References

References:

1)      Allan, B. (2007). Blended Learning: Tools for teaching and training. London: Facet.

2)      Edwards, A. (2012). New Technology and Education. London: Continuum Books.

3)      Gerard, R. W. (n.d.). Computers and Education. Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference.

4)      Gillespie, H. (2006). Unlocking Learning and Teaching with ICT. New York: Routledge.

5)      Hawkeye Innovations. (2016, January). Sports. Retrieved from http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/

6)      Internet Detectives. (2016, January). Wise Up on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.vtstutorials.ac.uk/detective/

7)      Kahoot. (2016, January). Retrieved from Get Kahoot: https://getkahoot.com/

8)      Loop, L. (2006). Why Look Back? Arguments for a history of computing in education. Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanved Learning Technologies, (pp. 1087-8). Netherlands.

9)      Microsoft. (2016, January). Microsoft Office. Retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/

10)   Nearpod. (2016, January). Retrieved from https://app.nearpod.com/#/?engage=1

11)   Padlet. (2016, January). The easiest way to create and collaborate in the world. Retrieved from https://padlet.com/

12)   Petty, G. (2014). Teaching Today: A Practical Guide. UK: Oxford University Press.

13)   Prezi. (2016, January). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/

14)   Salmon, G. (2011). e-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London: Routledge.

15)   Socrative. (2016, January). Visualizing student . Retrieved from http://www.socrative.com/

16)   Sports Coach UK. (2016, January). Going Digital Blog. Retrieved from Sports Coach UK: http://www.sportscoachuk.org/blog/going-digital

17)   TED. (2016, January). TED Education. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/topics/education

18)   TED Talk. (2016, January). Reinventing Education for the 21st Century : Tony Wagner at (co)lab summit 2013. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54gzmxlPbsA

19)   The Telegraph. (2016, January). Most Important Inventions of the 21st Century in Pictures. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/picture-galleries/11298840/Most-important-inventions-of-the-21st-Century-in-pictures.html?frame=2923733

20)   Warren, A. (2002). Integrating Technology in learning and teaching. London: Kogan Page.

21)   Wordle. (2016, January). A toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. Retrieved from http://www.wordle.net/

Conclusion

Conclusion:

 I have been surrounded by technology since day one of my education. It has played a major part of my learning and it has already been extremely important at the start of my teaching career.

As my career develops, so will technology. I have already been lucky enough (in my opinion) to have witnessed the biggest developments in technology the world has ever seen (Edwards, 2012). However, I may have the challenge of competing with others that are more digitally competent at certain software at work or during interviews. Also, I will always need to adapt to new updates/upgrades or learn how to utilise brand new technology device into my teaching.

In terms of marking a student’s work, this digital age makes it increasingly difficult to give appropriate grades. There has been such increased ‘copying’ of online work the invention of ‘Turn it in’ to assess plagiarism has been crucial. As it is now easier to access academic work online (journals etc.) there has been increased ‘laziness’ whereby the student presents other people’s opinions and not their individual thoughts.

I personally believe that technology could never ‘REPLACE’ teachers, especially in the sports domain whereby practical experience and development is the utmost reason for participating in this subject. Technology such as the ‘Coaches Eye’ performance analysis app for iPad will only aid me throughout my career. The more, the better.

I finish here with the incredible inventions of the 21^st Century:

Please Click Here

Teaching Applications

The most appropriate applications you have used to support your teaching, why are they appropriate and how have they added to the learning experience

In my first teaching placement, I only used ‘PowerPoint Presentations’ which were given to me by my placement mentors. After the ICT week of lectures in University I became more confident in a number of mobile applications that can be accessed from any internet device.

Here is the list of applications presented during the University ICT week:

·        Assessment Apps:

Socrative – this website based tool that can be used to assess students on their previous knowledge as well as checking for their understanding. This can be done via a quiz at the start or end of a lecture or a term. I would use this at the start of a brand new job with a new class to test their knowledge or to test my students at the end of a learning outcome.

Kahoot – this is another online quiz tool which could be used for testing the knowledge of a student or class. However, the majority of the PGCE class found this a slightly more childish, less mature way of assessing students so I would probably use Socrative more so than Kahoot.

Nearpod – this is my FAVOURITE. Out of everything new I have experienced on my teaching placement, watching my mentor conduct a lesson through 

Nearpod was brilliant. It has to be one of the most inspiring ideas for me to consider new, technological and creative ways to deliver a lecture.

