our everyday lives easier. However, through further investigation I found that there are many reasons why the latest technologies are adapted to classrooms. They have engaging and motivating qualities that enhance learning experiences which are particularly relevant to the mainstream exposure of technology to youth today.
A practical application of this unit has been in Web2.0 technologies such as wikis and blogs, posting and using social media. These are all things that I have used throughout the unit and I can see how these tools can be easily adapted for classroom work, assignments etc. When I began this unit I was apprehensive about the use of technology as it is not something that I have had broad exposure to in the past. I undertook secondary education over 16 years ago and unless a student actually took computer studies at school, you went through your schooling without even using computers. Now after 11 weeks I feel more confident and have an understanding of web2.0 technologies I did not know existed.
Probably the most important thing I have learnt from the unit and in my Research Analysis is that technology, content and pedagogy do not work in isolation but are integrated each into the other.
A practical application of this unit has been in Web2.0 technologies such as wikis and blogs, posting and using social media. These are all things that I have used throughout the unit and I can see how these tools can be easily adapted for classroom work, assignments etc. When I began this unit I was apprehensive about the use of technology as it is not something that I have had broad exposure to in the past. I undertook secondary education over 16 years ago and unless a student actually took computer studies at school, you went through your schooling without even using computers. Now after 11 weeks I feel more confident and have an understanding of web2.0 technologies I did not know existed.
Probably the most important thing I have learnt from the unit and in my Research Analysis is that technology, content and pedagogy do not work in isolation but are integrated each into the other.
Revised Research Analysis 2
In our modern, technologically driven society, Information Technology plays an important role in everyday life. Therefore having competent skills with computers and computer applications is an essential skill for all students to acquire (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004). However what are the issues involved in changing our classrooms from traditional use of pen and paper to the use of laptop computers? Is the expense and associated distractions worth the change to current technology or can laptops improve other area’s of student achievement besides just improving Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills?
There is a great deal of data supporting the positive aspects of students using laptop computers in class. Besides the increased efficiency with personal computers (PC) that students gain by their frequent use of laptops in every day class situations, studies show that students personal motivation levels increase in classes where laptop computers are used (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004), (Lauricella & Kaye, 2010). This is a positive side effect as many teachers regard motivation as the “life blood” of learning, that it is the reason why learners decide to make an effort and it determines how long they will sustain an activity or how connected they feel to the activity (Rost, 2006). Another advantage of laptops being used in the classrooms according to a study by Trimmel & Bachmann (2004) is an improvement in student attendance rates at school. This result fits in with the finding of increased motivation; if students are motivated and feel more engaged it is only natural that their attendance rates at school will improve. This is a positive outcome that comes with technology in general in that it has a ludic or fun element to it. In the same study a further finding was that students in classes where laptops are used showed increased scores in tests on spatial intelligence, which is an intelligence skill that deals with foresight and the ability to visualise (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004).
A key finding by Lauricella & Kaye, (2010) is that research suggests that students who use laptops over time have improvements in their academic grades (Lauricella & Kaye, 2010). This is a key reason why governments are investing money to roll out laptops in schools. Evidenced based research that shows improvements in students’ grades will always attract funding by respective education departments.
However, while there is a great deal of positive data around laptop use there are also negative aspects to this technology. One main argument against students using laptops in the classroom is the distraction that they cause. According to one study by Lauricella and Kaye (2010) 74% of students admitted to spending up to 50% of class time sending and receiving messages by instant messenger or by email, with another study finding that up to 42% of class time is taken up with students multitasking and looking at non-class related material. Multitasking is a real problem as it switches students’ attention back and forth between productive class work and non-productive material which is not associated with actual class work (Kraushaar & Novak, 2010). Other studies show that multitasking leads to a dramatic increase in memory errors and the processing time required learning new material (Rubenstein, Meyer & Evans, 2001).
Another argument against schools adopting laptops are the negative health affects surrounding them. It was found that students commonly complained of sore arms and fingers and stiff necks and backs, as well as dry eyes related to staring at the laptop screens (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004). Other considerations to be made when adopting laptop technology in schools are disruptions and lost time caused by technical failures, repairs and replacements of damaged or lost laptops as well as the associated cost in improvements in the wireless infrastructure and IT support systems (McVay, Snyder & Graetz, 2005).
Although there are many negative arguments against adopting laptop computers in the classroom a lot of data promotes the improved outcomes in student motivation and enhanced learning experience. This is a major achievement in an age when youth are becoming disengaged with the education system. Laptops have shown to increase cognitive spatial ability that transfers into higher test scores. Some of the issues around physical strain can be managed with teachers mixing activities up so students are not looking at their laptops for long periods and through promoting correct posture for backs and necks. Schools can limit the distraction caused by laptops by using network oversight for teachers and network restrictions. In conclusion, it is evident that the benefits provided by laptops in the classroom outweigh the negative issues. In a highly digital society computers are here to stay and they will play an ever increasing role in our lives, including within our education system. While laptops cannot, and should not, be used in every lesson they will play an important roll in the future of education.
Bibliography
Fink III, J. (2010). Why We Banned Use of Laptops and "Scribe Notes" in Our Classroom. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(6), 1-2. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Education Research Complete database.
Kraushaar, J., & Novak, D. (2010). Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking With Laptops During the Lecture. Journal of Information Systems Education, 21(2), 241-251. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From Education Research Complete database.
Lauricella, S. & Kay, R. (2010) Assessing laptop use in higher education classrooms: The laptop effectiveness scale. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2). Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/lauricella.pdf
McVay, G., Snyder, K. & Graetz, K. (2005). Evolution of a laptop university: a case study.British Journal of Educational Technology, 36 (3), 513-524. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from CAUL Wiley-Blackwell database.
