mlearning: classroom in your pocket · web viewoctober 2004 - march 2005 - resource development...

mLearning: the classroom in your pocket (Power & Thomas, 2006)

mLearning: the classroom in your pocket?

Tom Power [email protected]

&

Rhodri Thomas [email protected]

Research Group on International Development in Teacher Education

across Societies and Cultures (RITES)

The Open University UK

Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Warwick, 6-9 September 2006

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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‘I’ll keep it safe and use it effectively’ (Teacher sketch, October 2005)

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AbstractPrevious research (Leach et al 2006) carried out by into teachers use of laptop and handheld computers showed most participants rating both equally useful: those who expressed a preference for one device over the other identified the handheld computer as the best tool for teachers, particularly in rural communities (Leach 2006 - forthcoming).

This paper reports the findings of a subsequent 1 year project which focussed solely on the potential of handheld computers for teacher professional development. With the ‘digital Swiss army knife’ of a handheld computer, is it now possible to carry your classroom in your pocket?

Many studies have investigated the use of handheld computers in classroom settings but most focus on pupil learning (e.g. Fung et al.1998; Yarnell et al 2003). There is not yet a substantial body of literature on the potential of handhelds for teacher education, though Soloway (2002) argues that handhelds provide an opportunity for making major changes in educational settings.

This paper considers the fit between theory and practice, viewing the developing literature on mLearning (e.g. Naismith et al, 2004) as it might apply to teacher professional development, in the light of research evidence from project teachers using handheld computers. The teachers themselves used the analytical framework for teacher professional knowledge developed by Banks, Leach and Moon (1999) to consider their own experiences with the handheld computers.

This study finds that handheld digital tools hold a number of pedagogic and pragmatic advantages over laptop or desktop computers for teachers, especially in rural communities; however, further technical development is required to fully orient the devices to classroom rather than office practices.

IntroductionThe Digital Education Enhancement Project (DEEP - www.open.ac.uk/deep) carried out an initial study into the potential of ICT for teacher education in developing nations, working with teachers and institutions in Egypt and South Africa.

The over-arching research questions for DEEP were:

← 1. How does ICT transform the pedagogic knowledge and practice of teachers and the communities in which they live and work?

← 2. What is the impact of ICT- enhanced strategies on pupil achievement and motivation?

Teachers used a variety of forms of ICT depending on their contexts, with a range of resources including ICT suites, laptops, internet cafes, digital cameras and digital video cameras, scanners, printers and a motorbike mounted digital cinema, both for their own personal and professional development, and for the teaching and learning of literacy and science.

In addition to the appropriate selection of digital tools mentioned, all project teachers were provided with a then ‘state of the art’, powerful ‘pocket PC’ [206 MHz processor] and small

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http://www.open.ac.uk/deep


digital camera add-on and docking station, to facilitate their own professional study. The DEEP professional development activities were installed on these devices in the form of illustrated e-books, together with a range of other resources (e.g. case studies, exemplar lesson plans, video clips of professional practice, illustrated poems, an audio file of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream...’ speech).

The findings of this work are published in the project report (ibid. http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/ict-teacher-education-no58.asp) and elsewhere.

It was anticipated that the handhelds would serve two main purposes:

← 1) to provide sustained personal access to ICT, through which teachers might develop familiarity with relevant concepts (e.g. applications, documents, folders) and practices (e.g. cut and paste).

← 2) to provide access to the projects professional development materials (the ebooks and multi-media resources).

The research showed that teachers found the handheld devices particularly useful for professional planning and administration, as in this example:

Saraa reports that her capacity to plan lessons and schemes of work developed during the programme, she’s begun to ‘think how I could manage my classroom’. This account is borne out by observations of two lessons and by the range of products in her electronic portfolio, including a workbook planning how to teach place value in maths. Saraa suggests that the hand-held computer in particular has supported this aspect of her personal and professional development, because ‘I am able to use it at home’. Prior to the project her only access to ICT was in the school’s multimedia lab or at a friend’s house. In the mid-project questionnaire (November 2002) she records that she has not really used the hand-held device. Towards the end of the second field interview (March 2003) it emerges she has begun to use it regularly. ‘At first we didn’t use it [the hand-held] to be honest with you. It saves time because at home I can prepare my lessons. I then download to the PC [at school]. This didn’t happen before. This is better than using the pen! The whole process was easier than normal preparation. Preparing and planning lessons was routine, but now I came to be creative.’

