A bit late with this one as Easter intervened and I lost access to the internet for a few days while out of Perth. So, here are notes taken at the very well organised and inspirational Wintec professional development event for staff.
Merran Davis opened the proffessional development progrmme after karakia. Teaching quality program led by Julia Bruce has an objective to raise cababilities in using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Staff interested but at least half of staff not confident with using IT in teaching. So inspire tech organized, a two day PD program.
Keynote to start things going with Mark Nichols now Executive Director for Faculty at the Open Polytechnic. His work on elearning summarised well in his e-ako series. Topic extend, enhance, excite, engage and above all educate. Mark spoke about the importance of pedagogy and how technology can enhance learning. Covered understanding learning, is extend, enhance, excite and engage the focus? How does technology help? Eleaning can be defined as pedagogy empowered by technology.
Cautioned about the seduction of technocentrism whereas sound pedagogy utilizes appropriate technology suitable to subject, content and student. So not content but process important.
Should elearning move into a deeper realm. Where to? Social media learning? Does information availability make education redundant? How can elearning be unlocked? How can information be useful for education? Introduced the following books that discuss the pluses and minuses of digital revolution.
Google and the myth of universal knowledge - Jeanneney 2007
Here comes everyone - shirky 2008
Cult of amateur - Keen, 2007
Dumbest generation - Bauerlein 2009
Shallow generation - what Internet is doing to our brain - Carr 2010.
Mcneely 2010 makes the link with short term memory as stimulus working memory and information but long term memory as education. Perhaps, stimulus - excite and info - enhance, excite engage not main aim of education! What is our role as educator? Helping to form mental schema, transform perspectives and help them become xxx.
Some guides offered.
Diana Laurillard - conversational framework of learning - dialogue leading to a particular goal. Education is an alignment of the understanding between student and teacher.
Mezirow 2000 - transformative learning from whist we know to how we know. Adapted by king 2009 into four steps.
Mark provided five principles for learning application
Focus on end not the means
Aim to be conversational
Keep the subject at the centre
Emphasis feedback and conceptual understanding
Be shamelessly transformative.
I faciliated two workshops at this event. The one in the morning as a general introduction to Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 possibilities. A change to evaluate a range of e tools for helping to enhance student learning. After lunch, a workshop on mobile learning tools. Both sessions attended by keen tutors, so I hope they will follow through and introduce at least one form of IT into their teaching practice next term.
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