Moon, S. (2009). Beyond laptops: The real education revolution. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From http://www.openforum.com.au/content/beyond-laptops-real-education-revolution
Trimmel, M., & Bachmann, J. (2004). Original article Cognitive, social, motivational and health aspects of students in laptop classrooms. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(2), 151-158. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from EBSCO host database.
Rost, M. (2006). Generating Student Motivation. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/worldview/motivation.pdf
Rost, M. (2006). Generating Student Motivation. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/worldview/motivation.pdf
Rubenstein, J., Meyer, D., Evans, J. (2001). Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from PsycARTICLES database.
Revised Research Analysis 1
Information Communication Technology (ICT) continues to play an ever increasing part in our education system. With more of what we do becoming digitized it is no wonder that traditional blackboards and whiteboards are also becoming digitized and replaced with the new generation of Interactive Whiteboards (IWB). This first research topic will examine the use of Interactive Whiteboards. The main issues surrounding the use of IWB include the way they influence the classroom, how they promote student engagement and whether they improve the overall quality of education.
One of the main arguments in favour of the use of IWB is that they allow students to engage in visual imagery in a deeper way than they do with just the spoken word. (Marentette & Uhrick, [nd]) The ability to create dot points and provide images, slides or video clips is a huge advantage and can provide a visual link to theory, thereby engaging students in the subject being taught. History teacher Richard McFahn stated that since IWB were introduced at his school "the students have gone from being completely uninspired to being enthused with the prospect of learning.” (Murray, 2006 p. 13). There is a ludic or fun element to IWB, with the interactive interface, touch screen and the ability to integrate animation, sound, video, and text gives the sense of play which is an important factor in keeping students engaged (Cuthell, 2005).
Besides increasing student class engagement, the use of IWB can provide teachers with the flexibility to tailor lessons to students various learning styles (Cuthell, 2005). This point was illustrated clearly in an article called ‘Use of SMART Boards for Teaching Kindergarten’. Students with limited literacy skills were able to utilise the board to demonstrate an understanding of outcomes in a science lesson through visual cues, the students then touched the screen on the correct answer. This was a way that teachers could test for learning that was previously unavailable to students with limited literacy skills (Preston and Mowbray, 2008).
Further benefits that IWB provide is the advantage the software gives teachers in lesson planning. The ability to cut and paste material in planning and then the immediacy of being able to switch between power points to writing on the boards or to use clips and images is a long way from traditional methods of relying on handouts and posters or needing to set up a television set prior to the class to use a clip or a scene from a movie (Barker, 2007).
While there are many positive views on the use of IWB with their use being internationally regarded and rolled out throughout schools world wide, there are other issues which also need to be considered. First and foremost of these is cost. The technology is quite cost prohibitive at around AUD8,000 for a basic model, making this very expensive to be utilised broadly within a school (Dudeney, 2006). Dudeney goes on to argue that to get the critical mass needed to make training and software licences viable schools need to acquire about half a dozen IWB. The reality is that this can be extremely expensive or unachievable for many schools.
A lack of specialised software for some Key Learning Areas, such as languages was also an issue raised in several articles. This can limit the resources available to some teachers, defeating the purpose of having the technology in the first place and result in IWB being under utilised (Dudeney, 2006).
One point that was often discussed was the training of staff. Appropriate training is essential to ensure IWB are utilised to their potential. If teachers are just given them without training they won’t know how to use them. One UK
It is clear that the use of IWB can take classrooms to a new interactive level. From their desks students can participate in interactive tours, watch clips or videos relevant to the content taught and have a summary of the lesson in a visual format. These are all good educational progressions that are only possible with the use of IWB. Although these progressions may not influence test scores they will engage this tech savvy generation and the links are clear between student engagement and academic achievement at school. Through this research it is also clear that adequate training is important to IWB being properly utilised to their full potential. More Australian research can be undertaken on how much IWB are currently being used in Australian schools and the pedagogical implications of their use. It is important that educators are relevant and find new ways to engage students. Technologies like IWB can do this, however it is important to understand that technology in itself will not solve every need because fundamentally, successful classrooms always come down to good pedagogy.
Bibliography
Bax, S. (2006). Interactive white boards watch this space. IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2010, from http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
Cuthell, J.P.,(2005), Seeing the meaning: The impact of interactive whiteboards on teaching and learning. BECTA. Retrieved September, 3, 2010 from http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/whiteboards/index/html
Dudeney, G. (2006). Interactive quite bored: IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retreived September 4, 2010, From http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
Marentette, L. & Uhrick, A. [n.d.] Reaching learners: Immersive education through interactive multimedia.VP sales & marketing, Nextwindow. Retrieved August 19 2010 from http://www.presentationproducts.com/sites/pproducts.com/files/Infocom%20-%20ReachingLearners.pdf
Friday, October 15, 2010
Research Analysis 2
In our modern, technologically driven society, Information Technology plays an important role in every day life. Therefore, having competent skills with computers and computer applications is an essential skill for all students to acquire (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004). However what are the issues involved in changing our classrooms from the traditional use of pens and paper to the use of laptop computers? Is the expense and associated distractions worth the change to current technology or can laptops improve other area’s of student achievement besides just improving Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills?
While there are many negative arguments against adopting laptop computers in the classroom there is a lot of data promoting the improved outcomes in student motivation and enhanced learning experience as well as increasing students attendance, this is a major achievement in a time when youth are becoming disengaged with the education system and truancy is at an all time high. Besides this it appears that laptops have shown to increase cognitive spatial ability that seems to transfer into higher test scores. Some of the issues around physical strain can be managed with teachers mixing activities up so students aren't sitting there looking at their laptops all day and teachers and other staff promoting correct posture for backs and necks. As well as this schools can limit the distraction caused by laptops by using network oversight for teachers and blocking network access to certain sites in certain areas of school. In conclusion it is evident that the benefits provided by laptops in the classroom out weigh the negative issues. In a highly digital society computers are here to stay and they will play an ever increasing roll in our lives including our education system, laptops can't be used in every lesson but they will play an important roll in the future of education.
