week 8 reflections

Reflections week 8

We engaged with a number of fantastic resources again this week. We revisited the Hour of Code website to explore an Angry Birds maze: http://static-hoc.studio.code.org/?s=hoc
  This activity required students to think in logical steps and visualise outcomes before inputting instructions. I immediately recognised the map reading skills required and related this to the maths and geography curriculums: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Search?q=maps
The activity required logical thinking and planning, entering instructions, trialing and progression to the next level where deeper logical thinking is needed. Aimed at the right age level (I imagine years 3-4), this is a very engaging way to involve students in basic coding for two reasons: it involves a game and it involves Angry Birds.

I downloaded the unplugged resources from http://teachinglondoncomputing.org/resources/primary-school-resources/ for future reference. While I haven't explored them fully yet, I am sure they will be of use in addressing curriculum requirements for coding introduction in contexts without a lot of designated one-to-one ICT availability.

The following video retrieved from https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=13735
explains the algorithm concept beautifully as a sequence of steps towards an outcome. These steps may or may not include variables and outcome options. I can plainly see here how learning experiences can progress along a continuum that builds logical thinking skills from prep (algorithmic thinking might involve listing steps and direction to the library or tuck-shop, even as blindfold game) to higher primary where variables and their effects on outcomes can be factored in (hour of code activities, SCRATCH resources). This video is actually a resource from www.altv.vic.edu.au where teachers can also source example activities to assist with implementation of the curriculum.


Again, I recognise opportunities for cross-curricula application of algorithms. Organising steps in a sequence links to procedure writing (English), scientific reporting (explaining investigation steps and variables). And of course flowcharts are an invaluable resource for illustrating algorithms and thinking through steps and variable effects.

Other resources that I am keen to explore further for classroom application are

• http://blabberize.com/
• http://twolivesleft.com/CargoBot/ (iPad app)
• https://www.allcancode.com/ (Run Marco)
• http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/learn-to-program (lego mindstorms)
• http://scratch.redware.com/lessonplan/makeagame (Scratch game making)

I do feel that I am now in a position where I can answer the question, "Why are we learning this?" with confidence and conviction. My answer would be, "because being able to think in logical steps and being able to communicate these steps to people are life skills that will help you to get through any situation in life. You are problem solvers and designers. Our learning journey will see you become clever and thoughtful problem solvers who are able to plan, implement and follow through on solutions for any situation."

As a final note, I have learned that the school where I am doing my prac placement with year 1 does have a robotics program for years 5 and 6. I intend to 'crash' a few of these sessions to observe the program in practice. In my book, any learning experience that students engage in with enthusiasm is great, especially when they realise the skills that are in their possession. Enabling students to feel successful and capable works on so many levels to achieve successful learning outcomes.
Programs such as 'robotics' seem a brilliant way to bring together technology learning from earlier grades and give it real purpose for students. I look forward to observing the program in action and hopefully becoming involved in it. Students wouldn't even realise the knowledge they apply amidst the fun of the challenge. How wonderful for a teacher to be able to point it out and explicitly link to prior learning, where perhaps the question was asked, "Why are we learning this?"

week 7 reflections

Code monster:
http://www.crunchzilla.com/code-monster
 is a fabulous exercise in giving coded instructions and watching the results. It is a great introduction to how codes affect instructions to computers but for me, it needs better linking for classroom use. In essence, we are changing numbers to change an object on the screen. Personally, I am worried that students will ask, "how does the computer know what each number means?" I can't answer this. Programmers have this expertise. If we introduce students to coding we need to be able to follow through or they will hit a wall in their learning. I see coding as a potentially fantastic maths area to teach but don't feel competent at explaining it as 'computer language'.
I wholeheartedly embrace technology and its use in the classroom. I love the mathematical concepts of coding. The thinking patterns involved in understanding binary coding are beautifully mathematic and can easily be taught as 'logical thinking'. This, I can justify to students. I would rather teach coding as a mathematics topics than as digital technology, at least until I can explain this link properly...

