Why blended learning and e portfolios

Our new
information
landscape

We do not talk about ICT any more
It is e-learning (P36 of Curriculum Document)

Teachers are now expected to use e-learning in
developing their own pedagogy

Previously we used Web 1 tools: - paper-based
We did things online to print them off –retrieving
info from the net

Web 2 tools:- e-learning
Communication, user control, creativity,
collaboration, multiple tools, sharing and
contributing
What are you doing in your learning areas that
would be considered e-learning?

Which of the following tasks would match with which levels
of Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Web 2 tools, wiki,
Creating blogs, podcasting,
video-presenting,
gaming designing,
Evaluating
digital recording,
reviewing, animation
Analysing
Surveying, digital
__________ photography,
Applying publishing
Word –processing,
Understanding tables, email, phone,
image editing
Remembering

location
dependent? location
independent?

I sell
books!

I’m an
accountant!

I have
an idea!

Can someone overseas
do it cheaper?

Can a computer
do it faster?

Societally functional

Mastery of information
landscape

Economically productive

The fundamental dilemma

but now are
expected to
do this
Schools were
designed
for this …

global awareness effective speaking

critical thinking problem solving
adaptability information literacy
collaboration creativity
media fluency analytical skills

entrepeneurialism
innovation effective writing
synthesis curiosity

So much has changed in the last 30 years

DO YOU REMEMBER THESE?

Why Blended Learning and
ePortfolios?
Are we moving with the times?

So is our school system preparing students for work in a future world?

The biggest barrier to change is our mental image of what we think schools should look
like. We still teach what we value as important.

The skills we have historically taught are converging.

Students need to be creative thinkers to help them do things nobody else can,
critical thinkers and
problem-solvers.
(The skills needed to be an effective global citizen.)

How is that reflected in our curriculum development? What should we be doing in the
junior school to prepare students for this?
eg We need to stop students from cutting and pasting from the net. They need to select
and evaluate information

While we teach
whatever we
teach at school,
the kids go home
and learn the
skills they need to
survive and
prosper in an
interconnected
global economy.
Clarence Fisher

No amount of technology will improve learning without the right level of teacher
commitment and expertise in the use of the technology tools.

We need support both from people who can advise and show us how to use the tools
and form the technical support team who set up the systems in the school.

We need to identify our goals in using the online tools. They need to give “added value”
– to make something possible that could not otherwise have been achieved.

“Technology is only perceived as a valuable tool when it supports valued professional
goals, such as the development of collegial reflective practice and lifelong learning. “
(quoted from “e-schooling. Global messages form a small island”, by R Austin and J Anderson, 2008 P58)

Technology should be used in communicating, creating, researching, calculating, testing,
experimenting, presenting.

It is part of the way we live in the 21st Century

No one will thank you
for taking care of
today
if you have failed
to take care of
tomorrow.
Joel Barker

With thanks to Scott
McLeod, J.D., Ph.D.
Director, CASTLE
www.scottmcleod.net
For his slides and inspiration

The following introduce a more
practical introduction to using
Web 2 tools
Blended Learning and ePortfolios

Key terms:
Web 2 tools - very powerful for engaging students
eg youtube video clips, Voicethread , Slideshare, glogster , podcasts, blogspot.com,
wordpress.com, weebly.com, wordle, scratch, prezi, wallwisher, xtranormal.com, quia,
quizlet, BBC schools.com
The use of visual tools is a powerful aid for visual learners. When visual depiction or
animation is combined with text or audio, learning can be more deeply processed. Visual
tools could be video-clips, mind-mapping tools, diagrams, even arrows, boxes and
numbering.
Cloud computing –using a server that is off site (Christchurch)- egGoogledocs, My Portfolio,
Moodle

It is important not to try and use too much
We can start with
A Moodle course - a base for resources, that students can access online at home or at
school
Forums as part of the Moodle – to extend classroom discussion and offer opportunities for
reflection
Blogs – in an ePortfolio as a reflective journal on their progress and as a base to store
examples of best work. These have been proven to focus the learner on their
accomplishments and weaknesses and allow them to analyse them and plan for future
steps

Engaging students:
A balance must be maintained between f2f and online work so students don’t die of
“death by powerPoint”

Rules and expectations need to be set up.
ie a clear code of conduct with online work.

