The Functionality of a Website

S.W.O.T analysis
Topic:  The functionality of a website
Strengths A creator claims ownership of a website:  A website remains the way its creator intended it to be designed and cannot be altered or edited by anyone else. The site can look appealing, engaging and have interactive multimodal literacies that the students will want to participate in. Creating my website allowed me to embed videos and links; insert pictures; have background music; an appealing and an engaging colourful design.	Weaknesses The value of the learning is only as good as the appropriate pedagogical learning design by the learning manager.  Unless the website has carefully planned and scaffolded using problem solving tasks, students will not be benefiting from the active higher order thinking processes and only use passive lower processes.
Opportunities The learning manager can create and upload activities they are to complete.  Learning tasks that include problem-solving activities with intended learning outcomes can be carefully scaffolded. Within the activities, the learning manager will have placed links which students will precisely access to locate the information they need for their task. Websites are ideal for students to present their work.	Threats Students may not fully make use of the website properly and make poor use of the computer time allocated. Students may sidetrack onto other websites so learning managers necessarily need to ensure students are on the right track and support them with accomplishing the required task.

Wiki Activity: The in-class use of Mobile phones debate

 

Wiki debate post:

 'Students' use of mobile phones within the classroom' 

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·   The Wiki collaboration activity proved interesting as we individually employed Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats strategy and this engaged each of us to think from each hat’s point of view, from a different angle, analysing all the PROS and CONS about this issue.

·   This exercise helped us to scaffold this analysis to support our thinking. 

·   This activity enabled us to explore the other group members’ point of views and share our own in a constructivist and collaborative exercise.  
                                                                                       
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The TPACK Framework:

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The TPACK stands for

Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge - 

Technology -  

We are all aware that technology is static and grows on a constant basis and it is a big part of students’ world.  So it makes sense that teachers need to be able to keep up and perfect their own ICT skills to engage students in learning.   Education Queensland, Smartclassrooms (Oct, 2011) has guidelines for the educational use of internet technology and an ethical, safe and legal use of digital resources, tools and environments through:

o    Establishing Acceptable Use Guidelines for student agreement at the start of the year.

o    Developing a whole-school approach to promote cybersafe practices and prevent cyberbullying.

o    Embedding healthy practices when using digital technology, including using suitable learning spaces, adopting correct posture and taking regular breaks. 

o    Monitoring students’ devices for inappropriate or illegal content. 

o    Communicating the expectations for appropriate use of devices regularly with families “   
 

Education Queensland link

Pedagogy -  

Teachers also need to be knowledgeable with the pedagogy of teaching – It is essential for teachers to be aware of the science and theories of how student’s learning best occurs. “What makes an effective learner and what makes an effective teacher?” (McInerney, 2006)

The knowledge of how the different learning styles and abilities affect students’ ability to learn is crucial as this will provide a guide on how to best cater for those learners and develop the learning strategies which will benefit all different styles of learning.   A good learning manager will use scaffolded and differential teaching to provide a variety of learning activities and opportunities to benefit all learners.

She/He can promote collaborative learning in whole class setting activities. E.g.  using group work or whole class contributions like brainstorming.

Content Knowledge -

The ability to teach a lesson also requires the teacher to have content knowledge.  Being knowledgeable in the subject matter is essential.    Being knowledgeable in the subject matter is essential.  The learning manager is able to plan and design lessons that will facilitate deep knowledge through the use of higher order thinking strategies.

The lower and higher thinking processes of Bloom’s Taxonomy:

After reading the Cisco article on multi-modal learning design, it is interesting to note that the lower levels of passive thinking are what the students are experiencing through seeing, hearing and reading.  These levels are not as stimulating for students to acquire and absorb the intended learning.

 Whereas the higher levels of thinking are through being involved, receiving and participating in a discussion, group problem solving and presenting to (rest of class, or group members),– this is the active part of thinking which stimulates the higher order thinking processes of analysing, evaluating and creating or synthesizing.    

The memory retention rate in using the different levels of the processes is also staggering. This should encourage teachers to devise some scaffolded learning and activities to promote the use of the higher order thinking processes and deep learning.  Learning activities that involve ICT and interactive learning should be included within lessons.

The learning theory of Connectivism:

 In our world today the sharing of knowledge, views and innovative ideas is currently occuring through an information technology communication world network. 

 The sharing of global knowledge or information is just as important as its reliability, and so it is important to make sure that information is credible and from a reliable source.  

Thinking about ICT E-Learning

 

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Prensky's ICT  Learning Theory

When considering Prensky’s (2001) ICT learning theory it makes sense to think that digital natives are learners who have grown up with the digital technology and are comfortable and confident with it.  And it is also true that a lot of young people only access a section of ICT usage such as web searches, word processing, watching YouTube videos and social networks like Facebook. So Learning Managers need to empower themselves with ICT knowledge and abilities to guide young people who will benefit from learning how to create and use a variety of Information Technology tools.