Technology For Teaching and Learning 1
Technology For Teaching and Learning 1
Technology For Teaching and Learning 1
This course is designed to engage students to utilize the theories and principles
in designing, developing, utilizing and evaluation teaching and learning resources. It
covers the knowledge and skills in developing training materials such as, print, mock-
up/simulator and models.
COURSE OUTCOME
At the end of the course, the pre-service teachers should be able to:
Organizer
There are five lessons in every chapter. Read each lesson carefully then answer
the exercises/activities to find out how much you have benefited from it. Work on these
exercises carefully and submit your output to your instructor through your Google
Classroom account, Messenger or Facebook.
In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your instructor during the face-
to-face meeting. If not contact your instructor through your Google Classroom account,
Messenger, Facebook or even in Gmail.
Good luck and happy studying!
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Course Outcome/ Organizer ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. i
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CHAPTER 1: The Broad Meaning of Educational Technology
This chapter presents the broad meaning of educational technology. That is why
you will start this course with a comprehensive understanding of the term educational
technology, reflecting on whether it is good or bad to education, dwells on the roles of
educational technology, identifying a systematic approach to instruction, and reviewing
Edgar’s Dale Cone of Experience for you to be acquainted with various instructional
media which form part of the system’s approach to instruction.
Learning Objectives
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LESSON 1: The Meaning of Technology for Teaching and Learning
The word “technology” comes from the Greek word “techne” meaning “craft or
art”. Therefore, educational technology is the art or craft of responding to our
educational needs.
There are other terms associated with educational technology such as;
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4. Educational Media – These are channels, instruments or avenues of
communication such as books, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and
computers and among others that may serve for educational purposes.
Summing Up
Summing Up
Technology is made for the teacher and not the teacher for technology.
Technology is meant to serve man in all aspects of life including instruction.
In the context of the classroom, the teacher, who determines how technology
ought to be used in order to reap the maximum benefits that come along with
technology.
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LESSON 3: Roles of Educational Technology in Learning
In constructivist way, technology can play a vital role as delivery vehicles for
instructional lessons in the learning process while in a traditional way, the learner
learns from the technology serves as a teacher.
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● For supporting discourse among knowledge-building communities.
Summing Up
Educational technology plays various roles. From the traditional point of view,
it serves as a presenter of knowledge just like teachers. It also serves as a productivity
tool.
With the INTERNET, technology has facilitated communication among people.
To the constructivist point of view, educational technology is a meaningful learning
tool by serving a learning partner.
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LESSON 4: Systematic Approach to Teaching
“A plan that emphasizes the parts may pay the cost of failing to consider
the whole, and a plain that emphasizes the whole must pay the cost of failing
get down to the real depth with respect to the parts." – C. West Churchman
The focus of systematic instructional planning is the student. It tells about the
systematic approach to teaching in which the focus in the teaching is the students.
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The phases or elements are connected to one another. If one element or one
phase of the instructional process fails, the outcome which is learning is adversely
affected. The attainment of the learning objective is dependent on the synergy of all
the elements and of all the factors involved in the process.
5. Assign personal roles- Defining the role of any personnel involved in the
preparation, setting and returning of this learning resources would also help in
the learning process.
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Summing Up
Most importantly, systemic instruction is the process of breaking a skill down into
individual components so for students and identify the appropriate teaching method or
prompting strategy that allow for students to fully comprehend instruction about a new
skill or learning objective. It is a great way to show that any student can learn.
Educators are also responsible for breaking skills down to help students learn, no matter
their challenges. Discovering and utilizing the power of systematic instruction can
ensure that educators everywhere are helping students at every grade and level (Amy
Ascherman, 2017).
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LESSON 5: The Cone of Experience
According to one of the principles in the selection and use of teaching strategies,
the more senses that are involved in learning, the more and the better the learning will
be but it does not mean that concrete experience is the only effective experience that
educators should use in transferring knowledge to the learner.
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Like what was mentioned above, the experiences in each stage can be mixed and
are interrelated thus, a balance must be achieved between concrete and abstract
experiences in order to cater the and address all the need of the learner in all the
domains of development and in order to help each learner in their holistic development.
The generalization about the Cone of Experience that was presented above is
not enough. Actually, we should try to go deeper in each of the component of the cone
since Educational Technology basically revolves around the Cone of Experience. By
going one-by-one, starting from concrete to abstract, we will understand more the
different components of the cone that will help us in grasping the real meaning of
educational technology.
These are first hand experiences which serve as the foundation of learning. In
this level, more senses are used in order to build up the knowledge. Also, in this level,
the learner learned by doing things by him/herself. Learning happens through actual
hands-on experiences. This level explains and proves one of the principles in the
selection and use of teaching strategies, the more senses that are involved in learning,
the more and the better the learning will be. This level also proves that educational
technology is not limited to the modern gadgets and software that are commercially
available nowadays. This shows that even the simple opportunity that you give to each
child could help them learn.
In this level, representative models and mock-ups of reality are being used in
order to provide an experience that as close as reality. This level is very practical
and it makes learning experience more accessible to the learner. In this stage, it
provides more concrete experiences, even if not as concrete as direct experiences,
that allows visualization that fosters better understanding of the concept.
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4. The Demonstrations
This level extends the learning experience through excursions and visits on the
different places that are not available inside the classroom. Through this level, the
learning experience will not be limited to the classroom setting but rather extended in
a more complex environment.
6. The Exhibits
The next levels would be the level of television and motion pictures and still
pictures, recordings, and Radio. For television and motion pictures, it implies values
and messages through television and films. On the other hand, still pictures, recordings
and radio are visual and audio devices that can be used by a group of learner that could
enhance and extend learning experience
The last two levels would be the Visual symbolic and Verbal symbolic. These two
levels are the most complex and abstract among all the components of the Cone of
Experience. In the visual symbolic level, charts, maps, graphs, and diagrams are used
for abstract representations.
On the other hand, the verbal symbolic level does not involve visual
representation or clues to their meanings. Mostly, the things involved in this level are
words, ideas, principles, formula, and the likes.
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To understand more the Cone of Experience, you may refer to this picture:
In Edgar Dale introduced the Cone of Experience demonstrate a progression from direct,
first-hand experience to pictorial representation and on to purely abstract, symbolic
expression.
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3. Symbolic (highly abstract experience)- Symbolic experience involves reading or
hearing symbols (the student reads or hears the word “knot” and forms an image
in the mind). In symbolic experience, action is removed nearly altogether and
the experience is limited to thoughts and ideas.
Some theorists prefer to be more specific and refer to these possible modes of
learning such as;
3. Trial and error – Trial and error refers to learning via a series of successful and
unsuccessful trials and deliberations.
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Summing Up
After going through the different components of the Cone of Experience, it could
be said that in facilitating learning, we can use variety of materials and medium in
order to maximize the learning experience. One medium is not enough so there’s
nothing wrong with trying to combine several medium for as long as it could benefit the
learners.
Through the levels provided by the Cone of Experience, it could be said that
concrete experiences must be provided first in order to support abstract
learning. Lastly, staying on the concrete experiences is not even ideal because through
providing abstract experiences to the learner, the more he will develop his higher order
thinking skills which is important for more complex way of thinking and for dealing with
more complex life situations.
