Learning and teaching with ICTExpanding opportunities in teacher education

Thuridur JohannsdottirIceland University of EducationBERA – 11th-13th September 2003

Iceland University of Education

Student population 2002-2003 Distance learning students: 1339 Traditional on-campus students: 891

Distance learning - undergraduate: 822 Distance; primary school B.Ed on campus: 462 Distance; primary school B.Ed distance: 401

The Department of Graduate studies - only distance learners 517

Reasearch on distance education

How is the use of ICT affecting the way the institution goes about organizing teaching and learning?

How is the use of ICT affecting the way the teachers perform their teaching activities?

How is the use of ICT affecting the way the students perform their learning activities?

Activity Theory applies well

The activity system as a unit of analysis has been used to research the

effectiveness of everyday learning environments

the relationship between the individual participant and the activity system’s purpose

Activity as mediated by tools is central

http://ceo.cudenver.edu/~brent_wilson/acttheory.html

The Activity Theory model www.edu.helsinki.fi/activity/6b0.htm

ObjectSubject

Tools

Division of laborRules

Community

Outcome

Teaching and learning as activities

Break teaching and learning down into tasks – (M. Allyson Macdonald 2003)

Identify the tasks as performed on the web in distance learning and teaching

Get a better understanding of how ICT-tools used to mediate teaching and learning are affecting the task

Identify underlying conceptions of learning in activities performed or planned by the teacher – and mediated through ICT-tools

Twining’s CPF (computer practice framework)

Developed to evaluate to what extent ICT use is affecting learning activities

How much? In what purpose? In what way? When used as a learning tool:

Support Improving efficiency – no change of content

Extend Content and/or process are different – but ICT

not necessary Transform

Content and/or process are different – not possible without ICT

ICT as a tool for teaching and learning in distance education

Possibilities and constraints of the tool? McLuhan: The medium is the message David Wood 1998:

computer-based teaching systems have their roots in assumptions about theories of how students learn

any limitations of the theory will be inherited by the system

intelligent users of such systems in education must measure their promise against our general knowledge of how people learn

Internet is the main tool in distance education today

Learning to understand the possibilities that lie in the tool Access to resources Publish learning products Communicate and collaborate Multimodal representations, multimedia

and hypertext possibilities Technical constraints caused by e.g.

bandwidth

Available tools for teaching tasks

Main categories E-mail E-mail list servers Conference systems Course management tools or course-

ware: WebCT - closed Web-editors - open or closed webs Team or project management tools:

Lotus: QuickPlace Microsoft: SharePoint

Sub categories – ICT-tools

The computer Word PowerPoint Excel

The Internet Discussion webs Interactive database blog Chat – MSN

Management systems Drop box for assignments in WebCT Managing assignments – grades, feedback

Distance-teaching as activity or taskTeaching activities ICT-tool Effect of ICT

Structure learning process

Word linear text-fileHypertextText with icons

SupportsExtendsExtends

Provide resources List of books and journalsHypertext links to sound and videofiles and interactive assignments +textfiles

Supports

Extends

Transforms

Reading instruction Word linear text-fileHypertextText with iconsPowerPoint slides with or without talk

SupportsExtends–Transforms SupportsSupports

Distance-teaching as activity or taskTeaching-activities ICT-tool Effect of ICT

Assignment instruction

Word or PPT WebQuest with linksweb page with icons and photos

SupportsExtendsExtends

Feedback and evaluation

Closed grading system WebCTInteractive examsOpen space to share documents

Supports

Extends

Transforms

Motivation and enhancing empathetic atmosphere.Cultivate the social

Creating nice learning environment on the web.Take part in students’ discussionChat – MSNUsing pictures Using sound - talk

Extends–Transforms

Supports

Transforms

Distance-learning as activity or taskLearning-activities ICT-tool Effect of ICT

Discussion E-mailE-mail postlistThreaded discussion webs

SupportsTransforms

Collaborative projects

TelephoneE-mailChat File-exchange by attachmentsShare Point

Supports

Extends

Transforms

Present learning products

Word file as attachmentPPT-presentationWebs - digital portfolios

Supports

SupportsTransforms

Distance-learning as activity or taskLearning-activities ICT-tool Effect of ICT

Find and evaluate relevant resources

Search enginesDatabases

SupportsSupports

Peer support ChatE-mailTelephoneDiscussion websSharing documents

Supports

ExtendsTransforms

Self-reflection e.g. writing learning logs

Word file log-bookWrite learning-log og open blogsite on the web and making links to co-students

Supports

Transforms

Underlying learning theories

Behaviourism – transfer of knowlegde model Linear structure of the learning process Reading textbooks Answering questions Getting the right answers from the

teacher Course webs used to exchange files Discussion used to ask the teacher to

clarify content FAQ

Underlying learning theories

Social constructivism Dialogue as a learning tool Collaborative assignments Foster the learning community Build around meaningful activity Work with the available tools Publish the learning products and

sharing them with co-students – stressing the social construction of knowledge

ICT-tools – inherent learning theories

WebCT built on transfer model Not easy to present and share

documents with co-students Collaborative groups are supposed to

work on closed area Students are supposed to send the

teacher their assignment and get direct/personal feedback and grade

Tool for interactive multiple choice exams

Tools for constructive learning

Open web-sites where the teachers provide for resources and tools needed to learn

Use authentic tools available on the Internet

Share Point for team work Lotus knowledge rooms Weigler Blog-sites Digital portfolios

Authentic learning on the Internet

Learning as an authentic activity Using the tools available in the respective

culture Learning from real communities on the

web – how they work – rules Which tools they are using and in what purpose How they collaborate – division of labour – and

distributed cognition