·        Engagement Apps:

Padlet - this is where the students can add their personal opinions, key words or pose questions to the whole class via an online interactive webpage. I would use this when the class needed to give opinions or multiple answers.

Nearpod – as expressed above, I would use Nearpod all of the time. I have only had the opportunity to use it once for a short session but it was fantastic and the learners really enjoyed being interactive with their learning.

Wordle – this is where you have the opportunity to input as little or as many words to create a word collage. These words would be related to your subject e.g. fitness, stamina, muscles etc. I would not use this often but it would be great to create and print very graphically and aesthetically pleasing posters for classrooms and advertising or as a revision tool before exams.

Internet detectives – please see my ‘Barriers to the effective use of technology in education’ blog for more information.

Prezi – this is another version of PowerPoint in my eyes in terms of utilisation but it is better because you can use so many different designs or formats to make it look more interesting for the learner. I will use this because it will mean more variety in the delivery of my information.

Prezi: 

Barriers to ICT

Barriers to the effective use of technology in education.

Rely too heavily on technology in classroom

To integrate technology into the classroom the teacher must first have the skills and resources AKA owning an iPad.

E-safety and cyber-bullying barriers:

The digital world can sometimes be unkind. Coursework could be stolen online or social dilemmas may arise.

With the increase of someone’s ‘digital footprint’ comes increased risk. There will always be a chance that passwords are discovered, date of birth and similar information used to impersonate someone and so on (Petty, 2014).

With the increased use in social media such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been an increase in ‘cyber bullying’. Cyber bullying can take the form of direct or audience based messages to harass, embarrass or threaten people, normally peers in the same class or educational setting.

As a teacher, it is our moral responsibility to educate our students on what is and is not acceptable behaviour in all walks of life. In terms of cyber bullying, it is extremely hard to diagnose a problem, however if a teacher was ever to overhear something in class they should then take the appropriate steps as set out by the education organisation. A way of educating students could be to use the ‘Internet Detective’ website that is a free online tool that gives a virtual lesson on internet trustworthiness. Click here to go directly to the website.

Indeed, Edwards (2012) suggests that there are many issues in the use of virtual worlds because they can create digital divides, new moral principles and new forms of identity. These issues, not so long ago, were feared to depersonalise and dehumanise the learning environment (Gerard, 1965). In agreement, Loop (2006) believed that the bond between the teacher and the pupil is compromised when technology interrupt the relationship between the learner and teacher. 

Resource barriers:

Technology is great but it comes at a price. If the teacher or the organisation does not have the tools or ‘budget’ for technological equipment, then the students will clearly be unable to experience their learning through digital media.

Organisations rely heavily on Government and local authority funding. If places of education are given low amounts of investment, then they will simply not be able to purchase state of the art modern technology AKA a classroom full of Apple or Windows computers.

Teachers usually do not need to worry about fundamentals such as computers etc. but there is room for investment in certain gadgets such as ‘iPads’ and ‘Smartphones’. Peer pressure in the staffroom is also growing, because if a staff member knows of a new ‘app’, or purchases an iPad which they are utilising in class, there will be jealously and feeling a lack of imagination.

Technical barriers:

Not at all places of education have the same software or operating systems. Also, the student may use a different type computer with a platform such as ‘Apple Macintosh’ but the school/college/university may use ‘Microsoft Windows Operating’ system. As the years pass, problems are detected and resolved such as program ‘crash’ or ‘freeze’ whereby work is lost! However, there are still some compatibility issues especially with specialist education software (Gillespie, 2006). The 19^th Century gave calls for the more computers to be used in education due to its ability to be more efficient and up to date than teachers ever could be (Edwards, 2012). In fact, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) between 1987 and 1993 showed an increased desire to use technology in schools.

Technology changed how we learn

How technology has changed the way we learn

In the 21st century, technology has changed the ways in which we communicate and go about our lives. Very few educators would disagree with the notion that technology has dramatically changed the teaching and learning process (Edwards, 2012).

Dr. Katherine McKnight has formulated, along with opinions of her fellow teachers, and suggested twelve key technological changes in education. The ones that are of particular interest and relevance to me are:

eBooks on the rise:

The invention of eBooks means that students no longer have to carry big heavy paper textbooks. Instead, students can use their devise to search, find and read an important book relevant to their course which they can citate.

