Sunday, August 5, 2012
Lesson 15: Understanding Hypermedia
Tutorial software packages
Knowledge webpages
Simulation instructional games
Learning project management, and others
The presentation of information-learning activities in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non-linear manner, meaning that the learner may follow his path of activities thus providing an environment of learner autonomy and thinking skills.
Characteristics of hypermedia applications:
1. Learner control- the learner makes his own decisions on the path, flow of events of instruction.
2. Learner wide range of navigation routes- the learner has a wide range of navigation routes such as by working on concepts he is already familiar with. He may even follow a linear or logical path, even if the previous activity is half-completed. He may explore other sections opting to return or complete the previous activity.
3. Variety of media- Hypermedia includes more than one media (text, graphics, audio, animation and video clip) but does not necessarily use all types of media in one presentation. Since only virtual learning activity takes place, it is important from the standpoint of the teacher to optimize the learning process by identifying the characteristics of media application, as well as the advantages and limitations of such an application.
Lesson 14: The Software as an Educational Resource
When people think about computers, they
imagine the computer machine with monitor screen, keyboard, and “the box” or
CPU which contains the electronic parts and circuits. It is more difficult to
realize, however, that the computer hardware can hardly be useful without the
program or system that tells what the computer machine should do. This is also
called the software.
2 types of software:
1. Systems software- this is the operating
system that is found or bundled inside all computer machines.
2. Applications software- this contains the
system that commands the particular task or solves a particular problem.
Microsoft
Windows
This is also referred to as program.
Microsoft Windows or Windows for short is an operating environment between the
user and the computer operating system. Also called a shell, it is a layer that
creates the way the computer should work. Windows uses a colourful graphics
interface (called GUI- “gooee”) that can be seen on the computer screen or
monitor whenever the computer is turned on.
Instructional
Software
This can be visited on the internet or can
be bought from software shops or dealers. The teacher through his school should
decide on the best computer-based instructional (CBI) materials for the school
resource collection. But beware since CBIs need much improvement, while
web-based educational resources are either extremely good or what is complete
garbage.
Lesson 13: Cooperative Learning with the Computer
Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task. It is often also called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning, 5 elements are needed:
1.
common goal
2.
interdependence
3.
interaction
4.
individual accountability
5.
social skills
Cooperative
Learning and the Computer
Researchers
have made studies on the learning interaction between the student and the
computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear
that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the
development of the student's social skills.
Now
this mythical fear has been contradicted by the studies which show that when
students work with computers in groups
Lesson 12: Information Technology in Support of
Student-Centered Learning
The idea of student-centered learning is not a recent idea. In fact, as early as the 20th century, educational educators such as John Dewey argued for highly active and individualized pedagogical methods which place the student at the center of the teaching-learning process.
The Traditional Classroom
It may be observed that classrooms are usually arranged with neat columns and rows of student chairs or desks, while the teacher stands in front of the classroom or sits behind his table. This situation is necessitated by the need to maintain classroom discipline, also allows the teacher to control classroom activities through lecture presentation and teacher-led discussions.
Noticeably, however, after spending so many minutes in lesson presentation and class management, students can get restless and fidgety. Often enough, the teacher has to also manage misbehaviour in class as students start to talk among themselves or simply stare away in lack of attention.
The SCL Classroom
John Dewey has described traditional learning as a process in which the teacher pours information to student learners, much like pouring water from a jug into cups. This is based on the long accepted belief that the teacher must perform his role of teaching so that learning can occur. This learning approach is generally known as direct instruction, and it has worked well for obtaining many kinds of learning outcomes. The problem with it is that the approach in learning, however, is the fact that the world’s societies have began to change. It may not be felt strongly to countries in which on countries who depends mostly their economy to factory workers. Traditional and direct instruction is very useful in these countries.
In contrast, industrialized societies we find knowledge-based economies in which workers depend on information that can be accessed through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Desiring to gain effectiveness, efficiency and economy in administration, schools in these developed economies have also adopted the support of ICTs. Their students have now become active not passive learners, demonstrating independence and self-awareness in the learning process.