More surprisingly, the teachers used the devices extensively and creatively in the classroom. Uses of the device were wide-ranging. Several teachers had ‘frequently’ made use of the voice recorder for curriculum purposes. Other uses included:

‘Word for writing... I left the device to the students’; ‘I used the camera many times to take photos related to the lesson I’m teaching and also to write some information’; ‘listening to songs and watching song clips’; ‘making various slides on some animal and its various characteristics’

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http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/ict-teacher-education-no58.asp


‘We have used the jornada for sports days, for cultural days, for all the activities...in the classroom situation, we’ve taken pictures of our learners’

In end of project workshops, additional hand-held activities and uses of software to support field-work were introduced by curriculum specialists, such as environmental study, local history and community story telling, in response to teachers interest in developing their range of activities with the devices.

It was only as a result of teachers’ exploratory use of the hand-held in field-work that the research team realised the extensive possibilities of the devices to support curriculum learning - the original research showed that teachers:

• used the handheld computers regularly, in and out of class

• used the handhelds ‘anytime, anywhere’ for professional learning

• said they would buy such devices with their own money, if they were affordable

• found the handheld equally useful as desktop or laptop computers; most of those who expressed a preference for one or the other said the handheld was the better tool for their professional practice.

Soloway (2002) had described handheld computers as ‘the trojan mouse’, as he sees in them the potential to make major changes to educational settings. However, most studies looking at hand-held computers as learning tools in classroom settings focus on pupil learning (e.g. Fung et al., 1998; Sestokas-Filho and Bonafini, 2002) rather than teacher professional development.

New models of learning emphasise social context, focusing the processes of professional learning and change within work settings - and for teachers, in the learning communities of classrooms, schools and other local groups (Moon et al, 2006). Local environment and human resource (e.g. local experts, local technologies) are seen as key. Peer support and motivation is given high value. Tools and technologies are seen as mediators of social learning, capable of both constraining and expanding work based practices (Chaiklin and Lave, 1993; Sharples et al, 2005).

Waycott and Kukulska-Hulme (2003) investigated the use of hand-helds to support adult learners studying on an Open University course. They reported that the ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to learning resources is an important advantage of the hand-held computer, enabling adult learners to fit study time around other activities.

Therefore we felt further study was required to focus particularly upon the use of handheld computers for teacher professional development, in the teaching of literacy and science at primary school level. All schools and participants are located in the Eastern Cape Province, and most serve disadvantaged rural communities. The research was facilitated by the provision of 25 iPaq H4150 ‘pocketPC’ handheld computers funded by the charity Bridges (www.bridges.org). 28 teachers participated, with 60% being experienced ‘DEEP’ teachers, and 40% new teachers from their schools, or in some cases, from nearby schools.

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http://www.bridges.org/


Research QuestionsWithin the two over-arching DEEP research questions above, this study has sought to address three subsidiary questions:

• What specific advantages do handheld computers offer teacher professional development?

• In what ways do handheld computers complement other professional resources?

• What curriculum developments are enabled by such devices / what software development would enhance their use?

MethodologyLearning resources and toolsThe main focus of the DEEP-ER research is use of handheld computers for professional, practice. To this end, core professional development activities were devised by the project team that could be facilitated - and implemented - primarily by handheld use. These activities are supported by professional resources relevant to the Eastern Cape context and created specifically for the project, including a brief study guide for home and school reference. In a radical departure from the previous DEEP study (which had used almost every available format and media to present the professional development materials, including print handbooks and activity cards, online web resources, CD-ROM resources and eBooks and multi-media both on the handheld and other computers), in this study the course materials were only provided electronically on the handheld, in order to test the viability of such an approach.

Most of these materials take the form of e-books/ e-resources intended for use on the iPAQs. Teachers were also encouraged to use the original DEEP resources (see http://www.open.ac.uk/deep) which were converted to run on the iPAQ H4150 . Content was deliberately developed with the local culture, environment, literature and community in mind (see exemplar resources Appendix A).

The handhelds came with the following software:

• Pocket Excel

• Pocket Word

• Pocket MSN

• Outlook

• Microsoft Reader

• Calculator

• iPAQ image zone

The project team had to instal the following applications:

• HP Foldable Keyboard driver software

• Adobe Reader

• Palm Reader

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http://www.open.ac.uk/deep


• Flash ActiveX plugin for Pocket Internet Explorer

and resources:

• DEEP-ER Science and Literacy Professional Activities & related resources

• Poetry

• Xhosa Bible

In addition to the handheld computers, the project team also purchased a number of iPAQ keyboards, SD Memory Cards and pocket digital cameras to enrich use of the iPAQ H4150, so that images could be shared between camera and handheld, and that longer writing might take place.

