Thursday, June 14, 2007

Self Reflection for EDU 5471 Course

Dear Grandpa,

I am very happy to let you know that I am near completion of my second Master’s degree. My degree is in education, concentrating more on educational technology this time. I know. I know, Grandpa, you always say that in our day people have too many degrees and too little common sense and basic knowledge. I’m hoping this is not the case for me; and know I have many colleagues who share my sentiments. Although my area of study may seem so foreign to you, it is actually very much a continuation of our discussion on the education process in your time and mine.

I think about you having been a teacher of twelve to fifteen students of many levels in one classroom, and how you were challenged to keep them engaged at their level(s) and gaining knowledge as much knowledge as possible. I just read an article recently by Rodger Bybee; he wrote in the year 2000 that “technological literacy of all citizens will become a national imperative and an educational goal.” We are very far from just learning the 3-R’s of yesterday; although the similarities in learning the 3-R’s and technology lie in that they are all skills for life. Technology is as essential today as the 3-R’s still are. This is what is also called the difference between “schooling and lifelong learning.”

The small classroom you taught in for 15 years grandpa is in some ways parallel to the internet in that students at various stages of learning and awareness have access to those with different knowledge and information. But , of course, multiply that knowledge and awareness by millions and millions (to include people from all over the world) and that is the knowledge that students have access to in our day and age, on any given day. Grandpa the world is very much expanding but also a much smaller place, as a class in your old hometown today could be communicating with, and learning from, children in Australia, and their teacher could be learning from the Australian teacher, too.

I also reflect on the sense of isolation you felt and the responsibility of being, in many ways, the sole provider of information to students. Nowadays imparting knowledge is seen as an essential very small part of learning. When I talk to you about attending conferences and training, you say, “We did not have all of that available to us and we just taught what we knew and knew what we taught.” I agree in some that teachers can be the limit to students’ knowledge but I want to be part of process in expanding teachers knowledge and skills. So my job is to help teachers feel more confident and capable at using more resources, especially, technology as a tool to help their students be better educated and better consumers of information.

So, grandpa, the main theme in my studies is professional development for teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms. This will, hopefully, decrease their sense of isolation, increase their sense of collaboration with one another, provide new avenues for interactions between student, between teachers, and between students and teachers. I think this will create a dynamic learning environment that is not a “one-size-fits-all” classroom.

I understand that there were many thinkers of your time discussing learning in context, such as Vygotsky and others. However, it probably wasn’t easy for you to learn about this then, as you know now, unless your library or church happened to carry the books. Things are different now; we don’t seek specific titles or authors; we can seek keywords or subjects and have access to 1000s of articles and books. We don’t have to know what we’re searching for even. Therefore, students can have an interest for the day or a topic of choice and find out more than they could imagine they didn’t know. Of course this might sound overwhelming to you asking, “How do I channel the knowledge of students in such an environment?” I agree this is the job of a good teacher to channel students’ energy, and to focus their attention on specific topics, and increase their breadth and depth of learning. You would do this well grandpa, if you had to do it today.

Grandpa, remember when I first taught you how to read my emails, then how to write and send them. You hesitated at first, and were unsure; then it became easy for you, and even fun for you to do a few internet searches, and to read your newspaper online. One of my main goals is to teach teachers in non-threatening and fun ways, so that they can go into the classrooms and also impart to their students that “learning is fun.”

I’m glad we are able to have this email exchange; hopefully, we will be able to move to “blogs”, where someone puts an idea down and different people sign on to reflect on it. If you want we could chat, or have like an email dialogue, if my typing can keep up with yours J In the future, I might send you something called a podcast, where you can hear one of my lessons for teachers. Yes, you can share it with your friends, and brag about your grandson who turned out just like you. For now, grandpa, the fact that you are reading this email and can connect to the links of the articles if you wanted to, makes me happy. Because I know you are still the best kind of teacher; the teacher who always seeks new knowledge and want s to learn more. Thank you for being my lifelong teacher, and for channeling me in the right direction.

