… The key idea is that students actively construct their own knowledge: the mind of the student mediates input from the outside world to determine what the student will learn. Learning is active mental work, not passive reception of teaching. Woolfolk (1993, p. 485)

The greatest challenge we face with using ICT’s in the classroom is ensuring that we provide meaningful learning to our students. We have looked at many ICT tools over the last few weeks and there are many more tools that were not even touched on. Teachers can use a different tool every day, spend hours researching hundreds of tools and still have uncreative, unengaged students if the learning theory and correct digital pedagogy is not an underlying component of the teaching provided and the ICT used.

I found the amount of ICT tools that can be used to aid and develop students mind-boggling. It was an interesting and fun exercise to take time to play with, and interact with, the different ICT tools. Although I played with, and looked at many new tools I have not seen before, such as Prezi and glogster, in the end I analysed the following from each group:

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Blog Wiki Websites	Images Podcasting	PowerPoint	Animations, Online Concept Mapping

The hardest part of the assignment was to choose which tools to include in the assignment, as I believe that every single tool can be utilised in some way, shape or form to achieve constructivist learning.

I looked at both Prezi and PowerPoint and although PowerPoint is my tool of choice, I can still see a place and time to use a Pzesi presentation. A Prezi presentation can be far more fun than a linear PowerPoint presentation (see Appendix E). One of the downfalls of PowerPoint, is that is lends itself to being a dot point tool.

Based on my exploration of the ICT tools and on my areas of teaching, business and maths I decided to further investigate PowerPoint, WIKI, Podcasting and animations. PowerPoint as it is a widely used tool in business.

I selected a wiki because the application of using this tool in business is valuable, yet I have not seen much evidence of its use in business, which would indicate that it is not a widely known tool. It would therefore be beneficial for students to acquire some experience with this tool. (see Appendix G) I did debate whether it would be more beneficial to use a blog (see Appendix H) or to use a wiki and made the decision to analyse a wiki as I saw a wiki as promoting collaborative learning and a blog as a tool for distribution of information and reflections. Collaborative learning fits in well with my e-learning framework.

I have included animations, as creating a flash file animation has many mathematical connotations. (See Appendix B)

I would like to discuss images in the context of a way forward for students becoming visual literates – students that understand and can interpret visual communication and not just written communication.

Lastly, but not least, I selected Podcasts, (Appendix D) as I could not stop thinking about the many ways in which they could be used.

Digital Images

Within the context of analysing the ICT tools for groups 1 - 4, I looked at digital images. Please refer to Appendix C. I believe digital images and the interpretation thereof should be explicitly taught in the school environment. Every single ICT tool, with the exception of podcasts, has a visual element to it. To quote (Semali, 2001)

“I believe what is missing, is the ability to evaluate, to analyze or question the motive of the creator of the visual representation, relative to one’s own experience.”

Images can be used to portray emotions, meaning and culture and this concept needs to be taught at school level. There are many facets to understanding visual layouts, images and even colours that are used in our online learning spaces.

I believe that schools have moved away from visual art and the interpretation thereof. This is an essential skill to enable students to navigate and find meaning when using current communication media, which is rich in imagining from colour, layout and design to symbols, icons and pictures.

A one semester subject in grade eight which looks at the following in regard to images: psychology of colour, composition guidelines, layout guidelines for screen viewing, and legibility of images, could give our students an advantage in navigating the 21^st century media.

ICT tools to enhance learning

In appendix A I have presented a table that looks at each of the tools that I choose to analyse further, in terms of potential uses, potential use with students with difficulties, legal and ethical considerations and how the tool relates to e-learning theory.

In order to ensure that learning is transformed into engaging learning by means of the ICT tool used, I believe that the following questions need to be asked by the learning facilitator:

- Does my use of the tool encourage the student to achieve creative thinking in the subject?

- In reference to Bloom's Taxonomy (Clark, 1999) At what level of engagement is the tool being used? As an example when using a mind-mapping tool to learn a definition, this would be on Bloom's level of "remember", but I can also use a mind map to conceptualise how to create new business software that solves a problem area in the business sector. This would then be using mind maps on Bloom's level of "creating".

- Is the way the tool is presented or used engaging?

