Moving to Catch the Digital Train:Practical Approaches to ICT Integration

Nova Scotia Social Studies Conference Session B9Location: Lockview High School Date: October 2010Presenter: Alan Dick

This presentation is available online

First a question…

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With or without IT in your classroom?

ICT?

• Information and Communications Technology

Session Outline

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My Lenses• Teacher of social studies and sciences

at the high school and IB level for the past twenty years.

• Outdoor educator and member of local Ground Search and Rescue.

• Students include ELLs, IB students and those with learning differences.

• Currently at King’s-Edgehill School, a co-educational boarding school in Windsor

• Staff technology PD workshop leader

• Father of twin six year old boys7

Session Outline: Theory and Context

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Push to integrate ICT

Pressures to adopt ICT

• Keep up with the world and other schools

• IT is new so it must be better

• IT is flashy and cool

• IT is the way to engage digital natives

Link to the myth of the digital native9

Another question

Does this song match any of your experiences with claims regarding teaching technologies?

What we thought ...

• Computer as teaching machine...

• Computer as productivity tool...

• Computer as internet portal...

• Computer as test giver...

... and none of the promises were fulfilled.• (Bell and Bull, 2009)

Lower history course results for students learning to use ICT in the classroom rather than engaging in the study of history.

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Why not use it?

• The power of personal engagement and personal relationships.

• In the case of class discussions and lectures these are formats that are much more adaptable without PowerPoint.

• Working with actual texts and materials in the real world.

• Classes not divided or separated by technology.

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NSTA’s Using ICT Effectively

• Keeping focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the ICT.

• Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning.

• Using ICT in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would otherwise be difficult to do without technology.

• Taking advantage of the power of ICT to engage student participation and interest.

• (Bell and Bull, 2009)13

But

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Too much new hardware and software all arriving way too fast!

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Workshop Articles

• Working with Digital Natives– Mastering Multitasking– Loss of Deep Reading– Engaging Digital Natives– Stepping Beyond Wikipedia

• Craft of Teaching or Engaging Students without technology– In defence of the lecture– Posters and supporting an

argument– Summarizing your ideas– Multimodal writing

• Integration of ICT– Grounded Technology

Integration articles for all subjects

– PPT tips and screens– Content Management System

(Moodle)– Using Web Based Videos– Blogging– How to articles from Free

Technology 4 Teachers

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Overview of Topics

• Managing technology in class

• Links in emails or in digital documents

• PowerPoint– PowerPoint Plex

• Creativity and risk taking in education

• Grounded Tech Integration

• Sustainable Classroom Model

• Demo of PPT Plex

• Discussion of Moodle and other topics

Workshop Webpage

Links and Resources

Applications and Examples

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Some Ideas – Use in Classes

• No computers for taking notes – English and history, diagrams,

loss or breakdowns, distractions

• Computers arranged so that screens are visible to teachers.

• Require students to work in groups of two to three with one computer to require interaction.

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Initial Ideas – Clarity and Scaffolding

• Clear expectations with PPT– Presentation will have one standard

background– Reading of slides will end the

presentation– Use own words and quote copied

text

• Watch students and give feedback and have intermediate assignments that build to a larger product.

• Use of links to files and to websites in the instructions. – Links and instructions in the same

document sent to students.– Links in a website resource or a blog

entry23

Initial Ideas – Links in Documents

• Put a link a word or PPT document.

– Type the name of the link in the document and select the text then

– look for the insert tab,

– go to the hyperlink icon,

– and then paste the link.

– You may save the document as PDF which will retain the active links.

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Links in Documents

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PowerPoint

PowerPoint

Alex Gregory from The New Yorker at Cartoonbank.com 27

PowerPoint

• For teachers

– Advantages, slide design, presenting, links, embedded media

• For students

– Teaching how to present and how to design, citations, when not to use it, practice, marking rubrics, keeping focused

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Teachers

• Advantages... • Disadvantages

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Teachers and PPT

• Advantages...

– Great for images

– Pushing through content or introducing a topic

– Headings for notes on the screen...

– Text for later study and review

– Links to more information or resources

– Posting instructions

• Disadvantages

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Posting instructions

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Lots of PPTs for Pushing Content

http://www.pptpalooza.net/

PowerPoint Jeopardy

http://www.jmu.edu/madison/teacher/jeopardy/jeopardy.htm

Too much of a good thing?

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Teachers

• Advantages...– Great for images

– Posting instructions

– Pushing through content or introducing a topic

– Notes headings on the screen...