Bibliography
McVay, G., Snyder, K. & Graetz, K. (2005). Evolution of a laptop university: a case study.British Journal of Educational Technology, 36 (3), 513-524. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from CAUL Wiley-Blackwell database.
Rubenstein, J., Meyer, D., Evans, J. (2001), Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from PsycARTICLES database.
There is much data supporting the positive aspects of students using laptop computers in class. One of the main findings is that laptops increase student motivation in classes where they are used (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004), (Lauricella & Kaye, 2010). Besides this laptop computers also improve attendance rates of students as well as increased learning interest in classes where laptops are used. (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004). This is a positive outcome that comes with technology in general in that it has a fun element to it. Research seems to also suggest that students who use laptops over time have improvements in their academic grades (Lauricella & Kaye, 2010). A further study by Trimmel and Bachmann (2004) shows increased scores in tests on spatial intelligence. Another finding that isn’t too surprising is that students who use laptops regularly have better general computing skills than students that don’t use them.
While there is much positive data around laptop use there are also negative aspects to this technology. One main argument against students using laptops in the classroom is the distraction that they cause . According to one study by Lauricella and Kaye (2010) 74% of students admitted to spending up to 50% of class time sending and receiving messages by Instant messenger or by email, with another study by Kraushaar and Novak (2010) finding that up to 42% of class time is taken up with students multitasking and looking at non-class related material. Multitasking is a real problem as it students attention switches back and forward between productive class work and non-productive material that is not associated with class work (Kraushaar & Novak, 2010). Other studies show that multitasking leads to a dramatic increase in memory errors and the processing time required to learn new material (Rubenstein, Meyer & Evans, 2001).
Besides these implications other considerations to be made when adopting laptop technology in schools is the disruptions and lost time caused by technical failures and the associated cost in improvements in the wireless infrastructure and IT support systems as well as repairs and replacements of damaged or lost laptops (McVay, Snyder & Graetz, 2005).Another argument against schools adopting laptops are the negative health affects surrounding them. It was found that students commonly complained of sore arms and fingers and stiff necks and backs, as well as dry eyes related to starring at the laptop screens (Trimmel & Bachmann, 2004).
While there are many negative arguments against adopting laptop computers in the classroom there is a lot of data promoting the improved outcomes in student motivation and enhanced learning experience as well as increasing students attendance, this is a major achievement in a time when youth are becoming disengaged with the education system and truancy is at an all time high. Besides this it appears that laptops have shown to increase cognitive spatial ability that seems to transfer into higher test scores. Some of the issues around physical strain can be managed with teachers mixing activities up so students aren't sitting there looking at their laptops all day and teachers and other staff promoting correct posture for backs and necks. As well as this schools can limit the distraction caused by laptops by using network oversight for teachers and blocking network access to certain sites in certain areas of school. In conclusion it is evident that the benefits provided by laptops in the classroom out weigh the negative issues. In a highly digital society computers are here to stay and they will play an ever increasing roll in our lives including our education system, laptops can't be used in every lesson but they will play an important roll in the future of education.
Bibliography
Fink III, J. (2010). Why We Banned Use of Laptops and "Scribe Notes" in Our Classroom. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(6), 1-2. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Education Research Complete database.
Kraushaar, J., & Novak, D. (2010). Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking With Laptops During the Lecture. Journal of Information Systems Education, 21(2), 241-251. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From Education Research Complete database.
Lauricella, S. & Kay, R. (2010) Assessing laptop use in higher education classrooms: The laptop effectiveness scale. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2). Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/lauricella.pdf
Moon, S. (2009). Beyond laptops: The real education revolution. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From http://www.openforum.com.au/content/beyond-laptops-real-education-revolution
Trimmel, M., & Bachmann, J. (2004). Original article Cognitive, social, motivational and health aspects of students in laptop classrooms. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(2), 151-158. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from EBSCO host database.Rubenstein, J., Meyer, D., Evans, J. (2001), Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching. Journal of experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797. Retrieved October 14, 2010, from PsycARTICLES database.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Cognitive, social, motivational, and health aspects of students in laptop classrooms
Trimmel, M., & Bachmann, J. (2004). Original article Cognitive, social, motivational and health aspects of students in laptop classrooms. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(2), 151-158. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from EBSCO host database.
This study by Trimmel and Bachmann (2004) looked at 49 students at an Austrian private school, 27 students were in laptop only classrooms and 22 were in traditional non-laptop classrooms. The aim of the study was to find differences in cognitive performance, social atmosphere, communication, motivation and issues of strain and health issues. Data was collected by a series of tests and questionnaires over a one and a half year period. All but one non-laptop student reported having a laptop at home with laptop students using a computer 7-8 hours a day and non-laptop students using a computer 2-3 hours a day. The results of this study were quite interesting. Unsurprisingly, laptop students had scored higher on tests regarding general computing skills and had more positive results regarding classroom atmosphere, student motivation, spacial intelligence and learning interest. However there were issues regarding health with laptop students reporting negative effects of physical strain in hands, arms, necks and posture. Strain on eyes was also an issue with laptop students who were commonly suffering the effects of dry eyes.
It seems to be clear in this study that laptops have many positive benefits but these do need to be weighed up against the negative health affects.
