Updated Digital Pedagogical Portfolio

Megan DenneySarina State High School2009

Digital Pedagogical Portfolio 2009

Evidence to support my continued use, and further development of, ICTs in my classroom and curriculum planning

Statement of beliefs – reflection in 2009

I continue to view and acknowledge digital technology as an integral part of my curriculum planning, student learning experiences and teaching practices. The most successful use of digital technology ( computer, data projector, laptops, DVDs, video camera, the World Wide Web and self-created web pages) in the classroom is for a REAL purpose within a REAL context. If this does not occur students will not view its use as an integral part of their learning experiences.

Too many teachers view the use of ICTs as merely directing students to the www as a research tool – they do not model its application as a teaching and learning tool. I accept it as one of my responsibilities to assist these teachers to develop their skills and confidence in the ICT area.

2009 Reflection (continued)

The availability and use of digital technology in the classroom will provide students ( and teachers) the opportunities to create and construct new knowledge – to ‘think outside the square’. My teaching style and strategies will foster an ‘on-line’ teaching and learning environment in the classroom – this reflects changing assessment practices and ways for students to continue to be engaged in their learning in a meaningful way.

This environment, together with my teaching practices, will allow the students to think and function in real-life terms; to achieve to the best of their ability ( a key objective!) and to work together. I want my students to view their classroom as a supportive, challenging and friendly environment – this will encourage their belief that can achieve success. ICTs are an integral part of this plan and process.

2009 Reflection (continued)

I continue to encourage my students to be independent learners – to challenge and question, not merely accept. I want them to see themselves as young people who are always learning ( and I want to present myself as a model of this – not so much the young!!!) The use of digital technologies is an important and integral part of this becoming a reality. This is the Digital Age, and my students are the Digital Generation, and it is important that I acknowledge ( and demonstrate) this through my teaching practices, strategies, student learning experiences AND my philosophy.

2009 reflection (continued)

I have participated in a number of ICT professional development workshops during the course of the past 3 years – for example, the use of interactive whiteboards; creating virtual classrooms; the use of audacity – and have incorporated this knowledge into my teaching and learning practices. I am acting as a ‘mentor’ for a number of teachers at my school to assist them gain their ICT Certificates. I am also a moderator for this process. I have ‘shared’ some of the ways I integrate ICTs into the classroom learning environment in PD sessions after school – particularly the use of the Learning Place for setting up ‘Blogs’ and project rooms.

My Reflection -- 2009

Portfolio item – my reflection on the original portfolio I submitted in 2006.

What tasks have I completed (since 2006)

The following slides present some of the ‘tasks’ I have completed since 2006. I have used the project rooms more than once, for example, if my year 11 class is going to study Macbeth then I enrol them into the Macbeth project room.

Year 11 Advertising Unit

I have created a wikispace to assist in the delivery of this unit. This is in line with my personal view that I need to work towards creating an on-line (type) learning environment in my classroom. This reflects my acknowledgement of changing assessment practices and the need to increase, and maintain, student engagement in learning experiences.

My objective is to that each of the units I teach will have an accompanying on-line learning site ( either in The Learning Place or wikispaces). This will be further supported with the placement of the relevant subject matter on the school intranet ( for both students and interested teachers to access).

The design of these on-line learning units is simple and user-friendly with a focus on students, and parents, being able to follow the information and relevant activities. This on-line concept will provide a range of opportunities for students to learn and acquire relevant knowledge and understanding of the units – this will be achieved through the locating of relevant information and further links to sites and reference texts of significance to the units.

I anticipate that this will act as an ‘stepping stone’ for students who wish to acquire further information on the subjects and deepen their knowledge. It will also assist those students who ‘struggle’ with understanding the information the ‘first time around’ as they can access all the information from class again in their own time.

The majority of my students have access to the internet at their home and can email me any queries they have regarding the information as well as emailing their planning and drafting ideas and questions. I have found that this is working very well and the quick ‘turn-around’ time of submission of draft / questions means the students can continue their work at home and improve their ability to work independently, manage their time more successfully and acquire knowledge.

I have included some examples of ( the many!) emails I receive ( and my responses) from the students as evidence.

