Has technology changed the way we learn?

According to Nicholas Carr ‘our deepening dependence on networking technology is indeed changing not only the way we think, but also the structure of our brains’ (Naughton, J., The Observer, 2010)

This argument is debatable and in fact is debated in various literature articles which in general seem to agree that used properly, technology has many advantages

Having grown up without a computer, without a coloured TV (in fact my black and white TV only had once channel that was showing hymns for our communist leader) and having not seen a mobile phone until the age of 18 years old, I would say that technology has changed the way we learn, the way we develop, how we live.
Working in Schools I can see how different learning is now compared to how it was when I grew up. In the contemporary society learning through play involves the use of an X box, tablet, Ipad, Kindle and various other gadgets. Learning seems to happen faster everyday and the use of Internet and technology has given people to learn anything , at any time in the comfort of their own privacy without worrying they cannot get to the Library to borrow a book.  Technology has not only changed the way we learn but it has also changed the way we demonstrate our learning.

Not so long back if anybody would have told me my assignment would be an electronic journal, a blogg even...I wouldn't have even known what they meant. But technology is quick, it's clever and it never stops surprising me.

Barriers to the effective use of technology in Education

In assessing the barriers to the effective use of technology in Education I have focused on the role of the teacher and how a teacher makes use technology in teaching. Research has shown that barriers to using technology effectively when teaching can be as follows: teachers don’t have the time to keep up with the latest developments in software or find the most suitable one for their classroom; this is also due to training being generic rather than specific to each teacher and their needs for specific subject knowledge and possibly training being offered at unsuitable times (Cuban et.al, 2001, pp.813-834). Teachers are also often too worried about what can go wrong with technology and mobile technology ( power cuts, equipment not working as it should) so they don’t even use it to begin with or they use it in a minimalistic manner.

Whilst the learner can present some barriers to learning when using technology such as special learning needs or limited background knowledge (depending on their age), I believe these can always be overcome in order to ensure technology is used in an effective way. The next biggest barriers are the lack of suitable teacher training and lack of confidence which leads to teachers using technology mainly for instruction and presentation purposes rather than creating engaging and interactive activities which would enable and enhance learning.

 

Value of mobile technology in teaching and learning

Mobile technology could have a significant role to play in teaching and learning as it has the potential to make lessons more enjoyable and interactive for learners of all ages; mobile technology could also enable teachers to test learner’s comprehension, knowledge and ability to do things themselves by letting them work together and demonstrate what they learn (through use of mobile technology).

The value of mobile technology such as the iPad in the classroom is still being explored and with society these days needing instant access to all kind of information mobile learning is a fast developing phenomenon . Despite that I believe it is unlikely that lecturers and teachers will be entirely replaced any time soon.

‘The education industry needs new models and fresh frameworks to avoid losing touch with the radically evolving needs of its many current and potential new constituencies’ (Sergio,2012). In approaching the topic of mobile technology influencing teaching and learning I have thought of some of the mobile technology I have recently become familiar with myself such as: the stylus pen and the Interactive Whiteboard, tablet, Apps, iPad, iPod and amazing tools such as blogging. Reflecting on my recent experiences I also come to an understanding  that education needs to keep up with new developments in order to appeal to learners of all generations. It is then mostly down to the teacher to ensure mobile technology adds value to the teaching and learning experience.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20667870

Reference:

Sergio, F. (2012). 10 ways that mobile learning will revolutionize education. Retrieved December 9, 2013, from www.fastcodesign.com/1669896/10-ways-that-mobile-learning-will-revolutionize-education

What did I get up to this week-end?

Read my picture story and let me know if you can guess :)

PPt presentation embeded here

After a little bit of research about slideshare I have worked out how to embed a Power Point presentation into my blog. Not that complicated after all, take a look at the link above :)

Here is the embeded presentation I used during my micro teaching session this Monday the 18th of November.http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/28468538

Whilst this presentation was created using the most basic features of Power Point (this was due to time limitations) following our ICT session on Monday I have learnt how to include hyperlinks and sounds to make the presentation more interactive.
If you take a look at my presentation you may see my hyperlinks but I have noticed on slideshare the presentation doesn't run exactly as it would on 'Slide view' in Power Point. This means that sentences on each slide do not 'fly in' and my hyperlink doesn't seem to work. Not in slideshare anyway.
I am welcoming any suggestions if anybody has any ideas on how I can get this to work.
I will also continue to explore further how to make a presentation even more interactive and I am yet to explore how to do this by using a Smart Board.

