The syllabus and the Curriculum are different? I had a hard time reading the readings as i wasn’t fully aware of what the Curriculum actually was and how it differed from the syllabus. However, after reading Chapter 6 I came to realise the complexity and ambiguity surrounding the idea. What astounded me was the idea that although, yes, you can carry the outcomes in your briefcase, the curriculum is not a physical document so much as it is a complex interraction between the teacher, student, environment and syllabus outcomes and what can, has and will be achieved in the classroom. This, along with the notion that the Curriculum is, paraphrasing Chruchill, not merely a set course or route to follow but the bare minimum of what should be taught and achieved in any classroom. These can be added to by teachers if they feel they are within their rights and it needs to be taught. Freedom in the classroom, wonders will never cease.
Spady’s belief in a macro view of the learning achievements, assessments and outcomes is one I strongly believe in too, if only for the practical reason ” You can help a few people a lot, or a lot of people a little.” He advocates though, by focusing on the broader ideas and providing quality guidelines for these areas, we can help the ” a lot of people” more then just a little. His incorporation of behavioral outcomes also intrigued me. That students behaviors affect the objectives in a broader sense and not just on the micro (Classroom) level.
Finally! Education linked to fun in a meaningful way! I have played wow in the past and while it is easy to progress to a level in the 20’s, it becomes exponentially more difficult to level without acquiring the skills necessary. For example, a Tank must have a high degree of situational awareness as well as a very good understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of their abilities in order to keep the group alive. These critical analysis techniques fit in perfectly with my English KLA and whats more, it is easily skewed to incorporate Mathematical elements in the form of Damage per second etc. This is complemented very well by the social aspects of the game.
As a freelance player you may join any group you want, however in a guild you have social responsibilities that need to be dealt with in order to maintain that place. Etiquette is also a big deal when in a group, because certain items might make you a lot of money, but only benefit you slightly. This could be the reverse for anopther player in your group and you are therefore OBLIGED to let the item go to the other player. If you accumulate too many of these items, you break an unwritten but very obvious rule and may be kicked from the group. This positions students to be critical of their own behaviour and restrain themselves from any act of wanton cruelty or greediness.
While many of these aspects of the address the curriculum in indirect ways, they do contextualize a lot of the information and allow students ready access to a GAME that promotes learning, social interaction and pro activity.
Not to sound skeptical, but twitter in the classroom sounds really great if you have a group of students that are active in their own learning. If they are a little distracted or just plain don’t feel like learning, then permission to get on Facebook and Twitter would be, in my opinion, irresponsible of the teacher. Not to mention the damage that Facebook can have on a student in the form of bullying or photographs. Using these two technologies is a cop out for schools to say that, yes, we use ICT in school. We aren’t innovating but we are getting there.
On the other hand, the Virtual learning space is the epitome of what I see schools being able to do in the future. The physical design of the space was student derived, the activities position students to think critically and to research, analyse and discern possible outcomes. I was particularly interested in the one-on-one “Speed dating” sessions. They tick all of my boxes in a lesson plan. Engagement, fun, accountability, monitoring and student centered learning.
Like Steve said, “the Virtual learning environment is a tool… One of many”, and it would be impractical to bend the nail because the hammer is different. We need to find different hammers!!! I believe it is this use of dynamic, innovative and engaging ideas that the future of ICT in the classroom lies. Bending already popular social media like Twitter and Facebook to meet curriculum standards is a step backwards, and I believe education would benefit immensely from the banning of such sites in the classroom.
Lets try this again.
Wow. The open planned learning environments were amazing. Coming from a Catholic background of conformity and rigidity in classroom layout and activity design, it was quite an eye opening video. I was equally impressed by the bahviour of the individuals in the classroom and how they took their learning into their own hands to the point where disruptions in the environment did not warrant further attention.
I am, however, skeptical as to the practicality of this layout in a secondary setting as teenagers tend to devote a fair amount of time to social interactions, even to the detriment of their learning. This is where I believe the need for the use of portable ICT devices has arisen. If the students know they can interact with their friends at anytime, they are less likely to engage in whispered conversations at the back of the classroom. Not to mention the educational benefits of these devices in bringing up to the minute content straight to the hands of the students, allowing a more tactile and engaging approach to their learning. The constraints, obviously also play a major role in the use of such ICT equipment, with privacy and safety a large issue. Use of such devices must also be balanced with respect for the older systems of teaching. A pen and paper, while a finitely, can still let you read the notes you have written without changing format and are never at risk of crashing. It also auto saves.
Finally, I was surprised that the Victorian government has actually put their backing behind a number of Android and Itunes applications that can further the students learning. It will be interesting to see whether this is just a fad of the government to win support for another tax, or the beginnings of a concerted effort to implement ICT in the classroom and bring schooling into the 21st Century.
chrishra23 