SmartTeaching123: March 2011

When you search for videos about Web 2.0 and education, there are a lot of good ones available on YouTube. I choose this one for a beginning and as the title for this blog since it talks about using technology in classrooms in the 21st century and it's interesting when you read the comments people posted for the video.

Technology, Web 2.0 or even Web 3.0 (that has emerged in many ways around the web) are so important in today's modern society and students' life - it is a fact agreed by many people. A very significant example is Facebook. More and more people and schools are trying to integrate technology into education; however, as Roblyer & Doering (2010) mentioned, instead of asking whether a school has enough computers, it is best to ask how can the technologies be used to create a more productive learning environment.

The two learning instruction models, directed and constructivist, have sparked many debates around the question "which strategies will serve today's educational goals". The directed instruction model, as being the more traditional approach to learning, is basically where knowledge is fed to students by teachers. I don't necessarily agree with people who are absolutely negative towards this model. Coming from a background, where traditional approaches are widely used in education, and having experienced the teaching here in Australia - I think it's fair to say that. I don't think everything taught to me before I came to Australia was using the cramming method of teaching - or maybe I was fortunate that I had gone through a better schooling experience. My junior high school had Smartboards installed for all classrooms including music rooms and biology labs when I was in my 2nd year (which is like year 8) - that was almost 10 years ago. And I have to say that those Smartboards made learning much more interesting. Some subject knowledge areas sometimes have to be taught using the traditional methods because for most schools, it is not always possible to use the constructivist model. For instance, if a primary school class is learning about frogs, it would be great if all students get to see and/or feel a frog up and close. On the other hand, it is not always that easy to catch frogs (some places may not even have frogs around).

The benefits of constructivism, as summarised on the Concept to Classroom: Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning (2004）website:

Children may learn and enjoy more as they are actively involved;
Concentrates on learning how to think and understand;
Constructivist learning is transferable;
Ownership and inquire-based learning;
Connecting with the real world; and
Collaborative classrooms.

On the other hand, like many other theories and models, there are limitations. For instance, teacher and student training - as some critics say, to 'teach' or to 'educate'.Based on Roblyer and Doering (2010) as well as the Concept to Classroom website mentioned above, just like the directed instructional models, there are still a few criticisms around constructivisim:

Social constructivism leads to "group think" where students are allowed to demonstrate knowledge and learning in varying ways collaboratively. Hence, some students' voices may be pressed down by "tyranny of the majority"; and it becomes harder for teachers to evaluate and assess students' individual skill levels - fail to comply with today's accountablility standards.
Constructivist approaches can be very time consuming and thus inefficient for learning - to be honest, you can never run away from assessments and students are expected to be knowledgeale in all subject areas according to their age and year levels.
Not all subjects can be taught using constructivist approaches successfully, like science and language studies - so what happens if a students questions you 'why do we pronouce this word like that?'?
Constructivist approaches encourage students' individual active thinking and curiosity - but how do you know if a student has actually learnt anything? How do you know if they will be able to transfer their skills into real-life situations? For instance, Maths.
There are questions about sufficient resources for a constructive classroom, including teachers, parents, students and actual learning resources such as technologies.

" In truth, progressivism didn't work with all 'privileged' kids, just those who had advantages at home or were smart enough to do discovery learning. " - E.D. Hirsch

from wikispace Being a 21st Century Learner and Teacher: Pedagogy for this Era of Learning

We must be open minded in finding ways to merge the two integration approaches that will benefit both learners and teachers in today's world. It is important to consider the nature and characteristics of the topics and problems as well as individual needs for the learners. In tech terms, to combine Web 1.0 with Web 2.0 and emerging into Web 3.0 - for schools and students who do have the previlige of technologies.

The advantages of Web 2.0 are obvious - to make learning more involving, engaging and collaborative. Students can communicate with teachers and each other more easily; and it becomes a worldwide community of learners with the vast coverage of Internet. Blogs, for instance, provide a platform for students to express themselves more openly; especially for some who may not like to speak much in public. On the other hand, teachers can try to evaluate and assess students' learning and understandings by reading the blogs and providing feedbacks to enhance students' learning.

For conclusion, 'get a new pedagogical DNA' means that in the 21st century, teachers have to become more engaged and active in their teaching - the generations do not always stay in one era and the world is rapidly changing and developing.

Here're some videos I found:

A Vision of Students Today