Integrating Educational Technology 2:Considerations parents and educators should make before going virtual.

Education should provoke critical thought for the learning process to win. Technology should enhance teacher proficiency for easy adoption. Education should be an active process. Technology should make the activation cheap in both time and money.

The value of educational technology is enormous but the risks when handled badly is much more. So, what are the considerations before going the way of integrating educational technology?

1. How comfortable is the teacher with the said technology?

Parents should consider this question before allowing their children to be part of any virtual education program. The teacher or institution involved should be ready to show proof that they are well trained in the use of technology and the use is accepted in current educational pedagogy.

We want our children to be digital natives



Credit: Juan Cristóbal Cobo on Flickr

2. What skills will the use of technology introduce that the traditional classroom does not already?

Or, in brief, what does the teacher or school belief technology will add in way of learning and skills acquisition that their current traditional classroom based settings does not? The parents should also consider the cost of such benefits before making a decision.

3. Will the school or teacher be consistent in his practice?

When the integration of technology in teaching is not consistent, it demonstrates a lack of preparedness. Preparedness involves taking notice of network access, software, learning management systems, lesson plans, assessments and systems of administration, in such a practice. When all these resources are not harmonized and in place, integrating technology into learning becomes a stop-go affair and impacts on students’ learning.

4. How much experience does the teacher or institution have?

It will be beneficial if the touted experience is validated by a certificate. Experienced teachers are more creative in the use of technology. They can adapt to student changing needs better, as well as adapt their teaching resources when necessary.

5. Will the computers come cheap?

This is the question of the cost of the integration. Parents and teachers should count the cost of resources to be used: devices, software, licensing, intellectual property etc and make sure that none of these should serve as a hindrance to the implementation of technology as a method or platform for teaching. It is expected though that an experienced teacher or institution should have taken these into its business plans before launch.

6. Will it be a fulltime affair or blended learning environment?

Blended learning environment is where some of the teaching and learning previously carried out in the classroom is now done online or using technology, while learning also takes place in the classroom simultaneously. A parent should consider if his/her child is ready for fulltime online learning or if not, whether blended learning will be better. This decision most times depends on the policies of the education authority that covers the district, the ability to pass tests and exams, especially state-wide tests and exams, as well as if the child will be carrying out such learning alone or with other students.

7. How much support will the parent or institution offer?

Online learning is a novel experience for many students, although in western countries it is slowly becoming the norm. Parents and educators who are thinking of integrating technology into their children’s learning should be ready to give them needed support. They should access the child’s records regularly, tracking his/her progress and the teacher’s teaching methods. They should also apply for a sit-in to a teaching session when the time permits.

Attitudes, beliefs and perceptions about integrating technology into education varies. One point every stakeholder should keep in mind is – student outcomes. How much of student learning will be enhanced? How can this be verified? That should be at the mind of all parents and educators whenever a decision is made for technology in education.

Previous: Integrating Educational Technology 1: Making sense of the promise of educational technology.

Integrating Educational Technology 1: Making sense of the promise of educational technology.

Digital technology such as smartphones, Blackberrys, iPads, iPhones and Web 2.0 technologies have changed the way information is accessed and viewed. It has also changed the way education is conducted. As student population increases faster than teachers with expertise in pedagogy and practice, it is expected that education will face budget constraints in the near future. One proffered solution to this problem is integrating technology into education. Examining and accessing the now familiar cliché that education should be able to enhance student learning and teacher training and expertise is then pertinent.

In a recent paper on the “technology effect”, authors Clark, Robert and Hampton state that people have been influenced to believe technology will work when in particular they do not understand how it will work, or how to make it work. This could lead to flaws in decision making.

Education is a serious issue both in government and private quarters. The budget for education is worth hundreds of billions of dollars globally; private spending for education show how much importance it is placed in society. When one considers educational technology, you’ll realize that the promise of technology is its potential for liberating teaching from the constraints of place and time. Hence, virtual education, online learning or e-learning is being put forward with the intent of influencing both parents and educators that integrating technology in education is a cure-all for many ills that afflict current practices in education.

The question remains: can technology solve all the problems in education?

Anywhere, Anytime - Technology's edge

Credit: Jeff Peterson on Flickr

The marriage between education and technology has its roots at conception. The aim and objective of education is to enhance learning and teaching and in doing so, creating channels for information access and provision. Technology is a tool for adding value to those channels.

