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Page last modified 02:28, 17 May 2011 by Hairul

Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many There's a place for tech in every classroom.

Technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives, our communities, our homes. Yet most schools lag far behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning. Many are just beginning to explore the true potential tech offers for teaching and learning. Properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy.

VIDEO: Harrison Central High School: A Commitment to High Tech

Running Time: 9 min.

Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals.

Many people believe that technology-enabled project learning is the ne plus ultra of classroom instruction. Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.

The myriad resources of the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse, and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text.

New tech tools for visualizing and modeling, especially in the sciences, offer students ways to experiment and observe phenomenon and to view results in graphic ways that aid in understanding. And, as an added benefit, with technology tools and a project-learning approach, students are more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom.

Technology also changes the way teachers teach, offering educators effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess student understanding through multiple means. It also enhances the relationship between teacher and student. When technology is effectively integrated into subject areas, teachers grow into roles of adviser, content expert, and coach. Technology helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun. Return to our Technology Integration page to learn more.

Tools for Teaching - Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams

Students learn best when they are actively involved in the process. Researchers report that, regardless of the subject matter, students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught and retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats. Students who work in collaborative groups also appear more satisfied with their classes. (Sources: Beckman, 1990; Chickering and Gamson, 1991; Collier, 1980; Cooper and Associates, 1990; Goodsell, Maher, Tinto, and Associates, 1992; Johnson and Johnson, 1989; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Kohn, 1986; McKeachie, Pintrich, Lin, and Smith, 1986; Slavin, 1980, 1983; Whitman, 1988)

Various names have been given to this form of teaching, and there are some distinctions among these: cooperative learning, collaborative learning, collective learning, learning communities, peer teaching, peer learning, reciprocal learning, team learning, study circles, study groups, and work groups. But all in all, there are three general types of group work: informal learning groups, formal learning groups, and study teams (adapted from Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991).

Informal learning groups are ad hoc temporary clusterings of students within a single class session. Informal learning groups can be initiated, for example, by asking students to turn to a neighbor and spend two minutes discussing a question you have posed. You can also form groups of three to five to solve a problem or pose a question. You can organize informal groups at any time in a class of any size to check on students' understanding of the material, to give students an opportunity to apply what they are learning, or to provide a change of pace.

Formal learning groups are teams established to complete a specific task, such as perform a lab experiment, write a report, carry out a project, or prepare a position paper. These groups may complete their work in a single class session or over several weeks. Typically, students work together until the task is finished, and their project is graded.

Study teams are long-term groups (usually existing over the course of a semester) with stable membership whose primary responsibility is to provide members with support, encouragement, and assistance in completing course requirements and assignments. Study teams also inform their members about lectures and assignments when someone has missed a session. The larger the class and the more complex the subject matter, the more valuable study teams can be.

The suggestions below are designed to help you set up formal learning groups and study teams. If you have never done group work in your classes, you might want to experiment first with informal learning groups. Two other tools, "Leading a Discussion" and "Supplements and Alternatives to Lecturing: Encouraging Student Participation," describe a variety of easy ways to incorporate informal learning groups into your courses. "Helping Students Write Better in All Courses" discusses informal collaborative writing activities.

General Strategies

Plan for each stage of group work. When you are writing your syllabus for the course, decide which topics, themes, or projects might lend themselves to formal group work. Think about how you will organize students into groups, help groups negotiate among themselves, provide feedback to the groups, and evaluate the products of group work.

Carefully explain to your class how the groups will operate and how students will be graded. As you would when making any assignment, explain the objectives of the group task and define any relevant concepts. In addition to a well-defined task, every group needs a way of getting started, a way of knowing when its task is done, and some guidance about the participation of members. Also explain how students will be graded. Keep in mind that group work is more successful when students are graded against a set standard than when they are graded against each other (on a curve). See "Grading Practices." (Source: Smith, 1986)

Give students the skills they need to succeed in groups. Many students have never worked in collaborative learning groups and may need practice in such skills as active and tolerant listening, helping one another in mastering content, giving and receiving constructive criticism, and managing disagreements. Discuss these skills with your students and model and reinforce them during class. Some faculty use various exercises that help students gain skills in working in groups (Fiechtner and Davis, 1992). See "Leading a Discussion" for examples of guidelines for participating in small groups. (Sources: Cooper, 1990; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991)

Consider written contracts. Some faculty give students written contracts that list members' obligations to their group and deadlines for tasks (Connery, 1988).

