This year, Stage 4 students have been working hard on building their technological skills across all their projects and subjects. As a Stage, we recognise the need for our students to be able to access their learning, (and teachers), from home and while away from the college. In my last post, I described how Stage 4 was introducing a technology called Edmodo. In this post, I’m going to explain more about how we’re using it, and the achievements our students have made in just over a month!
Blended Learning takes advantage of the 1:1 iPad scheme in the college and our pedagogical focus on using project based learning and open learning spaces.
Project based learning (PBL) develops critical and creative thinking; creates effective problem-solvers, increases motivation, encourages lateral thinking, improves communication and networking skills and is based on real-life situations.
In term One, Stage 4 has been developing our students communication and networking skills using Google Drive and Google Docs – which are a cloud based version of word processors and removable flash (thumb) drives. Our students can now create a blank document and share it with teachers and other students to collaborate in real time. Teachers can ‘see’ and comment on their work without the need to attempt to collect paper copies or have students email it. As a Google site, students have private and secure document sharing across the college.
Building digital skills
In addition to Google Drive and Docs, Stage 4 projects have been posted to an online learning system called Edmodo. This system allows students to ask questions, hold discussion, find resources in a virtual library and submit their work electronically. Teachers can set assignments, due dates and use Edmodo to help them assess work and give feedback to students. Edmodo has thousands of teachers using it globally. It has also proven popular in the Australian K12 sector and a few students had used it before in other colleges. In just a few weeks, our students have learned to join ‘learning groups’, post messages to teachers and each other, submit assignments and pick up resources from the virtual library. We still provide printed copies of work on request and find that some students benefit from using paper and electronic modes more than others. It does help us work towards greater sustainability and ensure that we produce student resources ‘on demand’ rather than churning out class-sets of documents.
Our students are now using Edmodo to direct their learning in and out of the classroom which has many benefits for them and their teachers. As a Stage, we are really proud of all our their efforts towards learning these new and complex skills. We are even more impressed by their willingness and enthusiasm to help each other learn them too.
Edmodo has one feature that parents might like to explore. Using a unique code, parents can also join Edmodo and look at what their child is learning. They are able to access tasks, assignments and due dates. We don’t set homework, but have found that students do check into Edmodo after or before college, which is an opportunity for parents to get involved with their projects. If this is of interest, use this link to find out about [ the ‘parent code’ ] which is unique for each student. If parents want to know more about Edmodo, then please contact Dean Groom in Stage 4 in the first instance.
What does this technology allow our students to do?
In technology this term, students have been exploring whether games can help people learn about serious ideas, concepts and principles. They have been challenged to design a game which teaches other people about something they have been learning about in English, Geography or Maths. In the early stages of their project, we asked students what makes games engaging.
This video was made, (without any prompting), by a group of students to address that problem. They were given some very boring text instructions about a dice game, which they downloaded from Edmodo. During the morning, they figured out how to play the game and then worked on how to make the instructions more engaging. This was what they produced in response.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epBrY-Gktp0
While the project involves a lot of hands-on making, using paper charts and diagrams, our students are increasingly learning how to blend this with digital-learning. This is evident in the materials they have used in this short video, where they have chosen the most efficient way to produce and communicate their ideas.
As we move toward then end of term, Stage 4 has developed a strong capacity for using technology to power their learning in and out of the classroom. Using Edmodo, they have a safe, private learning space which blends with the physical classroom and resources. We look forward to building on these foundational skills next term and would encourage Stage 4 parents to talk to their children about how to access Edmodo, (parent view), in the future.
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