ONLINE EDUCA 2011 report
During ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2011 conference Jolanta Gałecka - Young Digital Planet’s Communication Specialist, presented our educational practices that respond to today’s needs, on the basis of our prize-winning eduSensus series. Jolanta participated in a session called New Educational Methods: What’s Developing Now That Will Be Used Tomorrow? Watch the video and read the report on the conference.
ONLINE EDUCA 2011 report
The conference was an immense event.
When there were keynote speakers presenting there was no question of boredom. They were engaging, spirited and always sharing something highly interesting, a different perspective that is so necessary in keeping one’s head above the mainstreams. The same happened when there was only one main speaker sharing the presentation like it happened with Pearson. A very engaging presentation, new approaches and ideas. Something you come to such events for.
So what has been discussed? A lot! I tried to summarize is in as short way as only possible but it still took several pages. But then it took 20 hours of listening and talking, so I guess few pages is a good summary when you consider the real side of it. Here we go then:
There should be a change of the name of a teacher. They should be called enablers, facilitators or leaders, not teachers. The process of education should be about learning not teaching. To teach meant to pull out not to push in ancient Rome.
It was said that the teachers should let the students learn.
We should not be talking about improving the education system. We do not need changes. We need a new education system. We do not need to digitalize the old. We need new eyes. We should be doing everything possible to morph to a wisdom society.
We seem to have forgotten that the purpose of education is to serve one’s country, to belong to one’s nation, trough citizenship or better even “homelandship”.
Competition is an old way. Now sharing means a better competition. But we actually need now mindset, not new eyes. Technology can provide a chance to learn the way and in the place that particular people like most. We need to make digital literacy supported by public entities. There should be a full range of funding and support. We need to make everybody realize that teachers need to be empowered which is not a waste of money but an investment in human capital. We also need to get the most out of every student. And we can achieve it all by tailoring the student and teacher experience.
What has been noticed is that reduction in poverty increases educational potential. The question however arises whether the educational world is ready for the changes.
Learning is in our DNA, so all we need is tools and access to it. Learning is instinctive. So technology is not changing how we learn it is changing what we learn. And the desire to learn must be cultivated.
Entrepreneurialism is the most important skill that can be taught. Old-school attitudes must change.
A global increase of IQ has been discussed (a so called Flynn Effect) and a statement made that without Wikipedia and Google we (some of us J) are stupid or at least ignorant.
The recent results of Nancy Sparrow research has been discussed (the Google Effect) combined with transactive memory. Google Books and the immense potential that they enable to view the changes and the effects of propaganda or suppression on certain names within the whole corpus. It was said that the distribution of knowledge in Wikipedia is really unreliable. Depending on the source or sometimes simply due to a large dissemination, people personal ‘pages’ take unexpected and unjust shapes that cannot be verified.
What constitutes education? There are 5 aspects: tell, show, do review and ask. They change with technology. Forget curve was discussed and the retention which is 5-6 times better from the games. Clustering effect was mentioned and the implications arising from it. If people tend to cluster together, sharing similar qualities then technology can really change education.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was mentioned together with the theory of flow and the observations of Thomas Malone.
An idea to use cartoons from around the world for learning purposes was introduced. As there is more than one truth and the cartoons use a universal language of symbols and when the children cooperate with professional cartoonists then – what we were shown – amazing things come out of such a cooperation. Also comics’ journalism was introduced.
A different approach to education was shared, one for a faculty friendly classroom, where one enters a classroom to teach and the technology just works, you do not need to concern yourself with it. It was also raised that the technology in the classrooms should be consistent and manageable with the support team at hand.
Games were discussed in many presentations and the aspects of them. Like the fact that they contain visualized information, a very diverse, rich and permanent reward system. The performance of students is captured and they can reflect on it later. Games are fully operational teaching machines that develop rapid response to a challenge, often based on intrinsic motivation and keeping you engaged according to the ludological approach where it is stated that rewards keep one engaged.
There is so much one can learn from capturing the data on presence, perseverance, percentage of tasks completed, time spent studying vs. playing, drinking coffee or being on Facebook, involvement in the task or the amount of times one was late to classes. But where is the line for one’s own privacy?
People say that you cannot teach everything on a computer. But the examples I have seen during the conference, both at the presentations and later on at the dinners’ or lunch breaks’ discussions made me think this statement is definitely not true. I have seen a great example of teaching art online (with the perspective in drawing a human body), I listened to amazing examples of teaching sports through videos and games.
The process of learning has changed throughout the years. First people were basing on memorization, then reading, then there was course based learning and finally role playing, news-based, entertaining and hands-on learning. Now we are into eLearning, Mobile learning, Web 2.0 with wikis, podcasts and blogs. What about generation M? Media-oriented multi-taskers with multi-modal and multi-nodal learning. Bare technology is not the answer to everything. Technology demands purpose and standard-issue students are very rare.
So what do we have to do?
We have to stop ignoring the research, design more cross-curricular courses, teach students how to be creative and innovative and teach communication, computer, cultural and collaboration competencies on top of the core curriculum. We also have to employ authentic, natural and practical assessment, where personalization and relevancy are the key.
