WEBQUEST

(SIDE NOTE: Geez I'm cranky, a few minutes ago I was halfway through writing this post when the computer randomly decided to shut down, So of course I lost everything I had written. But luckily I had saved the other documents I was working on, so nothing was lost! PHEW!)

Anyway, I am very proud to say that I am just putting thje finishing touches on my first webquest! I have spent about 10 hours on it, no joke, and I have learnt a lot about making webquests.

Firstly, yes, they can be time consuming. It takes time to find good resources that are age appropriate. Before creating a webquest it might be a good idea to check that there are plenty of good resources on the web or you might end up wasting your time!

There are two ways to cut down the time it takes to create a webquest. Firstly, you need to set out a plan beforehand of exactly what the webquest will entail. It helps gicve a structure to the formation of the WQ, much faster than making it up as you go along. Also, if you have a plan you have a better chance of finding resources that suit the tasks you have developed in accordance witht he syllabus, rather than the resources you find dictating the activities which might not fit so well with the syllabus. Secondly, if you can find a webquest that already exists, and tailor it to suit your class and your lesson, that will cut down the time it takes to make a WQ.

It is really important that you try to include different cognitive tools and types of media in a WQ. Simply referring the students to websites with pages of writing can be quite boring. Video clips are different and interesting. Comedic cartoons can bring a bit of fun to the WQ. Using different cognitive tools makes tasks more interesting and caters to a variety of learning styles and intelligences.

adding another sound clip!

the last one didnt work because of an error at the host site, but ths one does!!

mp3 music M People MP3s

A game on the internet!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/3djigsaw_02/index.shtml?skeleton

This is a fantastic game from the BBC website. There are many different games on the webpage "interactive body". Games include creating a virtual skeleton, where students are presented with pictures of various bones and they must guess or use their knowledge to place the bone on the appropriate part of the body. There is a similar game for muscles. These games are not games you would use to introduce a topic as they work better when student's have some knowledge. However there is a "hint" button to help students figure out where the bone/muslce goes, and if the students get it wrong the fist time they can try again until they get it right.

Adding video clips!

Ok so its quite east using youtube at least! All you do is find the clip you want to add on youtube, cope the past called "embed". Then you go to create a new post in blogger, click on html, and paste what you copied from youtube. Check this out, its a video of the mens final race at the Chinese New Year regatta in darling Harbour, Sydney, in Feb 2007. It was an awesome race!

adding sound clips to my blog

Ok so if this works I will have a sound clip for a Black Eyed Peas song. All I did was go to www.pcplanets.com , find a song I liked, click on it, choose mP3, and click "get mP3 code" , then cope and paste!

mp3 songs | Black Eyed Peas MP3s

What is a podcast and how do you make one?

Check out www.podcastingnews.com for info on how to make a podcast:
.
Q: What's podcasting?

A: According to Wikipedia, "Podcasting is the practice of making audio files available online in a way that allows software to automatically detect new files and download them." Technically, this is accomplished using RSS 2.0 news feeds to provide information about a collection of audio files in MP3 format. In common use, podcasting is often used to refer to independent audio shows that can be downloaded from the Internet.

Q: What's cool about podcasting?

A: Podcasting lets anybody with a microphone, a computer and an Internet connection publish audio shows that can be listened to by people anywhere in the world. Because the barriers to entry are very low, podcasting is rapidly becoming a popular way for people share audio shows. Podcasts are free and can be automatically downloaded to portable media players, so you can listen to them whenever it's convenient.
Coolest of all is that if you've got a great idea for a podcast, you can probably do it!

Q: Do I need to have an iPod to listen to podcasts?

A: No. The first podcast clients were designed to subscribe to audio shows, automatically download them and sync them to iPods. As podcasting has evolved, podcast clients have become available that work with most portable digital audio players. Many podcast sites support downloading shows directly from the site, and many directories support playing podcasts directly.

Q: Do I need special software to listen to podcasts?

A: No. Many podcasters and directories let you listen to podcasts as streaming media, directly from the site. Podcasting clients are used to streamline downloading podcasts and copying them to portable media players.

Q: Where can I find podcasts?

A: The most popular places for finding podcasts are the directories at iPodder.org, PodcastAlley and Podcasting News. There are many other podcast directory sites. Many podcast applications also include a list or directory of podcasts.

Q: Who invented podcasting?

A: Podcasting is based on capabilities built into the RSS 2.0 specification, which was developed by Dave Winer. Adam Curry catalyzed the podcasting concept in September of 2004, when he released a script that automatically downloaded audio files referenced in RSS files.
While there are many precedents for Curry and Winer's work, they put the pieces together and popularized the idea of podcasting. Because of this, they are generally considered the "podfathers" of the podcasting community.

Q: Do I need to use a Mac?

A: No. You can create and listen to podcasts using Windows, Mac OS X and Linux podcasting software.

Q: What is RSS?

A: RSS files are text files that contain information about things available on the Internet. For podcasting, RSS files are used to syndicate information about a podcast "channel" (the show as a whole), and also individual podcast episodes. The article Understanding RSS News Feeds discusses how to use them for podcasting.

Q: What can you do with a podcast?

