empowering learning and teaching with technology
TRANSCRIPT
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
Themeefy Inc WWW.THEMEEFY.COM
Empowering Learning and Teaching with Technology EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY IS FACILITATING TEACHING, INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND IMPROVING LEARNING.
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
FOREWORD
The usage of technology in education is becoming more and more common these days; in fact
one of the tenets of modern education is the use of technology in class. The arrival of Internet
access in classrooms, tablets and smart boards has made it easier for school administrations
and teachers to integrate technology in class.
This white paper aims to identify different ways to integrate technology in class, empowering
students to think independently, conduct their own research and start creating their own
knowledge profile. Teachers can benefit by this new approach by including relevant real world
resources in their lessons and following their students’ progress with real world tasks and
recording of achievements in real-time.
Supra Manohar, Titash Neogi, Geetanjali Shrivastava & Ryan Chadha
CEO and Co-Founder Product Design and Co-Founder Education Experts and Marketing
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
Contents
FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................................. 1
ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN EDUCATION .................................................................................. 3
Technology and Pedagogy .................................................................................................................. 3
MAKER EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN SCHOOLS ....................................................................... 4
What is “Maker Education”?............................................................................................................... 4
How is Maker Education changing the way students learn? .............................................................. 4
Themeefy and Maker Education ......................................................................................................... 5
IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A KNOWLEDGE PROFILE ............................................................................ 6
CONTACT ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN EDUCATION
As citizens of the 21st century, we cannot deny the omnipresence of technology. Nearly 3
billion people use the Internet and access to information and communication technology is
increasing across the world. It goes without saying that technology is and should be an
important part of education as well. Traditional curriculum tends to prioritize consumption of
knowledge over innovation and real application of knowledge. In today’s globalized society,
it is important for schools to integrate technology in their curriculum and empower students
with the competencies required to excel in a learning society and continue to evolve
throughout their life.
Technology and Pedagogy
The new tools and technology of Web 2.0, a
participatory and collaborative Web, have
broadened the horizons of education taking
learning beyond the classroom. The
application of technology in distance
education is obvious (online learning
communities, virtual classrooms, easy
exchange of course material) but it plays an
even more powerful role in regular
classrooms.
The presence of Internet in classrooms and tools such as the
interactive boards have extended the learning space beyond the
four walls of the classroom. Teachers can now introduce content
from the Web, stream real-time videos and tap into a variety of
learning opportunities beyond the physical boundaries of the
school. The emergence of this new flexible learning environment
has enabled real-time, interactive and a highly personalized
learning.
Technology has enabled students to take control of their learning
process and participate more actively in it and platforms like
Themeefy (www.themeefy.com) have empowered students to
personalize their education by creating their own learning material.
Students can now learn real-world skills such as team-building,
collaboration, problem solving, global awareness, listening and
presentation with the use of various EdTech tools.
65% of teachers say
that technology lets
them demonstrate
things they couldn’t
show any other
way. It allows them
to reinforce and
expand on content,
helps motivate
students &
accommodates
different learning
styles.
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
MAKER EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN SCHOOLS
What is “Maker Education”?
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
A response to the increasing need to move students from being mere consumers of
information to real innovators who can help build a better world, the Maker Ed movement
started in the United States of America.
The objective of Maker Ed is to encourage
creativity amongst young people, develop
an interest in various subjects through
“making.” The Maker Ed movement is
best illustrated in craft and the creation of
actual physical objects and art work. But it
doesn’t stop there. Maker Ed is all about
innovation and thus about new ideas and
new ways to think.
How is Maker Education changing the way students learn?
The Maker Space in education by its very definition nurtures
innovation, experimentation and independence.
Technology is one of the most important tools of Maker Ed since it
allows students to break free of pre-packaged experiences and build
their own learning experiences. This could be with a 3D Printer or
one of the many sites that allow students to take control of their
education.
One of the most important skills for a student is the ability to conduct
research on any given topic and present it in a coherent manner.
Themeefy (www.themeefy.com) enables students to search for
relevant information on any topic. The exercise of searching for
information, reading and choosing the most apt content is far more
efficient in the learning process than consuming readymade lessons.
Learners are no longer
mere consumers of
content but active
participants and
producers of content
in their own right.
This democratization
of learning has made
it a really exciting time
to be an educator.
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
Themeefy and Maker Education
(Re)Iterations & Perseverance: The process of creation involves
many reiterations. Students aren’t expected to nail the project on
their first attempt. With positive feedback from their teachers, they
have to go back to the drawing board and tweak their creation
several times before they nail it.
While creating their Themes, students often have to stop, rethink &
even pivot, leading to several iterations of the Theme in the process
of making it more interesting, pertinent and pleasing to their audience. The exercise not only
encourages perseverance, it also redefines “failure,” making the erstwhile negative comment,
nothing but the first step in the learning process.
Engaged Learning: The Maker movement is driven by interest based projects that value
individual insights and personalization. The very fact of being responsible for their learning
process rather than being passive recipients of knowledge handed down by their teachers,
drives a certain passion and sharpens the students’ interest in the subject.
In asking students to create their own lessons and involving them in the process of learning,
educators are paving the way for more engaged and passion-based learning.
Sharing & Growing Together: Maker Ed
is founded on the principles of sharing
and community-based creation and
growth. It thus encourages the practice of
sharing of knowledge and skills and
mentoring in the manner of our
forefathers.
At Themeefy, students are encouraged to
share their Themes and discover the
Themes created by others. Themes
published inside a class are visible to all the members, thus students can learn from each
other.
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A KNOWLEDGE PROFILE
Evaluation is an important part of the learning process and one of the most important ways
of evaluating a student’s progress is through observation. A teacher’s regular record of
classroom activities and individual student participation is the most effective way of tracking
and evaluating a student’s development.
The report card, a traditional way of
informing parents about their child’s
progress often leaves many questions
unanswered. Parents are increasingly
more participative in their child’s
education and want to know more about
classroom activities and fill in the gaps at
home. This in turn calls for a need of
physical evidence in the form of photos,
audio and video clips.
The Themeefy Portfolio is a simple way to record classroom activities by uploading images,
audio and video clips accompanied by the teachers’ comments. Teachers can thus gather
evidence and record:
Development of play skills and the common themes during play-time.
Emerging literary skills, interest areas and cognitive functioning.
New behaviour patterns, social reactions and routines.
This activity not only provides a realistic picture of a child’s development and progress at
school, it also enables teachers to capture important moments
and field data as researchers in their own right, helping them
understand children better and improve their teaching skills.
A secure platform, Themeefy gives parents and teachers the right
to choose who can access the Portfolios. Teachers can share the
Portfolio with parents who can then share it with their family
members on their own discretion.
The Portfolio also serves as a visual timeline of the child’s learning
journey, such that it can be used as an excellent record of
everything the child has learnt in school. It can be used by parents
to showcase what their child has achieved over the years.
Students themselves can use the Portfolio while making their
curriculum vitae for university, as an evidence of various
academic and extra-curricular achievements.
Teachers can record
classroom activities
and upload them via
the mobile app,
MomentBox, in the
child’s Themeefy
Portfolio, which can
then be shared with
the parents and other
family members. An
easy way of recording
key moments of the
learning journey.
Copyright Themeefy Inc. 2015
CONTACT
To know more about Themeefy and its mobile application MomentBox, you can get in touch
with our team members:
Ryan Chadha : [email protected] (for enquiries from the Indian sub-continent)
Supra Manohar : [email protected] (for enquiries from the Unites States of America and
elsewhere in the world)