'Taming the chaos' by Michael Wagstaff at IWBNet 9th ITL Conference 2012
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Taming the chaos - how to help your students bring (some) order to their digital learning The aim of the session is to develop technology skills that will help students (and teachers) bring order to their learning (and teaching). It is all too often assumed that the students are 'the experts' with technology, and while this may be the case in some areas, unfortunately, their ability to organise their technology-based learning is often chaotic. This, in turn, impedes their potential to learn. Moreover, as the rate of change continues to quicken, the life-skill of organising one's digital learning resources will become ever more important. The session will provide strategies, tips and resources which can be taken directly to the classroom (and the staffroom) in order to have an immediate impact; however, recommendations for useful, school-wide policy initiatives will also be made. This session focuses on pedagogy and implementation/leadership. It is applicable to any level of schooling and all levels of expertise.
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'Taming the chaos' by Michael Wagstaff at IWBNet 9th ITL Conference 2012
- 1. Taming the Chaos Michael Wagstaff Mike_wagstaff@yahoo.com
- 4. Why am I here today? Why is it worth your while to stay and listen?
- 5. Disclosure……. 1. I am not, by nature, an organised person 2. 3rd career teacher 3. No commercial interest in Microsoft; Windows 1-to-1 laptop school and Apple home 4. Visual learner
- 6. How do students traditionally organise their learning resources?..... …‘Organised for learning’ (before the digital age)
- 10. …but of course teachers are much more ‘organised for learning’…. aren’t they?
- 14. "the greatest invention since……."
- 16. ‘Organised for learning’ in the digital environment?
- 22. How does the learner make sense of these inputs?
- 23. Where is the ‘digital ring-binder?’
- 24. Digital natives yes….. Multi-tasking capable yes…. ….but how well can they manage the torrent of learning inputs?...
- 26. The real story?
- 27. Scope: 1. 21st Century skills 2. Defining a tool to help ‘organisation for learning’ 3. Consideration of options 4. A working solution? 5. Policy and implementation 6. The future?...
- 29. Being organised is not for everyone
- 30. What skills are we developing in our students to help them be more ‘organised for learning’?
- 31. In the past……
- 33. How do we ‘tame the chaos’?
- 34. Do we explicitly teach the skills to be properly ‘organised for learning’?
- 36. How does the learner…. 1. make sense of disparate inputs and create meaning? 2. gather disparate digital inputs in order to synthesise? 3. store and reference? 4. develop this skill?
- 37. How well prepared are we for increasingly complex learning environment? 1. Students - explicit skill sets for organising digital learning? 2. Educators – practice and model skills for organising digital learning?
- 39. Defining a tool to help ‘organisation for learning’
- 42. Functional requirements….. 1. Safety 2. Passenger carrying capacity (7) 3. Fuel economy 4. CO2 emissions
- 43. Functional requirements of a tool to support ‘organisation for learning’….. • Grab the input and its • Access: source • offline • Synthesise inputs within • in network tool environment • Create content flexibly • in cloud • Collaborative capability • Search and • Access thro multiple manipulate inputs devices • Reliable storage and • Access thro multiple OS management
- 44. Functional requirements of a learning organisation tool….. Grab the input and its source Synthesise inputs within tool Create content flexibly Collaborative capability Access thro multiple devices Access thro multiple OS Access: offline in network environment in cloud Search and manipulate inputs Reliable storage and management
- 45. What tools exist to help the learner become more ‘organised for learning’?
- 46. The ability of software to manage and extract intelligence from our ever-growing data sinks will become a major competitive advantage in the digital world of 2025 – and essential to save us from drowning in our own tsunami of undigested, undigestible data. (EIF 2025 p.16)
- 47. Is there a perfect solution?