A: A browse through a podcast directory shows the variety of podcasts that are available. Here are just a few things podcasting can be used for:
On-demand versions of radio shows
Personal audio blogs
Audio books
Music shows
Audio tour guides
Educational content that depends on audio (language, music, etc)
Marketing for musicians
Distributing sermons and other religious content
Storytelling
Sports coverage
Distributing/synchronizing audio and video files for business.

our wiki address http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddjz64dp_0gwkpss

Resource!

http://www.bradfordschools.net/content/view/229/174/

Fantastic resource, all about integrating ICT into teh curriculum. Lots of games & activities.

Second Life

www.secondlife.com
Well, I'm still trying to get my head around this 'second life" bizzo. I had never heard of it until today, and I am still trying to figure it out. This is what wikipedia has to say:


Education in Second Life
Second Life has recently emerged as one of the cutting-edge virtual classrooms for major colleges and universities, including Harvard, Pepperdine, Ball State, New York University, Delft University of Technology[32] and AFEKA Tel-Aviv Academic College of Engineering [33]. Second Life fosters a welcoming atmosphere for administrators to host lectures and projects online, selling more than 100 islands for educational purposes, according to a New York Times article.[34] The article quoted Rebecca Nesson, an instructor at Harvard who brought her Legal Studies class to Second Life in the second half of 2006. "Normally, no matter how good a distance-learning class is, an inherent distance does still exist between you and your students," she says. "Second Life has really bridged that gap. There is just more unofficial time that we spend together outside of the typical class session." Joe Sanchez, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin evaluated the use of Second Life in education in an interactive qualitative analysis, finding that once students overcome the technical and interface difficulties with Second Life, they "indicate a preference to social learning activites and find it enjoyable to interact with other avatars while learning in this space".[35]

So basically this is using the principals of Vygotsky (learning through social interaction) to enhance/create/promote learning through ICT.

Bloom in the classroom

Knowledge


Useful Verbs: tell list describe relate locate write find state name

Sample Question Stems:

What happened after...? How many...? Who was it that...? Can you name the...? Describe what happened at...? Who spoke to...? Can you tell why...? Find the meaning of...? What is...? Which is true or false...?

Potential activities and products

Make a list of the main events..
Make a timeline of events.
Make a facts chart.
Write a list of any pieces of information you can remember.
List all the .... in the story.
Make a chart showing...Make an acrostic.
Recite a poem.

Comprehension


Useful Verbs: explain interpret outline discuss distinguish predict restate translate compare describe

Sample Question Stems

Can you write in your own words...? Can you write a brief outline...? What do you think could of happened next...? Who do you think...? What was the main idea...? Who was the key character...? Can you distinguish between...? What differences exist between...? Can you provide an example of what you mean...? Can you provide a definition for...?

Potential activities and products

Cut out or draw pictures to show a particular event.
Illustrate what you think the main idea was.
Make a cartoon strip showing the sequence of events.
Write and perform a play based on the story.
Retell the story in your words.
Paint a picture of some aspect you like.
Write a summary report of an event.
Prepare a flow chart to illustrate the sequence of events.
Make a colouring book.


Application


Useful Verbs: solve show use illustrate construct complete examine classify

Sample Question Stems

Do you know another instance where...? Could this have happened in...? Can you group by characteristics such as...? What factors would you change if...? Can you apply the method used to some experience of your own...? What questions would you ask of...? From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about...?Would this information be useful if you had a ...?

Potential activities and products

Construct a model to demonstrate how it will work.
Make a diorama to illustrate an important event.
Make a scrapbook about the areas of study.
Make a paper-mache map to include relevant information about an event.
Take a collection of photographs to demonstrate a particular point.
Make up a puzzle game suing the ideas from the study area.
Make a clay model of an item in the material.
Design a market strategy for your product using a known strategy as a model.
Dress a doll in national costume.
Paint a mural using the same materials.
Write a textbook about... for others.


Analysis


Useful Verbs: analyse distinguish examine compare contrast investigate categorise identify explain separate advertise

Sample Question Stems

Which events could have happened...? I ... happened, what might the ending have been? How was this similar to...? What was the underlying theme of...? What do you see as other possible outcomes? Why did ... changes occur? Can you compare your ... with that presented in...? Can you explain what must have happened when...? How is ... similar to ...? What are some of the problems of...? Can you distinguish between...? What were some of the motives behind...? What was the turning point in the game? What was the problem with...?

Potential activities and products

Design a questionnaire to gather information.
Write a commercial to sell a new product.
Conduct an investigation to produce information to support a view.
Make a flow chart to show the critical stages.
Construct a graph to illustrate selected information.
Make a jigsaw puzzle.
Make a family tree showing relationships.
Put on a play about the study area.
Write a biography of the study person.
Prepare a report about the area of study.
Arrange a party.
Make all the arrangements and record the steps needed.
Review a work of art in terms of form, colour and texture.


Synthesis


Useful Verbs: create invent compose predict plan construct design imagine propose devise formulate

Sample Question Stems

Can you design a ... to ...?
Why not compose a song about...? Can you see a possible solution to...? If you had access to all resources how would you deal with...? Why don't you devise your own way to deal with...? What would happen if...? How many ways can you...? Can you create new and unusual uses for...? Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish?