Equipment distribution was determined by the participants and is shown below.

Participants EquipmentAll schools 1 iPAQ with memory card

1 iPAQ keyboard1 CameraAny previous DEEP equipment: laptop; jornada; printer / scanner as remained available

Lead schools* additional iPaqs with memory card (1 per teacher, to a maximum of 3 iPAQs per school)

Clusters 1 additional camera and keyboard for use by schools in the cluster

Project co-ordinator in South Africa 1 set of all new equipment for project advocacy / leadership / support

*a lead school being one where ‘DEEP’ teachers had demonstrated skill in using ICT in their teaching, and expressed a desire to develop as ‘teacher leaders’ or ‘teacher researchers’, offering support and guidance to their peers.

Research InstrumentsTo develop a representative picture of the experiences of project participants, the research used both survey and participatory research methods to gather data.

A number of survey research instruments were deployed through the project:

← entry surveys and individual concept maps

← mid-way evaluations and recording of project artefacts

← exit surveys and recording of project artefacts

In addition, participants themselves used the model of teacher professional knowledge developed by Banks, Leach and Moon (see Banks et al 2005, and summarised by Leach in Appendix B) as an analytical framework for their own reflections and discussions. Teachers met regularly in clusters to support each other, and recorded their reflections in

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research diaries. At the interim workshop, teachers sketch-drawings of their experiences were used to help the group identify common threads of experience for discussion. At the final evaluation workshop, teachers in groups produced 5 minute ‘mini-documentary’ videos of their experiences.

Time LineOctober 2004 - March 2005 - Resource development & project planning

March 2005 - Launch workshop (2 days)

March - October 2005 - School based activities

October 2005 - Interim Workshop (1 day)

October 2005 - July 2006 - School based activities

July 2006 - Evaluation Workshop

Findings - early analysis of the data

Survey data showed that teachers were using the handhelds both at school and at home, and often travelling between the two - the handheld digital tools did offer ‘anytime, anyplace’ professional learning opportunities, and teachers were keen to take advantage of this.

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Teachers sketch - my experiences with the handheld computer, October 2005For personal and professional development, over half the teachers had used the literacy eBook and resources, and over half had used the science eBook and resources. Almost 80% of the teachers reported the project materials as very useful learning resources. Several teachers had also used specific items or parts of their professional development resources as a classroom resource for learners.

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Indeed, most affordances of the PDA had been pressed into service as a classroom resource or tool at some point. It seems to be the fact that the PDA can ‘become’ many different classroom resources that makes it so appealing to the teachers. One pocket sized device can be at one moment a planner, at another a mark-book, the next a dictionary, a calculator, a book to read, a tape recorder for recording second language work, a computer for word-processing and spreadsheets, a photo album of class experiences and the world outside, a music player, and on and on. 1 in 5 of the teachers had even used it as a Bible for religious instruction during the school day.

In the classroom:

• over 90% of the teachers had used the camera both to take photos and share them with others (pupils and peers) as par of their professional practice.

• 85% used the handheld as a calculator

• 65% of teachers regularly used the dictionary as a tool for learners, and for themselves at home

• 65% used the handheld as a word processor

• 58% used the handheld as a voice recorder

• 43% had used the handheld as data collection tool, using spreadsheets

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‘Learner Reading: “Mandela’s Story - Growing up in Qunu”’ [part of a project eBook]

Teachers sketch.

‘Miss, what does the word ‘democracy’ mean? Look it up in your dictionary.Well, I don’t have one ma’m. Use the pocket PC. Thanks Ma’m.

Democracy means...[Teacher Sketch]


Teachers own reflections showed that for many, there was an initial period of feeling ‘lost’ with the handheld. It took most of the six months from launch to the interim workshop just for them to feel that they were starting to be comfortable and familiar with the tool, even though it was ‘their own’ mini-computer, and they had permanent access to it ‘anytime, anywhere’.

This is salutory given the many programmes that expect teachers to use new ICTs (computer suites) with pupils, despite the teachers having very little by way of sustained access to the tools before-hand. It also reflects the finding of Apple Computers’ long-running ACOT project (http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/), that it takes a long time (up to 3 years) for teachers to fully and comfortably embed new technologies into their practice, and Solloways’ (ibid.) observation that such time is reduced to a half or a third with handheld computers, because of the sustained access and interaction.