Teachers need to explain the purpose of blogging or a reflective journal and how it relates
to their course objectives. They need to model contributions to forums, establishing
ground rules of minimum length and frequency of responses.
A 3 sentence rule has been found to be very successful for participation in blogs or
forums:
Sentence 1 - a response to a previous post
Sentence 2 - an opinion “I believe that…”
Sentence 3 – provide something meaningful with depth of thinking
Research shows that even just telling students to write 3 sentences minimum has gone a
long way toward enhancing critical thinking, interactivity and depth in online discussions.
We also need to teach students the importance of cross-referencing (ie check 3 different
sources –google, wikipedia and answers.com) they must triangulate info to ensure it is
correct

A programme in an Irish school called “Dissolving boundaries” has been set up
where teachers plan programmes of joint work between different schools, that
offer opportunities for the exploration of similarities and differences and are
based on collaborative learning.
The interaction between the students helps build key citizenship skills of listening,
clarifying meaning, working towards a common goal and clarifying differences.
Linking schools through collaborative partnerships in e-learning is one of the
more interesting possibilities.

The internet is only about 13 years old and the information revolution is
moving incredibly fast. Thought needs to go into what needs to go –we can’t
keep piling more and more onto our plate.
eg A point of debate is writing skills – what they write is more important
than the appearance or presentation.

When you are assessing, you need to know, what you are assessing for.
Are there times when the quality of the response is more important than the
presentation?

Skills required in the world of the future are:

Analytical skills
Creativity
Curiosity, effective writing
Synthesis
Innovation
Collaboration
Critical thinking
Global awareness
Entrepreneurialism
Information literacy
Media fluency
Effective speaking
Adaptability
Problem-solving skills

These are skills that allow people to be adaptive in a rapidly
changing world
What opportunities are there in your area to develop these
skills?

No generation in history has ever been so
thoroughly prepared for the industrial age.
David Warlick

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=298 dangerouslyirrelevant.org

Blooms taxonomy has been tipped upside-down – so that the majority of the tasks are
in the creating and evaluating phases. It doesn’t mean that we forget about the
remembering and understanding, but it is embedded into the creative tasks

There is a change in focus in pedagogy now to promote
self-directed, student-centred learning, reflective practice,
formative feed-forward assessment with collaborative constructivist working.
The aim is to change student attitudes to learning and encourage them to develop into
life-long learners.

This brand new “information landscape” hasn’t changed since the invention of the
printing press –when only the rich had access to information (Only they could read).
If you could read, you had access to information, but it was very expensive to be a
content creator. Now anyone can be.
We are now side by side with the big information identities as Web2 is multi-
directional.
We are no longer the audience but part of a community.
The web is no longer an info –”push-out” space, where we used to look things up, but
an “interact space”. Students know this and expect it to be interactive.

Results: The technology revolution is destroying major aspects of society:

Newspapers, magazines,

TV, radio, music CD’s, (companies are struggling to survive),

Movie theatres, printed books,
(Amazon –say electronic versions of books are outselling hardback already – 1 year
ahead of expectations),

paper maps are now in phones, Real Estate agents,

travel agents, postal service,

banks (-personal banking), medicine,

Students on campus (many are now online) –University of Phoenix 500,000 online

politics (blogs and twitter)

It is an Information Revolution and we need to change or go under

The following slides are the feedback from research I carried out amongst the
staff last year, to establish what barriers and concerns existed and how ready we
were as a school to start using new online tools

Results of surveys 2010 amongst our own staff

Perceptions and support for online learning

Online learning was seen as:

Good for research and accessing resources at the student’s own pace

Adding more variety to lessons and offering different perspectives and teaching styles and giving
access to resources, eg virtual field trips /expertise /subjects otherwise unavailable

the way to go in order to keep up with the changes in the 21st Century

reinforcing classroom learning and is therefore best as blended learning – a mixture of face to
face and online learning.

many different tools including Moodle, Mahara, and VC – enabling conversations to happen
across a group of people that are not able to meet face to face

Issues

• Most staff are very positive towards online teaching but several feel ill equipped to teach this way
or frustration at technology that is unreliable –eg networks not functioning, sites down or technical
hassles.
• For online teaching and learning to succeed it needs to be regular to maintain skills, equipment
must work and back up skills are necessary.
• Some noted the lack of social interaction and need for self-motivation if students were to stay
focussed.
• Another concern was the fact that some students do not have internet access at home, but of
those surveyed over 90% did.
• 100% of those surveyed are interested in finding out about how to incorporate more online learning
and share information with other teachers and schools.

