For information on how to use this documentary, please visit the Promises and Pitfalls Blog at http://promisesandpitfalls.wordpress.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Using blogs for educational collaboration
While the introduction of ICTs in the classroom and the educational process may seem to some teachers as an additional demand on an already demanding workload, there are fun and innovative ways for inclined teachers to engage their students with the technology. Now, what do I mean by "inclined towards the technology"?
If you've come to this blog as a result of the recent issue of "Teacher," where the link was published in an article about the Equity and Technology Workshop, then you are inclined towards the technology. You have either heard about "blogging" before, and have come here to see what the fuss is about, or you are a blogger yourself, and wanted to scope out what we're up to.
So the hard part is over :)
People all over the world, in many different industries are using the Internet as a site of learning and collaboration. Blogs are one of the ways they are doing this.
At the time the Equity and Technology survey was administered (2004-2006), 22% of all Nova Scotia students indicated that they had their own blog. Given that the amount of new blogs coming online increases everyday (at last count, there were about 83.5 million blogs), and the increase in popularity of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, that percentage is likely higher today.
Though we didn't ask teachers about their use of blogs, I imagine there are a fair number of you out there who also engage in this new hobby.
The educational use of blogs is an emergent practice, but it is one that has warranted the creation of edublogs, a free blog server created by teachers, for teachers. Many teachers have implemented the use of blogs as a "best practice" for teaching, and here are some links if your interested:
http://www.ecolenet.nl/best/edublogs.htm (Best Practices with edublogs)
http://miketemple123.edublogs.org/ (Edublogs Tutuorial Blog)
http://tama.edublogs.org/ (eLearning Resources)
http://educational.blogs.com/ (Edublog portal)
The best thing about teachers collaborating through blogs is that most of the writing is informal, and entertaining, mixing real-life classroom scenarios with best practices... and let's face it, the best best practices are going to be those that work in a practical sense, not just a theoretical one.
The workshop is now over, and we would like this blog to continue as an online resource for teachers to take advantage of. Please post links in the comments section of this blog for the educational blogs that you use, and perhaps even your own educational blogs.
We will be updating the sidebar links as they come in.
If you've come to this blog as a result of the recent issue of "Teacher," where the link was published in an article about the Equity and Technology Workshop, then you are inclined towards the technology. You have either heard about "blogging" before, and have come here to see what the fuss is about, or you are a blogger yourself, and wanted to scope out what we're up to.
So the hard part is over :)
People all over the world, in many different industries are using the Internet as a site of learning and collaboration. Blogs are one of the ways they are doing this.
At the time the Equity and Technology survey was administered (2004-2006), 22% of all Nova Scotia students indicated that they had their own blog. Given that the amount of new blogs coming online increases everyday (at last count, there were about 83.5 million blogs), and the increase in popularity of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, that percentage is likely higher today.
Though we didn't ask teachers about their use of blogs, I imagine there are a fair number of you out there who also engage in this new hobby.
The educational use of blogs is an emergent practice, but it is one that has warranted the creation of edublogs, a free blog server created by teachers, for teachers. Many teachers have implemented the use of blogs as a "best practice" for teaching, and here are some links if your interested:
http://www.ecolenet.nl/best/edublogs.htm (Best Practices with edublogs)
http://miketemple123.edublogs.org/ (Edublogs Tutuorial Blog)
http://tama.edublogs.org/ (eLearning Resources)
http://educational.blogs.com/ (Edublog portal)
The best thing about teachers collaborating through blogs is that most of the writing is informal, and entertaining, mixing real-life classroom scenarios with best practices... and let's face it, the best best practices are going to be those that work in a practical sense, not just a theoretical one.
The workshop is now over, and we would like this blog to continue as an online resource for teachers to take advantage of. Please post links in the comments section of this blog for the educational blogs that you use, and perhaps even your own educational blogs.
We will be updating the sidebar links as they come in.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
What is ICT Literacy?
New discussion question to ponder...
The term ICT Literacy is thrown around a lot, but it is a term that could mean a variety of different things. So we would like to know... what does ICT Literacy mean? What is it? Is it something that can be taught in an educational setting? And if so, how do we measure it in terms of it being an educational outcome?
