Digital technologies used in education have been divided into four groups. The four groups, with the included Digital Tool (DT) are:
Group One Technologies:
DT: Blogs for learning
DT: Wikis for collaborative learning
Group Two Technologies:
DT: Images (images in e-learning; pedagogy of teaching with igames,
DT: Podcasting
DT: Digital video
Group Three Technologies:
DT: PowerPoint
DT: Prezi
DT: Glogster
Group Four Technologies:
DT: Animation and simulation (Flash)
DT: Google Earth
DT: Google Maps
DT: Google documents for collaboration
DT: Online concept mapping
DT: Zooburst for interactive digital storybooks
Systemic limitations and endlessness:
While each digital technology listed above is detailed, in turn, below, some, points or aspects, are universal. Some schools still do not have widespread use of current, up-to-date IT accessible to all students. IT is requires heavy financial commitment, and not all schools have the resources to do so. So, some of the wiz-bang features of the latest software versions are lost.
The writer experienced the effect of the combination of stringent security protocols and the ‘school’s’ system’s use of PowerPoint 2003. He was unable to view some of examples available online, such as the PowerPoint ‘page turner template’ from Microsoft.com (2011). In the classroom, if the situation is not managed well, a student’s progress could suffer if they had invested their effort heavily in a presentation that, subsequently, fails.
However, the possibilities are limited to the imagination of the user. B grade equipment and software can still deliver excellent products when the user has the creativity and opportunity. It is the seeding of such endlessness that we, as teachers, are attempting to instil into our students. The skills developed in the ‘sandpit’ of base level programs and equipment leads on to becoming essential elements used in more complex applications.
Web tools categorised:
Web 1.0 (read-only) – this term covers the earlier generation products. Free, online tools such as Yahoo! Geocities (2011) allowed users to create their own web pages within certain parameters. Essential, these websites behaved as digital brochures. Information and images were entered by the site owner, and internet users viewed and contacted the owner via conventional means, such as email, telephone and fax.
Web 2.0 (read/write – blogs, wikis and websites) – As technology development progressed, it became easier for novices to create their own websites with significantly greater features. The most obvious feature now available was interactivity. People other than the website owner have access to use, add, and change details on parts of the website. His creates a form of ongoing dialogue. Social media fall into this category.
Group One Technologies:
DT: Blogs for learning – Blogs have only been in use for a little over a decade. Dan Bricklin, Evan Williams and Pyra.com have been active in the blogging field since 1999, about the time that it became available (Bricklin, 2001). The firm they work with, Pyra, developed some of the early tools that allowed web logs to become ‘blogs’, the online tool in use today (Pyra, 2011). Blogs allow students (and staff) to log their progress through the subject matter, with opportunity for input from others. This creates a dialogue which keeps the discussion for posterity: others who ‘missed’ a conversation can read the comments later, and learn. The writer found using his blog (http:/malcolmwoodside.blogspot.com/) beneficial in learning more about blogs and their value in education.
DT: Wikis for collaborative learning – Wikipedia is a great tool for a first look at any subject. When using Wikipedia it becomes obvious where ‘enthusiasts’ keep the pages up-to-date; bias is apparent on some pages, but Wikipedia seems to give everyone a voice. Using the same concept, students can create or use class-based wikis to discuss, communicate and collaborate in the development of their knowledge on the subject at hand. The collaborated with another student in the creation of a wiki on learning theory. He also created a simple wiki of his own at http://gardengreens.wikispaces.com.
Group Two Technologies:
DT: Images (images in e-learning; pedagogy of teaching with igames) – While children may say quickly that they are bored, they will spend hours playing games – “children learn things from computer games while they play” (Royle).
Games-Ed details how games based learning (GBL) allows for: inclusion and access, learner engagement, effective learning, assessment that support learning, robust summative assessments, innovative approaches, ease of use, and matches to the curriculum. GBL manifests as edutainment (e.g. typing programs); training simulation (e.g. flight simulation); serious games (e.g. UN WHO’s Food Force); Digital Games Based Learning (a combination of forms, e.g. serious games, simulations, and commercial off the shelf games). DGBL is founded on constructivist and motivational theories, such as activity theory (learn through doing), experimental learning (simulated environments) and situated learning (cause and effect) (Martinez).
DT: Podcasting – Podcasting is the distribution via the net (intranet, internet) of audio/video recordings (radio, television, or similar files). The user downloads the selected file and either listens or watches at that time, or the file is saved for later listening. Regular updates can be achieved via subscribing to the distributors RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication). By combining audio-visual productions promoters can use pictures to spread their message or pleasure (Justapodcast and Wikipedia).
The writer downloaded and listed to a program from ABC National. The file held an audio presentation discussion wildlife conservation (Bolton, 2011). The whole process was quite easy, although, a regular television program can be around 10 megabyte in size. The regular downloading of files by whole classes may impose upon speed, bandwidth and cost for the student or school, depend upon where the events occur.