Designing Group Work

Create group tasks that require interdependence. The students in a group must perceive that they "sink or swim" together, that each member is responsible to and dependent on all the others, and that one cannot succeed unless all in the group succeed. Knowing that peers are relying on you is a powerful motivator for group work (Kohn, 1986). Strategies for promoting interdependence include specifying common rewards for the group, encouraging students to divide up the labor, and formulating tasks that compel students to reach a consensus. (Source: Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991)

Make the group work relevant. Students must perceive the group tasks as integral to the course objectives, not just busywork. Some faculty believe that groups succeed best with tasks involving judgment. As reported by Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1991), for example, in an engineering class, a faculty member gives groups a problem to solve: Determine whether the city should purchase twenty-five or fifty buses. Each group prepares a report, and a representative from each group is randomly selected to present the group's solution. The approaches used by the various groups are compared and discussed by the entire class. Goodsell, Maher, Tinto, and Associates (1992, pp. 75-79) have compiled a detailed bibliography of discipline-specific efforts in collaborative learning that can be useful for developing tasks and activities.

Create assignments that fit the students' skills and abilities. Early in the term, assign relatively easy tasks. As students become more knowledgeable, increase the difficulty level. For example, a faculty member teaching research methods begins by having students simply recognize various research designs and sampling procedures. Later, team members generate their own research designs. At the end of the term, each team prepares a proposal for a research project and submits it to another team for evaluation. (Source: Cooper and Associates, 1990)

Assign group tasks that allow for a fair division of labor. Try to structure the tasks so that each group member can make an equal contribution. For example, one faculty member asks groups to write a report on alternative energy sources. Each member of the group is responsible for research on one source, and then all the members work together to incorporate the individual contributions into the final report. Another faculty member asks groups to prepare a "medieval newspaper." Students research aspects of life in the Middle Ages, and each student contributes one major article for the newspaper, which includes news stories, feature stories, and editorials. Students conduct their research independently and use group meetings to share information, edit articles, proofread, and design the pages. (Sources: Smith, 1986; Tiberius, 1990)

Set up "competitions" among groups. A faculty member in engineering turns laboratory exercises into competitions. Students, working in groups, design and build a small-scale model of a structure such as a bridge or column. They predict how their model will behave when loaded, and then each model is loaded to failure. Prizes are awarded to the groups in various categories: best predictions of behavior, most efficient structure, best aesthetics. (Source: Sansalone, 1989)

Consider offering group test taking. On a group test, either an in-class or take-home exam, each student receives the score of the group. Faculty who have used group exams report that groups consistently achieve higher scores than individuals and that students enjoy collaborative test taking (Hendrickson, 1990; Toppins, 1989). Faculty who use this technique recommend the following steps for in-class exams:

• Assign group work at the beginning of the term so that students develop skills for working in groups.
• Use multiple-choice tests that include higher-level questions. To allow time for discussion, present about twenty-five items for a fifty-minute in-class exam.
• Divide students into groups of five.
• Have students take the test individually and turn in their responses before they meet with their group. Then ask the groups to arrange themselves in the room and arrive at a group consensus answer for each question. Score the individual and group responses and prepare a chart showing the average individual score of each group's members, the highest individual score in each group, and the group's consensus score. Ninety-five percent of the time, the group consensus scores will be higher than the average individual scores (Toppins, 1989).

For more information on group exams, see "Quizzes, Tests, and Exams."