Link: https://study.com/academy/lesson/jerome-
bruners-theory-of-development-discovery-learning-
representation.html#:~:text=Jerome%20Bruner%20identif
ied%20three%20stages,other%20symbols%20to%20describe
%20experiences.
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CHAPTER 2: INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND EXPERIENCES
This chapter presents the different instructional materials through Edgar’s Cone
of Experience. You will learn how to select and use these materials in order to achieve
a desired learning objectives as well as single out direct-purposeful experiences as
instructional materials. Also, you will learn that you cannot just employ direct
experiences as materials for instruction but to use an edited version of direct
experience-the contrived experience.
In this chapter, you will be able to understand the impact of dramatic
experiences in teaching and learning process. After gaining ideas about this important
aspect of teaching, you will also learn on how important community resources and field
trips in teaching and learning process.
Learning Objectives
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LESSON 1: Using and Evaluating Instructional Materials
For an effective use of instructional materials such as field trip, there are
guidelines that ought to be observed, first of all, in their selection and second, in their
use.
Selection of Materials
1. Does the material give a true picture of ideas they present? To avoid
misconceptions, it is always good to ask when the material was produced.
2. Does the material contribute meaningful content to the topic under study? Does
the material help you achieve the instructional objective?
3. Is the material aligned to the curriculum standards and competencies?
4. Is the material culture-and grades-sensitive?
5. Does the material have culture bias?
6. Is the material appropriate for the age, intelligence, and experience of the
learners?
7. Is the physical condition of the material satisfactory? An example, is a
photograph properly mounted?
8. Is there a teacher’s guide to provide a briefing for effective use? The chance that
the instructional material will be used to the maximum and to the optimum is
increased with a teacher’s guide?
9. Can the material in question help make students better thinkers and develop
their critical faculties? With exposure to mass media, it is highly important that
we maintain and strengthen our rational powers.
10. Does the use of material make learners collaborate with one another?
11. Does the material promote self-study?
12. Is the material worth the time, expense and effort involved? A field trip, for
instance, requires much time, effort and money. Is it more effective than any
other less expensive and less demanding instructional material that can take its
place? Or is there a better substitute?
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The Proper Use of Materials
You may have selected your instructional material well. This is no guarantee that
the instructional material will be effectively utilized. It is one thing to select a good
instructional material, it is another thing to use it well.
1. Prepare yourself
You know your lesson objective and what you expect from the class after
the session and why you have selected such particular instructional material. You
have a plan on how you will proceed, what question to ask, how you will evaluate
learning and how you will tie loose ends before the bell rings.
4. Follow Up
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Summing Up
For optimum use of the instructional material, it is necessary that the teacher prepares:
● Himself/herself
● Her students
● The instructional material and does follow up.
Promote independent study.
In his/her use of instructional material, identify (bullet point your answer) the evidence
of:
Preparation of Self
Preparation of
Students
Preparation of
Material
Follow Up
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LESSON 2: Direct, Purposeful Experiences and Beyond
Read the following testimonies.
Whatever skills or concepts we have did not come out of the blue. We spent
hours doing the activity by ourselves in order to acquire the skill. The same thing is
through with the two narrators above. They learn the skills by doing.
According to Dale (1969), these are concrete and first-hand experiences that
make up the foundation of our learning. These are the rich experiences that our senses
bring from which we construct the ideas, the concepts, the generalizations that give
meaning and order to our lives. They are sensory experiences.
These are experiences of other people that we observe, read or hear about they
are not our own self-experiences but still experiences in the sense that we see, read,
and hear about them. They are not a first-hand but rather a vicarious or indirect
experiences.
Purposeful because the experiences are not purely mechanical. They are not a
matter of going through the motion. These are not “merely sensory excitation”. They
are experiences that are internalized in the sense that these experiences involve the
asking of questions that have significance in the life of the person undergoing the direct
experiences.
They are also described a purposeful because these experiences are undergone
in relation of purpose, i.e., learning.
1. Let us give our students opportunities to learn by doing. Let us immerse our
students in the world of experience.
2. Let us make use of real things as instructional materials for as log as we can.
3. Let us help the students develop the five senses to the full to heighten their
sensitivity to the world.
4. Let us guide our students so that they can draw meaning from their firsthand
experiences and elevate their level of thinking process.
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Summing Up
DepEd websites:
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LESSON 3: Teaching with Contrived Experiences
If the teacher used or described an atom or the earth, he/she use a model.
According to Brown 1969), a model is “a reproduction of a real thing in a small scale,
or large scale, or exact size- but made of synthetic materials. It is a substitute for a
real thing which may or may not be operational.
If the teacher uses preserved specimen it is fall under specimens and objects.
Specimen is any individual or item considered typical of a group, class or a whole.
Objects may also include artefacts displayed in a museum or objects displayed in
exhibits or preserved insect specimens in science.
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According to Orlich, et al (1994), there are ten (10) general purposes of simulation
and games in education. These are:
Summing Up
The most important things to remember when we make use of models and mock
ups are to make them as close as we can to the real thing they present. If for one reason
or another they could not replicate the real things in size and color we should at least
caution the user or the reader by giving the scale.
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LESSON 4: Teaching with Dramatized Experiences
1. Formal Plays – these depicts life, character, or culture or a combination of all the
three. They offer excellent opportunities to portray vividly important ideas about
life. An example is a historical pageant that based in a local history, presented by
local actors. Play and pantomime require much time for preparation and so cannot
be part of everyday classroom program.
3. Puppets - Dale (1996) claims that puppets, unlike the regular stage play, can present
ideas with extreme simplicity-without elaborate scenery or costume-yet effectively.
Types:
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Summing Up
Some forms of dramatic experiences are play, pageant, pantomime, puppets and
role playing.
If we want results, we cannot afford to ignore and guiding principles given by experts
on the use of puppets and role-playing.
THINK!
What are the best features of dramatic experiences for
(MI) Multiple Intelligences?
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LESSON 5: Making the Most of Community Resources and Field Trips
1. I took a group of students to the local museum. We just wondered from corner
to corner without anything specific to look for. It was an experience but it did
not connect with any specific lesson.
2. The whole trip was a mess. Some lost their way and arrived very late. Others
arrived at the place much earlier and were inconvenienced waiting for the arrival
of the others.
3. The students enjoyed the field trip. But when asked to relate what they saw to
our lesson, they were not able to connect.
The teacher’s comments given indicate failure of the field trips conducted. This
is definitely the consequence of no planning or if ever there was, planning was done
poorly.
According to Brown (1969), for preliminary planning by the teacher the following
should be follow:
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2. Planning with students joining the trip
a. Discuss the objectives of the trip and write them down. The main objectives
should be included in the permit slip given to parents and should be consulted
later when the trip is evaluated.
b. Prepare a list of questions to send ahead to the guide of the study trip.
c. Define safety and behaviour standards for the journey there and for the trip site
itself.
d. Discuss and decide on ways to document the trip. Everyone is expected to take
a note.
e. List specific objects to be seen on their way to the site, on the site of the field
trip and on their way home from the site.
f. Discuss appropriate dress. Comfortable shoes for walking are important.
g. Before the trip, use a variety of learning materials in order to give each student
a background for the trip.
