Lehrer-Online!
I have recorded myself talking about a great German Website promoting e-learning…enjoy and excuse the wild hair….I will spend more time in make-up next time.
BloGalore
Julia, Languages and the Digital Generation!Archive for Regular
QA: Quest Atlantis (part 2)
As previously mentioned, our immersion activity was to take part in a Quest Atlantis Professional Development Workshop. Quest Atlantis was designed to create a context for learning, in which learning, working, helping and playing co-exist. It aims to engage children ages 9–14 ‘in a form of dramatic play comprising both online and off-line learning activities, with a storyline inspiring a disposition towards social action’. The essence of the storyline (which is extended to a novel and comic book) is as follows: Despite its technological development, Atlantis is slowly being destroyed by the reckless heirs of their recently deceased ruler. They are only interested in progress with no consideration for ancient knowledge and customs or, in fact, the needs of their own people. In an effort to save their civilization, a council was formed and OTAK was developed –a virtual environment that serves as a technological portal between Atlantis and other worlds. Students enter the OTAK and move within different worlds, which feature a number of villages from which a series of challenges (quests) are launched. The underlying premise is that by solving the quests students (called questers) will help to restore the Atlantian knowledge.
The first workshop (each lasts an hour, the next one is tomorrow night), saw us enter the OTAK from the students’ viewpoint. We roamed through different worlds and tried our hands at a number of quests (finding and commenting on information – every time a student is required to reflect on an experience, a word processing window pops up in which the students type their thought through responses). As homework, we had to enter the world in our own time and complete some more missions. Teachers can either work with pre-existing quests (there are quests for each KLA – currently around 600) or you can post your own. Completed quests need to be evaluated by a teacher before the kids proceed anywhere, so there is a level of human intervention, but they are not necessarily aware that this is NOT a game, as the whole interface and concept is more reminiscent of a Playstation game. According to the Seminar Leader, Bronwyn, Quest Atlantis strength is that it caters to a broad range of learners (gifted and talented students benefit from being able to explore further). Tomorrow, we shall go “behind the scenes” and learn about the magic us teachers can create to encite our students to learn (in our case: to use language).
If you are interested and would like to know more about Quest Atlantis, visit their website, with plenty of video-based information and example quests. If you would like to participate in an upcoming seminar and qualify as a Quest Atlantis approved teacher (meaning you would be allowed to use it in your school next year), contact Bronwyn: bstuckey@intraceptives.com.au
Reading – but in what form?
Whilst researching an assignment for Language Methodology a few weeks ago, I came across an article by Linda W Braun (unfortunately I am unable to find the link to the document again at this stage, but if you’re interested contact me and I can email you a pdf. version). Linda, an Education technology consultant, seems to be a a bit of a “guru” when it comes to integrating emerging technologies into the learning environment (which is why I have added her to my blogroll!) She did a reasearch project in which she enquired about 13-18 year olds reading preferences (they had to list anything and everything they read on a daily basis). The final list read as follows:
1) text messages
2) email
3) MySpace + Facebook
4) Orchestra Music
5) Seventeen Magazine
6) itunes
7) IM + Specific websites
Book reading was almost always related to school assignments. What Linda is saying is that adults need to realise that “non traditional” forms of reading are equally valuable and these resources can be tapped into in order to promote literay skills and get students to think of themselves as avid readers. I have come to accept that in Australian schools, reading (traditional) foreign literature is reserved for Extension courses. But in line with what Linda promotes, I aim to enhance all of my students’ reading skills in the foreign language by use of online texts (e.g. online newspapers, blogs, deducting information from authentic websites etc).
Collaboration Webs
The Horizon Report is a publication that seeks to idenitfy and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on teaching and learning. “Collaboration Webs” is one of 6 areas outlined in the report, and it’s expected to enter mainstream use in learning focused organisations within 5 years (if it hasn’t already done so). In the language classroom, joint projects with students at other schools (e.g. the German International School and the French Lycee in Sydney or schools actually located in foreign countries) can expose students to authentic use of the target language as well as offering a new cultural perspective. Collaboration Web applications include those that allow students in different locations to work on the same document or multimedia projects (e.g. Google Docs, Zoho Office, Jumpcut and SlideShare). But the most exciting areas in relation to collaboration webs as far as language learning is concerned are (in my eyes) those that allow for the creation of a safe and secure and customized network. Ning is a prime example. Creating a workspace for a specific class, topic or assignment offers great opportunities for monitoring collective progress. I could also imagine how great it would be to have a space with a particular partner school in Germany or France, in which students exchange information about each other, their work, their progress and even showcase some of their work. Ning seems to remedy some of the concerns I had in relation to using social networking sites in the LOTE classroom. But it still involved a lot of effort and needs a teacher willing to set up, use and maintain such a space (…and you still need to find a suitable partner school at the other end who share the passion for integrating ICT….)