LESSON 11: Computer as the Teacher 's Tool
The Computer’s Capabilities
Informative Tool
The computer can provide vast amounts of information in various forms, such as text, graphics, sound, and video. Even multimedia encyclopedias are today available on the internet.
Communication Tool
The computer has been used in communication as evident by social networking sites as to facebook, twitter and friendster. We can even chat/talk friends and families anywhere in the globe through yahoo messenger or the one in facebook or view them through the webcam. We can send messages and information through the internet in just seconds or minutes.
Constructive Tool
The computer itself can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one’s understanding, and building new knowledge. The Microsoft Word computer program itself is a desktop publishing software that allows users to organize and present their ideas in attractive formats.
Co-constructive Tool
Students can use constructive tools to work cooperatively and construct a shared understanding of new knowledge. One way of co-construction is the use of the electronic whiteboard where students may post notices to a shared document/whiteboard. Students may also co-edit the same document from their homes.
Situating Tool
By means of virtual reality (RS) extension systems, the computer can create 3-D images on display to give the user the feeling that are situated in a virtual environment. A flight simulation program is an example of a situating tool which places the user in simulated flying environment.
Lesson 10 : The Computer as a Tutor
Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)
The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving teacher of many activities in his personal role as classroom tutor. It should be made clear, however, that the computer cannot totally replace the teacher since the teacher shall continue to play the major roles of information deliverer and learning environment controller. Even with the available computer and CAI software, the teacher must;
- Insure that students have the needed knowledge and skills for any computer
activity
- Decide the appropriate learning objectives
- Plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve objectives
- Evaluate the students’ achievements by ways of tests the specific expected outcomes.
On the other hand, the student in CAI play their own roles as learners as they;
- Receive information
- Understand instruction for the computer activity
- Retain/keep in mind the information and rules for the computer
activity
activity
- Apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning
During the computer activity proper in CAI the computer too plays its roles as it:
- Act as a sort of tutor (the role traditional played by the teacher)
- Provides a learning environment
- Delivers learning instruction
- Reinforces learning through drill and practice
- Provides feedback
Simulation Programs
Simulation Software materials are another kind of software that is constructivist in nature. This simulation software:
- Teacher strategies and rules applied to real-life problems/situation
- Ask students to make decision on models or scenarios
- Allow students to manipulate elements of a model and get the experience of the effect of their decisions
Instructional Games
While relating to low level learning objectives (e.g. basic spelling or math skills), instructional computer games add the elements of competition and challenge.
Problem Solving Software
These are more sophisticated than the drill and practice exercises and allow students to learn and improve on their own problem solving ability. Since problems cannot be solved simply by memorizing facts, the students have to employ higher thinking skills such as logic, recognition, reflection, and strategy-making.
Multimedia Encyclopedia and Electronic Books
The Multimedia Encyclopedia can score a huge database with text, images, animation, audio and video. Students can access any desired information, search it vast contents and even download/print relevant portions of the data for their composition or presentation. An example is the eyewitness children’s encyclopedia.Electronic Books provide textual information for reading supplemented by other types of multimedia information (sounds, spoken words, pictures, animation). These are useful for learning reading.
Lesson 9 : Computers as Information and Communication
Technology
The Personal Computer (PC) as ICT
Until the nineties, it was still possible to distinguish between instructional media and the educational communication media.
Instructional media consist of audio-visual aids that served to enhance and enrich the teaching-learning process. Examples are the blackboard, photo, film, and video
On the other hand, educational communication media comprise the media communication to audiences including learners using the print, film radio, and television or satellite means of communication. For example, distance learning were implemented using correspondence, radio, television or the computer satellite system
Close to the turn of the 21st century however, such a distinction merge owing to the advert of the microprocessor, also known as the personal computer (PC). This is due to the fact that the PC user at home, office and school has before him a tool for both audio-visual creations and media communication.
To illustrate, let’s examine the programs (capabilities) normally installed in an ordinary modern PC:
- Microsoft Office - program for composing text, graphics, photos into letters, articles, report, etc.
- Power point - for preparing lecture presentations.
- Excel - for spreadsheets and similar graphic sheets.
