Blog Entry 6- Interactive White Boards (IWB).
So lets get started with what you need to effectively teach using an interactive white board. The most vital components are; a computer, projector and the whiteboard itself. It is also important to have the appropriate software to present your lesson appropriately such as internet browser or word documents.
The interactive white board may come with a pen, this functions similarly to a mouse, enabling for you to select on the display. Otherwise some allow you to use your hand instead of a 'pen'.
The IWB may seem like a handy and useful appliance in a class room, but I believe they are only as good as the teachers who use them. This means, that it may or may not match the type of learning style of a teacher.
I also believe that the white boards are more useful in some subjects and less useful in others. For example in mathematics it's effective when needing to construct a complicated graph, whereas in history there is less that it has to offer to assist the teacher.
Having this resource may assist a teacher, however I don't think it will necessarily revolutionize the education system.
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Adapting a learning environment to facilitate learning
Blog 5- Adapting a learning environment to facilitate learning
In my first year, I decided to challenge myself. I was entering a new learning environment, besides for the desire to establish relationships with new peers, I also wanted my learning experience to be slightly different from the last. So I decided to sit in a different seat every lesson, pursuing a different view point. With this I found that by sitting in the same seat in every lesson you are more likely to settle in with the crowed you surround. You also tend to feel more comfortable and relaxed, so it becomes easier to be distracted as apposed to finding a new seat every lesson.
This brings me to the article by Abby Wills, Applying Mindfulness to Mundane Classroom. This made me question why I felt less distracted by finding a new seat every class. Was it because I was actively conditioning myself to learn, or was it because I was making a change to the mundane routines of attending class? I think that there is a level of comfort that plays a role in allowing students to become more susceptible to distraction. As a teacher, I think its important to be mindful of what will improve classroom dynamics to facilitate a better learning experience. Abby Wills has her own experiment which allowed for her to have a more suitable learning environment. A teacher should therefor consider changing or adapting the learning environment of his/her classroom to improve and suit their teaching style. However, there is an exception to this. There is a definite line between improving the learning environment of a student and creating a distracting environment.
Effective Pedagogy- Teaching the whole child, by Foley suggests three steps to achieve effective pedagogy:
1- Pastoral care and student well-being
2- Effective teaching practices and the school environment
3- Class room resources.
He discusses the classical conditioning behaviorist theory to assist creating a school environment, which; individualizes the classroom to create an emotionally safe environment and implements rules that promote courtesy respect.
Creating a suitable learning environment will assist both teacher and learner to experience better learning dynamics.
In my first year, I decided to challenge myself. I was entering a new learning environment, besides for the desire to establish relationships with new peers, I also wanted my learning experience to be slightly different from the last. So I decided to sit in a different seat every lesson, pursuing a different view point. With this I found that by sitting in the same seat in every lesson you are more likely to settle in with the crowed you surround. You also tend to feel more comfortable and relaxed, so it becomes easier to be distracted as apposed to finding a new seat every lesson.
This brings me to the article by Abby Wills, Applying Mindfulness to Mundane Classroom. This made me question why I felt less distracted by finding a new seat every class. Was it because I was actively conditioning myself to learn, or was it because I was making a change to the mundane routines of attending class? I think that there is a level of comfort that plays a role in allowing students to become more susceptible to distraction. As a teacher, I think its important to be mindful of what will improve classroom dynamics to facilitate a better learning experience. Abby Wills has her own experiment which allowed for her to have a more suitable learning environment. A teacher should therefor consider changing or adapting the learning environment of his/her classroom to improve and suit their teaching style. However, there is an exception to this. There is a definite line between improving the learning environment of a student and creating a distracting environment.
Effective Pedagogy- Teaching the whole child, by Foley suggests three steps to achieve effective pedagogy:
1- Pastoral care and student well-being
2- Effective teaching practices and the school environment
3- Class room resources.
He discusses the classical conditioning behaviorist theory to assist creating a school environment, which; individualizes the classroom to create an emotionally safe environment and implements rules that promote courtesy respect.
Creating a suitable learning environment will assist both teacher and learner to experience better learning dynamics.
