Session+6

=The Framework for ICT based Learning=

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Session 6 - Now that you've had a taste of what is happening in Classroom2.0, you should by now be doing the following:


 * Have students who have joined your learning community
 * Seeing be beginning of collaboration and reflective writing in your classroom
 * Learning how to manage the classroom 'digital' conversation
 * Having more time to talk about 'content' with your re-energized students
 * Leaning how to deal with RSS feeds to manage the communication
 * Wondering which 'tools' to use to extend what you have started with your 'blogging' community.

This session is about setting out a clear method of monitoring your projects, setting out the tools for those projects and developing new methods of assessment and reporting. (Your old planner doesn't quite cut it anymore).

Firstly, lets now re-classify 'content'. This is the stuff that you can now give the kids. You don't have to read it to them, or Power Point every nugget of content. You can give students the content online, and use that these 'chunks' of 'data' to let them turn it into meaningful information. The day to day classroom learning - is classified as the **task/content** in this regard. It is no longer the focus. It's okay for students to discover how it fits into the project, and not have to issue it piece by piece in sequence. There is more to learning than 'remembering' in the ICT based classroom.

The process for **digital literacy and collaboration is the framework**, in which content is provided to student. The focus is to lift students into higher order thinking in the framework - therefore the emphasis of this programme is to re-think the use of ICT in the classroom to promote this.


 * Remembering** - is often the primary framework of ICT based lessons. For example :

//"Today we are looking at Italian Culture. Use the internet to find images that represent the kind of food eaten in Italy. Describe the food in the image. Create a Micosoft Publisher leaflet to show what you have found out, and well present them in class"//

This kind of activity is repeated over numerous lessons. It may fulfill the needs of the syllabus - "selects appropriate ICTs to ", but is still a low order process. It is based on Blooms notion of Remembering : Recognising Listing Describing Identifying Retrieving Naming Locating/Finding**,** //Searching, googling.//

I am suggesting that this content is not learned by 'searching' but given to the students as the content to fit inside reflective practice such that they use it to show what they can do, can learn and can apply to their individual learning. The transformation in ICT use is to move towards activities that promote:
 * Analysing
 * Creating
 * Communicating and Presenting

=Using the Framework=

The first step is to ensure that 21st Century Learners are able to sign up for services //safely//, and that parents are //informed// of the activity.

The framework for learning is :


 * Reflective, Critical Literacy Skills - the encompassing literacy methods
 * Digital Storytelling skills - the application and evidence of learning (content)
 * Syllabus outcomes (standards) - the 'system' demands


 * Reflective Critical Literacy** - the students ability to explain what they have learned (past), where there are in relation to the task goal (present) and setting out their perception of the next steps (future). They also need to ask questions that relate to their individual learning (reflective), and learn to tap into a range of resources that might help them do that. We are de-tuning the reliance on 'searching' for information, and moving toward asking questions that will help them select and apply information - from computer and non computer sources. These include people, libraries, magazines, media, text book as well as electronic resources. Google and Wikipedia should NOT the their only reference point.


 * Digital Storytelling** - After selecting a method to 'tell the story' - Applying knowledge to the task, teachers should select three tools that students can use to tell that story. The tools should be linked back to their Reflective Writing Publishing base. The tools should work synchronously if possible - to engage students in the development of multi-literacy skills. The observation of each of these skills (assessment) should use the same criteria.


 * //Creates Account// - Signing up safely - without giving out any personal information (retains username and password)
 * //Uploads data without loss of dat//a - interacts with the tool, saving work and testing to ensure no work is 'lost'.
 * //Organises in accordance with task requirements// - Uses goal planning and set out clearly 'what the evidence' will look like - what will we see? etc,
 * //catagorizes information effectively// - Sets heading, categories. Uses tags and keywords to classify information in context to the task
 * //Shares resources within the 'group'// - pools images, comments on other student's work, cites URLs etc., Collaboration and Leadership.
 * //Uses advanced features// - Extends beyond the basic use, finds creative ways to use the tool, uses a wide range of the tools features.


 * Outcomes and Standards** - Normal standards are applied to the project from the local syllabus at the relevant stage of learning. These outcomes may well be embedded in the project skills above, however, choose outcomes that promote content and deeper learning when possible and avoid duplication.