Lesson 18: Tablets and Textbooks in Schools

      

      The disadvantages of books have been debated:

  Ø  Load of books and workbooks for every subject are backbreaking due to their weight & sizes.

  Ø   Publishing & printing of books to millions of public school children are just too expensive.

  Ø  Errors in public school textbooks have been exposed.

                

     Tablets for Schools

  v  Computer can serve as a very powerful educational medium.

   

     Disadvantages:

  v  Cost of tablets is way expensive than textbooks

Lesson 17: Educational Technology 2 Practicum

            

              Educational Technology 2 provides students the experiential process of adapting to technology integration within a student-centered paradigm. The practicum phase consists of hands-on computer tutorials which the student teacher or professional teacher-trainee will need to make him/her capable.

                Essential requirements for ET 2 practicum phase will be:

  v  A computer laboratory/ special computer classroom with adequate sets of computers for hands-on tutorial learning.

  v  Participation of computer lab tutor/assistant – to assist the learner in the use of the computer & its various programs.

  v  Assigned number of hours in conformity with the course requirement. Tutorials are preferably done during weekends in order to provide continuous hours of computer hands-on training.

                The practicum phase consists in:

           1.       Basic Microsoft Word (6 hrs.)

        2.       Microsoft PowerPoint (6 hrs.)

        3.       Internet as tool of inquiry (4 hrs.)

     

      At the end of the tutorial, the learner will be able to:

  Ø  Search and retrieve information from the Web.

  Ø  Acquire skills in locating appropriate information on the internet.

  Ø  Acquire ability to use internet tools such as search engines.

  Ø  Gain knowledge of search techniques such as browsing through an information tree.

Learn the ability to execute the search. 

Lesson 16: The Internet and Education

         

          The internet or net is the widest & far-flung network system-of-all-systems. It is a loosely organized collection of about 25, 000 networks accessed by computers on the planet. Surprisingly, nobody owns it! Everything is coordinated through a standardized protocol, a set of rules for exchanging data called Transmission Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Computers must be equipped with Server to access the internet. Servers have special software that uses internet protocol.

                The most attractive way to move around the internet is called browsing using a program called browser. The World Wide Web (the Web) an internet subset of text, images & sounds are linked together to allow users to access data or information needed. Experts predict that the internet is destined to become the center piece of all online communications of the planet.

                View of educational uses of the internet:

  Ø  Students around the world correspond via e-mails (pen pals) discussing educational topics or        issues.

  Ø  Educational software materials have also developed both in sophistication and appeal.

  Ø  Connecting with the world outside homes, classrooms & internet cafes.

Lesson 15: Understanding Hypermedia

                 Hypermedia is nothing but a multimedia packaged as educational computer software information is presented & student activities are integrated in a virtual learning environment. Examples are some of the educational IT applications such as:

  v  Tutorial software package

  v  Knowledge webpages

  v  Simulation instructional games

  v  Learning project management

                The presentation of information-learning activities in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non-linear manner. Understanding the use of hypermedia in educational context is important to insure their successful integration in the teaching-learning process.

                   Characteristics of hypermedia application

     1.)    Learner control

    2.)    Learner wide range of navigation routes

    3.)    Variety of media

                Instructional events useful for teachers when using hypermedia: 

  

            a)      Get the learner’s attention

          b)      Recall prior learning

          c)       Inform students of objective

          d)      Introduce software & its distinctive features

          e)      Guide learning, eliciting performance

          f)       Provide learning feedback

          g)      Assess performance

          h)      Enhance retention & learning transfer

Lesson 14: The Software as an Educational Resource

                Software is a program or system that tells what the computer machine should do. There are two kinds of software:

               1.)    The systems software, an operating system found or bundled inside the                            computer  machines.

               2.)    Application software which contains the system which commands the particular task or                       solves the particular problem. This type of software is further subdivided into two.

                                          I.      Custom software that is made for specific tasks often by large corporations.

                                       II.      Commercial software packaged for personal computers that helps with a variety of      tasks such as writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs, playing games, etc.

                

               The most popular and commonly used program is the Microsoft Windows. It is an operating environment between the user and the computer operating system. It is sometimes referred as shell, a layer that creates the way a computer should work. Windows 95 was the first released software designed for Microsoft Windows; it is in itself a self contained operating system. From then on Windows continually upgrades their software, Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows.

