Digital - Week 1

A need to update delivery methodologies and enhance existing pedagogies lies at the heart of digital and collaborative learning?

There is broad acceptance that today’s students are changing far more rapidly than the schools who teach them. Their familiar means of information aggregation and distribution are not in sync with the education system and students are looking for flexible, more affordable and more relevant ways to gain the knowledge needed to apply ‘as needed’ skills for life-long learning.

Our great-grandparents would see our lifestyle as bizarre – “electronic nomads wandering among virtual campfires” – yet in counterpoint many youth today see prior generations as hapless prisoners of geography, trapped in the limits of a single physical location. (Mitchell, 2003)

For generations we have pursued a "knowledge-based" curriculum that was developed at a time when access to information was scarce. Today’s digitally connected world offers unlimited, immediate and accurate information to nearly all the world’s questions. As answers to questions we already know provide little, if any, competitive advantage in today’s world it can be argued that education should now focus on stimulating and promoting the discovery of new possibilities.

It was only a generation ago that computers had limited processing functionality and they operated on the level of a modest calculator. With the advent of powerful computers with the ability to operate multiple tasks simultaneously the need to reevaluate the most effective way to use technology as a significant educational enabler has never been more important.

A timely, pioneering and courageous approach to learning would address the need to develop students who are "learners" rather than setting out to achieve the end goal of making sure they are "learned”. Learners need to be involved in inquiry based learning process presenting content that seeds and stimulates interaction and the development of new concepts and skills. The development of a close community of fellow ‘learners’ to organically facilitate partnerships and teamwork in the learning experience provides further benefit through the exposure to different student perspectives and experiences. While the building blocks that form the skills to think, act, respond, investigate, evaluate and action are core to all education paths and careers, few of these skills are utilised in existing online learning experiences.

While technical advances in hardware, software and connectivity have been the catalyst to the progress of modern education, commitment to key competencies are imperative to meaningful learning outcomes. In this aspect two key features of constructivist philosophy have the potential to change the education offering. These features are play (fun) and experimentation (the ability to fail and fix fast).

People across the world are ‘hacking education’ and fighting for de-schooling or the process of replacing formal schools with the technologically enabled, largely self-directed, free and open exchange of information.

An under-current of change driven by new teaching practices with proven success includes greater focus on functional skills, collaboration, creativity, understanding and evaluation of online data, social and cultural awareness, global connectedness and effective communication. The most progressive schools and institutes are gradually accepting the transition from teacher to student centred in the classroom. This shift has seen acceptance of the sharing of learning outcomes and a move from ‘covering the curriculum’ to ‘discovering’ it.

The major challenge for schools is ensuring that all students attain the skills, knowledge and the disposition they will need to be successful in the world that awaits them. The new economy demands that all students be prepared for work and for citizenry and that they all attain the high standards of achievement that have traditionally been reserved for a select few. This generation of students will need to graduate from high school with the ability to think and reason, a comfort with complex cognitive demands, a readiness to be flexible and adaptive, and a command of print, visual, quantitative and digital literacy. Technology is increasingly becoming seamless and invisible as improved technology resourcing and ‘bring your own device’ is becomes more commonplace in the classroom as the tools of modern education.

Physical learning environments are also changing and it is becoming increasingly common to see creative teaching spaces that support different learning styles and teaching needs. In addition, mobile learning (equally referencing learning on- the-move and in varied locations as from a mobile device) has become a core focus of student engagement. The advent of wireless and pervasive technologies offers many opportunities for designing learning experiences that encourage children to explore, initiate and reflect.

In many cases schools have used new technology to enhance old models of learning rather than using technology to transform the way teaching is designed and delivered. The need to update delivery methodologies and enhance existing pedagogies lies at the heart of digital and collaborative learning.

Developing Essential Digital and Innovation Skills for 21st Century Education Delivery

Education is being challenged by the impact of new technologies and unlimited online access to user driven content.Today’s student is increasingly in conflict with the traditional analogue education system and education delivery practices.