A second theme to emerge from the teachers own reflections was a sense of ‘seeing possibilities opening up’, of excitement and potential.

50% of teachers commented upon how they had begun to used the handheld for planning and administration.

‘It helped me to plan my lessons, based on what is on the PDA [the eBooks and other course resources]’‘I use it to write some reports for our cluster’‘It reminds me of the work I must do and the date of something I’m going to attend’‘Even my Curriculum Vitae is with the PDA, so for always move around with all that can be important...’

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‘at first I did not know what to do, or where to start’

‘Later I found out that this is an eye opener and a mind opener’ (Teachers Sketch)

http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/



‘It stores information and reminds me easily and makes my work easy. That’s what I like - it’s handy. I can go anywhere with my information on the PDA’

Teacher exit surveys

Finally, reconfirming the original findings, 85% of the teachers said they would be willing to spend their own money to purchase a handheld computer to support their work; over two thirds of the teachers in the study found the handheld computer as or more valuable to their practice than the laptop computers or desktop computers.

Technical IssuesResearch and Development in creating electronic resources for the 25 HP iPAQ H4150As in previous project work, in order to extend the provision of content to the teachers in the project, add-ons and extensions to the on-board software were installed.

Web pages and multimedia elementsA Flash plugin was required to support the more interactive resources made available in the project and visual examples of literacy work. The iPAQs already had Pocket Media player available, so the web pages needed to link locally to audiovisual files showing teacher practice. Embedding these video clips in the customized web pages was the desired approach; however changes in the Pocket PC operating system no longer supported this.

Capacity and batch processingIn order to provide the devices with a larger memory capacity- and to attempt to centralise resource provision, the project team decided to provide project content on SD Memory Cards, which might also be used as transferable personal storage for use with shared digital cameras and DEEP-ER research outputs. Installation of programs, however, continued to require synchronization with a PC and batch processing the number of applications required.

Volatile memory and battery chargingBattery maintenance issues identified in previous research were seen to have improved on the iPAQs, but still not ideal. Both main and backup batteries are rechargeable, however on-board memory continued to require battery backup to maintain data.

Teacher resource provision via eBookInvestigations into the choice of eBook platform included use of Microsoft Reader, Adobe Reader and Palm Reader [now called eReader], with summarized findings below:

← Microsoft Reader – default, stable and packaged application (not deleted on battery loss/hard reset), problematic creation process, limited embedding. Annotations possible

← Adobe Reader – reasonably faithful reproduction of PDF files, allowing for comments to be read. No annotation provision. Application occasionally prone to crashing, requiring soft reset. Program (or shortcut to program) lost on battery failure.

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← Palm Reader – good creation and rendering of embedded objects; annotation and highlighting provided. Application prone to faulty menu generation, requiring soft reset to remedy. Program (or shortcut to program) lost on battery failure.

As a result, resources were initially provided in all 3 formats, playing to individual application strengths. Enabling annotations of the content by the teachers was seen as a crucial element in allowing personalization and appropriation of the content and resources for professional use. Legacy content remained in Microsoft Reader format, while largely image-based resources were provided in Adobe Reader format and resources requiring a large degree of interaction were provided in Palm Reader format, due to its more user-friendly creator interface. This, in time, was hoped to allow teachers and learners to create and share their own electronic resources.

Teacher feedbackOnce users were operating the devices themselves, another major issue quickly emerged i.e. the instability of reader software requiring frequent soft-resets. Teachers welcomed the ability to charge the iPAQ while docked in the keyboard (not available on the Jornada), though only having a mains socket charger proved a drawback.

Some of the experienced handheld users consider the iPAQ less robust than the Jornada they were previously using because of the latter’s screen cover.

After time, other substantive feedback was the loss of the additional programs on eventual battery failure – so although the resources were still present on the card, the means of accessing these evaporated. Despite improved technology, on-board batteries drained quickly even if the handheld was not in use.