Technology can transform a classroom into a dynamic, active learning environment. Outdated models of teaching and learning placed the teacher as the “star” of the classroom; current models of teaching place the student at the center of learning. For teaching and learning to be equivalent, students must be active participants in their own education. The goal should be student engagement, not rote learning. Yes, technology has the potential for that. I am subscribed to www.edmondo.com, an online professional teacher learning community. The site has tools for enhancing student active learning like polls, forums, quizzes, games etc.

Technology also offers economies of scale and mass customization. An example in point is www.khanacademy.org. Maths and science learning can be delivered, instantaneously or by schedule, to literally thousands of students at the click of a mouse. Web 2.0 tools, such as Instant Messaging, have also been developed that support and enhance student-instructor communication, as well as creating communities of students for interaction and collaboration.

One key component of any educational method is the ability to encourage differentiation, or the support for diverse needs and capacities of students, through teaching and assessment, so that students are given more control and potential to deeply understand the information being presented.

There are so many web-based collaboration tools that can increase cooperation and teamwork amongst students and teachers, therefore, making teaching and learning more efficient and productive. A recent study concluded that when children play games that enhance synchrony, it makes them more collaborative and empathic. If you visit game sites like www.abcya.com as well as www.bitstripsforschools.com, a cartoon network for classrooms, you will find lots of opportunities for such.

Technology is not a cure-all to end all the ills of inexpert teaching and pedagogical practice. Without adequate teacher training in the use of technology, access to technology tools does not provide any value. That is why parents have to be careful when being sold on the idea of virtual education or e-learning.

It has been found that technology could create obsession in children, especially the use of smartphones and iPads. Rather than generating positive attitudes and enhancing the self-efficacy of students, it could end up creating a lonely, withdrawn student, who sees educational technology as a diversion from daily living. Powerpoint is a case in point. It has been denounced for its detrimental impact on “dialogue, interaction and thoughtful consideration of ideas.”

Another criticism leveled against online learning is that it makes cheating and passing easy. Answering a quiz without a teacher looking behind your shoulders, it is asserted, encourages a culture of cheating. It is also claimed that only motivated and mature students are fit for online learning, or it is possible for students in need of remediation, not for high achieving students.

Whatever the pros and cons are when making decisions on virtual education, parents and educators intending on integrating technology in their children’s learning should first of all consider what their basic objectives are. On a casual Google search, one can find lots of sites offering virtual education through learning platforms called learning management systems (LMS). The focus should be on increasing student outcomes, and not on any perceived benefits.

That brings this discussion to the second part: Integrating Educational Technology 2:Considerations parents and educators should make before going virtual.

What can social insect colony parasite, Maculinea species, learn from illegal immigrants?

The life of an illegal immigrant is fraught with apprehension. When caught, he/she will be imprisoned and thereafter extradited. So much time, money and effort seeking for greener pastures gone down the drain. Some have even died in the process. To survive and succeed, illegal immigrants have allowed themselves to be exploited financially, mentally and physically. The same fate could be faced by a species of Maculinea butterflies, a predatory parasite on ant colonies, the Maculinea arion.

Ants are social insects. They live in colonies with a queen ant that ensures the generational continuation of the species by giving birth to young ones, a group of worker ants who are sterile females that produce the food for the colony, defend the colony and the young. Then, there are the unfortunate male ants whose only purpose is to mate with the queen and die after a mating ritual. An ant colony is one of the most organized social structures in insects of order Hymenoptera.

There is another group of winged insects, butterflies, order Lepidoptera, who produce larva like the ants. Like I said unlike ants they are winged. One family, the Maculinea butterflies have learnt how to depend on or parasitize the ants. How does the Maculinea do this?

Maculinea can't do this, or they'll be caught!

Credit: latimesblogs.latimes.com

A Maculinea lays its eggs on plants where you are likely to find an ant colony. These eggs later mature to the larval stage. When the larva falls off, it looks to the ant colonies for nutrition by corrupting the communication signals which the ants use to organize their social life in order to gain access to the colony.

The butterfly larvae hack so perfectly at the gates of the ant colony to be accepted. There are two types of larvae. Those that are socially accepted, or what are called cuckoo parasites, and those that when they have been accepted into the ants colony, go into hiding and look for opportunities to feed on the young ants, or broods, when no one is looking, the predatory parasites.