- 48. • Grab the input and its source • Synthesise inputs within tool • Create content flexibly • Collaborative capability • Access thro multiple devices • Access thro multiple OS • Access: • offline • in network environment • in cloud • Search and manipulate inputs • Reliable storage and management
- 49. Suggested ‘organisation for learning tool functional requirements’ vs types of application Remembering>>>> Applying >>>> Synthesising >>>>>>> Creating >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Understanding>>>> Analysing>>> Evaluating >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Grab Synth- esise Flexibly Create Colla- borate Offline Net- work Cloud Store Search
- 50. Functional requirements of a learning organisation tool….. Grab the input and its source Synthesise inputs within tool Create content flexibly Collaborative capability Access thro multiple devices Access thro multiple OS Access: offline in network environment in cloud Search and manipulate inputs Reliable storage and management
- 51. A solution in ……
- 52. Introduction to MS OneNote
- 54. Over to OneNote
- 57. Policy and implementation…… • OneNote roll out • UNIS model • SCC model
- 58. OneNote roll out UNIS model 1. 5 year plan 2. One-to-one (standard) Windows tablet K-12 3. First year: teachers only a. Extensive, systematic PD b. PD goals linked to performance appraisal c. Lesson delivery familiarised students 4. Second year: student roll out a. Grades 8-10 b. Week 1 - two days ICT training for students 5. Third year………………..
- 59. OneNote roll out SCC model 1. Limited operational-strategic planning 2. One-to-one Windows laptop Y9-Y12 (different laptops) 3. First year: a. Teacher laptop one term before student i. Limited PD ii. No incentive b. Y9-Y10; 1 hour training 4. Second and third years a. Y9-Y12; <1hr training b. Limited PD
- 60. The future? • Hardware and software……
- 61. Hardware and software………. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jZkHpNnXLB0
- 62. The future? • Hardware…… • Increased connectivity…… • Are our students prepared? • Are educators prepared?
Editor's Notes
- Because I’m passionate about something and I want to share it!I use something everyday that I passionately believe helps student learn in a digital environmentI use something everyday that’s a pleasure to use and makes my job much easierI think it’s worth your while being here because it’s a relatively easy change to implement that can make a significant impact on both teaching and learning!
- I am not, by nature, an organised person; so, I find it rather ironic that I am here today presenting about the concept of organisation3rd career teacher; Army 20 years –business 2 years - teacher 6 years; brings a different perspective. Currently teach business and management, and lead ICT implementation at St Clare’s College ACT, prior to this I did the same thing for four years at the UN International School in Hanoi VietnamNo commercial interest in Microsoft; Windows 1-to-1 laptop school and Apple homeVisual learner – which I believe strongly influences the way I use ICT as a learner
- Today I am going to speak about what I call being ‘organised for learning’ in the digital ageBut before I start we should ask ourselves how did students traditionally organise their learning resourcesOr, how were they ‘organised for learning’ before the digital age…………
- this is the relatively simple, non-digital world; student has one source (the text) and teacher has several more
- More and more
- So how was the learner and the teacher able to bring some order to their learning resources and thus the learning process?.....................
- "the greatest invention since…….!!!“although not the panacea, it was a technology solution that, whilst not perfect, was a solution nevertheless. A technology solution which when coupled with another technological innovation and used in a methodical and systematic manner was for decades able to bring some degree of order to the paper chaos………What were these technological break throughs?.......
- Where is the ring binder and hole punch for the information age?
- Now think about the digital world and the number and variety of sources the student and the teacher have access toHow does the learner fare here?Does it feel like this? (CLICK) .................
- A digital environment where the learner is inundated with information (CLICK) A digital environment where the learner may overwhelmed by a tsunami of different sources (CLICK) A digital environment where this information is delivered to the learner through multiple devices (CLICK)
- A digital environment where the breadth and depth and value of these wonderful, wonderful learning resources grows seemingly exponentially
- Are our students relaxed ‘masters of their learning domain’?...............To digress slightly with an analogy, I’d like to bring in a term from my former lives in the military and businessThe term is ‘situational awareness’. (CLICK)
- In the cockpit of an aircraft, the crew must attempt to achieve this ‘situational awareness’ in order to avoid what’s called getting behind the aircraft – lest you do embarrassing things like fly into the ground; in business the same term is also used in the context of steering a business in response to the environment in order to survive and stay ahead of the competitionTo achieve ‘situational awareness’ the aircraft crew (or business owner) must maximise the information input in order to inform decision making BUT must ensure that these inputs are processed such that they can be understood (or they are organised in such a way that they become meaningful), synthesised, analysed and evaluatedIf this processing doesn’t happen then SA is not achieved and the pilot becomes overloaded with worrying ramificationsAlso analogous to driving a car
- Liken to driving a car on a rainy morning, with a steamed up windscreen (CLICK) you're talking on the hands free phone (CLICK) Trying to navigate(CLICK) whilst all 3 kids asking you a question, (CLICK) AND there's a really interesting story on the radio you'd really like to listen to and use in your lesson today………….Sensory overload
- Drawing the analogy back to the learner in the digital environment, How does the learner make sense of these inputs? (CLICK) Is the digital learner at risk of becoming overloaded?
