Reflection 4

The end….

Learning is amazing.  You always start out, thinking you know a bit, or maybe quite a lot and then discover you know next to nothing really.  In the end you know more than you did, but most importantly you know there is so much more out there to learn!

What I have learnt in this journey?

I think the key things I have learnt in this journey are;

1.       The pedagogy has got to change in order to take advantage of digital opportunities

2.       The planning and leadership required to effect that change is huge, but possible

3.       Despite the fact I can talk a lot, I’m not big on writing as much -

How did I learn them?

Stepping out of my comfort zone has been important and trying things that were not really my first choice.  I found the discussions on the Learn site fantastic, but struggled to follow the flow of ideas on twitter.  Blogging has been great, and I aim to carry on this train of thought beyond this course as it will be a great resource for me to return to as I try to improve my practice.  The valuable input from our lecturers has been noted by many participants and I agree it was a vital piece of this puzzle.  All of these aspects are supported by the reading I have been doing to find the trick of effective eLearning - time to play, support from peers, effective & knowledgeable leaders. 

I am including a link to my final essay - mainly so I can come back and remind myself what I have learnt when I am lost and not sure where to start again.  Hopefully it gets me a passing grade! I'll list some of my favourite articles at the end of this post

Where to from here?

Taking the theory into practice -   I have already started down the digital road – armed with enthusiasm, snippets of knowledge and many ideas.   Now I have a little more knowledge I know to look further than my school, taking in the big picture, while still noticing the little things.  I know to get in and get my own hands dirty, learning with my staff and giving them opportunities to lead as well.  I know to take time to play and explore and reshape.  I know to follow the data to focus on what is working.  I know to share my knowledge and enthusiasm.  And I know there are 1000 new ideas, just a tweet away!
Hopefully this will help make the path lead to greater success for my students, more fun for my staff, and more learning for me!

I'm really at the beginning... ready to help my class sing and dance!

Articles, articles and more articles!!!!

My parents used to tell me that watching too much TV would make my eyes go square, but I think the real worry is that reading too many articles on a computer screen will!  There are too many possibilities out there sometimes, and I am loving the ideas - but like scenario planning, pulling out the general effects and planning for / aiming for those seems to be the way to go!

There are so many things that inspire me to change/revise what I am doing as a teacher and as a principal I think the challenge will be to pick 1 path and start a journey.  

The following are some of the articles that I have read and may include in my final assignment.  I did intend to include summaries of them on here, but I think I will just attach my completed annotated bibliography to a later post. 

I am looking forward to the end of this course with eager anticipation and dread.  I have enjoyed the challenges and excitement of new learning, the conversations and questions and will dearly miss the professional discussions I have participated in and eves-dropped on.  But I am really looking forward to a little less pressure!

Angeli, C., & Valanides, N. (2009). Epistemological and methodological issues for the conceptualization, development, and assessment of ICT–TPCK: Advances in technological pedagogical content knowledge. Computers & Education, 52, 154-168.

Davis, N., Eickelmannt, B., & Zaka, P. (2013). Restucturing of educational systems in the digital age from a co-evolutionary perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29, 438-450. doi:10.1111/jcal.12032

Eickelmann, B. (2011). Supportive and hindering factors to a sustainable implemetation of ICT in schools. Journal for Edcuational Research online, 3(1), 75-103.

Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2013). Removing obstacles to the pedagogical changes required by Jonassen's vision of authentic technology-enabled learning. Computers & Education, 64, 175-182.

Kopcha, T. J. (2012). Teachers' perceptions of the barriers to technology integration and practices with technology under situatied professional development. Computers & Education, 59, 1109-1121.

Livingstone, S. (2012). Critical reflectionsin the benefits of ICT in education. Oxford Review of Education, 38(1), 9-24.

Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T., Brush, T. A., Strycker, J., Gronseth, S., Roman, T., Abaci, S., . . . Plucker, J. (2012). Preparation versus practice: How do teacher education Programs and prcticing teachers align in their use of technology to support teaching and learning? Computers & Education, 59, 3999-411.

Sherry, L., & Gibson, D. (2002). The path to teacher leadership in educational technology. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 2(2). Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/vols/iss2/general/article2.cfm

Timperley, H. (2011). Knowledge and the leadership of learning. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 10(2), 145-170. doi:10.1080/15700763.2011.557519

Vanderlinde, R., & van Braak, J. (2011). A new ICT curriculum for primary education in Flanders: Defining and predicting teacher's perceptions of innovation attributes. Educational Technology & Society, 14(2), 124-135.

Reflection Three

What I have studied in this course so far…

Through the weeks so far in this course I have worked on many of the E-Activities.  I began with stumbling blindly through the orientation tasks, finding it difficult to understand enough to commit to a research topic without fully understanding the direction of the course.  The ecological perspective tasks were interesting and challenged / reminded me to look at the school from a larger perspective.  We often become very insular and focus only on the issues and work in front of us.

Considering the wider factors as suggested in Davis’ (2013) Arena of Change graphic we are able to effect change more successfully.  The introduction of various change models began as a new source of confusion mixed with excitement of possibilities.  As my understanding of the different models and they cultures they would be best used within grew, I could see how aspects of these models have been used within my own school, and how with proper planning they could be used to effectively implement change in practice.  It is important to be able to view the institution from an ecological perspective in order to determine which model of change would be the most appropriate.

