Some other ways of the use
of ICT combining with different pedagogical approaches to promote
learning
Problem-based learning
(PBL) is a pedagogical strategy of
"active learning"
The main characteristics of this pedagogical approach
are:
·
the problem:
...learning is driven by open-ended problems.
·
the collaboration
process: ...students are learning in small collaborative groups.
·
the teacher's role:...the
teacher is acting as a facilitator of learning instant of someone who delivers
the knowledge.
Designing a PBL activity it
is important to begin with simplified versions of real world problems. The
teacher may add components in a progressive way. This progression and fading
motivates learners as they slowly gain expertise. The teacher's role is to guide
the learning process rather than to provide knowledge. During this learning
process it is very important to provide feedback and reflection to
the students.
The ability to solve
problems is a very crucial knowledge for any child nowadays. Through solving
problems the students may develop cognitive strategies in order to analyze
unanticipated, ill-structured situations producing meaningful solutions. The
student's engagement with such kind of problems increase their critical thinking
skills helping them to interact with real life. On the other hand the
well-structured problems that is providing in traditional classrooms where there
is only one right answer teach students about the solution but not so much about
the way of solving. In real life, we seldom repeat exactly the same steps to
solve problems; therefore, the lockstep solution sequence taught in
well-structured classroom problems is seldom transferable. Instead, real-life
problems present an ever-changing variety of goals, contexts, contents,
obstacles, and unknowns which influence how each problem should be approached.
To be successful in their chosen career, students need practice solving
ill-structured problems that reflect life beyond the classroom. This skill is
the goal of problem based learning.
PROJECT based learning
Project Based Learning (PBL)
emphasizes in learning activities that are long-term,
interdisciplinary and student-centered. According to this method the
students must organize their own work and manage their own time. Within the
project based learning framework students collaborate, working together
to make sense of what is going on. Project-based instruction differs from
inquiry-based activity by its emphasis on collaborative learning.
Additionally, project-based instruction differs from traditional inquiry by its
emphasis on students' own artifact construction to represent what is being
learned. The world wide web is a good framework for designing Project
Based Activities.
Project based learning is
designed to be used for complex issues that require students to investigate in
order to understand. It is not useful to use PBL for easy to learn factual
information. For example, students may be asked to monitor the water quality in
a local river to learn about their local environment and environmental issues
that affect it. The tasks for students with mental problems has to be as simple
as possible, easy understandable.
WebQuest
A WebQuest is an
inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that
learners work with comes from the web. The students read, analyze,
and synthesize information researching the World Wide Web. It is a
highly constructivist teaching method where students actively build their
own understanding of a topic. The research is based normally on real life
problems or questions. Students typically complete WebQuests in cooperative
groups. Each student in each group then has a "role," or specific area to
research. WebQuests often take the form of role-playing scenarios, where
students take on the personas of professional researchers or historical figures.
WebQuests, are a great tool
for teachers to use in their classroom. Teachers can search for webquests on a
particular topic on the net or can create their own using popular tools such as
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and nowadays Web 2.0
tools such as blogs and wikis. The students have to complete
various task using office programs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint,
Access, Excel etc. The project can be assessed through a
browser and is a great way to integrate technology into your classroom.
The Search Engines are
web based applications that allow us to search and to recover information
into the internet using simple keywords. Nowadays, the www.google.com is the
most famous search engine.
It is possible also to use
other tools such as
Web 2.0
refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted
services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and
folksonomies — which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration and sharing
between users. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web,
it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes
in the ways software developers and end-users use the internet.
The phrase "Web 2.0" can
also refer to the transition of websites into interlinked computing
platforms that act like software to the user. Web 2.0 also includes a social
element where users generate and distribute content, often with freedom to share
and re-use.
In second-language learning,
some see Web 2.0 technologies as new and emerging technologies. Technologies
such as on-demand video, file-sharing, blogs, wikis,
and podcasting have become very popular with language-educators and
students. Using these "new tools" the users emphasized in collaborative and
community-building aspects.