Potential activities and products

can you develop a proposal which would...
Invent a machine to do a specific task.
Design a building to house your study.
Create a new product.
Give it a name and plan a marketing campaign.
Write about your feelings in relation to...
Write a TV show, play, puppet show, role play, song or pantomime about...?
Design a record, book, or magazine cover for...?
Make up a new language code and write material suing it.
Sell an idea.
Devise a way to...
Compose a rhythm or put new words to a known melody.


Evaluation


Useful Verbs: judge select choose decide justify debate verify argue recommend assess discuss rate prioritise determine

Sample Question Stems

Is there a better solution to... Judge the value of... Can you defend your position about...? Do you think ... is a good or a bad thing? How would you have handled...? What changes to ... would you recommend? Do you believe? Are you a ... person? How would you feel if...? How effective are...?What do you think about...?

Potential activities and products

Prepare a list of criteria to judge a ... show.
Indicate priority and ratings.
Conduct a debate about an issue of special interest.
Make a booklet about 5 rules you see as important.
Convince others.
Form a panel to discuss views, eg "Learning at School."
Write a letter to ... advising on changes needed at...
Write a half yearly report.
Prepare a case to present your view about...

http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm

Howard Gardner - he'e got the right idea!

IT'S NOT HOW SMART YOU ARE, IT'S HOW YOU ARE SMART!

Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

What parent can not see gleaming rays of genius in their child? And yet, how many children come to school and demonstrate their own unique genius? There was a time when it might have been a joke to suggest "Every parent thinks their kid's a genius." But research on human intelligence is suggesting that the joke may be on educators! There is a constant flow of new information on how the human brain operates, how it differs in function between genders, how emotions impact on intellectual acuity, even on how genetics and environment each impact our childrens' cognitive abilities. While each area of study has its merits, Howard Gardner of Harvard University has identified different KINDS of intelligence we possess. This has particularly strong ramifications in the classroom, because if we can identify children's different strengths among these intelligences, we can accommodate different children more successfully according to their orientation to learning.

Thus far Gardner 's work suggests nine intelligences. He speculates that there may be many more yet to be identified. Time will tell. These are the paths to children's learning teachers can address in their classrooms right now. They are:

VISUAL/SPATIAL - learning visually and organizing ideas spatially. Seeing concepts in action in order to understand them. The ability to "see" things in one's mind in planning to create a product or solve a problem.

VERBAL/LINGUISTIC - learning through the spoken and written word. This intelligence was always valued in the traditional classroom and in traditional assessments of intelligence and achievement.

MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL - learning through reasoning and problem solving. Also highly valued in the traditional classroom, where students were asked to adapt to logically sequenced delivery of instruction.

BODILY/KINESTHETIC - learning through interaction with one's environment. This intelligence is not the domain of "overly active" learners. It promotes understanding through concrete experience.

MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC - learning through patterns, rhythms and music. This includes not only auditory learning, but the identification of patterns through all the senses.

INTRAPERSONAL - learning through feelings, values and attitudes. This is a decidedly affective component of learning through which students place value on what they learn and take ownership for their learning.

INTERPERSONAL - learning through interaction with others. Not the domain of children who are simply "talkative" or "overly social." This intelligence promotes collaboration and working cooperatively with others.

NATURALIST - learning through classification, categories and hierarchies. The naturalist intelligence picks up on subtle differences in meaning. It is not simply the study of nature; it can be used in all areas of study..

EXISTENTIAL - learning by seeing the "big picture": "Why are we here?" "What is my role in the world?" "What is my place in my family, school and community?" This intelligence seeks connections to real world understandings and applications of new learning.

Teachers are now working on assimilating this knowledge into their strategies for helping children learn. While it is too early to tell all the ramifications for this research, it is clear that the day is past where educators teach the text book and it is the dawn of educators teaching each child according to their orientation to the world.

-Walter McKenzie http://www.surfaquarium.com/mi/overview.htm

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Gardner. Gardner acknowledges that there is more to intelligence and learning than mainstream education models, with a strong focus on the 3 R's - reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic!!

In primary school I was always advanced for my age in my vocabulary and spelling. I make sense of difficult concepts through talking about them. So it is not surprising that my main intelligence is linguistic, and I am a linguistic learner. This leads me to wonder if this is always the case - is everybody smart in the area that suits their learning style? Or do you get fantastic mathematicians who prefer to learn linguistically? Well, I do know that everybody has all of these intelligences to varying degrees, so I suspect that everyone can learn in these areas to varying degrees also.

Another point to consider is this - I am intelligent linguistically, however my logic skills are not so strong. If I were to compare myself to a person with high logicistic skills and lower linguistic skills, who would be smarter? Can you really judge? I don't think so. So this begs the question, why should a teacher's method of education favour any particular area of intelligence? What would happen if a maths teacher, who is accustomed to teaching from a logical perspective, decided to do some activities that required naturalist, kinaesthetic and interpersonal skills?

What would happen is that every member of the class would probably find the subject of maths a lot more interesting, and achievable. The class member who struggles to comprehend graphs and data tables but loves working with their hands all of a sudden finds that the penny drops when they actually create a graph using concrete objects. By catering for all learning styles in a lesson, the teacher engages every student in the lesson in a manner that is relevant to them.