These educational benefits can compensate for the drawbacks of field trips,
some of which are:
1. It is costly.
2. It involves logistics.
3. It is extravagant with time.
4. Contains an element of uncertainty.
Community Resources
Community resources can be persons and places in the community. For persons,
let us begin with the parents. Many of them can be resource speakers in their field of
expertise. A dentist maybe invited to talk to the children on how to care for their teeth.
A journalist may serve as resource speaker on the parts of newspaper and how to write
an editorial. There are a lot of people in the community who can be excellent resource
speaker.
Summing Up
Field trips are expensive. They require much time for preparation and planning.
However, considering the intensity and the extent of concrete experiences that come
through field trips, we are encouraged to use them ONLY, if there is no other less
expensive but equally effective instructional tool. Preparation and planning for the
field trip include discussions and decisions on what to do before the field trip, during
the field trip and after the field trip.
Community resources like historical and scenic spots, museums, zoos, botanical
gardens and others can be destinations for field trips. Other community resources can
be people themselves such as parents, senior citizens and other members of the
community.
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CHAPTER 3: TECHNOLOGY TOOLS AND ICT POLICIES
Learning Objectives
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LESSON 1: The Power of Film, Video and TV in the Classroom
“Next to the home and school, I believe television to have a more profound
influence on the human race than any other medium of communication.” –
Edgar Dale
The Film, the Video and the TV are indeed very powerful. Dale (1969) says, they
can:
● Transmit a wide range of audio – visual materials, including still pictures, films,
objects, specimen and drama.
● Bring models of excellence to the viewer.
● Bring the world of reality to the home and to the classroom through a “live”
broadcast or as mediated through film or videotape.
● Make as see and hear ourselves world events as they happen.
● Be the most believable news source.
● Make some programs understandable and appealing to a wide variety f age and
educational levels.
● Become a great equalizer of educational opportunity because programs can be
presented over national and regional network.
● Provide us with sound and sights not easily available even the viewer of a real
event though long shots, close up, zoom shots, magnification and split screen
made possible by the camera.
● Can give opportunity to teachers to view themselves while they teach for
purposes of self-improvement.
● Can be both instructive and enjoyable.
While the film, video and TV can do so much, they have their own limitation.
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Basic Procedure in the Use of TV as a Supplementary Enrichment
4. Post – Viewing
To make the feel ease begin by asking the following questions:
The Effects of TV
● We agree that the TV can give a more accurate, more lively and more colorful
presentation of a difficult topic in physics for instance when the one who teaches
the topic is inexperienced and can only make use of still pictures in black and
white as visual aid.
● We are aware of the numerous educational benefits of the use of the TV.
● The effect of TV depends on how it is used.
● When used in excess, it can also impair the development of children’s ability to
visualize, to be creative and imaginative. Worse, is when children gets exposed
to violence in TV.
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Social psychologist Craig A. Anderson gave this testimony to the US senate on March
21, 2000:
“The Media violence effect on aggression is bigger than the effect of exposure
to lead on IQ scores in the children, the effect of calcium intake on bone
mass, the effect of homework 0on academic achievement, or the effect of
asbestos exposure on cancer… high exposure to media violence is a major
contributing cause of the high rate of violence in modern US Society.”
1. Active Engagement
2. Participation in Groups
3. Frequent Interaction and Feedback
4. Connection to Real-World Experts
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Why Use Video in the Classroom?
● Due to changes in technology, video tools are more accessible than ever before.
● Students will be using technology throughout the course of their scholastic
career. The sooner they have access, the better.
● Supports differentiation.
● Stimulates classroom discussion.
● Reinforces readings.
● Provides creative output.
● Allows students to interact with classrooms throughout the world.
At Film Education, we believe that films is a power tool that can help learners
understand and access that world and other worlds.
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Three (3) tips for Making Films in Class
Summing Up
Movies are great resource for visual learners because they enable them to
understand concepts without the barriers that hinder learning. Just like books, movies
allow students insight into the lives of different characters, how their perspective
differs and how they handle certain situations.
Create a short video blog (vlog). For the content, use the
following questions.
ACTIVITY
1. How do videos help students learn?
2. Why are the film video and TV powerful in the
classroom?
How do you counteract one disadvantage of TV, film, and
video-development of passivity in the classroom?
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LESSON 2: Teaching with Visual Symbols
Visual Symbols are no longer realistic reproduction of physical things for these
are highly abstract representations. Examples are charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.
Visual symbols are just symbolic expression but has a big contribution to the teachers
as well as to the learners. It makes the lesson more effective and reliable and it brings
novelty to the teaching.
Like a picture, a graph and all other visual symbols, are worth a thousand word
s. The proper use of visualsymbols will contribute to optimum learning.
The collection, preparation and use of these various visuals symbols depend to
a great extent on your own resourcefulness and creativity. They may be used in
different phases of the lesson depending on your purpose. If you use them skilfully, your
classroom may turn into a beehive of busy students.
A. Drawings
⮚ May not be the real thing but better to have a concrete visual aid than nothing.
⮚ It is good that our drawing correctly represents the real thing.
⮚ One of the essential skills that a teacher ought to possess isn order to
be understood.
⮚ It helps you a lot if you are capable of doing simple freehand sketching.
B. Cartoons
⮚ Another useful visual symbols that bring novelty to our teaching.
⮚ A first-rate cartoon tells its story metaphorically.
⮚ A perfect cartoon needs no caption. The less the artist depends on the words,
the more effective the symbolism.
⮚ Symbolism convey message.
Source of Cartoons
⮚ newspaper
⮚ magazines
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C. Strip Drawings
D. Diagrams
⮚ It is any line drawing that shows arrangement and relation as of parts to the
whole, relative values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations,
distribution, etc.
Types of a Diagram
Affinity Diagram - used to cluster complex# apparently unrelated data into natural and
meaningful groups.
Tree Diagram - used to chart out, in increasing detail, the various task that must be
accomplished to complete a project or achieve a specific objective
E. Chart
⮚ is a diagrammatic representation of relationships among individuals within an
organization
Time chart - is a tabular time chart that represents data in ordinal sequence.
Tree or Stream chart - depicts development, growth and change by beginning with a
single course which spreads out many tributaries which then coverage into a single
channel.
Flow chart - is a visual way of showing a process from beginning to end. $t is a means
of analysing a process.
Organizational chart -shows how one part of the organization relates to other parts
of the organization.
Comparison and Contrast chart -used to show similarities and differences between two
things.
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F. Graph
Bar graph - used in comparing the magnitude of similar items at different times or
seeing relative size of the part of a whole.
Visual symbols come in many forms, drawing, cartoons, strip drawing, comic
strip, diagram, map, chart graph. "or these visual symbols to be at your finger trips,
you ought to be skilled at making them.
Visual symbols is very important in teaching process because most students are
visual learners, the teacher should provide some visual presentation like drawing. Maps
charts and graph through this the student are easily to understand the given
information. Visual learning helps you to store information for a longer period of time.