                Windows was developed to provide:

  ü  User convenience

  ü  New look

  ü  Information center

  ü  Plug and play

                Instructional Software

                These can be visited on the internet or can be bought. Teachers through schools should decide on the best Computer-Based Instructional (CBI) materials for the school resource collection however, we must be cautious because CBIs needs to be improved further.

               Guidelines in evaluating computer-based educational materials:

  Ø  Be extremely cautious in using CBI's & free internet materials.

  Ø  Don’t be caught up by attractive graphics, sound animations, pictures, video clips & music                               forgetting their instructional worth.

  Ø  Evaluate with sound pedagogical principles.

  Ø  Observe clarity in the explanations and illustrations of concepts & principles

  Ø  Maintain accuracy, coherence & logic formation.

  Ø  Were they being current since data/statistics continually change?

  Ø  Were they relevant & effective in attaining learning objectives?

  Ø  Observe absence of biased materials.

  Ø  Design and content elements to evaluate are:

                             i.   Text legibility

                           ii.   Effective use of color schemes

                         iii.   Attractive layout design

                         iv.   Easy navigation from section-tot-section

Lesson 13: Cooperative Learning with the Computer

Cooperative or collaborative learning  is learning by small groups of students who work together with a common learning task. It has these five (5) elements:

       1.)    Common goal

       2.)    Interdependence

       3.)    Interaction

       4.)    Individual accountability

       5.)    Social skills

                Several studies revealed that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it;

v  Encourages active learning, while it motivates students.

v  Increases academic performance.

v  Promotes literacy and language skills.

v  Improves teacher effectiveness.

                Studies have been conducted to know the interaction between students and computer. Before these studies were conducted, many believed that computers may foster students learning in isolation that hinders the development of students’ social skills. Results of the study revealed that the previous statement was inarguably false! Studies tell us that when students work with computers in groups, they cluster and interact with each other for advice and mutual help.

                To ensure collaborative learning, teachers should:

ü       Assign students to mixed ability teams.

ü       Establish positive interdependence.

ü       Teach cooperative social skills.

ü     Insure individual accountability.

ü       Help the group process the information.

ü       Limit the group number (6 is ideal)

ü       Assign a common work goal

Lesson 12: Information Technology in Support of Student-Centered Learning

Traditional classroom

Ø  Teacher pours information to students or direct instruction.

Ø  Passive learners

Ø  Mostly on lecture presentation

Student Centered Classroom

                                ØTeachers as facilitators, focuses on indirect instruction

Ø  Active learners

Ø  Independent learning

                We are now in the 21^st century, and the world’s societies have begun to change, from the traditional world to a digital world. The new generations of learners were now referred as digital learners, students today depend on the information that can be accessed through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Students today can now interact with other learners, demonstrate their independence and self-awareness in the learning process.

                Generally, the new school classroom environment is characterized by student individually or in groups;

  v  Performing computer word processing for text or graph presentation.

  v  Preparing Power-Point presentation.

  v  Searching for information on the internet.

  v  Brainstorming on ideas, problems & project plans as needed.

  v  Teachers facilitating instruction, also gives individualized instruction to serve individual needs.

Lesson 11: The Computer as a Teachers's Tool

               

            Another application of a computer software program in the field of education is that it can foster higher thinking skills and creativity; it can then be therefore become as a teacher’s handy-tool. Computers as a teacher’s tool can in fact support the constructivist and social constructivist paradigm of learning.

  Ø  Piaget (1981) and Bruner (1990) introduced constructivism. They gave stress to knowledge discovery of new meaning/concepts/principles in the learning process.

  Ø  Social constructivism is an effort to show that the construction of knowledge is governed by      social, historical and cultural contexts.

ü  Vygotsky stressed that learning is affected by social influences.

ü  According to Dewey, human learning is really human languaging that occurs when students socially share, build and agree upon meanings and knowledge.

Learning Framework	Constructivism	Social Constructivism
Assumption	Knowledge is constructed by the individual	Knowledge is constructed within a social context
Definition of Learning	Students build their own learning	Students build knowledge influenced by the social context
Learning Strategies	Gather unorganized information to create new concept/principle	Exchange & share formed ideas, stimulates thinking
General Orientation	Personal discovery of knowledge	Students discuss & discover meanings
Example	8*5 – 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 +8	Two alternative job offers: Option 1 – 8 hours/day for 6 days/week Option 2 – 9 hours/day for 5 days/week

The Computer’s Capabilities

                Today, computers can provide access to information, foster creative social knowledge-building and enhance the communication of the achieved service package.  Teachers can employ the computer in several ways as an:

          1.       Information tool

                    Internet can provide vast amounts of information in various forms even encyclopedias are available, in which it can serve as one of the educational resources. It is not enough for students to download the information but use these to compose or present projects as may be assigned by the teachers.

