Week 27 Reflective Post: Contemporary Trends


The OECD (2016) says that education is being affected by different trends, two of these being globalisation and technology. Becoming a global citizen is being brought into education through the use of digital technology.

 Currently my 1:1 class and I are working on substituting books for iPads to enable the students to learn how to manipulate a device, type and troubleshoot simple issues independently. We have begun to use Google Slides to write, with the motivation for writing and their work linked to parents each week with a comment. 

 In time, students are given a school-monitored blog where they share their learning with the world, getting opinions, ideas and new learning and become global citizens. This global learning programme gives students the means to connect across the globe with other learners and to access other cultures and countries views and issues. They can become problem solvers in an authentic context, find information to assist them and enable them to become future focused learners.

 The use of digital technology is also becoming the norm in many adult workspaces - previously, being able to word process was a skill sought after, whereas now coding and being familiar with different programmes is becoming more and more expected.

 Using 1:1 devices in classrooms has the hopes that it will allow teachers to personalise the learning for their students and allow them to learn at their own pace, ensure that students are IT literate and able to participate in the modern employed world with more ease, allow more creativity in the classroom where students can deliver their knowledge to others by a means they are competent with, allow teachers to communicate more easily with students and whanau (www.edweek.org).

 In my current experiences, we have been able to have clear communication between home and school by sharing work digitally - students understand that there is a deeper level audience for their work rather than just the teacher and their immediate classroom. It can be shared online through a personal or class blog at school for the world to see and be sent directly to the inbox of their family. This is currently the biggest success in my classroom regarding the trend in technology and the one most valued by parents.

 References:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/technology-in-education/index.html
Trends Shaping Education. (2016) OECD Publishing.

Comments

  1. D.Chapman10 October 2017 at 10:46

    Hi Laura,

    1:1 devices is a very daunting process to begin with. I have had the privilege of setting up and teaching an environment using primarily chrome books. I just thought I would note that google classroom is a great way to personalise the learning and you can set tasks for all students from here (free). Hapara is another good system and also lets you monitor what the students are accessing in real time. I have seen some great examples of google sites, where self regulated learners can go to to boost their knowledge of certain things or continue with their goals. This takes a bit of setup but once done it can provide a place where early finishers or anyone can go and click on links that take them straight to the learning. There is a bit of research around personal learning environments so that the students become part of an environment that doesn't just finish at school and can be accessed wherever and whenever they want. I will post the link below. Thanks for letting me read your blog!!

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/15NyLRio2xjAFLNucbsU3DifbUp9CutYVTvrpPCGHZXc/edit?usp=sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown13 October 2017 at 14:16

      Hi there! Not a worry - always good to see a comment and strike up a dialogue! I've been using Hapara as this is my school's system, and that pushes out all the Google files out to the kids, then as we are using iPad's and Hapara doesn't have a function yet to view screens and things as you can on Chromebooks etc., I am trialling Apple Classroom, which allows me to control everything the kids can see, what they're locked onto, the apps they can use and even the sound volume remotely from a teacher iPad! :) We are a maniakalani outreach school and having a class site is a big part of our learning, but at this stage, my focus with the Y2's is to get them using the iPad and typing with basic proficiency!

      Delete
    2. D.Chapman15 October 2017 at 20:16

      Sounds like you are doing great things. I have visited Point England school and got a real buzz off that. Hopefully schools down the line will start becoming more competent in the areas of technology implementation. Ka pai!!

      Delete

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