THE HORIZON REPORT- Exciting times ahead!

There is one last thing that I'd like to add!

I read the Horizon Report.. IT WAS FASCINATING

It basically identifies the six emerging technologies that are making their way into education and in the next five years will have a huge impact.

Reading this you start to realise how much change is likely to occur in the next 10 years in education.

SO what does the report find will have a large impact-> This is a quick overview..

NEXT 12 MONTHS

Electronic books:

This trend has been strongly enabled by the explosion of tablet computing, which can augment text with interactive experiences, support classroom note-taking and research activities, and allow readers to interact socially.

Mobile devices:

2011 will bring new interfaces and new apps that leverage location-awareness. The mobile device of is a versatile tool that can be easily adapted to a host of tasks for learning, productivity, and social networking.

NEXT 1-3 YEARS

Augmented reality:

Application that allows information ‘layering’ on screens to computers, mobile devices, video, etc and will enhance learning.

Game-based learning:

Emerging games and simulation-based applications that are developed expressly to enhance the learning process.

NEXT 4-5 YEARSà

Gesture-based computing technologies:

Gestures allow the motions of the body to control computing devices.

Learning analytics:

Employs a combination of data-gathering tools and analytic techniques to study student engagement, performance, and progress in practice.

I'm undecided about ipads and electronic books replacing hardcover books. It one way it is logical; save having to print all these books, literature becomes easier to access and more affordable, libraries would have more space! But the downside, look at where music and videos have gone online, there is so much illegal downloading that publishers and authors will have issues; also like viewing a painting in a gallery, it's just not the same as reading a real hard cover book. I personally don't absorb information as well on screen as I do on paper. And what if the technology crashes, then what?And what about blue light? We need to let our eyes and brains rest from the harsh light of computer screens so what will dramatically increasing people's use do for people's health in the long run. There was research done that our brain takes approximately 2 hours to wind down from blue light visuals, so what is this doing for our students when they are studying before they go to sleep. This is something that will need to be considered before the complete transfer to technology is implemented.

The gesture based technology is quite fascinating; having such an interactive way for students to engage in content. But could it distract from the learning experience? It could, I guess it is something that teachers will need to be on top of, they will need to be trained to deal with the technology and how to manage the teaching with it.

Concluding, there are very exciting things happening with ICT and teaching in the near future and thrilled that I get to be a part of it.

David HOCKNEY iPad Art

This is definitely something that I will add into my teaching...

Painting with iPhones/ iPads.

David Hockney is one of the world's most famous and prolific artists and what's great is that even at the age of 71 he is adapting and incorporating new concepts into his practice.

He has not ignored the upcoming technology and just as our curriculum's shouldn't, he is flourishing in the new possibilities. Here he is with one of his iphone paintings..

Hockney's passion for iPad Art

Here's another great video to show the process Hockney takes

I would love to introduce this to students, even if it can not make it's way formally into the curriculum, it would be a beneficial process for them to be aware of.

I think I could most certainly write a six week unit on this. It's a drawing task which not only has VELS "Creating and Making" component possibilities, it also has strong implications for VELS "Exploring and Responding". For example, asking students to evaluate the potential strengths and weaknesses of technology based (2d) drawing compared to pencil and ink (3d) drawing. There is SO MUCH potential for this kind of thing!!

NGV ICT REPORT

NGV

I just finished researching a project based on ICT resources in the National Gallery of Victoria.

Basically they don't want to be left behind on that technology front so they're connecting with people like ME: young, teacher, ICT friendly to work with in finding how to enhance ICT use.

The aim was to find ways of using ICT and other activities to enhance and expand on gallery experience for students.

It was a seriously eye opening experience.

I spent weeks testing apps for iPhones and iPads, analysing the strengths and weaknesses and ranking them for suitability of use within the gallery space.

It was actually quite a fun experience because I got to play around with a number of art apps that allowed you to draw and edit photographs and paint, etc. I found the best ones were Brushes and Sketchbook Pro, and if working with photographs either Photoshop app or Photogene. This project actually opened up doors creatively for me that I may incorporate into future teaching. In terms of suitability for gallery activities these apps are comprehensive yet had quite a simple layout. They allow for endless creative possibilities and the best thing is that students can take away what they have done in the gallery by exporting to emails or facebook and so on.

AND THAT IS WHAT IS TO IMPORTANT!! I HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT...

- Students can learn a huge amount in a gallery setting and in many settings outside the classroom but the important thing is enabling them to take their findings and creations away from the gallery setting and beyond. I want to see that link between outside classroom learning connect with the curriculum and I believe that ICT can play a huge role in this.

