learningblog

Danny’s article on mathletics identified some web based mathematics learning software used at many Australian schools. I have worked with a class using this, and the students responded positively to it. There is an element of play in the software, where students create their own identity as a character, which they can add accessories to, [...]

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I was reading Romeo’s article and thinking about one of the main problems of technology that Plainville High didn’t seem to suffer from. That is the variety of formats, application software, interfaces (hard and soft), compatibility issues, different operating systems to name a few. I think this is the main barrier to use of technology [...]

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I like the idea of using GPL software as discussed in Nicolas’ post. This sounds like a good way to make education more cost effective. However
1.  I am unsure how compatible for instance ‘Open office’ is with ‘Microsoft office’. Due to the pervasiveness of the latter, could this cause problems in communication?
2. Do large companies [...]

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I found this article by Ackermann very helpful in distinguishing between Constructivism and Constructionism. The seperate ideas from Papert and Piaget of ‘dwelling in’ and ’stepping back’ are integrated into a complementary approach to learning that makes a lot of sense. In my KLA of Maths/Science, a good example is the wavicle model of Quantum physics [...]

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Sana’s post on the use of the use of technology to help students with special needs raises many ideas I had not considered before. The idea of intellectually mild students using the internet to research topics, and then exchange thoughts and ideas with others in a collaborative environment would definitely help both their learning and social [...]

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Although I use computers, this has been principally limited to basic word, excel and googling on the internet. The gap to how today’s teenagers use digital technology is immense. As a student teacher, it is essential that I bridge this gap to be able to communicate ideas and concepts more effectively using the students communication medium of [...]

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Comment on ‘Listen to the Natives’ by Marc Prensky (http://www.ascd.org/authors/ed_lead/el200512_prensky.html)
 
This article suggests the idea of the present generation being digital natives, and older generations digital immigrants. This concept is useful in considering differences in learning, but we should be careful not to stretch it too far. Some previous generations are digitally competent, but they use these [...]

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The question What sort of adults will the children of the digital era become? (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/differenceofopinion/episodes/episode_11.htm) This got me thinking about similar questions asked of previous generations. The pre-home computer generation have a lot of trouble using computers. As computers came down in price, they became ubiquitous at home and work. The generation that grew up [...]

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I found Lee Raine’s article (http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/digitalnatives/index.htm) thought provoking, for example regarding how different he finds the millenium generation to their parents in their use of technology. I (along with other members of my generation) find these tools useful, but we did not grow up with them. For many of us the internet is the first port [...]

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My name is Don. I am interested in the use of digital technology in improving learning outcomes for students in secondary school.
 
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Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/817669/Made available under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/817669/

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