Ideally, I'd like to be able to articulate the links between binary and computer programming like these guys:
 http://mic.com/articles/85281/14-beautiful-images-that-math-nerds-will-geek-out-over

I engaged with some of the other suggested resources this week:

1. The YouTube clip about basic PC parts. I found this very useful in refreshing/enhancing my knowledge of PC components and would consider playing it for students. For younger grades I might reword it or translate it into an age appropriate powerpoint myself.


2. The 'Build a computer' activity: www.avcoonline.avc.edfu/ebeyer/interactions/
was useful in seeing how components are housed inside a computer although it still included a floppy drive.
3. The 'build a network activity: www.teach-ict.com was useful in seeing how networks are linked. I would incorporate follow-up learning along the lines of hub vs switch, individual printers vs printer server and the different types of cables.
4. Given my limited knowledge about teaching digital technology I followed Wendy's recommendation and purchased Lessons in Teaching Computing in Primary Schools. I went for the hard copy version rather than online as I'm a bit old school and prefer to read from paper.

 

 

5. I viewed this short clip about how the internet works. I have only one word - mindblowing. I would certainly use this in the classroom for all ages.



 

6. Visual Literacy - chapter 5 of Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School (Younie et.al 2015).
This chapter illustrated the potential for using concept maps and graphic organisers as teaching strategies  for encouraging creative problem solving. The research findings on page 59 highlight the benefits to learning outcomes from embedding these strategies into pedagogy.
The usefulness of graphic organisers in designing learning experiences is a concept I am familiar with and already embrace from exposure to Dimensions of Learning (Marzano et.al 1997) in other subjects. Using digital formats just yells about how easy it is to incorporate ICT across all subjects.
I do need to spend time developing my own competencies in digital concept mapping so I can hope to realise their rich potential for enhanced learning experiences.

References
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., Moffett, C., Paynter, D.,    Pollock, J. and Whisler, J. (1997). Dimensions of Learning Teacher's Manual. Alexandria, USA: ASCD.

Younie, S., Leask, M. and Burden, K. (Eds). (2015). Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

week 6 reflections

 Digital Technologies

We have commenced the digital technologies component of the course this week. The first section is exploring coding. In terms of computer programming, my experience is nil. As a computer user, I understand the very basics of keys and buttons representing instructions to the software. I have never actually created a programme and I view software programs as highly complex systems. So I am dubious about how to incorporate 'coding'  into pedagogy because of my lack of understanding. To teach effectively, one needs to understand the content and ideally, have a passion for it. I enjoy maths and have a good grasp on mathematical concepts so hopefully this will translate to  a good understanding of coding principles and processes.

We visited binary code this week. I vaguely remembered it from school. The concept is easy to understand and games would be a great way to teach it. I still struggle with relating it to computer language' though.

How do I answer the question, "Why are we learning this?"

I hope to answer this over the next couple of weeks.

I found the following article posted on the moodle site a good place to start.
Article : www.districtadministration.com/article/coding
 The article discusses computer coding in the curriculums of American schools. Computer science instruction is vital "to give students critical job skills". Computer coding teaches logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking and structured problem solving skills. The cross curricula potential for these skills is obvious and a link is made between improved algebra results and increased computer science lessons.

I explored  this website that offers activities to introduce coding to students:

http://studio.code.org/

http://studio.code.org/flappy/1

Whilst the activities are very engaging for students, I am unsure of their genuine learning quality. I felt it involved reading instructions then clicking and dragging to correct positions, kind of like a multiple choice exercise. I'm not sure that students would necessarily make connections between coding and what they are doing. I will explore the site further as there were some paper based activities that looked interesting and could be easily implemented in classrooms without one-to-one devices.