– Text for later study and review

– Links to more information or resources

• Disadvantages– Moves too fast

– Not adaptable during a class

– Linear

– Too much information • Hong Kong experience

from five years ago

– If slides poorly designed then room too dark

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Good Practices and Solutions

• Use a slide sorter.

• Use the start with this slide button (picture of a screen in lower right corner)

• Freeze projector or mute when working or changing programs

• Put in _____ in hand outs to make students read and _____ missing words.

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Good Practices and Solutions

• Use hand outs and require note taking (give sample image and print option)

• Use each slide as an outline and put details on the board.

• Give a reason to take notes and to be engaged in the class?

• See “In Defence of the Lecture” article.

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Power Point Notes with

Lines

Applications and Examples

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Risks?

Creativity and taking risks as presented by Ken Robinson

TED TALKS VIDEO

Now what might creativity or

risk taking look like?

“How to do 11 Techy Things in the New School Year” (Byrne, 2010)

“Teaching in the Digital Age” (Romano, 2010)

“Experiment using video clips in the classroom” (Me, 2010)

NSTA’s Using ICT Effectively

• Keeping focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the ICT.

• Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning.

• Using ICT in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would otherwise be difficult to do without technology.

• Taking advantage of the power of ICT to engage student participation and interest.

• (Bell and Bull, 2009)43

Movies and Instructional PromptsM

icroso

ft Mo

vie M

aker

and

digital cam

era

Movies and Instructional Prompts

Embed the video into your presentationor webpage.

Provide a focused hook or start

• Four water tests

• Deduce the source of two samples

• CSI framework – activating prior knowledge and interest

Some quick photos, theme music, a willing colleague and 30 minutes …

Learning to use PPT

Learning Essentials and PPT

• Free from Microsoft

• Lessons for teachers

• Interesting Ideas

• Lessons and templates for students

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PPT and Learning Essentials

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Students are now accustomed to PPT

Now for something a little different

Digital Whiteboards

Applications and Examples of ICT

• “Sustainable Model” from Oregon– One PC

– Digital whiteboard– Document camera– Speakers for the PC– Student Response

Units or clickers

• Marzano’s “What Works in Classroom Instruction” 2001

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Interactive Whiteboards• Interactive whiteboards, especially with a document camera, allow

teachers and students to interact with computers in a different way.

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What Can Technology Integration Look Like?

From data collection at the KES pond to lab report writing in class57

Students Teaching with Doc Camera

Visualization Using Excel or Spreadsheets

Visualization

• Fish metabolism lab– Investigate the effect of

temperature change upon goldfish.

– Record gill movement each minute.

– How to visualize the data?

• Presentation of historical or geographic data

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Visualization

Visualization of collected data using Excel61

NSTA’s Using ICT Effectively

• Keeping focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the ICT.

• Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning.

• Using ICT in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would otherwise be difficult to do without technology.

• Taking advantage of the power of ICT to engage student participation and interest.

• (Bell and Bull, 2009)62

Ideas from Learning Essentials

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Course and Class Websites

Creating a Course Website

• Information about a class

– Blog software such as Blogger or Wordsmith

• Support website for a class

– Blog or Weebly

• Full Course Management Software

– Moodle

Link to Room A207 Blog

Blogs as Course Websites: GGS 12

Link to resourceQuestions to be submitted

Link to embedded video

Blogs as Course Websites: IB History

Lin

k to

Sam

ple

Ho

me

wo

rk B

log

Setting up a blog Link to History Blog 67

Blogs for a specific unit or class

Lin

k to

Po

pu

lati

on

Un

it B

log

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Tips

• Write in MS-Word, but then paste text intoNotepad then paste it intoyour application – it removesthe formatting. This worksfor a lot of web posting.

• When you start the blog make at least ten blank entries and then only compose postings in every second entry.

Copy web sites to your computer with Superbot

Capture images from webpagesand screens with SnagIt or PrtScnand crop image in MS-Word.

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Questions to consider when starting a website with moodle or a blog

• How often will it be updated?

• What types of resources do you want to post?

• Is this a one year course assignment?

• Organized by unit or by content?

• To use one topic or several?

• Will there be one folder per item or many?

• What are my pedagogical aims?

Grounded Tech Integration from ISTE

71http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/

This article is in your Integration of ICT package

NSTA’s Using ICT Effectively

• Keeping focus on the science content rather than the mechanics of the ICT.

• Using technology in ways that are consistent with appropriate pedagogy, including opportunities for inquiry learning.

• Using ICT in ways that allow teachers and students to do what would otherwise be difficult to do without technology.

• Taking advantage of the power of ICT to engage student participation and interest.

