Sonnet

What is The Value of Technology in Teaching and Learning?

For this particular post, I wanted to try and ascertain how much added value is to be had, when utilising technology in relation to the teaching and learning experience.  I decided to simply access the home computer and the Internet and typed the above question into the Google search engine.   Google came back with no less than 54,700 results.  I looked at the information contained within the top three results, which were:-

1. Leicester University

2. Village Science

3. The Value of Teaching and Learning Technology

After exploring these 3 sites a little further, I very quickly gathered information on:-

·         the range of courses available at Leicester University and facilities it had to offer,  

·         how a charity was helping to develop villages around the world and

·         the cost of ICT measured against results achieved in education

This very simple search had resulted in instant access to a wide range of information and resources, all from the comfort of home.

The ‘value’ of the use of the technology was very apparent. I had not been ’confined to the classroom’, Reece& Walker (2006)p187 in order to undertake my independent learning task. The flexibility of technology allows access to information and resources at any time of the day or night and from virtually any location. This accessibility to learning is vitally important, particularly for adult learners, as it allows them to undertake their learning, whilst at the same time meeting both work and personal commitments. 

References

Reece, I and Walker, S (2007) Training and Learning: a practical guide, 6^th edition

Sunderland: Business Education Publishers

How technology has changed the way we learn

Many definitions of learning utilise the word ‘change’.  McLagen, 1978, Fincher, 1998 and Gagne, 1972 all adopt the word ‘change’ when defining learning.  Whether we use simple-learning or complex –learning theories to bring about a change in understanding or behaviours, ICT is a key element.

During our ICT lessons, we have reviewed and investigated a wide range of technologies and software and debated the positives and negatives of utilising these for our learning and teaching.  Many of these technologies bring subjects to life interactively, encouraging the learner to explore and investigate the subject further.

As a child and young man, I did not have the opportunity to utilise technology as a learning tool. As an adult, technology has played a significant role in my learning and resulted in educational achievement.

The ICT module has challenged my assumptions, some of which were negative, about the way we utilise this tool in our learning.  Hillier, 2011 describes the importance of thinking reflectively. The establishment and maintenance of a teaching blog works very well as a reflective tool, assisting with learning and development.

References

Hillier, Y (2011) Reflective Teaching in Further and Adult Education,3^rd editionLondon: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

Class notes and Hand outs Prepare to Teach Module 2013

The Dive, I hope you enjoy!

Barriers to the effective use of technology in education

Whilst driving to a teaching session I reflected on the above question.  I had my lesson prepared and I felt confident. I had been to the training venue previously.  On arrival, it soon became apparent what the ‘barriers’ to the effective use of technology would be in relation to this particular teaching session.   An electrical fault had affected the building and had resulted in a complete loss of power. I was unable to use the laptop or projector and, with no access to the internet for the assessment section, it was necessary to completely re think the approach to the teaching session.

As a consequence, I had many negative thoughts about my reliance on technology, to help present a teaching session.  Both  Ager, R (2000) and Edwards, A(2012) considered the early concerns around  ICT in teaching and learning and asserted that early  ‘‘technologies were not universally welcomed’’ (Edwards, A 2012 page 54) with Ager, R (2000) going further  ‘‘there was a view that eventually computers would replace teachers’’ (Ager, R  200 page 3).   There was no possibility during the session in question, of the teacher being replaced and my ‘enthusiasm ‘  for new technologies ended rather abruptly.

However, I undertook the teaching session and set the learners the task of completing the online question and answer assessment at home.  I instructed them to forward to me electronically the end-of-session certificate once they had completed the task, and within a couple of days all the learners had done.  Thus all the aims and objectives of the teaching session were achieved.

In summary, despite having been confronted with some very practical barriers to the use of technology, these had been overcome.

References

Ager, R (2000) The Art of Information and communications Technology for Teachers

London: David Fulton Publishers

Edwards, A (2012) New Technology and Education

London: Continuum International Publishing

Power Point Embedded

I found the lesson on the use of Power Point useful and informative.  It was beneficial to see how the software could be used to enhance a teaching session. Previously, during my teaching sessions I have used PowerPoint as a simplistic slide show presentation. However following today’s teaching session I can appreciate the full potential of the software when teaching.   

I have embedded my PowerPoint from the teaching in my blog.  After a little research, completing this task was not too difficult.

Please follow the link below

http://www.slideshare.net/Murph280/welcome-to-my-world-powerpoint-28574429

Interactive white boards

During our last ICT session we compared the two main designs of Interactive Whiteboard:-

Smartboard   

And Promethean

 

I have not used either make of interactive whiteboard, mentioned above, for teaching purposes.  This is due mainly to the fact that I travel to training venues, most of which do not have interactive white boards.  The charity office I work from does not have the space to mount an interactive board and the cost is prohibitive. However, having had an opportunity, during the teaching session, to use both types of board, I can understand the benefits to be gained, by both teacher and learner, when utilising this technology.  The two designs of white board looked at during the session vary only slightly in the way in which teacher and learner interact with them. 

With enough practice, both boards can be mastered easily and will enhance the teaching/learning experience.  During the second session, with the Promethean, I attempted to use an interactive tablet in conjunction with the board.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get the tablet to interact correctly. This highlights a negative aspect to the use of this type of technology in how much preparation time has to be committed to ensure a smooth lesson.

The use of these interactive whiteboards is a valuable aid to learning.