5.8 Media tools for knowledge sharing

“All of our students have a mobile phone and if they could learn to not only reflect (as we all do) but make notes of their reflection, we would see a change in educational ownership. Students moving from ‘being taught’ to ‘constructing my knowledge’ – Gabcast is the tool to do it.”  Andrew Middleton, Staff developer, Sheffield Hallam University, UK

examples of media tools include
Blogging
podcasting
collaborative mindmapping like mindmeister
microbloggng like twitter
presentation sharing like prezi
video sharing  like youtube
social bookmarking like the diigo, delicious among others.
 as found on the link below
http://c4lpt.co.uk/learning-resources/social-learning-handbook/100-examples-of-use-of-social-media-for-learning/

5.7 LET THE GAMES BEGIN IN MY CLASS

"Game-based learning is a type of game play that has defined learning outcomes. Generally, game-based learning is designed to balance subject matter with game play and the ability of the player to retain and apply said subject matter to the real world.
Also Digital game-based learning (DGBL) can be  an instructional method that incorporates educational content or learning principles into video games with the goal of engaging learners. Applications of digital game-based learning draw upon the constructivist theory of education.


I have learnt that games can be tabletop or traditional, digital or can be mobile games
 For game based learning to be successful, it is driven by some parameters like Innovation, proper communication channels, time and good social systems.








To progress in a game is to learn; when we are actively engaged with a game, our minds are experiencing the pleasure of grappling with (and coming to understand) a new system. When education or training feels dull, we are not being engaged and motivated. In other words, we’re not really learning. “Learning” doesn’t mean rote memorization—it means acquiring the skills and thought processes needed to respond appropriately under pressure, in a variety of situations.

We don’t need more time in the classroom to learn how to think and perform in the face of real-world challenges. We need effective, interactive experiences that motivate and actively engage us in the learning process. This is where game-based learning comes in. As it turns out, for many years, videogame designers have been producing and refining highly motivating learning environments for their players to enjoy.
I have learn that   Students’ motivation determines, directs and sustains what they do to learn. The digital generation that makes up a large part of today’s workforce is notoriously unmoved by traditional, lecture and tutorial-based training approaches. On the other hand, they are very comfortable with videogames and game-based learning. According to game-based learning experts, learners tend to be highly motivated by in-game feedback such as scores and evaluations.

 Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning. As discussed, traditional training cannot provide a constant, individualized and highly motivating level of feedback. In addition, traditional classroom and tutorial-type training methods do not give learners the opportunity to repeatedly practice thought processes and skills in a realistic environment. An effective game for loading dock workers establishes motivational goals relevant to actual loading dock work.

According to Patricia Deubel, digital game-based learning has the potential to engage and motivate students and offer custom learning experiences while promoting long-term memory and providing practical experience.⁶ Deubel suggests that in order for teachers to effectively use game-based learning in the classroom, they must first find non-violent games that facilitate planning and problem-solving and relate to the curriculum. Deubel recommends role-playing, simulation, and adventure games because they often appeal to the development of more than just one skill. Deubel also notes the function of game-based learning in the development of vocabulary skills and the enhancement of mental quickness.

I have learnt that for special needs education, game based learning is paramount because it brings out the psychomotor skills active.

The learners solve a problem or make a complex decision as a result of the game activities.
The learners feel challenged and engaged by the challenge (not impossible to achieve).
Learners network with each other during the game.
The game is a novel learning experience.
Learners are asked to produce an original and/or creative response. Knowledge building takes place rather than just memory use or hand-eye coordination.
Learners engage in role play or imaginary role play.
The whole activity is fun.

i have also learnt that Game-Based Learning demands a "need to know" the content. In order to complete quests and boss levels, students will need to learn content and skills to do them. Instead of pre-teaching, the instructor teaches the material or facilitates the learning of material as students are engaged in the quests. The overall theme and mission is presented to the students, along with the quests and boss levels in order to create engagement to accomplish. During the boss level, revision or addition skills may also need to be taught, but again, there is a need to learn those skills and content.

achievments 
i can now make a game based learning lesson.
i can curate content regarding game based , learning.
posted by Niwamanya Gilbert

5.6 COMMUNICATION THROUGH SOCIAL LEARNING

Conte and Paolucci (2001) define social learning as a process of learning caused or favored by people being situated in a common environment and observing one another. This allows the learners to not only perceive each other for comparison and self-evaluation, but also see others as a neutral source of information, which may help or speed several forms of instrumental learning.

Within a social learning episode the learners update their own knowledge base (adding to, or removing from it a given information, or modifying an existing representation) by perceiving the positive or negative effects of any given event undergone or actively produced by another person on a state of the world in which the learner has as a goal (Conte, Paolucci, 2001).

Social learning can be done on media such tools as blogs, microblogs (e.g., Twitter & Yammer), file sharing (e.g., Flickr & SlideShare), Virtual Meeting Places, (e.g., Adobe Connect & Elluminate), social sites (e.g. Facebook & MySpace) and wikis.