- What are the options for the digital ring-binder?
- Do we assume the best or assume too much of our digital natives?….they may know how to do many things we do not, they may use technology intuitively, their brains may be able to multi-task better But are our students relaxed ‘masters of their learning domain’?...............
- Or is reality a little more like this……….."They're still children". They still need help to develop important, basic skills some of which I believe may be slipping through the cracks…..How do we prepare our students to be better ‘organised for learning’ in the 21st Century? (and btw do the same thing for teachers too!)
- Before we consider 21st century skills and how ‘organisation for learning’ fits with these skillsWould like to offer a disclaimer
- Being organised may not be for everyone – we are all different CLICKMy ideas/solution or any suggested solution will of course not work for everyone all of the time! CLICKMy experience is that some students (and teachers, soldiers, my offspring) will, for whatever reason, resist all reasonable and well intentioned attempts and offers to make their lives easier through some simple organisational habits but as we all know there are always some who would seemingly rather run around like headless chooks CLICKBut as per my opening declaration, I am evidence of the ability to change (but not suggesting 20 years in the Army)
- What skills are we developing in our students to cope with, let alone manage, this potential chaos?
- In the past we used to use whiteboards, bits of paper, butcher's paper, ring binders, spread our ‘inputs’ out across the table-floor-bed whereverbut now what?Let’s consider one well known description of these 21st century skills from Learning to Change – Changing to Learn ………..
- OK to list these critical 21st Century skills but the devil is in the detail: how do you actually 'synthesise‘ when constantly bombarded by these inputs? As I said, in the past we used to use whiteboards, bits of paper, butcher's paper etc but now what? Yes we can open multiple windows on multiple screens in order to achieve that bird's eye view but then how do keep all these inputs together? How do we 'tame the chaos' just long enough to actually synthesise? Whether it’s ‘now’ or tomorrow or next month?Can we actually ‘synthesise’ effectively if we are ‘overloaded’ much like the pilot or driver analogy?
- My contention is that we may do a poor job of preparing students to organise and manage this torrent of all pervasive information.
- Let’s consider the learning domains of Bloom's Taxonomy: remembering-understanding-applying-analysing-evaluating-creating.
- Amidst the torrential flow of information, how does the learner organise these inputs and their thinking at these various stages or various domains? (CLICK) firstly to help make sense of these inputs and create meaning individually or in groups, (CLICK) Second, the ability to gather or harness the disparate digital to store or keep these disparate sources and ideas, and (CLICK) lastly and perhaps most importantly, in our role as educators, help the learner to develop this increasingly critical skill (especially, as the volume of information and complexity of inputs continues to multiply)
- I have suggested that we are not prepared nowHow well prepared are we for an increasingly complex future?Students - explicit skill sets for organising digital learning?Educators – practice and model skills for organising digital learning?And as a corollary to this it should go without saying that should be an even more important skill for the teacher to develop and model for their students - not least of which is because I believe and prove on a daily basis, it can significantly reduce our work load in/on the 'mundane' thus freeing up time to add the 'quality' we all want to
- So, at this point I wonder is there something missing?And if so, should the list of 21st century skills include being ‘organised for learning’…..and,what tools are available to help educators help students to develop these skills? I believe I have a solution. I have used this solution for at least six years and over this time, I’ve tried most things but keep coming back to this tool; however, before I outline a number of options and then talk about my 'solution' I will try to be more precise in defining what it is that we want this tool to be able to do……………….
- Next part of the presentationWhat 'functionality' do I want from a tool?Anyonefamiliar with the Systems Engineering process will understand the concept of defining the required functionality of something as a starting point.This avoids, or in theory avoids, the emotional pull to a 'shiny new thing' and/or the marketing spin to buy the shiny thingMilitary capability experience……...
- Functionally defining the requirements of a system should avoid…….
- Eg buying a new car should first functionally define the requirements:SafetyPassenger carrying capacity (7)Fuel economyCO2 emissionsNB no mention of price, quality or reputation at this pointThen options are evaluated on the basis of their ability to fulfill the functional requirements - then, after this, other factors are added.
