Group items tagged

Asking intriguing, open-ended questions is an effective way to encourage students to think deeply and to provide them with a meaningful context for learning.

To increase understanding about the country of China and its culture in the context of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. To facilitate student exploration of the human rights issues surrounding China and the Olympic Games.

There isn't really such a thing as "educational technology" - there is technology, used in the context of teaching and learning.

Online Colleges does it again with this collection of ideas and links to institutions and classrooms that are using Facebook in an educational context.

"The 2020 Forecast is a tool for thinking about, preparing for, and shaping the future. It outlines key forces of change that will shape the landscape of learning over the next decade. The forecast does not predict what will happen, but rather serves as a guide to the as-yet-unwritten future. It is designed to help you see connections among things that once seemed unrelated and to help you consider the changes and challenges that you are facing today within the context of wider patterns of change. Ultimately, the 2020 Forecast aims to provoke your own thinking about what role you want to play in creating the future of learning."

This is, I believe, the original source article for the 90% lurkers 9% and 1% contributors quote. Whilst the article from Jakob Neilsen explains the basis for his assertion then it also goes on to explore the upsides and downsides of this situation as well as some ways to overcome the downsides. The article was written in 2006 so some of the context may have changed though I wonder whether the fundamentals are not still the same.

Yet another list of iPhone apps to trawl through though this one is perhaps more serious than most as it focusses on things environmental. From the Treehugger group it contains short reviews and links to a range of green apps including carbon calculators, Offset calculators, a range of metering and measuring apps amongst others. Whilst many may be of personal interest there are a number that may be also useful in the classroom context.

Using the Download PDF button on this page you can download a really interesting pdf guide for parents about talking with children about working online. The guide looks at children of different ages and stages and offers sensible and commonsense advice. Though it is written for the American context the underlying advice is relevant to all.

70:20:10 is simply a reference model or framework that is being used by organisations re-focus their efforts and resources towards where most real learning actually happens, through experiences, practice, conversations and reflection in the context of the workplace, not in classrooms. Anyone trying to 'prove' that the percentages fall exactly this way is not only wasting their time, but clearly doesn't 'get it' or understand the vagaries of Human Behaviour research.

" How do people learn, and how can they do it better in a constantly evolving context? In pursuit of answers, the theme of "21st century learning" is the popular label often surfaces. It still seems to be necessary cliche as we iterate learning models, fold in digital media resources, and incorporate constantly changing technology to an already chaotic event (i.e., learning)." " In this model, there are 6 distinct channels. Obviously this doesn't mean that these are the only 6 channels-or pathways-for learning, but rather these 6 are emerging or have always existed as powerful players in how learners make meaning: identifying, decoding, evaluating, and sharing fluid media and information."

"Even today's students need support with some areas of digital practice, particularly in an academic context, so it's important to make sure that these needs are met. We define digital literacies as the capabilities which fit someone for living, learning and working in a digital society. To help with thinking about this, we have outlined seven elements of digital literacy for consideration, which can be seen in the accompanying diagram"

Rather than expecting to be immersed in learning that shines a light on the path forward the notion of searching for driftwood that suits the learner's needs is very empowering. It requires an imagining of learning as a very active process where the learner is aware of their context, their current understanding and what they might need to move forward. It demands a conscious practice of reflection and a disposition towards taking charge of one's learning. It is a very agentic view where learning is something that you do, not something that happens to you. 

It is generally accepted that learning is enhanced by the inclusion of deliberate, reflective practice. Indeed the act of reflecting on the impact that our actions have towards the achievement of any goal (learning oriented or other) is shown to have a positive impact. Reflective practice is defined as the praxis (interdependent and integrated theory, practice, research, thought and action) of individuals or groups to move from 'better thinking to better action' as a result of reflection for, in and on learning (Harvey et al. 2010 p140). With this in mind, it is worth considering what reflective practice might look like and to consider it in a range of contemporary contexts. 

Recently I have been contemplating how we might define inquiry. Like many terms in education, it is often used in multiple contexts and has a range of meanings attached to it. Coming to agreement on what inquiry is, requires negotiating seemingly divergent understandings. If we are to avoid oversimplifications and dichotomous thinking, we need to explore these multiple perspectives and find a balance point.

One of the key ways by which we make sense of our world is by analysing the stories that we and others use to describe it. These stories are a construct of our experiences, our beliefs, our cultural perspectives and the interactions between these things. Even when the context in which the story is set is the same, the details and nature of the story that particular individuals or collective share can differ vastly. Only by listening to each story with empathy and genuine desire to understand each individual's telling of this story do we develop true insights. Making sense of the stories of education should be a key process for all educators.

Research

A more likely cause is the autonomous, idiosyncratic, non-collaborative, and non-differentiated teaching practices that largely remain uninformed by research about what it takes to significantly improve student learning and achievement

teachers are being deskilled, unceremoniously removed from the process of school governance, largely reduced to technicians or subordinated to the authority of security guards. Underlying these transformations are a number of forces eager to privatize schools, substitute vocational training for education and reduce teaching and learning to reductive modes of testing and evaluation.