Week 1

4th November

Portal = official weekly materials assessments etc  Sign in via moodle with My unitec login

Google+ community = use your personal account in case we change schools.  Has interesting links discussions, etc  Sign in using personal google account.

Unitec Library = ebooks peer reviewed journals and articles (all books for course are ebooks)  My unitec login.

Your  blog = optional, reflect and record your learning journey, collaborate.  There is a compulsory blogging component towards the end.  Posts need to be shared as part of assignments.  Word press and blogger are suggested but not compulsory.  Our learning journey which includes thoughts etc is a part of the work needed.  Dave has made a video on the portal - why to blog.

Portal - login then find the course

? - All the key info is there.  Assessments etc.  Postgrad@mindlab.com

Ontology - what does this say about our view of the world? Is it real or not? How do we know?

Epistemology - How do we know these things (youtube - what is epistemology). How do we get to know something? What is knowledge?

Axiology - the knowledge that we value

First assignment is a video (10 minutes long). Must be uploaded - due before Christmas.  Read the handouts for how to stuff.  Wednesday nights will build up to this.  

Pictures - google free to use, creative commons,

Acknowledge the source even if it is creative commons.

Slideshows are easy to build a movie then screencast it to make it a movie.  Video clips can be added from my class etc.

For next weeks session:

• Set up your profile on The Mind Lab by Unitec portal - remember to upload a profile picture
• Reflect on how your understanding of the purpose of education is visible in your classroom. Think about also how you would like to record and perhaps share your learning with a wider community?
• Introduce yourself on the Google+ Community to your fellow students in different locations (introductions)
• Prepare for the Week 2 session by watching the video "What 60 Schools Can Tell Us About Teaching 21st Century Skill". You'll find that under DCL/Week 2 related media

On Leadership tasks

• - Collaborative task: What is knowledge?
• - Prepare for the Week 2 session by reading the article "Towards Reconceptualising Leadership: The Implications of the Revised New Zealand Curriculum for School Leaders". You'll find that under LDC/Week 2 related media

Readings:

Future focussed learning in connected communities

• Digital technologies change the way students learn, the way teachers teach, and where and when learning takes place. Increasingly, mobile devices equip students to take charge of their own learning in a context where learning occurs anywhere, anytime, and with access to a wealth of content and interactive tools. Digital technologies can excite and engage educators, students, their whānau and communities in learning.  p5
• Digital pedagogy is based on three key concepts: ubiquity, agency, and connectedness. Ubiquity refers to the pervasiveness of digital technologies. Agency refers to the power or capacity to act and make choices. Connectedness is about having a sense of being part of something that is bigger than one’s self. p.8 connectedness
• While learning has never been confined to a single place, the ubiquity of today’s technologies,especially the internet, challenges the concept of the traditional school classroom as the sole place of learning. Digital technologies offer exciting possibilities for students to learn at the times, places and contexts p.17 Learning can take place anywhere and anytime.
• Schools and libraries can be community hubs for digital learningIt is said it takes a village to raise a child. The low levels of digital literacy in some communities risk lagging behind the deployment of ultra"fast broadband. We suggest developing funding incentives to support school communities wishing to establish community digital learning hubs. These incentives should include:• prioritising library refurbishment• supporting school librarians and teachers in charge of libraries to take a stronger leadership role in using digital technologies to target achievement outcomes for at"risk students• extending opening hours.
• Publicly"accessible facilities in libraries help to bridge the internet access divide. We encourage all public libraries to offer digital literacy training programmes and internet connectivity. We recommend that public libraries should also be given the same priority and preferential connection rates as schools. p.17 What are we doing at sms to encourage digital literacy among our parents and wider community/whanau?  Should we?

DCL Week 1 Class Notes

There is broad acceptance that today’s students are changing far more rapidly than the schools who teach them. Their familiar means of information aggregation and distribution are not in sync with the education system and students are looking for flexible, more affordable and more relevant ways to gain the knowledge needed to apply ‘as needed’ skills for life-long learning. 

