Introduction

A reflection on the use of technology to support learning

Spectrum 48K

I have created a blog so that I can review, analyse and evaluate a number of ICT applications. I want to break them down and see if they are of any use to me as a teacher. My subject area is Graphic Design so using ICT applications in my teaching is very relevant to my subject. Being in the design industry for well over a decade I am pretty much fluent in using a computer and many of the applications that are around today. I would even go as far as calling myself a bit of a 'Geek'. I suppose I have high expectations of some of the applications I am going to use and this may make me more objective. 

I have always had an interest in computers and technology going as far back as my first 'Spectrum 48k'! I love technology and what you can do with it and I am still amazed at the advancements we have made with it. I am open to new concepts and new applications in technology and I have a natural willingness to learn how to use them and patience of course! 

This blog will also develop my existing skills in reflective writing which is important for me to teach effectively. 

It is going to be an exciting journey for me.....

How reflective writing is important in effective teaching

Reflective practice is very important to me as it helps me to evaluate my teaching, the learning that has taken place and see areas where I need to improve as Mustafa (2005) confirms you can reflect on the events and evaluate the outcomes of your students' in the classrooms, and of the students' learning. 

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References

Mustafa, G., June 2005. Reflection in Teaching. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, Vol 2( No 2), p. 1.

Barriers to the effective use of technology in education

The education environment has changed over the last few years with the introduction of new teaching technologies. For schools/colleges to benefit from this they need to bring technologies into the core curriculum and use blended learning. 
There are a number of barriers that teachers have identified the common ones are: vision, access, time, assessment, and professional development (Franklin, et al., 2002).

Vision: Most teachers do not have a clear understanding of curricular uses of technology within the curriculum. “An important step in achieving meaningful technology use is to
develop a vision of how to use technology to achieve important educational goals” (Ertmer, 1999, p. 54).  

Access: Lots of schools and colleges do not have the resources to pay for the cost of new technologies. 

Time:  It is imperative that teachers are allowed time to develop their skills to learn to use new technologies in the classroom. However teachers have a full workload and sometimes this is not a priority.  

Assessment: New technologies and applications to aid the assessment of lessons are widely available but again this is down to teachers learning these new strategies and having the time to undertake new training. 

Professional development: Franklin, et al(2002) describe that teachers professional development must confront the traditional methods of teaching and work out the best way forward in terms of supporting the curriculum and examine the new blended learning strategies that incorporate the computer to determine the best way forward to support the curriculum. 

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References

Ertmer, P. A., 1999. Addressing first- and second-order barriers to change: Strategies for technology integration. Educational Technology Research and Development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(4), p. 54.

Franklin, T., Turner, S., Kariuki, M. & Duran, M., n.d.  2002. Mentoring Overcomes Barriers to Technology Integration. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, Volume 18(Number 1).

The value of mobile technology in teaching and learning

Mobile technology in teaching and learning

Mobile technology is all around us. The industry has advanced more that we could have imagined over the last decade or more. The mobile phone for instance is now a fully functional hand held computer. Tablets have been introduced replacing laptops and the old desktop computer. 

Within institutions it is expected that they have hi speed broadband and that WiFi is readily available. Students today entering higher education have attained a certain level of ICT skills. In the Donaldson report for the Welsh Governments review on Curriculum he recommends six areas of learning and that technology should be one of them (Donaldson, 2015) which will lead to all students having a level of ICT competency when entering HE and expectations will be higher.

We use technology alongside our traditional methods of teaching, we use Powerpoint presentations to enhance our lectures, interactive white boards that engage the learner (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007). We have our lessons and presentations alongside a reading list available to students on programs such as Moodle. For students that have missed a class this helps them to catch up on lessons missed.  Using technology within the blended learning lesson can enhance student engagement and meet the needs of a range of these learners (Montgomery, A .P., Hayward, D.V., Dunn, W., Carbonaro, M., & Amrhein, C.G., 2015 p.664). Using flipped learning can 

Assessing learning has been made easier through using ICT based assessment applications, and using this approach students can benefit from accessing instant feedback on their learning(Montgomery, A .P., Hayward, D.V., Dunn, W., Carbonaro, M., & Amrhein, C.G., 2015 p.666). This helps to improve student interaction and motivation. 

