Educational Issues, Current Affairs and Articles
Education, current trends and issues, etc.
Tuesday, 7 May 2019
Educational Issues, Current Affairs and Articles: Collaboration Tools to the Rescue!
Educational Issues, Current Affairs and Articles: Collaboration Tools to the Rescue!: At times teachers are overcome with students who demand new ways of being taught, teachers are literally running out of ideas...
Collaboration Tools to the Rescue!
At times teachers are overcome
with students who demand new ways of being taught, teachers are literally
running out of ideas to bring new content to the classroom. As good as teachers can be, there are times
they need great assistance in keeping students interested in learning. Teachers are often demanded to find creative
innovations to keep the classrooms excited and at times it feels as if they are
about to slip into the raging river of despair! However, there is a lifeline
that is ever thrown at teachers, and it is called collaboration.
Collaboration among teachers
helps to creative positives impacts among themselves and others that can
significantly contribute towards school improvement (ASU, 2017). This is more than just conducting a seminar
or workshop in a conference or staff room.
As twenty-first century educators, we can now use digital gadgets or
collaborative tools that can help use to collaborate quicker, faster and
cheaper to reach out to other individuals.
This can help teaching professionals or resource persons to share ideas
and updated information in the raging classrooms, preventing waves of boredom from
capsizing the ship of learning.
There are many collaborative tools in the
digital world. Sometimes the amount out there is very intimidating and may
cause people to resist adopting or trying them (Martin 2017). However,
there are some collaborative tools to the rescue that are very useful for
teachers to use to help share relevant information and ideas amongst
themselves:
i.
Google
Docs - (Bika, nd). Share documents
online where persons at different locations can view and edit documents
instantly allowing persons to share their lesson planning ideas for others to
use.
ii.
Slack
– (Martin, 2017). Promotes virtual
connections with other individuals to promote information exchange.
iii.
Whatsapp
– (Elcom, 2018). With the use of
WhatsApp Web or a good smartphone files from teachers can be shared with shared. Whatsapp groups can be formed with subject
teachers to share content matter simultaneously.
iv.
Red
Pen – (Time Doctor, 2019). Good with visual arts teachers, help to design
collaboratively and share those designs into the classrooms. Students can use the
same software for group work.
v.
Skype
– (Time Doctor, 2019). This helps in
collaborating with teachers and specialists instantly with teachers world-wide
and locally.
vi.
Google
Drive – (Pappas, 2013). It is a shared account,
which allows teachers within an organization much-needed documents that have
been placed in the space for others to use.
vii.
Thinkbinder
- (Pappas, 2013). A group platform that
allows posts and updates on projects, used for promotion of unconventional
ideas and with the use of calendars mark dates for set goals and honour due
dates. Files are amongst users.
The list goes on! Being in the
classroom myself, there are times my colleagues and I forget that we can seek
and get much-needed help. This link is
for Ad employees but it is applicable to teachers who need to know the
collaborative tools that exist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-LVPOK91Tc.
We unnecessary find ourselves drowning in the abyss of boredom, ignorance,
mental fatigue and lack of creativity.
It is always good to form a community of persons who can collaborate
with, and re-energize the minds for creative and stimulate ourselves to steady
the waters in the classroom and in our minds (ASU, 2017). It is always good to collaborate with the use
of the right tools, therefore before selecting, one be mindful of the reason
for selecting them.
Collaboration does not only happen
among teachers but also among students who need support and good productive
learning environments to sail into the sunset of the acquisition of
knowledge. There are so many benefits
education can get from using online tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SC8SL7LxoI.
I am of the view that the proper use of using collaborative tools help in the promotion of a healthy productive
learning environment. It helps to put
the exhausted teacher on to a raft that assists in facilitating such a stable,
creative and enjoyable environment, and therefore, in other words, rescue the
teaching-learning environment from death by boredom!
Reference
Arkensas
State University (2017). The importance of teacher collaboration
https://degree.astate.edu/articles/k-12-education/importance-of-teacher-
collaboration.aspx
Avandale Inc. (2017). Guidance on
Microsoft Collaboration Tools for Avanade Employees.
Retrieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-LVPOK91Tc
Bika, N., (nd)14
collaboration tools for productive teams.
Retrieved
Elcom (2018) The
importance of collaboration in today’s workplace. Retrieved https://www.elcomcms.com/resources/blog/the-importance-of-collaboration-in-todays-workplace
Martin, A., (2017).
How to pick the right collaboration tools. Retrieved https://www-computerworld-
com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.computerworld.com/article/3209184/
how-to-pick-the-right-collaboration-tools.amp.html?usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3
D&_js_v=0.1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_
tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2
Fwww.computerworld.com%2Farticle%2F3209184%2Fhow-to-pick-the-right-collaboration-
tools.html
Pappas, C., (2013)
The 5 best free collaboration tools for teachers. Retrieved https://elearningindustry.com/the-5-best-free-collaboration-tools-for-teachers
SC8SL7LxoI
Time Doctor, (nd). 53
online collaboration tools to help your team be more productive. Retrieved
https://biz30.timedoctor.com/online-collaboration-tools/
“MOOC,” The Whirl Wind We Must Weather!
Introduction
The twenty-first century, that is now
nineteen years old, came with the whizzing sound of digital clicks, which has
weathered the landscape of our education system as we know it. We find that our educational institutions
that we have lead, and developed had to move with the turbulence in Information
and Communication Technologies (ICT).
This has caused us to improve our levels of digital literacy so that we
meet the demands of the learner and teachers to provide a differential style of
learning to the classrooms. As
educational leaders, we should use our positions within our weather stations to
watch the trends and the issues the turbulence brings and find ways and means
in dealing with them.
Gratitude must be expressed to the Ministry of Education to stage this conference
for Principals, Deans, and Heads of Department who are present from the various
colleges and universities for them to become aware and reminded of changes the
winds brought and still are bringing to education, and how to re-scope the landscape
of our classrooms and teaching practice within our colleges and universities.
This began with the building of Instructional Technology (IT) labs, installing
internet and servers and the purchasing of equipment appropriate and sometimes
not so appropriate for both our teachers and students to use. That in itself came with another set of a whirlwind where a technology plan had to be developed and executed for the schools
to help educational stakeholders to be digitally literate in order to improve
on content delivery, student learning assessments and best practices in our
“Classrooms.” Now, our rafters are being
shaken again with a different kind of wind, which we truly cannot ignore. It is called Massive Open Online Classrooms
(MOOCs).
Description
During the 1990s, the puffs of wind
blew in the form of the Open Educational Resources (OER) which was viewed as
the staring process of MOOCs (Gracia, 2015 ).
The name MOOC that was viewed as an online course format was finally
developed and launched at the University
of Manitoba under the heading, “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge
(Liyanagunawardena, Adams and Williams, 2013). Zawachi-Richer, et-al
(2018) described MOOC as not an independent phenomenon from other areas of open
and distant, but has the potential to develop lifelong learning. David Cormier
was credited for this design when he and his team developed a twelve-week
online course in Canada in 2008 (Garica, 2015).
They also saw that it provided more opportunities for persons to gain
access to content and knowledge. Educase
(2011) describes MOOC as a platform for giving content for people to learn
online to just about anyone who is desirous of learning new things.
According to Loechx, (2016) the society
blew life into the MOOC movement by providing four pillars of existence: a)
technology – mobile ubiquitous cloud, b) culture – digital natives, c) society
– globalization, and d) economy – creative society. These pillars help to form the turbulence
that has been reshaping education by fully comprehending the movement of online
distance learning and how it reshape the education process. There are a few institutions that have taken
on the MOOC course format and so far, they seemed to be successful. Many times, we have seen their advertisements
online whenever we surf the web. They
are Coursea, Khan Academy, Udacity, and edX (Garcia, 2015). We have found that many of our administrative
staff have signed on to at least one of these platforms, participated, and are
now asking many our educational leaders to redesign our programmes to give others
an opportunity for more persons to upgrade their skills and
knowledge.
