Should we shift back to blackboard?
It has been over three months now since I have last blogged. This was probably a retrospective time for me. A time where I was questioning my existing teaching pedagogy, experimenting and still waiting for enough evidences to support my hypothesis for learning in the classroom. Well, would be soon blogging about all the hypothesis, experimentation and the theories behind learning that are developing in my classroom.
Recently between 21st to 23rd March ,2013, the IB Asia Pacific Conference was held at Kuala Lumpur. As usual like the last year , waited this year to follow all the excitement and learning behind the conversations at the twitter hashtags. By now it is an established and justified fact that twitter has been till now the most influential learning platform for me. Since I am not still in a position where I could deserve a seat at the conference, nevertheless my own learning model proves once again that learning can take place even virtually from miles far away. I guess if it can happen for me, it would also happen for my students.
Thanks to all the twitter addicts and bloggers who generously shared thoughts , resources about the IBAP and also blogged about the same. One such blogger who was present there blogged about his whole learning and experience even before his return flight landed back to Australia. This is referring to Warrick who blogs at https://learningau.wordpress.com/about-2/. A special thanks to him as I came to know about so many important presentations, their content and impact on the IB Community. This is referring to the blog that he has written on Face to face or online learning? The case for blended learning? Reading this triggered an ever existing question in my mind , that is to understand the impact of the use of technology in the classroom, which/what is more important? The content that I teach, how I teach OR how the brain learns the content that I teach.
Reading the blog took me to reading further about Neuroscience and rewiring of the brain, where the book "The Shallows, What the internet is doing to our brain?" by Nicholas Carr is referred to. The same book was also mentioned during the presentation at IBAP. In this book Carr argues the way Plato once argued that the technology of writing would destroy the art of remembering.
Carr argues that modern neuroscience, which has revealed the "plasticity" of the human brain, shows that our habitual practices can actually change our neuronal structures. The brains of illiterate people, for example, are structurally different from those of people who can read. So if the technology of printing – and its concomitant requirement to learn to read – could shape human brains, then surely it's logical to assume that our addiction to networking technology will do something similar?
In the article several critics, neurobiologists , psychiatrists, futurologists , neuroscientists , writers and novelists give their point of view, which amalgamating leads to a common conclusion that the changing pattern of communication is having a huge impact in shaping how the mind thinks and works. Sometimes this is so apt when I connect it to my own pattern of learning. Concentrating on the newspaper has become so very difficult as I tend to shift to the online versions of newspapers, rss and twitter feeds, flipcards and so on, on my smartphone. Reading e-books is always a better option than the hard copies which I hardly carry anymore. And I agree to the panel in their saying that my brain can respond more to small articles than concentrate on a larger one. Perhaps the wiring of the brain is actually changing.
Connecting this to the discussion in the session at IBAP....the question under scrutiny was that should we as teachers move to blackboard, the old traditional method of study. This was the discussion by Metty Antony from Canadian International School, who mentioned the importance of development of a blended learning model where there is a remarkable balance between the traditional bricks and mortar system and the online learning. Quoting from Warrick's blog " This presentation will cover the impact of the Internet and its tools on learners, the different approaches and models of Blended learning, how the IB is leaning towards a blended learning environment and practical insights into what makes it work".
With statistics revealed that by May 2013, 97% of the checking of IB answerscripts are going to happen online and forthcoming MYP batches to have on screen assesments, my belief in this transition period has all the more been confirmed. But I liked the blended learning model and reflecting on my hypothesis that with internet and remote learning the self learning increases, I think I now need to put some boundary conditions too.
With statistics revealed that by May 2013, 97% of the checking of IB answerscripts are going to happen online and forthcoming MYP batches to have on screen assesments, my belief in this transition period has all the more been confirmed. But I liked the blended learning model and reflecting on my hypothesis that with internet and remote learning the self learning increases, I think I now need to put some boundary conditions too.