Thoughts following our ICT session this week

Learning about Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) tonight was very interesting. I have seen this used many times before in Secondary Schools across Swansea and Neath-Port Talbot and it has always been mainly the 'teacher's board'. Only once I have seen students interacting with the board, during a Science lesson for Year 8 pupils.

After our ICT session today I am able to visualise and understand more how an IWB can be a useful aid to learning as well as encourage interaction.
I have learnt the distinction between the SMART board and the Promoethean board and had a chance to practice using both of them. I preferred the SMART board or the 'touch' board mainly because it doesn't require a pen or a stylus to be used as a mouse.

I have noticed Mandy has included a couple of relevant academic readings on Moodle (haven't looked at them properly yet) where we can find out more about IWB and how they can be effective, active and interactive tools for us as teachers and not only. I also really like the box of tricks Mandy posted hence why I have stolen the link and included it here.

Hopefully by next week I will have time to download the SMART Notebook software and explore it a little bit. I would like to use it if not in my micro-teaching session next week then soon in one of my teaching session on placement.

PCET student

It's been a hard week.

Finding out I am not eligible for funding for the PCET course was quite harsh and a shock. It did make me seriously wonder whether I am able to continue the course or not.
Whilst this questions remains I am looking for a placement and hoping to be able to solve it all as I have found such a lovely group of people to learn and develop with :)

I have however had a great time looking for a teaching placement in Swansea with Mark. Amazingly our search was successful, it gave us ideas and I think it ended up with a placement for Mark :)

Hurraaay for student email and Moodle being back on, even if it is for reference only.
My use of Technology this week has mostly been email (Yahoo and MS Outlook) and Internet as well as a secure database I use for work to log various details from local business people and not forgetting mobile technology in the form of my Iphone that has become part of my life.
I have also been thinking about how I can use Technology in the micro teaching session coming up very soon.

So I remain optimistic about being able to continue on the PCET course. If anybody knows anything about student loans, I will very much appreciate your opinions and advice.

See you tomorrow,

Cristina

TED talks - Steve Jobs 'How to live before you die'

I have chosen this inspirational talk from TED because I love it. I have listened to it numerous times and I am never tired of Steve Job's life story.

 

Steve Jobs was the CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar and this talk is about amazing success, opportunity, risk, faith and talent. It's also about loss, friendships and loss of friendships, devastation and rejection. When you are down, maybe at the lowest point possible, the only way is up. You may never have the chance to get all the way up if you don't find yourself at the bottom...

 

I think we all need inspiration to be the best we can be and hopefully we will be excellent teachers to all our students now and in the future. I hope you will find this speech as inspirational and encouraging as I have.

Listening to Steve Jobs on TED I have learnt that following our curiosity and intuition is good and that to be truly satisfied in life you must do what you like. Letting go and going with the flow whilst having faith that things will turn out how they are meant to be seems to be a philosophy at the foundation of successful happy people.

 

I will leave you with one of the messages from this video:

 "KEEP LOOKING, DON'T SETTLE"

Mobile technology in the class today

Returning after the half term break was a little bit daunting as always but I really enjoyed today's IT class. Though the lack of Internet was a bit frustrating my first experience learning with a new piece of mobile technology - the ipad- was great.

 

I was handed a device that was sleek, nice to look at that stimulated my curiosity.

The Lenovo ThinkPad featured a lot of things I was familiar with from the volume buttons and built in camera to name a few to the Operating System Windows 8. Finding out about the device by exploration in the task set out by Mandy was a great way to activate and test my prior knowledge and play around with things until I discovered what I wanted. I had a few challenges in finding out how to perform a right click and how to close the device properly but I successfully found all the answers in the end.

 

I must admit I have used a laptop for years and have enjoyed using various smartphones ever since they have appeared. However when the technology boom brought to light ipdas, tablets , Kindle and lots more other devices I decided to avoid it all due to fear of becoming addicted to whatever these new things have to offer. I know everybody wanted a Kindle to read books but I purposely chose the hard copy of the book every time.

Today's IT class enabled me to see several great uses of mobile technology not only in teaching but also in learning, my own learning from now on not just for the PCET course but for any other things I may be interested in.

 

I must also mention the second task of the class because I really enjoyed it even though myself, Jon and Rachel got slightly distracted and focused on content rather than filming/ediditing/ using mobile technology.

I am looking forward to the next session and learning more with and about technology.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog - review of a blog that could be useful

I found this blog by chance whilst exploring the Internet and thought it is quite interesting.
It presents various teaching resources and ideas and even gives tips on how not to be a bad teacher, using real life examples from the blog owner: Vicki Davies.

I found the concept at the foundation of this blog very current and relevant to our world:
 flat classrooms.