Organizing Learning Groups

Decide how the groups will be formed. Some faculty prefer randomly assigning students to groups to maximize their heterogeneity: a mix of males and females, verbal and quiet students, the cynical and the optimistic (Fiechtner and Davis, 1992; Smith, 1986). Some faculty let students choose with whom they want to work, although this runs the risk that groups will socialize too much and that students will self-segregate (Cooper, 1990). Self-selected groups seem to work best in small classes, for classes of majors who already know one another, or in small residential colleges (Walvoord, 1986). Still other instructors prefer to form the groups themselves, taking into account students' prior achievement, levels of preparation, work habits, ethnicity, and gender (Connery, 1988). They argue for making sure that members of each group are exclusively graded students or exclusively pass/ not pass students and that well-prepared students be placed in groups with other well-prepared students. Other faculty, however, try to sprinkle the more able students evenly among the groups (Walvoord, 1986). A middle ground, proposed by Walvoord (1986), is to ask students to express a preference, if they wish, then make the assignments yourself. You could, for example, ask students to write down the names of three students with whom they would most like to work.

Be conscious of group size. In general, groups of four or five members work best. Larger groups decrease each member's opportunity to participate actively. The less skillful the group members, the smaller the groups should be. The shorter amount of time available, the smaller the groups should be. (Sources: Cooper, 1990; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Smith, 1986)

Keep groups together. When a group is not working well, avoid breaking it up, even if the group requests it. The addition of the floundering group's members to ongoing groups may throw off their group process, and the bailed-out troubled group does not learn to cope with its unproductive interactions. (Source: Wolvoord, 1986)

Help groups plan how to proceed. Ask each group to devise a plan of action: who will be doing what and when. Review the groups' written plans or meet with each group to discuss its plan.

Regularly check in with the groups. If the task spans several weeks, you will want to establish checkpoints with the groups. Ask groups to turn in outlines or drafts or to meet with you.

Provide mechanisms for groups to deal with uncooperative members.

Walvoord (1986) recommends telling the class that after the group task is completed, each student will submit to the instructor an anonymous assessment of the participation of the other group members: who did extra work and who shirked work. If several people indicate that an individual did less than a fair share, that person could receive a lower grade than the rest of the group. This system works, says Walvoord, if groups have a chance in the middle of the project to discuss whether any members are not doing their share. Members who are perceived as shirkers then have an opportunity to make amends. Here are some other options for dealing with shirkers:

• Keep the groups at three students: it is hard to be a shirker in a small group.
• Make it clear that each group must find its own way to handle unproductive group behavior.
• Allow the groups, by majority vote, to dismiss a member who is not carrying a fair share. Students who are dropped from a group must persuade the group to reconsider, find acceptance in another group, or take a failing grade for the project.

Perhaps the best way to assure comparable effort among all group members is to design activities in which there is a clear division of labor and each student must contribute if the group is to reach its goal. (Sources: Connery, 1988; Walvoord, 1986)

Evaluating Group Work

Ensure that individual student performance is assessed and that the groups know how their members are doing. Groups need to know who needs more assistance in completing the assignment, and members need to know they cannot let others do all the work while they sit back. Ways to ensure that students are held accountable include giving spot quizzes to be completed individually and calling on individual students to present their group's progress. (Source: Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991)

Give students an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of their group. Once or twice during the group work task, ask group members to discuss two questions: What action has each member taken that was helpful for the group? What action could each member take to make the group even better? At the end of the project, ask students to complete a brief evaluation form on the effectiveness of the group and its members. The form could include items about the group's overall accomplishments, the student's own role, and suggestions for changes in future group work. Rau and Heyl (1990) have developed a form that can be used for an interim or final evaluation. (Sources: Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Walvoord, 1986)

Decide how to grade members of the group. Some faculty assign all students in the group the same grade on the group task. Grading students individually, they argue, inevitably leads to competition within the group and thus subverts the benefits of group work. Other faculty grade the contribution of each student on the basis of individual test scores or the group's evaluation of each member's work. If you assign the same grade to the entire group, the grade should not account for more than a small part of a student's grade in the class (perhaps a few bonus points that would raise a test score from a B - to a B). (Sources: Cooper, 1990; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991)

Dealing with Student and Faculty Concerns About Group Work

"I paid my tuition to learn from a professor, not to have to work with my classmates, who don't know as much." Let students know at the beginning of the term that you will be using some group techniques. Students who are strongly antagonistic can drop your class and select another. Inform students about the research studies on the effectiveness of collaborative learning and describe the role it will play in your course. Invite students to try it before deciding whether to drop the class. (Source: Cooper and Associates, 1990)

"Our group just isn't working out." Encourage students to stick with it. Changing group membership should really be a last resort. Help your students learn how to be effective group members by summarizing for them some of the information in "Leading a Discussion" and "Encouraging Student Participation in Discussion."