More stuff

Ok, here is a hyperlink the the H drive, a powerpoint presentation by Stephen Downs

lesson continued

last time didnt work. Well I know how to hyperlink, but I dont know how to hpyerlink to the H drive on UNDA server.

lets try this ... ok try this

YYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and now i've found out that I can only access this hyperlink when I am logged on at uni. So all that effort.. for something Im probably not going to use.... oh, and this means I am the only person who will be able to view this hyperlink when I am at uni. hey, this is my longest blog today!

lesson!

I am learning how to hyperlink!!!

What makes a good blog?

A good blog needs to:

1) have relevant content
2) be interesting to look at
3) have lots of hyperlinks that expand upon/explain points

Online Sapiens

A good educational blog

http://onlinesapiens.com/blog

The Knowledge Tree

I have now subscribed to the knowledge tree yay! follow the link to read the most recent article:

Connecting With Learners

http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/edition-12-editorial-2/

The Relationship between learning Styles & ICT

Learning Styles

Understanding students' personal learning styles helps teachers make learning more relevant. Learners can be defined by the sensory pathways through which they prefer to receive information:

Visual - Learning by Seeing

Information and communications technology (ICT) can stimulate visual learning with graphics, animations and simulations. Interactive whiteboards and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations enable teachers to present concepts in a visual way.

Visual Learning Ideas

Show Discovery Channel videos from Encarta to illustrate a topic
Ask children to present a topic such as the water cycle using pictures and diagrams in PowerPoint
Get children to produce a time-lapse movie of a plant germinating and growing using Movie Maker 2
Technology Solutions
Learn more about Encarta
Learn more about PowerPoint
Learn more about Movie Maker 2 (US)
Learn more about Windows Instant Messenger (video conferencing) (US)
Learn more about Tablet PCs

Auditory - Learning by Hearing

Auditory learners prefer to learn through sound and speech. Many PCs, and all Tablet PCs, can record speech and sound. These files can then be embedded into slides or documents. ICT can also encourage conversation-based collaboration, for example, through video conferencing.

Auditory Learning Ideas

Get children to use some of the sound clips in Encarta to explain concepts
Ask children to embed sounds in their PowerPoint presentations to explain a topic
Videos with voice-overs engage visual and auditory learning styles
Ask your students to record the soundtrack to a demonstration
Essential Technology
Learn more about Encarta
Learn more about Tablet PCs
Learn more about Windows
Learn more about PowerPoint
Learn more about Office 2007

Kinaesthetic or Tactile - Learning by Doing

Kinaesthetic or tactile learners prefer active forms of learning such as writing, drawing and producing animations, or making models and doing practical experiments. They benefit from using devices that involve touch, like mice and joysticks, or a Tablet PC, which enables users to write or draw onto a computer using a pen.

Kinaesthetic Learning Ideas

The 'Lever Principle' interactivity in Encarta is a great example of content for kinaesthetic learners
Set up a PC with Flight Simulator and a games controller and attach it to a data projector or large screen. Select an area to fly over to enhance geography lessons
Ask children to explain a concept that involves movement using the animation tools in PowerPoint
Use digital photography with PowerPoint to teach a movement in PE or a skill in Design and Technology
Essential Technology
Learn more about Encarta
Learn more about Tablet PCs
Learn more about Flight Simulator (US)
Learn more about PowerPoint

Next Steps

Why not get children to analyse their preferred learning style by using this Multiple Intelligences quiz on the Birmingham Grid for Learning (BGL) website?
Take the Multiple Intelligences quiz on the BGL website

above from source: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/learning/personalised/styles.mspx

My thoughts:

This is a microsoft site so obviously all the information here is part of a marketing tool, but that doesn't mean that the info isn't useful. I found the last note at the bottom of the page - where kids are encouraged to analyse their preferred learning style. I would call this metacognition.

This website clearly demonstrates that the relationship between ICT and learning styles is complimentary. ICT can cater for virtually all learning styles, encouraging the use of both sides of the brain, fostering social constructivism and providing entertaining and challenging cognitive tools.

Networking

Hi guys just thought you should read this...
What would it have been like if this was done at 8pm last night???
Well this could have been an interesting phone conversation, alot of swearing and some laughing about how stupid we are because we can't do it. Then the questions would have come flying 'how did you do that?' 'what does your screen look like?' 'how come mine doesn't look like that?' 'what's wrong with my #$!* *^#$@!* computer?'. This could have been a disaster last night, but because we were all sitting here helping each other we were talking it through. Guys this is SOCIAL INTERATCTION at its best. We are now a community, an online community who would have thought... Communicating in person and with a screen infront of the both of you is so much easier than over the phone, where little, stupid mistakes are easily missed.