Using  ICT within a blended learning environment will definitely support the learning and enhance the students experience. It will make for an interesting interactive lesson and help motivate the student to become involved.

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References

Beetham, H. & Sharpe, R., 2007. Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age. 1st ed. London: Routledge.

Professor Graham Donaldson CB, February 2015, Successful Futures, Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales

Montgomery, A. .. H. D. D. W. C. M. &. A. C., 2015. Lessons learned for MOOCs and beyond.. Blending for student engagement -Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 31(6),, pp. 657-670

How technology has changed the way we learn

A decade or two ago students learnt solely from the teacher and reading books. Now it is a totally different story. Learning today covers a broad spectrum.

With the advancement of mobile technologies students can access information instantly via their phone, tablet or laptop. Within the learning environment they have access to a wide range of online resources such as an online library, ebooks, ejournals and much more. No longer is the classroom the only environment of learning. Students can learn anywhere, they can access a multitude of online courses via the internet which they can study in the comfort of their own home. 

The introduction to cloud based applications has encouraged this learning by giving the student online access to resources that enhance and improve their learning. Most students have access to Microsoft Office via their student account and can create their work in the different applications. Within the discipline of Graphic Design students can access Adobe Creative Cloud for different design programs. They can even choose to subscribe to ACC so that they can use it at home compared to years ago when you had to buy the program on disc for a high price and then the version you were using was soon out of date.

Even in preschools they use ipad or tablets to support the learning. In Beschorner & Hutchison findings they concluded that the use of iPads or tablets could be used in different teaching methods to help the young child in class to develop their literacy skills (Beschorner & Hutchison, 2013). 

The introduction of apps for our phones and tablets have widely opened up new areas of learning. The library of apps that you can now access is vast, to learn a new language all you have to do is download an app and you can have learning on the go. According to the BBC 'Duolingo' an app to teach foreign languages through playful games has around 40 million users (Robinson, 2014). This shows how popular apps have become in the learning environment.

Technology has changed the way we learn but is it for the greater good or not? We are overloaded with information and can we cope with this speed of change?  What happens if we lose the internet? Most of these technologies rely on our access to the internet. What happens then.  In a teaching environment you will have to have a back up and be prepared. Will we need to come to colleges and universities in the future or will we just learn from home?

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References

Beschorner, B. & Hutchison, A., 2013. iPads as a Literacy Teaching Tool in Early Childhood. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (IJEMST), 1(1), p. 20.

Robinson, D., 2014. How computers change the way we learn. [Online] 
Available at: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141022-are-we-getting-smarter

[Accessed 4th January 2016].

Tedtalk

What is a TEDtalk ?

TEDtalks are powerful short talks made by people from different backgrounds. It is platform for speakers to present inspiring, informative ideas within 18 minutes.

I find TEDtalks inspiring and innovative. This TEDtalk that I have embedded above is an example of a TEDtalk by David Carson. He is a famous revolutionary graphic designer. 

You can source any talk on any topic on Tedtalks.  You can even find Tedtalk examples on Youtube, they follow the same rules and formats.

I suppose when I think of Tedtalks I remember a Tedx talk that I saw in a lecture. It was a very inspiring talk by Sarah Hyndman on the topic of Typography called 'Wake up & smell the fonts'.

Sarah talks about type and asks us to think about emotional responses when we see type in its printed form. She goes on to say how when we see type created in different typefaces we interpret them according to the type face used. We usually do this without thinking about it. If we think about type when we see it we can interpret them differently on an emotional level and this can lead to us enjoying typefaces more and also help us to make conscious decisions. Sarah then goes on to show us some fantastic examples of type in our everyday life and the emotional meanings of them.

In my teaching I would definitely use this application to engage the learner. I feel that this gives the students an inspiring insight to lives of different people and different topics. As long as the talk has been seen by myself and I feel it is appropriate I would definitely use Tedtalks or Tedx.

