Evaluating Learning Experience

In the learning path, we had to evaluate one of our learning experiences from our unit plan for assignment 2 using the RAT Model.

My evaluation is below for a year 3 science class is below:

Learning objective: Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)

Learning experience (what will the students do?): students learn about the different characteristics of living and non-living things and how to distinguish between the two. The students will then put objects into two categories on the Interactive Whiteboard (non-living and living). They will come up to the whiteboard and slide the picture of the object into the correct spot.

SLIC	Replacement	Amplification	Transformation
Student Learning		Student learning is amplified because instead of the students just putting the objects into categories in their books, they can see what sections the objects are supposed to be in, in a bigger context (on the IWB) and they are using their hands which makes it more exciting, and is good for the kinaesthetic learners in the classroom.
Instructional Methods		The teacher’s instructional methods were amplified as they were able to show the students how to use the IWB, and it allowed them to see if the students were understanding what they had learnt by having it available for them to see. The use of this ICT made it possible for the teacher to explicitly teach how to put these objects in categories as they could do this activity as a class and they did not need to waste time by writing up the words or drawing the pictures themselves. The teacher would have had to know how to use the IWB before the lesson so that they could explain how to use it.
Curriculum Goals		The curriculum stated that the students needed to group living and non-living objects which this activity allows them to do in an amplified way.

 

After finishing this learning path activity, I have realised a few ways that this learning experience could be improved. The teacher could use the IWB for more than just what was mentioned in the above RAT table. Instead, they could also use it to first show examples of the characteristics that animals (living) have and what characteristics objects (non-living) have by having a PowerPoint presentation, or simply show pictures before the categorising activity. The students could then go up to the IWB and use one of the pens to highlight some of the characteristics that they can see in certain images. This would further amplify the learning experience.

To see another student’s perspective on their evaluation, have a look at Lucy’s blog here.

I hope everyone is surviving their second assignment! Good luck!

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

ICT resources for graduate teachers

If you’re like me and struggle with ICTs in general, and are terrified of needing to be “good” at using it in the classroom, then I have the perfect site for you! I recently found a website which is designed for graduate teachers so thought I would share so that everyone else can benefit from it also. It talks about

• Basic operational skills
• Information- technology skills
• Effective use of the internet
• Software-evaluation skills
• Pedagogical skills for classroom management

… essentially all you need to know for integrating ICT into the classroom environment.

Have a look, it will be worth your while. It can be found here at, “ICT resources for graduate teachers”.

I hope it helps, especially with heading out to professional experience soon!

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

TIP Model

After going through the learning path, it has become clearly evident that the TIP (Technology Integration Planning) Model is one that will be very useful not only on upcoming professional experiences, but also to take with us when we graduate and are out in the field.

It has 5 phases for teachers to work through. The first is for the teacher to see the advantages of integrating ICT into learning experiences. This way they can find solutions to and better ways to amplify their teaching techniques.
The second phase is then for the teacher to decide what objectives and assessment they will choose to assess the students on which will suit this integration.
After they have decided this, they need to decide how they will get to the assessment tasks; the teaching strategies and learning experiences that they will plan which will provide the most optimal way of reaching this goal.
The fourth phase is then for the environment that the students are in to be “ICT friendly”. The area around the students learning environment needs to have the equipment and capability to support them with the ICT that they require to fulfil the task at hand.
Finally, the teachers need to reflect on what they had done throughout the lesson. What worked? What didn’t work? What could they improve for next time?

If teachers use the TIP Model for their lesson planning, they should have more successful learning outcomes for their students, and a way to amplify their teaching instruction.

A website to help further explain this model can be found here. Also, Chloe talks about the TIP model in her post, “Some useful TIPs”.

Hopefully if you hadn’t already found the TIP model in the learning path, this will help you further understand the ways that you can plan and enhance your lesson plans before professional experience.

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

 

Bringing Learning Home

The other day in another course, the question was raised, how could you integrate school literacy skills into the home environment or vice versa. An article can be found here for further information if you’re interested on this topic.

It was suggested that since the students may play games on the computer once they get home after school that it may be beneficial to the students in bridging the divide to set homework that they can do at home such as educational games. This way they are still doing what they would normally do at home, however they will be bringing learning into their home environment.

It was argued in the class that students should not get this type of thing as homework as it would be unfair to the students who do not have access to this kind of technology at home.

I did not agree with this. I do agree that it is unfair, but I still believe that the homework can still be set as an optional task, and then that way if students want to they still can, and if they don’t want to they don’t have to. If the students who do not have access to this technology at home want to complete this optional task, they can talk to their teacher about it, and they could arrange time for the students to play this game either in their free time in class, or at lunch time. This way no one misses out. 

What do you think of this concept to help bridge the divide between brining a learning environment into the home environment?

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

 

Smart Homes

Recently there has been an ad on TV about “Smart Homes”. I don’t know if anybody else has seen it, but it looks really innovative. If you haven’t seen it, take a look at this article which explains some of the gadgets that are involved in having an Automotive Home, “Best Smart Home Gadgets of 2016”.