Networking

Ok today was kind of a tricky one seeing as my university comerades and i had to try and network into each others blogs so we could post stuff for each other on everyones sites. If i had done this task at home alone i would have been lost an hour ago. lost my wallet, phone and keys etc in the process. Gosh I've been mugged!!! I most probably would have blown up my computer screen. >insert smiley face< This activity does however teach you how to communicate and work in a group situation, a skill that modern day society requires, no demands. It is actually quite interesting to observe and participate in this group situation as you discover you have insights and ideas that you would not have had by yourself. This leads me to the idea of social constructivism. The sense of community we build,"Higher Order thinking" occurs and we develop communal awareness.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM AND THE ROLE OF ICT

Following on from the idea that human's learn through creating personally meaningful understandings by relating new info to what they already know (constructivism), social constructivism is where this process occurs through interaction with others. Shared interpretations of new info and shared previous knowledge and experience enhances the understanding for all involved. Effective use of ICT fosters social constructivist learning through engaging the learners, fostering discussion, facilitating metacognitive learning (student is aware of their own learning), providing cognitive tools for co-operative work, and encouraging use of different thinking and learning styles (eg: visual, audio, spatial etc...)

networked learning

Today in ED4134 we have invited people to join our blog and make contributions about social constructivism and ICT. What would it have been like if last night we decided to all hop on the internet at our homes and linked up via some IM tool to do this?

It would have been a bit crazy, as IM discussions can be very tricky, especially when lots of people are involved. IMing is not like talking, where communication is directed and facilitated by the use of tone, volume and other nuances in verbal communication, not to mention the physical cues if talking with people face to face. There is no such thing as interruption in IMing, and it is easy for a lag to develop between msgs if one person is distracted, or if one person types two or more msgs in quick succession.

However, with a bit of co-operation it would be possible for the group to achieve this networked learning. In fact i think it may have worked a bit better than just inviting the ppl sitting next to you as we did today because if everyone shared their e-mail addresses by IM then everyone could copy and paste the addresses into their blog and then everyone would be connected with everyone else.

With a network this large you could get a lot more done! (this would be JACKPOT!) So, instead of a class working in pairs or small groups and writing one posting in someone else's blog, you could have different groups working on several different things, and then each group sharing with each other group. The learning occurs when the blog owners read their new postings from their classmates and reply to it, perhaps asking questions or sharing a new way of understanding the info.

Types of Cognitive Tools

Software such as Inspiration, movie maker and even programs in microsoft office such as publisher. On the net, webquests, podcasts and interactive games are highly effective cognitive tools.
Examples of games for PDHPE could be, for example, a golf game where the player actually swings a golf club at a tee, and then they watch on a large screen their "ball". The game technology measures the strength and style of the shot to realistically place the ball on the green.
There are plenty of fantastic real life videos, and graphic 3D simulations of the various systems of the human body, which provide fantastic insight and amazing visual and audio learning opportunities on the net which cater for various intelligences and learning styles.

eg 1:The Human Body http://www.medicdirect.co.uk/virtual_body/default.ihtml?step=10

This site provides a 3D view of the major structures of the body, clearly demonstrating major blood vessels etc.... It is very good, however it lacks any sort of interactive component- with more time I think i could find better. Showing the images on this site would be good at use at the introduction of the lesson, to ignite interest and informt he students about what they will be learning.

eg 2: The Human Body http://www.innerbody.com/image/skelfov.html

This site is slightly more interactive than the medic direct site, but still not fantastic. This site provides diagrams of the major systems of the body. You move you mouse over the structures and a box comes up with the name of the blood vessel/bone/organ and a brief description. However it's not very interesting to look at and can be a bit confusing for some of the structures.

eg 3: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody

fantastic site, loads of quality resources

Cognitive Tools continued - Rowe

http://www.nd.wa.edu.au/home/steketee.carole/ED5013/Readings/module_2_topic_4_reading_13.doc

What is a cognitive tool and how do you use them in schools?

Technology as Cognitive Tools: Learners as Designers
David H. Jonassen
Pennsylvania State University

This short paper is about the application of technologies, primarily computers, as cognitive learning tools rather than as instructional media. I will argue that technologies, from the ecological perspective of Gibson (1979), afford the most meaningful thinking when used as tools... I shall argue that we should take the tools away from the instructional designers and give them to the learners, as tools for knowledge construction rather than media of conveyance and knowledge acquisition. The process of building knowledge bases using these tools (a process that Papert refers to as constructionism) will engage the learners more and result in more meaningful and transferable knowledge in the learners.

Cognitive tools are generalizable computer tools that are intended to engage and facilitate cognitive processing--hence cognitive tools (Kommers, Jonassen, & Mayes, 1992). Cognitive tools are both mental and computational devices that support, guide, and extend the thinking processes of their users (Derry, 1990). They are knowledge construction and facilitation tools that can be applied to a variety of subject matter domains. I argue in the forthcoming book, Mindtools for Schools (Jonnasson, in press) that students cannot use these tools without thinking deeply about the content that they are learning, and second, if they choose to use these tools to help them learn, the tools will facilitate the learning process. Cognitive tools and learning environments that have been adapted or developed to function as intellectual partners with the learner in order to engage and facilitate critical thinking and higher order learning include (but are not necessarily limited to) databases, spreadsheets, semantic networks, expert systems, multimedia/hypermedia construction, computer conferencing, collaborative knowledge construction environments, and to a lesser degree computer programming and microworld learning environments. When students build knowledge bases with databases, expert systems, or semantic networking tools, they must analyze subject domains, develop mental models to represent them, and represent what they understand in terms of those models. It's hard work.