Advantages to my teaching and my students:

• It is easy to use
• Looks professional
• Can be engaging
• High-quality presentations for FREE
• Students can view from any mobile device
• Needs to be appropriate

Disadvantages

• Does not work offline

This is definitely a thumbs up for me

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Photo Story 3

What is Photo Story 3?

'Create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile–based portable device' (Microsoft).

We used Photo Story 3 in the ICT class to create a movie with our digital photos. I enjoyed creating this and thought that it was a very quick way to make a short digital story. However on reflection and researching it today I realised that unfortunately this application only works in Windows XP. This is now an outdated operating system as there is no longer support for people using XP. 

In my teaching I would not use this application as this application only works with Windows XP.  

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Assessment Apps

Nearpod - Socrative - Kahoot 

What is Nearpod?

Nearpod is an easy online interactive application that allows you as a teacher to create, present and assess your lesson. You can create quizzes, videos, upload images and polls. The teacher then needs to give their students a pin to access the content. The students can interact with the presentation via any means of device that has access to the internet. 

The tutor can use this app to assess the students using a quiz format. The data results are instantaneous whilst the students are still engaging with the lesson. This means that you can address any issues in the learning that arise and you can gauge the level of understanding.  

In my teaching I would definitely use this application for assessment. 

Advantages to my teaching and my students:

• It is easy to use
• You can check your own teaching
• You can check the learning taking place
• You can reflect on your practice
• Feedback

Disadvantages

• Some students may not interact
• They may get distracted with other online content
• Its online so you need a connection to the internet

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What is Socrative?

Socrative helps you to engage with your students whilst at the same time assessing them. Through the use of quizzes you can access instant results and can gauge the level of learning and address any issues.

In my teaching I would definitely use this application for assessment. 

Advantages to my teaching and my students:

• It is easy to use
• Targeted feeds
• You can check your own teaching
• You can check the learning taking place
• You can reflect on your practice
• Feedback
• Its fun

Disadvantages

• Some students may not interact
• They may get distracted with other online content

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What is Kahoot?

Kahoot is a fun assessment tool to engage with your learners. You can design your questionnaire around different topics. Anyone can use it.

To be truthful in the ICT class I was unable to get this to work and I felt frustrated by it. In the end I ran out of patience and stopped using it. In a classroom setting you would have to check that this worked before using it.

In my teaching I would not use this application. 

Internet Detective

What is Internet Detective?

Internet Detective is free and it is online. It is a tutorial that will hlep you and your students develop the skills that they need to be able to research effectively online.  
I feel that this tutorial is worth doing and if I found that students were struggling with their online research I would definitely recommend it. However on reflection I feel that the site needs to be updated and made responsive. 

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The most appropriate applications to support my teaching

The most appropriate applications to support my teaching, why they are appropriate and how have they added to the learner experience

As a trainee teacher I have and regularly use blended learning. Teaching Degree Level Graphic Design students it is part of the course that a number of applications will be used. 

To get down to basics I definitely use Microsoft Office suite of applications, predominately Word in all of my planning. I use this application mostly to create all of my lesson plans, lesson evaluations and to write up my reflective writings. This helps me to reflect on my teaching and helps me decipher where improvements are needed.

I also use Powerpoint, an OHP and a laptop in my teaching however since I have been introduced to Prezi, Powerpoint may take a back seat. I feel that Powerpoint supports my lesson and it helps to have handouts at the end of the lesson so the student has something they can take away to read. 

I have also used the strategy of 'flipped learning' in one of my lessons. The students are asked to view a YouTube video on Wordpress in their own time so that we can discuss it in the next class. As Bergmann and Sams(2014) state that flipped learning allows the tutor to best use class time for teaching at the next lesson. 

I use a lot of practical demonstration in my teaching followed by practical application. The applications I use to demonstrate with are within the Adobe Creative Cloud. The Adobe Creative Cloud is an online facility that is used in the university, by using this it means we have the latest versions of the design programmes and have access to a large number of online resources which the students can access. It is imperative to me that I am trained in these applications and my professional development is an essential part of my training. I use Adobe Design to develop my Scheme of Work in as the discipline I am in uses a template for this. I also use this in designing my assignment briefs. This programme helps me to achieve a professional design and standard that I want my students to adhere to when they create work. It is important in the field of Graphic Design to have well laid documents that display the best use of colour and design.