The design of MOOCs is said to be
offered on a weekly basis with an average offering of approximately six to ten
weeks in duration. With this comes short
lecture videos, supplemental readings, and assignments that are problem-solving
in nature (Garcia, 2015). Garcia, also
describes that there are forums where online discussions are had with the
facilitators moderating them closely and responsively. The beauty about this is that individuals are
given the liberty to do their work in a timely fashion unlike the traditional
system that we run and the learning atmosphere is relaxed, however, if one wants
to complete the course, they must participate. Here is where the turbulence comes, because the traditional way of
teaching in a face-to-face fashion becomes battered with the strong winds of
MOOCs. Chiecher and Donolo (2013) refer
to the shift of traditional delivery as moving away from the traditional mode
of teaching and questions whether or not certain “training needs” can truly be
met.
There is worry about the role of the
facilitator in the MOOC storm. Many
lecturers have been approaching our leaders about their employment and
expressed fear in using a new digital feature in teaching. There are fears that their purpose will be reduced if our
colleges and universities do embrace this breezy phenomenon in our
institutions, but their role will now
become of a facilitator by collecting, analyzing,
condensing and reflecting the actions of the learning participant when
submissions
are
made (Garica, 2015).
There is one issue that the MOOC
whirlwind brings, and that is copyright.
So much content that can be constructed by many persons and this is the
topic of discussion from many of our educational leaders. Our colleagues from the universities abroad
who use MOOCs had initially voiced their concern. However, the American Association of
University Professors (AAUP) state that the professors who construct MOOC
courses own the rights to the material and do modifications where it is
necessary (Educase, 2013). Instructional
design and other resources are added to ensure quality and reliability. This is one area our institutions can be part of
the wind by ensuring that we form
linkages with the universities who offer MOOCs and be brave to create courses
that can attract audiences outside of the traditional face to face
setting.
Usefulness
of the MOOC to Institutions
Many systematic studies have
gone into the research of this persistent turbulence of
MOOC to find how useful this mode of teaching can be to our institutions
that we lead. Chen (2014) recognized
that there are opportunities for participants and institutions for more persons
to learn. Zawacki-Richter, O., Bozkurt,
A., Alturki, Aldraiweesh, A., (2018) thought that MOOC is a good way of making
learning easier, creating equality amongst the participants and that knowledge
is liberated to persons local and worldwide.
Although research has shown wherein the
early stages MOOC was placed in one platform, due to the turbulence it
caused, it developed and still
developing into a more formalized and financial potential for facilitators and
institutions to gain diverse benefits.
MOOC can become useful in our
institutions where digitally literate instructors of various disciplines can
design and produce instructional materials video clips/flip classrooms and
additional resources for courses and online programmes that they offer as a
high-quality package to their clients (Educause, 2013). With
that, the copyright concerns of content packages, especially when a person
transfers to another institution or retires would have to be looked at.
These are still strong questions asked, but
with quality assurance teams in place within institutions, those legalities
will be worked out just as other innovations that had come before us. In addition, whenever third-party sources are
used, that the requisite permissions have been gained and acknowledged so that
our institutions do not fall into legal issues with original content writers.
What is clear is that if the educational leaders plan carefully and collaborate
with other stakeholders, our own MOOCs can be as popular is Coursera, edX, etc.
Conclusion and
Recommendations
In this whirlwind of MOOC and its series
of turbulence, we as educational leaders can either get blown away, watch our
institutions become redundant
and irrelevant, or we collaborate and ensure that we stay grounded
and become part of the change in the way we teach and deliver our content. With each decade comes with “disruptive
innovations” (Christensen, 2013) where
a new set of customers from a traditional dimension transfers into a new market
and such is MOOC.
Fears are natural when innovations happen
quickly; however, with
collaborations and training sessions with resource persons, the
inclusion of MOOC into our institutions can increase the chances of student
intake and good quality education gained.
