Reflective Synopsis

Over the past seven weeks I have had the opportunity in this course to become familiar with numerous ICTs. Although I was slightly nervous about this at first, as I had quite little knowledge about using these technologies prior to the course, it has been a very enjoyable experience and has allowed me to become a lot more familiar with ICTs, which are becoming more and more prevalent in schools. Education, like everything else these days is adapting to the technological age that we live in. It has been suggested that today's learners can be put into two categories: digital 'natives' or digital 'immigrants' (Prensky, 2001). Digital natives are those who have been born into and grown up in this age of digital technology and have developed a specific language around this technology. Whereas digital immigrants are those who have been forced to adapt to the digital world, which can be difficult as they have not grown up with digital technology all around them (Prensky, 2001). For further reading on this topic, click here. With the majority of learners now coming through schools having grown up in this digital age, it is vital that teachers adapt to this technology and use it in learning to engage learners.

Digital technology has led to learning becoming a much more interactive experience. It allows students to be more self-directed in their learning and the classroom teacher becomes more of a facilitator of learning. This is quite a change compared to how learning occurred in the traditional classroom setting. We know that there are a number of different learning theories which exist; e-learning as it has become known enables students to control their own learning to an extent; therefore catering for different learning styles. One important factor which is vital to the success of e-learning is being able to use effective  pedagogies to teach with this technology. TPACK proposes a framework for educational technology by building on pedagogical content knowledge and extending this to the phenomenon of teachers integrating technology into their pedagogy (Mishra& Koehler, 2006).

This synopsis will focus on some of the technologies which I have been exposed to during this course. It will also consider the ethical and safety issues which must be considered when using online technologies.

Firstly, I would like to reflect on my experience participating in the mobile phones Wiki back in week 2. The activity involved contributing our thoughts concerning the use of mobile phones as a learning tool. The activity was scaffolded by using De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats to provide a structure to the ideas and thoughts that student's contributed to the Wiki. The activity showed the strength of a Wiki as a space for student collaboration. This is something that could prove very useful in schools for group work and assignments. However, a weakness of a Wiki is that anyone is able to go in and edit information. By the time I got to contributing my ideas to the Wiki, the page had become quite untidy and difficult to follow. This is something that needs to be considered when using Wikis. To view my blog posting regarding this activity click here.

Digital Technologies 1- Blogs

The group 1 tools included blogs, wikis and websites. I have chosen to focus on blogs. A blog is described as a "website usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video" (Fasso, 2013). However, as Downes (2004) explains, a blog can be used as much more than an online personal journal in the classroom. A blog could not only be used for students to enter reflections on their own learning; a useful activity in itself, but also as a place for teachers to post class-related resources including schedules, notifications, suggested readings and links to other online resources (Downes, 2004). Blogs allow for highly interactive learning. They allow students to gain a sense of ownership of their learning as only they are able to edit information on their page. However, they also allow for a lot of feedback from teachers and other students as people can go onto a page and provide comments on particular blog postings. This creates an environment where learners can work together in providing each other with feedback regarding their learning. Like any learning tool, blogs do have their negative points in that they can be quite time consuming and online safety concerns must be considered. This will be discussed later in this synopsis. A blog could definitely be a useful tool in HPE. It could be used for student reflection e.g. ask students to post about how they have performed in prac and theory lessons. It could also be a place where teachers could post videos and resources about all things PE which students could then access for assignments. To view my blog posting on blogs, click here.