So as a facilitator i have learnt to use social media tools to:

• Provide a means of social learning when the learners are spaced apart. This learning is important for:
  • Solving small everyday problem before they get big (distributed problem solving).
  • Creating an environment that supports creativity.
  • Forming ad hoc workgroups as needed to address business challenges.
  • Building a work environment that is flexible.
• Guide them to create their own collaborative knowledge bases, rather than relying on others to do it for them.
• Increase the feeling of being a team when the learners are separated by distance by:
  • increasing participation
  • helping to represent the corporate brand
  • developing community
• Help motivate them as this is a primary requirement for learning.

5.5. Sharing the trends of Real world collaboration in Ugandan institutes

Collaboration  may be defined as "working together on a common goal for mutual benefit"

The effectiveness of collaborative learning in the classroom has as much to do with the teacher as it does with the students in the groups. There is an ongoing discussion surrounding the effectiveness of group work in the classroom and its effects on student learning. Some teachers praise collaborative efforts, while others have a strong disdain for group work. There is considerable research on both sides of the issue that has produced results for and against collaboration in the classroom, stoking the fires of debate surrounding the merits of such teaching practices. There are always numerous variables at play in the classroom that influence an outcome or opinion of either the merits or disadvantages of utilizing group work. In one particular classroom, collaborative learning clearly results in an additional stimulus that enhances learning by straying from the traditional teacher and student interaction. In yet another classroom, collaboration could have a negligible or even negative effect on learning. How best to get students to learn in the classroom is truly a wicked problem, in that addressing one classroom variable changes several others, and because of it, collaborative learning and its synergistic effects do not always work. (Rittel and Webber, 1973) 

I have learnt that my learners need to work together do develop projects and present their findings in groups.

Teachers must assume the leadership role of group work in the classroom and ensure that the purpose and process of collaboration are clearly defined. Most literature on the subject supports the idea that the teacher should design the student groups, as students may not have learning and effective team building at the heart of their group membership decisions. For many students, collaboration is simply a collection of individuals discussing a topic as they complete their work, or perhaps a dominant member that does all the work as the rest of the group practices social loafing. (University of North Texas, 2008)

COLLABORATION on line  is challenged oftenly by lack of ICT devices in villages where the learners emerge.

I have found that some collaborative tools can be used too while in class and outside class  Such as evernote,VoiceThread,Wevideo,scrible among others.

Posted by Niwamanya Gilbert

5.4 BUILDING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE BUILDING

 A learning activity is any task that students do as part of their school-related work. It can be an exercise that students complete in one class period, or an extended project that takes place both in and outside of school.

Students have shared responsibility for their work, and the learning activity is designed in a way that requires students to make substantive decisions together. These features help students learn the important collaboration skills of negotiation, conflict resolution, agreement on what must be done, distribution of tasks, listening to the ideas of others, and integration of ideas into a coherent whole. The strongest learning activities are designed so that student work is interdependent, requiring all students to contribute in order for the team to succeed. This trend makes it more innovative and enjoyable learning.

Many school activities require students to learn and reproduce information they are given. Certainly it is essential for students to master the important content of a domain. But memorization alone does not give students the critical thinking and reasoning skills that they will need for success in higher academics and in knowledge-based organizations. With information so readily available through the Internet and other sources, employees must be able to integrate and evaluate information in order to use it productively in their work. Increasingly, most living-wage jobs also demand higher levels of expertise than in the past, and the ability to apply knowledge to new situations and new problems. 

Am happy that here this topic looks at students’ opportunities to build deep knowledge that they can transfer and apply in practice. Knowledge construction activities require students to generate ideas and understandings that are new to them. Students can do this through interpretation, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. In stronger activities, knowledge construction is the main requirement of the learning activity. The strongest activities require students to apply the knowledge they constructed in a different context, helping them to deepen their understanding further, and to connect information and ideas from two or more academic disciplines (for example, integrating learning from both science and literature). 

Am able to understand that Knowledge construction happens when students do more than reproduce what they have learned: they go beyond knowledge reproduction to generate ideas and understandings that are new to them. The skills of knowledge construction are often considered “critical thinking.” Activities that require knowledge construction ask students to interpret, analyse, synthesize, or evaluate information or ideas.

am able to reflect on the following ideas

 Interpretation means drawing inferences beyond the literal meaning. For example, students might read a description of a historical period and infer why people who lived then behaved the way they did. 

 Analysis means identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to each other. For example, students might investigate local environmental factors to determine which are most likely to affect migrating birds. 

 Synthesis means identifying the relationships between two or more ideas. For example, students might be required to compare and contrast perspectives from multiple sources. 

 Evaluation means judging the quality, credibility, or importance of data, ideas, or events. For example, students might read different accounts of an historical event and determine which ones they find most credible. 

I have learnt that ICT supports knowledge construction when: 

 Students use ICT directly for the knowledge-construction part of a learning activity. For example, students use a computer to analyze scientific information. 

 Students use ICT to indirectly support knowledge construction, by using ICT to complete one step of an activity, and then using information from that step in the knowledge-construction part of the activity. For example, students might search for terms related to current events on Twitter and then analyse people’s responses offline. The information they found on Twitter supported their analysis, so we say that ICT use supported knowledge construction.

posted by;

Niwamanya Gilbert

5.3 Terms of Engagement

let us share about engaged learning

the below figure illustrates the purpose of meaningful engaged learning, the relationship of the teachers, learners and the environment

the diagram below shows the roles of the learners 

I have learnt the strategies of engaged learning

Student Engagement: Are Your Students Listening?