While the adoption of technological practice is core to the unprecedented transformation that is taking place, the shift has been further compounded by the need to prepare our students for careers that don’t yet exist. Educators have found themselves in needing new skills and knowledge that blends digital connectivity and collaboration with the converging world of learning innovation, digital pedagogy, online education and global networks.

‘The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed- it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardise education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions” (Robinson, 2009)

Ontology, Axiology and Epistemology

Ontology, axiology and epistemology are important related concepts in philosophy.

Ontology originally referred to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being and reality. In short, ontology refers to our ideas of reality and how it is constituted.

Epistemology, in turn, is interested in how we can acquire knowledge about that reality. The Greek word, ‘episteme’, refers to knowledge. Epistemologists try to identify the essential, defining components of knowledge. Thus, both of these provide a basis for learning and teaching, and they appear in learning theories. Equally, what we understand by learning and teaching leads to ontological and epistemological assumptions.

In addition to ontology and epistemology, there is a third concept of axiology that relates to value theories. It considers the values related to both ontology and epistemology. In its broad sense in the context of ontology, it addresses questions such as what is considered valuable in our world and our existence in it.

Further, in the context of epistemology, it addresses the question of what is valuable knowledge in that world and what means are valued in order to gain that knowledge. Education is society’s media for manifesting its ideas. The ideas educational systems adopt reflect what society regards as valuable for its success and welfare.

Source: Audi, R. (gen. ed.) (1995), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Philosophy of Education

If you want, you can read http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/ and reflect on your own teaching practice and personal views on the Philosophy of Education and Knowledge.

Purpose of Education

Gert Biesta helps us to a wider view of education by focusing on the question of purpose – putting the ‘why’ of education before the ‘how’. He suggests these three broad domains of educational purpose:

Why reflect on a blog?

Experience alone does not add value to life, or your practice. It’s not necessarily the experience that is valuable; it’s the insight you get because of your experience. Reflective thinking turns experience into insights!

Source: Maxwell, J. C. (2009). How successful people think: Change your thinking, change your life. Hachette UK.

I can see a day in the not too distant future (if it’s not already here) where your “digital footprint” will carry far more weight than anything you might include in a resume or CV.

Source: Betcher, C. (2009). Digital footprints. Retrieved from http://chrisbetcher.com/tag/digitalfoot print/

Digital Week 2

Arguments for the need of 21st century skills: Why are these skills important?

The prominent need for 21st century skills is a common issue across the different frameworks. This need is mostly attributed to the changes in society, and more particularly, to the rapid development of technology and its impact on the way we live, work and learn.

Through Information and Communication Technology our society is changing from an industrial society to an information or knowledge society. While in the industrial society the main focus of education was to contribute to the development of factual and procedural knowledge, in the information or knowledge society the development of conceptual and meta-cognitive knowledge is increasingly considered important. As most frameworks argue, this change has inevitable implications for our education systems.

Some frameworks also stress the changes in economy and the labor market caused by globalization and internationalization as one of the important driving forces for the need of 21st century skills (this is particularly the case for the European Union and OECD). The need for individuals to flexibly adapt to a changing society (ATCS, P21 and European Union) as well as the need for sustainable democratic development (OECD) are mentioned by a few frameworks, whereas the latest developments on educational research about learning and learning tools are regarded as an argument for 21st century skills only by P21 and En Gauge.

Overall, economic and societal changes closely related to the recent developments in technology -and consequently in the characteristics of the jobs and the home environment-, seem to be regarded as the most important driving forces that call for 21st century skills.

Source: Discussion paper (Voogt) -http://opite.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/61995295/White%20Paper%2021stCS_Final_ENG_def2.pdf

Film making to develop narrative, why is this a relevant skill for an educator?