When I see it though, I always feel like if I were to have all of the technology and programs needed to create this kind of environment, I wouldn’t know what to do or how to use it. After a lot of practice, I might, but certainly not to start off with. I struggle with basic technology let alone a whole house system of technology.

On the ad, it has the actor waking up, and putting up the blinds, turning on the lights, turning on the coffee machine… Pretty much getting his whole morning started while still in bed.

It got me thinking – the children of today will be the adults of tomorrow who will be using this technology. Their houses will be technology based, as this looks to be the way of the future.

As teachers, we need to get these students ready for this kind of future environment. Teaching them ICTs now will give them this opportunity. If I had this “Smart House” I would be like a fish out of water, but the people of the future will be comfortable, and know exactly how to utilise this advanced way of living, as we are teaching them for the life of tomorrow.

Let me know what you think about having a Smart Home below.

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

Unit Planning

Hello everyone!  The year level that I have decided to do for the second assignment is Year 3 with the subject area of science. The topic that the students will be learning about is whether an object is living or non-living, and characteristics to look for in order to come to a conclusion. If you would like to check out the content strands that I have chosen, feel free to go to the following links – The first strand is what I will be using for constructing knowledge:

(ACSSU044)

The following strands are what I will use for transforming knowledge:

(ACSIS057)

(ACSIS215)

(ACSIS054)

(ACSIS060)

 If you want to know another student’s opinion on what they are doing for their unit plan, have a look at Chloe’s post, “Constructing and Transforming Student Knowledge”.

Until next time,
Keep smiling!

 

Looking at Assignment 2!

Hi everyone!
I hope I wasn’t the only one who said “I’m going to get so much uni work done over the holidays!!” and now that we’re back realised that I didn’t actually do anything.

Now that I am getting back into it though (and I’m trying desperately to get back into the swing of making regular blog posts) I’m looking at the second assignment, which is talking about planning a backward design in order to create a unit plan.

Making a backward design plan is really useful because you begin at the end; you start off by deciding what it is exactly that you would like the students to create at the end of the unit (their assessment pieces) and then work backwards to figure out how it is that they will get to that point at the end of the unit. This way, the teacher knows explicitly what to teach their students.

This picture is a useful demonstration on how this process works.

To better explain this concept, feel free to check out the link “What is Backward Design?” or go to Lucy’s blog “Backward Design”.

How is everyone else going with the second assignment? Hoping it is all going well!

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

Cyber Seniors!

I am one of those grandchildren that have to constantly help my grandparents with technology. Computers were bad enough, but then they had to go and get tablets. My grandparents are not the type of people who take change or learning new things well. But they feel like they need to “keep up” with the changing world. My grandmother was telling me the other day that she wanted to get Facebook so that she could keep up with everything that the family is doing. If she does, I think I’ll need to take a couple of days off of work just to teach her how to sign on let alone do anything once she’s on there.

I saw an interview on Sunrise a while ago and found it here. It’s about teaching the older generation about technology, and found it quite interesting and amusing, everyone should check it out!

It did get me thinking though – is there really any escape from technology now? My grandparents used to be the escape because you weren’t allowed to be on any devices because it was “rude” but now they are on their devices!

I found a blog post by Sherryn called “Can we ever escape technology?” and I wonder that now too. Is it possible to escape technology? Check out Sherryn’s blog and the video of the interview that I shared and let mw know what you think.

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

 

Teachers & ICT

Hello fellow EDC3100 students! I am currently doing the assignment 1 excel sheet and ready to rip my hair out. How about all of you? In any case, the questions have really got me thinking about how teachers facilitate the use of ICT within the classroom context. The questions are asking how the teacher does this, and how the teacher does that… But in my lesson plan, it is really just the students who are using ICT, and the teacher is just there guiding and observing. Is anyone else finding that with their lesson plans that they have found for assignment 1?

So anyway, in my head, I think that this is how it should be. The students using ICT to enhance their learning, and the teacher providing information about how to use it when needed, but allowing this students to use it freely to develop their own skills, and come to their own understanding on the topic that they are working on in class.

Lucy says in her blog that “The role of a teacher is inspiring and challenging”. I also believe this to be true. The teacher should inspire students to do the best that they can, and challenge them to enhance their learning, by many different ways, but especially by the use of ICT. This will challenge them, but also get the best out of them, which is essentially the teacher’s job whilst in the classroom.

Let me know what you think about how teachers should use ICT in the classroom.

Until next time,

Keep smiling!

Helpful EC site!

I was searching the internet this morning looking for some research on ICT in the early years, so that when the time comes, I know a little bit about how to integrate ICT into lessons. I found a really interesting and useful site.

It talks about not only ICT for the students, mentioning possible resources that can be used by the students, but also ICT for the teachers own use. It has a whole section on how to professionally develop our ICT skills as early childhood educators.

For the early childhood education students that are following my blog, I thought that coming up to assignment time, this site may be useful to further our knowledge on ICT in early years classrooms.

You can find the site here. Hopefully it is a helpful resource for you.

Until next time,

Keep smiling!