Disappearance of the Chalk Board:

I have never used a chalk board. I have started my teacher training course in the year 2015/2016 whereby chalkboards have been replaced by 'interactive whiteboards'. Interactive whiteboards are fantastic once you have developed the skills to fully utilise the expensive equipment. Will I ever use a chalk board? Only if a future organisation has one!

The iPad, a Game Changer: 

One of my favourite technological app and teaching aid thus far is using Nearpod on my iPad. It is such a small yes powerful device for teaching and captivates the student's attention.

Extended Classroom Communities: 
Although I have never experienced anything else, I could only imagine how isolated it must have been to learn or teach twenty or even ten years ago. Web-based platforms like Edmodo whereby teachers and students can discuss work or projects with each other would not have existed and that social side gives people a sense of belonging.

Rise of Web-Based Research: 
I started using a large amount of web-based research during my undergraduate degree in 2008. Since then, I have always take for granted the fact that so much academic research is on hand at a click of a button. With the invention of Google 'books' or 'scholar', a vast amount of published and very informative academic pieces.

Meeting the Needs of All Learners: 
As teachers, it is very important to know the relevance of Howards Gardener's Theory of Multiple Intelligences whereby he suggested that no two learners learn in the same way. Teachers can use technology to facilitate the needs of all learners.

Indeed, Salmon (2011) created a five stage model to describe the way in which we learn in this modern digital era. The first stage of the model starts with the student wanting to learn basic technical skills and continuing through the stage that include social and reflective challenges to accomplish their learning objectives.

Value of Mobile Technology

The value of mobile technology in teaching and learning

Computers are an incredible device for teachers and are a potent tool for learners. It is so easy to access a library of vast resources that can spark the imagination of the learner or teacher. In class, one of the most important points to make is that the majority of students enjoy using some form of technology in the classroom (Gillespie, 2006).

A great deal of real-life lessons can be learned using computers; from an athlete looking up the correct technique of a skill, to a sports coach looking for new and fresh ideas for drills.

Teachers should teach their learners to find useful and relevant resources which will aid their learning. Also, it is crucial that teachers educate their learners on the difference between trust-worthy (e.g. BBC News) and non-trustworthy (e.g. Wikipedia) websites (Edwards, 2012).

An example of mobile technology is that of ‘Moodle’. Moodle is a virtual learning environment (VLE) and is used by the organisation where my teaching placement is based. A virtual learning environment is a very clever network that can be used on almost any technological device e.g. iPad. As a VLE can be accessed on any device, the student can tune-in and tune-out of their learning at any time anywhere using the device of their choice e.g. a home laptop (Petty, 2014).

As a teacher using Moodle, I have been able to upload and share extremely important documents with my students. For instance, if a student was unable to attend a lecture due to illness he/she will be able to log-in to Moodle and check the work that was covered that day. It is however, very important that the teacher remembers to upload all course documentation e.g. lecture PowerPoints, assignment information and so on. This will give the learners the best chance of independent study and improvement (Petty, 2014).

TED Talk

TED Talk

TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to spreading ideas in the form of inspirational and powerful speeches which are usually eighteen minutes or less. It began in 1984 as a conference that converged Technology, Entertainment and Design but today covered all topics e.g. from science to business issues. Also filmed around the world in more than a hundred languages (TED, 2016).

          A TED talk that I enjoyed and found related to ICT and education, was one that Tony Wagner from Harvard University presented. He stated that there should be seven survival skills taught throughout education, these were:

1)   Critical thinking and Problem solving (by asking the correct and specific questions to make the most of Google or the ability to do so during class without the aid of Google).

2)   Collaboration (the ability to work with others online, and example Wagner gave in his talk was the ability to Skype conference call with hundreds of colleagues or fellow people who are interested in educational development).

3)   Agility and Adaptability (the ability to be flexible in the forever changing technological era e.g. being able to learn how to use a brand new device).

4)   Initiative and Entrepreneurial skills (allowing the class to share ideas and opinions to formulate individual short term or long term goals e.g. an idea on how a lecture will be run or whether or not they want to have a business one day).

5)   Effective Oral and Written Communication (teachers and employers complain that in this digital age there is a lack of ‘persuasive’ writing that contains opinion and enthusiasm because everything can be found online).

6)   Processing and Analysing Information (the way in which we do so has dramatically changed compared to twenty years ago whereby we can ask ‘Siri’ on our iPhones a question without needing to go to the local library and digging out large textbooks etc).

7)   Curiosity and Imagination (to allow for creativity to solve global problems such as sustainability).