The learners we have in front of us today are constantly bombarded by a wide range of stimuli that can often be distracting and/or overwhelming. A well constructed teaching resource now has the potential to go beyond a printed worksheet to engage and inspire learners. A practical skill for a teacher is now in the creation of a wide range of media artefacts to support learning inside and outside of the classroom. Filmmaking is a technique that can be effectively created on a wide range of devices from tablets and phones and free web based software like ‘WeVideo’ to digital SLR’s and paid for software. In the hands on element of this session we have the opportunity to look at either Windows Movie Maker or iMovie which are both free on Windows or Mac OS. One of the key elements of making an effective video clip is developing the story or plot, and creating an effective narrative. The 3 act structure is a good place to start and can be a good tool for developing ideas and challenging them. Editing is also an important part in the process as this can have a huge impact on the final product as we experience in the session.

Week 3 - DIGITAL - Technology Disruption and Mixed Reality

Disruptive Technologies

"Disruptive technologies typically demonstrate a rapid rate of change in capabilities in terms of price / performance relative to substitutes and alternative approaches, or they experience breakthroughs that drive accelerated rates of change” (Manyika, et al. 2013).

"The more overdue a disruption is, the more sudden it is when it finally occurs, and the more off-guard the incumbents are caught"...“eliminating the bottom 99% of workers in [the teaching] professions” (Gade, 2014)

One of the world's largest...

...taxi companies owns no taxis (Uber)
...accommodation providers owns no real estate (AirBnB)
...phone companies owns no telecom infrastructure (Skype)
...retailers has no inventory (Alibaba)
...movie houses owns no cinemas or physical stores (Netflix)
...media companies owns no content (Facebook)
...software vendors doesn’t write the apps (Apple / Google)

Which careers are a safe bet?

In 2015 the BBC set up a web page entitled "Will a robot take your job?" Try typing in job titles into the search box to find out the likelihood that they could be automated within the next two decades.

http://tinyurl.com/willarobottakeyourjob (in class)

The Reality Continuum

From Milgram, Takemura, Utsumi & Kishino (1994). Between the two extremes of the real environment and a completely virtual one, the continuum goes from overlaying reality with a few additional elements on the left, to the occasional introduction of real elements into a digital environment (e.g. the user’s hand) on the right

Virtual Reality

Creates immersive, computer generated environments which replaces the real world
The user is completely immersed in an artificial world and cut off from the real world
Senses are mediated by the virtual world

Popular VR headsets include Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard. Google Expeditions, which you can use with Cardboard, is a virtual reality teaching tool that lets you lead or join immersive virtual trips all over the world — get up close with historical landmarks, dive underwater with sharks, even visit outer space! It was released free to the public on 27 June 2016 but is not totally free, especially for the whole class and with full features. Google Tilt Brush is another recent VR application that supports the creation of 3D virtual art..

Augmented Reality

Closer to the real world
Adds graphics, sounds and smells to the natural world as it exists
User can interact with the real world, and at the same time can see both, the real and the virtual co-existing
User is not cut off from reality
Sense of presence in real world is maintained

AR Terminology

Overlay: An image or graphic superimposed over an Image Target

Image Target (also: trackable, trigger, marker, AR target): The image recognized by the App, which launches the AR experience. Images with high contrast and unique features with sharp edges are key pillars in supporting image recognition.

Individual task with Aurasma

Create an ‘aura’ with your mobile device. There are some instructions on the portal if you find it hard to work out how to get going (Android and iOS versions are rather different)

Create a video - 3 seconds talking about yourself
Create a trigger image by drawing a detailed picture of your face
Use the image to trigger the video

If you are already an Aurasma expert, work with Aurasma Studio with your Laptop. Use Firefox, not Chrome, since many of the features do not work in Chrome.

Ideas for using AR

A Student Photo Wall: Set up a display of student photos in the classroom linked to a personal student videos about the individual student that can be shared with parents and visitors.
Book Reviews: Have students record a video of themselves giving an review of a book. The trigger image to launch the video review could be the book cover, a picture of the student or an image they have drawn. Afterward, other students/teachers can scan the cover of the book and instantly access the review.
Parent or Inspiring Role message: Source a recording from an inspirational speaker or record a message from a parent/friend of the student that provides words of encouragement to the student. Attach a trigger image to student desks or cover of their books.
Year books/School magazines: Add an AR to printed school publications and include video profiles from sports events, school plays or award ceremonies as a rich memory of school activities.
Word Definition Walls: Students can record themselves providing the definitions to different vocabulary words on a word wall.
Lab Safety/Safety Messages: Put trigger images linked to safety videos around a science laboratory/workshop so that when students scan them, they can learn the different safety procedures and protocols within the learning environment.

References

Gada, K. (2014). The Education Disruption : 2015, Retrieved from http://www.singularity2050.com/2014/07/the-educati...

Manyika, M. et al. (2013). Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy. McKinsey & Company.

Milgram, P., Takemura, H., Utsumi,A. & Kishino, F. (1994). Augmented Reality: A class of displays on the reality-virtuality continuum. In Proceedings SPIE 2351, 282-292.

Week 4 - DIGITAL - Collaborative, Constructionist and Constructive

Learning Theories

A learning theory is about changes in observable behaviour. It addresses: how such changes become relatively permanent, whether the change is immediate or potential, what role experience plays, and what aspects of reinforcement are present (Olsen & Hergenhahn, 2013).

These ten learning theories that are particularly relevant to digital and collaborative learning (see the Mind Lab YouTube video on these theories)

Conditioning
Connectionism and the Law of Effect
Progressive Education
Constructivism: Social Development Theory
Constructivism: Equilibration
Social Cognitive Theory
Situated Learning / Cognition
Community of Practice
Constructionism
Connectivism

Constructivism

Constructivism is based on a type of learning in which the learner forms, or constructs, much of what he or she learns or comprehends. This means that knowledge is constructed, and transformed by students. The learning process must be understood as something a learner does by activating already existent cognitive structures or by constructing new cognitive structures that accommodate new input. Learners do not passively receive knowledge from the teacher; teaching becomes a transaction between all the stakeholders in the learning process.

Constructionism

Constructionism argues that collaborative learning is particularly effective in environments where learners are required to actually produce what Seymour Papert refers to as a 'social product' - and this may be anything from a robot to a computer game or even a mathematical theory.

“The simplest definition of constructionism evokes the idea of learning-by-making... I do not believe that anyone fully understands what gives these activities their quality of "learning-richness." But this does not prevent one from taking them as models in benefiting from the presence of new technologies to expand the scope of activities with that quality.” (Papert & Harel, 1991)

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning is a learning process that brings learners together (including the teacher) and enables students to be responsible for their own learning as well as the learning of their peers.

Collaborative learning is aimed at having students fully appreciate the process of building knowledge together and improving learning outcomes by collective knowledge and collective capability.

“Collaboration and cooperation are sometimes used as synonymous terms, while other scholars use these terms distinctively according the degree of division of labour. In cooperation, partners split the work, solve sub-tasks individually and then assemble the partial results into the final output. In collaboration, partners do the work 'together'.” (Dillenbourg, 1999)

Collaboration vs. Cooperation

The following diagram by John Spencer provides some comparisons between collaboration and cooperation.

ITL Rubrics

The ITL rubrics can be found at http://www.itlresearch.com/images/stories/reports/21cld%20student%20work%20rubrics%202012.pdf In this session we will be focusing on the 'Collaboration' rubric and the 'Use of ICT skills for learning’ rubric.

References

Dillenbourg P. (1999) What do you mean by collaborative learning?. In P. Dillenbourg (Ed) Collaborative-learning: Cognitive and Computational Approaches. Oxford: Elsevier

Olsen, M. & Hergenhahn, B. (2013). An Introduction to Theories of Learning (9th ed.) Boston, Mass: Pearson.

Papert, S. & Harel, I. (1991). Constructionism. Ablex Publishing

The Basics of Collaborative Learning. (2016). Oregonstate.edu.http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/comm440-540/CL2pag...

Week 5 - DIGITAL - Computational Thinking

omputational Thinking

"Computational thinking is a way humans solve problems; it is not trying to get humans to think like computers." (Wing, 2006)

Computational Thinking is a problem solving process. Computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone and involves solving problems, designing solutions and systems to solve open ended problems based on multiple variables.