Technical Recommendations for educator use in rural locationsA convergent device with true movie capture (incl. sound capabilities) is required, to allow direct capture of the environment and subsequent sharing with peers (and other devices).The device should be able to sustain data without power, but also be able to recharge from USB power sources as well as mains. Ideally connectivity to the internet should be on-board, however simple, reliable connections via Bluetooth to mobile phones, or WiFi to school wireless networks should be investigated. Additionally:

• Provision of on-board Flash-RAM should be standard, with a secured area if required, rather than RAM/ROM hybrid allowing user data loss

• A combined power saving and backup option should be introduced to save the current state of the device for planned, prolonged periods of inactivity

• Keyboard driver software should be provided as standard, so as not to be lost on battery failure/hard reset

• Syncing interface (PCB edge connector) should be more robust – both data transfer and battery charging could be lost at same time

• Alternative syncing methods could be provided– Bluetooth/WiFi

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SummaryThe handheld computers do support ‘anytime / anywhere’ learning, but to be fully effective as a sole means of accessing courseware, it would be essential to have an entirely non-volatile architecture: all of the teachers lost access to the course materials due to memory failure at some point.

The light-weight, long-battery life, highly portable nature of the devices is highly valued by teachers in or travelling long journeys to schools in remote rural communities.

Almost all teachers in the study used the handhelds for both personal professional development, and for classroom practice with learners. The range of affordances of the handheld computer, the way it can ‘be many things’ and serve many purposes was highly valued by project teachers.

Since this project began, high-speed wireless data connections have become increasingly prevalent and cheap to access, even in the rural areas of South Africa. Adding the ability to access the internet and email would substantially enhance and transform the educational possibilities of such handheld devices, and indeed many smartphones are now becoming available that combine all the abilities of the handheld computers and cameras used in this study with such wireless network access in one device.

•

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ReferencesApple Computers (1998) ‘Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow’ http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/

Banks, F., Leach, J. and Moon, B. (1999) ‘New understandings of teachers’ pedagogic knowledge’ in Leach, J. and Moon, B. (eds) Learners and Pedagogy, London, Paul Chapman.

Banks, F., Leach, J. and Moon, B. (2005) 'New understandings of teachers' pedagogic knowledge' in Curriculum Journal Vol. 16, No. 3, September 2005, pp. 293 – 329

Chaiklin, S. and Lave, J. (1993) Understanding Practice: Perspectives on Activity and Context, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Fung, P., Hennessey, S. and O’Shea, T. (1998) ‘Pocket Book Computing: a paradigm shift?’ Computers in the schools, 14(3/4), 119–118

Leach, J., Ahmed, A., Makalima, S. & Power, T. (2006) DEEP IMPACT: an investigation of the use of information and communication technologies for teacher education in the global south. Researching the issues. DFID Research Series. http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/ict-teacher-education-no58.asp

Moon, B., Leach, J. and Stevens, A. (2006) Open and distance learning for Teacher Education in Africa, Innovation and change. A Toolkit for Toolkit for Education Policy Makers, Planners and Teacher Educators in Sub Saharan Africa Africa Region Human Development Research Group Washington, The World Bank

Naismith, L., Lonsdale, P., Vavoula, G., Sharples, M. (2004) Literature Review in Mobile Technologies and Learning - A Report for NESTA Futurelab.

Sestokas-Filho, B. and Bonafini, F. C. (2002) ‘Hand-held Technologies in Classroom Activities: New problems with New Goals’, Available from http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:g51ACXOjibQJ:www.asee.org/international/INTERTECH2002/139.pdf+Hand-Held+Technologies+in+Classroom+Activities%2BFilho&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 [accessed 15 January 2004].

Sharples, M., Taylor, J., Vavoula, G. (2005) Towards a Theory of Mobile Learning, 4th International MLearn Conference, Cape Town, October 2005.

Soloway, E (2002) ‘Palm-Sized Devices are the Personal Computers of Choice’, Colloquium series, MIT Media Lab; November 12, 2002

Waycott, J. and Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2003) ‘Students’ experiences with PDAs for reading course materials’, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 7(1):30–43.

Yarnall, L., Penuel, W. R., Ravitz, J., Murray, G., Means, R., and Broom, M. (2003) ‘Portable Assessment Authoring: using handheld technology to assess collaborative inquiry’ Education, Communication & Information, Vol. 3, No.2

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http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:g51ACXOjibQJ:www.asee.org/international/INTERTECH2002/139.pdf+Hand-Held+Technologies+in+Classroom+Activities%2BFilho&hl=en&ie=UTF-8



http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/ict-teacher-education-no58.asp



Appendix A - exemplar professional development eBook

Studying the Local Environment

A science professional development activity for DEEPER

IntroductionThis professional development activity focuses on Natural Science, and ways in which you might use the local environment. There is an emphasis on ‘bringing the outside’ into the school, and getting pupils ‘out’ into the local environment. The curriculum focus is on sci-entific processes (sampling, observation, recording, organising) applied to knowledge of the local environment.

