POST TEN - Incorporating 'Space'

How can 'space' be incorporated into the learning environment?

Technology will allow seamless personal learning for students. When technology is integrated into the classroom, teaching can be revolutionised.

The teachers approach needs to be adaoted and the classroom's physical seup may need to be adapted to fir the the digital platform. "The myth of the digital native", students use technology at home to play games and social media but this does not mean they know how to utilise them for educational means.

Whiteboards and Projectors

•  Interactive websites
• Whiteboard excercises
• Online Videos and collaborative games
• Virtual learning
• Video conferencing guest speakers

Computers

• Taking notes
• Blogging
• Accesss material for research
• Create collborative resources like VLE
• Record Screencasts 
• Create digital storyboards
• Use Moodle to provide traditional lesson plans and structure on a digital platform
•  Present their work in Animation e.g. Moviemaker
• Students work at their own pace
• Live classrooms
• record group discussions and place on VLE
• e-Books
• Online work submission

Integration

 For integraton and icnopration of computerise systems the educational institution shopuld consider the following;

1. What pre-existing skills shall the students need to hacve mastered?
2. How many tools are you going to use?
3. The level of digital classroom integration that you find desirable.

The physical setup can also be a challenge. The resources need to be shared effectively;

• Introductory sessons for new enviroment
• Teachers practice before teaching
• Retain teaching plan
• Communicate with others using the same resources
• Technology fails - have a 'non-tech' backup
• Teach troubleshooting
• Proper problem reporting procedure
• Use the IT department for support

Feedback and Assessment

Teachers can create short quizzes at the end of lessons to evaluate yhe students understanding and any areas that they may require to reiterate in the following lesson. Personalised feedback can also be presented to the students via platforms such as Moodle where one-to-one communication is possible. Screencasts allow the teacher to monitor that the student is foccusing on the work but they can also type in helpful notes on the students page. Freedback can be provided in Audio form also using applications such as Evernote.

Digitial Citizenship
 Students are constantly engaing with technology in this increasing technological world but this does not mean that they know how to use it for learning. They may also use it improperly such as cyber bullying and plagarism. Therefore when usng the online platform teachers need to teach children how to report and avoid cyber bullying, copyright, plagarism and understand the concepts of footprint and online conduct. However each of these needs to be taught in a relevant manner to the relevant age group, a lecture on cipyright will not go down very well with nursery students.

Overall
The question truly is how best to integrate technology into the classroom and no longer whether they should nor should not. Technplogy in the clasroom shall bring mutual beneficial for both students and teachers. The process does not have to be long winded and difficult but can be structured in a manner that provisions the required technological resources. This concludeds the blog on how to integrate computer systems and the online space into a traditional classroom.