I enjoyed the scenario planning, although I did not manage to complete as many of the E-Learning activities in this area as I would have liked.  The consideration of extreme possibilities appeals to my imagination.  I believe that many effective principals may use scenario planning instinctively as they consider the ‘what ifs’ and plan to bring about their ideal. 

The e-Learning Planning Framework is an interesting document.  It outlines a possible pathway for schools in New Zealand to build their e-Learning capabilities.  While there may be aspects missing, it is a workable framework and I believe would be more trusted by New Zealand Board of Trustees as it has been developed in NZ. 

How will this relate to practice?

In my situation this course is very relevant.  Despite the fact our school is small, the staff are keen to develop more effective e-Learning strategies – or a scaffolding of skills that will allow students to participate in e-Learning when they are in the senior end of our school.  All of the aspects considered in this course will assist me to plan a course of action to support this development and its implementation more effectively. 

The questions I am still asking….

Now that I have learnt so much, what else is out there that I don’t know – but should!

Is developing and implementing effective e-Learning at primary level (or trying to) worth the effort knowing that most of our students will attend a high school that has limited support for e-Learning innovations.

Are there models of effective pedagogy that will support e-Learning development or do we need to invent our own wheel?

Why these questions….

While I enjoy knowledge for the sake of knowledge – if it does not have practical application it is of less interest to me. J

What I have yet to learn…

Almost everything!!!!

I have to learn how to develop the theory and my new knowledge into a practical application.  How to use these models in my situation to develop a plan of action to create revolutionary learning experience for my students… and then how do I share that with others!

Ecological views

Davis, N., Eickelmannt, B., & Zaka, P. (2013). Restucturing of educational systems in the digital age from a co-evolutionary perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29, 438-450. doi:10.1111/jcal.12032

Change Models

Evans, L., & Chauvin, S. (1993). Faculty developers as change facilitators: The concerns-based adoption model. To Improve the Academy, Paper 278. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1277&context=podimproveacad

Legris, P., Ingham, J., & Collerette, P. (2003). Why do people use information technology? A critical review of the technology acceptance model. Information & Management, 40(40), 191-204.

Sherry, L., & Gibson, D. (2002). The path to teacher leadership in educational technology. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 2(2). Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/vols/iss2/general/article2.cfm

2 down ....1 to go...

What a monumental task!  Despite all the distractions and speed bumps I've had I thought I was on top of things...
I have managed to submit the first 2 assignments - the annotated bibliography with essay and the scenarios for alternate futures. I found the bibliography and essay the biggest challenge - I found the lead up tasks somewhat scattered, in part due to my own schedule, but also I think I found it hard to follow so many different places to post ideas. I have never been a fan of this type of assignment as I always feel a little like I'm just proving that I read lots of articles by rewording them to prove my idea was actually theirs.

The scenario planning was fun!  (hopefully I will still think so after I get my mark) I enjoyed considering the vast possibilities out there and how we could get there.  I think that is closer to what I naturally do within my leadership - although possibly I take a few too many leaps towards things without enough planning.

Today I can across an article about the possibility of using cognitive enhancing drugs to increase the achievement of our struggling students.  A great scenario article as it looked at a variety of possibilities and viewpoints.  If I can find an online version I will add a link.

Reflections -1-

The journey for me so far has been staggered.  Not by design, but due to unexpected admin from my principal role, and a cold that just will not let up –oh, and a brief trip to Fiji J  While at the moment I am finding it frustrating, but I know the path will smooth out and a pace will be established and I will be able to get my teeth into these new concepts.

Initial learning has mainly been focused on finding my way around the course site, and its hidden levels.  I have to admit I find it difficult to navigate to and from the various portals that we are using – Learn/moodle – blogs – Wiki educator – but as my familiarity grows, and I gather a large amount of bookmarks, I know it will become easier.

Setting up a blog and using it to gather my thoughts, reading summaries etc.  has been positive and I am thinking that something along this line would be a great model to use as a personal record of professional development / performance agreement within my school as we create a similar reflection journal on paper.  I find it very positive to be able to read what others participating in the course are thinking as it helps to clarify my own understanding of readings and new concepts.  It also motivates me to keep on task and find aspects of the course I have missed as they discuss concepts in blog posts or the forums.   It is also positive to see some familiar names on this course from others I am doing / have done this year.  Knowing the supportive nature of my ‘classmates’ and the seeing the frequent posts of our lecturers reassures me that the struggles of the course will end with a positive learning outcome.

I found the initial articles intriguing.  The Arena of Change by Niki Davis, is an interesting concept of how all the different aspects or stake holders in education are interwoven.  Often when considering implementing innovations, I have not explicitly considered the influences of these varying levels.  They do, however, all impact decisions that are made.  

I am still re-reading the articles which outline models of change and trying to get my foggy brain to make sense of them.  So far, the main understanding I have gained is the need to plan for change and be prepared for how others will react to the change.  In my role as principal I have been able to easily implement and manage change as I have only led small schools.  However as my school has grown and I am leading developments within our local area, implementing change needs to be more intentional, thoroughly planned, managed and sustained. 

I look forward to clarifying the different change models that apply to working with new technologies, implementing positive change in my own classroom and school and learning with a great group of passionate educators.