What do I know?

Activity One: an audit (15 minutes)With your project partner, make a list of any of the local resources for Natural Science you have used in the last school year. Pick two or three of the resources listed and discuss:* how did you use the resource?* what was good about using the resource?* what was challenging about using the resource?* how did your learners respond?

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Activity Two: Extending the range (15 minutes)Are there any more local resources that might support your teaching of natural sciences?

Using the spider diagram below as a starting point, try to identify any additional opportuni-ties for learning about natural sciences using the local environment.

Curriculum Focus

Studying the local environment is worthwhile for many reasons: it allows learners to prac-tice scientific techniques (some of which can be carried out with the simplest of tools, like a piece of wire or a length of string); it provides opportunities for making science real and rel-evant in the learners contexts; and, at best, it allows learners to frame problems and seek solutions in ways that can improve the quality of life in their schools and communities.

One simple starting point in getting pupils to evaluate a local environment, is simply to get them to stop and consider it - developing a vocabulary to describe it, such as in this exam-ple on 'aesthetic values'. A days 'eco-walk' from the school might take in a range of nearby sites, applying the same criteria to each. This information could then be used for further discussion back at school, or for the childrens creative writing or poetry.

Whatever environment you choose to study with your learners, mapping is likely to be one of activities that provides a point of reference for further discussion and presentation. De-

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veloping a clear sketch map of the area is a good starting point for any environmental study.

Quick and simple approaches to developing a quantitative description of animal and plantlife (such as the DAFOR scale) can be used by young learners, but are still genuine techniques used in current scientific studies. More involved sampling techniques such as the use of quadrats or line transects can develop a deeper understanding of species distri-bution, and extend older or more able pupils.

Another more abstract approach to getting pupils to reconsider their local environment, would be to imagine some features or their environment transposed to a different context - for example, what if the animals common in a rural setting, were transposed to an urban setting. How would that change the way people viewed them?

You may want to explore the views and knowledge of the local community as well as the environment that can be directly observed by the learners. Questionnaires allow data to be gathered and analysed from a large number of people relatively easily.

As a final alternative, you might invite individuals to talk to learners about the changes they have seen over time, or about skills and knowledge they have in farming, animal hus-bandry, or hunting. Perhaps learners might do a study on a particular animal, crop or natu-ral resource that is important to their way of life?

Discussion (15 minutes)What obstacles might prevent you engaging your learners in studying the local environ-ment?What strategies might help you overcome these?

How can ICT help?

We will focus on two of the project tools that particularly lend themselves to environmental field work:*the handheld computer*the digital camera

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Both of these tools a very small and light - they can easily be stowed in a pocket or a handbag; they will also both run for several hours use - in other words, they are ideal tools for supporting field work.

Together, these tools enable the capture and re-use of:* numerical data on spreadsheets* typed or hand-written notes* free-hand sketches* photographs* audio 'notes'* interview recordings* short video clips

Back in the classroom, these recordings can be used to share experiences with peers and other audiences (perhaps parents or school principles), directly on the camera or hand-held.

The handheld can also support further writing (using the word processor for creative writ-ing, poetry or 'field reports'), as well as data analysis (using the spreadsheet to calculate or chart information).

The use of the DEEP laptop (and printer / scanner) will allow further development of group or class presentations (on screen, or printed).

Activity: Exploring techniques (30 mins)With your project partner, choose one or more field work activities (from Curriculum focus, or another field work activity that you are familiar with).

Discuss how you would use the available tools to support this activity.

You may want to practice the activity together, to make sure you are confident of both the technique, and the way you plan to use ICT to support it.

Planning to Teach

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Activity: Case Studies(15 minutes)Read the 3 case studies, that describe how DEEP teachers have used ICT 'in the field'.Discuss these with your project partner - are any of these ideas that you might be able to build on?

Activity: Preparing for learning(45 minutes)Either for an individual lesson, or a series of lessons, identify: *what will be the focus of study?* what will be the key techniques used by learners?* what ICT will be used?* are there skills or ideas that need to be explored by learners before they begin any field work?* are there any resources (such as templates for recording observations) that need to be developed?* what support is available through the school or local community, to help learners get the most from the activity?

Whole group plenary(45 minutes)All project partners should present their ideas together. Use the wisdom of the group to re-fine and extend your plans.

