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| Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington http://www.unity.net.au/allansportfolio/edublog/?p=836 |
This week while looking for a quote or graphic to place in my blog, I came across the Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington. I thought it was a great representation of how technology may be used in education based on Bloom's Taxonomy. In a previous course, we discussed the SAMR model and how it us used in evaluating technology use in instructional design. I thought it was a pretty good tool to use and hope you find it useful as well.
1. Section VIII
addresses new directions and emerging technologies for IDT. Select three of the following and reflect on
how you might apply them in your current or future position in the IDT
field. What learning goals or objectives
could the technologies you selected help learners foster? Could the technology facilitate attainment of
that learning goal better than traditional instruction? Why or why not?
For this section, I chose to look at the three emerging
technologies that I use most in lessons or have considered using: rich media, games and simulations, and virtual
worlds. When looking at rich media, one
needs to look at the learning outcome expected.
It may be adapted with the learner in mind. For example, this last year while teaching
photosynthesis I decided to help my students gain a better understanding of
molecules by drawing them out on the whiteboard. During this, I reviewed the difference
between atoms, molecules, and compounds while also explaining reactants and
products in a chemical equation. The
point I wanted to make is that each side of the equation had to have the same
number of atoms. It did not matter what
configuration they were in, just that they were the same on both sides. Because we had already covered the concepts
of elements being made up of atoms which combine to form molecules and
compounds, I just had to activate their prior knowledge before showing how they
related to this new concept of reactants and products. As I walked them through the steps, I
explained each one. They were able to
see and hear the process. This is
similar to how using rich media enriches a lesson. If I were to instead use an animation that
also has audio to explain the same thing, students would be able to slow it
down or pause it to either take in the information or back it up to see
something they may have missed. While
animations are good and videos may seem better, sometimes it is the simplest of
these that makes the best learning tool.
Therefore, videos may not always be the answer as they may have too much
going on at once and may not ask pertinent questions along the way to help
assimilate what students have learned.
Games for learning sound like a bunch of funny business, but
if designed the right way, they may actually lead to more complex problem
solving. Most of us can agree that video
games are a big draw for young people and older alike. While I am not really into these interactive
games, my son and husband enjoy them.
This past school year, my son and his friends would play Halo that they
smuggled onto their district-issued laptops (yes, this is a gross misuse of
public funding). I noticed as the school
year passed that they started playing other games that were more educational in
design. Now, I was skeptical about their
ability to teach my students anything of relevance, but I noticed over time
they developed more problem solving skills to make it higher up the
levels. They were highly motivated to
beat their friends and have the top score on these games. Cool Math is a website with lessons and games
geared to different age levels that my kids love. At the end of the year, I noticed the
students playing a game called Nitro Typing with race cars that you power by
typing as fast as you can with little or no mistakes. This was fantastic because the kids have not
had a typing class and we have just expected them to start typing like
pros. Instead they learn how to type
using this game and love to see who types fastest. I think if used properly, games will allow
students to learn and possibly better than just listening to teachers drone on
in lecture fashion. I know that not all
games are designed correctly, but there are many out there that do make our
students think and problem solve while reaching the goals we set for them. They love the idea of playing and if we do it
right, they will learn and not even realize they are learning.
After reading the introduction to the Virtual Worlds
chapter, I wondered how I could ever use it in my classroom. Then I found an article online that helped me
realize why someone might use virtual worlds for teaching. According to the article you can go to
museums, role-play with others, and even fly in a hurricane all without ever
leaving your home or classroom (Antonacci 2008). I never actually thought that by going to
NOAA’s website I might be able to enter a virtual world, but evidently you
can. So that got me to thinking how I
might use this new knowledge in my classroom with students. Our district rarely authorizes field trips,
however by finding museums and other virtual worlds online, my students can go
on field trips that would otherwise be unavailable to them. I also like the idea that they may
communicate with one another and collaborate on projects even if they do not
live close to one another. Our district
also uses Moodle at the high schools and we have been told the Physics teachers
have seen an increase in students meeting the learning objectives and also scores
on the standardized tests. Moodle also
allows students who are absent for short or long periods of time to keep up
with the class lessons and not miss important instruction. I could see this being beneficial for
students who are homebound or at an alternative learning center, as well. The teachers would be able to give them the
lessons and still keep up with their grades.
