Reflective Synopsis
Embedding ICTs in teaching and learning has the potential to greatly enhance student learning in any given topic through meaningful activities and interaction with others, whether teachers or peers (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1998). In their Engagement Theory, Kearsley and Schneiderman (1998) state, “While in principle, such engagement could occur without the use of technology, we believe that technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise”. With this in mind it can be seen that teachers and educators need to explore and utilise e-learning tools and embed them into everyday learning in order to enhance students learning outcomes. ICTs can be used not only as information resources but also for learning supports, scaffolding of students learning journeys and effective methods of creating learning tasks to assess student’s knowledge, both formatively and summatively (Oliver, 1999). These concepts are also supported by The Abilene Christian University’s Active Learning Framework (2000). The following reflective synopsis will refer to a selection of the e-learning tools shown in Appendix A and how they could be embedded into classroom learning to enhance student’s outcomes.
The first of the e-learning tools reflected upon are animations and simulations. These forms of learning tools are much more effective and interactive then print based material. While using these tools students are actively engaged in meaningful learning while still having the option to choose from a selection of topics relevant to them. When students are actively engaged in learning they are more likely to retain information (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). Animations and simulations provide interactive learning activities which have the student actively participating in and using the knowledge they are learning during the activity, which is shown to increase knowledge retention according to the Learning Pyramid (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). There are a vast array of sites containing educational animations and simulations which have been quality assured to ensure safe material suitable for students. One such site is the EdHeads website (Refer to Blog “EdHeads” for more details). This e-learning tool could be used in the Engage and Explore phases of a unit, providing students with hands-on, interactive learning around a particular subject or topic, which would enhance the student’s foundational understandings of the knowledge being learnt.
The second e-learning tool reflected upon is the WebQuest tool. This form of e-learning tool involves students in participating in a structured, but still open, learning journey constructed by the teacher for a specific learning purpose. WebQuests can be created fairly easily by teachers in order to guide students through specific learning goals. The scaffolding of the webquest guides students through specific learning while the student still has opportunity to choose a topic relevant to them, which has shown to greatly enhance learning (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1998). WebQuests can also be pre-existing, created by other teachers and educators from around the world. There are countless numbers of webquests readily available on the internet which can be accessed both at schools and at home. This learning tool would be an excellent addition to any phase of learning in the classroom, from the engage phase to the evaluate phase. This tool could also be designed for use as a homework option. Teachers could create wequests which scaffold homework or assessments that students are completing at home. This tool could also be used as a student created assessment piece. Students in higher grades could use this tool to create webquests for their peers about particular topics. Teachers could then use the created webquests as evidence of the student learning. WebQuests are an engaging tool for learning and could be successfully used in many aspects of classroom and home learning.
The next e-learning tool reflected upon for its potential usefulness in the classroom is blogging. Blogging involves the periodical posting of texts detailing what the writer has been doing or learning. On websites such as Blogger.com the user can create an account then post blogs to their own webpage. This learning tool has great potential for classroom learning, especially as a method of assessment. As students are involved in learning experiences or learning through topics they can post their findings and ideas on their own blog page. Teachers can then view these pages and gain credible evidence of students learning throughout the stages of a unit or piece of work. Blogging also has the option of commenting on specific blogs. This is a great option to have for two reasons. Firstly, the student’s peers will have opportunities to read their blogs and post comments on other information or opinions the student might have missed (ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, 2000). Secondly, commenting gives the teacher the opportunity to guide the student back onto the right path if they are getting away from the focus of the learning, or to simply encourage and congratulate the student on finding great information or resources. Teachers can also make use of this tool by creating step-by-step instructional blog entries for students to gain understanding or ask questions about a task, which encourages complex thinking and provides scaffolding for learning (Oliver, 1999). Blogs are a great e-learning tool for the classroom.
As identified in the above reflections, e-learning tools are a great way to enhance any learning experience. When students can be actively involved and engaged in learning their potential to retain the knowledge taught increases dramatically (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1998). Many of the e-learning tools mentioned in the reflections and Appendix A also have the potential to encourage and facilitate higher order thinking and complex reasoning by students (Oliver, 1999). E-Learning tools, when appropriately embedded in classroom learning, are a very effective way of engaging, scaffolding and assessing students understanding of particular subjects (Oliver, 1999). These tools should be embedded in units and topics to be learnt to move student’s knowledge acquisition and understanding from low level thought processes and retention to higher order thinking, complex reasoning and high levels of retention. E-learning tools are a valuable part of any learning experience.
References
The Abilene Christian University Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). How does active learning work? Retrieved 30 July, 2009, from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/howdoes.htm
Kearsley, G. & Schneiderman B. (1998). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved 30 July, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Oliver, R. (1999). The learning design construct. Retrieved 30 July, 2009, from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm
Appendix A (Click on the image for a better view)
The following links will take you to some of the comments I have made on other peoples blogs.
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/08/ed-heads.html
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/08/interactive-whiteborads.html
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/08/voki.html
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-video.html
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-podcast.html
http://jfkchevy.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-learning-style.html
Cheers, Pete
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