It is said that videos and images are directly processed by long term memory. It helps
you to process information primarily through visuals and improves your learning
process.
ACTIVITY Surf the internet for making graphs and charts. Do you
discover a chart/s that was not covered in this lesson? How
is/are this/these chart/s contributing to optimum
learning?
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LESSON 3: Maximizing the Use of the MS PowerPoint and Chalkboard
Almost every classroom has a chalkboard. It may not have computers, radio, or
tv, etc. but it will always have a chalkboard. If this is the only means that teachers can
use, so it is very essential that it will be used for its maximum capacity.
Here are some practices which may help in the effective use of chalkboard:
● Write clearly and legibly on the board.
● It helps if you have a hard copy of your chalkboard diagram or outline.
● Don’t crowd your notes on the board.
● Make use of colored chalk to highlight key points.
● Do not turn your back to your class while you write on the chalkboard.
● Start to write from left to right of the chalkboard.
● If you need to have a board work in advance or that need to be saved for
tomorrow's use, write "Please Save"
Slide presentation Software such as PowerPoint has become an ingrained part of many
instructional settings, particularly in large classes and in courses more geared towards
information exchange than skill development. PowerPoint can be a highly effective tool
to aid learning, but if not used carefully, may instead disengage students and actually
hinder learning.
Advantages
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Challenges
Although there are many potential benefits of PowerPoint, there are several issues that
could create problems or disengagement:
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Summing Up
Technology has been widely used. In teaching, most schools use modern
technology in teaching. But it cannot be denied that there are places especially in
remote and rural areas who are not using much of technology maybe because of lack of
supply or electricity. Nevertheless, they make use of alternatives in teaching and this
is where the chalkboard and the MS PowerPoint are used.
For more information about creating MS PowerPoint, visit the kink below.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/basic-tasks-for-creating-a-powerpoint-
presentation-efbbc1cd-c5f1-4264-b48e-c8a7b0334e36
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LESSON 4: ICT Policies and Safety Issues in Teaching and Learning
While the potential and promise of ICT use in education is clear in many regards,
so too are 'perils' related to the disruption of existing traditional teaching and learning
practices, high costs, increased burdens on teachers, equity and issues around data
privacy and security.
Policies related to technology use in change and evolve over time, often along a
somewhat predicable path, and technological innovations often outpace the ability of
policymakers to innovate on related policy issues. Such policies take different forms
and are formulated and proposed by different institutions in different countries. No
matter the country, a lack of rigorous, relevant evidence typically complicates
attempts to draft impactful ICT/education policies.
As part of the work under the World Bank's Systems Assessment for Better
Education Results (SABER) initiative, the World Bank is attempting to document national
educational technology policies around the world and their evolution over time.
It is important to note that this framework only considers policy intent – not the
extent to which policies are implemented in practice, nor what the impact of such
policies may be, and that rapid developments and innovations in the technology sector
challenge the abilities of policymakers to offer useful related policy guidance that is
forward-looking. Policymakers may find the SABER-ICT policy framework useful as a
means by which to help benchmark the current state of related policy development in
their country; anticipate potential future policy directions; and draw inspiration from
other countries.
SOURCE: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/ict-education-policies
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Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can impact student learning
when teachers are digitally literate and understand how to integrate it into
curriculum.
When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT, these approaches can
lead to higher order thinking skills, provide creative and individualized options for
students to express their understandings, and leave students better prepared to deal
with ongoing technological change in society and the workplace.
ICT issues planners must consider include: considering the total cost-benefit
equation, supplying and maintaining the requisite infrastructure, and ensuring
investments are matched with teacher support and other policies aimed at effective
ICT use.
Digital culture and digital literacy: Computer technologies and other aspects of
digital culture have changed the ways people live, work, play, and learn, impacting the
construction and distribution of knowledge and power around the world.
Graduates who are less familiar with digital culture are increasingly at a
disadvantage in the national and global economy. Digital literacy—the skills of searching
for, discerning, and producing information, as well as the critical use of new media for
full participation in society—has thus become an important consideration for curriculum
frameworks.
● One laptop per child: Less expensive laptops have been designed for use in
school on a 1:1 basis with features like lower power consumption, a low-cost
operating system, and special re-programming and mesh network functions.
Despite efforts to reduce costs, however, providing one laptop per child may be
too costly for some developing countries.
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● Tablets: Tablets are small personal computers with a touch screen, allowing
input without a keyboard or mouse. Inexpensive learning software (“apps”) can
be downloaded onto tablets, making them a versatile tool for learning. The most
effective apps develop higher order thinking skills and provide creative and
individualized options for students to express their understandings.
● E-readers: E-readers are electronic devices that can hold hundreds of books in
digital form, and they are increasingly utilized in the delivery of reading
material. Students—both skilled readers and reluctant readers—have had positive
responses to the use of e-readers for independent reading. Features of e-readers
that can contribute to positive use include their portability and long battery life,
response to text, and the ability to define unknown words.
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Ensuring benefits of ICT investments: To ensure the investments made in ICT
benefit students, additional conditions must be met. School policies need to provide
schools with the minimum acceptable infrastructure for ICT, including stable and
affordable internet connectivity and security measures such as filters and site blockers.
Teacher policies need to target basic ICT literacy skills, ICT use in pedagogical settings,
and discipline-specific uses.
Inclusiveness Considerations
Digital Divide: The digital divide refers to disparities of digital media and internet
access both within and across countries, as well as the gap between people with and
without the digital literacy and skills to utilize media and internet. The digital divide
both creates and reinforces socio-economic inequalities of the world’s poorest people.
Policies need to intentionally bridge this divide to bring media, internet, and digital
literacy to all students, not just those who are easiest to reach.
Minority language groups: Students whose mother tongue is different from the official
language of instruction are less likely to have computers and internet connections at
home than students from the majority. There is also less material available to them
online in their own language, putting them at a disadvantage in comparison to their
majority peers who gather information, prepare talks and papers, and communicate
more using ICT. Yet ICT tools can also help improve the skills of minority language
students—especially in learning the official language of instruction—through features
such as automatic speech recognition, the availability of authentic audio-visual
materials, and chat functions.
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Students with different styles of learning: ICT can provide diverse options for taking
in and processing information, making sense of ideas, and expressing learning. Over 87%
of students learn best through visual and tactile modalities, and ICT can help these
students ‘experience’ the information instead of just reading and hearing it.
Mobile devices can also offer programmes (“apps”) that provide extra support to
students with special needs, with features such as simplified screens and instructions,
consistent placement of menus and control features, graphics combined with text,
audio feedback, ability to set pace and level of difficulty, appropriate and unambiguous
feedback, and easy error correction.
Summing Up
The safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT is an important part of teachers' work
and students' learning. We need to be able to 'demonstrate an understanding of the
relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical
use of ICT in learning and teaching.
.
THINK!
What are the safety issues in ICT in the Philippines?