This study by Trimmel and Bachmann (2004) looked at 49 students at an Austrian private school, 27 students were in laptop only classrooms and 22 were in traditional non-laptop classrooms. The aim of the study was to find differences in cognitive performance, social atmosphere, communication, motivation and issues of strain and health issues. Data was collected by a series of tests and questionnaires over a one and a half year period. All but one non-laptop student reported having a laptop at home with laptop students using a computer 7-8 hours a day and non-laptop students using a computer 2-3 hours a day. The results of this study were quite interesting. Unsurprisingly, laptop students had scored higher on tests regarding general computing skills and had more positive results regarding classroom atmosphere, student motivation, spacial intelligence and learning interest. However there were issues regarding health with laptop students reporting negative effects of physical strain in hands, arms, necks and posture. Strain on eyes was also an issue with laptop students who were commonly suffering the effects of dry eyes.
It seems to be clear in this study that laptops have many positive benefits but these do need to be weighed up against the negative health affects.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking With Laptops During The Lecture.
Kraushaar, J., & Novak, D. (2010). Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking With Laptops During the Lecture. Journal of Information Systems Education, 21(2), 241-251. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From Education Research Complete database.
This paper by Kraushaar and Novak (2010) looks at undergraduate student use of laptop computers in lecture theatres. The aim of this study is to look at the affects of multitasking during lectures and to ascertain weather multitasking (looking at non course related material and applications) has an effect on student learning outcomes. Data for this study was collected by student self reporting and through the use of spyware installed on students laptops. The idea of installing spyware on the students laptops was to be able to check the self reported data against the collected data fed by the spyware. The spyware was installed upon agreement with the participating students, and it was quite often disabled by students to hide what they were doing. There were 97 students who participated in the study and they were all undergraduates from the one faculty in differing years at Vermont University. The results were interesting as they show that students have non-course related material open 42% of the time and there seemed to be an under reporting of the multitasking as shown by the software data. This is concerning for other studies that rely solely on self reported data. The correlation though between multitasking and academic achievement wasn't quite clear with one measure showing that it did affect academic achievement and another measure showing that it was unclear. This was a good study with some interesting results especially revealing the amount of non-course related material that is looked at during lectures, as this seemed especially high.
This paper by Kraushaar and Novak (2010) looks at undergraduate student use of laptop computers in lecture theatres. The aim of this study is to look at the affects of multitasking during lectures and to ascertain weather multitasking (looking at non course related material and applications) has an effect on student learning outcomes. Data for this study was collected by student self reporting and through the use of spyware installed on students laptops. The idea of installing spyware on the students laptops was to be able to check the self reported data against the collected data fed by the spyware. The spyware was installed upon agreement with the participating students, and it was quite often disabled by students to hide what they were doing. There were 97 students who participated in the study and they were all undergraduates from the one faculty in differing years at Vermont University. The results were interesting as they show that students have non-course related material open 42% of the time and there seemed to be an under reporting of the multitasking as shown by the software data. This is concerning for other studies that rely solely on self reported data. The correlation though between multitasking and academic achievement wasn't quite clear with one measure showing that it did affect academic achievement and another measure showing that it was unclear. This was a good study with some interesting results especially revealing the amount of non-course related material that is looked at during lectures, as this seemed especially high.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Beyond laptops: The real education revolution
Moon, S. (2009). Beyond laptops: The real education revolution. Retrieved October 11, 2010, From http://www.openforum.com.au/content/beyond-laptops-real-education-revolution
In my research on laptops in schools I have been looking at the federal governments roll out of laptops for year 9 students and how each state has gone about this and the success and downfalls of the program. whilst researching I found this interesting article by Sheryle Moon on the failures of the so called educational revolution. Moon criticises the governments obsession withtechnology trinkets such as laptops. This was a major platform for the Rudd government and to think that a laptop computer in the hands of all our fifteen year olds was the answer for education and training shows just how small thinking our politicians are. Moon calls for a greater emphasis on fostering creative thinking in our students. Moon furthermore says that our employers are looking for communication, collaboration and creativity skills and she admonishes the work of Sir Ken Robinson in education and agrees that our schools teach students the same way they have been taught for a hundred years and that greater focus needs to be paid to right hemisphere thinking and allowing our children to experiment and think creatively. While I do agree with Moon, I have found some great things are being done with the laptop program. I have read many positive articles about this program and I do believe that this is a major step in our education system to transforming it to the new digital society. A great article regardless with some valid points.
In my research on laptops in schools I have been looking at the federal governments roll out of laptops for year 9 students and how each state has gone about this and the success and downfalls of the program. whilst researching I found this interesting article by Sheryle Moon on the failures of the so called educational revolution. Moon criticises the governments obsession withtechnology trinkets such as laptops. This was a major platform for the Rudd government and to think that a laptop computer in the hands of all our fifteen year olds was the answer for education and training shows just how small thinking our politicians are. Moon calls for a greater emphasis on fostering creative thinking in our students. Moon furthermore says that our employers are looking for communication, collaboration and creativity skills and she admonishes the work of Sir Ken Robinson in education and agrees that our schools teach students the same way they have been taught for a hundred years and that greater focus needs to be paid to right hemisphere thinking and allowing our children to experiment and think creatively. While I do agree with Moon, I have found some great things are being done with the laptop program. I have read many positive articles about this program and I do believe that this is a major step in our education system to transforming it to the new digital society. A great article regardless with some valid points.
"Why we banned the use of Laptops and scribe notes in our classroom"
Fink III, J. (2010). Why We Banned Use of Laptops and "Scribe Notes" in Our Classroom. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(6), 1-2. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from Education Research Complete database.