The term ICT Literacy is thrown around a lot, but it is a term that could mean a variety of different things. So we would like to know... what does ICT Literacy mean? What is it? Is it something that can be taught in an educational setting? And if so, how do we measure it in terms of it being an educational outcome?
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Dealing with Plagiarism...
According to the data from the Equity and Technology Project, 70% of teachers indicated that the issue of plagiarism was "definitely a concern" for them to have to contend with when students use the web for school related purposes.
Based on your experience, how can teachers effectively deal with the issue of plagiarism when students have access to the web outside of school?
Based on your experience, how can teachers effectively deal with the issue of plagiarism when students have access to the web outside of school?
Opening up the discussion...
So overall, I think that we could call the workshop successful. A fantastic dialogue was opened between researchers, policy makers and administrators of the education system in Nova Scotia. The blog brought in a few more voices from parents, teachers and other academics interested in what we were doing. In one week, this blog has had over one hundred visits from across the US and Canada.
Now it's time to open the dialogue up even more... encourage teachers, students and parents to visit this blog and share their experiences and ideas around effective use of computers in the classroom. The more voices we listen too, the better we can understand what is needed, and perhaps even more importantly, what is not needed.
So what we're going to do now is every week post a question or talking point around the use of technology in education. Many of these will be pulled out of the Equity and Technology research, but we encourage people to also suggest topics and questions for discussion.
Now it's time to open the dialogue up even more... encourage teachers, students and parents to visit this blog and share their experiences and ideas around effective use of computers in the classroom. The more voices we listen too, the better we can understand what is needed, and perhaps even more importantly, what is not needed.
So what we're going to do now is every week post a question or talking point around the use of technology in education. Many of these will be pulled out of the Equity and Technology research, but we encourage people to also suggest topics and questions for discussion.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
What are the questions you want asked?
Please let us know... what are the questions you would like to see researched surrounding the educational use of technology?
The first question comes from a participant...
A set of questions and answers about when ICT is necessary and when it isn't important to use in the classroom. For example, PowerPoints and handouts.
The first question comes from a participant...
A set of questions and answers about when ICT is necessary and when it isn't important to use in the classroom. For example, PowerPoints and handouts.
Recommendations?
- don't assume equal access to resources
- provide resources
- non-technological options are important for teachers and students
- open and encourage a dialogue of effective use
- get teachers and students involved in the dialogue of equity and technology, often both are taught separately, but help bridge the knowledge gap between the two
- Schools of education play an important role; new teachers are not neccesarily ready for computers in the classroom; new teachers are more likely to assume universal access; make the connection between equity and technology within B.Ed. programs, same issues here... the two are often taught separately.
- talk about how access to technology can be a disadvantage; add a critical voice to the discussion.
Other thoughts discussed...
I didn't get a chance to post these yesterday... but some important discussion points are in here.
Regarding home access - is it school boards' responsibility to do more at the policy level to support home access, especially if home access is essential for educational success? One participant mentioned the school computer recycling program, where last years computers are donated to low-income families. A question of open source software was asked... perhaps providing low income families and schools with programs like "open office". A participant noted that Star Office (an open source Office program) is available for free and was widely distributed, however, he noted that people have, what he called "office envy" where parents, students and teachers, have largely rejected the use of this program and prefer to have the "Microsoft" version of the office suite...
It's not only about equal access. It's about the perceptions and attitudes of the teachers and students. One participant noted that a school website is not seen as part of the "Internet" per se by students who access it. Perhaps if the students were allowed to take ownership of the websites and make it their own, it could foster that sense of virtual community surrounding the school that is seen in other virtual community settings.
Using technology in educational settings requires supportive environments and supportive teaching and learning. There is tension between the personalized nature and characteristics of ICT and the systemic characteristics of the education system. One participant noted that the Internet represented chaos into the classroom where the main goal is to create order.
Regarding home access - is it school boards' responsibility to do more at the policy level to support home access, especially if home access is essential for educational success? One participant mentioned the school computer recycling program, where last years computers are donated to low-income families. A question of open source software was asked... perhaps providing low income families and schools with programs like "open office". A participant noted that Star Office (an open source Office program) is available for free and was widely distributed, however, he noted that people have, what he called "office envy" where parents, students and teachers, have largely rejected the use of this program and prefer to have the "Microsoft" version of the office suite...