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LESSON 5: Technology Tools in a Collaborative Classroom Environment
and Relevance and Appropriateness in the Use of Technology in
Teaching and Learning
K-12 education is moving away from the traditional classroom model where
teachers lecture and students diligently take notes. Rather than sit in rows, today’s
students are more likely to sit in groups of three or four. This set up lends itself to
collaboration and project-based learning, an approach to teaching in which students
solve real-world problems using skills they will need for the future. These skills include
things such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication.
Today’s technology offers so many options for educators and students that
deciding on where to begin can be overwhelming. To get started, think about one new
approach that could be the catalyst for positive change in your classroom. In looking at
your learning environment, what could benefit your students the most? One area that I
immediately thought I could improve upon was classroom collaboration.
Teachers need to hear from students, and we know that asking questions or calling on
students to discuss a topic can often make them nervous. When students, or anyone,
develop that feeling of “being on the spot”, it can become more difficult to encourage
students to share what they are thinking, what they are feeling and what their true
opinions are. This is where digital tools can provide security and opportunities for
students to express themselves. Technology has a true purpose. Students still need to
develop the ability–and confidence–to speak in class, but these tools can help by
providing a comfortable way for students to develop their voice and express
themselves.
Depending on the type of question or discussion format you want your classroom
collaboration to focus on, there are many tools available that can help.
1. SurveyMonkey is a good way to ask a variety of questions, find out what students
are thinking, use it for a quick formative assessment, and many other
possibilities. I have used it to find out how students prepared for tests, what areas
they need help with, and even for voting for club officers and planning trips. You
have the results quickly and can provide feedback instantly, to plan your next
steps in class. It can be a different way to find out about your students and their
needs.
2. TodaysMeet is a backchannel tool that can be used in or out of class, as a way for
students to contribute to a discussion or ask questions. It can also be used to
provide “office hours” online, for students to ask questions beyond the school
day. There are many possible uses for this tool, and setting it up is easy.
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3. GoSoapBox is a response tool that can be used to ask a variety of questions
without students having to create accounts. Students simply need an “event
code” provided by the teacher to access the activities available. GoSoapBox can
be used for polls, discussion questions, quizzes and more, and provides a fast way
to assess students or to simply learn more about them and their thoughts.
4. Recap is a video response tool, where students can respond to a prompt and all
responses are compiled into a “daily reel” for teachers to view and provide
feedback. Students can respond from anywhere and feel comfortable in sharing
their thoughts using this tool. These are just four of the many options—sometimes
it just takes a bit of research. Asking the students for new ways to use the tools
you have already been using in class can also be helpful.
There are many options which promote classroom collaboration and enhance writing
skills and student voice.
5. Blogging: Through blogging, teachers can provide support for students and help
them to gain confidence in writing and speaking. We have used Kidblog to
complete many writing tasks and creative writing assignments.
6. Wikispaces: A Wiki has worked really well in our classes for having students
collaborate on a topic, create a discussion page, and set it up to inform on a
topic, to list just a few examples. We created a wiki on Spanish art and also
created our own travel agency.
Using digital tools in this way is great because the discussions don’t have to end when
class does. These tools provide ways to get students talking and share their ideas, so
that classroom collaboration can even be taken home.
A few options for having students’ present information in a visual way with options for
multimedia include the following:
8. Buncee is a web based tool that can be used for creating presentations,
interactive lessons and more, with many options for including different
characters, fonts, animations, video and more.
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9. Piktochart is a tool for creating infographics, social media flyers, engaging
presentations and more. Students have created menus, self-descriptions, movie
and tv advertisements, recipe presentations and much more.
10. Visme is a “drag and drop” tool that is easy to use for creating infographics,
reports, different presentations and more. It has a library full of images, charts
and more, making it easy for users to create exactly what they need.
Each of these tools promote more personalized and meaningful learning for
students, along with a healthy dose of classroom collaboration. These tools can be used
to enhance, amplify and facilitate deeper and more authentic learning. Using
technology just for the sake of using it doesn’t make sense. But using it to help students
find their voice, learn what they want to do, what they can do and what they
need help with, does make sense.
Summing Up
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CHAPTER 4: MULTIMEDIA PROJECT BASED AND ASSESSMENT OF
LEARNING
Learning Objectives
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LESSON 1: Project-Based Learning and Multimedia
1. Core Curriculum
✔ At the foundation of any unit of this type is a clear set of learning goals drawn
from whatever curriculum or set of standards is in use.
2. Real-World Connection
✔ Divide them into “Teacher” and “Students” based on clear rationale (decisions).
✔ The teacher can allow students to determine what substantive content would be
included in their projects.
✔ Students can make decisions about the form and content to their final products,
as well as the process for producing them.
Multimedia – as students design and research their projects, instead of gathering only
written notes, they also gather – and create – pictures, video clips, recordings and other
media objects that will later serve as the raw material for their final product.
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Teaching the New Basic Skills, Richard Murname and Frank Levy (1996) describe three
sets of skills that students need to be competitive for today’s job.
✔ Hard Skills (math, reading, and problem-solving mastered at a higher level than
previously expected of high school graduates);
✔ Soft Skills (for example, the ability to work in a group and to make effective oral
and written presentations); and the ability to use a personal computer to carry
out routine tasks (for example, word processing, data management, and creating
multimedia presentation).
Summing Up
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LESSON 2: PBL and Multimedia as a Teaching-Learning Strategy
⮚ Library Materials
⮚ Community Resources (Material and Human)
⮚ Internet
⮚ News Media
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To trim down time devoted to a multi-media project, Simkins et al (2002) suggest
the following:
Help the students develop a “big picture” to understand the work ahead. Make sure
what they will be making, who their audience will be and what you expect them to
learn and demonstrate in terms of the K to 12 Standards and Competencies
1. Review project documents. You can ask students to work with the project
documents you have produced. Encourage your students to ask questions about
the project to clarify what you have written.
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2. Perform Pre-Assessments. Your students can write pre-assessment questions
based on your learning goals to further clarify expectations.
3. Perform Relevant Activities. You can show students anything you can find that
is similar to what they will be producing such as a Web site or your own mini
project you did to learn the technology. You can also brainstorm for topics,
organizational ideas and design ideas.
4. Group Students. Form small student groups from three to five students per
group. Here are some grouping strategies:
● By topic interest
● By student talent and expertise - This works for a balance of talents and skills in
the groups.
● By student choice
● Randomly - This is fine to enable them to develop the skills to work with others.
5. Organize Materials. Give each group a folder that stays in the classroom. All
their group work such as storyboards, group journals, and research notes goes in
that folder.
1. Give a chance for the students to work with whatever software and technology
they will be using. If some students are already familiar with the tools and
processes, ask them to help you train the others. If students are new to
multimedia, then begin with lessons that involve using the different media types.
Remember, you and your students are cleaners and you both learn as you go.
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Here are a few design tips to keep in mind throughout story boarding and
production:
✔ Use scanned, handmade artwork to make a project look personal and to manage
scary technology resources.
✔ Student’s artwork is unmatched as a way to assure a project has heart. Keep clip
art or stamps to a minimum - they make a presentation look canned.
✔ Keep navigation - the way users of your presentation will get from one screen to
the next - consistent throughout the whole presentation.
