Seasons Greetings

Hi All,
Happy to know that we are nearing the end of this module. Seasons greetings.

Activity 10: Flipped Classroom

In flipped classroom teachers assign pre-class homework consisting of brief, recorded lectures and presentations, digital readings with collaborative annotation capabilities, and discussion board participation. This frees up classroom time to promote active learning through collaborative, project-based learning using simple display and sharing tools. The flipped classrooms open the doors for teachers to communicate and guide their student's learning instead of being the end-all-be-all of the content. When students are given the opportunity to self-drive their basic learning, they can create stronger connections to the information.

All teachers should be cautious when deciding to use the flipped classroom. Lectures can be disengaging, but at the same time, the lecturer can use props and different ways of speaking in short periods of time to engage the audience. 

Activity 9: Cellphones in the Classroom

Cellphones, like other devices have their pros and cons

Pros

•          Cell Phones Can Help Students Be More Organize
•          Alleviates Strain on the school's network.
•          It Speeds Up Information Retrieval
•          Allows Us to Teach students Digital Responsibility and Citizenship
•      It sets a Model for Effective Change and Innovation

Cons

•    They lead to disruptions in class
•  Possible cheating on tests
•  Texting may affect spelling and writing in the classroom setting because of language used
•  Gang rivalry and  after school fights

I think that issues such as theft of phones and students not having compatible phones will have to be ironed out before  before using cellphones in the classroom. The following could also be followed:

·  Upon entry and departure of class  ensure cell phones are turned off and stored in your backpack.

·  On days when not using cell phones for learning ensure they are set to silent.

·  Only use phones for learning purposes related to classwork.

· If you notice someone in the class using their cell phone inappropriately, remind them to use proper cell phone etiquette.

·  Strong crisis communication plan must be in place for dealing with issues such as cellphone theft.

Activity 8:Managing online communication and collaboration

The use of social networks in the classroom is quite prevalent in today’s society. Such powerful technologies have their dangers and society is still struggling to react adequately to the issues raised. pupils are way ahead of us with social networking, instant messaging, text and mobile use, although many young people lack an appreciation of online dangers and of the consequences of their actions.

E-Safety encompasses not only Internet technologies but also electronic communications such as mobile phones and wireless technology. It highlights the need to educate children and young people about the benefits, risks and responsibilities of using information technology. It provides safeguards and raises awareness to enable users to control their online experiences.

The Internet is an open communications channel. The World Wide Web, e-mail, blogs and social networking all transmit information using the Internet’s communication infrastructure internationally at low cost. Anyone can send messages, discuss ideas and publish material with little restriction. These features of the Internet make it an invaluable resource used by millions of people every day.

Much of the material on the Internet is published for an adult audience and some is unsuitable for pupils. In addition, there is information on weapons, crime and racism access to which would be more restricted elsewhere. Pupils must also learn that publishing personal information could compromise their security and that of others.

Activity 7: Learning with Tablets

Learning with tablets can enable teachers to implement individualized learning curriculum more easily, freeing the teacher to produce a more effective learner experience for the class as a whole. Tablet computers open an immense range of possibilities for learning. In addition to the benefits of being green technology and digital textbooks being faster and cheaper to produce, they can eliminate the need for other single-purpose machines. With the right technical support, tablets are fairly easy to learn how to use and can be a valuable tool in lesson preparation and presentation.

Why use Tablets?

Ø  The tablets are easy to personalize, carry around and flexible to use.

Ø   The increasing megapixel count and better optics would enable teacher to utilize camera in lessons.

Ø  Tablets offer a good battery backup that last between six to ten hours on continuous usage

Ø   Tablets have limited storage capacity    

Ø  Typing long documents can prove to be difficult  so plan activities accordingly

Ø  Caters to the needs of diverse learners.

Ø  They offer enhanced ebooks featuring images, video and audio which are impossible to include in print or in a standard ebook.

Activity 6: One to One learning

One-to-one learning helps students of all ages to improve their academic performance and build their confidence as well as develop life-long learning skills.  Diagnostic evaluations, prescriptive one on one tutoring and small group activities help one to one learning to thrive. Students are able to enhance, remediate and advance their skills with One to One support due to the prescriptive nature.  

Activity5:Interactive Whiteboard

An interactive whiteboard is an instructional tool that allows computer images to be displayed onto a board using a digital projector. The instructor can then manipulate the elements on the board by using his finger as a mouse, directly on the screen. Items can be dragged, clicked and copied and the lecturer can hand write notes, which can be transformed into text and saved. Interactive whiteboards are powerful classroom tools and they have the potential to improve students’ academic performance and create various learning opportunities once they are properly integrated into teaching and learning. I think IWB's are excellent and can help to improve interactivity and collaboration once they are properly used. I have had training in using interactive whiteboards and found them to be very effective, especially when teaching difficult concepts. They can be useless tools and have the potential to impede learning if teachers do not plan carefully and manage classroom activities effectively.