empowering learning and teaching with technology

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Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015 Themeefy Inc WWW.THEMEEFY.COM Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY IS FACILITATING TEACHING, INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND IMPROVING LEARNING.

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Page 1: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

Themeefy Inc WWW.THEMEEFY.COM

Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY IS FACILITATING TEACHING, INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND IMPROVING LEARNING.

Page 2: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

FOREWORD

The usage of technology in education is becoming more and more common these days; in fact

one of the tenets of modern education is the use of technology in class. The arrival of Internet

access in classrooms, tablets and smart boards has made it easier for school administrations

and teachers to integrate technology in class.

This white paper aims to identify different ways to integrate technology in class, empowering

students to think independently, conduct their own research and start creating their own

knowledge profile. Teachers can benefit by this new approach by including relevant real world

resources in their lessons and following their students’ progress with real world tasks and

recording of achievements in real-time.

Supra Manohar, Titash Neogi, Geetanjali Shrivastava & Ryan Chadha

CEO and Co-Founder Product Design and Co-Founder Education Experts and Marketing

Page 3: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

Contents

FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................................. 1

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN EDUCATION .................................................................................. 3

Technology and Pedagogy .................................................................................................................. 3

MAKER EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN SCHOOLS ....................................................................... 4

What is “Maker Education”?............................................................................................................... 4

How is Maker Education changing the way students learn? .............................................................. 4

Themeefy and Maker Education ......................................................................................................... 5

IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A KNOWLEDGE PROFILE ............................................................................ 6

CONTACT ................................................................................................................................................. 7

Page 4: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN EDUCATION

As citizens of the 21st century, we cannot deny the omnipresence of technology. Nearly 3

billion people use the Internet and access to information and communication technology is

increasing across the world. It goes without saying that technology is and should be an

important part of education as well. Traditional curriculum tends to prioritize consumption of

knowledge over innovation and real application of knowledge. In today’s globalized society,

it is important for schools to integrate technology in their curriculum and empower students

with the competencies required to excel in a learning society and continue to evolve

throughout their life.

Technology and Pedagogy

The new tools and technology of Web 2.0, a

participatory and collaborative Web, have

broadened the horizons of education taking

learning beyond the classroom. The

application of technology in distance

education is obvious (online learning

communities, virtual classrooms, easy

exchange of course material) but it plays an

even more powerful role in regular

classrooms.

The presence of Internet in classrooms and tools such as the

interactive boards have extended the learning space beyond the

four walls of the classroom. Teachers can now introduce content

from the Web, stream real-time videos and tap into a variety of

learning opportunities beyond the physical boundaries of the

school. The emergence of this new flexible learning environment

has enabled real-time, interactive and a highly personalized

learning.

Technology has enabled students to take control of their learning

process and participate more actively in it and platforms like

Themeefy (www.themeefy.com) have empowered students to

personalize their education by creating their own learning material.

Students can now learn real-world skills such as team-building,

collaboration, problem solving, global awareness, listening and

presentation with the use of various EdTech tools.

65% of teachers say

that technology lets

them demonstrate

things they couldn’t

show any other

way. It allows them

to reinforce and

expand on content,

helps motivate

students &

accommodates

different learning

styles.

Page 5: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

MAKER EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN SCHOOLS

What is “Maker Education”?

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

A response to the increasing need to move students from being mere consumers of

information to real innovators who can help build a better world, the Maker Ed movement

started in the United States of America.

The objective of Maker Ed is to encourage

creativity amongst young people, develop

an interest in various subjects through

“making.” The Maker Ed movement is

best illustrated in craft and the creation of

actual physical objects and art work. But it

doesn’t stop there. Maker Ed is all about

innovation and thus about new ideas and

new ways to think.

How is Maker Education changing the way students learn?

The Maker Space in education by its very definition nurtures

innovation, experimentation and independence.