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Facing Trials within Pedagogy
Blog entry- Facing Trials within Pedagogy
One thing for sure is that we certainly have a degree of uncertainty when it comes to pedagogy. There are so many ideologies yet to be explored in order to determine whether to adopt or drop in a school context. Do we need teachers or do we need facilitators? In the ever growing network of resources, have we reached a point where learners are better off learning by themselves and teaching each other apposed to the current conventional system.
Then I thought in terms of medicine, clinical trials are meant to facilitate the discovery of compatible drugs or therapies required for treatment. This provides insight into long term effects of the treatment and allows for us to adapt treatment more effectively. In contrast, it seems to me that discoveries in pedagogy aren't often adapted into education systems, is this because we're afraid of the long term effects, or how it effects tertiary studies?
This brings me to review the documentary The Independent Project (2011). The documentary investigates the ideology explored by a group of learners at Monument Mountain Regional High School who started their own school system. The learners determined what they study, how they study and then teach each other the content in their research or projects they conduct. Its a novel idea, but will it work for everyone, everywhere. Often there are principles that you have to understand well before you can advance in the field. There's a basal level, or threshold of understanding before you are able to advance in order for you to apply or combine previously learnt information with the new. Can the system, developed by the learners of Monument Mountain Regional High School, work as practically as the current system and can it practically prepare students for tertiary studies?
Out of my own experience I went for extra maths an science classes in my final school year at Master Maths, a tutoring organization that makes use of computer software to teach and test students to improve their grades. I personally benefited from the experience and I seldom required a teacher to explain a concept or problem. Only when I ran into problems, or struggled with a concept, the standby facilitator would then help me with my problem and then once I understood the concept he/she would move onto the next student with a raised hand. This system felt more interactive, I became more time efficient, covering work faster than I would have in my classroom at school. Then again, some of my friends had different experiences to me and insisted that Master Maths never worked for them.
With the rise in our global population, classrooms will become too full and teachers will become too few to teach, leading to an imbalanced ratio of teacher to learner. We need to start 'trialing' new ideologies to accommodate the future of pedagogy.
Then I thought in terms of medicine, clinical trials are meant to facilitate the discovery of compatible drugs or therapies required for treatment. This provides insight into long term effects of the treatment and allows for us to adapt treatment more effectively. In contrast, it seems to me that discoveries in pedagogy aren't often adapted into education systems, is this because we're afraid of the long term effects, or how it effects tertiary studies?
This brings me to review the documentary The Independent Project (2011). The documentary investigates the ideology explored by a group of learners at Monument Mountain Regional High School who started their own school system. The learners determined what they study, how they study and then teach each other the content in their research or projects they conduct. Its a novel idea, but will it work for everyone, everywhere. Often there are principles that you have to understand well before you can advance in the field. There's a basal level, or threshold of understanding before you are able to advance in order for you to apply or combine previously learnt information with the new. Can the system, developed by the learners of Monument Mountain Regional High School, work as practically as the current system and can it practically prepare students for tertiary studies?
Out of my own experience I went for extra maths an science classes in my final school year at Master Maths, a tutoring organization that makes use of computer software to teach and test students to improve their grades. I personally benefited from the experience and I seldom required a teacher to explain a concept or problem. Only when I ran into problems, or struggled with a concept, the standby facilitator would then help me with my problem and then once I understood the concept he/she would move onto the next student with a raised hand. This system felt more interactive, I became more time efficient, covering work faster than I would have in my classroom at school. Then again, some of my friends had different experiences to me and insisted that Master Maths never worked for them.
With the rise in our global population, classrooms will become too full and teachers will become too few to teach, leading to an imbalanced ratio of teacher to learner. We need to start 'trialing' new ideologies to accommodate the future of pedagogy.
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Tools of the Trade
Blog entry- Tools of the trade
To bring closure to what felt like a never ending search for accommodation in Stellenbosch, I have finally settled down into a flat with shorter than walking distance to class. I have three digs mates, a friendly group, we call ourselves "bugga's and babe" as there are three of us guys and a girl. I look forward to the year ahead and of course, the prospective stories that come with it.
So now that I'm settling in I guess it's time to pull up my socks and get those ducks in a row!