It is important to make sure that students graduate with the capability of effectively searching a relevant question to critically analyse and problem solve. This should be included for all subjects in all aspects of life. This could be the way that global problems can be resolved and the way that the world can develop to achieve its full potential.

After researching and listening to many fantastic TED talks online, I shall definitely use some relevant talks in my lessons to test and give motivation to my students.

Mobile Technology

Using Mobile Technology

          I will use this blog to document my opinions of using modern applications that were presented to us during a week of ICT lectures.

I thought I was aware of all the popular software applications that existed, and that I was completely digitally competent – but I realised that there were so many handy websites, tools and resources that I had not even heard of, including:

Socrative – I thought this website was great because it was easy to use and to create a quiz to test people’s knowledge.

Kahoot – I did not enjoy this as much as Socrative as it seemed less sophisticated but did the same job.

Nearpod – I enjoyed using this as it was very interactive and let you feel like you were totally involved in your learning.

Padlet – I enjoyed giving my input for the class to see e.g. giving answers or opinions on the interactive whiteboard.

Wordle – I thought it was easy to use but could be used for only specific reasons e.g. creating graphic images for posters.

Internet Detectives – It was the first task we undertook and it was a great start because it underlined many important factors. It was enlightening to be told to look at things from a different angle to gain different perspectives of the internet e.g. your digital footprint can be detrimental to your safety.

Hot Potatoes -  I thought it was handy to do a range of tasks e.g. creating a word search without spending hours designing it. However, I did not entirely buy into the layout etc as it looked a little old fashioned.

Prezi – I thought very positively about this website, more so than the rest of the class as I think people were a little perturbed that it was ‘just another type of 

PowerPoint’ but not the same as they were used to. However, I thought it was great to have so many styles and layouts with more interaction (e.g. 3D style) with all the positives of PowerPoint.

PhotoStory - I really enjoyed using this application because I am a very keen photographer. Therefore, being able to create a visual digital photo collage/slideshow with the ability of adding type and effects was brilliant.

          I will now use these as much as possible during my placement lecturing Level 3 BTEC Sport and review them later on in my blog.

Technology in Sport

How Technology in Sport has Developed

          In the past fifteen years, there has not only been dramatic advances in technology, but the integration of this technology into sport.

          There are many ways that technology can be implemented with sport in relation to training or the sporting events of the world.

Training:

          Sports coaches and determined individual athletes, use technology such as iPads or SmartPhones for video analysis. The coach, parent or friend video records the athlete performing a skill and reviews it up against a model of good practice such as a tennis serve of Roger Federer. They use this comparison to set future goals and modify training regimes. ‘Vstrator’ or ‘Coaches Eye’ are fantastic apps (applications) that can be downloaded on any iOS or Android device to upload a video and analyse with tools such as ‘insert arrow’ to make points for improvement explicit.

How Technology in Sport has Developed

          In the past fifteen years, there has not only been dramatic advances in technology, but the integration of this technology into sport.

          There are many ways that technology can be implemented with sport in relation to training or the sporting events of the world.

Training:

          Sports coaches and determined individual athletes, use technology such as iPads or SmartPhones for video analysis. The coach, parent or friend video records the athlete performing a skill and reviews it up against a model of good practice such as a tennis serve of Roger Federer. They use this comparison to set future goals and modify training regimes. ‘Vstrator’ or ‘Coaches Eye’ are fantastic apps (applications) that can be downloaded on any iOS or Android device to upload a video and analyse with tools such as ‘insert arrow’ to make points for improvement explicit.

Also for training, there are devices such as the Apple Watch that track the amount of steps you take per day or how many calories you burn whilst doing so. This can be very important for anyone that wants to lose weight or for the professional athletes that need to keep a track of their physical activity.

Sporting Events of the World:

          For global sporting events, ‘Hawk-Eye’ is a fantastic computer targeting system that is used to track the path of an object for instance, a tennis ball. The first sport to use Hawk-Eye was cricket but tennis swiftly followed by introducing it at the Australian Open in 2003. It was extremely useful for the referee, reassuring for the players and a form of entertainment for the crowds because they could shout and chant at the stadium screens.

Reference: http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/

Vstrator:    

Coach's Eye:

Also for training, there are devices such as the Apple Watch that track the amount of steps you take per day or how many calories you burn whilst doing so. This can be very important for anyone that wants to lose weight or for the professional athletes that need to keep a track of their physical activity.