What is most interesting about these butterfly hackers is that the successful hackers are the cuckoo parasites. They emit a sound like the queen ants and become accepted by the ant colony, are treated and feted like queen ants. In brief, they achieve a high social status in the ant colony. One such butterfly is M. alcon. The predatory parasite butterflies cannot achieve this because the sound they have hacked into can only give them a gate pass into the ant colony and not social acceptance.

So, how does the predatory parasitic butterfly, M. arion, survive? Possibly by subterfuge - sneaking on broods at inopportune moments or conniving with defense worker ants to be exploited – notably, living off its wits. That wouldn’t be for long though. When found out, they would possibly be eaten or killed.

A predatory parasitic butterfly like M. arion can learn so much from illegal immigrants who have known how to evade the police. Who will do the teaching is the unanswered question.

[Cartoon] The Limits of love, or What are the boundaries of Loving?

What are the limits of love, in order words, what are those things that could happen, you or your loved one could do, that would kill love or dampen it?

I cracked my brain and the first answer that came up was infidelity. I think that's the major killer of love. Infidelity includes adultery, unfaithfulness, and betrayal.

Another, as the cartoon below portrays is attaching too much meaning to physical appearance. When that mortal flesh starts to show signs of aging, most persons start looking, which is wrong, somewhere else.

Can you add to the list? The comment box is below, or you can join the facebook group or join my group on whatsapp by writing your phone number on the comment box below.

[Video] Week of April 18 top 3 youtube videos: Hillary Clinton, David Hasselhoff, Casey Neistat, filmmaker

Last week ended April 18, amongst the top three youtube trending videos, the first position belongs to – a political video. Guess who? Hillary Clinton.

David Hasselhoff’s "True Survivor" comes second and is absolutely stunning. Third place was prominent filmmaker’s vlog, Casey Neistat, whose story is not only inspiring but motivationg.

The videos start from the third. I hope you do enjoy them.

No 3: Intensity by Casey Neistat

   At 26 after a devastating accident, he was told by his doctors that he wouldn’t be able to "run" again. According to Casey: "This is what matters…[the brain] and the body is there to keep it running." Two years later, 28, he ran a marathon and 21 other marathons after that with several hundred triathlons.
   In this vlog, he ran 21 miles for more than 2½ hours. Astonishing, the intensity!
   This is the 19th vlog from filmmaker, Casey Neistat. He recently announced that he’ll be starting a daily vlog that will allow his viewers a window into his life.
   Viewers: 447,959
   Likes: 12,514
   Dislikes: 233

4 tips for learning and memory recall

Every day we interact with different persons, learn different things and encounter different situations. Hours, days, and weeks from that encounter, can you properly recall what happened?

These are some useful suggestions about memory and recalling events.

1. Our memory glosses over general details of a matter or subject.

When I was working for a bank, I used to take the company bus. At end of the first day, it struck me that the company buses were of the same model and same color. So, how did I make out the bus for my route? The drivers realized one truth: people are interested in taking the gist of a matter and would rather gloss over the details. The buses were parked on the same spot at the same time every day.

If they had not done that, I’d take the pain and an inconvenient one, of recalling license plates, driver faces, bumps on the body etcetera.



Could you make out these faces one hour hence?

Credit: Wikipedia.org

When faced with daily items, our memory is poor. But given specific details, one can easily recall those items. 

2. Our memory is much poorer than we can imagine.

Close your eyes for one second. Can you recall all the items that were in front of you? Zillions, not so, but can you recall just fifty of them? Most persons don’t. Hours after an email was answered, one forgets what the email subject was especially if it was not replied. I was reading my email this week when a company wrote me that my annual subscription was renewed and extended for free. I sent a “thank you” message. If I had stopped receiving the company newsletter, I would surely have recalled that and re-subscribed.
So, never trust your memory. Make it a habit of jotting down important details.

3. Increased exposure does not affect memory recall.

Increased exposure to a matter or subject increases familiarity but does not determine future recall. When I was a bachelor living alone, I used to meet a friend to write me recipes for a favorite African dish. I never stored that recipe in my memory. I can’t even recall that recipe if you asked me! 

4. Distinguishing attractive details is better than learning everything.

For effective learning, students and teachers need to have an idea of how every part of the subject matter are connected. For easier recall, students should concentrate on the easy parts of the subjects, the areas that attracts them most, before moving on to the difficult zones. It is the same with recalling information. Start with your zone of confidence about a subject if you want to be able to remember details about it later. An argument that you had with someone, what really piqued you about it? Make sure you make a note of that. It could be the only thing you might be able to recall weeks or months after.