EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

            Three technological devices and or apps explored by fellow classmates, that I think are specifically beneficial to adult teaching and learning generally and to my professional practice are Lectora, EClicker and Podcasts.

Nicole Herbert’s Blog

URL: http://lectora.com/corporate-training-software/

            Lectora is an authoring software program that allows educators to create lessons or entire courses for elearning. Lectora publishing allows educators to create class modules that present course content in a visually interesting way, which can be engaging and interactive (Herbert, 2013).  

            Two examples of how I might incorporate this technology into my professional practice include, first transform my content book into great interactive presentations using Lectora software. Second, I would include quizzes to assess learners’ understanding of the concept explored in the presentation.

Yvonne Dominguez’s Blog

http://www.eclicker.com/

            Eclicker is an iphone application that allows you to do presentations and receive feedback about what you present (Dominguez, 2013).  Also it allows listeners to become active listeners in any type of presentation through quick quizzes and questions asked by you through their personal mobile devices whether that be an iphone or ipad (Dominguez, 2013).

            One way, I would incorporate this in my professional practice as an adult educator is to have learners use this medium to communicate after a presentation, highlighting what they have learned and asking questions to clear any misunderstandings they may have arrived at during the presentation. Second, learners would use the apps to communicate with each other out of the formal classroom setting when they collaborate on given assignments.

Sara Grimes’ Blog

http://www.thebobandrobshow.com/

            According to Richardson (2010), “podcasting is the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple” (p. 112).  Commonplace, ordinary people create podcasts, “talking about things that interest them—with a bit of music mixed in” (p. 112).  Audio resources such as podcasts are significant resources for supporting, stimulating, and encouraging the listening competences of English learners (Grimes, 2013).

            Two ways in which I would incorporate podcasts in my professional practice as an Instructor of English include first, develop several podcasts from course materials for learners to listen to. Podcasts will also be given as a collaborative culminating activity for learners to create after conducting a research on a given topic and present same using podcasts.  Learners will be quizzed at the end of each presentation.

REFERENCES

Dominguez, Y (2013, March 14). Mobile Technology. Retrieved from

            http://newtechfrontier.wordpress.com

Grimes, S (2013, March 28). Podcasts and Visuwords. Retrieved from

           http://segrimes.blogspot.com .

Herbert, N. (2013, March 14). Lectora - Not the lecture you expected. Retrieved from 

            http://nh67.blogspot.com

 Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms

            (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP, ETHICS AND NETIQUETTES

Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use (Ribble, n.d.). Two technologies related to digital citizenship, ethics and netiquette that have the potential to enhance adult education are:

www.edutopia.com/FiveMinuteFilmFestival

This website provides videos that aim to make users aware of proper behaviors that should be put in practice when interacting over the internet. It provides guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology (Borovo, 2012). The site provides a playlist of videos with various topics such ‘What is Digital Citizenship; Be a Digital Citizen; Go Figure2 – Online Safety Version Digital Citizenship Curriculum Training Introduction; Invasion of Data Snatchers – How to Protect Your Online Privacy among others.’ These video presentations have been created to appeal to all learners at all levels and with different preferred learning styles. For instance, there are animated films for learners at the kindergarten level. I would definitely integrate this website while introducing learners to netiquettes. At the end of the presentation, instructor and learners will discuss the negative effects of inappropriate behavior on the internet. Instructors and learners will also discuss which set of rules the class will abide by while interacting with other learners during classes.

www.nisd.net

This website provides more details on the nine themes of digital citizenship. It focuses mainly on conveying information to students (at the elementary and secondary levels) on the appropriate use of the internet where they are expected to ‘exhibit intelligent behavior and make good choices when using technology (Bickley & Trawick, n.d).’ I would use this website to assist me in developing my lesson plan on a chosen topic as I teach the learners about digital citizenship, ethics and netiquette. In addition the site offers video presentations which learners can watch, then engage in discussion and class activities such as to answer questions from the presentation. This can be incorporated as a culminating activity.

REFERENCES

Bickley, D & Trawick,T(n.d). Digital Citizenship: Rights, Roles and Responsibilities in a Digital

         society. Retrieved from www.nisd.net

Borovoy, A (2012). Five Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from

         www.edutopia.com

Ribble, M. (n.d.). Nine elements: Nine themes of digital citizenship. Retrieved May 30, 2012, from

          http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

OPEN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES or RESOURCES

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, usually openly licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning, educational, assessment and research purposes (Wikipedia, 2013). Open Educational Resources include: full courses, course materials, modules, learning objects, open textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge (Wikipedia, 2013).  Two open educational technologies that have the potential to enhance adult learning include OER Commons and Open Culture websites.

www.oercommons.org

OER commons provide training and tools that assist teacher in designing significant learning experiences for learners, thus enriching the teaching learning experience of those involved. OER commons assist in the professional development of teachers by providing training and design tools for instructors which will hopefully have a positive spiral effect on the learners assigned to those instructors. The site provides a wealth of resources for instructors which are categorized based on subject areas, for instance Mathematics, Arts, Social Studies and on material types for instance lesson plans, audio games and lectures. I believe this site has the potential to enhance adult learning because instructors of adult learners will be trained (from this site) and equipped with materials to enhance and meet learners’ needs.

www.openculture.com

Openculture.com is a site that has over 700 universities listed, that offers open education courses. The free online courses are categorized in several subjects alongside the universities which offer them. Moreover, free materials for learners are available in addition to free online language lessons. Learners worldwide can get access to free education online courses (which may not be offered at universities in their countries) which will serve to enhance their knowledge and skills and make them more marketable. Learners all over the world can enroll and start right away. Because courses are offered online, learners can download the apps on their smartphones and are therefore not confined to a computer or the library. Learning is affordable and enhances the individuals’ overall well being. This open education technology has the potential to enhance adult education because the world has become a global village and having knowledge of concepts other than the “norm’ for instance about your job, will assist those involved to be knowledgeable and therefore can communicate intelligently with others globally.