This benefits both the teachers and the students.
All three of the emerging technologies I looked
at could help learners meet specific learning goals and objectives just as well
as traditional instruction. The students
want to use technology and become more self-sufficient in their learning. It is up to the teachers to facilitate the
use of these technologies while keeping in mind instructional design. 
2. Section IX focuses
on issues related to instructional design, rather than new technologies: professional ethics, diversity and
accessibility, the nature of design, and providing instructional guidance. For each of the technologies you selected
above, discuss what ethical issues using the technology might present. Does the technology enhance accessibility and
accommodate diverse learning needs? How
and/or can you design instruction using that technology? How much guidance would instruction with that
technology require? What kinds of
guidance would be necessary?
When I think of professional ethics, the first thing that comes
to mind is copyright and plagiarism, but then I read the chapter and realized
it was much more than that. I then had
to think of the three technologies I chose and decide what ethical issues might
arise with their use. Diversity is
sometimes a hard thing to deal with. We
want to think of our students as cookie cutter shapes that a one-size-fits-all
method of instruction will suffice.
However, our students come from all different backgrounds and
situations. Therefore, we must make sure
that technology allows for their diverse backgrounds. In rich media, it may be that we make sure
there are no offending images or gestures.
For games we may need to make sure that a student with a disability has
access to the appropriate console or device that allows them to interact with
the game. For virtual worlds, allowing
for different avatars and making sure the instructions do not offend different
cultures is beneficial. You would also
want to make sure that you create lessons using these technologies that do not
infringe on copyright laws. If you use a
resource that someone else created, make sure you accurately give them
credit.
Over the five years of teaching, I have had to accommodate students
with both disabilities and language barriers.
My first year of teaching, I had a student that could not hear. I was given a microphone that wirelessly
connected to her hearing aid. It allowed
me to talk and the student could understand everything I said. I realized how different this would have been
if we went back just 20 years. Students
with auditory and visual disabilities might be in a different school that
catered to their needs, or put in a special education classroom. Look how far we have come to meet the needs
of all learners in the classroom. This
method worked great when the student remembered to bring the device, however
when it was left at home, I had to stand right in front of the student the
entire class period so she could read my lips.
Another year I had a student who had a hearing issue in one ear and was
given a microphone and speaker that was set-up on one side of my
classroom. I made sure the student sat
near the speaker and then monitored their progress in class. As long as I stayed away from the speaker we
did okay. If I came too close it would
emit feedback from the microphone.
Yikes! Again, this student’s
needs were met without pointing out their disability. Now, I know this has nothing to do with the
technologies I referenced above, but are still valid needs and allowed for my
students to participate in class discussion and they did not feel like they
were different in anyway. The other
thing I mentioned was students with a language barrier. Twice I have had students who were new to the
country and spoke a foreign language.
This was pretty awkward for all of us because I did not speak their language
and they had very little command of mine.
However, the beauty of technology is I can give an assignment that is
online in their language. There are a
multitude of websites and resources out there for helping students overcome a
language barrier and meet the learning objectives. From online games, to virtual worlds, to rich
media, all of them have language translation capabilities which means all of my
students may learn from them. They also
have audio that allows students with visual disabilities to still participate
as well as visuals for those with hearing disabilities. As long as the technology is fairly easy to
use and has tutorials to show students how to use the controls, most of the
time, I am able to guide students in how to use them. I truly think that we have come so far in
accommodating diverse learners and it has allowed more students to be able to
learn in a classroom setting.
Resources:
Antonacci, D.,
DiBartolo, S., Edwards, N., Fritch, K., McMullen, B., & Murch-Shafer, R.
(n.d.). The Power of Virtual Worlds in Education. Angel Learning.
Retrieved July 2, 2013, from
www.angellearning.com/products/secondlife/downloads/The%20Power%20of%20Virtual%20Worlds%20in%20Education_0708.pdf
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