- Internet Explorer - access to the internet.
- Yahoo or Google - websites; e-mail, chat rooms, blog sites, news service (print/video) educational software etc.
- Adobe Reader - graphs/photo composition and editing.
- MSN - mail/chat messaging
- Windows media player - CD, VCD player, editing film/video
- Cyber Power - DVD player
- Gamehouse - video games
LESSON 8: Higher Thinking Skill through IT-Based Projects
Key Elements of a constructivist approach:
a) The teacher creating the learning environment.
a) The teacher creating the learning environment.
b) The teacher giving students the tool
c) The teacher facilitating learning.
Now let us see four IT-based projects conducive to develop higher thinking skills and creativity among learners.
I. RESOURCE-BASED PROJECTS
The teacher steps out of the traditional role of being an context expert and information provider, and instead lets the students find their own facts and information.
The general flows of events in resource-based projects are:
1.The teacher determines the topic for the examination of class
2.The teacher presents the problem to the class.
3.The students find information on the problem/questions.
4.Students organize their information in response to the problem/questions.
II. SIMPLE CREATIONS
In developing software, creativity as an outcome should not be equated with ingenuity or high intelligence. Creating is more consonant with planning, making, assembling, designing or building.
Three kinds of skills/abilities:
· Analyzing- distinguishing similarities and differences/ seeing the project as a problem to be solved.
· Synthesizing- making spontaneous connections among ideas, does generating interesting or new ideas.
· Promoting- selling of a new ideas to allow the public to test the ideas themselves.
The five key task to develop creativity:
1.Define the task- clarify the goal of the completed project to the student.
2.Brainstorm- the students themselves will be allowed to generate their own ideas on the project.
Rather than shoot down ideas, the teacher encourages ideas exchange.
3.Judge the ideas- the students themselves make an appraisal for or against any idea. Only when
students are completely off check should the teacher intervene.
4.Act- the students do their work with the teacher a facilitator.
5.Adopt flexibility- the students should be allowed to shift gears and not follow an action path rigidly.
III. GUIDED HYPERMEDIA PROJECTS
The production of self-made multimedia projects can be approached into different ways:
1.Instructive tools- such as in the production by students of a power point presentation of a selective topic.
2.Constructive tools- such as when students do a multi-media presentation (with text, graphs, photos, audio narration, interviews, video clips, etc. to simulate a television news show.
IV. WEB-BASED PROJECTS
Students can be made to create and post web pages on a given topic. But creating new pages, even single page web pages, maybe tool sophisticated and time consuming fort the average student.
It should be said, however, that posting of web pages in the Internet allows the students (now the web page creator) a wider audience. They can also be linked with other related sites in the Internet. But as of now, this creativity project maybe to ambitious as a tool in the teaching-learning process.
LESSON 7: IT for Higher Thinking Skills and Creativity
To
define higher level thinking skills and creativity, we may adopt a framework
that is a helpful synthesis of many models and definitions on the subject
matter. The framework is not exhaustive but a helpful guide for the teacher's
effort to understand the learner's higher learning process
Complex
Thinking Skills Sub-Skills
Focusing defining the problem, goal/objective-setting, brainstorming
Information selection, recording of data of information
Remembering associating, relating new data with old
Analyzing identifying idea constructs, patterns
Generating deducting, inducting, elaborating
Organizing classifying, relating
Imagining visualizing, predicting
Designing planning, formulating
Integration summarizing, abstracting
Evaluating setting criteria, testing idea, verifying outcomes, revising
Use your creative skills in designing a paradigm. Device a graph to illustrate the higher-level thinking skill
Focusing defining the problem, goal/objective-setting, brainstorming
Information selection, recording of data of information
Remembering associating, relating new data with old
Analyzing identifying idea constructs, patterns
Generating deducting, inducting, elaborating
Organizing classifying, relating
Imagining visualizing, predicting
Designing planning, formulating
Integration summarizing, abstracting
Evaluating setting criteria, testing idea, verifying outcomes, revising
Use your creative skills in designing a paradigm. Device a graph to illustrate the higher-level thinking skill
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