This is all about joining students from all over the world virtually to become one large classroom and use social media to improve not only social life but also academic skills. There is a lot of information about Web 2.0 technology which we are using and learning about at the moment.


http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/assessment

How do I feel about Microsoft Office?

It's been a while now since I have started using Microsoft Ofice applications extensively : on a daily basis in work (Excel, Database, Word and Power Point), on a daily basis whilst completing my Degree with the Open University and for personal use alsol.

For me, it's quite simple: I like Microsoft appliances. Having never tried another Operating System my knowledge is limited to Microsoft but I do like it and I have become very familiar with it.
Right from the start I have found Microsoft packages fairly user friendly and I have quickly discovered that I can teach myself quite a lot by exploring and trying things out. Using Word has become almost like a second nature as I needed it for various things: from writing letters , a C.V. or a recipe to University assignments.
Microsoft Windows has been updated a few times since I have strated using it and I have always managed to keep up with it and continue to use it. I suppose there weren't many other choices anyway.

Some of the daily tasks that involved me using Microsoft appliances included: petty cash / expenses, appointment diaries, bookings and monthly reports or footfall counts in Excel, letters to clients in Word, presentations, updates and training on Power Point.

Using Microsoft appliances has been useful in preparing me for the use of mobile phones and other modern technology devices.

Thank you Microsoft Office, though quite moody at times...for me you have been very useful.

Blog review

The blog I have chosen to review belongs to a Swansea Metropolitan student who went teaching in China. I was inspired by the email sent from the University Career Adviser (Jill), inviting us all to view the blog 'My adventures in China' .
I really enjoyed exploring this friendly and welcoming blog which I found really easy to use due to clear labelling and organisation of content.
Reading about Stephanie's adventures in China is fascinating and inspirational and these are some of the things she blogs about: travelling adventures (right from the beginning in Cardiff Airport) , the shock of Chinese culture, visiting the Great Wall of China (and many more amazing sights), the Chinese New Year, producing a documentary on the life of a teacher in China and having fun in the classroom with teaching Chinese students English words by showing them pictures and getting them to describe her family friends and relatives.
This blog has amazing photographs showing Stephanie's adventures. I love the idea of a picture blog and the photographs on 'My adventures in China' reminded me of my own travelling experiences in Thailand. In fact, each blog entry is accompanied by a meaningful photograph, in addition to the fascinating Gallery.
I have considered teaching abroad before hence why I completed a TEFL qualification.
Exploring this blog has definately inspired me and encoraged me to find out more about opportunities abroad. Furthermore, it has also been inspirational and enlightening to read the real thoughts and experiences of a foreign national teaching in China.

The blog I was talking about today in our break

Hi,

Earlier today in our break, Mark, Paul and I were talking about blogs we've known about before today. I mentioned the drawing blog I read about in the paper and I thought it was great. This blog is made by a mum from Swansea. Here is the link if you want to have a look : http://doodlemum.com/ Have a great week, Cristina

Reflective practice spider diagram

Use of Technology in this session so far - 14/10/13

Today I have learnt what a blog is and how to create one. I enjoyed this, it has opened a new world to me; an opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings about the PCET course and my journey towards gaining my qualification.
During today's session Mandy used the interactive whiteboard and a youtube video to show us what a blog is, what it can be used for and what features it has such as: followers, gadgets etc.
In order to create my first blog I had to open a Google email account. I have never had a Google email account previously but I found this easy to set up and straight forward. Once the email account was set up I was able to create my first blog 'Cristina's reflections'. This is a completely new thing and I have found it slightly challenging at times, especially trying to keep up with all my other colleagues.
I have learnt how to change the design of the blog, how to add gadgets and how to post and talk about various topics on the blog. I look forward to finding out more about blogging and using all the features available with it.

I am amazed at how much I have learnt and still have to learn every day. I didn't have a mobile phone until I was 18  years old. My first phone was a very small Nokia and I remained loyal to that brand until this summer until 2013 when I finally gave in to the new modern world of smart phones, mobile technology and yes: THE Iphone :)

I now have one and it has taken over my world from using it as a navigator everywhere I travel in the car to using the Apps  (mobile application) which bring me the news or tell me how far and how fats I am running.

Today...blogging is the new achievement that will now go on my timeline of events representing my journey of negotiating life in a Technology orientated society.
 

And so it begins...

Quite exciting ...first blog ever :) Having read a travelling blog and  the blog from a Swansea University student before, I am now learning how to set up and run my own blog. This is an exciting new thing and I look forward to posting all my reflective thoughts about the adventures to be had on the PCET course. IT in the Townhill campus can be slow and a bit temperamental but with Mandy's help and the others in the group, I will work it all out.