Lesson 9

Computers as Information and Communication Technology

In the educational Technology course 1 the role of the computer in education was well discussed. It was pointed out that advent of the computer is recognized as the third revolution in education.

1.      Printing press

2.      Libraries

3.      Computers

Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI)

It was introduced using the principle of individualized learning through a positive climate that include realism and appeal with drill exercises that uses color, music, and animation.

USES OF THE COMPUTER AS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Communication Media                                   The PC                                    Audio-visual Media

(Internet)                                                                                 (Multimedia)

E-mail (text and video)                                                                       Text, sound, graphics, charts photos

Chat rooms                                                                              Power-point Presentation

Blog sites                                                                                CD, VCD, DVD player

New services (print, video clip)                                                          CDVCD, DVD player

Music/movie/television room                                                 Educational software

                                                                                                Software, courseware

                                                                                                School registration/records accounting

The Personal Computers as ICT

·         Instructional Media – consists of audio-visual aids that served to enhance and enrich the teaching-learning process.

Example: Blackboard, Photo, film and video

·         Educational Communication Media – Comprise the media of communication to audiences including learners using the print film, radio, television, or satellite means of communication.

Programs normally installed in an ordinary modern in an ordinary modern PC:

·         Microsoft Office – Program for composing text, graphics, photos into letters, articles, reorts, etc

·         PowerPoint – for preparing lecture presentations

·         Excel – for spreadsheets and similar graphics sheets

·         Internet Explorer – access to the internet

·         Yahoo or Google – websites; e-mail, chat rooms, blog sites, new service, educational software and etc.

·         Adobe Reader – Graphs/photo composition and editing

·         MSN – mail/chat messaging

·         Windows Media Player – CD. VCD player; Editing film/video

·         Cyberlink power – DVD player

·         Game House – video games

Lesson 8:

Thinking Skills through IT-Based Projects

        I.            Source-based Projects

In these projects, the teacher steps out the traditional role of being an context expert and information provider, and instead lets the students find their own facts and information. Only when necessary for the active learning process does the teacher the step in to supply data or information. The general flow of events in resource-based projects are:

1.      The teacher determines the topic for the examination of the class.

2.      The teacher represents the problem to the class.

3.      The students find information on the problem/questions.

4.      Students organized their information in response to the problem/questions.

Traditional learning model	Resource-based learning model
Teacher is expert and information provider	Teacher is guide and facilitator
Focus on facts Information is packaged In neat parcels	Focus on learning inquiry/quest/discovery
The product is the be all and end all of all learning	Emphasis on process
Assessment is quantative	Assessment is quantitative and qualitative

A Webquest- is am inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of thei information used by he learners are drawn from the web.

      II.            Simple Creations

·         Students can also be assigned to create their software materials to supplement the need for the relevant and effective materials.

·         In developing software, creativity as an outcome should not be equated with ingenuity of high intelligence. Creating si more constant with planning, making, assembling, designing, or building. Creativity is said to be combine in three kind of skill/abilities:

Analyzing- distinguishing similarities and differences/ seeing the project as a problem to be solved

Synthesizing- Making spontaneous connections among ideas, thus generating interesting or new ideas.

Promoting- selling of new ideas to allow the public to tet ideas themselves

The Five Key Tasks

1.      Define the task- clarify the goal of the completed project to the students.

2.      Brainstorm- The students themselves will be allowed to generate their own ideas on the project.

3.      Judge the idea- The students themselves make an appraisal for or against any idea.

4.      Act- The students do their own work with the teacher a facilitator.

5.      Adopt flexibility the students should allow to shift gears and not follow an action path rigidly.

    III.        Guide Hypermedia Projects

The production of self-made multimedia projects can be approached in two different ways:

1.      As an instructive tool, such as in the production by students of power-point presentation of a selected topic.

2.      As a communication tool, such as when students do a multimedia presentation (with text, graphs, photos, audio narration, interviews, video clips, etc. to simulated a television news show.

   IV.            Be-based Projects

Students can be made to create and post webpages on a given topic. But creating webpages, even single page webpage, may be too sophisticated and time consuming for the average students.

Lesson 7

Evaluation of Technology Learning

The standard student evaluation of learning must change. This is justified by the fact that not only has the new generation changed into digital learners, but the traditional world has metamorphosed  into a digital world.

Assessment needs to conform, not with literacy of the past century but the new literacy in 21^st century. This literacy uses digital tools in preparing students to face  high-tech world.

The comparison is made with the Swiss watch-makers which failed to adapt digital watch-making. The Swiss watch lost its prime position in less than 2 years of neglect to the need to go digital.  

Evaluation must be geared to assessment of essential knowledge and skills so that learners can function effectively, productively and creativity in a new world.

