Digital+Inclusion+Presentation

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Web links cited in the presentation
=Presentation Commentary - Back To The Future= Why the quirky title? Basically, the idea that new technologies are threatening and need to be controlled is not new - Joe Dale's curation of #pencil chat shows you can substitute any other innovation for computers/ICT and you can instantly recognise the initial reluctance to embrace new working practices. In the world of education, little is totally new although we do stand now at the dawn of a new era which gives us and our learners a multitude of unprecedented opportunities. So the title encourages us to look to the past to see the need to move forward. Can we afford to ignore what is happening and keep our backs resolutely turned to the future?

Baseline Perceptions The presentation demonstrated live a polling technique using mobile phones in class to get instant anonymous feedback. How can we expect to know where we are going if we do not know where we are coming from?

Why is Digital Inclusion so important? The quotation from John Dewey lays down the gauntlet and hopefully moves the argument beyond mere hardware and viewing online tools as standalone gimics which offer little more than a distraction. It is amazing that Facebook did not exist when our current Sixth Formers started secondary school - the pace of change is unprecedented. Alvin Toffler's quotation emphasises the need for flexibility and dadpatability in responding to the world around us. And the reference to 'Curricular Opportunities in the Digital Age' underlines the range of teaching strategies needed to respond to and engage with individual students' preferred learning styles. If teachers are in danger of feeling overwhelmed by all this, the example of the computing power necesssary to land Man on the moon gives us all hope that we can meet this challenge without going into sensory overload.

Media slides The statistics for teenagers' use of mobile phones may come as a surprise for some but this stresses the potential for using existing technologies for educational objectives in class. The 'Welcome to the 21st Century learning community' video reinforces the digital world in which our learners are growing up.

So what's our role as teachers? The slides focussing on learning styles show significant overlap with the learner profile of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. So where do we start? What better place than your own PLN (Personal Learning Network)/ CPD (Continuing Professional Development) support network? The example given is the MFL (ModernForeign Languages) twitterati and their use of language-specific dropboxes (online password-protected file sharing locations) to enlist help in collaborative problem solving and to share expertise. The #Pencil chat slideshow is included to show humour in meeting challenges and how support is available from fellow professionals you have never met or in some cases even knew existed. The collection of tweets is also provided as a dramatised conversation using Xtranormal text to speeech generation using avatars, demonstrating information being provided in contrasting formats giving the audience a range of options.

BYOD (short for 'Bring Your Own Device') The curated article asking whether existing teaching strategies will suffice today starts the core section on harnessing new technologies. There are many features on students' molbile phones which are useful in class - some examples are given in the Wordle graphic on two slides. Whilst I am not advocating wholesale access to mobile phones throughout each and every lesson, there are regular opportunities to use mobile phones in individual or group work for legitimate educational purposes. Managing access is the key - explicit instructions to take out and put awat molbile phones can become standard routines in our classes. Two advantages being that students need little training in using their own devices and connectivity is not an issue.

Many more students are starting to bring their own laptops/tablets to lessons which presents its own challenges. How can we be sure everyone is resisting the temptation to access or view non-related content during lessons. One low tech way is to make explicit (as with mobile phones) when they are to be used and when they are not. An alternative or additional solution is to make students' screens visible by getting them to initiate sharing of their live screens with the teacher at the start of the lesson - a technique demonstatrted live at this point in the presentation. Once they realise their actions are transparent and trackable, there is a real incentive to engage productively in class.

Further issues relate to good digital housekeeping - deciding how and where everything is organised online or on the network by students so that it is readily accessible for us as teachers. The reference to seating plan criteria highlights the issue of accessibility. What if for the foreseeeable immediate future only a percentage of students in any class brings a laptop or smart phone? Do other students suffer or can we group students in such a way that they can work collaboratively sharing access to such devices as needed in class?

Modelling Digital Solutions Target setting using online lists which can be shared and updated is another example of creating positive strategies for using online structures to help organise and support students' learning.