"Students won't want to work in groups." Some students may object, in part because most of their education has been based on individual effort, and they may feel uncomfortable helping others or seeking help. The best advice is to explain your rationale, design well-structured meaningful tasks, give students clear directions, set expectations for how team members are to contribute and interact, and invite students to try it. (Source: Cooper and Associates, 1990)

"Students won't work well in groups." Most students can work well in groups if you set strong expectations at the beginning of the term, informally check in with groups to see how things are going, offer assistance as needed, and provide time for groups to assess their own effectiveness. Some groups may indeed have problems, but usually these can be resolved. See "Encouraging Student Participation in Discussion" for suggestions on how to minimize monopolizers, draw out quiet students, and generally engage all students in active participation.

"If I do group work, I won't be able to cover as much material during the semester as I do when I lecture." Yes, adding group work may mean covering fewer topics. But research shows that students who work in groups develop an increased ability to solve problems and evidence greater understanding of the material. Some instructors assign additional homework or readings or distribute lecture notes to compensate for less material "covered" in class. (Source: Cooper and Associates, 1990)

Setting Up Study Teams

Tell Students about the benefits of study teams. Study teams meet regularly outside of class to study together, read and review course material, complete course assignments, comment on each other's written work, prepare for tests and exams, and help each other with difficulties that are encountered in class. Study teams are guided by the notions that students can often do as a group what they cannot do by themselves and that students can benefit from peer teaching-explanations, comments, and instruction from their coursemates.

Explain how study teams work. Study teams can work in a number of ways. In one model, all students read the assignments but each member agrees to provide to the group in-depth coverage of a particular segment of the material and to answer as fully as possible whatever questions other members of the study team might raise. In this model, then, each member agrees to study all the material yet each also tries to become an "expert" in a certain area of the material.

In another model, the teams' activities vary from meeting to meeting. For example, at one meeting, teams might review class notes to see whether there is agreement on the most important points of the lecture or discussion. In another session, teams might go over a class quiz or test to ensure that all team members clearly understand each of the questions, especially those that were answered incorrectly by one or more members. Another session might be devoted to reviewing problem sets or exchanging drafts of written papers for peer editing.

In a third model, the main agenda for each study team session is a set of study questions. Early in the term, the study questions are provided by the professor or graduate student instructors. After three or four weeks, each team member must bring a study question related to the week's lecture material to the team meeting. The questions structure the discussion and are modified, discarded, or replaced by the group as the session proceeds. At the session's end, the study questions that the group chooses as the most valuable are turned in for review by the instructor. You can let students decide for themselves how to structure their study teams, or you can offer advice and suggestions. (Sources: Gushy, 1988; Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991; Light, 1992; "Study Groups Pay Off," 1991)

If Study teams are optional, offer students extra credit for participation. For example, students who are members of an official study team might get bonus points for each assignment, based on the average grade received by the individual group members. (Source: "Study Groups Pay Off," 1991)

Let students know what their responsibilities are as a study team member. Students who participate in study teams agree to do the following:

• Prepare before the study team meeting (for example, do all the required reading or problem sets)
• Complete any tasks that the group assigns to its members
• Attend all meetings and arrive on time
• Actively participate during the sessions in ways that further the work of the group
• Help promote one another's learning and success
• Provide assistance, support, and encouragement to group members
• Be involved in periodic self-assessments to determine whether the study team is working successfully (Is too much work being required? Is the time in study team meetings well spent?)

In addition, let students know that they can improve the effectiveness of their study teams by making sure each session has a clearly articulated agenda and purpose. They can also work more efficiently if all logistical arrangements are set for the semester: meeting time, length, location.