The use of wikispaces and The Learning Place to deliver my lessons does not restrict me ( and the students) to having continued access to computer rooms ( which is a big issue at the moment – for example, when my Year 11 class is on there are no computer rooms available due to ‘computer’ classes being on the same line). Rather, it means that I can present the lesson through the use of my laptop, the internet and the data projector ( all of which are available in my classroom). If a student is away for some reason they can still access the relevant information they have missed by simply logging onto the relevant websites. This is an important advantage to my class as students ( and teachers) cannot access the school intranet from home!

Year 11 Advertising Unit

This is my ‘new’ advertising unit which I am currently teaching to my students. This is the unit I have created in wikispaces.

www.yr11advertising.wikispaces.com

PS – I was actually surprised at how simple it was to create this site and was quite pleased with my first-time effort. I feel this reflects the increased confidence I have in my ICT skills and level of my skills.

Certificate 2 in Workplace Practices

I have created my own course on The Learning Place ( in Blackboard). Last year (2008) I used this course with my year 10 class. It worked quite well with this particular class – they all had access to the internet at home. The main intention of creating this course on The Learning Place was to enable those students who could work independently to move through the course at their own pace. All their responses were sent to me via the digital Drop Box. I explained the various ‘tools’ which were in this course during the initial lessons at school – digital drop box’ course information; course assignments; announcements and email. The majority of the students used this course – students who were away ( holidays or ill) also had access to the information and could continue to work through the course and not fall behind.

This year (2009) I am using this on-line course for those students who wish to complete this Cert 2 through Recognition of Prior Learning from their Cert 1 course. These students do not have class time allocated to them for this – it is something ‘extra’ they can do.

http://elearn.eq.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_26599_1

PS –I am going to assume that you are a member of The Learning Place!!!!

The Learning Place

The following slides demonstrate my use of the Learning Place, in particular project rooms, where the students are asked to post their responses to a particular set of questions ( which are directly linked to the unit under discussion and the assessment response). These project rooms are for my year 10, 11 and 12 classes. I also have a project room for Hamlet.The Learning Place also provides the opportunity for students ( and the teacher) to post comments regarding student responses ( which one of my year 12 classes really enjoyed doing!). This type of activity allows for ALL students to be actively involved in the discussions – I found that quite often this type of activity prompted a lot more discussion than ‘normal’ classroom discussion. Students were given computer room time to start their blogs and most were very happy to continue the ‘discussions’ from their home computers. I have found these project rooms and blogs to be a very successful tool to involve all the students and foster an environment where everyone will be heard, not just the ‘loud’ confident few.

Macbeth (Year 11) – Project Room on the Learning Place

This is one of the 4 tasks the students were asked to respond to

Macbeth -- villain or victim? What is your 'take' on Macbeth -- was he

easily manipulated by an ambitious wife or was he quite aware of what he was doing and made his choices of his own volition? Was he weak compared to Lady Macbeth? Was he a brave and loyal soldier? Was he a fool ( to believe what the witches said? Did he rule Scotland by murder and terror?

Macbeth – student responses

Student responses

Lord of the Flies (Year 10) Project room on the Learning

Place

This is one of the tasks the students were asked to respond to

Order versus anarchy Ralph and Jack are both leaders, but they have

different qualities. Each tries to create a scoiety that reflects their own qualities. Contrast the society that Ralph created with the one that Jack created (order / anarchy; democracy / dictatorship). List the qualities of each boy and the qualities of the societies they try to create. Which type of society would you expect to dominate by the end of the novel? Why?

Lord of the Flies – student responses

Student responses

The Literary Canon – Year 12 – Project room on the

Learning Place

This is one of the questions the students were asked to respond to

The Literary Canon How valid is the concept of a "Literary

Canon' in today's society -- how accepted would it be? Does it still have a place? Who cares? Why?

The Literary Canon – student responses

Student responses

Romeo and Juliet -- Year 10 – Project Room on the

Learning Place

This is one of the tasks the students were asked to respond to

Who was to blame? Romeo? He acted too hastily throughout the play --

he shouldn't have asked Juliet to marry him so suddenly, and he should have thought more carefully before rushing back to Verona after hearing of Juliet's death. He also acted violently and without thinking when he killed Tybalt and later, Paris.

Romeo and Juliet – Student responses

Student responses

Statement of support from Principal

Letter of support from Principal