Exploring Learning

According to Kaminski and Bolliger (2012) a lack of technology skills remains one of the main concerns of employers around the world. If the global workforce is increasingly dependent on technology (Adams, 2002; Karkouti, 2016) and the point of education is to ready the next generation for employment, schools must consider the impact that digital competencies will have on their level of readiness for the world of work in a global society. Education has always made this provision in terms of a basic level of literacy necessary for communication. However, if we consider literacy as not only the ability to read and write but also to have education and knowledge enough to operate successfully, then we need to rethink what literacy means in today’s digital world. With particular reference to Qatar's Educational System in the Technology-Driven Era: Long Story Short (Karkouti, 2016) and What Motivates and Engages Students in the Education Process - An Examination of Qatari Students...

I had a fantastic two lessons with both my Grade 7s today; we were all excited and the light bulb moments popped everywhere! We are currently studying the novel Skellig (Almond, 2000) and I have written before about using drama to bring to life their understanding of the opening and setting of the novel ; now we have moved on to looking at understanding the allusions and symbols used, and how a deep knowledge heightens our appreciation of literature. We learned about symbols and symbolism in the first unit of the year, and this unit builds upon that knowledge and moves into an understanding also of allusions. We explored the terms and then I assigned ten topics for research to either individual learners or pairs. I created a blank presentation using a Carnival Slides template on Google Slides and then created a copy for each class. All information from each learner's research will be contained in the one presentation for that particular class. To model the task require...

In the latest module of my Masters in Education and Instructional Technology, we studied "Administration of Technology Initiatives: Planning, Budgeting, and Evaluation". This involved us exploring how to research and write for grants, as well as design and plan at both classroom and school initiative level. As many schools are implementing technology into their curriculum, it is important that a thorough investigation take place in order to determine the true learning needs of the community. Below is an example of a hypothetical report; it demonstrates both the layout and the level of detail required to ascertain the needs of a particular classroom. The structure of the needs analysis includes a classroom description and a statement of academic need, which is crucial in being able to hone a helpful vision statement that supports tightly focused goals, objectives, and professional development requirements. Budgets for both training and equipment are outlined, along with a r...