Help students locate meeting rooms. Arrange with your department or campus room scheduler to make available small meeting rooms for study teams. If appropriate, consider using group rooms in the residence halls.

Limit groups to no more than six students. Groups larger than six have several drawbacks: it is too easy for students to become passive observers rather than active participants; students may not get the opportunity to speak frequently since there are so many people; students' sense of community and responsibility may be less intense in larger groups.

Let students select their own study teams unless you have a large class. Since the groups are designed to last the term and will meet outside of class, give students the opportunity to form groups of three to six members. Arrange one or two open groups for students who do not know others in the class. If students will be selecting their own groups, offer several small group activities during the first three weeks of class and rotate the membership of these ad hoc groups so that students can get to know one another's interests and capabilities before forming study teams. See "Personalizing the Large Lecture," "Supplements and Alternatives to Lecturing," "Encouraging Student Participation in Discussion," and "The First Day of Class" for ideas on small group activities and how to help students get to know one another.

If your class is very large and letting students select their own groups seems too difficult, have students sign up for teams scheduled to meet at particular times. This means that students will form groups based solely on when they can regularly attend a study team meeting. Try to form the groups by sections rather than for the large lecture class overall. Students in the same section are more likely to know each other and feel a sense of responsibility for their study team. (Source: Walvoord, 1986)

Use a portion of class time for arranging study groups. Announce that study groups will be set up during the third or fourth week of the course. At that time, hand out a description of study teams and students' responsibilities, and let students talk among themselves to form groups or to sign up for scheduled time slots. Suggest that all members of the study team exchange phone numbers. Encourage the study teams to select one person as the convener who will let all members know where the group is to meet.

Devote a class session to study teams. Ask students to meet in their study teams to review course material or prepare for an upcoming exam or assignment. Use the time to check in with the groups to see how well they are operating. Some faculty regularly substitute study team meetings for lectures. To the extent possible, meet with a study team during an office hour or review the work of a study team during an office hour or review the work of a study team sometime during the semester.

From the hard copy book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis.

Kpec Holiday Program

Kpec Holiday Program

6 days program - every Tuesday and Thursday from 29 Nov - 14 Dec. 2011.

This program will complete the pupils knowledge on MS Office Applications, Internet Fundamentals, Animation, Blog and fun with educational games.

Why use technology in the classroom?

Educational Computer Games

By Jim Johannasen

see how-to video

Educational computer games are created to make the process of learning more fun. Computer games can attract children towards learning by making the process of learning interesting. Therefore, allowing children learn something constructive through such games is a good idea.

Instances:

As children grow older, they can study geography by using adventure-style games. In addition, there are simulation, quest and curriculum-based games. Some objectives of learning may include introduction to new words, strategy planning, creative thinking and teamwork.

Educational games may combine two different things that are entertainment and learning. Most of the children get bored because of textbook oriented learning. Thus, computer games can be the solution to this problem, as this will help them to avoid boredom. Educational computer games apart from being entertaining are also amusing.

A number of educative games are available in the market. They offer various game activities to children associated with arts, math, language, music and other skills. In addition, there are preschool computer games that contain simple activities such as introduction to alphabets, numbers, shapes and color coordination. These games are very helpful for parents to attract their children in the process of learning.

Nowadays, teachers can consider these games as effective tools of learning which greatly depends on the digital technology. In this computerized age, these games can be integrated in the school curriculum.

Activities for elementary children are often approved or designed by teachers. These activities can be structured in lessons for elementary school to offer them a more interactive way of learning. These activities may include learning math and computer skills.

Introduction of sound in these activities can be of great help to early readers in understanding the lessons well. It will excite children for playing these games and learning in a fun way. Thus, educational computer games can be an effective tool of learning.

For more information, visit the R4DS Shop. This website has information on the R4 DS cardthat enhances the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DSi.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Johannasen

Educational Computer Games

By Jim Johannasen

see how-to video

Educational computer games are created to make the process of learning more fun. Computer games can attract children towards learning by making the process of learning interesting. Therefore, allowing children learn something constructive through such games is a good idea.