Learning WITH Technology
The primary distinction between traditional learning applications of technologies and their use as cognitive tools is best expressed by Salomon, Perkins, and Globerson (1991) as the effects OF technology versus the effects WITH computer technology. The former refers to the effects of computers on the learner, as if the learner has no input into the process. Learning WITH computers refers to learners entering into intellectual partnerships with the computer. Learning WITH cognitive tools refers to "the mindful engagement of learners in the tasks afforded by these tools and .... the possibility of qualitatively upgrading the performance of the joint system of learner plus technology." In other words, when students work WITH computer technology, instead of being controlled by it, they enhance the capabilities of the computer, and the computer enhances their thinking and learning. The results of an intellectual partnership with the computer is that the whole of learning becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Reflective Thinking
Norman (1993) distinguishes between two forms of thinking--experiential and reflective. Experiential thinking evolves from one's experiences with the world; it is reflexive and occurs automatically. You experience something in the world and react to it. Reflective thought, on the other hand, requires more careful deliberation. You encounter a situation, think about it, reflect on stored knowledge, make inferences about it, determine implications, and reason about it. Reflective thought is the careful, deliberate kind of thinking that helps us make sense out of what we have experienced and what we know. It usually requires external support, such as books, computers, or other people. Computers support reflective thinking, Norman contends, when they enable users to compose new knowledge by adding new representations, modifying old ones, and comparing the two. Those are the purposes of cognitive tools.

Knowledge Construction, Not Reproduction
Learning theory is in the midst of another revolution (Jonassen, 1991). The new theory that is being used for representing the knowledge construction process is constructivism. How we construct knowledge depends upon what the learner already knows which depends on the kinds of experiences that the learner has had, how the learner has organized those experiences into knowledge structures, and the learner's beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events that s/he encounters in the world. Cognitive tools are tools for helping learners to organize and represent what they know. Constructivists claim that we construct our own reality through interpreting experiences in the world. Reality does not exist completely in the real world. The teacher cannot map his or her interpretation onto the learner, because they do not share a set of common experiences and interpretations. Rather, reality (or at least what we know and understand of reality) resides to some degree in the mind of each knower, who interprets the external world according to his or her own experiences, beliefs, and knowledge. If this were not the case, then every one of our experimental research studies would yield wildly significant differences. This does not mean that learners can only comprehend their own interpretation of reality. Learners are able to comprehend a variety of interpretations, including those delivered by technologies, and to use those in arriving at their own interpretations of the world. But the mind filters input from the world in making its interpretations. We each therefore conceive of the external world somewhat differently, based upon our unique set of experiences with the world and our beliefs about those experiences.
Constructivist models of instruction strive to create environments where learners actively participate in the environment in ways that are intended to help them construct their own knowledge, rather than having the teacher interpret the world and insure that students understand the world as they have told them. In constructivist environments, like cognitive tools, learners are actively engaged in interpreting the external world and reflecting on their interpretations. This is not "active" in the sense that learners actively listen and then mirror the one correct view of reality, but rather "active" in the sense that learners must participate and interact with the surrounding environment in order to create their own view of the subject.

Further analysis and synthesis of Prentsky

Prentsky article - digital natives

Sound House Vector Lab

SoundHouse Vector Lab @ the powerhouse museum

10th March: Free tools on the web and how to use them.They’ve got the lights and camera, but we’ve got the action! And it’s all freely available for you to download from the web! No need to spend Hollywood dollars on equipment, devote weeks to production or invest your precious time in gaining technical knowledge. From scripting to storyboarding, from production planning to capturing scenes from film - videos, sounds and images, learn how to access a host of Free software, On-line tools and Open resources and, more importantly, how to use them in actual lessons. You will also receive a step-by-step printed manual to guide you once you’re back in the classroom for a rich learning experience.

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/soundhousevectorlab/

Bloom and his taxonomy

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behaviour important in learning.

Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts, as the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order which is classified as evaluation.

Verb examples that represent intellectual activity on each level are listed here.

Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.

Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,

Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.

Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.

Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.

Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

Below are the six question categories as defined by Bloom.

KNOWLEDGE
remembering;
memorizing;
recognizing;
recalling identification and
recall of information
Who, what, when, where, how ...?
Describe

COMPREHENSION
interpreting;
translating from one medium to another;
describing in one's own words;
organization and selection of facts and ideas
Retell...

APPLICATION
problem solving;
applying information to produce some result;
use of facts, rules and principles
How is...an example of...?
How is...related to...?
Why is...significant?

ANALYSIS
subdividing something to show how it is put together;
finding the underlying structure of a communication;
identifying motives;
separation of a whole into component parts
What are the parts or features of...?
Classify...according to...
Outline/diagram...
How does...compare/contrast with...?
What evidence can you list for...?

SYNTHESIS
creating a unique, original product that may be in verbal form or may be a physical object;
combination of ideas to form a new whole
What would you predict/infer from...?
What ideas can you add to...?
How would you create/design a new...?
What might happen if you combined...?
What solutions would you suggest for...?