Sporting Events of the World:

          For global sporting events, ‘Hawk-Eye’ is a fantastic computer targeting system that is used to track the path of an object for instance, a tennis ball. The first sport to use Hawk-Eye was cricket but tennis swiftly followed by introducing it at the Australian Open in 2003. It was extremely useful for the referee, reassuring for the players and a form of entertainment for the crowds because they could shout and chant at the stadium screens.

Reference: http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/

Roger Federer, one of the many players that get to use the Hawkeye system to make sure the correct call has been made. Wimbledon (pictured) is one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is a fantastic computer package that includes extremely useful software applications for learners and teachers to use.

I have, like my peers, an extensive amount of experience in Microsoft Word. Ever since I was required to hand-in assignments that were written through ‘Word’ in school, I have seen myself to be fully competent in the software. However, when I had a one week lecture on ICT in University October 2015 I discovered that there are actually still quite a few skills to learn such as using the ‘References’ tab to quickly and efficiently create citations and reference lists. I then used this skill that was extremely useful for my second University assignment.

In terms of Microsoft Office, there are many software applications that come with the package:

Word –

In terms of my teaching, Word has obviously been used for several reasons, ranging from very important matters to small daily chores. Since my teaching placement I have;

1.   Used a blank Word document to create a draft lesson plan.

2.   Create assignment guides for my students.

3.   Set-up step by step tasks that the class must follow to achieve learning outcomes.

4.   Type-up answers from the class to collate information in front of the group.

PowerPoint –

In terms of my teaching, I have thus far used PowerPoint religiously on a daily basis. I know the term ‘death by PowerPoint’ but I think this only relates to when the presentations have too much or irrelevant information on them. The reason why my teaching placement mentors and I use presentations so much, is because it is such an easy way to input information that needs to be covered for any subject AKA from sports development to sports physiology.

An example of a PowerPoint Presentation made in class:

Excel –

I must say that this software, from a learning and teaching point of view, has been the least used by me. The only time I have ever really used Excel was to create a more professional invoice that calculated my monthly salary for a trainee manager job of a large indoor tennis centre. During my teaching placement, I have not seen it used on a daily basis, but I can see it is used to create timetables due to the amount of information required e.g. times, staff name, module numbers etc. If I was to use Excel in the future it would be to create invoices, timetables and perhaps other documents that require an extensive amount of information.

Email –

In terms of Microsoft or ‘Outlook’ email, my teaching placement organisation uses this email network to provide its students and teachers with email addresses with sufficient storage for attachments etc. I have put my Gower College email address on every assignment that I set just in case the students would like to ask me a question. This has been the case several times and has offered the learner support at any time away or during term time.

Review of a Blog

Review of a Blog

Importance of reflecting:

It is important that we learn from our experience for future improvement, and the biggest tool is reflection (Ghaye, et al., 1998). Therefore, before writing my blog I shall research, read and reflect from a model of good practice. I shall find a blog that relates to my area of study (sport) and in regards to the increased use and value of technology.

The importance of reflecting can be seen in Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning process. In terms of reviewing and writing a blog I will:

1)   Read and review a relevant and certified blog and critically analyse

2)   Learn the structure of a blog and conclude what I want to include

3)   Plan how I will write my blog and create a draft via paper

4)   Start typing up the blog and experience writing a blog for the first time

Kolb’s 1984 experiential learning process

Sports Coach UK is a leading coach development company which outlines standards of work, policy and procedures. They are always up to date with current issues which encourages British sport coaches to participate in continual professional development (CPD).

          Sports Coach UK have many free resources on their website, of which there are multiple blogs based on important elements in sport. A blog of particular interest called ‘Going Digital’ will be my choice to review.

Kolb’s A screenshot of the ‘Going Digital’ blog

          The blogger, Bentall (2015) talks about the fact that there is such an increase in coaches using technology e.g. 98% of younger coaches use smartphones. Also, that 93% of all coaches find technology to aid their coaching (e.g. using iPhone to record and analyse performance).

          Bentall (2015) also focuses on extremely important modern terms; ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’. A digitally native person will be able to operate a brand new device and use it or teach themselves to use it efficiently. However, a digitally immigrant person would have to sit down and read through the manual first before perhaps struggling with some issues later on.

The vintage and modern equivalents of everyday tasks/social routines

          Sport should exploit technological advances because it has changed every aspect of how we live, and it is so easy for sport and technology to coincide with one another e.g. the use of technology to help the referee.

          This blog has given me many ideas on the topics and useful devices used in sports later on in my blog.

Please click here to view the full blog.