           

 It must us evaluative tools that measure the new basic skills of the 21^st century digital culture namely:

•       solution fluency

•       information fluency

•       collaboration fluency

•      creative fluency

•       media fluency and

•       digital citizenship

For example: In reading, single text becomes less important compared with empowerment  process of being imbibed by varied informative, educational and recreational literature-textual, audiovisual, digital. Apart from form reading, learners are asked to engage in the process of writing reports, essays, articles, stories, power-point presentations, video scripts, drama skills, etc. The standard paper tests will prove inadequate in assessing new learning.

As students engage in the problem solving process, assessment will also need to focus on 4 Ds (define, design, do, debrief) that empower students to solve problems using higher-level theoretical and practical thinking.

As product-outcome learning changes from verbal-textual to textual to digital expressions (research-based outputs in various forms such as audio, video, power-point, multimedia, etc.) evaluation must also changed.

Mass Amateurization

A term which implies a mass reach of student outputs. The personal and group creative activities in school should aim in bridging the gap between amateur creators of outputs to professional creators of future outcomes and products in the real world. 

lesson 6

Developing Basic Digital Skills

As teachers adjust their teaching effectively match the new digital world of information and communication technology (ICT), they must be clear on what basic knowledge, skills and values (or illiteracies) need to be developed by digital learners.

1.      Solution Fluency

This refers to the capacity and creativity in problem solving.

2.      Information Fluency

This involves 3 subsets of skills namely,

a. An ability to access information, access may involve not only of the internet, but other sources like the CD-ROM software.

b. An ability to retrieve information, received information may include not only texts, but images, sound and video.

c. An ability to reflect on, assess and rewrite for instructive information packages.

3.      Collaboration fluency

This refers to teamwork with virtual or real partners in the online environment.

4.      Media Fluency

Media refer to channels of mass communication (radio, television, magazines, advertising, (graphic arts) or digital sources.

5.      Creativity fluency

Artistic proficiency adds meaning by way of design, art, and storytelling to package a message.

6.      Digital ethics

The digital citizen is guided by principles of leadership, global responsibility, environmental awareness, global citizenship, and personal accountability.

Higher thinking skills

Entering the new world of information and communication technology opens the way of complex and higher cognitive skills. 

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking Skills

The Above taxonomy is patterned after new scientific knowledge on the human brain works. The right hemisphere of the brain works sequentially through a series of events like talking, reading, and writing.

By developing higher thinking skills, the school today can inculcate the digital fluencies, while overcoming limitations inherent in digital technology, resulting in superficial and mediocre learning skills of new learners.

The structured problem solving-process known as 4D’s exemplifies the instructional shift in digital learning:

·         Define the problem

·         Design the solution

·         Do the work

·         Debrief the outcome

Understandably, the teacher will have to move away from center stage of the classroom, and allow students the limelight of the teaching-learning process.

lesson 5

Preferences of the technology generation

Texts VS visuals

-         The technology or digital generation has greater affinity to visuals compared with text.

Linear VS hypermedia

-         The new generation follows a personal random access to hyperlinked digital information.

Independent VS social learner

-         New generation are already acquainted with digital tools that adopt to both personal and participative work.

Learning to do VS learning to pass the test

-         The digital learners simply wish to acquire skills, knowledge and habits.

Delayed VS instant gratification

-         The digital learners experience more gratification through immediate scores from games, enjoyable conversation from webcam calls, excitements from email and inviting comments from their facebook friends.

Rote memory  VS fun learning

-         Digital learners prefer fun learning.

lesson 4

 Bridging the generation gap

Generation X

-         Birth years ranging from the early to mid 1960’s and ending birth years ranging from the late 1970’s to early 1980’s.

Generation Y

-         Also known as millennials.

-         1980’s as starting birth years and ending birth years ranging from the mid-1990’s to early 2000s.

Generation Z

-         Birth years ranging from the mid-1990’s to early 2000s

-         Widespread usage of the internet from a young age.

Older generation VS younger generation

-         Manner of dressing

-         Socializing

-         Friendship

-         Marrying

Difficult to overcome

-         Caste system in india

-         Pre-arranged marriage in china

-         Female circumcision in Africa

In the field of education

-         Developed countries VS third world countries

-         Traditional VS modern

-         Public VS private

Future shock – is a book written by the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. In the book, Toffler defines the term “future shock” as a certain psychological state of individuals and entire societies. His shortest definition “ to much change in too short a period of time.

To bridge the digital gap

1.   The need to understand the potentials of ICT.

2.   Technology supported skills need to be taught in school.

If the school fails to respond to emergent changes and needs

1.   The new learners may lose appreciation of the educational system.

2.   The increase of drop-out rate every year.