Week one of e-learning

Throughout my limited practical experience in the classroom I have seen a glimpse into the use of electronics (mainly ICTs) in the classroom context. In the beginning I noticed my mentor teachers predominantly viewing ICTs as just 'educational' games, typing of assingments/work and maybe a small amount of research on the net. This led me to the impression that teachers viewed electronics as either too hard to incorporate or didn't want to learn how to incorporate it. However my first prac in Bundaberg last year showed me this is not the case. I was able to work with two teachers in a very small school who often utilised their interactive whiteboards through almost all the KLAs I witnessed. Each week students from years 1-7 also participated in a robotics workshop which required the use of building lego robots and using the software to program them. Over my last three years of my degree I have noticed the increasing incorporation and emphasis on electronics in the classroom and it seems only fitting with highly dependent lifestyles we lead today.


Concept mapping has already shown great importance in learning as it it organises information into a logical sequence or picture for the learner. There is no right or wrong way to organise a concept map as everyone has a different way of learning and what might benefit some people will not benefit others. The information included will also have a drastic affect on the the final product. This is where electronics in the classroom has the potential to enhance concept mapping for all learners.

An electronic concept/mind map has the ablity to be adapted to the user as more information is added. This is a distinct advantage over mapping on paper or the board as there is no need for crossing certain topics out or running out of space. Electronic mind maps can be continually updated and rearranged to suit the purpose and the auidence which creates advantages in the classroom. An example of this would be the creation of an electronic mind map at the beginning of a unit. As the units progresses the teacher can revisit the map and have the students evaluate the effectivenes of the information and the format along with the requirement for additional information or possible deletion or re-wording of incorrect information. This would achieve constant reflection and evaluation of concepts and learnings all the way through the unit.


I would like to leave with something Wendy said that has resignated with me from the tute on Tuesday - "It is not always about the electronic learning but what discussion evolves from the e-learning".