It's not only about equal access. It's about the perceptions and attitudes of the teachers and students. One participant noted that a school website is not seen as part of the "Internet" per se by students who access it. Perhaps if the students were allowed to take ownership of the websites and make it their own, it could foster that sense of virtual community surrounding the school that is seen in other virtual community settings.
Using technology in educational settings requires supportive environments and supportive teaching and learning. There is tension between the personalized nature and characteristics of ICT and the systemic characteristics of the education system. One participant noted that the Internet represented chaos into the classroom where the main goal is to create order.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Success stories... What's worked?
- Using the Internet for career and educational counselling and planning
- Teaching music by using specialized software to score music based on the specific instruments in the band
- Parent portals which allows parents to keep dibs on goings-on in the school (homework, newsletters etc)... although issues surrounding the updating of those sites remains problematic... and what about the parents who don't have access?
- Assistive technology for those with physical and mental disabilities, using technology to assist in communication and physical barriers.
There is a presumption that technology will "fix" larger educational issues... but in many ways teachers may feel overwhelmed by it.
There is not enough attention paid to sustaining the technological infrastructure or the processes that sustain them.
The difference between classroom uses and integration of technology comes down to the individual teacher that is really enthusiastic about technology... How can we transform that energy into something more systemically.
There is a sincere effort by teachers to engage kids with technology...
Breakout groups - Socio-Economic Status
There are fundamental assumptions of equal access; these assumptions may hurt equity rather than enhance it. CAP sites are not enough to bridge access gaps. The human issues are often forgotten when we get wrapped up in the hype of technology.
The education system is "requiring" technological access outside the home (for example; typed assignments, class registration), which will inevitably create larger gaps in equity.
The education system is "requiring" technological access outside the home (for example; typed assignments, class registration), which will inevitably create larger gaps in equity.
Breakout Groups - Rural-Urban
Rural students are spending a lot of time on computers when they go home and use their computers, they go on the Internet when they get home from school and are logging upwards of 60-100 hours on MSN, Facebook, Second Life, etc... How can we use these strengths and interests to engage them in curriculum?
Web resources are powerful tools, but it is difficult to discern what are of value.
Current policies do not allow for software subscriptions to be paid for by budgets. ***
****Comment from anonymous... To correct the comment about subscriptions,that only applies to use of funds in the Credit Allocation for Authorized Learning Resources which are mostly acquired through the Nova Scotia School Book Bureau. One concern is that on-going subscriptions could consume much of the funding allocation while displacing planned purchases of textbooks, software and other learning resources in future years.Schools, School Boards and the Department of Education use other funds to acquire annual subscriptions to a variety of print and electronic resources. *****
More Professional development is needed and Internet-based PD, may be a way to assist rural teachers in remote areas who struggle with issues of substitutes for workshops.
The Iniutq website is an example of how geographic and cultural areas may use the Internet to bridge existing divides.
Web resources are powerful tools, but it is difficult to discern what are of value.
Current policies do not allow for software subscriptions to be paid for by budgets. ***
****Comment from anonymous... To correct the comment about subscriptions,that only applies to use of funds in the Credit Allocation for Authorized Learning Resources which are mostly acquired through the Nova Scotia School Book Bureau. One concern is that on-going subscriptions could consume much of the funding allocation while displacing planned purchases of textbooks, software and other learning resources in future years.Schools, School Boards and the Department of Education use other funds to acquire annual subscriptions to a variety of print and electronic resources. *****
More Professional development is needed and Internet-based PD, may be a way to assist rural teachers in remote areas who struggle with issues of substitutes for workshops.
The Iniutq website is an example of how geographic and cultural areas may use the Internet to bridge existing divides.
Breakout group - Culture and Race
The issues of culture and race are multifaceted, they often overlap with other issues of rural/urban and socio-economic students.
- The Internet is predominantly "white" and ethnocentric
- In general, most websites follow the same models, what would an afrocentric website look like?