This journal paper by Joseph Fink is actually a response to an article written by Professor Chanen Kibosh (2007) about how laptops are a distraction in lectures and classes. Fink agrees with Kibosh and has implemented for the last two years that the are banned in his pharmaceutical course. Fink in this article justifies this decision by stating that laptops are a distraction to his students as the temptation to multitask in the form of sending emails checking facebook etc is too great and that he expects his students to be giving their undivided attention in his classes. Fink argues that not to pay full attention is rude and unprofessional, and as he is training future medical professionals they will also be expected to give their undivided attention to their patients. As well as this Fink argues that laptops can interfere with the learning environment of other students much to the same way that cell phones do. He says that it is common policy to ask students to turn off their cell phones but to have students attention distracted and distracting those around them by their laptops seems to be a double standard. I think Fink makes some good points although he will probably be labelled a dinosaur for saying this, however I tend not to agree with him as students in university are adults and should be able to be responsible with this technology. I feel it is quite narrow minded for a university that should be promoting new ways and new technologies to ban something because their adult students can't be trusted. This is quite paternalistic, what next checking students in lecture theatres that they haven't nodded off! Although I don't agree with Fink he does raise some interesting points against laptops and goes to forming a balanced view on this issue.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Evolution of a laptop University: A case study
McVay, G., Snyder, K. & Graetz, K. (2005). Evolution of a laptop university: a case study.British Journal of Educational Technology, 36 (3), 513-524. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from CAUL Wiley-Blackwell database.
This article looks at a case study of the Winona State University laptop program and how this relatively small university became one of the leaders in information communication technology in the USA. The paper looks at how this program was rolled out in three stages over six years. The University undertook the program with seven principles of good practice for undergraduate study, these included things like providing access to ICT services, giving students the best opportunity to use the latest technology in their studies and allowing the students to have an unfettered opportunity to actively learn outside the classrooms. Through this program after the third year of operation new students were required to lease a new laptop through the university and all staff were provided one. There was also a major overhaul of the universities wireless services and support infrastructure. However there were some problems with this program with surveyed students reporting they could have purchased the hardware and software else were at a cheaper cost, as well there was a high percentage of students reporting that apart from using their laptops to email and access course information they were underutilised, this criticism mainly came from particular courses. On the whole this program looks to be successful with greater benefits to the students than the upfront cost. Although it is important for staff to receive training to provide relevant material and support to fully utilise this technology. The program is currently being expanded to move beyond laptops to move to the new technology of tablets or iBooks.
This article looks at a case study of the Winona State University laptop program and how this relatively small university became one of the leaders in information communication technology in the USA. The paper looks at how this program was rolled out in three stages over six years. The University undertook the program with seven principles of good practice for undergraduate study, these included things like providing access to ICT services, giving students the best opportunity to use the latest technology in their studies and allowing the students to have an unfettered opportunity to actively learn outside the classrooms. Through this program after the third year of operation new students were required to lease a new laptop through the university and all staff were provided one. There was also a major overhaul of the universities wireless services and support infrastructure. However there were some problems with this program with surveyed students reporting they could have purchased the hardware and software else were at a cheaper cost, as well there was a high percentage of students reporting that apart from using their laptops to email and access course information they were underutilised, this criticism mainly came from particular courses. On the whole this program looks to be successful with greater benefits to the students than the upfront cost. Although it is important for staff to receive training to provide relevant material and support to fully utilise this technology. The program is currently being expanded to move beyond laptops to move to the new technology of tablets or iBooks.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Assessing laptop use in higher education clasrooms.
Lauricella, S. & Kay, R. (2010) Assessing laptop use in higher education classrooms: The laptop effectiveness scale. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2). Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/lauricella.pdf
The purpose of this article was to create a scale to evaluate the effectiveness of laptop use in higher education. The authors of this study evaluated the laptop use of 177 students at Canada's Ontario Institute of Technology, a University that provides laptops to all students and is completely wireless meaning the students have internet access at all times. The students were spread across the different courses and different years of study and came from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds. Over a period of 12 months students kept a record of their use of the laptops in the classroom and the lecture theatre, from both academic to non-academic use. This data was then correlated along with the students results and their own perceptions of how laptops helped them. The scale that was created at the conclusion of this study consisted of four constructs: academic use, non-academic communication, playing games and watching movies. This paper contained a lot of tables of data that were hard for a non-statistician as myself to properly analyse. There was also a lot of information on statistical validity that was quite heavy to interpret. However the authors summary provided an interesting insight into the use of laptops in the classroom with the author concluding that although laptops provide greater means for distraction in the classroom with 74% of students admitting to spending up to 50%of class time sending and receiving non-academic messages, laptops were used a majority of the time by a majority of the students on academic activities such as taking notes researching etc, with the group that used laptops for a majority of the time on academic activities showing improvements in their grades. As well as improvements in students grades this study concluded that student satisfaction is much higher when taking a class with laptops as well as improvements in communication with staff and peers. This paper provided a good start to my research with some solid data on the effectiveness of laptops in the classroom.