Distractions - caused by students' own screens or their neighbours' screens - are often cited as reasons to ban student devices but there are ways to minimise the impact of advertising and multiple search results. ShareShare.TV and youTube XL both offer uncluttered environments for viewing video clips. Video grabber allows clips to be converted and downloaded (where appropriate) and TubeChop allows you to make a single edit to extract the relevant segment of a lengthy video which helps to focus attention. Even as simple a tool as Fences which hides teemporarily any desktop clutter when projecting is a useful tool and one which models a digital solution to a perceived problem.

A MFL example is given of full interactivity - a site where users can select a music video and type in missing lyrics as they hear them. The differentiation facilitated by the 3 levels users can choose from makes this particularly educational. Further examples of interactive learning, this time teacher-initiated, are provided by Triptico's excellent resources which can be downloaded. Wherever the is interactivity, there is enhanced learning as students process the information and actively respond to stimuli, testing their understanding and building relevant skills.

The Mentormob mash-up slide shows how a set playlist of links can be shared to ensure a pathway through potential sources online. Teachers' options enable whole classes to be sent details of the curated playlist, a prime example of how packaging information for a target audience supports and facilitates real learning.

Present.me allows a commentary for a PowerPoint slideshow to be recorded via a webcam so that the slides and the talk are synchronised and replayed side by side - a great example of how to extend learning beyond the classroom, maximising progress. This could be a way to 'flip' the classroom, devoting crucial contact time to support and follow-up and delivering some new content via recordings available via a VLE, for instance. Equally, this technique could be set as a student task. Audacity allows online recording for students to complete a speaking task, potentially an alternative to written responses in almost any subject. Taking this idea one step further is possible with a range of text to speech generators, inclduing some using avatars. The appeal here is that it takes what was formerly an exclusively hardware-intensive option and makes it readily available on demand to anyone with an internet connection.

A really exciting development is the use of Jing recording of a live desktop to give personalised, differentiated feedback to individual students, correcting their work, suggesting improvements, engaging in a dialogue that goes way beyond allocating a grade to a piece of work. Further ways in which dynamic feedback can be given are possible with free group text messaging sites.

Further ways of extending learning beyond the classroom can be provided using a VLE, where programs which can be downloaded and used offline and mobile solutions enhance the range of learning options available.

Enhancing the learning experience Using QR codes (Quick Response codes scanned into a smart phone to access a website without the nned to type the URL address) can help maximise accessibilty (no need for a browser to find your way to a website address) as well as transform a 2D display into a multimedia virtual exhibition. There are also websites which will drastically shorten web addresses making them easier to note down or follow.

Diigo offers a cloud-based free annotating service for webpages - this can be done on an individual or collaborative basis. This is one of the tools offering analytical opportunities.

Accessing information Compilation RSS feed sites such as newsmap.jp and lexipedia.org give a wealth of information which can be interrogated according to the users' preferences. Further examples of collating tools are timetoast.com and dipity.com offering customisable timelines as well as infographics.com which offers a vast array of tools for interpreting statistical data.

Higher order skills Spicynodes.org and bubbl.us offer visual representations of daigrams, useful for brainstorming or revision.

Formative assessment techniques Toofast.ca gives a different twist on student feedback, designed to give free, formative interaction which can positively inform future planning and learning outcomes.

Stimulating creativity Unleashing students' individual and collective creativity is promoted by tools such as penzu.com and storybird.com, sliderocket.com, myebook.com or Wallwisher.com and voxopop and voicethread offer further opportunities for promoting discussion and collaboration. Further possibilities are emerging constantly, some involving the use of more challenging media which operate more in the public domain.

Open-ended feedback Wiffiti.com can offer more open-ended texting feedback and an online equivalent is available at tricider.com

Layered support / ICT literacy Support is available via video training clips online. The most crucial factor in ensuring best practice becomes standard practice is in empowering colleagues to explore new ways of delivering key learning opportunities.

The way forward If we can integrate student-owned devices to enhance the learning opportunities for all whilst building confidence using online tools we shall significantly extend learning beyond the classroom.

Recommended exploration There are suggestions for further background reading and viewing. I hope you have enjoyed the presentation!

SLIDEROCKET You can sign up for Sliderocket (an alternative to PowerPoint) at [|www.sliderocket.com] - all features used in the above presentation were created using the free version.