The inclusions of social media plug-ins
such as Twitter, wikis, etc, MOOC within our institutions can help to reshape
and improve the two-way process of learning (Garcia 2015).
Continuous professional development must
be done to ensure that a certain level of digital literacy must be maintained
in an ever-evolving technology-filled world.
Today, a new device can be created, and within two years, it is no
longer relevant. Professional
development will aid in our institutions be part of the cutting edge of digital learning and due to our
leadership, we can become paid consultants to other establishments who would
like to collaborate or partner with us.
It can even lead to us becoming content developers for private sector
institutions where copyrighted materials can be uploaded for their MOOC
platforms (Educause, 2013).
Our
institutions are facing the storms, we are adjusting to the weathering, we have
a responsibility to the students who we are “remixing” our approaches in order
for them to become
beneficiaries of quality education. In
one shape or form, we ourselves have been exposed to the winds while we have
pursued our studies, now, it has come to us in our educational weather
stations. Developing a good and ongoing
quality assurance team amongst ourselves, and with the input of other stake-holders, our institutions will not become rubbles in education but beacons in
the eyes of the world of students who are in the whirlwind of digital change.
Reference
Chen, Y. (2014).
Investigating MOOCs through blog mining. The International Review of
Research in Open and Distributed
Learning, 15(2), 85–106.
https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1695
Chiecher, A.,
& Donolo, D. (2013). Trabajo grupal mediado por foros. Aportes para el
análisis
de la presencia social, cognitiva y
didáctica en la comunicación asincrónica. In A. C.
Chiecher, D. S. Donolo, & J. L.
Córica (Eds.), Entornos
virtuales
y aprendizaje. Nuevas
perspectivas de estudioe
investigaciones (pp. 151-198). Mendoza, Argentina:
Editorial
Christensen, C.
M. (2013). The Innovator’s Dilemma. Brighton, MA: Harvard Business
Publishing.
EDUCAUSE
(2013, July 29). Copyright Challenges in a MOOC Environment. Retrieved
EDUCAUSE (2011).
7 things you should know about MOOCs. EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative.
Garcia, I.,
(2015). Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOCs): theoretical education and
/publication/321360956_Massive_Open_Online_Courses_MOOCs_theoretical_education
_and_pedagogical_foundation_cafvir2015submission61
Liyanagunawardena,
T., Adams, A., & Williams, S. (2013). MOOCs: A systematic study of the
published literature 2008-2012. The
International Review of Research in Open and
Loeckx,
J., (2016). Blurring Boundaries in Education: Context and Impact of MOOCs
International
Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 2016, Vol.17(3),
p.92-121
Zawacki-Richter,
O., Bozkurt, A., Alturki, Aldraiweesh, A., (2018).
What Research Says about
MOOCs--An Explorative Content
Analysis. International Review of Research in Open
and Distance Learning 1492-3831 vol:19 iss:1
pg:242 -259
Saturday, 10 February 2018
Assessment in Education: An evaluation tool or a weapon? (Jamaican Perspective)
Over the decades, Jamaica’s education
system has undergone periods of development.
Many schools that started from the churches and evolved into government
funded institutions. Teachers’ colleges
opened and trained teachers to educate the masses in various disciplined suited
for the nation’s majority. Then, various
types standardization of our education system were established producing students who were exposed to college
trained teachers who taught from specifically designed curriculum.
Who still remember “Common Entrance
Examinations?” This was viewed as a period of stress because the results were
placed in the various printing presses at the time and if your name was not
published, it felt like your life was over! This caused much embarrassment for many
students. Since then, much has changed and so in 1999 the Ministry of Education
changed this national assessment tool to Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). Though a good tool of assessment, which
tested knowledge, skill and content application of students, many of the
results were misused. While many
students were placed in the schools of choice, others were placed in under
resourced schools that could not cater to their needs.
Therefore, the question is asked about the
purpose of assessment? Is it to give both students and teachers a better view of
what is taught, skills acquired and design approaches, revision and update of
content and improve on formative and summative assessments or is it now just
for students and teachers to boast that the students that they teach are
capable of passing and exam with their guidance? Whatever the answer, many of our students do
not see assessment in a positive light.