Literature Review in Languages, Technology and Learning
As part of Language Methodology, Dr Liam Morgan provided us with this interesting reading. An easy and enjoybale read. It is a comprehensive and thorough evaluation of IT in the LOTE classroom, located within a sound theoretical framework (for those in Sue’s and Liam’s classes – plenty of references to ol’ Richards and Rodgers). The report reinforces my own opinion on several fronts:
- Technology Based Language Resources need to be carefully selected according to their paedagocial potential. There are many resources with al lthe “bells and whistles” which are dominated by technology and do not make the language use and learning the main concern
- Learner differences; Even the best and “paedagogically sound” ICT material may not appeal to all students at the same time, highlighting the need to make it one of many varied approaches to language teaching.
- And on the same vein – despite the fact that more kids than ever before are extremely tech-sazzy, ICT knowledge can’t be judged to be universal and a given for every kid in the classroom. So where we make use of ICT, we need to be sure that the kids are familiar enough with the technology to get learning out of the activity (and that’s not the type of learning related to being able to navigate around on a PC or MAC).
Another interesting point raised in the article was that with falling numbers of LOTE classes, ICT may offer a financially viable alternative to offering foreign languages. Where schools can’t put on a particular foreign language becasue there’s only 3 or 4 students interested, a “virtual classroom” (like we use for this subject) may be an alternative. But of course, there is heaps of logistical and techological groundwork to be done to set this up (plus finding a teacher who’s willing to take on such a challenge).
Overall the best read I had so far in regards to this topic and language learning.
QA: Quest Atlantis (part 1)
I am very excited to be partaking in a web-workshop on a new “3D Multi User Learning Environment” designed to immerse kids in meaningful inquiry tasks. It is all about design based research. Part of the reading requirements for the workshop included an interesting article by the creators of QA, outlining their philosophy behind their approach to design based work. They basically ask the question when and why children stop seeing learning as fun and perceive it as a chore – and they’re using a good analogy to demonstrate the impact this has: “Much like eating one’s vegetable before getting dessert, schoolwork becomes a chore rather than an award”. And QA attempts to bridge that gap between learning and playing. They certainly got my attention. I’ll certainly be blogging about my experiences with this, so check back soon. In the meantime, if you want to read more about Quest Atlantis, click here.
Miro le miracle!
This is a Blog about what I call the the perfect solution for the teacher who can log on to the net in their own comfort at home but have nightmares about duplicating that success in a classroom environment. And haven’t we all been there. There it is, the perfect lesson on paper – heaps of challenging and constructionist orientated learning experiences. In your mind you play it all out – the kids love it (and you for it)….all you need in the morning is to connect to YouTube to play that video clip you have centered your unit of work around. But alas – you will soon be reminded of Brecht’s wise word (Die 3-Groschen-Oper): “Go make yourself a plan, be a shining light, then make yourself another, for neither will come right”….but WAIT. This is where Miro steps in. Miro is a free, open source software which allows you to temporarily (5 days) download You Tube and other Video content to your very own desktop. So that you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to watch the clip. It opens up in a neat and user friendly interface. All you need for your perfect lesson is a Projector and half decent speakers. Now, remind me – how do I book those with the IT department again…?