Digital Technologies 2 - Digital Video

Group 2 tools included digital images, digital audio recording, podcasting and digital video. I have chosen to focus on digital video. Video can be used in a wide variety of possible uses in schools including communication, analysis and observation, and reflection (Kearney & Shuck, 2006). I believe that video is quite an exciting learning tool and that it would be highly engaging for students. It is something that can be used across most KLAs, however I think that it is very much suited to HPE. The main use that I see for digital video in PE is for analysis. As a teacher, you could record students performing a skill; a golf swing for example. Students are then able to observe and analyse their technique which can be used to help them improve their performance. Video could be slowed down and paused which would be ideal for a biomechanics unit. Another example of using video in HPE would be recording students playing a team sport such as touch football or volleyball and having students identify areas of the game where they could improve e.g. game tactics and strategies. Teachers need to ensure that video footage of students is used appropriately and for educational purposes only. To view a digital video which I have posted to my blog click here.

Digital Technologies 3 - Power point

Group 3 tools included power point presentations, Prezis and Glogsters. I have chosen to focus on power point. Out of all the technologies covered in this course, power point was probably the tool that I was most familiar with. I have had quite a bit of experience using power point presentations through high school and university. Power points can be used for both teaching and assessment purposes and a major plus for this form of presentation is the ability to insert video, audio, images and animations to add to a learning experience. I have created a simple presentation which can be viewed at my Weebly site. Power point is something which I have seen used in HPE lessons; a teacher is able to provide content on a topic as well as being able to provide visual features like video and images. Power points are also a great enhancement to oral presentations as they are very engaging for an audience when done well. They are easy to use and most students should be quite familiar with power point functions, so teachers shouldn't have to spend a lot of time showing students how to use the program. To view my blog posting on power point presentations, click here.

Digital Technologies 4 - Google Maps

Group 4 technologies included a wide range of tools such as Adobe Flash, Google Earth, Google Docx, online concept mapping and others. My favourite tool was Google Maps. I was impressed with the range of functions of Google Maps. Satellite images and street maps are available for almost any location as well as photos and videos taken in the area. Maps also provides information about weather, bicycling information, traffic and terrain. Maps can also determine the exact distance between two points, providing information on possible routes between the chosen locations and the expected time that it takes to get from one place to another. I have described a possible use of Google Maps for HPE in my blog posting on Google Maps. Like any other online technology, teachers need to ensure the appropriate use of a site like Google Maps by students. To check out the many features of Google Maps, click here.

A major consideration that schools and teachers need to be aware of is internet safety. Risks associated with web publishing include copyright and intellectual property infringements as well as protection of students from online threats (Education Queensland, 2012). This is outlined in the Information Sharing under Child Protection Act 1999 Procedure. Schools should come up with strict policies around web publishing to minimise such risks. This should include giving staff the skills to work safely online and any online work should always be monitored closely by staff. Guidelines regarding the publication of private information and photographs must also be adhered to. Schools should always seek written consent from parents if student details or photos are to be published online (Education Queensland, 2012). Basically, the rights and protection of students is paramount when conducting digital learning activities.

By engaging with such a wide range of digital technologies over the past seven weeks, my eyes have really been opened to the opportunities that digital learning presents to learners today. E-learning enables students to engage in learning anywhere, anytime; learning is no longer restricted to the classroom. Students these days are immersed in technology; their learning experiences should be no different. It is up to schools to adapt to the digital age that we live in to provide engaging learning experiences for today's students. As long as ethical and safety procedures are followed and teachers use strong digital pedagogy, the possibilities for the use of ICTs in education are endless.

References

Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUAUSE Review 39 (5), 14-26. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/educational-blogging.

Education Queensland. (2012). Information sharing under child protection Act 1999. Retrieved fromhttp://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/community/Pages/Information-Sharing-Under-Child-Protection-Act-1999.aspx.

Education Queensland. (2012). Risk management. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html.

Fasso, W. (2013). Digital tool 1: blogs for learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED 20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115238.

Kearney, M. & Schuck, S. (2006). Spotlight on authentic learning: student developed digital video projects. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 22 (2), 189-208. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet22/kearney1.html.

Mishra, P. & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record 108 (6), 1017-1054. Retrieved from http://site.aace.org/pubs/sigs/sig-Mishra-Koehler-TCR.pdf.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9 (5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf.