Tablets, Data Projectors, Laptops, Virtual Learning Environments ...

It has been too long since I last blogged!  I cannot beleive that only a short while ago I had never blogged, and now I feel loss if I do not!  It has been a very long week and my focus has been on other areas of my studies that - for me anyway - have been very heavy work.  Then, straight into pre-service practical teaching experiences at my learning site.  Talk about nerve racking!  One minute I was up to my eyeballs in Essential Learnings, Lesson Management Plans and Lesson Experience Plans (not being able to make head nor tail of where I was supposed to be heading), and the next I was in school watching it all happen in front of me with my head still reeling. 

Now, tonight, as I pack to attend to some family business out of town and realise just how much work I still have unfinished, how much work I have ahead of me and how little time I have to all of the above, I am taking a moment to breath and blog and not think too much about the daunting tasks that still lay ahead.

I think that I have travelled a long way with my own journey of being introduced to ICTs and learning about their place in current learning design.  I have sat for endless hours trying to understand the whole concept of ICTs in learning design on the large scale, and on individual sections and tools of ICT capabilities on the smaller scale.  None the less - it all amounts to a lot of time!

Then, I had the wonderful exerience on my first day of Embedded Professional Learning (EPL) or prac teaching for those of you who may know it by this term.  I walked into a Year 10 class who all had "Tablet PCs" and who were prescribing notes from the Data projector onto their tablets.  They continued through their lesson in their "ordinary classroom" and ended with a 15 minute task that required finding answers by "googling".  Simple, they arranged into pairs and googled collaborating together on the answers as each student searched individually on their own computer - right there and then.  Wow, was I impressed!

This is in addition to their teachers actively posting all of the resources, important information, discussions etc onto the school's virtual learning environment.  I have been introduced to this virtual learning environment only very breifly and so look forward to looking into and working within it soon.

Then, I was in a Year 10 language class that same afternoon and the lesson started with "I have got something fantastic to show you.  This afternoon you are going to create your own avatar on www.voki.com!".  Yes, I was excited to say the least, I not only knew what an avatar was but I had actaully created one.  I have even created one that spoke Japanese (well maybe two!). Huge thanks to my ICTs Lecturer Scot Aldred!  And you know, they were going to do this on their very own tablet PCs which they had brought to class with them also.  Well, why wouldn't they - it  is their "notebook" after all!

All of this came after observing an additional two classes on this same day where everything was either done on tablet or data projector,  involving powerpoint presentations, movies and the like.  If I was ever to be totally sold on the value of including ICTs into today's pedagogical strategies of learning management, yesterday was the day.

Just as importantly though is the fact that we must never rely 100% on the dependability of ICTs.  Often there are things that can go wrong that are simply out of anyone's control.  Students using tablets may not hold capable typing skills to enable them to engage fully in such an environment as the classroom where time is of the essence - we should not take for granted that everyone can type!  This can certainly affect the pace of the lesson  and thus affecting the learning experience of all in the class.  Momentum of the learning experience for those students who can type could soon be lost.  Non-engaged students are not beneficial to the behaviour management aspect of a class.

Another interesting subject surfaces when continuing professional discourse on this matter with my MT for Japanese.  The school where I am currently based has only just (this year) introduced the tablets for years 4, 7 and 10, as a trial.  The year 7 students are completing their studies in a "paperless" learning environment.  that is, their teacher does all of their school work on the VLE and they use their laptops.  Currently the Year 8 students do not have laptops.  Therefore, there is going to be an enormous transition next year when the ICT savy Year 7 students progress to Year 8.  Certainly this will not reoccur over and over because as of next year, the Year 8 students will have tablets and the work they do must then be tailored to suit their needs.

In addition, there is always the possibility of power failure or problems with internet connection.  Or, even the websites themselves can suffer unforseen problems.

So, love your ICTs.  Incorporate them where and when you can as a way of enhancing your pedagogical style and engaging students in many and varied styles and ways of learning to accommodate all types.  But, always have a back up plan or two!

Warm wishes,
Kylie B.