Cognitive Apprenticeship
Great article by Brill, J., Kim, B., Galloway, C (2001). It oulines succinctly and with concrete examples what cognitive apprenticeship means and how it translates into the “digital classroom”. Two teaching approaches to the same topic are presented. Naturally, one is inclined to like the second one better than the first one…as it is”representative of a more novel, less familiar approach, one demonstrating many of the characteristics of cognitive apprenticeship”, whereas the first description reminds us of the classic model of teaching and learning – “didactic, traditional, instructivist, or instrumental”. Despite my enthousiasm for the second case study, I think that the first example was and still is the more realistic snapshot. The problems I see with “going all out” in creating a multimedia project with all the bells and whistles are mainly of a logistic nature. To gain access to a computer lab still can be (7 years after the article was published) a mamooth task. Concrete example: I am currently teaching at a school in the City. Staff are encouraged and expected to use the School’s Intranet to communicate with Service Departments (inc. room bookings). Despite the fact that I have finally obtained my laptop, my email and Intranet aren’t set up yet, so online bookings are not possible. Because ONLY online bookings are accepted, this means I would have to ask colleagues to make bookings for me….fine for the first 3 requests…not so cool if you ask them over and over again….Lucky for me, the library also has a PC area and the librarian may be contacted by (wait for it) a FACE TO FACE meeting….recording my requests in an old fashioned A3 sheet which she fills in by hand….! Secondly, I am not sure how ‘tech sazzy’ the kids in my classrooms really are. Facebook, MySpace and itunes – no problem. But to have them scan and manipulate photos for a multimedia project…in my experience asking for a Powerpoint presentation is already challenging for the majority! So – back to the old compromise…a little bit of Ms Beauchamp and some innovative additions by Ms Reeds….,I think this is going to be my reality for a while to come!
The Wolf and the LAMS
Having heard fab reviews about LAMS from all sorts of sources, I figured it was time I dedicate myself to Alexander’s (2008) overview of these so called ‘Learning Activity Management Systems’. It seems it is the next big thing in the digital learning universe. Here I was proud of having designed a few WebQuests around some authentic CONTENT from the Internet (which seemed to be working a treat in my Language Classroom) but after reading the article I had to concede that, alas, simply ensuring that students absorb and engage with material is SO YESTERDAY! Says Alexander: LAMS ensures “greater focus on “context” dimensions of e-learning (rather than simply “content”), a more “activity” based view of e-learning (rather than “absorption”), and greater recognition of the role of “multi-learner” (rather than just single learner) environments. Whilst I would argue that points 1 and 2 are desirable but not necessary prerequisites for language learning, I have to admit that by including a social component, LAMS is tapping into an area which my WebQuests failed to address: It’s all about INTERACTION with peer and teachers, which is key in LOTE, where the outcomes are above all, of a communicative nature. Naturally, I was especially interested to read about opportunities which LAMS offers to the language teacher in this respect: It seems that LAMS, due to drawing on reading and writing skills, lends itself more readily to higher level learners who “feel more confident about ‘publicising’ their ESOL writing” but is not readily offering opportunities to hone listening and speaking skills. Indeed, in the NSW syllabus for most languages, these are exactly the two macroskills on which the emphasis is laid. But having said that, there is unlikely to be one “wunder-tool” that is all things to all people at the same time, and I’d interested to experience for myself what LAMS can do in enhancing my students’ motivation and technique in speaking a foreign language.
Vive le WebQuest!
Throughout Practicum, each class had one language lesson per week scheduled in the Computer Lab. Whilst I didn’t always take up the offer (to the dismay of especially the younger boys), we went there most scheduled lessons. Especially with my Year 10, who had finished the programme for the Year, I felt it was really well worth it and I designed a unit of work on “Life after HSC” which relied heavily on Internet resources. I created activities with and around two authentic French websites giving information to French students in relation to different professions and university courses. That’s why I read March’s article “The Learning Power of WebQuests” with interest. It clearly differentiates between web-based activities and a true quest, which is defined by Dodge (1995) as
“an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet”
I completely agree when March states that we always need to ask ourselves if students can achieve the learning we want them to do online just as effectively without the Internet; and if the answer is yes, we shouldn’t bother switching on the PC. So it seems I did the right thing by insisting we stay out of the LAB and in our normal classroom when using the LAB didn’t enhance the learning experience. Having said that, the WebQuests I designed for the Year 10s, in line with March’s description of the scaffolded learning structure, included initial tasks and activities which required knowing or finding ‘facts’ before requiring the boys to use the acquired information and expertise in a new way. Overall, I feel if March looked at my unit programme and examined the quests I developped, he’d be satisfied that I did a good job. The boys certainly enjoyed it – and stayed motivated until the last lesson of the term, in which I asked them to write a motivation letter for a real job we investigated online (Yes, authentic tasks do motivate!). I’ll be interested to explore the realms of WebQuests for our assignment, Miche!