Instances:

As children grow older, they can study geography by using adventure-style games. In addition, there are simulation, quest and curriculum-based games. Some objectives of learning may include introduction to new words, strategy planning, creative thinking and teamwork.

Educational games may combine two different things that are entertainment and learning. Most of the children get bored because of textbook oriented learning. Thus, computer games can be the solution to this problem, as this will help them to avoid boredom. Educational computer games apart from being entertaining are also amusing.

A number of educative games are available in the market. They offer various game activities to children associated with arts, math, language, music and other skills. In addition, there are preschool computer games that contain simple activities such as introduction to alphabets, numbers, shapes and color coordination. These games are very helpful for parents to attract their children in the process of learning.

Nowadays, teachers can consider these games as effective tools of learning which greatly depends on the digital technology. In this computerized age, these games can be integrated in the school curriculum.

Activities for elementary children are often approved or designed by teachers. These activities can be structured in lessons for elementary school to offer them a more interactive way of learning. These activities may include learning math and computer skills.

Introduction of sound in these activities can be of great help to early readers in understanding the lessons well. It will excite children for playing these games and learning in a fun way. Thus, educational computer games can be an effective tool of learning.

For more information, visit the R4DS Shop. This website has information on the R4 DS cardthat enhances the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DSi.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Johannasen

ICT now a teaching tool

PUTRAJAYA: The education policy in the country has taken a new leap forward and it is set to embrace Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as the main tool for teaching, said Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The policy aims to use ICT as a vehicle to encourage creativity, collaborative learning, critical thinking and problem solving skills.

“The teaching and learning process is no longer a teacher centric or one-way process. A teacher is now a classroom facilitator, who is equipped with ICT knowledge,’’ Muhyiddin said, adding that the new approach would uplift the quality of education in the country.

“Through this policy, all ICT programmes in the ministry will work towards the same goal, which is to increase student achievements and to ensure that every student has access to quality education.”

Audio aid: Muhyiddin trying the Audiocity software at the launching of the Policy on Information Technology and Communication in Education in Putrajaya yesterday. Looking on is Education Ministry Director- General Tan Sri Alimuddin Md Dom (right).

At the launch of the new ICT policy in education yesterday, Muhyiddin, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said that education ICT practices in developed countries would be used as a benchmark to ensure that the ICT component in Malaysian schools are of international standards.

The policy, which was developed by the ministry in collaboration with Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), was a continuous effort from the Smart School initiative launched in July 1997.

The policy will focus on eight main fields, which include a structural realignment of ICT management, education administration and management, technology infrastructure, teaching and learning, and community involvement, amongst others.

He added that there would be four supporting components – third party outsourcing, collaboration with the community of practice, public and private partnership, and involvement of the extended community to ensure the policy’s effectiveness.

“The ICT policy in education will also go through a Central Management Programme which will be responsible in organising all the ICT initiatives in education, in order to increase administrative efficiency and to save resources.”

Muhyiddin hoped the policy would align the quality of Malaysian education to the vision of making Malaysia an excellent education hub, in line with the status of an advanced nation by the year 2020.

By ALYCIA LIM
educate@thestar.com.my

ICT a practical tool

An article written by Magdalena Bobek

ICT, a practical tool

Chain dictation

This simple activity gets young learners in the class really motivated for an exercise that can

otherwise be quite boring. I call it ''Chain Dictation''. I'm sure you've heard of it and maybe

even tried it.

After having finished teaching a text, prepare short extracts of the text on pieces of paper. Put

the pupils in groups of five. They stand or sit one behind the other. The last pupil in the group

has one of the extracts in hand. He/she whispers the text in parts to the schoolmate in front,

who does the same thing to the schoolmate in front of him/her until the text gets to the first

pupil in the row. That pupil very diligently writes down what he has heard. Now instead of

writing, the pupil can be sitting at a computer and typing the sentences he hears. Most pupils

type quite well, so there should be no problem working with the computer for this exercise.

You must put a time limit for the exercise, so that it doesn't become redundant. Once the

pupils have finished dictating, the whole group can go to the computer and examine how well

they worked together as a group in getting all the sentences correct.