When you begin to introduce this work, use your DEEPER Diaryto record your 'best les-son' each week. Try to meet as a whole group each month to discuss progress and obsta-cles, and also record your thoughts after these meetings in your DEEPER Diary

Further Reading

Local mapping"1. Draw a map of your chosen area. The map should be drawn to scale, with the scale in-dicated on the map. To help you draw the map to scale, you may want to use a large tape measure and some graph paper (ask your teacher for some help). Mark on the map any interesting natural features such as ponds, woodlands and tracks. Indicate areas of differ-ent land use such as food crops, housing, animal grazing.

Mark on any areas which you think may have high biodiversity (they may have high num-bers of different species, or certain important species which are indicators* of biodiversity).

Mark on any areas where there are particularly interesting plants or animals. Make a key on the map for all of these features. Name the location on your map.

2. Within your map area, measure out an area of 5m x 5m. Within this area, count the number of different plant and animal species. Remember, the higher the number, the more biodiversity you may have. You may wish to look in the soil too, as many important species live below the surface. If you have plant and animal identification books, you could try to name some of your species.

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3. Choose a plant or animal species from your map area which is interesting or important. Find out more about its habitat, food and its importance in terms of biodiversity (is it domi-nant, abundant, common, occasional or rare in your area and your country/internation-ally?) You could take a photograph or make a drawing of it."

Biodiversity Around UsScience Across the Worldwww.scienceacross.org

click on the 'return' arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back

DAFOR Scales'DAFOR' scales are commonly used to create 'quick snapshots' of the relative abundance of plant life in a survey.

D = DominantA = AbundantF = FrequentO = OccasionalR = Rare


Aesthetic Valuethe table below uses criteria adapted from the UK forestry commission (1987). These structured prompts can be a useful starting point for helping pupils reflect upon a location.

You might ask your pupils develop a similar set of criteria in their mother tongue.click on the 'return' arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back

Questionnaire designTypes of questionSome of the commonest types of question are:

* Closed questions - questions simply requesting a 'yes' or 'no' response

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http://www.scienceacross.org/


* Attitude battery - ...a range of positive to negative feelings, e.g. on a five point scale: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree

* Open question - ...requesting a detailed response in words, e.g. 'What do you think...'

[The first two questions give answers that can easily be analysed quantitatively - using tally, bar or pie charts. The third (qualitative) kind of question is harder for pupils to analyse and present, but can often give a better insight into the explanations for the findings of the quantitative questions - TP].

...Some errors to avoid include: ...

* Do not ask leading questions, e.g. 'Why do you think the creation of a local nature re-serve is a bad idea?' Replace with: 'Do you think that a local nature reserve should be cre-ated?'...

* Do not ask two questions in one, e.g. 'Have you ever seen a badger or a fox in this area?' Replace with two separate questions...

* Do not use imprecise wording, e.g. 'Have you seen a deer in this area recently?' Replace with: Have you seen a deer in this area during the last [insert number] months?'

Practical Skills in Environmental Science, Jones, Duck, Reed & Weyers (2000)click on the 'return' arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back

Quadrat TechniqueThe quadrat technique is a simple way of estimating the population of plants (or slow mov-ing animals) in an area.

The basic principle is that it is usually impossible to count the number of plants of a partic-ular species over anything but a small area. However, if lots of small areas are randomly sampled, and the average count per metre square calculated, this can be used to estimate the population of a known area.

In the example spreadsheet 'Andile.xls' four plant species (A-D) were counted at ten sites. At each site, a small wire square (with sides 50cm long) was dropped randomly on the ground, and the number of each plant species counted. The average count of species A was 6.1 plants.

As the wire square (the quadrat) only covered 1/4 m2, this figure must be multiplied by 4, to give an average count of 24.4 plants per m2.

The whole field was found to have a length of 63m and breadth of 21m, giving a total area of 1,323 m2.

Multiplying the average 24.4 species A plants per m2 by the area of the whole site, gives a population estimate of 32,281 species A plants for the site. Clearly it would not have been possible to actually count the number of these plants at the site, but the quadrat technique allows a reasonable estimate to be made, allowing environmental scientists to compare populations between different sites, or at the same site over a period of time.click on the 'return' arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back

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Line Transect TechniqueA line transect is a good way of showing the changing vegetation across a site (for exam-ple, from low-ground to high; from the sea to dry ground). In a line transect, a straight line is taken across the study site, and the vegetation along the line is sampled and recorded (it is helpful to use a length of string to mark the position of the 'line', if possible).

