Reflective Synopsis

“Technology provides an electronic learning mileux that fosters the kind of creativity and communication needed to nourish engagement.” (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1998)

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has arrived, there is no turning back. Welcome to the world of blogs, wikis, avatars, YouTube, Google Earth, Picnik, Flickr and Slideshare, just the tip of the iceberg in terms of on-line programs available which are being added to daily to help you edit, communicate, collaborate, be inventive, be creative and so much more. Learning Managers need to continually renew their pedagogy and skills or risk being left behind. Learners are engaging in the use of this technology as soon as they get up in the morning so what better way to get in touch with your learners than by using the technology that they are using themselves. This is the only way to truly engage them in learning tasks. Those that refuse to embrace the world of ICTs are likely to have classrooms in chaos and a room full of disgruntled and uncooperative students. To achieve learning outcomes, teachers can then rely on long traditions of educational theory, combined with their own experience and knowledge of their learners to make decisions about what the learning environment should look like, and what inputs into the learning process are required. Teachers can identify what problems are associated with providing these environments and inputs, and tailor technology and other support to provide solutions. In essence, the judgement of teachers and their support structures are relied upon to choose appropriate strategies for their learners. This approach ends with decisions concerning using ICTs as support rather than starting with such a decision.

If we believe that education of our children remains central to the long-term well-being of our society then teachers and students need all the support they can get; hence the need to consider the potential of all available technologies. It must be remembered that technology is an ever evolving resource so keeping abreast of changes is essential. Adoption of a commitment to lifelong learning by developing skills, knowledge and abilities required to exploit the potential of e-learning in education is a mandate for teachers in the 21st Century. Four interrelated attributes of learning environments that need cultivation were identified by the. Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning (USA) in the report, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School in 2000:

1. Schools and classrooms must be learner-centred.
2. To provide a knowledge-centred classroom environment, attention must be given to what is taught (information, subject matter), why it is taught (understanding), and what competence or mastery looks like.
3. Formative assessments – ongoing assessments designed to make students’ thinking visible to both teachers and students are essential. They permit the teacher to grasp the students’ preconceptions, understand where the students are in the “developmental corridor” from informal to formal thinking, and design instruction accordingly. In the assessment-centred classroom environment, formative assessments help both teachers and students monitor progress.
4. Learning is influenced in fundamental ways by the context in which it takes place. A community-centred approach requires the development of norms for the classroom and school, as well as connections to the outside world, that support core learning values.

Many educators have argued that the appropriate use of ICTs by students can assist teachers in determining and catering for the prior knowledge of students. Further, it is usually also argued that ICTs can assist students in engaging cognitively to a greater depth. This is often discussed in terms of cognitive taxonomies such as that provided by Bloom (1956).

The aim is to create learning environments centred on students as learners and a belief that they learn more from what they do and think about rather than from what they are told. This belief lies at the heart of engagement theory, summarized by Kearsley & Shneiderman as Relate–Create–Donate.
As mentioned, http://josieslearningjourney.blogspot.com/2010/03/technology-learning-curve.html there is a move in our education system towards self managed learning and student autonomy. Teachers have become ‘managers of the learning experiences of children' and this entails teachers delivering new competencies, capabilities and skills as well as having access to information. Exposure to the 'content' of information per se is not enough, students need (and want) to be able to relate, create and donate by immersing themselves and engaging in meaningful, worthwhile activities while learning.

Using blogs and wikis in a learning environment puts an emphasis on team efforts that involve communication, planning, management and social skills. Dubbed ‘social software’, because they are perceived as being especially connected (Parker, 2000), this software allows users to develop Web content collaboratively. Increased motivation, clarification and verbalisation of problems and understanding of diversity and multiple perspectives are advantages of using these types of technology in the classroom. Several possible educational uses of wikis are listed:
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=982816320077254360

Students in the 21st Century have access to views of our world that are real-time and thus real-world. They can get a real sense of their place in the world and Google Earth http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=733282893758734621 provides a much more meaningful and real life experience than looking at an encyclopedia or a globe ever can. The ability of students to ‘create’ something that is no longer make believe but something that is real is sure to trigger their imaginations into overdrive to deliver real solutions to problems.

In a world where students are required to have ‘Brain Breaks’, ‘Smart Moves’, ‘NAPLAN Tests’ and other distractions, it is imperative that the time for learning is utilized to its potential. ICTs can assist learning managers to achieve this. As discussed, http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=3079966255875588903, the ability of on-line simulations, dissections and animations can make learning a creative, purposeful activity and focus student efforts while maximizing the time spent on-task.

Recording student findings on video, PowerPoint or through e-portfolio software enables the “Donate” component of engagement theory to be put into an authentic learning context. http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=3899034388315929891 discusses use of e-portfolio software and its uses. While this type of software can be used by students and teachers, it must be said that no video link or such thing can take away the tremendous pride that ‘Little Johnny’ will have by seeing his parents in the audience at the annual school presentation night. WIKIPedia is looked at http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=4176179712668951150 and remains a true representation of engagement theory.

Given that there are many different types of learners, Felder & Soloman ( acknowledge the fact that everyone learns more when information is presented both visually and verbally. Avatars can provide an excellent starting point for focusing on the content area. They can be used to explain difficult-to-understand material, to emphasize topics, or to formulate stimulating questions for the students.
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4711562884765185070&postID=3311852696677172080 reviews their use.

ICTs support our efforts to appeal to different learning styles. With a variety of learning tools, students can understand their experiences through verbal, written, spatial, quantitative, and/or graphical means. As a result, many more students become engaged in the learning process. (Wolf, 2003). If the aim of the Learning Manager in the 21st Century is to offer new learning opportunities, or to improve the way in which current learning activities are implemented, then the overall effectiveness of learning environments is of paramount concern, not whether they are more effective with or without technology.

ICTs are more like clothes than like fire. Fire is a wonderful technology because, without knowing anything about how it operates, you can get warm just standing close by. People sometimes find computers, televisions, and telecommunications frustrating because they expect these devices to radiate knowledge. But all ICTs are more like clothes; to get a benefit, you must make them a part of your personal space, tailored to your needs. New media complement existing approaches to widen our repertoire of communication; properly designed, they do not eliminate choices or force us into high tech, low touch situations. (Dede, 1995).

Whilst the use of ICTs are a time efficient tool for learning managers, more importantly, they offer the learning manager the chance to produce desired pedagogic outcomes that result in the required learning for all students. Inappropriately used in the classroom, technology can be used to perpetuate old models of teaching and learning. Students can be "plugged into computers" to do drill and practice that is not so different from workbooks. Teachers can use multimedia technology to give more colorful, stimulating lessons. Just by using ICTs, does not mean the power of these new tools are maximised or justified. At the teacher level the question becomes: am I satisfied with the educational opportunities I am able to offer my learners in the classroom? While teachers should never be completely satisfied, (and they will always strive to do better,) the question really is whether what they provide adequately develops the potential of the learners and adequately prepares them for a productive life in society.

REFERENCES
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Bloom, B.S., (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, the classification of educational goals – Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

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Felder, R.M. and Solomon, B.A. (1991). Learning Styles and Strategies. Retrieved from: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

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Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects Volume 3, 2007. Retrieved from: http://ijklo.org/Volume3/IJKLOv3p057-072Parker284.pdf

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