EVALUATION
making value decisions about issues;
resolving controversies or differences of opinion;
development of opinions, judgements or decisions
Do you agree...?
What do you think about...?
What is the most important...?
Place the following in order of priority...
How would you decide about...?
What criteria would you use to assess...?

above from source: www.educationforum.co.uk/HA/bloom.htm

My thoughts on Bloom:

I agree with Bloom that there are levels of comprehension and learning. For example, being able to recognise an apple is different to being able to describe an apple. Understanding the genetics of an apple and modifying them to create a seedless, or insect resistant apple is something else entirely.

Bloom's taxonomy reminds me very much of Piaget, in that the lower order levels of thinking describe the levels of thought that children are capable of. As children go through the stages of development, they become capable of higher levels of thinking.

I think that when it comes to teaching and learning, while you do want your students to achieve these higher levels of thought, it shouldn't be the aim of every lesson. For example, when you are introducing a new topic to a class, if you being with surface learning, teaching the class the basics, then you can more comfortably move onto deep learning and higher levels of thought as the class has a good base knowledge and confidence with this new information.

Lead Vs Boss management

http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2001/2001haucker.pdf

Digital natives Vs Digital Immigrants (ignorants?)

Higher order, or deep level thinking

Students today want to be stimulated, they want to be creative and entertained, because this is what they are used to when they watch tv, surf the net, play computer games etc… even using online msging systems have countless options for individual fonts, colours, backgrounds.

This all transfers into how they want to learn. And it is completely possible for higher order thinking and learning to occur while playing games and being creative. For example when a teenager plays a computer game, they are multi tasking, analysing the situation, the other players, their own statistics. They are being creative in almost living in whatever fantasy world the game takes them to, where they may be allowed to fly, have magical powers or other special abilities.

Young people are used to having loads of info sent their way simultaneously, and are skilled at sorting and analysing what is relevant and useful, and adapting this information, this learning, to whatever it is they are doing.

Step-by-step learning, and information that is presented gradually, and in a bland way, such as being written on a board or simply discussed, is not interesting to students today. It is not challenging or stimulating compared to the fast paced, dynamic, creative and attention grabbing digital world they live in.

Some key words: access, and diversity

Piaget

note: when you click on the image it becomes clearer!

Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget

Piaget was a bit of a revolutionary, in that he was the first psychologist to say that children do not think like adults. Children are not empty vessels to be filled with adult knowledge, rather they construct their own meanings when they are presented with new information by relating this new information back to what they already know. Children have systems of organising what they know called schema.

Piaget identified 4 stages of development from birth through to adolescence. Not all adults fully achieve the 4th stage. The above diagram names the 4 stages, and appropriate learning styles for children in each of these stages. For some reason this diagram calls the 2nd stage the 'presentational stage:, where I am familiar with it is the "pre-ioperational stage". It is interesting to note on this diagram the horizontal line that describes the change from egocentric behaviour in the early stage, characterised by self talk that is spoken aloud, to internalised reflection.

My reflection:

Piaget's theory is based on his observations, and I can say that I have observed similar things. For instance, my 18 year old nephew has achieved understanding object permanency, which is an indicator that he is nearing the end of the sensorimotor stage. My nephew is experimenting with language, and it seems like every day he learns a new one. The development of language is a major part of the pre-operational stage. Magnus is at the right age to be transitioning from the 1st to the 2nd stage, so I am watching him as he progresses through Piaget's stages.

It seems quite normal to me that children do not think like adults and that as they grow up they learn new skills and are able to develop more sophisticated ways of thinking. However I have grown up in a world that has been influenced by Piaget's thinking ever since I started school.

I think the main point to take away from Piaget is that while it may seem obvious, teachers need to be aware of the stages that children go through in their development. In this way, if a teacher sees a child who may not have progressed through a particular stage, the teacher can recognise this and work out a way to help the child.

Also understanding how children develop. We all know that an 8 year old cannot write an essay about world war 2 in the way that an HSC student can, but knowing why, and what level of sophistication you can expect at different ages, and how to meet your students needs as they develop is vital.

Vygotsky is so right

note: if you click on image it becomes clearer!

Lev Vygotsky

What is the essense of Vygotsky's thinking?

Vygotsky developed the notion of there being something called a zone of proximal development. This zone is the space between what a child can learn by themselves, and what they can learn when they collaborate with others.

According to Vygotsky, the best learning occurs through social interaction. Vygotsky's theory is like a continuation from Piaget, in that Piaget says children construct their own learning, while Vygotsky says that children construct their own learning through social interaction.

My reflection:

Vygotsky is so right. I had this experience just the other day - I was trying to create an appealing poster about me, as part of my campaign for student elections. It was no good! I am not always very good at creating things- and especially when creating documents using computer software, you need to have patience, as you try different things, and use your creativity to improve on your original ideas. I do not have patience, and when it comes to technology I am not very creative! So when my sister, who is very good at skilled at using the relevent computer software, offered to help, I jumped at the chance. The document we came up with is still my work, my ideas and words, but my sister suggested templates, fonts and colours that I wouldn't have considered, but which turned out to be perfect. My sister also acted as a sounding board, and was able to help me refine what I wanted to say. She was constructively critical, and the end result is that we developed a fantastic poster.