Davis discusses the many uses of social media in a class room. She suggests that by teaching learners how to use social media effectively, students are able to use it as a resource to facilitate learning, making your lessons,"more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse'' (Davis, V;2014). She gives examples of teachers who have used social media to enhance learning. I think it's very creative, I like the idea of facilitating learning whilst supporting a cause as done by Mrs. Standler.
Provenzano writes about how Remind allows teachers to communicate with their students after school allowing teachers to share handouts that were given in class, as well as it keeps students informed and up to date.
Twitter allows for teachers to communicate with students outside of class, this facilitates class discussions, connecting students beyond the boundaries of school. With instagram Provenzato writes how taking photos and constructing hashtags related to a theme or unit covered in class, students are given more opportunities to think about the content and thereby improving their understanding of the material. Combining your blogging experience with twitter, students are able to discus work and make connections with individuals interested in the same topic.
To bring closure to what felt like a never ending search for accommodation in Stellenbosch, I have finally settled down into a flat with shorter than walking distance to class. I have three digs mates, a friendly group, we call ourselves "bugga's and babe" as there are three of us guys and a girl. I look forward to the year ahead and of course, the prospective stories that come with it.
So now that I'm settling in I guess it's time to pull up my socks and get those ducks in a row!
Davis discusses the many uses of social media in a class room. She suggests that by teaching learners how to use social media effectively, students are able to use it as a resource to facilitate learning, making your lessons,"more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse'' (Davis, V;2014). She gives examples of teachers who have used social media to enhance learning. I think it's very creative, I like the idea of facilitating learning whilst supporting a cause as done by Mrs. Standler.
Provenzano writes about how Remind allows teachers to communicate with their students after school allowing teachers to share handouts that were given in class, as well as it keeps students informed and up to date.
Twitter allows for teachers to communicate with students outside of class, this facilitates class discussions, connecting students beyond the boundaries of school. With instagram Provenzato writes how taking photos and constructing hashtags related to a theme or unit covered in class, students are given more opportunities to think about the content and thereby improving their understanding of the material. Combining your blogging experience with twitter, students are able to discus work and make connections with individuals interested in the same topic.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Racing through digital pedagogy.
Blog entry- Racing through digital pedagogy
05h00 am, Sunday 21 March, in great excitement and anticipation I shuffled forward amongst a crowd to conquer my first marathon- The Cape Peninsula Marathon. The race commenced from Green Point Stadium and finished in Simons Town. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. Running for 4 hours is definitely more than enough time to think about where you are in life. I guess in some way its therapeutic. Whilst in recovery, climbing the stairs to class on the fourth floor may seem daunting, so please excuse me if I'm late!
To review (Sean Morris; 2013) decoding digital pedagogy: beyond LMS. First, it is important to understand LMS, Learning Management System. LMS is a software application used to document, administrate, track, report and deliver electronic educational technology. The author discusses the potentials presented by LMS and also its limitations in digital pedagogy. I found it interesting how the author compares pedagogy to cultivating an interest or desire.
To review (Jesse Stommel; 2013) article- Decoding Digital Pedagogy: (Un)Mapping the Terrain. Developing expertise in digital pedagogy is dictated by time, like in most professions, it is a discipline. A few statements intrigued me, 'The digital pedagogue teachers her tools, doesn't let them teach her.' In context of the article, how I understand it, the author means that often teachers are able to use technology in ways that it wasn't purposefully developed for.
To close this entry, pioneering into the future of digital pedagogy, I think it's important to keep exploring and adapting technology into teaching. The LMS, may not be the most effective system, but we can certainly learn from its shortcomings. Digital pedagogy shows plasticity, shaping your lessons with it presents a wider variety of outcomes.
05h00 am, Sunday 21 March, in great excitement and anticipation I shuffled forward amongst a crowd to conquer my first marathon- The Cape Peninsula Marathon. The race commenced from Green Point Stadium and finished in Simons Town. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the event. Running for 4 hours is definitely more than enough time to think about where you are in life. I guess in some way its therapeutic. Whilst in recovery, climbing the stairs to class on the fourth floor may seem daunting, so please excuse me if I'm late!
To review (Sean Morris; 2013) decoding digital pedagogy: beyond LMS. First, it is important to understand LMS, Learning Management System. LMS is a software application used to document, administrate, track, report and deliver electronic educational technology. The author discusses the potentials presented by LMS and also its limitations in digital pedagogy. I found it interesting how the author compares pedagogy to cultivating an interest or desire.
