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Action Plan Checklist

Mind the Gap: Can Bridging gaps give rise to new learning in new ways?

Area of Focus:

I have identified two gaps that I think will, if bridged, enhance student learning.

1. The gap between digital natives (Students) and immigrants (Educators)

2. The gap between curriculum driven learning and its real world relevance.

Area of Interest:

Student motivation for a technology project varies dramatically over its twelve week duration. To remain highly motivated through each interconnected stage of the design cycle process and create a successful and significant product from concept places a big demand on all but the most dedicated and persevering students. One of the major contributing factors to a poor student performance is a lack of buy-In, the reluctance to take ownership of a project that they have minimal control over or consider pointless other than for the purpose of a grade that until only recently did not contribute to their grade point average score.

As a ‘digital immigrant’, I am also curious to observe more closely how technology is used in new ways to do new things by students when given the freedom to choose within a project based learning environment. I am most driven by the confusion I frequently feel when I compare what my perceived reaction would have been at school given the same opportunity to work on creative projects using such diverse technologies. I am convinced it would have been highly motivated if the technology was exclusively available at school. This however is not the case today where students use a readily available range of technologies imaginatively and freely in their own spaces.

Plan:

I will continue to build upon pre-cursor work I began last year addressing the issue of motivation by evaluating the outcomes gaps bridged. Since this has been an ongoing activity in all my technology classes I have chosen aspects of my study from a range of classes and a time frame ranging from the last academic year to the present.

1. Digital Native and Immigrant divide. (Trust – shared ownership and control)

· Debate: “Students cannot be trusted with technology – Why not?”

· Identify: technology tools used in their spaces and discuss how they can appropriately be used in school spaces such as the IT lab in school.

· Pledge: Agree terms for freedom to choose technology and scope of project.

· Reflect: Student and teacher reflection on motivation during the project.

2. Curriculum and 21^st Century real world relevance. (Tangible connections to the real world)

· Introduce external clients into the mix.

· Make real world connections for projects in industry and community.

· Co-own and co-design projects that fit the significant concept. “Digital Natives demand New Learning in New Ways” with external client and student body.

· Make projects significantly more realistic through problem based and solution centred learning that students can relate to.

Expected/Observed Outcomes

The aim is to observe increased motivation by bridging the gaps. Increased motivation is expected to manifest itself through a number of channels.

Student work should be more consistent through the design cycle phases.

Student’s written work should be more focused driven by buy-in as opposed to box ticking.

Work ahead of deadlines demonstrating acceleration in self paced activity (time management).

Evidence of hard fun (working by choice in own time, breaks, after school)

Blended media products completed to a higher standard.

Higher degree of collaboration within teams solving problems encountered during project.

Independent choices of technology appropriate to solving problems within project context.

Data Collection:
A combination of recorded debates, forums, observations, surveys, reflections, comparisons of work.

Values of AoF for 21^st C Learning

Mind the Gap: Can Bridging gaps give rise to new learning in new ways?

Area of Focus:

1. The gap between digital natives (Students) and immigrants (Educators)

2. The gap between curriculum driven learning and its real world relevance.

Impact of Area of Interest on 21^st C Learning:

Projects:

All technology projects are problem based learning activities and conducted under a project framework that allows choice of technology and focus and therefore addresses all 21^st C requirements. Clients or real life significance is tied into each project. The products that students produce collaboratively comprise individual elements that are blended into a final product that is delivered to a wider audience, specific client or in the case of robotics produces a robot whose function is to serve society in a positive way theoretically. The product is not considered complete unless delivered or shared with a wider audience.

1. Creativity and Innovation (Risk Takers)

2. Communication and collaboration (Communicators, Open Minded and balanced)

3. Research and Information Fluency (Inquirers and Knowledgeable)

4. Critical Thinking, decision making and Problem solving (Reflective, caring thinkers)

5. Digital Citizenship (Principled)

6. Technology Operations and Concepts (Independent trusted learners)

Classroom improvement: Plan and Report

Mind the Gap: Can Bridging gaps give rise to new learning in new ways?

