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Thursday, April 15, 2010

birds


birds
Originally uploaded by milobabe10
This is a photo of Baldwin Swamp I created in Piknik
Authentic Learning Environments
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) assert that for learners to be truly engaged in their learning in an Information Communication Communication (ICT) learning environment they need to RELATE to a real-world, authentic problem scenario that is messy and ill-structured.

They need to, in small teams, RELATE to the problem task, CREATE solutions to this problem and then DONATE the solution back into the real world. While this theoretical perspective has strong links to pedagogical approaches like Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Authentic Learning environments, it is the DONATE aspect that sets it apart from the other approaches.
In creating an Action plan for our Assignment 3 for ICTs in Learning Design, I realised the next topic for yr 12 Multistrand science at my placement was going to be recycling and I had just read an article titled "The evidence that we are living unsustainably" on the educational qld website. I thought that this would help give an authentic real-world spin on the upcoming unit. My next idea came from listening to a friend complain about the amount of rubbish that is thrown into the recycling bins and how it ruins a whole load of recycleable goods when this happens. My idea then was that I would approach the Mayor re speaking to the students and coming up with an authentic task for them to complete in teams for assessment. Re-engage the community in recycling, educate them as to why it is important, what will potentially happen if they don't and impassion them to want to do the right thing for the environment and our future. The action plan came together immediately incorporating a wide range of ICT's. Webquests, Glogs, wikis for collaboration, utube to display finished products etc. Hopefully this will HOOK the students in, keep them engaged in the task, enable them to relate to the topic, create a fantastic product and donate it to the community and the rest of the world. I will keep you posted.
References
Kearsley, G & Schneiderman, B (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning viewed July 14 2009, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The wonders of Glogs

The Glog website is just facinating and the possibilities for this resource are endless especially for primary and I think yr 8&9. For teachers a glog is "a creative, dynamic, and innovative digital outlet that captures learner's excitement for online creations, keeps learners engaged in course content, and makes teaching and learning more fun.
A private and safe platform, monitored directly by teachers. Teachers control all the activities of their learners.
A valuable teaching tool that integrates diverse core subjects including math, science, history, art, photography, music and more for individual learner portfolios, unique alternative assessments, and differentiated instructional activities.
For Learners:
A fun, imaginative, and powerful learning experience which fosters independent creative self expression, positive learner-teacher relationships, and teamwork on collaborative class projects.
A vibrant, multi-sensory learning experience which integrates learner’s knowledge and skills into traditionally text-oriented subjects and motivates learner’s desire to explore topics in which they may previously have been less interested."
Reference: http://edu.glogster.com/