The hidden animal

In almost every language course book there is a unit

dedicated to animals. After finishing the unit, a great

follow-up activity would be to find out some facts about yet

other less known animals in the world. This may take one

or two lessons to complete.

Step 1:

• divide the class into groups of four/five

• each group gets an envelope in which there is a picture

puzzle and name of an unknown animal

• their first task is to put the picture puzzle together

Step2:

• two pupils from the

group go to the

computer (Google

Search Engine) and type in the name of the animal. Eg:

sea horse

• they search the Internet to find out at least three

different things about that animal (ie. Where it lives,

how it multiplies, what is eats, whether it is becoming

extinct…)

Step 3:

• after discussing this information in the group, the pupils

decide on three main things that they have learned about this new animal and a pupil from the group writes them down on a small piece of paper,

which is accompanied by the picture puzzle from the envelope

Step 4:

• all this information is then put on a big poster along with the information of animals from

the other groups to form the overall class project.

The biggest / The highest / The tallest

Once you have exhausted the pupils with information and exercises on the adjective, you may

want to make the grammatical point a bit more interesting by letting them do some research

on their own.

Step 1:

• each pupil chooses a country of interest

• using the Internet they find 5 superlatives about that country

Eg: the longest river, the highest mountain, the oldest person, the most popular singer…

Step2:

• the pupils report their findings to the rest of the class

• they can bring pictures from the internet or magazines for support

Step 3:

• taking this one step further, they can make a webpage of their findings as a conclusion to

the topic of which they will be very proud.

International projects

Getting pupils involved in international projects can be very exciting. However, because the

situation is different from school to school, it is sometimes almost impossible to make it

happen. Some schools still do not have enough computers to make things like this work. The

curriculum is so overloaded that teachers simply do not find the time or energy to do extra

work. This is all very true. However, it may be time to do something INSTEAD OF

something else. Teachers can change the way they do things. This will create something new

and it will motivate the class. Instead of preparing work for the pupils on worksheets, ICT can

be used to do the same task. It is important to remember, however, that this is not a one-man

job. From time to time help from colleagues is very welcome.

The easiest way of getting pupils involved in international projects is by simple

correspondence with pupils from other parts of Europe and the world. Sending short e-mail

messages to peers in other countries quickly and effectively lights a spark of motivation. Once

contact has been achieved, the teacher can begin moulding it into an international project by

adding activities that the pupils can share with their newly acquired friends.

Some examples of ICT collaboration:

1. Two years ago 41 of our pupils were involved in a project with five other schools in

Europe. The project involved a survey on waste recycling, water and electricity.

Read more: (link: http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/springday/science1.htm ) 2. Exchanging ideas with peers from other countries can make music an experience of its

own. We collaborated with primary and secondary schools from Hungary, Ireland, Turkey

and Israel. In preparation for the activity we exchanged the words, melody and notes of songs

that we thought to be special in each country. Each school then chose one or two of the songs

for their pupils to learn. This way the pupils in each country not only learned a new song, but

also a few words of a new foreign language. Read more: (link:

http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/springday/music.htm )

3. Getting kids involved in chats and video-conferences has always proven to win them over.

Of course, these have to be well organized in advance. The topic of discussion as well as the

time of the chat or video conference have to be established and tested in advance. Video

conferences are a great way of not only hearing, but also seeing the person you are talking to.

They motivate everyone involved. Read more: (link:

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/pd2006/vc.htm )

Have a look at more of our projects and activites:

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/quiz/

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/pd2006/

http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/Springday2004/Elpeop.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/Springday2004/Italy/Food.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/springday/index.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/Springday2004/pivkasp.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/%7Eospivka/Springday2004/video.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/Spring05/main.htm

http://www2.arnes.si/~ospivka/pptgr.htm

So, there are quite a few ways of getting your pupils involved and making your job more

interesting for you. Have fun creating with your pupils.

I read this article and found it very interesting.

Thanks to Magdalena Bobek.