• (Bell and Bull, 2009)72

Time Sticks a GSAR activity about seeing

• “Avoid technocentricinstruction focused more on the technologies being used than on the students who are trying to use them to learn” (Harris and

Hofer, 2009) and (Papert, 2009)

• Learn how to see the big picture and to be able to focus upon the key points.

Understanding Each Other

Session Outline: Addressing Problems

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The Bad or at least the Questionable

• Multitasking– The dangers

– Educating students

• Deep Reading– Need to develop

neural pathways

• History and ICT– Use technology, but

not in classCover of Time from “The Adventure of Strategy” Webpage http://www.robmillard.com/archives/intergenerational-issues-the-dangers-of-multitasking.html 75

Workshop Articles

• Working with Digital Natives– Mastering Multitasking– Loss of Deep Reading– Focusing the Digital Brain– Stepping Beyond Wikipedia

• Craft of Teaching or Engaging Students without technology– In defence of the lecture– Posters and supporting an

argument– Summarizing your ideas– Multimodal writing

• Integration of ICT– Grounded Technology

Integration articles for all subjects

– PPT tips and screens– Content Management System

(Moodle)– Using Web Based Videos– Blogging– How to articles from Free

Technology 4 Teachers

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Multitasking Research and Reading

• Reading and instant messages interruptions

• “…quick, superficial multitasking rather than in-depth focus on one task.” (Levine, Waite and Bowman 2007)

• Poor development of “deep reading” skills and necessary neural pathways

Obstacles and problems that emerge from multitasking

• For Research

• For interaction in an on-line simulation or space using instant messaging or talk

• Staying on task and engaged while in shared work spaces such as Google Docs.

• The Research and some ideas…

Multitasking and Learning• Task switching as opposed to parallel

processing

• Habit learning rather than declarative memory

• “learning less efficient and useful” study by Poldtrack in 2006 and time lost switching

Gasser and Palfrey (2009) in Educational Leadership

Focusing the Digital Brain

• Find ways to engage them such as interactive whiteboards and using technology in a focused manner.

• Let them teach.

• Disarm them from time to time.

• Encourage storytelling to promote engagement with others face to face.

“Focusing the Digital Brain” Educational Leadership Sept. 2009

Stepping Beyond Wikipedia

• Moving beyond Wikipedia and evaluating sources– CARS checklist– Define the Question,

Familiar with Resources, Use of Resources, Evaluate Sources, Staying on Track, Ethical Use

• Teaching better search techniques and demonstrating supplementary applications.

Final Thoughts

and a demo of PPT Plex as well as questions about Moodle or other topics

Two Views of Technology in Schools

“The digital revolution in schools is not about teaching students to use technology but about “teaching students to do everything using technology.” – Prof. Dede, Harvard

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What is Moodle?

Student's View of a Course

In this section students are given a link to uploaded presentations and a PDF of the textbook.

Teacher's View of a Course

The teacher can select various types of resources to add or create for the course

This is the administration menu and a teacher will find links to the settings and files for the course here.

The teacher may hide, move, delete objects using these icons.

Why Begin Using Moodle?

• Good place to post course material.

• Quick learning curve for this software.

• (Moving towards all courses having a website)

• It is a powerful application – interactive activities– track student time on site– online lessons– digital submission of assignments

• Will likely work with Wipplehill Software

Questions to consider when starting a website with moodle or a blog

• How often will it be updated?

• What types of resources do you want to post?

• Is this a one year course assignment?

• Organized by unit or by content

• Use one topic or several

• One folder per item or many?

EXAMPLES OF MOODLE PAGES

Other Topics

• Powerpoint with video and media or other aspects

• Screencasting – recording instructions or mini lectures for certain topics

• Movie Maker• Smartboards – tips and

tricks• Moodle in detail• Simulations and case

studies

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Tech integration examples

• Smartboard and pptplexdemos

• Document camera and smartboard demos

• Integrate Corbin

– Cartoon and parts with smartboard

• IB and text

• Sports and smartboard

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Screencasting

• “Sir, this website sounds like you…”

• While teaching, the teacher may record everything that happens on the computer screen and everything that he says.

• The teacher may replay the clip for another class or students may review the clip when they are away from class.

• This recording may be done in advance.

Sample Screencast for Excel

Movie Maker and History

Sound File

Images or clips

Current Image

Video Storyboard

• Movie making allowed students to synthesize and summarize information.

• Students were asked to produce a video, or write a commentary, for a section of the song titled “Green Fields of France”.

• No instruction given in class other than the report requirements and they just figured out how to make it.

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Louis XVI