Gail Casey

Building a Student-Centred Learning Framework Using Social Software in the Middle Years Classroom: An Action Research Study.

This article discusses the development of the online spaces that were used to create a learning framework: a student-centred framework that combined face-to-face teaching with online social and participatory media. The author, as part of her Doctoral research study, used action research as a mechanism for continual improvement as she redesigned many curriculum projects for her thirteen Middle Years’ classes, over an eighteen-month period. This article discusses part of this research study and specifically documents:

Action research to support the integration of social media in the classroom

This article discusses and reflects on the action research process used during an investigation in which social and participatory media were integrated into the face-to-face classroom. The action research project concerned pedagogical and curricular changes created, negotiated, reflected upon and documented as new media were incorporated into 13 classes, over an 18-month period, in an Australian public high school. The action research process and its continual cycles of improvement were used to redesign projects that incorporated new media within a contemporary pedagogical approach to schooling young people. The article discusses the change in thinking and mindset for the teacher that came about from this new learning milieu and was undertaken with a view to meet the school demands of a one electronic device per student program. This study supports educators and learning designers in developing curriculum and pedagogy that is more in line with the demands and skills of young people using social and participatory media to engage, interpret and understand their social worlds.

Trialling mediated action research for development in a remote community in Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT This article discusses research on action research for community development in a remote district of Papua New Guinea. The authors taught (during site visits) and supported (by mobile phone) five groups of community members to undertake action research. The article discusses how the visits and mobile telephony were deployed to facilitate their action research. It is concluded that action research, with appropriate face-to-face and mobile phone support, was viable and cost-effective for community development in remote districts. Several strengths and weaknesses of the approach were identified to enable improvements for subsequent action research remote community development projects.

A pedagogy for outreach activities in ICT: Promoting peer to peer learning, creativity and experimentation

The importance of integrating technology into the classroom has become a priority at most levels of the curriculum in many countries around the world. This paper draws on the evaluation and research that informed four outreach programs. The authors acknowledge that teachers are generally time poor and often have limited information and communication technology (ICT) skills and confidence, while students have skills and knowledge in ICT that often go untapped in the classroom. They present a curriculum that promoted peer to peer learning and support for teachers. This is a model of pedagogy for outreach that promotes a community of learners between ICT teachers, generalist teachers and preservice teachers while promoting socio-cultural student led learning practices in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using social media in the classroom: a best practice guide

Chapter 5 was an interesting approach for establishing instructional objectives and was perhaps considered more appropriate for the intended audience. The practical approach deployed throughout the publication and in particular, Chapter 6 provides a range of ideas for teaching strategies, course interaction and implementation, which are expansive enough to apply to a personal context. There is also adequate signposting to where further examples of current or good practice can be found. Chapter 7 brings the curriculum design process and publication to a close with ‘Assessment, Grading and Rubrics’. Assessment, for those taking a Constructive Alignment approach, would not come at the end of the curriculum design process, and it is perhaps therefore not advisable to have placed it at the end of the publication. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and Assessment need to be considered in parallel and to have taken the reader through the teaching activity chapters without significant mention of assessment, or its relationship to ILOs could lead to having to repeat elements of the course design. Overall the assessment chapter could have been far more substantive given that this is a high-stake activity for the learners. There were again surprising omissions, such as Rowntree (1987) and other key figures. However, the focus of the publication is learner-centred approaches to online education. Additionally, there is coverage of peer assessment and online assessment techniques. With the underpinning assessment and feedback theory being lighter in this chapter than the previous six and having read so many well-balanced chapters, Chapter 7 can leave one feeling a little bit short changed. All of the chapters have a rich selection of references that can be used to increase the reader’s breath and depth of knowledge, and compliments the introductory guidance this publication seeks to provide. The writing style throughout the publication makes it easy to dip in and out of and would make a good source for future reference.