- There have been many ICT resources poured into "at risk" schools, however, not necessarily the training and staff to effectively implement the technology... particularly when there are underlying cultural/racial issues that need to be addressed
- It is important to remember that there are cultural issues.... "sub-cultural" or "counter-cultural" issues that go beyond racial issues
Breakout group - Gender
- Issues of transgendered difficult to approach because many online resources are negative or too sexual in content
- Need to expose females to real-world role models working with IT
- Initiatives like electronic yearbook production, film and video, mulitmedia may draw more female into certain aspects of IT
- Possible multi-media/computer courses for girls only, which build on female strengths and interests around design and communication
- Since boys are more integrated with technology overall... how can we use technology to assist in their learning process.
Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us
We showed this video to our workshop participants a few minutes ago. Partially in response to a comment that the computer was simply a tool... not unlike a fridge...
some of our "fantastic" notes...
Findings – gender, socio-economic, rural-urban, race, culture.
Gender – access around gender diminishing. But remains in other areas in consideration of equity.
Males on the computer longer, and report more skills – very high on confidence. Twice as many males report ‘expert’ status with ICTs.
Females using ICTs more for communication, as well as school work, reflecting an established positive relationship with school.
Differences then in use and attitudes towards ICTs – this has real social consequences.
Socio-economic status – translates into amount of use, type of use, skill development – using computers less.
Rural-urban – urban students show higher attitudes with confidence.
One participant noted that place matters – schools make a big difference in rural areas to mitigate inequalities – could be an important insight into the meaning of schools to communities. But someone also noted that it also creates greater risk if that school doesn’t have the capacity to fulfill its responsibilities.
Race/culture
Major impact access. Lower skill levels.
Teachers responses.
Teachers questioning ICTs within schools; taking energy away from traditional literacy skill development.
More computers in school classrooms isn’t necessarily the answer – return to this later. Important question…studies finding ICT isn’t necessarily translating into better learning outcomes.
Participant – what may be off is our expectations – kids see it as a tool. Dianne – it isn’t just a tool when it is connected to the internet – it is a new communications infrastructure – can access information and sources not previously possible.
One participant – over hyped initiatives don’t solve problems.
Teachers comfort level is essential to using the technology in the classroom.
Gender – access around gender diminishing. But remains in other areas in consideration of equity.
Males on the computer longer, and report more skills – very high on confidence. Twice as many males report ‘expert’ status with ICTs.
Females using ICTs more for communication, as well as school work, reflecting an established positive relationship with school.
Differences then in use and attitudes towards ICTs – this has real social consequences.
Socio-economic status – translates into amount of use, type of use, skill development – using computers less.
Rural-urban – urban students show higher attitudes with confidence.
One participant noted that place matters – schools make a big difference in rural areas to mitigate inequalities – could be an important insight into the meaning of schools to communities. But someone also noted that it also creates greater risk if that school doesn’t have the capacity to fulfill its responsibilities.
Race/culture
Major impact access. Lower skill levels.
Teachers responses.
Teachers questioning ICTs within schools; taking energy away from traditional literacy skill development.
More computers in school classrooms isn’t necessarily the answer – return to this later. Important question…studies finding ICT isn’t necessarily translating into better learning outcomes.
Participant – what may be off is our expectations – kids see it as a tool. Dianne – it isn’t just a tool when it is connected to the internet – it is a new communications infrastructure – can access information and sources not previously possible.
One participant – over hyped initiatives don’t solve problems.
Teachers comfort level is essential to using the technology in the classroom.
ICT literacy as a form of social capital...
Emerging now is ICT as a form of literacy, in that it is considered a a critical skill for success in education and employment. It has been suggested that the average student will need proficient ICT skills to escape “McJob-like status” in the workforce (Menzies 1996).
ICT literacy can be considered a form of transferrable "social captial"... someone asked Dianne to define "social capital" Social capital is your network of connections and cultural resourses at your disposal that can help you get ahead in life. If social capital is transferrable, or convertible, these cultural resourses and ties can be turned into economic capital.
There are two types of social captial, bridging and bonding. Bonding social capital is capital generated within and between people of similar cultural groups, bridging social capital is capital generated between different cultural groups.
