You will now participate in your different, “expert” groups with all the members from other groups who are studying the same area you have been allocated by your design group (your “home” group to whom you will return with your new-found knowledge). You should have joined your expert group by now.
- Join the discussion in your expert group and decide how you will approach the research. What key questions do you want to ask before you approach the reading and research?
- Agree on a date by which time you should report back to each other.
- Conduct your individual research as assigned by your expert group.
- Return to your expert group and share your findings. Find responses to your key questions that you can take back to your home group, the design group.
Here are your allocated expert group tasks for research and discussion:
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Old things and old ways – dedicated technology venues
Many schools still have dedicated venues for technology, some high density (often referred to as computer labs) and others low density (sometimes referred to as learning labs, collaboration rooms or media labs). The two options have very different implications for learning as we discovered in Lesson 1 of this course. Use this supporting document on low-density labs and discuss what additional questions you need to ask. Focus, too, on the learning opportunities and class management issues that may arise in such a technology-enriched learning space. |
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Old things and new ways – one technology device in the classroom
This group is also looking at devices within the walls of a physical learning space. One of the oldest concepts of technology in the classroom was the “one-computer classroom“. Today, this has taken on a new form with the appearance of interactive whiteboards (read chapter 4 and 8 of The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution: Teaching with IWBs) in many classrooms that have no other technology present and teachers with portable devices (such as tablets or laptops), where this device is the only device in the classroom. Read about what you can do with one iPad in the classroom for instance. Focus on the learning opportunities and class management issues that may arise in one-device learning spaces. |
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New things and old ways – will old tactics work with mobile technologies?
What happens when the old meets the new – which one has to give and adapt? One of the emerging trends which fast became a reality is mobile devices. Mobile phones are controversial but tablets are all the rage. Why do we discriminate? Read Amidst a Mobile Revolution in Schools, Will Old Teaching Tactics Work? During your research, identify the potentials for learning and how to overcome classroom management issues |
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New things and new ways – what do emerging trends show us?
You are the futuristic group, but future trends quickly become current technology and approaches. The 2012 Horizon Report is a few years old but already some of the trends are reality in many classrooms. Focus on the Two to Three Years and Four to Five Years trends. What implications do they have for the classroom of the future? Will they break down the walls? |
Source:
Interactive whiteboards: http://moodle2.msad52.org/pluginfile.php/5937/mod_resource/content/1/The+Interactive+Whiteboard+Revolution.pdf
One computer classroom issues: http://eduscapes.com/tap/occ2.pdf
Once you have completed your research in your expert group, click on Mark Complete (first time) and Next Topic on future visits to this page.