Advantages for students were identified as follows

This is the medium they know/expect. Most are more competent in using this technology than the
“old” technology of pens, books, etc

Students are used to integrating it into their life now

It opens minds to a wide range of up to date material

Rural location would be less of a barrier because online learning would give access to most recent
resources

Using computers fosters inquisitiveness, they love using them so they are more engaged

It is ubiquitous. Students can work from anywhere and always have their resources at hand, giving
attention to questions and concerns as they arise and accessing info at their own level

Can be used for reflection and feedback, revision, extension

Parental involvement

It is the way of the future – they need these skills

Less paper

More access to learning area content in a different way

Caters for different learning styles,

Disadvantages perceived were:

• They need to be taught discrimination of sites and use.

• E-books –costly

• Lack of personal approach

• Computers/internet not working properly, sometimes not the best use of time

• Social contact can lessen - hence the importance of face to face learning as well. It’s all about a
healthy balance

• Not all students will involve themselves.

• Need to keep them motivated to use the sites

• Literacy skills – difficulties with research and sifting info

Blended Learning

• All staff felt that a combination of face to face and online learning was best because of different
learning styles of students and the need for a variety of approaches.

• Face to face is important for immediate feedback and collective or collaborative work also.

• Teachers need to be available to add detail or elaboration to assist understanding and monitor
student progress.

• By guiding students in use of the online resources, time can be saved and as this is a vehicle that
students already use confidently for personal gain, it seems natural that we should be taking
advantage of it.

• It also gives flexibility in learning time for students, and provides extension and revision and
opportunities for interaction with other students around the country (or in the languages dept – in
other countries).

Concerns here really only involved access to the computer suites that can be booked, and the
need for students to learn discrimination in use or choice of information on some sites.

Student attitudes

All students involved with video conferencing were confident using equipment

Most find they usually have access to computers when they need it

Nearly all have access at home (5% don’t)

15% don’t have Broadband

40% don’t find it easy to access help, when using the internet in class, but most obtain it
from classmates

All are confident using websites

25% would prefer not to use computers more in lessons

Those who would, would do so
• for online language learning programmes and links to language learners in other towns or
target countries
to provide more info in perhaps a clearer format
to listen to podcasts or recordings of music
for word processing and presentation of work

Main problems with using computers more in classrooms were
• The need for more computers for equal access
• Speed
• Several students mentioned that they get sidetracked on different sites
• Some recognised the need to update from windows 2003 to 2007 to access certain
documents and presentation

Aspects of technology that they liked to use when learning were
• Using MP3 players or Ipods to access music while they work. They say it helps them focus
• Using podcasts and other recordings on Ipods to revise – especially in languages.
95% had an Ipod and 40% knew how to download recordings from the computer onto
their Ipods. – a skill I would need them to have.
• DVDs for up to date visuals and computers with data projectors as we do not have ready
access to smart boards

Some of the more traditional teaching/learning methods preferred included
• the use of songs, posters and flashcards to aid memorising and for fun,
• games as interactive and personal ways of working together
• practical hands-on activities
• Many preferred to have the personal approach with the opportunity to get immediate
feedback and social interaction

Part B: Resources

Current systems at WGHS
We have 32 bit intel based hardware, Windows xp and server 2003. (This has been updated in 2011) We
have 5 servers running server 2003, 180 PC’s and laptops for staff. Nearly all staff (30) have a laptop through
the 3 year lease programme.

Our network system is Fibre backbone with Cat 5e and Cat 6 outlets. There is also wireless access for the
school hostel, the music department and one or two computers on a wireless port. Our internet provider is
Telecom sina for schoolzone.

Over recent years we have increased the number of computers in the school and have just completed the
building of a new computer block with three rooms of thirty computers. One of these is permanently
timetabled and one is available for booking through the school intranet for classes as required. There is also
another pod of computers in the Janet Frame room off the library that can also be booked for class groups.