Del.ic.ious
The website del.icio.us
(pronounced as "delicious") is a social bookmarking web service for
storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks. A non-hierarchical keyword
categorization system is used on del.icio.us where users can tag each of their
bookmarks with a number of freely chosen keywords. A combined view of everyone's
bookmarks with a given tag is available; Its collective nature makes it possible
to view bookmarks added by similar-minded users.
Everything posted to
del.icio.us is publicly viewable by default, although a user can mark specific
bookmarks as private, and imported bookmarks are private by default. The public
aspect is emphasized; it is not focused on storing private ("not shared")
bookmark collections.
YouTube web site
YouTube
is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video
clips. This site uses Adobe Flash technology to display a wide variety of video
content, including movie clips, TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur
content such as video blogging and short original videos. Unregistered users can
watch most videos on the site, while registered users are permitted to upload an
unlimited number of videos. Some videos are available only to users of age 18 or
older (e.g. videos containing potentially offensive
RSS
RSS
is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content
such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is
called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content
from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people
to keep up with their favourite web sites in an automated manner that's easier
than checking them manually.
RSS content can be read
using software called an "RSS reader," "feed reader" or an "aggregator." The
user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by
clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The
reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading
any updates that it finds.
A blog or WebBlog
A blog is a website
where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed
in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb,
meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide
commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal
online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs,
web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to
leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most
blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artblog),
photographs (photoblog), sketchs (sketchblog), videos (videolog), music (MP3
blog), audio (podcasting) and are part of a wider network of social media.
Micro-blogging
is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.
A Wiki
A wiki is a type of
computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages.
Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, power community
websites, and are increasingly being installed by businesses to provide
affordable and effective Intranets or for use in Knowledge Management. We can
say that "it is the simplest online database that could possibly work".
One of the best-known
wikis is Wikipedia.
A podcast
A podcast is a
digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed
over the Internet using syndication feedsportable media players and personal
computers. The term, like "radio", can refer either to the content itself or to
the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting.
The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.
A mind mapping tool
A mind map is a
diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items linked to and
arranged radially around a central key word or idea. It is used to generate,
visualize, structure and classify ideas, and as an aid in study,
organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.
It is an image-centered
diagram that represents semantic or other connections between portions of
information. By presenting these connections in a radial, non-linear graphical
manner, it encourages a brainstorming approach to any given organizational
task, eliminating the hurdle of initially establishing an intrinsically
appropriate or relevant conceptual framework to work within.
A mind map is similar to a
semantic network or cognitive map but there are no formal restrictions on the
kinds of links used.
The elements are arranged
intuitively according to the importance of the concepts and they are organized
into groupings, branches, or areas. The uniform graphic formulation of the
semantic structure of information on the method of gathering knowledge, may aid
recall of existing memories
Concept mapping
is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different
concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among
concepts. Concepts are connected with labelled arrows, in a downward-branching
hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts is articulated in
linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or
"contributes to".
Assessment
is considered to be the most
important part of classroom instruction. Without this, teachers are not able to
identify their students' educational needs, that is, their weaknesses and
strengths.
Designing an assessment tool
is not an easy job, because it depends on many factors such as class size,
students' backgrounds, and lesson plans. Teachers can use computers to assess
their students' language, emotional and social skills.
Nowadays there are a lot of web based software that can be used by teachers for
Student Profiling and Reporting.
1.http://www.learning-theories.com/:
Theories and Models of Learning for educational research
and practice. The site is hosted by the "Leading Education and Social Research
Institute of Education"
2.http://www.udel.edu/pbl/problems/:
Problem-Based Learning examples addressed by the
3.http://www.webquest.org/index.php:
The most complete and current source of information about the WebQuest Model.
Whether you're an education student new to the topic or an experienced teacher
educator looking for materials, you'll find something here to meet your needs.
4.http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html:
A set of ideas-activities that can be used by teaches improving
student's memory
5.http://www.graphic.org/goindex.html:
A set of tools that may help in graphical representation of students'
learning (graphic organizers, concept mapping, mind mapping examples)
6.http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Guide.shtml:
Lesson preparation