✔ Organize information similarity throughout so users can find what they are
looking for.
✔ Care for collaboration. Check in with groups to make sure they are collaborating
successfully and that conflict is not derailing their productivity.
✔ Organize manageable steps. Break down the project's steps into manageable
daily components considering that the project requires comparatively more time
to succeed.
✔ Check and assess often. This is to ensure that mistakes are seen early enough
and therefore can be corrected before the final product is produced
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LESSON 3: Assessment in a Constructivist, Technology-Supported
Learning
"Complex learning cannot be assessed or evaluated using any single measure. We must
examine both the processes and products of student learning."
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Authentic Assessment is most appropriate for the constructivist classroom.
We need to observe and evaluate and to do it more objectively, with the aid of a
scoring rubric.
✔ You and your students may develop a rubric. It can be a collaborative effort both
of you – teacher and students – in line with the practice of self-assessment, which
is highly favored and encouraged.
✔ In fact with scoring rubric, standards are clearly set at the beginning for you and
your students and with that rubric your students can assess their own
performance or products
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✔ A technology-supported classroom maximizes the use of old and new technology.
✔ To assess their manipulative skill, we conduct direst assessment with the help of
a scoring rubric.
✔ From the eyes of a constructivist, learning is an active, constructive, intentional,
authentic and cooperative process, so should the ways in which we assess
learners and criteria that we use to evaluate them.
✔ Assess learning as it is occurring. This is process or performance assessment.
The rubric for understanding and improving meaningful environment can give an
idea.
1. Assessing Activity
2. Assessing Construction
3. Assessing Cooperative
4. Assessing Authenticity
5. Assessing Intentionally
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Summing Up
Technology has been widely used. In teaching, most schools use modern
technology in teaching. But it cannot be denied that there are places especially in
remote and rural areas who are not using much of technology maybe because of lack of
supply or electricity. Nevertheless, they make use of alternatives in teaching and this
is where the chalkboard and the MS PowerPoint are used.
For more information about creating MS PowerPoint, visit the kink below.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/basic-tasks-for-creating-a-powerpoint-
presentation-efbbc1cd-c5f1-4264-b48e-c8a7b0334e36
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THINK! What is Constructivist assessment?
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LESSON 4: Demonstration Teaching
Teaching demonstrations are artificial—the students aren’t yours; you won’t see
them again for follow-up lessons, you might even be “teaching” faculty, etc.—but they
are also a critical part of an academic job interview. Candidates for academic positions
need to show more than just knowledge of their content area in their teaching
demonstration; they need to show that they have pedagogical content knowledge. That
is, the ability to select, structure, and deliver complicated content so that students can
learn it. Your teaching demonstration must prove not only that you can create and
follow a lesson plan, but also that you can engage and interact with students to enhance
their learning.
You’ll want your teaching demonstration to reinforce whatever you’ve said about
your teaching in your application materials. For example, if you have said that you
create student-centered classrooms and provide students opportunities to actively
learn, don't lecture for the entire time during your demonstration.
⮚ Will you be teaching a class of actual students, a group of faculty, the hiring
committee, or some combination of these three groups?
⮚ What level of student should you be preparing for? (E.g., Majors, non-majors,
graduate, etc.)
⮚ If you are teaching a class of actual students, ask for a copy of the course syllabus
and any relevant assignments. Read the course description and objectives, and
review a copy of the textbook. It might also help to get to know the students in
general by looking at the university’s website and, if possible, by visiting campus
and chatting directly with students. More realistically, you might attend a class at
your current institution on the topic you are going to be teaching and then talk with
the instructor, the TAs, and the students.
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⮚ If you are teaching to faculty members posing as students, be sure to indicate for
them the level and background of the students for whom your lesson would be
intended, then pretend that the faculty members are those students and teach at
the correct level. Expect, however, that faculty might ask questions at a higher
level than would actual students and don’t go overboard with pretending that they
are students (e.g., don’t confiscate a cell phone if one of them can’t stop looking
at it!).
⮚ If you’re given a topic to teach in an actual course, find out where that topic
fits into the course itself. What have the students learned beforehand? What
will they be learning afterward? What assignments will they be working on?
What textbook are the students using? Get a copy and read the relevant
sections.
⮚ If you’ve been given a broad topic area from which to select a particular
lesson, choose something that you can manage in the time given.
⮚ If you’re teaching for a full class period, aim to end no more than 5 to 10
minutes early for questions. Have a back-up plan in case for any reason you
end earlier.
⮚ Plan enough time for any activities you’ll include; they can sometimes run
long if not properly planned and managed.
⮚ Remember, this is your teaching demo, not your research talk. Don’t just
lecture to the students; show that you can do something more by engaging
them with active learning. Get the students interested, involved, and
interacting positively with you and with one another—they might be
evaluating you for the committee.
⮚ Use brief, meaningful activities that last no more than 5-7 minutes each. If
you’re teaching faculty members, don’t expect them to be any more
interested in participating in activities than are students. Create a handout,
ask questions.
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⮚ Start with a relevant hook to grab students’ interest (an alarming statistic, a
current event, a thought-provoking question, etc.)
⮚ If you’re teaching a small group of students, bring index cards and black
sharpies. Have the students write their names on the cards and set them up
on their desks. Doing so creates an instant connection with students by
allowing you to address them by name as you would in a class of your own.
D. Use Technology Purposefully and Effectively
⮚ If you plan to use technology, be sure that it serves some clear and relevant
pedagogical aim; don’t use it just to impress the committee or to show off
your techy side. Technology shouldn’t overwhelm the topic you’re teaching,
and the contribution that technology makes to student learning should be
obvious and significant. Handouts are often a better alternative to
technology, since they provide everyone with a concrete takeaway by which
to remember you and your demonstration.
⮚ Use visuals only to support your teaching and promote learning. For example,
PowerPoint slides should be used sparingly and should ideally include
questions or problems to which students can respond. Remember, PowerPoint
should support your teaching, it shouldn’t be your centerpiece. If you do use
a PowerPoint, be sure to tell students that you’ll write on the board any key
information that you would like them to put in their own notes, otherwise
students might try to write down everything you have on your slides.
⮚ Use the board only if your handwriting is good. When writing on the board,
don’t speak to it. That is, face the students and say whatever you want them
to hear, and then turn and write it on the board. Doing so maintains your
connection with the students and gives them an opportunity to copy down
what you write.
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E. Have a Backup Plan. Have Another.
⮚ Create your ideal lesson plan, a contingency plan in case you run out of time,
a contingency plan in case you finish early and have too much time remaining,
a contingency plan in case students simply don’t respond or if things are
otherwise not working out as intended. Plan for technology to fail and know
what you’ll do if and when it does.
⮚ Plan more material than you can possibly use, and make decisions in the
moment about what to leave out. Don’t indicate to your students, however,
that you’re cutting something out due to time constraints.
