eLearning in the Primary School

This commentary gives an interesting, if somewhat damning, overview of Microsoft PowerPoint. The writer is highly critical of the manner in which many PowerPoint presentations sacrifice content for the sake of design or ‘decoration’, ie. “Presentations largely stand or fall on the quality, relevance, and integrity of the content… if your words or images are not on point, making them dance in colour won’t make them relevant. Audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure” (Tufte, 2003). This is an important consideration, ie. If teachers or students intend to use PowerPoint as a presentation medium, care needs to be taken to ensure that the content is meaningful and relevant. In a recent posting, Matt shares some interesting observations about commonly accessible technologies available in schools, and how these are not necessarily used to their full potential as tools for learning.

The author also comments on the way he perceives PowerPoint is being used in schools, stating that “rather than learning to write a report using sentences, children are being taught to formulate client pitches and infomercials…” (Tufte, 2003). Although perhaps controversial, Tufte’s remarks provide food for thought about appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology in educational contexts. Whether the planned activity involves online or face-to-face approaches, the key question that teachers must ask is: Will this task enhance teaching and learning?

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmv/98787687

Don’t get me wrong – I love technology – but we have all had at least one of those frustrating computer moments, when something goes awry and all Word documents are lost…

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzanneandsimon/280724228

Click here to view digital story about becoming a primary school teacher. The video may take a few seconds to load…

After reading this thought-provoking article describing the commonalities and differences between ‘Constructivism’ and ‘Constructionism’, I was inspired to develop my own digital sand castle (Harel, 2003) to summarise the article and key elements of the two theories. I created the cartoon image below using Comic Life.

Images sourced from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angusf/2336427795 and http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowjianwei/2400861228

References: Ackermann, E. (2001). Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the difference? Retrieved April 7, 2008, from: http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf

Harel, I. (2003). Sand castles go digital. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from:
http://www.mamamedia.com/areas/grownups/new/21_learning/sand_castles.html

Here is a vodcast about a good website for kids that I have recently come across.

Ok, so this post is a little bit political…

I wanted to share a poem that I wrote last year. No War was inspired by the message written on the Sydney Opera House, protesting the Iraq war.

Near and far the bodies are scattered
Old and young all covered in blood

Weapons of mass destruction nowhere to be found
Allied soldiers and Iraqi civilians dead, side by side
Respect for human life forgotten in the pursuit of oil.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/epacris/1359046195

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

– Martin Luther King Jnr. Image source (accessed April 4, 2008) from: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

Martin Luther King Jnr was assassinated 40 years ago today. An inspirational leader and tireless campaigner for civil rights, his profound words advocating equality and the brotherhood of mankind are as relevant today as they were during his lifetime.

The challenge of continuing his legacy and realising the dream falls upon our shoulders — as students, teachers, and as members of the human race.

Download I Have a Dream — Martin Luther King Jnr. Podcast featured on this website. For further reading click here.

Posted by g_morris at TeacherTube.com

If you are in the mood for a bit of light relief, have a look at this video. Abbott and Costello attempt a mathematical problem. There are a range of possible educational applications for the video, eg. in terms of exploring the language of mathematics or analysing the use of humour and dramatic effects in conveying a message to an audience. It’s also great for a laugh! Yet another benefit provided by the world wide web – access to gems like this, that may otherwise be lost in the archives.

Bek refers to another great video (also posted on TeacherTube), about using technology in the classroom. She provides a good summary and critique – I don’t want to give too much away here, for those who haven’t yet seen the video – if you are interested you can read more in her posting. It is a powerful video, with a compelling message for current and future teachers. Intrigued? It’s well worth putting aside a few minutes to watch the whole thing.

What am I passionate about? Music, education and increasingly – technology. I am enjoying exploring new and emerging technologies, and investigating ways in which they may be used to enhance teaching and learning.

Click here to listen to my podcast.