ICT literacy can be considered a form of transferrable "social captial"... someone asked Dianne to define "social capital" Social capital is your network of connections and cultural resourses at your disposal that can help you get ahead in life. If social capital is transferrable, or convertible, these cultural resourses and ties can be turned into economic capital.
There are two types of social captial, bridging and bonding. Bonding social capital is capital generated within and between people of similar cultural groups, bridging social capital is capital generated between different cultural groups.
Equity?
Equity is a big broad concept. What does it mean?
There are two ways to think about equity; the traditional structural issues surrounding equitable access. Does everyone have equal access to information and communication technology? If not, what are barriers to access? What role does the education system play in facilitating access?
The other way that we think about equity is beyond those traditional structural issues of access and considers the way students use technology.
There are two ways to think about equity; the traditional structural issues surrounding equitable access. Does everyone have equal access to information and communication technology? If not, what are barriers to access? What role does the education system play in facilitating access?
The other way that we think about equity is beyond those traditional structural issues of access and considers the way students use technology.
Kicking off the day
Welcome to the Equity and Technology Workshop blog... we're live.
Dianne is about to present some of her key findings. We'll bullet them soon. Perhaps I'll describe a bit of the physical atmosphere today... We're going to have a laid back and relaxed workshop. This blog is very experimental, we hope you find it useful.
Dianne is about to present some of her key findings. We'll bullet them soon. Perhaps I'll describe a bit of the physical atmosphere today... We're going to have a laid back and relaxed workshop. This blog is very experimental, we hope you find it useful.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
interactivity...
The purpose of this blog is to create an online collaborative space to discuss the issues and challenges associated with the appropriate and effective integration of technology into an educational environment.
When we go "live" tomorrow, we will be posting more findings from the Equity and Technology Project, along with the thoughts and ideas of a number of educational professionals from different school boards across Nova Scotia and representatives from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, the Department of Education, and the Faculties of Education from the three universities in Nova Scotia which offer an education degree.
The whole idea of this is to bring different points of view into the discussion; parents, teachers, students, policy officials... even though these voices are not going to be physically present in the room, we can use the power of this interactive space to open the dialogue to anyone who's interested in participating.
So pop in throughout the day... read, think about it, interact with us. Perhaps you know of effective teaching strategies that incorporate the Internet or computer games. Or maybe you would like to know about how the education system is preparing children for the so-called "knowledge society." Heck, even if you just think what we're doing with this live blogging is interesting... we want to hear from you.
When we go "live" tomorrow, we will be posting more findings from the Equity and Technology Project, along with the thoughts and ideas of a number of educational professionals from different school boards across Nova Scotia and representatives from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, the Department of Education, and the Faculties of Education from the three universities in Nova Scotia which offer an education degree.
The whole idea of this is to bring different points of view into the discussion; parents, teachers, students, policy officials... even though these voices are not going to be physically present in the room, we can use the power of this interactive space to open the dialogue to anyone who's interested in participating.
So pop in throughout the day... read, think about it, interact with us. Perhaps you know of effective teaching strategies that incorporate the Internet or computer games. Or maybe you would like to know about how the education system is preparing children for the so-called "knowledge society." Heck, even if you just think what we're doing with this live blogging is interesting... we want to hear from you.
A few findings to think about...
The following are a few of the findings we will be discussing tomorrow during the workshop.
Gender Differences (Students)
- Males spend more time at home and school
- Males report more skills and more confidence
- Females: more communication, more school work
- Males more use of spreadsheets & programming
Socio-Economic Status (Students)
- Major impact on home access
- This translates into effects on:
Amount of use
Type of use
Skill development
Rural/Urban Differences (Students)
- Differences in access, especially to high speed Internet
- School access important for rural; more time on school computers & Internet
- Urban students report wider range of skills
- No rural-urban differences in confidence
Race/Culture (Students)
- Major impact on home access
- First Nations - African Candians - White - Asian and other
- Leads to less time using ICT at home & overall
- Lower levels of skills
- Lower levels of confidence
I'll be posting a few more findings from the teachers later in the day, along with some hints for effective use of this blog tomorrow during the workshop.
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