The podcasting tool suits students to view and listen to resources that extend their understanding of the relevant subject matter. The files come in MP4 or wmv formats. Australian orientated science video programs can be downloaded from sites like the ABC’s Catalyst program. Programs such as Catalyst’s ‘Discovery of Other Earths’, covers the Earth in space, other astronomical features and Telescopes. The RSS feed feature can be applied to students’ websites to facilitate communication and distribution of knowledge.
DT: Digital video – The use of digital video in the classroom / learning space enables the development of media literacy (Theodosakis, 2002). Instead of being passive spectators, students now have the ability to create and manipulate images and video to present a story or documentary. Not only do students learn creativity skills, but also learn how images can be manipulated to present an alternative or different perception of what actually occurred.
This process and the associated experiences open the students’ minds to having an increased awareness of potential misleading images in the media. The students’ have the opportunity to increase their creativity employing easy-to-use equipment and editing software.
Group Three Technologies:
DT: PowerPoint – Microsoft’s PowerPoint is a brilliant versatile presentation tool. Later versions allow inclusion of static and moving images, as well as video inclusion. On shortcoming with the workplace application has been discovered. As with most software, if a school or training facility utilises an older version of Microsoft Office (including PowerPoint), for example Office 2003, and the teacher or student creates a presentation using a newer version, some aspects of the presentation may not run on the school’s IT system. As mentioned in the introduction, presentations created on newer software versions may not work, or work fully, on older versions utilised by the system.
DT: Prezi – Prezi is a great tool for creating presentation where material is reviewed several times or tangents to the subject matter are explored during a presentation. According to Robin Wauters (2009), Microsoft Office Labs is playing catch-up to the advancements made by Prezi.
The writer’s workplace work does not use the Prezi software; however, providing internet access is available at the classroom terminal (not always so), the writer can use the application for creating useful presentations.
The writer viewed Alison Blank’s Prezi titled ‘Math is not linear’ (2010). While lengthy it showed deep thought and practicality for teaching mathematics, and is a great, positive example for Prezi.
In Prezi, the zooming tool (toggle) is a great asset; a user can see where they are in the presentation and return to continue the path they are following. The user can move about the presentation using the curser as a hand. Overall, Prezi shows great potential for teaching and learning. It allows students to see the whole subject matter in context, where tangents fit in, and its relevance to where they are.
DT: Glogster – Glogster portrays itself as an interactive poster creation and sharing facility where users can max images, text, music and video (Glogster.com, 2011). Michael Arrington, in 2007 (four years ago), wrote unflatteringly that Glogster was like (the outmoded) Geocities, that it was static and failed to excite the social media generation (Arrington, 2007).
The writer accessed the Glogster website and clicked to view some online examples. The first Glogster poster was pro-communist and included a prominent NAZI theme (seems the owner was a post-modern in worldview); the second attempt opened a page that barred access, as access was limited to class members (why was it listed in the public domain as an example?); the third attempt opened a page which was a posted with links, from the images, to music and articles. Overall, useful for entry level or primary school use. However, with many upper primary and secondary students playing Halo, and other high quality simulation games, I expect that students will become quickly bored, concurring with Michael Arrington’s opinion, above.
Group Four Technologies:
DT: Animation and simulation (Flash) – Adobe Flash is an amazing creation tool for animation and interactive products, ‘It is like PowerPoint on steroids’, according Joseph Reid (2011). Flash enables the user to easily build web products. Elements can be created in Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop and imported into Flash for use in animations. Dreamweaver is application that can create products that slide easily into Flash. YouTube has short tutorials that give novice users quick instructions on the use of these software applications (Reid, 2011).
Flash can integrate animation, sound, text (JavaScript) (Macromedia, Inc., 1999). The Flash plug-in (reader) is free to download; the creative software comes in a variety of formats, for a variety of purposes, at a variety of prices. Some students will revel in the creativity provided by Flash type products, although, not all students are intrinsically creative and the quality of the output will vary between individuals.
DT: Google Earth – The viewing of Google Earth required the installation of a plug-in (reader) in the writer’s computer. Once downloaded, the Google Earth application still failed to operate, indicating a user-un-friendly glitch in the application. The blurb from the Google earth website indicates that Google Earth can show a range of features and images (Google Earth, 2011). The writer has used Google Earth on another computer and found it quite informative. Of particular value were the ground level photography that gives the user a rotatable perspective of what can be found at a particular site.
DT: Google Maps and Whereis.com – Maps.Google.com, like Whereis.com, provides maps of selected areas. While Whereis.com is limited to Australia, maps.Google.com covers the entire planet. However, due to security settings, the writer’s workplace’s IT system blocks the activation of maps.google.com mapping tools. Like the comment on PowerPoint 2003, in Systemic limitations and endlessness, above, teachers need to be wary of what does and does not work on their school’s system. If the any application has download issues, then students will be hesitant to persist and try to use the products.