Depending on what you are intending to survey, it may be appropriate either to sample what is found at regular intervals along the line (e.g. every 3 metres, record whatever small plants are touching the line), or just record larger features (such as trees) as they occur.

The survey may be recorded as a sketch diagram (as below), or in a table.


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Living with wildlife

‘People expect Africans to live with large animals and predators in a way that is simply im-possible. In Kenya, in three years, 120 people were killed by elephants. If that were to hap-pen in the US or UK you’d have uproar. Look at mad cow disease. It killed how many, five or so? And how many cattle have been slaughtered as a result?’ Tom Milliken, Traffic East/Southern Africa, African Elephant Specialist Group

‘The people thought wildlife was for white people. Now they realise it’s also for us, be-cause they see the benefits come back. It used to come back as a cost. Now it comes back as a benefit’. Lyson Masango, senior teacher, Mahenye School, Zimbabwe."

Biodiversity Around UsScience Across the Worldwww.scienceacross.orgclick on the 'return' arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back

Case studiesThere are three case studies to show some of the ways DEEP teachers have used their ICTs to support field work.

Andile: quadratting

Baso: pondlife study

DK: insect observation

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http://www.scienceacross.org/


Andile: quadratting a school field

Andile and practiced the quadratting technique in a school field, with his peers. They used a spreadsheet, pre-designed to calculate the average number of plants of each species, the area of the field, and the population estimates.

The data was collected directly onto the handheld (by a different group member at each lo-cation).Allowing the calculations to be performed by the spreadsheet let them focus on the activ-ity, and the ideas and principles of the technique, rather than focus on 'doing sums'.

The group also used the camera to photograph plant species they did not recognise.

The groups spreadsheet (Andile.xls) is on your handheld, if you would like to adapt it for your own use.

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Baso: studying pondlife

Baso took a group of pupils to a nearby pond, to count the number of different animals and plants they could find.

They recorded the numbers directly on the handheld.

Back at school they practiced using different types of chart to represent the data.

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The spreadsheet (empumalanga.xls) is available on your handheld.

DK: insects observation

DK took a group of learners into nearby countryside - they focused particularly on insects. As well as close observation and description, the pupils used the digital camera to photo-graph their field work.


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Appendix B -

Model of teacher knowledge, Banks, Leach and Moon

We constructed this model in 1996 to help show the complexity of a teachers’ task. Since then it has been used by teachers and trainee teachers all over the UK, helping them be really explicit about the different and wide ranging aspects of professional knowledge they already have – as well as to decide what they would like to develop in the future, with colleagues or independently.

Subject knowledge is the underlying knowledge we need to have in order to teach a subject really well. For example in science it might be your knowledge of animal classification - or in literacy your knowledge of grammar (what a verb/ adjective is) or genre (the difference between a poem, a letter or narrative).

School knowledge. As adults our subject knowledge is very sophisticated. School knowledge is the process we have to go through to transform adult knowledge, in order to make it teachable to learners of different age groups. School knowledge is needed to know the national curriculum, and what areas of subject knowledge have to be introduced at different ages. It is needed to plan lessons, to make sure you cover different learning areas and a range of out-comes. [e.g. In science where do you teach animal classification? To what age group? How complex does that knowledge need to be? For literacy, when do students need to know that adjectives help them write a story more vividly? Or the difference between a letter and a poem?]

Pedagogic Knowledge. Is the knowledge of the strategies you can choose to make school and subject knowledge fun, active and enjoyable for children. Learners could copy information about animal classification from the chalkboard, but are unlikely to remember this! They are less likely to forget the information and processes they use when brainstorming, doing their own research on the computer- or in taking the handheld to photo different animals and making a summary power point for peers! Creating a whole class book, ‘How the Giraffe Got its Long Neck’ using the computer/ scanner using speech bubbles is an effective pedagogy for learners engaged in story writing, as well as understanding the difference between narrative and dialogue.

Personal Knowledge. In a way this is the most important knowledge. What fires you? What do you know that you bring to the classroom? Are you an expert on Xhosa herbs - or on bilingual writing? Perhaps you are a great story teller or the study you have done allows you to bring some unique knowledge to your work. You’ll have different perspectives if you’re male or female, older or younger, an ICT fan or keen on outdoor activity! All these things can make you a unique and very exciting teacher.

Jenny Leach February 2005

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mlearning: classroom in your pocket · web viewoctober 2004 - march 2005 - resource development...

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