Design and Technologies - Assessment Task 1 Part A

Reflections on Practical and Pedagogical Issues with the Technology Design Cycle

The design and technologies curriculum rationale identifies a type of thinking required of students during their learning - 'design thinking', as opposed to the 'computational thinking 'of the digital technologies curriculum. For me, this is the essence of the design and technologies curriculum aims and rationale. So I have approached the technology design cycle as a resource to scaffold the thinking habits of students in this direction.
 
The following quote is a standout one for me from the technologies curriculum overview: 

"Australia needs enterprising individuals who can make discerning decisions about the development and use of technologies and who can independently and collaboratively develop solutions to complex challenges and contribute to sustainable patterns of living." (ACARA, 2015). 

 

The futures thinking emphasis is obvious and I, personally am excited about the opportunity to be able to participate and witness this part of  the curriculum as it grows and develops. Throughout the first half of EDCU12039 I have experienced an introduction to the teaching-learning process of design and technologies by employing the technology design cycle (http://mypdesign.weebly.com/). Initially I found the templates disjointed (http://designchallengesolution.wikispaces.com/Allison%27s+Page) in that I was looking for a logical flow of events that was obvious to learners. I felt that the thinking flow was somewhat interrupted and bogged down in red tape, especially for younger learners. The templates provided to us involved 'needs analysis', 'design specifications' and  'risk assessment'. And they were just the 'investigate' phase of the design process. In hindsight, I see that I needed to view the templates as completely adaptable tools for promoting the concepts that need to be considered. 
My initial misgivings were influenced by the fact that my final year practicuum placement is with a year 1 cohort where I am negotiating the fine line between mandated curriculum and prescribed lessons,  and futures thinking adaptability. I see so much potential for the technologies curriculum to be applied across the board, rather than as a separate subject, given the resources. This would solve the problem of negative connotations that technology earns as an extra subject in an already overcrowded curriculum (Jones, Bunting, de Vries, 2011). The design challenge I adopted for the purpose of introduction to the technology design cycle was a website format for recipes that use local seasonal produce. This context offers students authenticity and opportunity for genuine participation. Local produce abounds in this area and seasonal surplus in the form of over ripe offerings at markets (or at home in the fruit bowl) is a likely shared experience for students. A dedicated teacher could model this fact with a photographic journal of local market trips shown to the class for learners without such exposure at home. From this perspective, I really engaged with the Mawson article, Beyond the design Process: An Alternative Pedagogy for Technology Education (2003). Mawson highlighted the importance of immersion in context prior to consideration of a problem or issue. This seems an obvious thing to do yet we fail to find the time for such luxuries in learning. How can students fully understand a concept as a problem or issue and be able to consider possible solutions without knowledge of its origins and impacts? Immersion is entirely possible and easy when the subject is utilised as a cross curricular one. This situation holds potential links to science (cooking processes), SOSE (sustainability and local environments/economics), english (recipe writing, procedures, digital literacies).
The recipe website offers opportunities for immersion, or context building with excursions, research, school garden potential. Following this, the design cycle can be utilised:

Image retrieved from  http://mypdesign.weebly.com/

 

The context building allows for problem identification, planning, creation and evaluation in a more authentic way because learners understand the objective and goal properly.

As I explored the design cycle, peer feedback played an important role just as it would for students in the classroom as they collaborate in a design process. Peers offered valuable suggestions through our group wiki space ( http://designchallengesolution.wikispaces.com/) acknowledging the value of this learning experience and the directions it could take on cross-curricular paths (e.g. Indigenous perspectives). In turn, this feedback process offered me insight into others' interpretations for implementation of the process. The potential for online peer collaboration in a safe, secure forum offered by wikispaces needs to be acknowledged here also. I did consider individual contributions of recipes through wikispaces for the design challenge. The website option was chosen for ease of access and protection of content integrity.

 

References

Jones, A., Buntting, c. and de Vries, M.J. (2011). The developing field of technology education: a review to look forward. Int J Technol Des Educ 2013) 23:191-212.