The purpose of this article was to create a scale to evaluate the effectiveness of laptop use in higher education. The authors of this study evaluated the laptop use of 177 students at Canada's Ontario Institute of Technology, a University that provides laptops to all students and is completely wireless meaning the students have internet access at all times. The students were spread across the different courses and different years of study and came from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds. Over a period of 12 months students kept a record of their use of the laptops in the classroom and the lecture theatre, from both academic to non-academic use. This data was then correlated along with the students results and their own perceptions of how laptops helped them. The scale that was created at the conclusion of this study consisted of four constructs: academic use, non-academic communication, playing games and watching movies. This paper contained a lot of tables of data that were hard for a non-statistician as myself to properly analyse. There was also a lot of information on statistical validity that was quite heavy to interpret. However the authors summary provided an interesting insight into the use of laptops in the classroom with the author concluding that although laptops provide greater means for distraction in the classroom with 74% of students admitting to spending up to 50%of class time sending and receiving non-academic messages, laptops were used a majority of the time by a majority of the students on academic activities such as taking notes researching etc, with the group that used laptops for a majority of the time on academic activities showing improvements in their grades. As well as improvements in students grades this study concluded that student satisfaction is much higher when taking a class with laptops as well as improvements in communication with staff and peers. This paper provided a good start to my research with some solid data on the effectiveness of laptops in the classroom.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Topic 2: Laptops
For my second topic I have chosen to investigate the use of laptop computers in our education system. I am interested in looking at research and studies on the effectiveness of this technology and how they are impacting on schools. I know that part of Labors 2007 election campaign was to supply all year nine students with a lap top so I will also be interested in looking at how that program is going and if there is any current data on this program.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Research Analysis
Information Communication Technology (ICT) continues to play an ever increasing part in our education system. With more of what we do becoming digitized it is no wonder that traditional blackboards and whiteboards are also becoming digitized and replaced with the new generation of Interactive Whiteboards (IWB). For my first research topic I have chosen to examine Interactive Whiteboards. The main issues surrounding the use of IWB include the way they influence the classroom, how they promote student engagement and whether they improve the overall quality of education.
One of the main arguments in favour of the use of IWB is that they allow students to engage in visual imagery in a deeper way than they do with just the spoken word. (Marentette & Uhrick,[nd]) The ability to create dot points and provide images, slides or video clips is a huge advantage and can provide a visual link to theory thereby engaging students in the subject being taught. History teacher Richard McFahn stated that since IWB were introduced at his school "the students have gone from being completely uninspired to being enthused with the prospect of learning.” (Murray, 2006 p. 13). There is a ludic or fun element to IWB, with the interactive interface, touch screen and the ability to integrate animation, sound, video, and text gives the sense of play which is an important factor in keeping students engaged (Cuthell, 2005).
Besides increasing student class engagement, the use of IWB can provide teachers with the flexibility to tailor lessons to students various learning styles (Cuthell, 2005). This point was illustrated clearly in an article called ‘Use of SMART Boards for Teaching Kindergarten’. Students with limited literacy skills were able to utilise the board to demonstrate an understanding of outcomes in a science lesson through visual cues and then the children touching the screen for the correct answer. (Preston and Mowbray, 2008).
Further benefits that IWB provide is the advantage the software gives teachers in lesson planning. The ability to cut and paste material in planning and then the immediacy of being able to switch between power points to writing on the boards or use clips and images is a long way from traditional methods of relying on handouts and posters or needing to set up a television set prior to the class to use a clip from a movie. (Barker, 2007).
While there are many positive views on the use of IWB with their use being internationally regarded and rolled out throughout schools, there are other issues which also need to be considered. First and foremost of these is cost. The technology is quite cost prohibitive at around AUD8,000 for a basic model, this becomes very expensive to be utilised broadly within a school (Dudeney, 2006). Dudeney goes on to argue that to get the critical mass needed to make training and software licences viable schools need to acquire about half a dozen, this can be extremely expensive or unachievable for many schools.
A lack of specialised software for some Key Learning Areas, such as languages was also an issue raised in several articles. This can limit the resources available to some teachers, defeating the purpose of having the technology in the first place. And result in IWB being under utilised (Dudeney, 2006).
One point that was often discussed was the training of staff. Appropriate training is essential to ensure IWB are utilised to their potential. If teachers are just given them without training they won’t know how to use them. One UK
Through my research I can see that the use of IWB can take classrooms to a new interactive level. From their desks students can participate in interactive tours, watch clips and videos relevant to the content taught and have a summary of the lesson in a visual format. I think these are all good educational progressions that may not influence test scores but I believe IWB will engage this tech savvy generation. I also believe that adequate training is important to IWB being properly utilised. I think that more Australian research can be undertaken on how much they are currently being used in Australian schools. It is important that educators are relevant and find new ways to engage students. However, these are a tool that teachers can use and I do believe that fundamentally, you can not replace good pedagogy.
Bibliography
Bax, S. (2006). Interactive white boards watch this space. IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2010, from http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
Cuthell, J.P.,(2005), Seeing the meaning: The impact of interactive whiteboards on teaching and learning. BECTA. Retrieved September, 3, 2010 from http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/whiteboards/index/html
Duneney, G. (2006). Interactive quite bored: IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retreived September 4, 2010, From http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
Marentette, L. & Uhrick, A. [n.d.] Reaching learners: Immersive education through interactive multimedia.
VP sales & marketing, Nextwindow. Retrieved August 19 2010 from http://www.presentationproducts.com/sites/pproducts.com/files/Infocom%20-%20ReachingLearners.pdf
Monday, September 13, 2010
Smart Board in the Music Classroom
Barker, J. (2007). Smart Board in the Music Classroom. Music Educators Journal, 93(5), 18-19. Retrieved September 13, 2010, from Education Research Complete database.
This article by Barker gives a teachers account of learning to use Interactive Whiteboards (IWB)'s and then using them in the implementation of her music lessons. Barker a teacher of 20 years provides a positive experience of the posibilities that IWB's provide, the author loves the way that this technology has made everything immediate as well as being impressed by the software smartboards provide to do lesson plans. Barker believes that this technology is the future as it not only provides enhanced student engagement but makes life easier from a teachers point of view, by being able to cut and paste relevant material and not having to stuff around with hand outs and cds. This article has been a good first person account of implementing IWB's into the classroom.
