The ideas expressed here are based on adopting a paperless, cloud computing model in your application uses. In my view, Google Apps and the cloud computing model is the best way to integrate collaborate document sharing and e-portfolio development into the learning experience. The thrust of a school learning program should be to help students create knowledge, bring knowledge into the learning space from the internet to affect local learning, and adding knowledge to the internet. The industrial paradigm currently in place in both public and private school should be scrapped.
The new learning paradigm should be based on the following
learning principles:
Students are individuals, and encouraged to explore that uniqueness.
The place, history and culture of the learner mediate his or her knowledge.
Interactions with others inside and outside community help shape what is learned.
Responsibility for learning resides significantly with the student.
Teachers should adopt the role of facilitator who assists the learner in arriving at meaning through dialogue, and guiding interactions with others.
Learners should collaborate in tasks and discussions to arrive at shared understanding
Teaching others is a powerful way for the student to learn. Everyone in the learning community should continuously adopt the roles of teacher and learner.
Assessment is continuous, and is primarily feedback or guidance for development. It should be an on-going dialogue with the audience.
Curriculum is shaped by both teacher and learner.
Learning tasks should be structured in open ended ways to allow for
learners to discover and personalize what is learned.
Networked learning should replace analog (Industrial) linear learning.
All students should develop the following skills while interacting with world:
Production skills-the student should develop reasonable typing skills that allow the student to use digital tools in all aspects of the writing program.
Web 2.0 (social networking) skills-the student should develop reasonable skill at using social networking to communicate with students, teachers, and advisors in a productive respectful way. The difference between formal and personal communication should be emphasized.
Network skills-the student should develop reasonable skills in operating within a LAN, including passwords, document skills, files and searching. Password skills and File skills are paramount. A student will begin to develop an E-portfolio record of as much of the school work as is possible . The E-portfolio should move with the student from grade to grade and school to school. It should also become part of the
student’s permanent record.
Cloud computing skills-the student should start to become familiar with operation in a cloud computing environment. Google Apps is a great tool for this. The student should also begin to use all Google tools within their work environment such as Google Earth, Google Books, Google video and anything else they discover.
Web Skills-the student should gain a working knowledge of World Wide web and how to use that resource for news, information, and sharing within the cyberspace.
Digital Health Skills-students should explore internet safety and information validation skills.
The learning paradigm in a school should be skill based and paperless aimed at the following skill based activities listed below. The teacher should be free to develop activities and lessons of their own choice that integrate these skills with the entire program in consultation with colleagues and supervisors. Creativity and thinking skills should be expected and developed in all activities and lessons
Blogging skills-students and teachers should create and use a Blog of their own style and creation in conjunction with other social networking tools. It will become a digital record of what they create in this learning
experience and will hopefully integrate with the rest of their program over time.
Podcasting-students and teachers should create their own audio programs that reflect topics of their own choice integrated into the learning program and the larger world.
Vidcasting-students should learn to create their own videos on the You Tube model and will integrate them into the learning program and the larger world.
Social Networking Skills-students should explore ways to use social networking tools such as Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Twitter, and GoodReads in reasonable productive ways in the learning environment and the larger world.
Cyberspace skills-students should explore the history and definition of cyberspace.
Pattern skills-students should explore several pattern recognition games (Tetris, PopandDrop,and Chain Reaction ) to develop their thinking skills and pattern recognition abilities.
Simulations-Students will explore virtual worlds and the ideas behind them. Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games should be explored.
Learning should ignore time and space and open itself to the world. It should be anytime, anywhere.
