FRÅN WIKIS TILL MATTEFILMER- om IKT i skolan

FRÅN WIKIS TILL MATTEFILMER

-          om IKT i skolan

FRÅN WIKIS TILL MATTEFILMER- om IKT i skolan written by Annika Claesdotter et al and edited by Lena vestlin, is a small book containing 143 pages. The title of the book is rather confusing according to me. When one reads the title, one imagines that it is strictly about wikis and Mathematics films. Far from it! The book is about Information Communication Technology tools (ICT tools) in schools. It discusses several ICT ideas which several learners and teachers from different schools have worked with. I found it interesting and motivational. The book answers one of my research questions: Does ICT tools motivate learners to participate actively in learning?

The book is divided into three major chapters namely: I skolans värld, Vad säger forskarna and en digital utblick.

The first section “I skolans värld” contains four sub- topics among them are:

”IKT naturligt när eleverna gör tidning.” The writer writes about Njurunda a school in Sundsvall. In Njurunda, the students in grade 5 and 6 have been publishing magazines for several years and this is considered to be helpful when a school wants to integrate ICT in their teaching.  The students are the ones who contact those who wish to be featured in their magazine and their teaching is only there to help them where there is need.

The second sub-topic which I intend to lift up in my paper is “Wikis utvecklar språket.”  The students in Hammarnskolan in Hjo have published some texts using wikis. Doing this have helped them to improve their English language since they read each other’s texts. They also exchange ideas on how their wikis could be made attractive and interesting to the readers, by doing this they learn a lot. I found this section interesting because the learners rely on each other for their success.

A section which I found to be interesting but could be considered controversial is found in page 25: “Pennan får vänta när ettorna lär sig skriva”.  Kungsgårdens skolan in Sandviken have decided to introduce computers to the first graders. Instead of using pens to learn how to write they use computers! They believe that learners learn faster if they use computers as compared to using pens. Using pens is introduced in grade 2. One might think that this is misleading, but having read their achievements I was convinced that it is a good idea. The fact that learners use Microsoft Office Word to write short stories at an early age tells me that they are motivated to learn.

A chapter which I found worth mentioning is “Mattewiki ger aktiva problemlösare.” It is interesting to note that several schools have been using wikis and some of their first works can be found on the internet for example the first mattewiki på Eklidens skolan is found here:

http://matteproblem.wikispaces.com/

“Erik the Viking byggde e-samarbete” is found in pages 74 to 81. It discusses in details how a school in Sweden co-operated in a Viking project courtesy of e Twinning which is a part of EU- Commissions’ program Comenius. It is a project which enables teachers and students to work together even though they live in different parts of Europe. My thought after reading this section is that, the learners in both countries would not have gone in for a huge project if it were not for ICT tools. The learners from both schools looked forward to reading what the other school had written. The writer explains that both learners were fully observed in their project. I will use this section in my conclusion.

“Vad sager forskarna”, is a chapter with several opinions from ICT experts. I found this chapter to be very informative. One becomes open minded after reading it. Bodil Jöhnsson who is a professor in Lunds Technical College explains that learners of today are exposed to ICT tools at a very early age and are continually searching for information using computers and mobile phones. She continues to write that being a teacher today is not the same as it was before young learners were exposed to ICT.

Education for a Digital World: Advice, Guidelines, and effective practice from around the globe

Education for a Digital World: Advice, Guidelines, and effective practice from around the globe is a 516 page anthology written by David Harper and Sandy Hirtz. It was published in the year 2008.  The book contains all information which is useful in a Digital world. It is suitable for both beginers and those who have embraced IKT verktyg in their teaching.

The book is interesting and one does not feel as if she/he is reading a text book when reading it. What I like about it is that it contains a systematic and detailed explanation of how the world was before the arrival of digital competence and how it is at present. Teaching and learning has undergone positive milestones: The learners are eager to learn more than ever, and the teachers work has been made easier.