When we work by ourselves we are limited by our faults - in my case, impatience and a lack of attention to detail. However, when we work with others, we can be motivated to overcome our faults for the sake of the team. Also, each member of a group brings with them a different perspective, a unique creativity and problem solving skills. So when you compare the capacity of one individual to solve a problem with a group of two or more people, you can see that a group can achieve so much more.

However, once again the skill of the teacher is vital to the success of Vygotsky's theory. Not all students will be able to work together productivley. The teacher needs to ensure that the students working together have complimentary skills.

William Glasser

Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, Lead Management

Choice Theory posits that behavior is central to our existence and is driven by four fundamental psychological needs:
Love
Power
Freedom
Fun

Choice Theory posits the existence of a "Quality World" in which, starting at birth and continuing throughout our lives, we place those things that we highly value: primarily the people who are important to us, things we prize, and systems of belief, i.e. religion, cultural values and icons, etc. Glasser also posits a "Comparing Place" in which we compare the world we experience with our Quality World. We behave to achieve as best we can a real world experience consonant with our Quality World.

Choice Theory posits that we are able to learn how to choose alternate behaviors that will result in greater satisfaction. Reality Therapy is the counselling process focussed on helping clients to learn to make those choices.

The Ten Axioms of Choice Theory

-The only person whose behavior we can control is our own.
-All we can give another person is information.
-All long-lasting psychological problems are relationship problems.
-The problem relationship is always part of our present life.
-What -happened in the past has everything to do with what we are today, but we can only satisfy our basic needs right now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future.
-We can only satisfy our needs by satisfying the pictures in our Quality World.
-All we do is behave.
-All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of four components: acting, thinking, feeling and physiology.
-All Total Behavior is chosen, but we only have direct control over the acting and thinking components. We can only control our feeling and physiology indirectly through how we choose to act and think.
-All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and named by the part that is the most recognizable.

from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Glasser

MY REFLECTION:

I really like how Glasser says that the only behaviour we can control is our own, and that we make choices that determine our behaviour. This is probably because I have found this to be true in my life. I learnt many things about myself as an adolescent, and will continue to as I grow. One of the things that I learnt was that I have a natural inclination to dominate other people. For example, when I was in high school and found myself in a debate with my friends and classmates I was so sure that I was right, and that if I argues my case strongly enough then everyone else would come round to my way of thinking.... of course, I soon learnt that in trying to change my friends thinking and behaviours like this, I made my friends come to avoid getting into any sort of discussion with me, because they wanted to be able to express their opinion and be recognised for its worth. I also like the idea that we make choices that determine our behaviour, because it means that once we identify a behaviour that is not beneficial to us, we can find ways to change that behaviour, if we decide to do so. No situation is hopeless, and no student deserves to be abandoned. However, in reality therapy, the teacher is required to be extremely skillful. Reality therapy is almost like holding a mirror up to the student, and helping them to recognise their own behaviours, and develop strategies to change them. The teacher does not make judgement, and cannot overtly influence the students thinking, although the teacher should subtly encourage the student in the right direction, through asking questions and body language even. A teacher who successfully uses reality therapy will develop a fantastic relationship with the student. A student cannot focus their anger or blame on a teacher who skillfully uses reality therapy, rather they develop a relatuionship of trust.

John Hattie

JOHN HATTI, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

1. Content knowledge. The expert has a deep understanding of the subject matter to be taught to students.

2. Pedagogical knowledge. The expert transforms essential aspects of subject matter to connect
with students’ ways of understanding. These transformations include:

- identifying essential representations about teaching and learning
- have deeper representations
- are problem solvers
- setting appropriate and challenging goals for all learners
- can anticipate, plan, and improvise
- are better decision makers, and can identify important decisions
guiding learning through classroom interactions
- have excellent proficiency for creating an optimal classroom climate for learning
- have a multidimensional perception of class situations
- are context dependent and have high situation cognition
- are diverse and flexible in their problem solving
monitoring learning and providing feedback
- are most adept at monitoring and provide much feedback
- are able to check and test-out their hypotheses or strategies
- are automatic in many routines and reactions
making these transformations
- for all students
- with much passion about teaching and learning

3. Learning Outcomes. The expert promotes:
- motivation
- self-efficacy
- challenge of objectives
- outcomes of lessons: Achievement
- outcomes of lessons: Surface and Deep

FROM: http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/staff/index.cfm?P=5049

My reflection:

Hattie is an intellectual, an academic who thrives on research. It's a little bit harder to get a grip on exactly what Hattie is about, as there is nothing called "Hattie's theory of (X)". However, the text above is an indication of what Hattie is about. There is loads more research papers and transcripts of speeches on the net presented by Hattie where he discusses things such as "measurement models and their application to educational problems".

Hattie is more concerned with the role of the teacher, or 'expert' as a facilitator to learning than he is with the learner and how they learn, unlike, say, Bloom.

This focus on the teacher is almost revolutionary. Previously, educational theory revolved around the role and practice of the teacher. Modern theory has shifted its focus to the learner, their needs, and role as the director of their learning. Now Hattie is focusing, once again, on the teacher. This is not to say that Hattie has reverted to any old theories or practices, rather that in considering modern theories, he is once again considering the role of the teacher in them.