Our involvement in a 3 year ICT PD Contract from 2004-6, allowed us access to lots of professional
development across all departments and this increased the confidence and competence of many in using ICT
technology. Data projectors are now used widely and 2 classrooms have interactive whiteboards. There is a
separate video conferencing room used by 9 students and some staff. Almost all classrooms have free-
standing computers or at least a teacher laptop. Very few students work with a laptop rather than paper but
we have had students use a laptop when circumstances prevented them using normal books – eg disabilities.
Laptops and computers are also used extensively in the special needs learning centre.

Computer access in our school

Both staff and students have email access and can access the intranet via the web
An education programme is delivered by Netsafe every 3 years, where representatives come to school and talk
to year groups and the public. Student internet access is monitored and checked and all students sign a
cybersafety contract to ensure that internet use is safe and a positive experience for students and staff.

All staff asked said they had access to computers in their room, but most only had one PC and perhaps their
own laptop. Reliability of these computers was very poor, eg slow or unable to access some sites or data.

100% of those asked said they had booked and used one or more of the computer rooms for whole class use,
but it is difficult to get a booking when required, due to increased demand. Bookings were usually in 3-5 day
blocks.

Most people use a computer in their classroom teaching from once a week to once a month.
Individual staff in commerce, English and Maths are using computers every day, while others in the same
departments would use them once a term. Those who did not use them often were frustrated with slow
computers, or the inability to book the computer rooms when needed.

Conclusion:
Students do therefore have the ability to access material on the school intranet site from home but this is
only in early stages of development and a Moodle site such as Educo would offer more flexibility. There is a
need for more computers or more bookable computers- and perhaps new computers to replace unreliable
ones, but more technical support would help here. The idea of class sets of laptops has also been mooted.

Mid-Tech Scenario
After reading Ko & Rossen’s article, Teaching Online, A Practical Guide of 2001, it is clear that we
fit into the mid-tech scenario, as most of the points mentioned apply to us.

Our website has links to other sites and is run by a webmaster, we have our own intranet system
which could lift us into the next category (high-tech), but this is used to varying degrees by all staff
and students at this stage and its possibilities are still being explored. It is used very successfully as
an information board and for logging computer problems, but departments are only just beginning to
use it for student work. We are progressing towards a high-tech resource level through involvement
in the SCD project and new partnerships but do not have an online delivery partner or the computer
access of this level. We have four computer labs, 2 of which can be booked for class use and the
others may be accessed by arrangement. We have network cabling but our links with the internet
are not always reliable. Our students all have internet access at school, if not at home, but the
access is not always fast enough to meet requirements.

Very few staff belong to an e-cluster group, but there is online help and there are teacher links
online for History, Commerce, ICT, Languages and English teachers and those involved with
VC classes as part of the Aorakinet.

Only five replies indicated that they had used a Moodle site for a course before and most of
these were for their own PD or study. Those who had, were in the English, and Languages
departments, while another had used a Moodle site for courses in another school.

We do have a school intranet and have had PD on using this to provide support and resources
that can be accessed by students, as on a Moodle site, but it was interesting how few are
actually using it for this. Only 2 staff indicated that they are putting documents on the school
intranet for students to access. Some departments are, however, working with the ICT dept to
create department web pages that may develop this idea further

This information highlighted a need for PD in how to use sites such as Moodle and to search out links for
support for different departments.

Another priority would be to get more technician support if we were to try using computers/ online work
more in the future – perhaps a technician who could also offer PD

Key hurdles identified by staff before it would be possible to integrate more online
learning are:

Access to reliable, fast(er) computers and another bookable room of computers “Everything
must be accessible and always accessible or it cannot be used successfully”
Time to put together resources
PD- how these things work –set-up, management, development of documents and
suggestions of how it could be integrated into current programmes,
Need for a Tech-Angel support system
a united approach by all teachers; “if we had more teachers using the intranet, students would
value it more” and “a school wide vision of what we need and where we are heading with
technology”
More regular or permanent technician access
A need for students to have memory sticks to keep files alongside e-portfolios

Conclusions: main needs for resources included

A full time technician or better technical support - this was identified by many
Targeted training for staff in areas they select
A school wide strategy -This doesn’t need to happen overnight, but with a medium to long term
directive
Fast broadband, increased bandwidth
Newer computers in rooms and more Smartboards
Newer operating system – more regular updating so that new interactive sites will work
efficiently
Review of blocked sites eg Pictures on Wikipedia blocked by the school but are needed in
Geography

Why blended learning and e portfolios

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