whats wrong with ict classrooms?

Modeling better ICT based Pedagogy

© Dean Groom 2008http://deangroom.wordpress.com

What is this presentation about?

ICT in the classroom has often changedlittle in over a decade. The tasks performedoften do not reflect the transformativenature and power of the read/write webto move from passive, teacher centric activitiesto student centered reflective practice.

This was ICT.

• Low end activities (today) used to be considered ICTs in the 90s ... internet searching ... web questing.

• Powerpoint, Word, Publisher, Speeches

• Research - Find, Locate activities (Searching) are LOW end uses of ICT and do not promote critical thinking or higher order, student centered application of knowledge

• ‘Google’ searching is the predominant internet activity.

The life cycle

• ICT means going to the computer room to do some task that lasts for the period they are in the room.

• Students spend more time without a computer than they do with one. The use of technology is annexed to paper based or chalk and talk activities.

• ICT is considered to be an ‘activity’ lesson

• Paper based activities lead to some ‘digital’ product which attempts to grade cumulative learning.

Teach Content

Content(Photocopy,Text book,Lecture)

Exercises:(check for effortand check forprogression)

Grades8/10

Well Done!(not reflective)

LEADS TO UNIT ASSESSMENT - CONTENT RETENTION

Classroom Classroom Classroom ICT ROOM Classroom Classroom

The ‘just in case’ classical ‘teach - examine - grade’ model

ICT in assessment

Research Make

Grade

3/4 weeks

Typical : Student researches (find/locates) information(text/images) then assembles some presentation based

displaying that information over 3/4 weeks period.

What does this ‘tell’ the learner?Suits Grading and Reporting.

Suits a limited type of learning preferences.

Use the internetto research X

(select)

Create a PPT,Publisher, WordDoc to explain

(apply)

Search Google

Cut and Pasteinto Document

Present(justify)

Get a mark checkedagainst a rubric

move on...

CLASSIC ASSESSMENT

STRATEGY4 weeks work

STUDENTASSESSMENT

STRATEGY4 hours work

What’s wrong?• Kids repeat the same process! it’s BORING and they see little

‘mastery’ value in it - stunts exploration, experimentation and creativity - deters authentic learners.

• It is just a VERY SLOW TEST - repeat what I told/showed you.

• There is no model or scaffold to support individual learners, or allow peer-feedback and support, inflexible.

• PASSIVE use of ICT - check retention though limited application.

• Is not reflective DURING the task (where am I today?)

• Find & Seek (low order) higher prominence than justification and critical analysis in wider context (high order).

Glass Exercise Book• Solo ‘blogging’ is a lonely experience (silo publishing)

• Replacing an exercise book with a blog is just a glass exercise book. Adds no new value to learning.

• Writing answers on a blog from the text book is not doing anything new at all.

• Summarizing the text book in MS Office or a blog does not develop critical literacy, it is find and seek.

• Printing/Emailing Word Documents is not an ICT skill!

What’s in a Rubric?Why one off Assessment Task Documentation

is often not an effective scaffold .

Rubrics don’t scaffold

• A rubric is designed to grade students against standards and outcomes taught in the Unit of Work.

• A rubric is like swiss cheese - it is not exhaustive and open to interpretation - they often confuse kids!

• A rubric is formal, learning is often informal too.How do the two things combine in your strategy?

• It assumes kids understood the ‘content’ and have the ‘mastery’ skills to apply that content, so the end ‘ICT’ product often favors digital/visual learner.

Read between the lines!

• Uses no images to represent the text

• Uses some images to represent the text

• Uses images to represent the text effectively.

How did you model this?Does your glass have a Flickr pool?

How did you help them selectand justify their choices

Did they have permission touse them? Copyright and Creative Commons issues.

What makes a ‘better image’

Did they manipulate the images?What ‘mastery’ did they need to learnto achieve this? Is that of value?

When did you pick up on this?

EdTechis a multi-modal, reflective learningapproach to using technology in the

classroom, modeled in normal practice.

What should we do?• Realize it’s not about whether new tools will change

learning. It’s about HOW THEY ARE changing learning.

• It should make it easier for student and teacher to communicate at the 1-2-1 or group level.

• Develop strategies to promote REFLECTIVE practice

• Model the use of technology in a mutli-modal approach - Move beyond Google/Office based activities

• Model - good practice to students YOURSELF - develop resources they can use and share them online.

Teaching Spectrum

• Realize that each student has a unique ‘lens’ on how they use technology in their lives. What they ‘can’ do verses what you think they can do. Are you actually limiting their ability to best demonstrate learning?

• Their individual ‘spectrum’ is governed by their perception of technology, intrinsic interest, exposure, opportunity and ability to ‘master’ skills.

• You need to know understand where this individual spectrum begins and ends in order to develop teaching strategies that supports their learning. What is too easy? What is too hard? How many answers to you give away?

Boring Frustrating

Google/OfficeBlooms Taxonomy

Low end

Un-modeledMastery Skills

Critical ThinkingAndrew Church

Digital TaxonomyHigh end

Learning Experiences

StudentActivities

Make it toosimple and

kids tune out

Make it toohard (poor scaffold)

and kids give up(tune out)

TUNING YOUR ICT USE

Begin End

Learning Spectrum

Next Steps• Review your ‘ICT’ activities in your programs.

• Are you using technology to develop reflective practice.

• What does that look like in your classroom?

• How to you give students feedback - do you only use grades/marks and brief comments at the END, what do you do to help them DURING their learning.

• How can technology change the existing classroom pedagogy to create peer support