REFERNCES

OER Commons (2013). Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from www.oercommons.org

Open Culture (2013). The Best Free Cultural and Educational Media on the Web. Retrieved from

           www.openculture.com

Wikipedia (2013). Open Educatio

GAMES, SIMULATIONS AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR LEARNING

       Squire (2011) defines games as ‘ideological worlds’ in that they instantiate ideas through implicit rules and systems and differ from simulations in that they give roles, goals and agency: elicit fantasies and design experiences to manage complexity and learning. Games are fun and engaging and promote learning and community. In addition, they develop levels of intrinsic motivation in learners as a result of the reward systems they have in place. Two educational games that can be integrated in the delivery of the lessons to enhance learning are Mind Maps and Scrabble.

MIND MAPS (www.mindtools.com).

            Mind Maps software can be manipulated and build by the instructor and created according to subject area. These help learners take notes, brainstorm complex problems, and think creatively (www.mindtools.com). In addition it enhances collaboration and lengthens attention span of the learners involved. Learners become organizers, taking action meanwhile being creative and productive.  Squire asserts that meaning making games are ‘productive in that players constantly construct goals, strategies and theories about the game system.’ Mind Maps epitomizes what a good educational game should be as it aligns itself with the characteristics outlined by Squire (2011). These include ‘players employ academic knowledge and understanding as tools for action, encourage community of learners (social interactions) where learners assist others, acknowledge different perspectives and inspire creativity (Squire, 2011).’ This game would be integrated in my lesson for learners studying essay writing. Learners will collaborate in this game to build body paragraphs for various topics of interest.

SCRABBLE  (http://www.merriam-webster.com/game/scrabble.htm)

            The word game scrabble offered online by merriam – webster.com promotes collaboration among learners. The game improves learners’ thinking and problem solving skills and promotes creativity. In addition, it increases the attention span of learners and as a language builder, build learners’ vocabulary and communication skills. I would incorporate this game as a culminating activity at the end of a lesson. Learners will create their word and give an example of how it is used in a sentence. This not only demonstrates that the learner knows a word but also that he or she understands the context in which it is used.

 

REFERENCES

Mind Maps (2013). Retrieved from www.mindtools.com

Scrabble  (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/game/scrabble.htm

Squire, K. (2011). Video games and learning: Teaching and participatory culture in the digital

         age. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

MOBILE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

         Mobile technologies support learning experiences that are collaborative, accessible and integrated with the world beyond the classroom (Euducause, 2013). Using portable computing devices, for instance, laptops, ipads, tablets and smartphones with wireless networks enables mobile learning allowing teaching and learning to extend to spaces beyond the traditional classroom (Euducause, 2013). Within the classroom, mobile learning gives instructors and learners increased flexibility and new opportunities for interaction (Euducause, 2013). Two mobile learning technologies that one believes can enhance adult learning are smartphones and ipads.

Smartphones (www.wikipedia.com)

          ‘A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability connectivity than a feature phone (Wikipedia, 2013).’ Like ipads, smartphones’ have Wi Fi and broadband allows faster internet connectivity and downloads of educational apps which appeals to different learners. Allowing the usage of smartphones in the teaching learning experience will foster engagement and collaborative exercises among learners who can work in groups and share information with each other.  Smartphones prevent instructors and learners from being confined to a personal computer. Its lightweight allows it to be flexible to carried anywhere, at anytime and its high speed internet allows easy access in seconds which enhances communication between learners and instructors. Moreover smartphones encourages professional development for teachers who are willing to integrate mobile learning among their learners. Instructors will now have to explore various apps and learn how to use them to create significant learning experience for their learners.  

iPads (www.wikipedia.com)

            The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed with user interface which is built around the device's  multi – touch screen screen, including a virtual keyboard (Wikipedia, 2013). Like smartphones the iPad has built-in Wi Fi and, on some models, cellular connectivity (Wikipedia, 2013). The iPad can shoot video, take photo, play music and perform online functions such as web-browsing and emailing (Wikipedia, 2013). Other apps can be downloaded for mobile learning on this device among learners. Such device when integrated in the teaching learning experience, with its ability to download several apps such as Lectora, Flashcards and Evernotes, will enhance individuals’ study, organizational and communication skills.

                                                                    

REFERENCES

Educause (2013). Learning Technologies. Retrieved from www.educause.edu

Wikipedia (2013). iPads. Retrieved from www.wikipedia.com

Wikipedia (2013). Smartphones. Retrieved from www.wikipedia.com