Technology is one of the most important tools of Maker Ed since it

allows students to break free of pre-packaged experiences and build

their own learning experiences. This could be with a 3D Printer or

one of the many sites that allow students to take control of their

education.

One of the most important skills for a student is the ability to conduct

research on any given topic and present it in a coherent manner.

Themeefy (www.themeefy.com) enables students to search for

relevant information on any topic. The exercise of searching for

information, reading and choosing the most apt content is far more

efficient in the learning process than consuming readymade lessons.

Learners are no longer

mere consumers of

content but active

participants and

producers of content

in their own right.

This democratization

of learning has made

it a really exciting time

to be an educator.

Page 6: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

Themeefy and Maker Education

(Re)Iterations & Perseverance: The process of creation involves

many reiterations. Students aren’t expected to nail the project on

their first attempt. With positive feedback from their teachers, they

have to go back to the drawing board and tweak their creation

several times before they nail it.

While creating their Themes, students often have to stop, rethink &

even pivot, leading to several iterations of the Theme in the process

of making it more interesting, pertinent and pleasing to their audience. The exercise not only

encourages perseverance, it also redefines “failure,” making the erstwhile negative comment,

nothing but the first step in the learning process.

Engaged Learning: The Maker movement is driven by interest based projects that value

individual insights and personalization. The very fact of being responsible for their learning

process rather than being passive recipients of knowledge handed down by their teachers,

drives a certain passion and sharpens the students’ interest in the subject.

In asking students to create their own lessons and involving them in the process of learning,

educators are paving the way for more engaged and passion-based learning.

Sharing & Growing Together: Maker Ed

is founded on the principles of sharing

and community-based creation and

growth. It thus encourages the practice of

sharing of knowledge and skills and

mentoring in the manner of our

forefathers.

At Themeefy, students are encouraged to

share their Themes and discover the

Themes created by others. Themes

published inside a class are visible to all the members, thus students can learn from each

other.

Page 7: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A KNOWLEDGE PROFILE

Evaluation is an important part of the learning process and one of the most important ways

of evaluating a student’s progress is through observation. A teacher’s regular record of

classroom activities and individual student participation is the most effective way of tracking

and evaluating a student’s development.

The report card, a traditional way of

informing parents about their child’s

progress often leaves many questions

unanswered. Parents are increasingly

more participative in their child’s

education and want to know more about

classroom activities and fill in the gaps at

home. This in turn calls for a need of

physical evidence in the form of photos,

audio and video clips.

The Themeefy Portfolio is a simple way to record classroom activities by uploading images,

audio and video clips accompanied by the teachers’ comments. Teachers can thus gather

evidence and record:

Development of play skills and the common themes during play-time.

Emerging literary skills, interest areas and cognitive functioning.

New behaviour patterns, social reactions and routines.

This activity not only provides a realistic picture of a child’s development and progress at

school, it also enables teachers to capture important moments

and field data as researchers in their own right, helping them

understand children better and improve their teaching skills.

A secure platform, Themeefy gives parents and teachers the right

to choose who can access the Portfolios. Teachers can share the

Portfolio with parents who can then share it with their family

members on their own discretion.

The Portfolio also serves as a visual timeline of the child’s learning

journey, such that it can be used as an excellent record of

everything the child has learnt in school. It can be used by parents

to showcase what their child has achieved over the years.

Students themselves can use the Portfolio while making their

curriculum vitae for university, as an evidence of various

academic and extra-curricular achievements.

Teachers can record

classroom activities

and upload them via

the mobile app,

MomentBox, in the

child’s Themeefy

Portfolio, which can

then be shared with

the parents and other

family members. An

easy way of recording

key moments of the

learning journey.

Page 8: Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology

Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015

CONTACT

To know more about Themeefy and its mobile application MomentBox, you can get in touch

with our team members:

Ryan Chadha : [email protected] (for enquiries from the Indian sub-continent)

Supra Manohar : [email protected] (for enquiries from the Unites States of America and

elsewhere in the world)