Among the Instructional tools discussed in the book are Cell phones, Computers, PC tablet and palm top. These IKT tools make learning accessible to teachers and learners regardless of where they are in the world. The learners do not neccessarily need to meet their teacher in order to go through some instructions before doing an exam. Learning has also become learner centred. This makes it possible for learners to learn more things than they would have actually done. Teachers become excited when learners show that they have learnt something and that is why the continue imparting knowledge. The emergence of IKT tools and Web 2.0 has and will continue making learning and teaching better.

The book does not only introduce the learners and the teachers to the digital world, but it also provide information on how to select different media categories to be used in teaching. A good example is animations, which makes teaching interesting, and the effects on the learner are positive and long lasting. Videos, texts and real objects are  also discussed. This section helps the teachers to choose appropriate methods for different age groups since each category has both advantages and disadvantages. 

A very captivating section in this book also is the online tools like Blogs, Wikis and digital stories. My interest for digital stories and Wikis have grown since I read this book. The fact that several students can work on the same wiki is fascinating. Imagine them reading others' work and adding more information or even deleting the information which may not be required.

One other thing which endears me to the book is that it is available as an e-book. It can be read online in the following link:

 

http://www.colfinder.org/materials/Education_for_a_Digital_World/Education_for_a_Digital_World_complete.pdf

David Harper and Sandy Hirtz have succeeded in their well detailed book. Whoever reads the book will not come out without having been inspired. A wonderful book for every one who is interested in learning something about our digital world.

IKT Verktyg: E- möten

Electronic meetings are not only meant for online learners, it can be used by companies which are based in different parts of the world, friends and families living in different locations.
Tycker du att möten över nätet är ett bra verktyg för samarbete? Hur? Varför inte?
E-meetings is a good and suitable tool for group members working on the same project. I say so because members have an opportunity to talk face to face even though they are located in different parts. Seeing somebody whom one is communicating with helps one to see facial reactions, body language and general reactions.
Tror du att du kommer att fortsätta att använda det verktyg du testat för att samarbeta på distans?
I used skype to discuss an assignment with my class mates. I had not used it before and I found it suitable. I would like to continue using Skype because I do not have to go through the University where I study in order to meet online with my class mates.
Fanns det teknikproblem med E-mötet? Beskriv.
We encountered a problem while using Skype. We could not hear one of our class mates, but we could see that she was speaking. I do not know what the course could have been, but we thought that the cause was a faulty head set which has nothing to do with Skype itself.
Har du erfarenhet av andra system för möten via webben? I så fall vilket föredrar du? Varför?
I have been using Adobe connect for a year now and I must say that I prefer it to Skype. The reason could be because Iam used to it and I have not experienced any problem with it.
Kan du använda e-möte och videokonferens i din profession? Hur? Varför inte?
It is possible to use E-meetings but not videoconferencing.  I work as a teacher and I can easily use Skype to communicate with my students while they are at home or even in school. Video conferencing will be difficult to use because several other tools  like video screens need to be installed in different rooms. The school I work in do not have these tools at the moment
Vilka för- och nackdelar ser du med det system du testat?
The advantages with using skype is that the costs are free in some areas and if not free the costs are low. It is flexible and one can use either the audio or video or both. It works in all computers, and mobile phones. It is simple and easy to use.
The disadvantages is that it depends on the internet and if the internet is low it will not function well. One requires a good microphone and enough time for connections. One needs to purchase microphones, and webb camera if they are not installed in the computer.

IKT Verktyg:

Digital presentations: Power point

Vilket verktyg valde du och vad tyckte du om det?
I used Zoho show since I have been using Microsoft Power point presentation. Zoho show was a little bit complicated in the begining and after I created a power point presentation I could not trace it. I was forced to go through all the titles and I finally found it under the documents. It became interesting since everything I had written was intact. I like the fact that one can create as many projects and place them in differet folders.
Brukar du använda dig av digitala presentationer? Vad är din erfarenhet av det?
I have been using Microsoft power point for a long time now and I like it. My experience with Power point is that whenever I use it in my lessons, the learners attention is easily captured and they do not get bored easily. When I use other methods, the learners loose focus after a short period of time. The learners enjoy when teachers use power point presentations when teaching.
Vilka risker och möjligheter ser du med digitala presentationsprogram?
There are so many advantages when one uses power point presentations in teaching. The learners' attention can be sustained for a longer period. The rate of understanding is high since the learners' interest is captured. The teacher can use photographs to support the text hence clarifying the content in a better manner.
The disadvantages is that it takes a lot of time to plan every power point presentation. The photographs which are used to support the text must be appropriate. Power point presentations are usually short,  and the risk with that is that the teacher might end up omitting some useful information.If the presentation is not planned properly there is a huge risk of it being boring and failing to meet the intended purpose. Finally, power point is very addictive and the risk with that is the teacher may be tempted to use it regularly which can create monotony.
In conclusion, power point presentations are interesting and  can be used by both the teachers and the learners.

Source critism

The availability of computers and internet has moved very rapidly and most people have the ability to access the internet every day. There is a lot of information on the internet and one can find almost all the information online. The use of text books has minimized and most people are refering to the internet instead. Today we even have electronic books which are very convenient.

There are many sites on the internet which can be used to search information. A good example is Google. One has to be very critical since we do not know which information is true or false. I have learnt that I have to refer to several sources before concluding that whatever is written on the internet is true. When we use information from the internet it is important to state where one found the information. When it comes to using photographs, music, and all the information found on the internet it is important to find out if one has right to use tthem, otherwise can be accused and it can lead to prosecution. It is wise to use them for the intended purposes and always remember that internet has its own ethics. Do not forget that rules are updated regularly so check all the time to be sure that you have not missed the updates.

LMS:Open source-Moodle

Linneuniversity uses Moodle and being an online student, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to moodle. When I first came in contact with moodle, I thought it was a good open source LMS. I did not know though that it is  called Open source LMS, neither did I know that it is open. I just found out after reading the course litterature in this course.
Using moodle is very interesting. We hold connect meetings every two weeks and while discussing issues and listening to our lecturer, we have the opportunities to chart and even receive feedback on chat while the lecturer is lecturing. If there is something we can not find in moodle, the lecturer can in between show us where to locate in moodle. Another advantage is that the student can access lectures which can be through voice threads, podcasts and notes. We carry out a field work once in two weeks and we use wikis to present a written report  voice threads to present  oral reports.
The only disadvantage with using moodle is that it is difficult in the begining and the lecturer has to work extra hard to assist students before they are oriented with moodle. This can be frustrating and time consuming since one does not receive feedback immediately.
I would use moodle with my students. I was inspired by the You tube clip about the American teacher who is already using moodle.
My only worry is that the school might not want to spend extra money in services which one needs to carry out when one is using moodle or any other open LMS, but this is subject to discussion.
I think Moodle will still be available in 5 years time. I read in the course litterature that institutions prefer open source LMS because of the low costs.

Sharing documents

Vad tyckte du om Google Docs?
Google docs is a wonderful  tool which can be used when one is writing  short texts and even projects. I used it to write a short text last week and I found out that formating could not be done with google docs. I was forced to transfer my work to word. It is not suitable for long texts, but one break long texts in several sectictions if one wants to work with Google docs. What I found to be very interesting is the fact that a record of all the work from the start to the end is available and one can always refer back to the history of the text.
Var det lätt eller krångligt att skapa och publicera ett delat dokument?
It was actually easy to create, publish and share documents. I did not experience any problems att all and I will continue using Google docs.
Vad tror du om detta som ett sätt att samarbeta kring dokument? Fördelar/nackdelar?
As I mentioned above the only problem I experienced is that formatting is basic and so it does not suit somebody who is working with long texts or projects with several titles. The advantageswith using Google docs. is that several people can work on the same project at the same time or different times. This would really work for teachers and students. The fact that historical records are kept makes it possible for the teacher to notice students who are not active in group work. I would encourage my students to use Google documents when they are doing  assignments
Vilka risker ser du med att dela och lagra dokument på Internet?
The risks with shairing documents online is that documents can be used wrongly. The owner of the documents might have had good intentions but the people whom we share documents with may not be having the same intentions hence using the documents for unintended purposes.