Yours truly,

Ghassan

In this email to grandpa, I was hoping to describe to him my interest in preparing teachers to integrate information and communication technology into their teaching and learning environments. I was expressing to him my hopes that teachers improve their confidence in using technology and gaining better skills at not just imparting knowledge, but preparing students to be consumers of information, as well as gaining critical thinking skills. I see the similarities in past times and today; i.e. the need for more staggered learning plans, and individualized or, at least, varied learning for students. My hope is to prepare teachers to engage their students in dynamic learning environments, in which neither teacher nor student feels isolated. Although, those of my grandfather’s generation perceive technology as “a means of isolation;” my hope is that he as well as today’s teachers see the many means for connectivity and communication. I believe my reading selections and blog entries reflect these concepts and convictions.

I have read some wonderful papers during this course that shaped my thoughts and helped me reflect upon my practices and beliefs. Some of these papers are:

Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age (Resnick, 2002); Information Age Mindset (Frand, 2000); Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (Dwayer, 1989 ); Digital Natives and Digital Immigrant (Prenski, 2001); Designing Staff Development Plans for the Information Age (McKenzie, 1991); Engage Me or Enrage Me (Prensky, Marc, 2005); Is Education 1.0 ready for Web 2.0 students (John, 2007 ).

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Computers in classrooms

I have seen some interesting points on the pros and cons of computers in labs and classrooms on several posts..

In our college we only have laptops. All students and staff have laptops and one teacher pc in every room.

Computers are integral part of almost every subject we teach. Some materials we cover would require the use of large number of computers and some would require the use of only on computer by the teacher; and rarely not use them at all. Therefore, it depends on circumstances.

Labs would require being:

  • Maintained in good working order
  • Upgraded as technology changes
  • Supported during and after class
  • Controlled by the teachers
  • Used; staff need to be trained on different ways to integrate them in curriculum

A final point on this topic is that everyone involved in education should understand that computers and the Internet are not a solution. The responsibility of effective teaching still remains within the hands of those designing the lessons. The value of the new IT infrastructure and computers in labs and classrooms will depend on an open mind from the older generation of teachers and the commitment and energy from the younger generation.

Thanks,

Ghassan

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Are we there yet?

Enhancing Teaching and Learning with Technology ….The Paths are Just Beginning to Branch Out

Many institutions in the Middle East have access to some of the best available IT infrastructure. There are also excellent support teams and great training opportunities for staff to integrate technology in the curriculum to enhance their courses. Taking a look at faculty engagement in using technology in their teaching and delivery strategies, we find that there is yet a broad range of applications barely utilized. We are using the computer to send and receive emails, using word processing to write lessons, using excel sheet to enter attendance, and searching the internet. However, the number of faculty making use of the wide range of available technology to enhance their teaching and learning is still relatively low.

What needs to be done to see signs of improvements in teaching and learning through the use of technology? Must we continue to build the technical infrastructure and support system of the institution? Or should we attend to staff motivation and technological skills and knowledge? Or could we become more aware of the manner in which the complicated process of integrating technology with curriculum is a hindrance to those new to technology. Maybe a combination of all these factors is at play.

One fact I am sure of is that the new generation of learners is here to stay. Our students are increasingly demanding more use of online courses to be delivered via the internet. Addressing the new demand of the net generation, would require from us, the teachers, to review the pedagogical, psychological and technological issues confronting the seamless integration of technology into education. Addressing these issues would involve everyone-students, faculty, academic, administrators, and IT staff.

I would like to hear the point of view of teachers on

Why are some of the challenges to integrating technology in their teaching?

Monday, April 16, 2007

Using technology to keep students engaged...

Hi all,

Colleges and schools are trying their best to find ways to keep students engaged in classroom activities. traditional teaching activities are not being very effective in seizing students attentions anymore.

As numerous studies found That the learners of the 21th century are highly motivated to learn; they are self directed and independent; they want to participate in decision making whenever they can; they need to be convinced on what is being taught to them will benefit them; and time is extremely important to them.

The task of the trainer/teacher/coach, whatever name you use, to keep the learners engaged and motivated in class room is not easy. Using technology effectively in classroom is one way of making the teachers' job little bit easier sometime and difficult at other times.