Our great-grandparents would see our lifestyle as bizarre – “electronic nomads wandering among virtual campfires” – yet in counterpoint many youth today see prior generations as hapless prisoners of geography, trapped in the limits of a single physical location. (Mitchell, 2003)

For generations we have pursued a "knowledge-based" curriculum that was developed at a time when access to information was scarce. Today’s digitally connected world offers unlimited, immediate and accurate information to nearly all the world’s questions. As answers to questions we already know provide little, if any, competitive advantage in today’s world it can be argued that education should now focus on stimulating and promoting the discovery of new possibilities.

It was only a generation ago that computers had limited processing functionality and they operated on the level of a modest calculator. With the advent of powerful computers with the ability to operate multiple tasks simultaneously the need to reevaluate the most effective way to use technology as a significant educational enabler has never been more important.

A timely, pioneering and courageous approach to learning would address the need to develop students who are "learners" rather than setting out to achieve the end goal of making sure they are "learned”. Learners need to be involved in inquiry based learning process presenting content that seeds and stimulates interaction and the development of new concepts and skills. The development of a close community of fellow ‘learners’ to organically facilitate partnerships and teamwork in the learning experience provides further benefit through the exposure to different student perspectives and experiences. While the building blocks that form the skills to think, act, respond, investigate, evaluate and action are core to all education paths and careers, few of these skills are utilised in existing online learning experiences.

While technical advances in hardware, software and connectivity have been the catalyst to the progress of modern education, commitment to key competencies are imperative to meaningful learning outcomes. In this aspect two key features of constructivist philosophy have the potential to change the education offering. These features are play (fun) and experimentation (the ability to fail and fix fast).

People across the world are ‘hacking education’ and fighting for de-schooling or the process of replacing formal schools with the technologically enabled, largely self-directed, free and open exchange of information.

An under-current of change driven by new teaching practices with proven success includes greater focus on functional skills, collaboration, creativity, understanding and evaluation of online data, social and cultural awareness, global connectedness and effective communication. The most progressive schools and institutes are gradually accepting the transition from teacher to student centred in the classroom. This shift has seen acceptance of the sharing of learning outcomes and a move from ‘covering the curriculum’ to ‘discovering’ it.

The major challenge for schools is ensuring that all students attain the skills, knowledge and the disposition they will need to be successful in the world that awaits them. The new economy demands that all students be prepared for work and for citizenry and that they all attain the high standards of achievement that have traditionally been reserved for a select few. This generation of students will need to graduate from high school with the ability to think and reason, a comfort with complex cognitive demands, a readiness to be flexible and adaptive, and a command of print, visual, quantitative and digital literacy. Technology is increasingly becoming seamless and invisible as improved technology resourcing and ‘bring your own device’ is becomes more commonplace in the classroom as the tools of modern education.

Physical learning environments are also changing and it is becoming increasingly common to see creative teaching spaces that support different learning styles and teaching needs. In addition, mobile learning (equally referencing learning on- the-move and in varied locations as from a mobile device) has become a core focus of student engagement. The advent of wireless and pervasive technologies offers many opportunities for designing learning experiences that encourage children to explore, initiate and reflect.

In many cases schools have used new technology to enhance old models of learning rather than using technology to transform the way teaching is designed and delivered. The need to update delivery methodologies and enhance existing pedagogies lies at the heart of digital and collaborative learning.

Philosophy of Education

If you want, you can read http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/ and reflect on your own teaching practice and personal views on the Philosophy of Education and Knowledge. 

LDC Week 1 Class Notes

Ontology, Axiology and Epistemology

Ontology, axiology and epistemology are important related concepts in philosophy.

Ontology originally referred to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being and reality. In short, ontology refers to our ideas of reality and how it is constituted.

Epistemology, in turn, is interested in how we can acquire knowledge about that reality. The Greek word, ‘episteme’, refers to knowledge. Epistemologists try to identify the essential, defining components of knowledge. Thus, both of these provide a basis for learning and teaching, and they appear in learning theories. Equally, what we understand by learning and teaching leads to ontological and epistemological assumptions.

