DigitalAgePage.com is on the verge of seeing its mission and vision start to formulate and come to life as specific initiatives will demonstrate and support some of the original pillars of collaboration, student engagement, and global perspective. This will become evident through the “Trends in Education” category in which discussions about Mobile-Learning,
I-Learning, and the use of free applications in everyday courses. The additional characteristics of efficiency, relevancy, and sustainability will also be demonstrated as we continue to expand upon, critique, and adjust the information in this site.
2011 is the year DigitalAgePage.com will become a site that not only allows educators to feel empowered enough to use various types of digital tools in their curriculum, but one that actually begins documenting, from start to finish, both the challenges and successes of incorporating a few very specific, new educational technologies. The successful piloting of these programs, while maintaining, or even increasing, pedagogical effectiveness, will play a huge part in the direction and speed in which other subjects will be digitally enhanced. In other words, DigitalAgePage.com will be actively involved in presenting, monitoring, evaluating, and then modifying mobile technology integration in specific courses, curriculum, and teacher development while monitoring its success globally.
One of the most exciting subjects DigitalAgePage.com will be tracking this upcoming year is that of piloting the “Apple Cart Project” in the Middle School computer education classes. This project is the result of a grant I was recently rewarded in which close to $10,000 of Apple mobile learning devices, a presentation cart constructed by hand to resemble an old fashion apple cart, and training and development funding will be provided in order to enhance the technology present in our middle school computer classes. This grant will not only benefit the students, but it will allow this site to continue to present to educators concrete examples through hands on experience, the importance of integrating “effectively” technology into curriculum. Documentation of this program on DigitalAgePage.com begins at the end of this month and will be located under a separate tab/static page entitled “The Apple Cart Project”.
After reading this 2011 Horizon Report, an annual document which identifies emerging technologies in education and around the globe, I feel extremely confident in the piloting of this program and the potential to expand this program to include the high school computer education curriculum. The report indicates one of the technologies to become evident in education within a year or less is that of mobile devices.
“The internationally recognized series of Horizon Reports is part of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project, a comprehensive research venture established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the coming five years on a variety of sectors around the globe. “ (p. 1)
To read the report in its entirety, please click the link below:
This site is committed to continuing to present digital learning tools in a manner that is “user friendly” and non-intimidating to those teachers with less computer savvy. However, it is just as important to present to those already fairly comfortable with technology, those trends and futuristic visions of education in the digital age. Therefore, a second major component of this year’s attempt at supporting mobile-learning (M-Learning) in the classrooms will involve the educators. DigitalAgePage.com will expand its “Skills and Thrills” category and Blogrolls to also provide information specifically dedicated to mobile learning. Specific training modules, Located in the “Doodle in Moodle” category will be geared towards those with a higher comfort level with technology and those willing to act as pioneers in their search for the right technology mix. I am tentatively planning to add M-Learning lessons, resources, and other features to Moodle beginning in April and update throughout the remainder of the year.
Finally, the final major initiative of this site will be to participate in and track the success of a new movement entitled the “ i-School Initiative”. This is a movement started by a 17 year old student who feels that education can be revolutionized by the Apple’s i-Touch platform and its products. Please take a second to watch this remarkable young man express his vision.
Whether you completely agree with this young man’s vision or see some sort of hybrid version of the “ i-School Initiative” taking place, the fact that there are a group of young students supporting this movement warrants discussion. Ongoing information on the “i-School Initiative” will be found on the Blogroll later this month with other trends in educational technology. It is my hope to become involved with this initiative as well as partner in my high school counterparts in order to gage some type of understanding of where the “digital natives” are coming from and more importantly where they are hoping to go in their quest for 21st century learning.
For Further information please visit the site link below:
Clearly the vision of DigitalAgePage.com is to not only provide current mainstream educational technology ideas, but to expand its materials to include addressing and providing examples of future trends in learning.
Robby Robson of Eduworks Corporation states:
“Mobile learning has the potential to be significant and even revolutionary, but there are
significant problems it faces. In the classroom setting, mobile learning is an extension of a
movement that started with the introduction of graphing calculators and that has been
changing classroom pedagogy. There is every reason to believe this movement will gain
new impetus and wider applicability with the introduction of ubiquitously connected
handheld devices that have the power of a personal computer. There may be no other
choice if the educational system is to adapt to the learning styles and meet the demands of
future generations of digital natives.” (p. 5)
2011 will be the year DigitalAgePage.com takes a look at M-learning through live examples, experiments, and collaboration with others driven to find the right mix for educational success in the 21st Century.
LMS, PLE, PLN….what happens when we run out of letters to describe educational initiatives and what does it all mean for the digital age learner? I am convinced this is often one reason why so many educators hesitate in learning the “newest” teaching techniques. Just when you figure one acronym out, another “upgraded version” comes along. I would like to briefly focus on one of these “terms” and touch on how it works in conjunction with other 21st century learning acronyms.