“The impact of computing extends far beyond science, however, affecting all aspects of our lives. To flourish in today's world, everyone needs computational thinking.” (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.)

Computational Thinking Means...

Solving problems
Applying abstraction and decomposition
Thinking algorithmically - what’s the process?
Thinking conceptually - what’s the model?
Understanding how things repeat and scale
Dealing with errors
...among other things (depends who you read)

Scratch

We will use Scratch in class, a visual programming tool that is free of charge. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, and it helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively. With Scratch you can program your own stories, games and animations and share and use other projects on the online library.

Pair Programming

Pair programming is a common technique in agile software development. One member of the pair is the ‘driver’ (does the typing, and focuses on tactics) while the other is the ‘navigator’ (can review and suggest, and focuses on strategy). When pair programming you should change your roles within the pair on a regular basis, and also change your partner on a regular basis.

Scratch Examples

Wiht Scratch examples you can cleick the 'See Inside' button to see how the code was written and, if you want to, you can make a copy to modify yourself by pressign the 'Remix' button

Repetition and Scale goo.gl/tFAE3N

Thinking Conceptually - Art goo.gl/EMHfdB

References:

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Center for Computational Thinking. Retrieved from https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~CompThink/

Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Communications of the ACM, 49(3), 33-35.

Week 6 - DIGITAL - Connected learning and Connectivism

Connected Learning and Connectivism

If “Connected learning is about much more than plugging youth into technology.” Then what is connected learning?

Due to the rapid change and technological advancement, the demands and opportunities placed on our students are greater than ever. Constantly changing networks (personal, social, and work) challenge students to process, learn, and respond to torrents of new information and new technologies. Learning is no longer framed by restrictions of time and place. Knowledge is now available everywhere, 24 hours a day so new models of education need to recognise learning as a constant with delivery modes and learning times as the variables.

New education models are needed to expand learning beyond the school through connected networks that bring education opportunities together into a seamless, integrated experience. In 2016 there is no reason why the abundance of resources and knowledge on the internet should be contained within a physical classroom, and there is little reason why a student should be confined to only taking courses offered by their school.

The notion of ensuring interchange and integration of learning networks and of the resources should underpin the construction of new education models. Connected learning and connectivism are two complementary views of the power of the network in 21st century learning

In Class Activities

While doing the in-class collaborative task 'How could the learning of your students be more social, participatory, interest-driven and relevant to the opportunities of our time' use the following links.

Six Principles of Connected Learning - hover your cursor over the picture on the web site (matching the one below) for interactive pop up descriptors.

Checklist To Implement Connected Learning Principles - suggestions on ways to implement the spheres of learning and a checklist of core properties of program design.

Todaysmeet links

Here are the links to the venue specific rooms on TodaysMeet for your responses to the provocation: "At my school connected learning is ...":

Week 7 - DIGITAL - Online Environments: Blending Learning

Blended Learning

The definition of blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns: (1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace; (2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; (3) and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

Blended Models (see http://tinyurl.com/tmlblended)

These blended learning models come from the Clayton Christensen Institute

Rotation model
- Station Rotation
- Lab Rotation
- Flipped Classroom
Flex model
A La Carte model
Enriched Virtual model

Flipped Classroom

The idea behind a flipped model of education is that much of the content is covered outside of the classroom through bite sized (under 10 minute) video clips, quizzes and collaborative discussions. Subsequently deeper learning can occur in the classroom through face to face discussion which can apply, evaluate and contextualise the content as well as enhancing collaborative activities, strengthening relationships, developing communication skills and other key competencies. The pedagogical approach has to be adapted and the mode of teaching must change to a more student orientated practice as the content (often teacher led) part of the session has already been covered. A flipped method fits in extremely well with many different learning areas but particularly links well and supports active learning experiences; more time for hands on learning and less time stuck in the classroom.