          2.       Communication tool

            Through the internet, Computers can serve as a channel for global communication, in which it can become a key tool for video teleconferencing sessions.

          3.       Constructive tool

                Computers can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one’s understanding, and building new knowledge, an example is the Microsoft Word.

          4.       Co-constructive tool

                        With the aid of computers, students can work cooperatively and construct shared understanding of new knowledge wherein students may co-edit the same documents from their homes. One good example is the Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) created by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

          5.       Situating tool

                      Computers can create 3-D images on display to give the user the feeling that are situated in the virtual environment. Some examples of this tool include the flight simulation program, Multi-User Domains or Dungeons (MUDs), Mud-Object Oriented (MOOs) and the Multi-User shared Hallucination. School-to-school or classroom-to-classroom environment is also possible, users can chose to walk around campus or talk to other users who are logged to the same site.

Lesson 10: The Computers as a Tutor

Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)

                It is difficult for the teachers to provide an individualized instruction for the students since in the Philippine setting; teachers handle a class with forty or more learners.  Computers as one of the wonders of human ingenuity had been found out to have many potential applications especially when applied to the education system. One of the said potentials is that it can provide an individualized learning environment by applying the computer assisted instruction with the use of tutorial software associated with cognitive learning. This instruction enables to:

     1)      Allow individual students to learn at their own pace.

     2)      Motivate learning through a challenging virtual learning environment.

     3)      Assist student through information needed during the learning process.

     4)      Evaluate students’ response through immediate feedback during the learning process.

     5)      Give the total score to evaluate the student’s total performance.

TIPS

        I.      Teachers’ must do when applying CAI

a.       Assure that students have the needed knowledge & skills for any computer activity.

b.      Decide appropriate learning objectives.

c.       Plan the sequential & structured activities to achieve objectives.

d.      Evaluate students’ achievement by way of testing the specific expected outcome.

      II.      Roles of the students in CAI

a.       Receive information

b.      Understand instruction sfor the computer activity.

c.       Retain/keep the information and rules for the computer activity

d.      Apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning.

    III.      Roles of the computers in CAI

a.       Acts as a tutor.

b.      Provides a learning environment.

c.       Delivers learning instruction.

d.      Reinforces learning through drill & practice.

e.      Provides feedback.

    IV.      Characteristics of a tutorial software

a.       Able to teach new content/new information to students.

b.      Provide comprehensive information to concepts in addition to practice exercise.

c.       Effectively used for remediation, reviewing, or enrichment.

d.      Allow the teacher to introduce follow-up questions to stimulate student’s learning.

e.      Permit group activity for cooperative learning.

         A.      How can we integrate CAI in our lessons?

                Computer assisted instruction works best in reinforcing learning through                repetitive exercises by using drill and practice program. It can be used for teaching            basic skills and knowledge that requires rapid or automatic response by students and to      assist students with particular weakness in basic skills. When applying the drill and          practice exercise, we should see to it that it conforms to the lesson plan / curriculum       and to avoid boredom, limit the drill &practice to 20 – 30 minutes ONLY.

         B.      Different programs applied to CAI

a.       Simulation Software is constructivist in nature.

Example: SimCity

                                                         i.      Teaches strategies & rules applied to real-life problems/situations.

                                                       ii.      Asks students to make decision on models or scenarios.

                                                      iii.      Allows students to manipulate elements of a model & get the experience of the effects of their decision.

b.      Games add the elements of competition and challenge. Several characteristics can also be developed such as skills, cooperation & social interaction.

Example: GeoSafari

c.       Problem Solving Software allows students to learn & improve on their problem solving ability. Students have to employ higher thinking skills such as logic, recognition, reflection and strategy-making.

Example: The Thinking Things 1

d.      Multimedia Encyclopedia & Electronic Books

                                                         i.      The multimedia encyclopedia can store a huge database with texts, images, animation, audio and video which can be searched, accessed, downloaded and printed.