In addition to ontology and epistemology, there is a third concept of axiology that relates to value theories. It considers the values related to both ontology and epistemology. In its broad sense in the context of ontology, it addresses questions such as what is considered valuable in our world and our existence in it. 

Further, in the context of epistemology, it addresses the question of what is valuable knowledge in that world and what means are valued in order to gain that knowledge. Education is society’s media for manifesting its ideas. The ideas educational systems adopt reflect what society regards as valuable for its success and welfare.

Source: Audi, R. (gen. ed.) (1995), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cognitive Tools

It is important to understand some of the processes that students will encounter while using cognitive tools. Cognitive tools impact student learning by causing them to think about information instead of reproducing and/or recalling information. Information is shifted through and evaluated for its' validity, reliability, and applicability to research and problem solving activities. These mental processes support the constructivist pedagogy and uphold the use of higher order thinking skills.

To construct a learning activity in which cognitive tools are utilised, the following guidelines should be considered:

1. Identify learning goals or objectives – Clearly defined goals will enable students to comprehend the purpose of the activity and the desired outcomes.
2. Select projects for students to achieve goals or objectives. These projects should be authentic tasks that can motivate students to engage in meaningful learning.
3. Select cognitive tool/s – Cognitive tools should facilitate the attainment of the learning goals and objectives. The tools should be appropriate to the learning environment, and to the learning styles of students. The tools should also be appropriate (technical enough) for students' higher level technological skills, and facilitate the desired outcomes of the objectives. Becoming familiar with new tool/s may be necessary for effective instructional and scaffolding strategies.
4. Implement the learning experience and cognitive tool/s – Most teachers invest time in planning and assuring learning activities can be executed. Having an alternative plan is essential when relying on technology because the unexpected can happen. Some students may need guidance in their usage of the tool. Collaborative pairs, mini lessons, and one to one assistance can alleviate stress when encountering new technologies.
5. Evaluate the learning outcomes – The evaluation of tools is challenging; however, checklists and rubrics can help evaluate students' understanding.

Teachers should consider the following when planning the use of a cognitive tool for learning.

• Cognitive tools function best in constructivist learning environments.
• They can motivate and engage learners through realistic contextual learning.
• The tools should help manage the cognitive work, not increase it.
• A variety of tools can be necessary to support diversified learners and various cognitive processes.
• The same tool may support various functions.
• The tools should provide students the ability to actively address meaningful questions and problem solving that are realistic and offer feedback.
• Scaffolding may be needed in order for the student to effectively use a tool.
• They allow students to focus on higher order thinking and developing an array of knowledge through thinking and reflection.
• Tools need to support the students' expression of knowledge.
• The successfulness of cognitive tools has not been determined therefore many unanswered questions remain about how to facilitate their use and how students actually manipulate them.
• Assessing the products of cognitive tools can be complex and may require alternative assessments for the use and the impact of the tool upon the learning community.
• Cognitive tools can require troubleshooting and encompass other technology issues related to users and designers.

Have you considered yourself as a leader?

We are hoping that during this course you'll do some critical reflection through consciously interrogating your own experiences and preconceptions about leadership. As a social construct leadership is open to reconstruction and reconfiguration, therefore it is essential to keep exploring the meaning of leadership to open up and develop new ways of understanding. 

Remember to share your perspectives and experiences. Help others to raise their awareness of their own and others leadership of practice and the ways in which this can develop and improve. 

Recommended reading 

Clark, Rory McDowall. (2012). "I've Never Thought of Myself as a Leader But": The Early Years Professional and Catalytic Leadership. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal,20(3), 391-401.

In this research paper the ideas of authority are challenged and a concept of catalytic leadership is proposed, whereby your ability to bring about and inspire change is not dependent on a position of power. It is clear that even if a teacher is not in a position of authority they are in a position of influence, and it is this influence that is crucial to becoming a change agent and leading practice. In this way the teacher can be seen as a catalyst within their setting bringing about internal change to create something new. Change comes about through the recognition of new possibilities rather than being enforced from above.