At my current job, all students have laptops (tablet-pc). Full time access to wireless network and internet connection. I have used many different methods to keep my students engaged. I give them access to my online course. All assignments and projects have restricted submission dates. All mini and major projects are done in groups and requires the use of internet for researching info; and plenty of feedback on their progress. With all these methods of keeping students engaged, i am still searching to get the full benefits and make most of their laptops and internet availability to meet the course objective.

I would love to hear from people with similar settings

Students with laptops and full internet access.. How can we keep them engaged and concentrating on task at hand?

Thanks,
Ghassan

Technology vs Learning

Experience the use of blogs in the education field..i am really excited about this technology.: Weblogs and RSS..Web Tools for Learning..!

Monday, March 26, 2007

Weblogs and RSS..Web Tools for Learning..!

This week I have been reading couple of papers about Bloggings and RSS web tools. I am intersted in how teachers and educators can make good use of both technologies in classrooms.

Even though i am new to both web tools, I will explain in simple language what I know about each tool.

"Weblogs" or "blogs" are simple websites that can be created and edited by anyone who has access to the internet. You dont need to know html codes to create your blog; within couple of minutes your website will be up and running....

The easiest way to start is to create your blog using one the free online services:

http://www.blogger.com
http://www.motime.com
http://www.tblog.com

Some definitions and benefits of blogging ..

"Blogging is the process of reading what is important to you online, engaging a community, and reflecting on online....it is a process or bring life to learning."

" A blog is characterized by its reflection of a personal style, and this style maybe reflected in either the writing or the selection of links passed along to readers"


"through the use of our weblogs we have been able to build a relationship, engage in reflective practice, and have interactive opportunities that develop and broaden our knowledge base."

" through the use of blogs, we were able to archive and publish students work, learn with far flung collaborators, and manage the knowledge that members of the school community create"

RSS..stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication.. it depends who you talk to.

RSS allows you to collect information from many websites using "aggregator" " or news feeder collector" . The RSS checks the websites you subscribe to every hour and send the information to you instead of you visiting each website individually.

To use RSS, u need to subscribe to the website you are interested in receiving information from...

There are alot of aggregators available for free download..

http://www.sharpreader.net
http://www.bloglines.com


I hope you find the information I presented to you useful and easy to read and understand.


I would like to hear from anyone who had used either tool in their classrooms; and how successful were they in using the technology and at what level it is being used..

Ghassan

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Reflection...on the skills learners need to survice in the 21th ..

Hi everyone,

I am currently doing my Master of Education at USQ University, Australia. One of the topic i am studying and discussing with other people around the world is "what skills the learners need to survive in the 21th century"?

Having lived in many different places and taught in Australia, US and United Arab Emirates, I have found that the basic skills that learners must have in the 21st century are almost the same for everyone.


Learners must develop good people skills. Working with people, being part of a team, and being able to interact with others are essentials for success in today’s workplace. Emotional intelligence is as important as IQ for survival.

Critical thinking is another important skill that our learners must acquire to survive in the 21st century. As technology becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, cognitive skills like self-direction, curiosity, creativity, risk taking and others are becoming increasingly critical.

Being able to communicate effectively in oral and written format is very important skills that our learners must develop.

Global Awareness... the internet has brought everyone close to each other. A great example of that is this online course we are taking at USQ. We have people from at least 10 different countries and many different cultures. Learners in the 21st century need to recognize and understand countries, sociocultural groups, public and private economic entities, , and individuals across the globe.

Technology skills Knowledge about what technology is, how it works, what purposes it can serve, and how it can be used efficiently and effectively to achieve specific goals.

I would love to hear from many of you on this topic and on any other topics that related to technology and education..

Best Regards...
Guss



Monday, March 12, 2007

My Work

Hi

I am currently working at the Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE as an IT faculty. My college is located @ Madinat Zayed (bedaa' Zayed as it is known locally) which is 160km away from Abu Dhabi the capital of UAE.. Previously I worked at Ras Al Khamiah, UAE as an Educational Technology and IT Services Supervisor for 6 years. I am completing my Masters in Educational Technology, USQ Australia and i am hoping to finish my study at the end of this year.

Ghassan