In my interviews with students at the secondary and undergrad levels
over the years, many students see assessment as a stress mechanism for them to
dislike learning. Many expressed the
desire to leave the institutions and some have left, while others harden their
hearts from the joy of learning something new. They become anxious to leave the
institutions and do not focus on mastery
and push mainly quantity of content.
Many times students express fear of being
in classes taught by some lecturers where it was once boasted that if success
is achieved from them in the first examination, that the students is regarded
as brilliant. But, why were those
teachers/lecturers allowed to teach with such low success rates? Unfortunately, this still exists today in the
21st century.
Suggestions to improve assessment: Revision
of the syllabus, course outlines to make it more relevant and teacher/learner
friendly; revision of content produced at the teachers’ colleges/universities;
improve the learning environment (class setting, furniture and technology);
acquire better teaching resources; dialogue with public and private sector in
which employs the “educated” graduates; face-to-face listening session with the
students; and improve the areas of assessment with the aid of curriculum
specialist from both MOE and universities.
Our education system is considered to be the best. This is evident in the acceptance of our
students and teachers in institutions outside our shores. Let us not make assessment feels like a
weapon of mental destruction, but a tool of placement for our students to fit
into the 21st century work space.
Monday, 27 February 2017
Does 'Math' Count?
The question is constantly asked on a daily basis as to the relevance of mathematics in certain professions. Everyone needs to know how to compute numbers. According to Norris, 2012, maths is needed not because it is needed for the sciences, but it also provides access to undergraduate courses in, for example, engineering, psychology, sciences and social sciences (Norris, 2012). Persons would also like to add that this subject is needed in everyday life.
In places of the society, different levels of mathematics are required. Therefore, looking at what our society is asking of its members, persons may view maths in three sectors:
- job related maths: This type, one must have maths to be able to fulfill high level mathematical computations, e.g. teaching/lecturing in classrooms, seminars, workshops, etc.
- occupational maths: This type requires the use of measurements, e.g. basic level – baking, sewing, woodwork or joining; Middle level – nursing, medical practitioner, medical, business owners, technologist, etc. and higher level – construction, engineering, etc.
- operational maths: This one is general for all persons to have basic computation skills for every day life; like everyday people.
Maths count, it is agreed, but it is the believe that there should be various levels of maths that person should choose according to one’s chosen profession. If there is an occasion where one needs to make a change in profession, then there should be a maths competency exam that one should take to qualify in order to make the transition.
The high school diploma maths should be a good base for many persons to take on. Also, HEART, along with the Ministry of Education (MOE) can provide operational mathematics which can be recognized world wide. The second level, can be offered between CXC and the MOE and naturally for the first level should be provided at the CSEC level.
It is time that mathematics make sense. Make Maths Count!
Monday, 20 February 2017
INVESTING IN ICT AND THE BENEFITS
Many years ago, I missed the boat by not getting admitted at an institution that offered computer technology. I applied multiple times from in my late teens to mid twenties. This was in the glorious mid-eighties to mid 1990’s. However, when Bill Gates introduced Windows 1995, it gave me a chance to get back into my dream, well, somewhat! I went to classes that were held by a computer technology teacher, and was able to use what I had learned into university later in life.
However, it was not until I purchased my own computer in 2000 when i felt like I have truly reached somewhere. It might not have been where I really wanted to be professionally, I was a primary school teacher by then, but what I found was that I became the geek at the school where I worked. I could assemble, replace, add computer parts. I was able to utilize graphic programmes to make cards, and designs. But most of all, I was able to prepare letterheads, test items, time tables, etc. That I found was exciting!
Now that I have reached half of a century, I am still in the game! Not only that I can do the above named things, but I am actually ahead of my juniors, both in staff and students. I find myself being able to utilize little tricks to insert media from various platform whether it be music or graphics into word document and to integrate many of the stuff into the classroom. Social media, has it’s good and bad, but I focus on the positives.