- So, I would define the functional requirements of a tool to support organisation for learning as follows:And while I’m describing these functional requirements, perhaps you could think about how well some of the tools with which you’re familiar measure up?Immediate - snapshot or grab the 'input' and its 'source' Synthesise inputs within tool (not in different windows or apps)Create content flexiblyCollaborative capabilityAccess thro multiple devicesAccess thro multiple OSAccess:on device (offline)in network environmentin cloudLong-term search and manipulate inputs Reliable data (multiple) storage/management - immediate to long term
- Summarise: I want a tool that provides a 'learner's pallet' where I can capture, keep and search my inputs, palette, canvas, paint and brushI can mix and blend individually and collaboratively, any time and anywhere………………..
- What options are available to better prepare students to improve the organisation of their learning (and educators)?
- Undoubtedly, we all use many different and disparate digital tools to facilitate learning. Whether in our individual context, perhaps integral to our Personal Learning Networks or in a teaching and learning context, perhaps through an LMS, there is a vast and growing choice of tools. Some might say bewildering choice……And we live in a world where the need to be ‘organised for learning’ will continue to grow
- My aim is to consider a variety of tools from a functional perspective and consider how well they perform as a tool to aid being organised for learning.I do not intend to consider, at this point, any of the following tools in any great depth. Is there a perfect solution?......
- The next slide looksat a table which combines my functional specification of a potential tool with Bloom’s Taxonomy And then considers how well a number of existing software tools or type of applications measure up against these functional specificationsIn effect, the table suggests an evaluation of various tools against key areas of the desired functionality. It's by no means perfect.
- Again, the table is not perfect but it helps me (as a visual learner) to conceptualise the ideaI have also suggested that the tools can, some degree, be plotted on a continuum based upon Bloom's Taxonomy. I don’t intend to discuss in great depth but to emphasise a few key pointsBloom’s taxonomy across the top in parallel to the equivalent capabilities of the chosen applications (not exact)Icons of a range of applications – some of which are representative of a type or category of similar applications egTweetdeck for social media dashboards and moodle for LMSOn the left column are the functional requirements of a learning organisation toolGreen ticks, red crosses are self-explanatory and amber discs represent some restricted level of functionalityTo look at a few examples:Social media: Twitter - Love it. Essential part of my PLN. Wish my school would unblock so that I can use with students. But significant shortcomings especially in ability to synthesise inputsMindmapping software – visual learner, I love these. Still use regularly. But they’re cumbersome and not designed to be a management toolLMS – should be the answer but my experience (again this is my personal opinion) is that they are generally quite rigid, clunky and impersonal. Yes they have in theory, enormous utility and I can create content in many ways but I generally find they’re not something I want to ‘carry around’ with me.So, clearly, my bias is shining through with the last tool, which is of course MS OneNoteI would be very keen indeed to open the discussion on alternatives at the end of my presentation - so if you think I have under-sold a tool or if you use a different tool, then please, please let's discuss at the end.
- I am returning to this image to emphasise that, in my experience, OneNote is the most flexible and personal application. The most effective application to gather and synthesise the disparate learning inputs in an intuitive and simple way. CLICK
- Brief introduction to OneNoteThen look at how my students and I use OneNote as a tool to improve ‘organisation for learning’
- In this section I would like to contrast the two experiences I have had of setting ICT policy and its implementation, focusing on the use of OneNote
- Read through roll-out pointsConclusion: successful implementation (of course not perfect) but nevertheless a process where a serious investment in time for PD staff and students (rather than just hardware/software) paid dividends and moreover, when this was coupled with explicit, performance appraisal linked ICT goals, demonstrated a real belief and commitment from the executiveAs a consequence, OneNote became embedded as an integral, everyday element of the teaching and learning processAs an aside, I was delighted at the beginning of this year to have a student in my Y11 class who had just come from 2 years at UNIS Hanoi and to be told that the use of OneNote continues to go from strength to strength
- In contrast…………..Read through pointsConclusion: whilst a policy has been set and implemented for the staff and student wide use of OneNote, the process has been somewhat ad hoc and certainly couldn’t be described as systematic. As a result, the success of this implementation has been, to date, patchy. Whilst all students have set up notebooks, the level to which they use them varies enormously, ranging from hardly ever to extensively, is based almost entirely upon which their teachers this is because……Unfortunately, the lack of investment in time (i.e. PD) in the initial roll-out, the lack incentives for staff to make changes and a general lack of passion for ICT from the executive has resulted in a climate where the majority of staff ‘have not bought in to the change’