Area of Focus:

1. The gap between digital natives (Students) and immigrants (Educators)

2. The gap between curriculum driven learning and its real world relevance.

Plan

Gap 1: Bridging the gap between natives and immigrants.

Students were shown the video “Trusting Technology” as a precursor to a class debate. The issue of trusting students was conducted in the context that trust is a two way relationship. Agreement on rights and responsibilities has been reviewed in the context of TRUST and their own responsibility to their own and others learning during collaborative project based learning activities. Issues that arose are

1. Whilst students at times are distracted by technology, they are often assumed to be off task even when they are legitimately using technology to enhance learning.

2. Due to the timescales involved with the project, some occasional deviation should be acceptable provided deadlines are kept and work is of a good standard. (Much like what happens in the real world)

3. Technology can be used in a fluid manner that teachers are not aware of or shut out but enhance learning. Examples that came to light are student groups exist in their own social spaces and are often used as collaboration tools for learning. The learning and social aspects blur into one. I saw evidence of this with students skyping, using blackberry messenger and facebooking students when they were absent and in a few instances now absent kids were skyped into class to take active part in the lesson or collaborated with a team mate. Students are encouraged now to skype in absent classmates by informing me as opposed to asking permission. A number of grade six students ran a survey on facebook and sms’d elder brothers or sisters in other countries to gauge their vote on whether or not computer science can be considered an art form or the firm domain of technological geeks during their investigations at the start of this term.

4. A pledge to use technology under the school technology use policy has been agreed. Some deviation is acceptable provided the school rules are satisfied but only for short bursts of no more than 5 minutes. In return students are free to use technology of their choice provided it is project related and students are ahead of schedule.

5. Deadlines have been discussed – Students are responsible for their time-management, deadlines are not targets. Students now aim to submit work early in order to progress to the next project phase and ultimately maximise the time available during the create stage of the design cycle or negotiate time out on other activities.

Gap 2: Bridging the gaps between curriculum and real world.

The context of the projects conducted has often stopped short of a tangible client in the past. Introducing an element of realism and significance has boosted motivation even amongst the least motivated who dread the prospect of a ten minute presentation to an expectant client (Run but no place to hide). Twelve weeks is an awful long time to twiddle thumbs and have little to show.

Grade 6 is very excited at delivering the message of good digital citizenship to grade 5 classes at the end of term 3. They are particularly enthused at the prospect of showcasing their creative collaborative efforts to their grade 5 teachers after a year of MYP. Additionally we have an audience of primary school children in Dubai to present to through U-Stream. Grade six students will be responsible for the creative blended media presentations on “Digital Citizenship” but are also responsible for setting up and creating the linked event to Dubai. The head teacher from Safa private school is returning in five weeks to see progress and meet students to discuss the streamed event.

Grade 8 emerging technology project report: Students have worked collaboratively this year to produce a significant real world link with EON, a leading provider of virtual reality technology. The concept of trust played a big part in our students taking this product and investigating its relevance to enhancing learning in education. A first rate proposal was created through a blended media information system that included a website, video and lesson resources outlining how 3d interactive virtual reality can be embedded in school curriculum. This led to a further proposal to senior management that manifested in the visit of EON’s chairman from the US, an installation and demonstration of EON’s I-cube a fully immersive interactive 3-d virtual environment here in Doha and finally an order for entry level 3d virtual reality authoring kit. The proposal was also presented at ICT-Qatar digital stars but sadly the idea was thrashed by a schools PowerPoint presentation with large paragraphs, small fonts, pictures of rockets and amazing slide transitions. EON has since sought permission to use the presentations with educational institutions across Asia. An interesting proposal for collaboration with Singapore polytechnic is now in development stages and resting on the thumbs up from QF finance. Furthermore, students taking this course are enthused by the success of this project and have made the paradigm shift from box ticking for grades to actively investigating how emerging tech can be used in new ways.