To review (Jesse Stommel; 2013) article- Decoding Digital Pedagogy: (Un)Mapping the Terrain. Developing expertise in digital pedagogy is dictated by time, like in most professions, it is a discipline. A few statements intrigued me, 'The digital pedagogue teachers her tools, doesn't let them teach her.' In context of the article, how I understand it, the author means that often teachers are able to use technology in ways that it wasn't purposefully developed for.
To close this entry, pioneering into the future of digital pedagogy, I think it's important to keep exploring and adapting technology into teaching. The LMS, may not be the most effective system, but we can certainly learn from its shortcomings. Digital pedagogy shows plasticity, shaping your lessons with it presents a wider variety of outcomes.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Digital Pedagogy and Naked teaching
Blog Entry- getting my ducks in a row...
With great frustration I start this blog. I am unsettled. It is week three of studies and I am without accommodation. I feel that the never-ending search for accommodation interferes with my studies. I shouldn't complain, of course there are others who are forced into predicaments of greater hardships, perhaps this will teach me new life skills.
Nevertheless, this is to announce my noble quest into the blogosphere and beyond, to broaden my horizons in digital pedagogy. DIGITAL PEDAGOGY, the way I understand it is the act of teaching a theoretical concept using technology as a medium. This concept is exciting, to think of all the available tools and resources to be used to advance teaching. With students able to research topics instantly and reproduce their findings, it mentally prepares them for research based operations.
The concept of augmenting teaching with technology may sound invasive to some degree, however these tools may aid in progress. I look forward to what this course entails and how these explored concepts effect teachers of the future.
To discuss digital pedagogy unplugged, (Paul Fyfe; 2011), in terms of naked teaching, the writer suggests teaching in class without the use of digital help- i.e. using projectors or PowerPoint to aid in lesson presentation, this allows for interactive lessons such as question and answers. He makes use of pod casts and online discussion, so that the focus in class is addressing the concepts that the class have problems in grasping. I personally like the idea of this method, I think it can be a success, because it allows for the lessons to become more personal and less disruptive by peers. Also with podcasts you are able to repeat, or skip back to sement concepts instead of having one opportunity of hearing it. I think the biggest problem faced would be for students to keep up to date with the pod casts, or else when it comes to class time they wont be able to participate in questions and answers. Perhaps a brief revion of the lecture could assist the students before taking part in the questions and answers session in class.
So to bring my first entry to an end, hopefully my next post will be written in the comfort of my new home.
With great frustration I start this blog. I am unsettled. It is week three of studies and I am without accommodation. I feel that the never-ending search for accommodation interferes with my studies. I shouldn't complain, of course there are others who are forced into predicaments of greater hardships, perhaps this will teach me new life skills.
Nevertheless, this is to announce my noble quest into the blogosphere and beyond, to broaden my horizons in digital pedagogy. DIGITAL PEDAGOGY, the way I understand it is the act of teaching a theoretical concept using technology as a medium. This concept is exciting, to think of all the available tools and resources to be used to advance teaching. With students able to research topics instantly and reproduce their findings, it mentally prepares them for research based operations.
The concept of augmenting teaching with technology may sound invasive to some degree, however these tools may aid in progress. I look forward to what this course entails and how these explored concepts effect teachers of the future.
To discuss digital pedagogy unplugged, (Paul Fyfe; 2011), in terms of naked teaching, the writer suggests teaching in class without the use of digital help- i.e. using projectors or PowerPoint to aid in lesson presentation, this allows for interactive lessons such as question and answers. He makes use of pod casts and online discussion, so that the focus in class is addressing the concepts that the class have problems in grasping. I personally like the idea of this method, I think it can be a success, because it allows for the lessons to become more personal and less disruptive by peers. Also with podcasts you are able to repeat, or skip back to sement concepts instead of having one opportunity of hearing it. I think the biggest problem faced would be for students to keep up to date with the pod casts, or else when it comes to class time they wont be able to participate in questions and answers. Perhaps a brief revion of the lecture could assist the students before taking part in the questions and answers session in class.
So to bring my first entry to an end, hopefully my next post will be written in the comfort of my new home.
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