For example, if I am teaching the theory of Pythagoras to maths students, I could use a PowerPoint presentation to impart the theory of Pythagoras. Or I could get the students to make their own presentations of the Pythagoras theorem using PowerPoint to present the theorem. In that way they would be actively engaged in using the tool to display their conception of the theorem. They would not just be receiving information but would have to do research into the theorem. They would have to do the presentation, which means they need to think about layout, words, and vocalising their thoughts. Listening to other individuals talk about the theorem, either individually or in groups, would further reinforce the theorem.

There always seems to two approaches to incorporating ICT tools into a lesson, firstly by the teacher using the ICT tool - the teacher could introduce the lesson content by means of a PowerPoint presentation or

By the student, - the students could be tasked to deliver a presentation. The advantage of the student using the tool to achieve the learning is twofold; firstly the student is engaged in active learning when using an ICT tool to learn. Secondly the student is learning how to use an ICT tool, which he can then use when he enters the workplace.

Where possible when engaging students in learning I would prefer to have the student use the ICT tool and create his own learning.

As stated by (Parker & Chao, 2007) “Collaborative creativity promises to be a key business skill in upcoming years”, which implies that we as teachers need to be one step ahead and we need to make sure that our students can be collaboratively creative and have experience in being collaboratively creative. The fastest way to ensure that we achieve this is in allowing them to use tools such as a wiki’s.

Legal safe and ethical guidelines

Any facilitator of learning in schools in Australia should ensure that they have read the SmartCopying policy (Copyright Advisory Group, MCEETYA.)This is the Official Guide to Copyright Issues for Australian Schools and TAFE and can be accessed from the following website; http://www.smartcopying.edu.au.

Not only do we, as facilitators, need to ensure that we conduct ourselves impeccably in a legal and ethical manner when using online spaces, we also need to impart these values to our students. The Queensland government (Queensland Government, 2011) has a list of ethics and issues to which they would like year 10 students to be able to conform.

When working on computers, we must also consider safe working practices for ourselves, as well as the students. The good practice of ergonomic seating, correct posture, right distance from eye to screen, and taking regular breaks needs to be firmly instilled in the pupils so as to become habit.

Conclusion

My greatest insights were gained when I decided to create a flash. The first insight was that, when thinking of using an ICT within eLearning, the teacher should always have a clearly defined target, a definite objective, and anticipated outcome in mind. I would have made a flash years ago if I only had some clear idea of what to make. For example, don’t ask students to create a game. Rather ask them to create a game that displays strategy concepts like those you may use in chess. Or relate the concept to a strategy game that all know – one could even have them play the game before hand, and make notes as they go along. Then they would be able to incorporate the concepts into their design. This will give them a starting point and help them to visualise an end product. In summary, objectives need to be clearly defined to engage students meaningfully.

My second insight was that although I may spend hours developing some elaborate ICT, the tool could still be meaningless in terms of pedagogy. When I analysed my flash (Appendix B) it had no more value than if I had written on a blackboard and explained the concept of BODMAS to students verbally. The flash I created can be improved by presenting examples and exercises for the students to do which would then make the exercise an object of learning.

In essence ICT’s and all the tools out there are no different to any other pedagogical tool. The facilitator of the learning still needs to decide which tool to use, when to use it, and how to use it, to make sure that the learning absorbed by the student is meaningful and produces creative, higher order thinking students.

It is up to the educator to reflect on the following while preparing for a lesson:

What ICT should be used when, to suit the target group, lesson content and context?

What benefit will the students derive from the use of a specific ICT?

Is there an ICT more suitable for that particular lesson or content?

Is there a better way of interacting with the ICT, which will engage and promote HOT?

Can ICT be used to engage diverse students in the lesson being given?

References

Copyright Advisory Group, MCEETYA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2011 from Smartcopying: http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/1

de Bono, E. (n.d.). Six Thinking Hats®. Retrieved March 15, 2011 from de Bono Thinking Systems: http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm

Parker, K. R., & Chao, J. T. (2007). Wiki as a Teaching Tool. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects , 3, 67.

Queensland Government. (2011). Student ICT expectations for year 10. Retrieved April 5, 2011 from Smart Classrooms: http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/ictstudents/10.html

Semali, L. M. (2001, November). Defining new literacies in curricular practice. Retrieved April 5, 2011 from Reading Online: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/semali1/

Woolfolk, A. E. (1993). Educational psychology, Bosten: Allyn and Bacon.