Getting the most out of technology in the classroom
As a new teacher, I am constantly reminded of my need to use technology in the classroom... but what if I struggle to use technology myself? Everyday there are more and more technology advancements being made, and everyday, we as users are expected to know how and when to use it. Technology has a place in every classroom, but as teachers we need to know the right way to integrate it.
Over the last three weeks I have been exposed to different web spaces, such as Blogger and Google Sites. Blogging is a common means to share new information, discuss passions or teach others in a user friendly way. I often use ‘food blogs’ to search for new recipes or to find baking tips and trick.
Blogger is a google
extension, it is easy to use and very customisable. The site allows you to
choose a specific them to your blog, create a unique look and share it with as
many people as you like. In particular, for me, I chose to share it with my
fellow students at Central Queensland University (CQU). The Google Sites (website)
that I created will allow me to gather information on my student portfolio and
share it with other students or teachers who are wanting to learn more about
different pedagogical strategies or resources I may have found. Once again this
extension allows you to share it with specific groups of people.
image ©2012 by tpack.org
Both of these web spaces would be safe
for students to use. As teachers/students can select who is able to view their
posts it is safe and ethical. It is also easy to monitor comments on Blogger,
making it convenient for teachers to check online or cyber bullying that
could occur. Students should first be educated on the impact of plagiarism
and copyright, before posting online. They must be familiar with how to
reference and what/when to reference the author.
Technology should be integrated with pedagogical knowledge
and content knowledge to offer students authentic learning opportunities. My
main teaching area is Health and Physical Education, as my undergraduate degree
was a Bachelors in Sport and Exercise Sciences.
During my studies in sport and exercise sciences we used
various types of technology to have a better understanding of the human body,
and improve training methods.
Technology could be integrated throughout HPE, in
particular, when reflecting on practical performances. An idea would be to have
students set up a blog, using a wiki students share their sites with each
other. On the first blog students will refer to an initial video of them play a
selected sport, they will analyse their performance in reference to the
criteria. Each week students will select a snippet of game play to show
improvements and discuss what they did differently. Students must also comment
on each other’s posts, and provide constructive feedback to their peers.
This task follows the SAMR pedagogy. Students are substituting
an online blog for a written portfolio; the task is augmented to allow for
feedback and reflection from others; and students conception of a reflective
task has changed with the use of technology.
As discussed in blog post 2 : “By
having collaborative learning tasks, students are more likely to be engaged in
the unit. They are also more likely to learn from their peers and identify
where improvements must be made.”
Koehler, M. (2012, September 24). TPACK Explained. TPACK.ORG. https://matt-koehler.com/tpack2/tpack-explained/
Hi Shana,
ReplyDeleteYour blog layout is very professional. It is easy to navigate and identifies your weekly tasks clearly.
I enjoyed reading your blog, as I am in a similar position with my technology abilities. When reading about the blog, I liked your idea of teachers able to monitor behaviours e.g. cyber bullying. I think is essential to monitor as the blog concept is to share students own opinions and beliefs. I also liked the idea of substituing a written portfolio for a blog. I think it would be very beneficial in HPE.
A suggestion could be to compare how google sites might benefit HPE in relation to the SAMR model as you have compared it to blogging previously. As someone who hasn't used good sites before it would be an interesting comparison.
Great work!
Jen
Hi Shana,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I like your design of your blog, it's cool to see how different everyone's blog looks even though we're on the same site.
I really like your idea of using blogger for students video analysis of their sports performance as required in the PE ATAR subjects. I have discussed in one of my blogs previously that I think it would be challenging using ICT in practical PE classes. This is good idea!
I agree this is fits substitution and augmentation in the SAMR. I would suggest thinking about how modification and redefinition can be used in HPE.
Regards,
Elly