[Year 12 IPM] Re: OT Kahootz, 7-10 IT and Has VELS got it WRONG?

[Keith Richardson]

Ok Robert - you have virtually started a new thread here, and a
critically important one in my humble opinion. 
**In fact this MAY be the lodestone we have been looking for** and which
is 'sort of referred to' in the VELS when they talk about using ICT to
teach thinking and so on.
But I think that Robert has established a TARGET for us all to work
towards.
I have a proposal for all ICT teachers - a most worthwhile challenge
that might just be the pathway to our survival, that we can team up on.
HERE IT IS:
Let us all contribute one or two scenarios from our own direct or
indirect (but verified) experience of specific software, hardware,
procedures etc being used to add significant genuine educational value
to a specific learning experience, so that because ICT was used the kids
have LEARNT it far better (they know it, can apply it, can re-use it in
another context, can use it to construct new realities etc) than if the
ICT was not used.
My strong suggestion is that each quoted scenario should be quite
specific so that we, the readers, can empathesize with what actually
happened. This could be concluded with a moral "What I have learnt from
this as an ICT teacher."
OK folks - let's slay them in the isles. Lets do something that will
lift the rafters. Let us bring out into the sunlight those hidden gems
of purest ray serene...
Just a hopeful thought anyway. If it dies, it was not meant to be. If it
prospers, wow, we are onto something grand.
Ciao for now. Keith



On Tue, 28 Jun 2005 18:19:56 +1000, "Robert Timmer-Arends"
<timmer at melbpc.org.au> said:
> Hello Roland
> 
> I am not sure what you are refering to when you write:
> >>I lament to date the lame use of this slideshow software to organise so
> called 'research projects' by my non-IT colleagues.<<
> 
> but I do agree that many (most? all?) teachers allow PowerPoint (or
> equivalent) to be badly used by students as a presentation tool for
> projects. More importantly though, by doing this they miss what I think
> is
> one of the powerful learning opportunities that something like PowerPoint
> offers: the need to summarise and to capture and express succinctly key
> ideas.
> 
> There has been a lot of discussion lately about VELS and the place of IT
> education in it. To me there are two separate issues:
> 1. who teaches the skills?
> 2. what do students do with IT (ICT?) in non-IT classes.
> 
> As far as I can tell all the anecdotal evidence suggests that the answer
> to
> the first question is "an IT teacher, or at least someone who knows IT
> and
> gives a damn about efficient and effective use of the 'tool set' that IT
> provides.
> 
> For education more broadly, however, it is the second question that is
> the
> more important. I don't think it's good enough for anyone to insist that
> students use computers 'across the curriculm' if there is no educational
> benefit in it - using IT in English, Maths, Geography ... for the sake of
> it
> is not good enough! We have to ask: how can a particular peice of
> software
> add value to my teaching? or what is it that this software does that will
> allow me to enhance the learning of my students; for example, what does
> the
> humble word processor allow us to do? Well, mainly to edit text very
> easily
> (and then present it beautifully - but I'll ignore this aspect).  So how
> can
> this be used to enhance learning? In English (and other areas where
> report
> writing takes place) students could improve their writing skills by
> producng
> drafts for which they then get feedback and then edit to get a better
> document - the computer makes this process easier; no laborious rewriting
> required. Eventually (hopefully) the student will learn to draft,
> critique
> and edit their own work. Instead, it seems to me that the word processor
> is
> used purely as a presentation tool.
> 
> Similarly PowerPoint and the rules of good presentation should be used to
> make students work toward a series of summary points about whatever it is
> they are writing - being able to summarise something means that it has
> been
> digested and understood. Producing slabs of text on a screen is not just
> a
> poor use of PowerPoint but also suggests that very little learning of the
> subject matter has taken place (and it really annoys me when teachers
> show
> off this kind of thing as some superior example of student work just
> becuase
> it was produced for use on a computer rather than printed on paper! -
> this
> to me is where the real ignorance of IT use by non-IT teacher somes into
> it:
> they are to easily impressed by the 'gee whizz' instead of looking at the
> content ).
> 
> So, when it comes to CAC I believe IT skills among the teaching
> profession
> are not so much the issue, but, knowing how best to make use of any given
> piece of software in the teaching of a particular subject is (although
> there
> may be a chicken and egg effect here!)
> 
> Regards
> Robert T-A
> 
> 
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Keith Richardson
IPM List Moderator
Head of ICT, Leibler Yavneh College
Elsternwick
Ph: 03.9528.4911
k.richardson at yavneh.vic.edu.au