⮚ Whether you’ve taught before or not, you can ask colleagues or mentors for
the opportunity to lead a session in their classes. Ask them to observe your
session and provide feedback. Alternately, gather some colleagues, perhaps
from different disciplines, to serve as a group of students whom you can
teach. Have them ask you questions just like actual students would. After the
lesson, have your colleagues comment on your flow, on the way your topics
connected with each other, on your body language and any verbal or physical
tics you might have, and, of course, on how you might improve your overall
performance.
⮚ If you have taught before, review any observation reports you may have from
colleagues or mentors, as well as evaluation feedback from students.
Consider what has worked well and what hasn’t. What improvements can you
realistically make and practice before your demonstration?
✔ Aim to be relaxed and confident in your demonstration, but also plan to show
your enthusiasm and passion for the topic.
✔ Remember that you want your demonstration to be accessible to the intended
audience, as well as factually or procedurally accurate and also clearly
effective in terms of student learning.
✔ Show respect for students and that you like working with them. Acknowledge
their contributions and thank them for participating.
✔ Don’t let talkative students sidetrack you. Indicate that you are glad they are
interested, but that you need to continue the class. Ask them to stay after to
discuss the material with you.
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✔ Consider providing students and the committee with suggested follow-up
assignments or next steps to show that you are aware of that teaching is a
continuum, not a once-off intervention.
✔ If you use graphs or other data visualizations, don’t let them speak for
themselves. Instead, get students to respond to these visualizations. For
example, orient students to a graph by briefly explaining what it shows, then
pose questions about the graph and ask students to interpret it in some way
to get students involved.
✔ Push yourself to demonstrate your best teaching, but don’t try a technique
or technology with which you’re not yet completely comfortable.
● Don’t be afraid to ask the committee for details and clarification about your
demonstration. At the same time, you need to ask yourself a number of
important questions as you get started. The list below should help get you
going.
● How much time will I have? A whole class period or only 10 to 20 minutes?
● Whom will I be teaching? Actual students or faculty posing as students?
● At what level should my teaching be aimed? Majors? Non-majors? Graduate?
● Will a topic and/or materials be provided, or should I select a topic and/or
materials on my own?
If a topic is provided and if I’m teaching in an actual course, how does the topic fit
into the course in relation to other topics? Can I get a copy of the syllabus? What
textbook do the students use? Have students been given any homework? If so, what?
Can I get a copy of the assignment materials?
Ask yourself:
● Exactly what information, and how much of it, do I want to convey in the
time I have?
● What approach is most appropriate for the topic, the students, and the
institution itself? Will I mostly lecture or will I involve students in a discussion
or an activity?
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● Do I want to use technology? If so, what will that technology add to my demo
in terms of helping students learn? Am I comfortable using the technology
that is available?
To help you remember what these elements are, we created the “POISE”
framework: Be Prepared, manage the Objective, keep the lesson Interesting and
Simple, and set Expectations.
● Prepare everything the night before -- your clothes, your route, the lesson plan,
and all materials needed for the lesson. You will sleep
more soundly and be clear-headed the next morning.
Plan and rehearse routines students will need to execute during the lesson.
Examples include getting a writing utensil, finding a partner, passing papers out,
turning papers in, and any others you can anticipate. To help you decide which ones
you will need to teach during your demo, use our planning guide and list of common
routines. Teachers often overlook this important step. Sloppy or unclear routines can
cause disarray, which gives off the impression that you are potentially unable to keep
students safe. It also wastes time that you already have so little of. Examples:
If you plan to have students work in groups, scaffold the process. (If you say “pick a
partner” and let them assume the responsibility, problems will surely arise.) Instead,
use a strategy such as having students count off, or naming them “peanut butter” and
“jelly” to pair them.
If you are teaching lower grades, plan how you will direct students from the carpet
to their seats. “Time to go back to your seats and work!” will likely result in students
rushing to their seats all at once -- talking and off-task. Instead, try saying “When I call
your row, you may take 30 seconds to quietly walk back to your seat and start working”
and then calling one row at a time. When in doubt, tell them what they should be doing,
how they should be doing it (the behavioural expectation, such as quietly), and for how
long.
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b. Prepare for when things go wrong:
Often, teachers think that students will follow their directions or be on their best
behavior during the demo just because their principal is watching. Do not count on this.
We see students breaking rules constantly during demos, and administrators always
notice and evaluate to see how the teacher reacts. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but
you do need to clearly demonstrate a strategy and be prepared to reflect on how you
could improve next time. Sometimes during demos, teachers feel awkward disciplining
students they don’t know in front of other adults. Here are a few tips on how to redirect
students in a respectful manner:
1 - 5 students off task: Use silent signals, proximity or other warm/strict corrections
to redirect behavior (example: student is answering the wrong question on their page,
teacher walks over and points silently to the correct question)
5 - 10 students off task: Positive narration or proximity (example: speaking to the
whole class, “Most groups are on the second or third question. If you need help, raise
your hand.”
10+ students off task: Reset expectations with the whole class. Use an attention-
getting signal, remind the class of the expectations, and then scan for compliance.
(example: “Just a reminder, we are on chapter 2, page 31…” --teacher scans the room
for compliance -- “Good. I’ll give you a few more seconds to get to page 31. Almost
everyone is there. Great.”
It is essential that the objective aligns with grade-level standards, unless there are
special circumstances that the school has shared with you. The common core website
lists standards by grade level , and you can use this to plan your objective.
Have the objective of the lesson posted and clearly visible to you, the students, and
the recruitment or leadership team members that are observing. You would be surprised
how well this keeps teachers focused on their objective.
Choose assessments that align directly with the objective, and assess throughout
the lesson, not just at the end. This will ensure students are on track to master the
objective.
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3. I : Interesting | POISE Framework
Sometimes teachers are so focused on the details that they forget the very basic
concept that the lesson should be interesting! Put yourself in the students’ shoes. What
would keep you engaged during a 45 minute lesson with a teacher you’ve never met?
No matter how fascinating your lesson content, if you are doing most of the talking
and students are passively listening (or just appear to be listening, it’s hard to tell if
you aren’t checking) they are probably only partly engaged. Students should be
interacting with you, other students, or the content, for the duration of the lesson.
Insider Tip: Use a hook to draw students in right at the beginning of a lesson. A
video, a demonstration, a joke, or an interesting fact will get their attention and help
them feel invested in the lesson.
We’ve seen hundreds of demo lessons, and it’s rare that the timing is perfect. The
lesson almost always runs over, not under. In other words, most teachers over-plan.
This is not a dealbreaker, but administrators like to see that you can teach a lesson
from start to finish in the amount of time given. In order to achieve this, you must keep
it simple. This doesn’t mean that you should “dumb down” the rigor, but you might
need to decrease the scope of your objective. You can always create a back-up plan for
extension activities in case you breeze through the lesson.
A rule of thumb is that the lesson goal or objective should be simple enough that
students can state what they are learning when asked.
Insider Tip: Break each section of the lesson (Do Now, Guided Practice, etc) into time
increments, then practice using either a timer or video recording device. We highly
recommend the latter. Keep rehearsing until you can comfortably execute the lesson
in the allotted time. It might take a few tries, but we can assure you it’s worth it.
Set expectations for behavior before you start your lesson. This is perhaps the most
important piece of advice we have for you.