Mawson, B. (2003). Beyond 'The Design Process': An Alternative Pedagogy for Technology Education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education 13. 117-128, 2003. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Week 3 - Design Challenge Reflection

Image retrieved from www.careerpsychology.com.au

 

The technology design cycle - seems a thoughtful way to implement the design and technologies curriculum and encourage "design thinking". The steps are logical and the wording easily adapted for age appropriateness. I am envisaging role play with my year 1 cohort where we pretend to be 'designers', think like them and plan like them..."This is how designers plan. What kind of designer are you?" We  could begin with a plan on paper where students imagine themselves as fashion designers, race car designers etc., to illustrate the design cycle before presenting the problem of excess seasonal local produce.

week 3

We conducted an expert jigsaw this week on our group wiki to deal with the volume of readings. I loved this idea suggested by Wendy.
My allocated reading was:

Beyond 'The Design Process': An Alternative Pedagogy for Technology Education. Brent Mawson

I found this a very wordy reading that was difficult to follow. The gist as I understood it is that technology education has historically been approached too rigidly as a linear step by step process of design.
The author cites Roberts and Norman (1999) in saying that design does not take place in a linear manner and to portray it in a simple diagram is not realistic. Children need to first understand the situation from which a problem is derived. Also they need to understand properties of available materials, rather than simply being given a problem and a diagram of steps to follow.

The suggested solution is to downplay the design process models and place more emphasis on skills and practices.

The suggested pedagogy is three interwoven stages:

1. immersion in the general context before the problem is introduced.

2. concurrent interweaving of five procedures - information gathering, designing the outcome, producing the outcome, reflecting on the process, child selected starting strategies. Regular peer presentation should occur throughout these stages.

3. formal presentation of outcome and evaluation of both it and the process towards it.

The standout point here for me is the first step. With richer contextual knowledge and experience, students are more likely to a) engage better with the problem and b) feel better equipped to solve the problem. The task becomes achievable for them and more authentic on the sense that they have been immersed in the situation.

Sheena's reading was Jones, Bunting and De Vries on the nature of the curriculum. After reading through her summary, this is my reflection:

A learning journey for all involved? How could we assess in technology? Wikis are a great tool to this end. ICT use can be incorporated across every subject. I don't know that it necessarily needs to be assessed as a separate subject. As a CCP, It can be the platform for summative assessment presentations for other subjects. I guess the limitation lies in classroom resources. Presently, most schools have a computer lab into which classes can book a weekly session. In the ideal world, one to one devices would be available for use in every classroom....

Week 2

Reading: Skills for the 21st C: Teaching higher order thinking (Robyn Collins)
Key messages:

• Harvard University developed Project Zero, a set of steps for exploring artworks that may be applied to other curriculum areas. They are exploring viewpoints, reasoning, questioning and investigating, observing and describing, comparing and connecting, and finding complexity.
• Bloom's Taxonomy's cognitive domain provides a framework for teachers to promote higher order thinking through 5 steps:

1. specifically teach language and concepts of higher order thinking
2. plan discussion time to tap into higher order thinking skills
3. explicitly teach subject concepts
4. provide scaffolding
5. consciously teach to encourage higher order thinking

Technologies Curriculum Aims and Rationale

Key Words	In Practice
Enterprising individuals
Solutions
Complex challenges
Contribute
Sustainable
Design thinking
Authentic needs
Computational thinking
Information systems
Digital solutions
Traditional, contemporary, emerging
Innovative
Practical nature
Critical and creative thinking
Interrelationships
Planning and reviewing processes to realise ideas
Experimentation
Problem-solving
Prototyping
Evaluation
Critical appreciation
Equity, ethics, personal, social values
Desirable sustainable patterns of living
Preferred futures
Investigate
Design
Plan
Manage
Create
Evaluate