ICT, a tool to improve and enhance teaching and learning

There are many ways to make what you do in the classroom worthwhile for your pupils and to make what they learn, matter. Pupils love challenges and giving their work meaning will motivate them to want more of it. This is a proven fact and it works both ways. It allows the pupils to be the focal point in the learning process and it gives you, the teacher, recognition. You must remember that everything you do in the classroom with your pupils can go beyond. One way of making this happen is by using ICT as a tool in the learning process. However, when using the computer, it is important to be fully aware of its limitations. Let's remember some of its drawbacks. The computer is unable to judge the mood or feel of the pupils; it lacks the human touch; the feedback is limited; it cannot evaluate the level of pupils’ knowledge and it cannot reflect back. However, despite its negative side, the computer is becoming one of the most widely used pedagogical tools in education. Teachers are using ICT in their lessons because it motivates pupils to learn. There are no disciplinary problems. It gives immediate feedback and a wide access to information. It makes self-study possible. It is reliable and doesn’t have ‘off days’. As a tool it stretches the pupils’ knowledge beyond the classroom and gives it more meaning, because they can work with their peers from other institutions and countries. Teachers can make global participation possible. They can exchange ideas about their teaching practice and improve their already existing curricula. It enables them to design new teaching methods more easily and add their own ideas to the resource sites.

Tablet are good, Content are better and teachers are the Best Educational ICT investment

by Wayan Vota

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Tablet form factor computers are undoubtedly an exciting way to interact with technology, especially, when they are touch screen enabled. The intimacy and immediacy of the personal screen and the ease of use and intuitive design of modern touch screen operating systems greatly eases user fears and facilitates user adoption.

This ease of use is exciting technologists and educators, both of whom are thinking of new ways to use technology like the iPad in educational systems of the developing world. Now I agree with them. I believe the iPad’s sleek user interface and ease of use will transform the ICT in education experience – but not for everyone.

As part of the Slide2learn conference in Queensland, Australia this week, I made the following presentation to deep dive into the promise and pitfalls of an iPad education in the developing world. Watch the video or read on for details for why I think that tablets are good, content is better, and teachers are the best educational ICT investments

Content is Better

Yes, the iPad has great promise, especially since there are now thousands of apps that provide an almost limitless assortment of learning experiences through the touch screen tablet form factor. From simple acts like counting numbers and recognizing letters to reading interactive books and connecting with social media, it’s the wealth of digital content that keeps teachers and students engaged.

Yet where is this content in the developing world? The iPad may be amazing when connected to iTunes in the English-speaking world, but it’s of limited use if there is no digital content. For example, the Wikipedia’s article count by language shows millions of English language articles, but the 8 million people Xhosa speakers – 20% of South Africa’s population – are served by only 118 articles in their language. And not a single iTunes app.

There are a number of initiatives that seek to build educational digital content in local languages, and even ones focusing on developing content that aligns with national curriculum in the developing world. These efforts are nascent at the moment, though they are expanding rapidly as more electronic devices are present to access them.

Teachers are Best

What isn’t growing, what is lacking are the skilled teachers that can take a digital device – any digital tool – and incorporate it into the classroom, into student-centric learning.

Right now, the vast majoring of teaching that occurs in the developing world is rote memorization. This “chalk and talk” teaching instruction is often just transposed from analog to digital form when technology is deployed. In OLPC Peru, the largest 1:1 laptop deployment using XO laptops, students use their 400,000+ computers to transcribe texts from notebooks or chalkboards to their laptops. Are you surprised then that pedagogical use of the laptops has decreased among students and teachers over time?

Teachers require training to understand how to teach differently. How methods like student-centric learning can be applied to the classroom, and shown how this learning style will increase educational outcomes. Yet who is investing in teacher training? If you look around, Ministers of Education get excited about shiny, flashy things, not human capacity building. And who can blame them? It’s a lot easier to show off a technology implementation than a trained teacher, and children and their voting parents can see a quick difference with a computer that isn’t so noticeable with a trained teacher.

So regardless of how amazing the iPad is, until we invest in trained teachers who know how to use technology to improve their teaching activities, until we have parents and politicians focused on learning outcomes and not iTunes apps, regardless of how many apps or how easy the technology is, I fear that iPad educations in the developing world will be wasted.