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Showing posts from March, 2016

Final remark for course five 5.8.4

Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learnt in this course is that I now have a call to transform our school learning environment (its systems and infrastructure; its teaching - approaches, methods, techniques) to adjust to innovations that bring about effective learning. The centre word here being innovation which, if I am not mistaken, is the them of this course. Much as we strive to use technology as and when it comes, it is important to note that innovation is very key in the use of technology effectively. Innovation geared at using technology in a way that enhances learner engagement is very important because at the end of the day it leads to formulation of a school wide approach which is focused at student centred learning. Teachers in the groups or as individuals need to arrange their teaching learning activities in a way that enhances learner collaboration and engagement. They as teachers need to collaborate among each other to come up with joint knowledge on best practices

On storytelling the digital way

Coursera - Free Online Courses From Top Universities tags: storytelling digital digitalstorytelling coursera Digital Storytelling in the Classroom - YouTube tags: digital storytelling storytelling classroom The power of digital storytelling | Emily Bailin | TEDxSoleburySchool - YouTube tags: power digital storytelling storytelling Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

Good podcast guide for teachers

Good podcast guide for teachers tags: podcasting Podcasting in the Classroom | Teachers TV Find out ways of using podcasting to enhance teaching and learning at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, as well as tips and resources, in this pedagogical ICT resource for those less confident with technology. Using Technology To Help Teach Poetry To Young Students tags: podcasting Using Technology To Provide Student Feedback tags: podcasts writing technology audio feedback collaboration Pos

5.7.4 The value of game play

The proverb "Work without play makes John a dull boy" just got a new meaning for me after this lesson. I think it should be rephrased to say something like: "Work is best with play to make John make the most out of his potential." This is because it is now clearer that learning through play is the solution for our generation which seems to have a very short attention span for things which are not "fun". Teachers are now coming with methods of not only integrating game play in learning but also of bringing about learning through game play. This is because game play:  Increases a child’s memory capacity by multitasking, boosts computer & simulation fluency in a technology filled world, helps with fast strategic thinking & problem-solving since learners are faced with a diverse number of tasks, is beneficial specifically for children with attention disorders, causes overall skill building, to mention but a few. these benefits address curriculum deman

Social Media 5.6.4

Following a lot of research, it has been concluded that the choice to implement any classroom technology should be based on sound learning theory and should support a specific aspect of the curriculum. Teachers should have the backing and support of school leadership and have received prior training in use of technology tools to facilitate student learning. In addition, they should gather data to ensure that use of the technology is having the intended positive effects on students. Social media has been debated in a number of education circles but it is becoming clearer everyday that social media platforms are doing a splendid job in furthering lesson effectiveness. I have personally taken interest in Facebook and in a recent activity engaged my learners (who, ideally, identified Facebook as the platform of their choice - mainly for the fact that it is easily accessible); and in this engagement had them explain the significance of using social media as a classroom tool. The following

Collaboration 5.5.4

I can now distinguish between  two things: collaboration and effective collaboration. In principle, I have known and practiced collaboration but rarely taken into account that the activities that comprise the collaboration could have either been replaced with better ones - more effective in realising  lesson objectives - or refined to make them more effective. Several lessons tend to put the cart before the horse by asking the wrong questions like "How can I make my lesson more collaborative?", "What technology can I use to make this lesson 'better'? etc. Instead, it would have been important to ask questions like: "How can I make collaboration make me realise my lesson objectives?" and the like. Collaboration should not be seen as an element of a lesson but as the defining theme of the lesson. The whole lesson or set of lessons is one collaborative process or set of collaborative processes harmonised by the teacher to cultivate the desired experien