Grad 9 Ideas to change project report: Having shifted the grade nine “digital citizenship” projects to its rightful home in grade 6, grade nine students are now exploring the use of information and social networking systems as a tool for invoking change. Having bridged the native migrant gap, students are highly motivated at the prospect of invoking their own change. This is a new project but some sound ideas to change the proposed school uniform, change the start of day to 8pm, change advisory, funding for student athletes to travel, reducing road accidents, obesity, bulling and swearing. The model that they have is as follows.

Come with solutions not problems.

How has my practice improved?

Mind the Gap: Can Bridging gaps give rise to new learning in new ways?

On reflection my practice began to improve at the start of SUNY and much of my action research draws from the pre-cursor work leading up to the action research project.

The mindset towards technology as a ubiquitous set of tools in a toolbox is on track and students are becoming aware they are expected to use it (ICT) in creative and responsible ways in their problem based learning environment. Students have more choice and control in moulding their projects around the ‘significant concept’ framework that is provided as a thought provoker towards creating a significant information system that serves a realistic or desirable function by a ‘client’. A by-product of this ownership and trust is that students manage their own time and homework more maturely according to unfinished project tasks. Time in class is gradually becoming a subset of their project. Deadlines are no longer targets and students are beginning to realise that they can pace work ahead of schedule, receive early feedback, fix work and thus ultimately manipulate the grading process to enhance learning and ultimately influence grades. Their project work is evidently making its way into their virtual spaces as teams and peers collaborate on projects in their own time. This is warmly reciprocated during class time as students blend their virtual and social spaces into class. Worrying as that sounds, a quorum of responsible students is enough to police and keep activity aligned to engaging project based learning.

It is fair to say that a number of external factors work in parallel with the bridging of gaps. Firstly the introduction of the moodle course management system clarifies requirements, expectations and provides student a mechanism for controlling their own learning. Secondly, the technology grade now contributes to the student’s grade point average. Both of these factors are significant and more than capable of skewing my interpretation of the impact of bridging gaps.

That said, my practice has improved through:-

• Better partnerships, understanding and communication with students.
• Shift towards facilitator maintaining an environment rich in learning opportunities where decisions are shared.
• Students risk taking within the bounds of good digital citizenship leading to confident students willing to take ownership for their learning and decisions.
• I have become less judgemental and encourage learning from mistakes by allowing them to happen. This has created an atmosphere of ‘hard fun’ where experimentation is part of learning and is a source of creativity and innovation. (101 ways to skin a cat)
• Learning for me has become the work. Learning with students with an open mind has developed my own creativity and provided the vision for moving education forward.
• Motivated students, motivated teacher; observing the transformation through the emergence of new learning in new ways through bridging gaps has become an inspiration for me to make a difference, explore innovative ideas for improving education through collaborations with a wider community, developing trust further to integrate student virtual learning networks into the class.

How will work improve the practice of others?

Mind the Gap: Can Bridging gaps give rise to new learning in new ways?

I believe that a dormant desire and giant ability exists in every individual to learn whatever is perceived important most effectively and in ever creative ways when the opportunity and environment is aligned to a passion of intrinsic value in which ownership and control of the learning tools and processes are shared.

I believe a heightened level of motivation gives rise to new learning in new ways and can in part be achieved through bridging the perceived digital native immigrant gap through trust and by introducing the concept of a realism ‘client’ that gives learning a significant context. Problem based learning lends itself to this end and is most successful when it embodies those elements.

The success of Problem based, solution centred learning is most evident in our Model United Nations program at QA where students are trusted, take ownership of the event, use technology ubiquitously on many levels to ensure its success and draw on a huge client base of schools and organisations internationally. The implementation of PBL need not be such a huge endeavour.

Teachers practice will improve infinitely in yet untold ways. The 'Mind the Gap' philosophy will not just save your life on the London Underground but it will also bring you untold wealth and happiness, just look at these guys who bore the brunt of not minding the gap. Go on! Just say it. Mind the Gap, one more time - Mind the Gap... you are almost there, vestal virgins beckon, the hand bag you could never afford, world domination, you will even be able to solve the Rubics cube, it will all be yours... Just say it one more time... Mind the Gap...No way have you read this far matey ‘)