An example of this is, say a student is at NGV and is asked as part of the activities to use an Art App on their Iphone or on an iPad provided, to appropriate a work and then send it off to their facebook or email address or a forum, etc. This is a simple way of extending students beyond the gallery.

Some other uses with these programs for students are:

· Select a number of artworks and merge sections into own depiction of a morphed artwork.

· Students select an artwork and depict it with their own alterations, considering particular elements, such as colour, line, texture, tone and shape.

· Select a number of artworks and merge sections into own depiction of a morphed artwork.

· Using a number of artworks, identify and select various uses of elements and principles and apply these to own interpretation.

· Photograph artwork and edit with tools such as hue altering to create an appropriation.

· Add text to artworks to alter meaning

· Merge photographs of different sections of various artworks

· Download an image of choice and merge it with a photograph the student has taken on their IT equipment to create new concept.

· Use the video programs to create short video clips or documentaries based on works and present to class.

THE BEST THING IS, THESE ACTIVITIES COULD BE APPLIED ANYWHERE, ON A FOOTBALL FIELD, IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM , ETC. EXCITING STUFF!!

I'm interested in bringing in these activities into the classroom. So when there are improvements in resources and funding I would love for my students to be able to work with these programs and take their creating home and back to school again on the small screen of an ipad. It's just a small way of learning but it could mean huge things for the curriculum. The big ISSUE is FUNDING. Although I've discovered that there is a new government initiative called "Ipads for Learning": basically students are getting Ipads for free and teachers are getting trained in how to assist students learning with them. It's a trial so it'll be interesting to see if it sticks. I doubt it will, only because so much of art goes beyond a small screen, particularly contemporary art which has popularised public artworks and installation. I can however see the benefit of students being able to access the internet and blogs and videos, etc.

What else did I learn, well I also ranked International gallery websites and evaluated the 'Interactive" and "Education" components of them. I came to found that the really big galleries like GUGGENHEIM and MOMA had fantastic resources that local galleries could not compare to. It really proves that the way of learning is moving to online and to ICT!

MY COMMENT ON 'RESPONSES TO IT AND VELS'

I FORGOT TO POST MY COMMENT OF ANOTHER STUDENT'S VELS IT RESPONSE ON MY OWN PAGE SO HERE IT IS!:

FROM ANNIE'S BLOG-->

http://ictinsecondaryeducation.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/it-and-the-victorian-learning-standards/#comments

2 Responses to “IT and the Victorian Learning Standards”

1. 

   Steph MermigasSeptember 16, 2011 at 6:44 pm #

   Annie has made some really vital points, particularly regarding transfer in learning. This idea of applying knowledge to create and solve is fundamental to the learning process and lies at the higher end of bloom’s taxonomy. I agree that ICT has the potential to play a huge role in this and given the “scope”, there are so many areas to branch off and benefit from ICT.

   
   

ICT Resources and Security: My section of the group assigment

REFLECTION ON RESEARCH & FINDINGS

I found the group assignment research to be very interesting and rewarding. Given that we had options of what we would present, I thought it would be beneficial to really learn something about web security as my knowledge of ICT resources for students and teachers is fairly strong. So I did a combination of the two, as they complement each other. I was very pleased to see that my lecturer said no one else had at all highlighted web security!

What I found was quite fascinating. There are basic measures that teachers and schools can go to in order to block unwanted and harmful content, such as 'google safe search'. However, it is inevitable that unless a school blocks the majority of websites, students will come into contact or be able to access this inappropriate material.

And what does this mean for art students? Or Media students or any student for that matter. Students need to research in order to progress their understanding and ultimately achieve but this would be quite difficult with the majority of internet sites blocked.

So how do teachers and schools find a harmonious balance and enable access to appropriate and suitable content?

It seems that teachers cannot do this on our own. We do have a certain obligation, however it would be impossible without the assistants of others, including tech support, administration and so on. What I've learnt from this research is that it is not the responsibility of JUST the teacher to manage, it requires a WHOLE SCHOOL approach. And that is the best way to successfully protect students and our computers.

Furthermore, students must become aware of the dangers of the cyber world and I believe that teachers owe their students a duty of care by acting on this. My future responsibilities will include taking the time to make known to my students the issues of privacy, safety and security. These can range from very minor to potentially harmful, yet with simple awareness can be avoided. Please see the bottom section of images to read more on OHS and ICT safety.