I get a kick out of it when my students see that I am more versed with short cut prompts and social media inclusions. I even get down with the the text language, but the greatest thing for me is to see when students acquire something new and I in turn acquire knowledge from them. The willingness that they show me, because a teacher actually asks them for help in understanding a new “gig.” Also, my students feel good when they see that I show them respect after receiving the information and re-use it in their learning. I guess it boils down to critical thinking, reasoning and not being afraid to try something new. If I do not know, I ask, I search and I research and apply what I have learned to make the learning environment productive.
According to Green & Henriquez-Green, 2005, the basic moves of teaching are (a) having the classroom in a healthy, productive learning environment; (b) having the knowledge and the skill to set up an environment which includes being asked meaningful questions; and (c) knowing how to use assessment to ensure that learning has taken place.
So, no regrets for me, longer road to get there, I am happy with what I have acquired, but most of all, what I have given to my students is even better.
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
A Teen's Last Words to His Mother: Its Time to Go!
“I am a teacher and the mother of the young teen [Ruddy R], who hung himself on January 8, 2016. He was 15 years old, handsome, intelligent and talented. He was my first-born and although various interventions were put in place to prevent this outcome, he hung himself in a guinep tree,” Ms. Hawthorne told Loop News.
(Hawthorne — who appears to still be in deep mourning — asked that Loop News use the alias Ruddy R for her son in this story although she gave permission for his image to be used.)
He was a grade 10 student at a prominent high school, was exposed to the usual high school ups and downs.
“However, when I realized how deep in depression he was, I began to listen to what he had to say. One day, he firmly told me that there was no hope for him and so when he is gone, I am to remember what he went through upon entering high school and help others like him who are ‘stronger’ to make it through school. My son pointed out to me the stages that he went through until the point of his death:
“Stage one: Telling the story of a boy being teased to insanity by both classmates and several teachers. Speaking about a classmate who was teased or heckled is sometimes a cover up of his own encounters about what happened in school.
“Stage two: Complaining about everything and being angry and becoming angry at siblings and or family members. Not being patient, snappish in response and walk out of simple discussions at home or church. Some persons resort to stealing, self-mutilation (cutting), bullying and gang association.
“Stage three: Smiles are gone. Sometimes, silent tears fall from the eyes (sad eyes). The child sits in isolation and removed himself from his friends both from school and church. At times he played games, and locked himself away from the world and did not want to get out. When questions were asked, they were about death. Sometimes the child felt lost, expresses feeling of not belonging anywhere.
“Stage four: The stage of acceptance. Sometimes, the person sends the final signal that he is planning on leaving this unfair world behind. Sometimes drawings, death or dark drawings are seen. There are the online games that are linked to deep conquest. Then posts are made on posts that highlight the deepest darkest thoughts. The child expresses that there is no hope and wants to leave the torment behind. When gifts are given to the child, they are meaningless. This is a clear sign.
“Stage five: The act. This time the individual decides on the day of death. If he knows that he is being watched, he will be selective on the day in which he does this last act of finding peace. The act may take a few days after the decision, a week, a month or many months.”
It was three months from when he informed his mother of his depression that he committed suicide.
“He asked me to listen to what he had to say. He gave me his gratitude in being a good teacher, mom and a listener. He thanked me for trying but it was time for him to go. He said there was no stopping him; it was just a matter of time,” said the 48-year-old teacher.
She said she begged him to hold on, which he did, and although various methods of interventions were pursued, he made his choice to die.
“I have been called names, so were the rest of my family. We have been discussed, abused both spiritually and emotionally but only the ones who knew the journey understood the struggles,” she added.
Her hope is to bring a dimension to the growing problem of depression in Jamaica and especially to teachers.
She added: “My child showed signs of depression and was misread by the highest authority in Jamaica. I hope this will help teachers whose children experience prolonged depression to seek or provide methods of intervention for them. I miss my son very deeply. I still hear his last, ‘Goodbye!’’’
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