Example: Children’s Encyclopedia

                                                       ii.      Electronic books provide textual information for reading, supplemented by other types of multimedia information. Useful for learning reading, spelling & word skills.

Example: Grandma and Me

                

Lesson 9: Computers as Information and Communication and Technology

Computers as Information and Communication and Technology

         The advent of computer is recognized as the third revolution in education. Through computer technology, educators saw the amplification of learning along computer literacy. Computer assisted instruction was introduced using the principle of individualized learning through a positive climate that includes realism and appeal with drill exercises that uses color, music and animation. The evolving pace of innovation in today’s Information Age is so dynamic that within the first decade of the 21^st century, computer technology in education has matured to transform into an educative information and communication technology in education.

Figure 1. Uses of Computer as ICT in Education

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC) AS ICT

            Instructional media consist of audio-visual aids that served to enhance and enrich the teaching-learning process. The educational communication media comprise the media of communication to audiences including learners using the print, film, radio, and television or satellite means of communication.

            Close to the 21^st century, however, such a distinction merged owing to the advent of microprocessor, also known as the personal computer. Here is a list of some programs normally installed in an ordinary modern PC:

Ø  Microsoft office – program for composing text, graphics photos into letters, articles, reports, etc.

Ø  PowerPoint – for preparing lecture presentations.

Ø  Excel – for spreadsheets and similar graphic sheets.

Ø  Internet Explorer – access to the internet.

Ø  Yahoo or Google – Websites: e-mail, chatrooms, Blog sites, news service, educational software, etc.

Ø  Adobe reader – graphs/ photo composition editing.

Ø  MSN – Mail/ chat messaging.

Ø  Windows Media Player – editing film/video.

Ø  GameHouse – Video Games.

           

            As I can recall, computer softwares such as Google have been a great aid on online surfing, PowerPoint has aided me through my reports and presentations, GameHouse provided fun and leisure, Encarta provides offline reliable sources of information, Microsoft office Word assisted in our written reports and assignments, and many more to mention.

            The use of computers has been undeniably efficient and productive to the human race. It is not just the humans which have been evolving, so as the computers have been evolving. The information age was highly revolutionized by Information and Communication Technology which have been evident to everyone.

            The application of computers constantly broadens driven by the technological advancements; however we should not be totally dependent on it because it has its limitations also. We should use the computers in a productive way to improve our way of living and not to destroy one another.

                                                                                                 

Lesson 7: Evaluation of Technology Learning

Evaluation of Technology Learning

                The students today were not only cognitively inclined, they were also flexible, analytical and creative. We had been discussing on the changing of instruction strategies from traditional instruction to a digital instruction and same is true with the assessment and evaluation. This is by the fact that not only did the traditional learners evolved into digital learners but as well as our society or the world has metamorphosed from traditional to a modernized or digital world.

Digital learning assessment should assess the essential knowledge and skills which would definitely require the use of digital evaluative tools that measure the new basic skills, to be able to prepare the students to function creatively, effectively and productively in a new world.

The six fluencies discussed in Lesson 6 reflect process skills and as students engage in problem-solving process, the assessment should also focus on the 4 Ds which empower students to solve problems using higher level theoretical and practical thinking. The product outcome learning shifted from verbal-textual to digital expression such as audio, video, PowerPoint, multimedia, etc.

The so called “mass amateurization” has been referred to the change in evaluation approach in a mass reach of students’ outputs. The personal and group activities should aim at bridging the gap between the amateur creators of outputs to professional creators of outputs and products in the real world. I should entail inculcating adeptness in publishing, visual creation, audio-video recording, internet website postings and multimedia productions. The writing process will have to assume the idea conception, planning, layout and graphics designing, editing, proofreading and publishing. Using the desktop publishing software will make the writing process easier and exciting for learners. We can also publish our outputs on internet through web sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and videos.

Since high school up to the present  I had undergone computer classes which requires computer based outputs such as video and photo editing, blog writing, etc. these outputs requires skills, creativity and enthusiasm to finish the outputs. My output were also based on the given set of criteria as a guide to develop the outputs.

As I reflect, the shift to the digital instruction and digital learning assessment is justified by the fact that the traditional world has metamorphosed to digital world. The assessment needs to conform to the new literacy of the 21^st century and not to the literacy of the past to prepare the students to face a high-tech world.

As an application, being a future educator, we should adopt a new mindset in instruction and evaluation.