In-Class Flipping (See http://tinyurl.com/tmlflip)

Besides the fact that it avoids the home-related problems of a traditional flip, the In-Class Flip has other advantages as well:

The teacher can observe whether students are really watching.
The initial exposure to the video content has a better chance to sink in.
Hardware is (presumably) safer.

In-Class Flipping is not without its own challenges:

It doesn't make for tidy one-period lesson plans.
More preparation is required at the beginning. .
Technically, you don’t "gain" more class time.

Tools for Creating Content for Flipped or Blended Lessons

EdPuzzle

A simple tool to add content to existing videos. Can use video content from multiple sources within the site, or upload your own video. It’s also easy to “crop” videos so you are only showing the section of the video you want students to watch instead of the whole thing. Insert questions anywhere in the video you want and have multiple choice questions automatically graded. Teacher view shows you which students have watched the video and how they fared on the questions. https://edpuzzle.com/

TED-Ed

TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative. Using any video on TED-Ed, TED Talks or YouTube, teachers can create and customize lessons for their students. There are four elements, Watch, Think, (teachers can create multiple choice or short answer questions), Dig Deeper, (provide more information), and Discuss (prompts for online discussions). http://ed.ted.com/lessons

BlendSpace

Blendspace is an easy-to-use platform for creating multimedia lessons that can be accessed online. Using a drag-and-drop interface, can organize videos, text, links, images, and quizzes into cubes, then organize them to create lessons, or "canvases, " for your students to complete independently. https://www.tes.com/lessons

References

Bergmann, J. & Sams, A. (2012). Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education. https://books.google.co.nz/books?isbn=1564844684

Gudenrath, A. (2013). Flipping your classroom to meet the common core and other standards.http://blog.peerinstruction.net/2013/08/19/flipping-your-classroom-to-meet-the-common-core-and-other-standards/

Hamdan, N., McKnight, P., McKnight, C., & Arfstrom, K. (2013). A review of flipped learning. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. http://www.flippedlearning.org

Raths, D. (2013, December 4). 9 Video Tips for a Better Flipped Classroom. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from https://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/11/18/9-Video...

Schell, J. (2013). The 2 most powerful flipped classroom tips I have learned so far. http://blog.peerinstruction.net/2013/04/16/the-2-most-powerful-flipped-classroom-tips-i-have-learned-so-far/

Westermann E.B. (2014). A Half-Flipped Classroom or an Alternative Approach? Primary Sources and Blended Learning. Educational Research Quarterly 38(2), 43–57.

The Basics of Blended Learning - you tube

Week 8 - DIGITAL - 3D Modelling and Printing

3D Modelling

In small groups, Choose at least one video from this week’s media, relating to 3D design or 3D printing (e.g. '3D printing a lunar base', '4D printing', 'What If 3D Printing Was 100x Faster?' or '3D printing UAVs').

In your groups, suggest ways in which the widespread use of these technologies in industry might require changes to current educational practice in your own context. Publish your group thoughts to the G+ Community, In Class Tasks, using #3DEducation and your location as hashtags.

3D Thinking and Spatial Intelligence

“Research indicates that strong spatial thinking, a skill necessary for creating three dimensional objects, is directly linked to success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics...spatial thinking can be taught and improved through practice.” (Karon, 2015).

Topology Sculpting

A type of 3D modelling that is like sculpting clay. SculptGL lets you do this in the browser

http://stephaneginier.com/sculptgl/

Tinkercad

Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-learn online app anyone can use to create and print 3D models. You need to Sign Up / Sign In. For this we recommend you use a laptop (either your own or one provided by TMLBU).

If you haven't used Tinkercad before, you should find these videos useful for reference:

Alternatively, if you prefer to read rather than watch, you can use these step by step text-based guides made by Coco at The Mind Lab

Remember to save your 3D model frequently

References

Karon, P. (2015). Teaching 3D Modeling to Children. CG Cookie. Retrieved from https://cgcookie.com/2015/05/29/teaching-3d-modeling-children/

Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital and Collaborative Learning)

Digital Class Notes

Week 3 - DIGITAL - Technology Disruption and Mixed Reality

The Basics of Blended Learning - you tube

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