● Use a pre-made chart, especially for lower grades, with three simple rules. Use
images to support the words for Special Education or Grades K-6.
● Your explanation of the expectations should be very brief—two minutes at most.
● Make the explanation interactive. For example, if you want students to use a
quiet thumb to show they have an answer, ask them to demonstrate that when
you first present the expectation so that you can check for understanding.
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● Post directions for students so they know what to do during work time. This way,
if students are off-task or unsure what to do, you can point to the directions to
redirect them. This frees up your time to assess and conference with students,
which is a much more valuable use of your time. It’s also a less-intrusive
behavioral correction, and has the added benefit that it also helps administrators
and recruiters who are observing follow along.
Summing Up
A demo lesson is a lesson that you plan and execute for a group of students, or
a group of adults posing as students, at a hiring school. Think of it as an audition to be
a teacher at the school.
For many, the demo lesson is the most challenging part of the hiring process. You
are obviously unfamiliar with the needs of the students, which makes two things
difficult: behavior management, and knowing what content to teach. And if you are a
new teacher, there is the additional challenge of trying out strategies you have learned
but have had little experience with.
.
THINK!
How do you demonstrate effective teaching?
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LESSON 5: Technology Tools in a Collaborative Classroom Environment
and Relevance and Appropriateness in the Use of Technology in
Teaching and Learning
K-12 education is moving away from the traditional classroom model where
teachers lecture and students diligently take notes. Rather than sit in rows, today’s
students are more likely to sit in groups of three or four. This set up lends itself to
collaboration and project-based learning, an approach to teaching in which students
solve real-world problems using skills they will need for the future. These skills include
things such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication.
Today’s technology offers so many options for educators and students that
deciding on where to begin can be overwhelming. To get started, think about one new
approach that could be the catalyst for positive change in your classroom. In looking at
your learning environment, what could benefit your students the most? One area that I
immediately thought I could improve upon was classroom collaboration.
Teachers need to hear from students, and we know that asking questions or calling on
students to discuss a topic can often make them nervous. When students, or anyone,
develop that feeling of “being on the spot”, it can become more difficult to encourage
students to share what they are thinking, what they are feeling and what their true
opinions are. This is where digital tools can provide security and opportunities for
students to express themselves. Technology has a true purpose. Students still need to
develop the ability–and confidence–to speak in class, but these tools can help by
providing a comfortable way for students to develop their voice and express
themselves.
Depending on the type of question or discussion format you want your classroom
collaboration to focus on, there are many tools available that can help.
11. SurveyMonkey is a good way to ask a variety of questions, find out what students
are thinking, use it for a quick formative assessment, and many other
possibilities. I have used it to find out how students prepared for tests, what areas
they need help with, and even for voting for club officers and planning trips. You
have the results quickly and can provide feedback instantly, to plan your next
steps in class. It can be a different way to find out about your students and their
needs.
12. TodaysMeet is a backchannel tool that can be used in or out of class, as a way for
students to contribute to a discussion or ask questions. It can also be used to
provide “office hours” online, for students to ask questions beyond the school
day. There are many possible uses for this tool, and setting it up is easy.
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13. GoSoapBox is a response tool that can be used to ask a variety of questions
without students having to create accounts. Students simply need an “event
code” provided by the teacher to access the activities available. GoSoapBox can
be used for polls, discussion questions, quizzes and more, and provides a fast way
to assess students or to simply learn more about them and their thoughts.
14. Recap is a video response tool, where students can respond to a prompt and all
responses are compiled into a “daily reel” for teachers to view and provide
feedback. Students can respond from anywhere and feel comfortable in sharing
their thoughts using this tool. These are just four of the many options—sometimes
it just takes a bit of research. Asking the students for new ways to use the tools
you have already been using in class can also be helpful.
There are many options which promote classroom collaboration and enhance writing
skills and student voice.
15. Blogging: Through blogging, teachers can provide support for students and help
them to gain confidence in writing and speaking. We have used Kidblog to
complete many writing tasks and creative writing assignments.
16. Wikispaces: A Wiki has worked really well in our classes for having students
collaborate on a topic, create a discussion page, and set it up to inform on a
topic, to list just a few examples. We created a wiki on Spanish art and also
created our own travel agency.
Using digital tools in this way is great because the discussions don’t have to end when
class does. These tools provide ways to get students talking and share their ideas, so
that classroom collaboration can even be taken home.
A few options for having students’ present information in a visual way with options for
multimedia include the following:
18. Buncee is a web based tool that can be used for creating presentations,
interactive lessons and more, with many options for including different
characters, fonts, animations, video and more.
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19. Piktochart is a tool for creating infographics, social media flyers, engaging
presentations and more. Students have created menus, self-descriptions, movie
and tv advertisements, recipe presentations and much more.
20. Visme is a “drag and drop” tool that is easy to use for creating infographics,
reports, different presentations and more. It has a library full of images, charts
and more, making it easy for users to create exactly what they need.
Each of these tools promote more personalized and meaningful learning for
students, along with a healthy dose of classroom collaboration. These tools can be used
to enhance, amplify and facilitate deeper and more authentic learning. Using
technology just for the sake of using it doesn’t make sense. But using it to help students
find their voice, learn what they want to do, what they can do and what they
need help with, does make sense.
Summing Up
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REFERENCES
References:
Books
Atherton, P. (2018). Fifty ways to use technology enhanced learning in the classroom:
practical strategies for teaching.
Cook, R. E. (2018). Strategies for including children with special needs in early
childhood settings.
Fahriye, A. (2018). Open and Equal Access for Learning in School Management.
Kai, S. and Chu, W. (2020). Social Media Tools in Experiential Internship Learning.
Newby, T.J., Stepich, D.A., Lehman, J.D. Educational Technology for teaching and
learning. Quezon City: Lorimar.
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Online
Chrirwa, M. (2018). Access and use of internet in teaching and learning at two
selected teachers’ colleges in Tanzania. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1190014.pdf
Evans, D. (2021, February, 16). How to use technology to help teachers be better and to make
life better for teachers. Retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/how-
use-technology-help-teachers-be-better-and-make-life-better-teachers
Global Research & Insight. (2018, August). Beyond Millennials: The Next Generation of
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com/one-dot-com/global/Files/news/news-annoucements/2018/The-Next-
Generation-of-Learners_final.pdf
Hart, L.(2017, February 14). Bridge the Generation Gap with your Students, Retrieved
From
https://us.aicpa.org/interestareas/accountingeducation/newsandpublications/
bridge-the-generation-gap-with-students
Koliasa, O. et. Al. (2021, April). The Use of Hypermedia Technologies in Higher Education
Institutions during Covid Lockdown. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1311431.pdf
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Seemiller, C. and Meghan, G. (2017, July). Generation Z: Educating and Engaging the
Next Generation of Students, Retrieved from
https://www.nvcc.edu/osi/_docs/academic-assessment/clo/generation-z-
educating-and-engaging-the-next-generation-of-students.pdf
Sombra del Rio, L. Et. Al. (2019, January, 15). Multimedia Instruction; Educational
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from https://naerjournal.ua.es/article/view/v8n1-7
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