This except from a speech by Papert in the 1980’s clearly conveys his ideas on educational innovation by the two approaches of Constructionism and Instructionism. “Instructionism is the theory that says, “To get better education, we must improve instruction. And if we’re going to use computers, we’ll make the computers do the instruction.” Whilst “Constructionism” is the view that learning is precedded from constructing knowledge. So thereby knowledge is constructed from being “teacher” over the computer.
This makes me ponder and question “What kind of teacher am I?” Do I follow the constructivist approach or am I more of an Instructionalist in my teaching?
http://www.papert.org/articles/const_inst/const_inst1.html
“We prepare youth for full participation as productive and effective citizens in an increasing global economy”.
I discovered this website in my exploration. This worldwide school net community with 90,000 members from 194 countries addresses 21st century technology ideas that interplay in the lives of children today. It has opened my eyes to a new dimension of meaningful project learning experiences that can take place in the class and be connected with other people around the world. This website will be a good tool to use as a future teacher to assist with ideas and propelling lessons towards collaborative learning on a global scale, which I think is crucial for students to be involved with. This allows them to connect and share ideas and experiences with others whilst improving their social skills.
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm
Have you ever built a sandcastle?? Well then you are a Constructionist! Harel depicts explicitly the nature of “Constructionism” as being consciously engaged in the building and designing of a public entity – ‘in the present moment’. Sandcastles are built upon, shared with, played with and dug around in the present moment. They cannot be extended or added to from the past or future, as they are not continuous entities. Similarly, technology is built upon in the present moment. They are shared with others, played with and are tool for digging around and finding new information. However, unlike the sandcastle they can be added to and modified over time to create better models than what previously had existed. Just like building a sandcastle – there is no boundaries; it is open ended play, hence technology is exactly the same. We are open to constructing whatever we like, where we like by engaging in open-ended play. Constructionism, emerged from Seymour Papert that encourages open-ended play which suggests that children learn best when they are in the role of a designer or constructor. So when considering the role of technology when teaching, we should be encouraging children to experiment and play and not restrict their play to certain resources. This allows them to become the constructionists of their own learning.
This is my 2nd vodcast on the 6 C’s of Motivation….
meeeee
This is a funny clip in the US on the significance of maths today, i thought people may enjoy it.
This review was very helpful for me to understand the key features behind using a “wiki”. Unsure exactly to what they were, I learnt that wiki’s are spaces where people are open to edit and share information on particular topics. Essentially they are collaborative pieces of writing that people have contributed to overtime. There are many benefits for using this kind of tool as a teacher. They can be used in the classroom for collaborative group projects, in the staffroom for planning workshops and even in the administrative office for creating and editing school policy documents. As it requires minimal technical support there are so many possibilities that are open to a ”wiki”. However, there are some disadvantages that include being vandalised, incorrect information being presented and spam. Another difficulty is that it does not prevent the problem of one student doing all the work in a collaborative group project. Does anyone have ideas on how this could be prevented?? I am definately keen to give “wikis” a go if given the chance on prac.
This article was thought provoking and has made me consider the extensive possibilities open for handheld computers. I never realised they can be transformed by manipulating and adding software, thus allowing them to become personal and professional work tools. “They can be used as calculators, digital cameras, notepads, or scientific sensing devices”.
As a result of the portable nature of handhelds, they can be taken anywhere at anytime for anyone. Think of the endless possibilities these create. This enables a sense of true ownership over each handheld, as they are not fixed to a desk that you disconnect with at the end of everyday, but are devices that you carry with you wherever you go.
“Students can use the devices to gather, store, and retrieve important information — thus developing information literacy, which is at the heart of lifelong learning”.
It’s too good to be true…suddenly hit me…dependency on such devices would inevitably increase and it occurred to me that in the event of a crash or misplacement, you could lose all you’re personal and work related information that was safely stored. This could be prevented if information is backed up onto other handhelds in such cases. Another factor to consider is the potential problem of eye strain and hand cramping as the screens are so tiny and it requires small precise movement from the stylus. Consequently, it is important to assess the impact that these devices could have on schools and what implications they would have on teaching.
I believe that there is great future possibilities open for handhelds for both teachers and students. Given their low cost, it will help students to have access to such technology that may not otherwise be able to afford it. I can’t wait to see where these devices will launch off from here.
https://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_5611_1%26url%3D
Download Video: Posted by AllanahK at TeacherTube.com.
This is a great presentation by teacher Allanah King on how students can learn from technology….I’ve learnt a lot from observing and watching how technology can be implemented into classrooms and not just be an adjunct component to the curriculum. There are so many endless opportunities for students to engage and network with other students outside the classroom. This has given me inspiration to endeavor to persue the continual use of technology in teaching. Do watch it!
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Now this image is a bit of a paradox isn’t it??!!!
Mark Prensky debates the issue of the knowledge gap between the digital natives (today’s students) and the digital immigrants (teachers). This metaphor actually made me consider how the gap between generations is ever expanding as new technology keeps updating. This has made me question whether the digital natives of today will oneday become the digital immigrants of tomorrow??
Prenksy claims that teachers in the 21st century are stuck in 20th century practices. This shows the divide. Teachers should utilise the tools their students learn from within non-school contexts. These include things like computer games and mobile phones. Yes!! Computer games can actually increase educational engagement! Consequently, students will be more motivated to engage and participate in class, as it maximises the value of their learning. This was a fabulous review and I definitely recommend you to hear it. http:// http://www.marcprensky.com/speaking/++Prensky-Speech-CoSN-13min.wmv
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