Mobile Technology in learning

Mobile technology is now ubiquitous in our society, and to not incorporate it into learning would be missing the boat. Many teaching environments still recoil in horror at the thought of pupils using mobile phones or tablets in lessons, yet this is where it can have a huge impact. My own children, and others about to enter primary school are completely at ease with technology, and do not know a world without it. Secondary and further education students are often good indicators of future trends in technology. They are incredibly adept at seeking out alternatives to popular apps once their use spreads to other demographic groups - very few teenagers are comfortable with their parents liking their every post on Facebook, for example!

This familiarity with technology needs to be redirected from a purely social use into a more educational paradigm. "Chalk and talk" can have its place in a scheme of work, but a broader range of learning styles can be catered for if the tutor can access video clips, online seminars, charts, images - the list goes on. Students can participate in real time, by writing blogs, or commenting on material posted by the tutor. Assessments can be recorded as a video for those students who may struggle with the more traditional methods of assessment and evaluation.

Source - http://www.educationnews.org





Rather than opposing, or even banning technolongy in classrooms, as appears to be the case in some instistutions, educators need to work with what technology has to offer. Primary schools seem to have grasped this  - it now needs to be embraced by secondary and further education to ensure a seamless transition through the system.

On a personal note, I have seen both sides of the coin. As a parent, I have always tried to encourage my children to use mobile technology to complete homework assignments, either as a research tool, or by recording work to submit. This has not always been met with enthusiasm, with some teachers insisting on written submissions, and refusing to accept work that my children (particularly the youngest) have spent a lot of time doing on their tablets or laptops. Others have been incredibly supportive and have embraced the different ways of presenting work. I do appreciate that there is a need to produce handwritten work for some lessons or for specific assessments, but surely if a child has worked hard to produce a poster or a diagram using technology, then this should be accepted as a satisfactory method of completing homework? The disparity between primary and secondary attitudes towards technology needs to be addressed, as I mentioned earlier in this post. 

Another pitstop on the blogging journey

Friday is here again, and yet another week has just flown by. The lectures this week have given me many things to think about, particularly the ICT sessions. We spent a lot of time talking about Powerpoint, how it can be used more effectively, and what some of the alternatives are. I cannot wait to get going and see how I can integrate some of the tools we have discussed into my future lesson planning.

There was a short presentation task on various aspects of Powerpoint - Tom, Mike and I produced a presentation on how to use Powerpoint, and the slides can be seen below. It was a useful exercise which gave us a brief experience of what it will feel like when we deliver our micro lesson.

Our presentation slides

Update! *drum roll* Below, you can access our Powerpoint in all its dynamic glory, thanks to the embed facility in OneDrive.

My Microsoft experiences

Over the years, I've danced the dance with many Microsoft applications, some more successfully than others. The most frequently used has to be Word, due to the need to produce assignments for  university over the years. Initially, I just used the basic features such as underline, centre text, and insert picture, but as my confidence grew, I began to explore many other features. I mastered the art of inserting charts, hyperlinks, and other visual elements, and began to produce pieces of work which looked far more professional than my initial efforts.

The latest gadget I've discovered on Word is the referencing tool, and I have to say that this will become my new best friend. The ease with which I will be able to properly reference my writing is a revelation, and will save me countless hours. You can find a guide here.

I have also used Excel to complete specific modules during my degree, in particular the Accounting modules and some of the ICT assignments. My experience with Excel is by no means extensive, but I am able to produce and manipulate basic spreadsheets to a reasonable standard.

  The other applications I have used regularly are Powerpoint and Publisher. Powerpoint has long been the go-to application for presentations, and I used it frequently during my degree. Training to become a teacher, and understanding the importance of engaging the students has made me reassess my relationship with Powerpoint. I think I now need to try and take it to the next level, and start learning how to make my presentations more interactive and innovative. There has already been some useful tools and tips from Mandy on how to do this, which I hope to be able to incorporate into my lesson planning.

Publisher creates flyers, leaflets, and other such documents from preloaded templates, which can then be adapted and personalised to suit the user. I used this in my last job to produce staff booklets for the internal training course I was delivering, but I would not say I was proficient, merely competent.

Blog review - Ian's AS Business Studies Blog

Annmarie and I looked at a number of different blogs before deciding to review this one. We chose it because it is a great example of how teachers can use social media and technology to engage with students. There is extensive evidence of a wide range of resources being used to support classroom delivery which can be accessed outside the normal timetable.

Purpose

The blog under review is “Ian’s AS Business Studies Blog” (available at: http://rutcasbus.blogspot.co.uk/ ), and has been created by a teacher of AS Level Business Studies for the specific purpose of relaying information to students in support of the curriculum,individual lessons, and homework assignments. Initial investigations show that this purpose is satisfied successfully, with regular and frequent posts referring to subjects recently discussed in the classroom in relation to homework.

Layout

Common elements such as the course content, popular posts, share buttons, and subscription options are present and easily located (See Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

The blog author has obviously thought about the different learning styles of his students, and utilises a variety of methods to transmit information (See Fig. 2). Posts are well written, with text written in a clear font and suitable spacing. Pictures are used regularly to support written points, as well as tables and video clips. There are visual and written hyperlinks throughout the blog, linking to other websites which the author expects the students to investigate, encouraging them to undertake independent study and research. This use of hyperlinks minimises the potential for disruption of the flow of the blog, and improves readability.

Fig. 2

Content

The content is relevant to the intended audience and pitched at a suitable level. There is not a great deal of original content written by the author, but this is to be expected in blog such as this, where the main purpose is to relay curriculum and homework information to students. What the blog does very well is to gather resources relevant to the course into one place and provide the students with access links, so that they can undertake independent research and study, and draw their own conclusions from the information presented.

Activity

Activity appears to be rather minimal, with only a few responses to many of the posts. This could be explained by the fact that the blog is primarily a resource for students, and interaction with the teacher is done during lessons, as opposed to on the blog. 

Believability

The author of this blog has a good understanding, not only of his subject, but of his students and their needs. He has used a range of methods to provide information, and has clearly laid out his expectations of what he would like the students to do with it.

Conclusion

This blog is an excellent example of a teacher using social media to support his classroom delivery, and shows how information can be presented in a number of ways to suit different learning styles.This type of blog could be used for a wide range of subjects to engage the students and encourage them to develop independent study and research skills.