I am going to start with LMS. Simply stated this stands for Learning Management System. There are various LMS software products available with a number of characteristics including some that are geared directly to educational classroom learning and some which focus on a more professional corporate training environment. In addition, depending on the particular software, an LMS may be available for free in an open source environment (available to anyone) or you may be required to pay a fee. Since the DigitalAgePage.com is geared towards educators, I am going to discuss one of the more popular, free LMS software available entitled Moodle.
Moodle, as simply as I can put it, is a software program that allows the combination of posting assignments, presenting content, and collaborating via discussions while in a virtual classroom setting. This I will say best describes the “learning” portion of the software. Below is a screen shot of the Moodle “community” with key elememts highlighted.
Moodle contains such features while also providing instructors the ability to “manage” their classrooms via automatic grade keeping, student/ teacher instructional feedback, permission and perimeter settings, and an area in which to create rough drafts of future course work to be presented. I liken it to having a grade generator, student feedback sheets, email, files full of curriculum materials, and a drawing board in which to create and preview future plans all rolled up into one little piece of software.
Though the use of Moodle has become extremely popular throughout classrooms, often there is concern as to whether or not it really adds value and increased student learning. The following are some of the most commonly discussed pros and cons of using Moodle. I think it is important to understand both views have merit and much of whether Moodle becomes a pro or a con in your particular situation will depend on you. My personal view on this is simple; it depends on who is using the program and for what purpose that will determine if it is successful.
Pros:
Open Source – Free to download and lots of great plugins to customize to your needs
Great Community – There is a great community of Moodlers more than willing to help you solve any problems you may come across.
Customizable – There is a huge selection of plugins and add ons freely available to help you customize Moodle to your needs.
Widely Available – Most low cost hosting solutions on the web will install Moodle for you at no cost through simple scripts or an easy to use interface
Cons:
There is no simple way to run a site wide report with user’s grades in multiple courses. You are stuck going into each course site to view one courses grades at a time or using the overview report to view grades for one user at a time.
Takes a bit of tech savvy and patience - Not just any trainer or teacher can download Moodle and be up and running with a quality LMS.
It takes an IT Department to implement- Moodle must be supported by an IT department willing to install, update, and maintain the software.
Initially time consuming- Though there are unlimited support resources for Moodle, it does take some time to adjust to using new software and to determine the best way to present curriculum online.
It is important to understand that in today’s learning environment, Moodle alone will not be enough to engage the 21st century digital learner. Moodle and other Learning Management Systems must be used in conjunction with other technologies, such as a Personal Learning Environment, which leads us back to the where we started, the acronyms. PLE’s are sites created by teachers, students, and other individuals which allow for both your educational and social interests to meet and combine to create a virtual world just for you. Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are available for individuals with like PLEs to meet and share ideas, thus the connection between all three.
For learning purposes, and as educators in the 21st century, it is important to understand that students will not simply be “engaged” by presenting the same old materials in Moodle. There are several Plugins (other additions or options) that can be added to continually change the look and feel of your Moodle site. Educators must find ways to incorporate today’s ever changing technology into Moodle in order to get the most out of this software. Below is a computer generated video which I feel explains perfectly, with a little dry humor, the misconception that using technology in any manner is better than no technology.
I hope I have, at the very least, piqued your curiosity as to what Moodle can do for you and your students. Below are some additional links in which to further explore Moodle.
There is no doubt in my mind that today the educational system is in a very turbulent state. Mandated testing, poor test scores, high dropout rates, and lack of funding, have all combined to make educational reform a volatile topic. My personal belief is that we are at a cross roads in determining how education must be implemented in the future. It is also my belief that technology may be the one common denominator able to bring the varying philosophies together. The other major component, and undoubtedly one of the most important, is that of the changing role of the teacher. It is my view, and the vision of this site, to create an understanding that everyone must work together to embrace not only the needs of the 21st century learner, but the changes in teaching philosophies, practices, and supports that will withstand those demands.
Sometimes it is best to look back before moving forward. Often as educators we teach as we were taught. The 21st Century will require us to look back at the strategies and techniques of the past in order to determine how to modify them to fit the future. The following video allows us to reflect on educational strategies of the past, and hopefully gain some insight as to why they are no longer going to be effective in the future.
“He who knows only his own generation remains always a child.”
– George Norlin
In order to better understand what I meant earlier by the “changing role” of the teacher, take a look at the below video clip. I feel this sums up, in a funny manner, many of the contrasts we now see in our individual school districts. Which one are you?
“It is today we must create the world of the future.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
I believe it is hard to deny that teachers will be those having one of the greatest impacts on future generations. Teachers and the way they educate students to collaborate, think critically, problem solve, create, communicate globally, and utilize ever changing technology will have a major influence on not only their individual success, but on where we are positioned as leaders in the world market. Take a look at education in the 21st century and realize the pivotal role educators comfortable with technology will play. The first video reqires you to ask yourself just what am I doing for the future generation?
Finally, take a look at this video and ask yourself:
”What is stopping me from making the transition to the 21st Century classroom?”