This article by Barker gives a teachers account of learning to use Interactive Whiteboards (IWB)'s and then using them in the implementation of her music lessons. Barker a teacher of 20 years provides a positive experience of the posibilities that IWB's provide, the author loves the way that this technology has made everything immediate as well as being impressed by the software smartboards provide to do lesson plans. Barker believes that this technology is the future as it not only provides enhanced student engagement but makes life easier from a teachers point of view, by being able to cut and paste relevant material and not having to stuff around with hand outs and cds. This article has been a good first person account of implementing IWB's into the classroom.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
"Interactive Quite Bored"
Duneney, G. (2006). Interactive quite bored. IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retreived September 4, 2010, From http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
This article by Gavin Dudeney is a pragmatic look at Interactive whiteboards (IWB)'s and the economic viability to this technology. The author asks the question, that whilst this technology is useful and quite impressive, is it really fesiable to roll this technology out to the world wide educational community. Dudeney list two major problems with IWB's, That being materials and cost. The materials are such things as converting all our text books two IWB software, as well as the fact that teachers can become straight jacketed by them and slip into just presenting a presentation and forget to interact with their learners. And like all technologies they all lose there wow factor after a while. On the finance side Dudeney says that it is no good just getting one of these things that to get the critical mass needed so things like teacher training is worthwhile the average school wil need to buy 5 or 6 IWB's, and not all schools have 40k lying around. In this article Dudeney makes some good points that add another side to this issue, a worthwhile article indeed.
This article by Gavin Dudeney is a pragmatic look at Interactive whiteboards (IWB)'s and the economic viability to this technology. The author asks the question, that whilst this technology is useful and quite impressive, is it really fesiable to roll this technology out to the world wide educational community. Dudeney list two major problems with IWB's, That being materials and cost. The materials are such things as converting all our text books two IWB software, as well as the fact that teachers can become straight jacketed by them and slip into just presenting a presentation and forget to interact with their learners. And like all technologies they all lose there wow factor after a while. On the finance side Dudeney says that it is no good just getting one of these things that to get the critical mass needed so things like teacher training is worthwhile the average school wil need to buy 5 or 6 IWB's, and not all schools have 40k lying around. In this article Dudeney makes some good points that add another side to this issue, a worthwhile article indeed.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Interactive whiteboards watch this space:
Bax, S. (2006). Interactive white boards watch this space. IATEFL Call Review summer 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2010, from http://associates.iatefl.org/pages/materials/itskills25.pdf
This article by Stephen Bax in the journal of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language was a review of the literature surrounding Interactive whiteboards (IWB's). Some of this literature at the time was positive towards to new technology, (remember this was written in 2006) and some of the literature was negative towards IWB's. Bax looked at this idea that new technologies were a failure if they didn't improve exam results which the author replied "If this was the case pens should be thrown away". One of the articles that the author looked at in regard to negative feedback to IWB's was an article by Dunley, (2006) in which Dunley compared IWB's to Interactive video disks which today are just expensive museum exhibits. Dunleys main argument against this technology is that IWB's are cost prohibitive he also argued lack of programs and training would see this technology not taking off. Bax concluded by giving his own opinion and disagreed with Dunley saying that there would be a tipping point in the roll out of this technology where the more popular IWB's get will attract more competition in the market, with new companies making them this will result in the price getting cheaper and the technology getting better and more user friendly.
This article has been useful to my research on this topic and has shown me other perspectives than just positive sales pitches, I will now endeavour to find a full version of the article by Dunley (2006).
This article by Stephen Bax in the journal of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language was a review of the literature surrounding Interactive whiteboards (IWB's). Some of this literature at the time was positive towards to new technology, (remember this was written in 2006) and some of the literature was negative towards IWB's. Bax looked at this idea that new technologies were a failure if they didn't improve exam results which the author replied "If this was the case pens should be thrown away". One of the articles that the author looked at in regard to negative feedback to IWB's was an article by Dunley, (2006) in which Dunley compared IWB's to Interactive video disks which today are just expensive museum exhibits. Dunleys main argument against this technology is that IWB's are cost prohibitive he also argued lack of programs and training would see this technology not taking off. Bax concluded by giving his own opinion and disagreed with Dunley saying that there would be a tipping point in the roll out of this technology where the more popular IWB's get will attract more competition in the market, with new companies making them this will result in the price getting cheaper and the technology getting better and more user friendly.
This article has been useful to my research on this topic and has shown me other perspectives than just positive sales pitches, I will now endeavour to find a full version of the article by Dunley (2006).
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Use of SMART Boards for Teaching Kindergarten
Title: Use of SMART Boards for Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Kindergarten Science. Preston, C; Mowbray, L. Journal of Teaching Science; v.54 n.z p. 50-53; June 2008
In this article Preston and Mowbray look at how interactive whiteboards (IWB) are used in the kindergarten class of Abbotsleigh Junior school (UK). They discuss how IWB's are used for kindergarten students specifically, and how they can enhance understanding and assessment in children who are yet to develop traditional literacy skills. The lessons the authors looked at were science lessons where pictures, visual instructions or flash animation could be given via the IWB. The children could then touch on the screen the pictured answers of questions to assess learning. Lesson conclusions could then be reinforced by a visual overview of the lesson. These lessons were all designed to be interactive so the children could show their understanding of concepts and recall experimental procedures without the need for highly developed literacy skills. This is one of few studies on the use of IWB's in a kindergarten or early childhood environment whereas previous studies have focused on children in older classes. The conclusions of the study showed that IWB's increased the level of engagement in children as well as increased the pace in which the lessons were delievered this was done by the ease in which concepts could be explained and concrete examples could be given via the IWB. A further conclusion was that assessment could be done interactively via the IWB something that cannot be done with pens and papers. This study has it's limitations as it is not wide ranging and only focuses on the teaching of one subject, this said the authors have provided me with some good examples of the effectiveness of this technology and this was a useful article.