It is important that all the students have access to the internet when working on the computers. They can do their research on this and also follow design blogs so they are up to date with what is happening in the design world.

Using technology within the classroom definitely improves the learning experience and Jarvis (2015) backs this up. I have also used an online application called Survey Monkey  for my assessment method at the end of the module. This method of assessment is easy for the student to use and it is also anonymous. 

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References

Bergmann, J. & Sams, A., 2014. Gateway to Student Engagement. 1st ed. USA: International Society for Technology in Education.

Jarvis, M., 2015. Brilliant Ideas for using ICT in the classroom. 1st ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Audacity & Podcasts

Audacity & podcasts

What is Audacity?

Audacity is FREE another application that is easy to use and it is compatible on most operating systems. Audacity has a niumber of actions that you can use - you can use it to record yourself talking which can then be added to a digital story like the ones we created in Photoy Story 3. You can also make podcasts (more about podcast below). Here is an example of what I created when we covered Audacity in class.

I would possibly use Audacity in my teaching to demonstrate how you can put together a digital story for a client or an organisation. 

Advantages to my teaching and my students:

• It is easy to use
• Portable - online or offline
• It is free

Disadvantages

• It a basic program

Podcasts 

At the present moment I would use Audacity to create a podcast for my teaching, however I would definitely need more practice and confidence using it. Basically a podcast is an audio file that is downloaded, shared and listened via the internet. 

I would possibly use promote the use of podcasts in my teaching.

Advantages to my teaching and my students:

• It is easy to use
• Portable - online or offline
• It is free
• Teachers can enhance lessons by giving podcasts to students so that hey can listen to them in their own time
• Students can learn from each other by sharing their podcasts.

Disadvantages

• You need to be well rehearsed in creating podcasts
• You will need time to create a podcast

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Review

Blog review

A blog that I follow and that I subscribe to is the Elegant Themes Blog. I feel that this blog has kept me up to date with the latest news about Wordpress. It covers a variety of categories such as:

• Community
• Customer Spotlight
• Editorial
• Freebie Of The Week
• General News
• Resources
• Theme Additions
• Theme Changes/Bug Fixes
• Theme Releases
• Theme Sneak Peeks
• Tips & Tricks

I follow a number of blogs but this is mostly the one I click on when I receive an email with a link to a new post and that says a lot as I don't click on a lot of them!. It is full of useful information and I get a lot from the posts. 

The blog is laid out well and it is clear and concise in its execution. It is responsive so I can read the blog on any device. It has good use of colour and is not too busy. Its navigation is easy to use and post are easy to find. 

I use this blog in my teaching as it covers areas that I need to know about. Wordpress is a program that I teach within the Graphic Design course and I feel that it is imperative that I keep up to date with the latest plugins and articles in relation to web design and graphic design and this blog covers it all.  

Its a big thumbs up for me....

PowerPoint

Powerpoint

What is Powerpoint?

Powerpoint is a presentation application designed and created by Microsoft. If you have the ability and knowledge you can create professional looking presentations in very little time using one of the template designs it offers. It is an easy application to use. It is versatile and is not reliant on an online connection. With its development over the years and with the introduction of Office 365 Powerpoint has a lot more features to it. You can work with colleagues on a presentation via Onedrive. It is adaptable to any device and you can work online with a subscription to Office 365.

In my teaching I have used this application to present to the learners( before I knew about Prezi!). However teaching Degree level I feel that this is not professional enough or does not have the oomph factor! that graphic design students would expect.

Advantages if I used it in my teaching and for my students:

• It is easy to use
• Looks professional
• You can create your presentation on a standalone PC and offline 
• Portable - online or offline
• Students can work in real time on the same Powerpoint project from home or class
• Import pictures. 
• Its compatible with lots of different file formats and it is easy to import photos
• It is free for students

Disadvantages

• Its not free
• Rigid format
• Death by Powerpoint - too much information

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