E-learning in EnglishWhy is e-learning important?

Ideas and strategies

Claire AmosEnglish Facilitatorc.amos@auckland.ac.nz

Part One

• What is e-learning?

• Why is e-learning important for our students?

What is e-learning?

The Ministry of Education defines e-Learning as learning that is enabled or supported with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT).

Source: www.minedu.govt.nz

Why is e-learning important?

Information and communication technology (ICT) has a major impact on the world in which young people live. Similarly, e-learning has considerable potential to support effective teaching approaches. Source: New Zealand Curriculum

Why is e-learning important?

E-learning can assist the making of connections by enabling students to enter and explore new learning environments, overcoming barriers of distance and timeSource: New Zealand Curriculum

Why is e-learning important?

E-learning can facilitate shared learning by enabling students to join or create communities of learners that extend well beyond the classroomSource: New Zealand Curriculum

Why is e-learning important?

E-learning can assist in the creation of supportive learning environments by offering resources that take account of individual, cultural, or developmental differencesSource: New Zealand Curriculum

Why is e-learning important?

E-learning can enhance opportunities to learn by offering students virtual experiences and tools that save them time, allowing them to take their learning further.Source: New Zealand Curriculum

Preparing our students for their future!

Shakespeare had 24,000 words to work with

Eminem has over 1,000,000 words

1,000 words are added every month

The average student will have 10-14 careers

15,000 songs = 100 grams

They live in a world of instant information

They live in a world of instant communication

They live in a world of instant entertainment

They live in a world of collaboration

They live in a world of social networking

They live in a multimedia world

Does this sound like this classroom?

Or this classroom

Are we preparing them for this?

Or this?

Their world has changed.

Their world demands new skills

Are we teaching them?

Source: Adapted from

‘Education Today and Tomorrow’

by Tom Woodward

Benefits of e-learning

Benefits to school learners with access to e-Learning include:

• Motivation and engagement

• Independence and personalised learning

• Critical thinking and multiliteracies

• Access to information, resources and experts

Source: ‘e-Learning and New Zealand schools: a literature review’ by Dr Noelene Wright

- Hebrew Proverb

Do not confine your children to your own

learning for they were born in another time.

Part Two

• Some simple software and strategies for introducing e-learning

Wikis (or intranet class pages)

A wiki is simply an easy to edit website. A wiki can be used to create an online community for your class. Things you could provide for your students include:

Links to resources and websites e.g. NZQA, studyit etc

Upload handouts, assignments, support of extension material

Embed videos, podcasts, slideshows

Discussion forums

Virtual knowledge walls

Wikis (or intranet class pages)

Blogs

A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Possible uses: practice (or summative) essays or learning journal

Blogs

Blogs

Blog benefits

Students who chose to write their essays as blogs were:

• More likely to meet deadlines

• More likely to act upon feedback/next steps

• More likely to read each other’s work

Blogs – student voice

Other positive feedback from the students:

Liked that they often got quick feedback

Liked that they built up an “online portfolio” of writing

Liked that they could use spell check and easily fix errors

Liked the sense of a public presence and that they had an audience

Google Docs

Create and share your work online with Google Docs

• Upload your files from your desktop: It's easy to get started and it's free!

• Access anywhere: Edit and view your docs from any computer or smart phone.

• Share your work: Real-time collaboration means work gets done more quickly.

Google Docs

Google Forms

Online forms, quizzes, surveys that can be created and embedded or emailed. Responses are recorded directly on a spreadsheet.

How you could use Google forms:

• Gather information about students

• Gather feedback

• Gather student voice

• Other ideas?

Google Forms

Using the technology in their pockets

• Most students have a camera, video camera and voice recorder in their pocket – are you making use of it?

• You can also use bluetooth to transfer files to your teacher or students' mobiles - imagine the possibilities!

• What are the other potential uses?

Digistore

• Digistore is a storehouse of digital content to support learning across the curriculum, from early childhood through to senior secondary.

• http://digistore.tki.org.nz

• An exciting new feature of Digistore 2.0 is the ability to create Learning Paths, a collection or sequence of learning content interwoven with teacher comments and descriptions that can be created for a particular audience eg: Students, Teachers, parents or as a personal collection.

Digistore

Software for Learning

• The Software for Learning website informs and supports teachers to select and integrate software as part of a rich learning environment.

• Software for Learning lists quality software recommended by New Zealand teachers for use in schools and early childhood programmes. Software includes social software, freeware and non-freeware.

• http://softwareforlearning.tki.org.nz/

Software for Learning

Facebook

• You can use Facebook safely with students. You need to ensure everyone has set privacy settings, and create a “group” rather than making students a “friend” students

• Facebook in Education Page:To serve as an ongoing resource for information about how educators can best use Facebook

• Possible uses: post resources, useful links, great for discussion and online support.

Facebook in Education

Twitter as a PLN

Delicious

• Delicious (formerly del.icio.us, pronounced "delicious") is a social bookmarking web service for storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks

Delicious

Voicethread

• A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.

Voicethread

Wordle

• Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes.

Wordle

Wallwisher

• Wallwisher is an online notice board maker. Discussing a new idea? Taking notes? Giving feedback? Voicing opinion?

Wallwisher

AnswerGarden

• AnswerGarden is a new minimalistic feedback tool. Use it as a tool for online brainstorming or embed it on your website or blog

AnswerGarden

Feeling overwhelmed?

Don’t be!

Simply pick one or two ideas and start there – take your time,

trial it with your students and enjoy!