In this article Preston and Mowbray look at how interactive whiteboards (IWB) are used in the kindergarten class of Abbotsleigh Junior school (UK). They discuss how IWB's are used for kindergarten students specifically, and how they can enhance understanding and assessment in children who are yet to develop traditional literacy skills. The lessons the authors looked at were science lessons where pictures, visual instructions or flash animation could be given via the IWB. The children could then touch on the screen the pictured answers of questions to assess learning. Lesson conclusions could then be reinforced by a visual overview of the lesson. These lessons were all designed to be interactive so the children could show their understanding of concepts and recall experimental procedures without the need for highly developed literacy skills. This is one of few studies on the use of IWB's in a kindergarten or early childhood environment whereas previous studies have focused on children in older classes. The conclusions of the study showed that IWB's increased the level of engagement in children as well as increased the pace in which the lessons were delievered this was done by the ease in which concepts could be explained and concrete examples could be given via the IWB. A further conclusion was that assessment could be done interactively via the IWB something that cannot be done with pens and papers. This study has it's limitations as it is not wide ranging and only focuses on the teaching of one subject, this said the authors have provided me with some good examples of the effectiveness of this technology and this was a useful article.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Seeing the meaning.
Cuthell, J.P.,(2005), Seeing the meaning: The impact of interactive whiteboards on teaching and learning. BECTA. Retrieved September, 3, 2010 from http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/whiteboards/index/html
This article by John Cuthell looks at the effects of Interactive whiteboards (IWB's) on the way students learn and the pedagogical implications of this technology. The idea of the study was to affirm that IWB's were being used as part of the suite of ICT tools and they were meeting the objectives of the schools. This study was a follow up to a (Becta, 2000) study that found schools with better ICT resources had better grades in english, maths, and science. The author uses research collated by himself over the last four years of working with educators along with research conducted by action programs looking at five schools across the UK on the implementation of IWB's as well as a range of international studies.The findings of this paper were not totally conclusive however it did suggest that these boards had great value in presenting information to students in new ways with differing learning styles. Students found that this technology had a ludic or fun element to it and that more of the lesson could be taken in with lessons providing powerpoint presentations. Teachers from a constructivist approach tend to gravitate to this technology however only 35% of teachers are using IWB's on a regular basis. This article has been beneficial to my research as it has confirmed alot of the claims of the previous article however this article is from a more netural point of view.
This article by John Cuthell looks at the effects of Interactive whiteboards (IWB's) on the way students learn and the pedagogical implications of this technology. The idea of the study was to affirm that IWB's were being used as part of the suite of ICT tools and they were meeting the objectives of the schools. This study was a follow up to a (Becta, 2000) study that found schools with better ICT resources had better grades in english, maths, and science. The author uses research collated by himself over the last four years of working with educators along with research conducted by action programs looking at five schools across the UK on the implementation of IWB's as well as a range of international studies.The findings of this paper were not totally conclusive however it did suggest that these boards had great value in presenting information to students in new ways with differing learning styles. Students found that this technology had a ludic or fun element to it and that more of the lesson could be taken in with lessons providing powerpoint presentations. Teachers from a constructivist approach tend to gravitate to this technology however only 35% of teachers are using IWB's on a regular basis. This article has been beneficial to my research as it has confirmed alot of the claims of the previous article however this article is from a more netural point of view.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Reaching learners: Immersive education through Interactive multimedia.
Marentette, L. & Uhrick, A. [n.d.] Reaching learners: Immersive education through interactive multimedia.
VP sales & marketing, Nextwindow. Retrieved August 19 2010 from http://www.presentationproducts.com/sites/pproducts.com/files/Infocom%20-%20ReachingLearners.pdf
This article by Marentette and Uhrick looked mostly at how we learn and the way imagery plays an important role in reinforcing verbal information. The authors of this article were informing their readers on the way we learn and the positive impact technology can play on this. This article quotes research from many various sources as well as giving ideas in which Interactive whiteboards (IWB)'s are being used in education. The authors made good points and used quotes by academics and provided links to the studies or programs to support their points. However most of these studies were supporting the authors argument ie that multimedia presentations enhance student engagement and the author made the link to (IWB's). This article appears to be from quite reparable sources although I found it at a link on a product website (distributors for smartboards). This article has been a good place to start as it makes a compelling argument for the benefits digital media and the varying ways in which schools can accommodate this through (IWB's).
VP sales & marketing, Nextwindow. Retrieved August 19 2010 from http://www.presentationproducts.com/sites/pproducts.com/files/Infocom%20-%20ReachingLearners.pdf
This article by Marentette and Uhrick looked mostly at how we learn and the way imagery plays an important role in reinforcing verbal information. The authors of this article were informing their readers on the way we learn and the positive impact technology can play on this. This article quotes research from many various sources as well as giving ideas in which Interactive whiteboards (IWB)'s are being used in education. The authors made good points and used quotes by academics and provided links to the studies or programs to support their points. However most of these studies were supporting the authors argument ie that multimedia presentations enhance student engagement and the author made the link to (IWB's). This article appears to be from quite reparable sources although I found it at a link on a product website (distributors for smartboards). This article has been a good place to start as it makes a compelling argument for the benefits digital media and the varying ways in which schools can accommodate this through (IWB's).
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My first blog
This is my first post I have ever made in a blog. I have set up this blog as part of a University assignment to record my thoughts and research on the topic of Information, Communication Technologies and how these can be used or how they facilitate learning in the classroom. In this regard I will need to narrow my search down to two topics. Firstly I am thinking of looking at "Smart boards" and how they enhance learning and engagement in the classroom. This will be interesting as I know very little about this technology,of course I have seen them in the odd classroom I have been into but I wouldn't know a thing about how to use them or when to use them. For this research however I will only be looking at how smartboards enhance the teaching and learning experience and I look forward to seeing what the research says.
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