Whereis.com maps are useful and easy to navigate; but they prove a little difficult to copy and save into other applications such as Word documents. It appears that the Whereis.com is concerned fro their products integrity (someone might steal something), and make secondary use (copy and paste) more difficult.
Once accessed from a non-workplace computer, Google Maps was found to have more features than Whereis.com. Google Maps covers the entire planet, even communist China. For navigation and geographic and civil affairs purposes it seems to be a great tool, which will locate the students the item of focus within the big picture.
DT: Google documents for collaboration – Google Docs is a little like Microsoft Office, and progressively growing more so. It allows the user to create usable documents for a variety of applications, in an online application, and, can be used from the iPad browser (Tofel, 2010).
Docstoc is a community where users can share professional documents. Some are free to download and other are for purchase. Documents range in size from one page to book size. Google Docs and Docstoc collaborate to provide a range of products for users (Docstoc is now part of the Google Docs template gallery (Jason, 2009)). Students can utilise work created by others, either directly or be inspired, within the realms of plagiarism regulations.
DT: Online concept mapping – A number of programs enable the creation of graphic representations of concepts to allow images to tell the story, or support the story being told. Easy to use products (for purchase) from Mindmap.com (2011) allow precise creation and manipulation of concept diagrams. Free online tools from Text2Mindmap.com (2008) are very easy to use. However, the features are a little imprecise in manipulation, e.g. text size and diagram location. These applications are great for co-ordinating web diagrams use to illustrate relationships. The writer used one as an example in his blog.
DT: Zooburst for interactive digital storybooks – Zooburst is a digital story telling tool simple enough that anyone can use it to create 3-D pop-up story books, or so says the supplier. Zooburst (2011) utilises the Adobe Flash plug-in (reader). This is a presentation or storytelling tool, and may suit some students in some applications.
Programs like Toon Boom’s Animate and Storyboard enable students (and staff) animations from scripts prepared in any word processor application. The program is intuitive and once each element is created the animation can flow with the storyline (Toon Boom Animation Inc., 2011).
PMI for Prezi:
Plus:
Dynamic, more engaging and more enjoyable presentations (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Allows online collaboration (Crunch Base, 2011);
Non-linearity encourages dialogue (Crunch Base, 2011);
Non-linearity allows exploration of tangents in context;
Stimulates spacial awareness (Crunch Base, 2011);
Versatile, can be used in iPad (Wauters, 2011);
Can be used for live presentation (from iPad) (Wauters, 2011);
Stores files locally (Prezi 2011);
Does not require ongoing internet access (Prezi, 2011)(refer Minus, below);
Files are easy to transmit (Prezi, 2011);
Large media files can be added (Prezi, 2011);
Microsoft PowerPoint users can quickly pickup and run with Prezi ():
Free to use;
User can pan to other parts of the presentation at any time (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Limitless aspects (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Limitless (Grandison and Swanson, 2010).
Minus:
While not essential, some users with creativity will produce better products than others;
Files are stored at Prezi and loss of internet access breaks the link to access presentation (Carmona, 2011);
User needs to storyboard the presentation content to give a better looking product (no change from PowerPoint);
Unlimited scope may daunt novice users (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Tracking large presentations may tangle users in their own web (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Can be easy to lose ones place in the presentation (Grandison and Swanson, 2010);
Interesting:
Unlimited potential in the future (how can it be improved?);
Change-over from using PowerPoint (how easily encouraged?);
Conclusions:
Contrasted with the time when the writer was at school, during the 1960s and 1970s, current contemporary digital technologies allow teachers and students a huge array of options for learning and presenting material. While some options are better suits to certain age groups or subject matter, users have the choice to select an option or variety of options to suit the user’s intended purpose.
Digital technologies have progressed from non-interactive to interactive applications. Over time, the applications are becoming easier to use and increasing in user-friendliness.
The use of digital technologies open up a vast field of opportunities for learning, both in the using of the applications, and in the knowledge transmitted via the output products. View the improvements over time, the next generation of digital products will be even more impressive than those we can use today.
Prezi seems an excellent learning and instructional tool. The writer looks forward to utilising in the classroom.
References:
ABC (2011-04-07). Discovery of Other Earths. Catalyst. ABC Television. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3185108.htm.
Arrington, M. (2007). Glogster – like Geocities (in a bad way), and in Flash. Tech Crunch. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2007/12/29/glogster-like-geocities-in-a-bad-way-and-in-flash/.
Blank, A., (2010-06-10). Math is not linear. Prezi.com. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/aww2hjfyil0u/math-is-not-linear/.
Bolton, M., (2011-04-03). Parks, zoos and freezers, Ockham's Razor, ABC National. Retrieved from http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2011/04/orr_20110403.mp3.
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