Edugator - Professional Development



ICTonomy Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy for categorizing the degree of questioning used in educational settings always made a lot of sense to me and became an integral part of my teaching. My concept in creating this ICTonomy was to apply Bloom's hierarchical principles to question the engagement level of the tasks we set our students when utilising ICT in our classrooms. Computers are the most expensive pencil a school will purchase and must be utilised to both stimulate and support our educational programs. By consciously questioning the level at which we utilise ICT within our classrooms we can raise its effectiveness as an educational tool. This can best be achieved by utilising computers as a construction tool rather than an instructional tool.

COMPETENCY	SKILLS DEMONSTRATED	SOFTWARE
Technical	• Master the processes of new technology to become confident with its operation. • Learning at this level must simply be prerequisite to a subsequent task. • Skills developed at this level must be applied soon after learning or they will be forgotten.	• All software
Knowledge	• Complete simple tasks (such as typing, opening and saving files) without instruction. • Navigate through instructional software that leads the user through the program by clicking on the correct buttons or answering the right question. • Search for information on the Internet using key words.	• Word processing • Linear programs requiring single answers to progress • Web browser
Application	• Extend word processing features by altering fonts, adding graphic images, borders and coloured elements. • Combine text and graphics to form a cohesive presentation with different elements. • Publish work, in a variety of formats, for a classroom display, on the school Intranet or the Internet. • Interpret data from one source for input into another.	• Word processing • PowerPoint • Desktop publishing • Inspiration
Creative	• Solve new problems by drawing on acquired knowledge to arrive at a solution. • Manipulate images to a desired size or format. • Compose a presentation utilising self created components.	• Photoshop • KidPix • Multimedia • Problem solving • Fireworks
Abstract Analysis	• Structure elements into correct technological order to build a working program. • Debug faulty file paths or code to ensure the correct operation of a project. • Link elements in a related or sequential order for logical navigation. • Interrelate components for data calculation and display.	• Web authoring • Flash • Visual Basic • Microworlds • Spreadsheets • Databases • Robotics
Synthesis	• Combine different data elements into a cohesive project. • Construct a project combining technical and non technical elements. • Modify an existing idea and present in a new format.	• Digital Video • "Good" Webquests
Independent	• Formulate, develop and construct a self devised solution to a given problem. • Assess, judge and modify the work in progress at regular intervals. • Select, combine and apply the appropriate tools to complete any given task.	• All software

LEVEL CHARACTERISTICS

Technical	The most basic level, where the mechanics of how the program operates are explained. Inservice courses are often attended to learn a program but the knowledge acquired is quickly forgotten if it is not applied soon after - sound familiar? Some technical teaching is necessary when any new program is introduced but needs to be kept to a minimum. Allow students "sandpit time" where they are free to explore the operation of a new program and to practise newly acquired technical skills before the class project begins.
Knowledge	The basic level of application where students complete tasks they have already done a multitude of times - "trained monkey" work, but nevertheless work that needs to be done. Once again work at this level should be a means to a greater end and not the project itself. There is very little value in having students type a piece of work and then print it off. To become meaningful to the student their work needs to be personalised through data manipulation or to be utilised as part of a wider project. The majority of software marketed to Primary Schools as "educational" falls into this low end category. Literacy and Numercy are not developed from using commercial "game style" programs for short periods each week. Students benefit far more from constructing within their own learning projects.
Application	This level is the first step towards the creative development of the project. Text can be manipulated into different fonts, size and colours. Backgrounds, borders and graphics are added. To develop greater skills keep the use of clipart to a bare minimun. Students learn far more by drawing their own images on the computer, scanning in a hand drawn image or importing a photo taken by the student. Programs with too many auto create features transfer very little construction knowledge to the user. Similarly, unnecessary animation and sound features detract from the learning process when utilising such a program.
Creative	Project construction develops at this level where students have full control over every element the work created. For younger students programs which challenge their problem solving abilities, eg. Zoombinis, develop their critical thinking skills. Students create and manipulate objects, eg. digital photos, altering images to a format suitable to their needs. The object they create are than able to be utilised in other software programs. Programs such as Hyperstudio allow text, graphics, animation and video crearted by students to be visually blended together in an interactive presentation.
Abstract Analysis	As students master the ability to compose elements they progress to working at a more abstract level with less visiual aid. Programming within a formal structure is a cause and consequnce procedure whereby students must continually examine and modify their work by debugging faulty or ineffecient elements of their project to achieve their final goal. Students construct projects that can be published in a real world situation, on a school Intranet or the wider Internet. Participating in external competitions such as RoboCup provides students with a great incentitve to develop their ICT related projects beyond that of mere school assesment.
Synthesis	ICT is most effective not when used in isolation but when the project requires students to combine a variety of technological and non technological learning tasks. Digital video projects and properly constructed webquests require a high level of immersion in the topic, combining research and development at many levels to construct the final product. Completion of such tasks requires co-operative planning, independent research, data analysis, value judgements and creative construction.
Independent	At this level students are able to formulate, evaluate and construct with minimal, if any, assistance. The set task should have no ICT guidelines, as each student constructs their own ICT framework for the presentation of the final product.