And we need to teach to form the problem. The mistake we are making nowadays is giving all the relevant data upfront.
We have learnt that what really works is peer to peer learning, informed mentoring, learning by observing, practical exercises and activities, and supported guidance.
At the debate we have argued forth and against technology reducing our freedom. It has been argued that people have been afraid of all new developments and discoveries: fire, automobile and even doorbell. People will find a way to strike a balance between what is acceptable and what is necessary in regards to freedom protection and remittance. At the same it was pointed out that technology also enables liberty by providing hands-on evidence and surveillance of crime and injustice. It also provides more choice which equals more freedom. But we need to remember that when one is using something for free one is most likely a product him or herself.
Some presenters stressed out that the quality of learning lies within us. That the ‘why’ drives the ‘how’ and the more we are motivated the better the learning process will be. We need to combine the thinking styles with the senses and refer it all to our experiences, mix concepts with techniques and add the human factor to all that.
Because right now we are desensitized to do repetitive tasks, where all the unknowns to the formulas are given and learning is disjointed from educational process. We are training students for factory work. The change we so desperately require should be seen as an opportunity not as something we need to adopt to.
We are forgetting things faster than we are can learn them. Teaching has little to do with learning, where the first is the content game on how to transfer the knowledge and the latter is the context game, where participation changes the experience.
We should shift from community to a collective, cause the first one created a feeling of belonging but the more people participate the more diluted it becomes, whereas people belong to collective in order to learn something and the more people there are the better the learning. Collective is more robust.
The learning environment should be like a petri dish – unlimited in the inside but bounded on the outside, where imagination plays a vital part, learning happens and questions lat longer than the answers. Because asking questions and formulate problems is the most powerful way to address both the content and the context.
We were reminded that to assess originally meant to sit beside or to have a dialog. It was to relate to every individual. Facilitate and enhance the student rather than intimidate and stress out. So the current structure of the school where one teacher is supposed to relate to 200 or more students on the weekly basis makes it simply impossible. By human nature impossible as the human being is incapable of cognitively following more than 150 relationships altogether.
Gathering the data seems to be a way of getting towards the customization of the learning process. Teachers need to be given time to spend with their students. There should be methods for an effective feedback used: polls, online discussions and quizzes.
New ideas for Augmented Reality were shown, including audio recordings played at a specific time and place, assisted by GPS.
The power of story was underlined. Kids identify with characters. But you need language specific professionals in order to prepare games for particular nationalities.
And of course there was much, much more but I missed it due to the way the conference was arranged and I cannot help but having this feeling of some loss. All in all it was a very successful event. I just wish that next time there weren’t as many speakers. Maybe the organizers should attend all the presentations to see for themselves what is going on and what kind of choices should not be made the following year. Because it is a very old saying that quantity does not mean quality.
How I wish the sessions were recorded just like TED conferences are, where I can always go back and listen to it. Because good ideas are worth sharing and the power of sharing brings better competition and better results for our future. SO I hope that next year will bring some changes as I hope my voice is not a lone cry in the darkness :-)
Jolanta Gałecka
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Special attention to Special Needs
Special attention to Special Needs
See the problem and share your thoughts with us - info@ydp.eu
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Child Speech Development
by
Katarzyna Szady
Young Digital Planet
Child speech development is a long-term process and starts already in the prenatal period (prior to the child being born). The research demonstrates that in the foetal life all the organs necessary to speech creation as well as its reception are developed. What’s more, the child commences carrying out the activities directly related with development of this function, namely: starts to suck fingers, receives the acoustic-vibration impressions – also including mother’s voice, and swallows the waters. While being born, the vast majority of babies is ready to commence the activity of eating that is the ability preceding speaking.
An extremely important factor influencing the proper development of the speech organs is the method of children’s feeding. Natural feeding is of a great value, in which all the speech organs are active: lips, tongue and jaw (the lower jaw) that during this way of eating makes the same movements as during the subsequent chewing of solid food. It is also very important that during this type of activities breathing is synchronised with the activity of eating and eye contact is established with mother, which is often the beginning of creating of a strong bond between them, as well as it influences the visual perception and eye-locomotive coordination development.
In the correct speech development the following stages can be differentiated:
- The period of melody (up to 1 year of life)
- The period of a word (from 1 to 2 years of life)
- The period of a sentence (from 2 to 3 years of life)
- The period of child characteristic speech (from 3 to 7 years of life)
The period of melody – the child mainly shouts and cries, in this way passing on at the beginning unknowingly various “information” to the other persons, for example about the fact that he/she is hungry or it is too hot for them. This is also a perfect exercising for the breathing functions, correct development and functioning of which constitutes the basis of speech activity.
Around the 3 month of life the child starts so called gurgling, that is emits various sounds, which is most often connected with the locomotive activity of the baby and his/her good mood and disposition. At this stage of development of speech, the child does not imitate the sounds from the surroundings, but creates thereof spontaneously and in this way exercises the speech organs.
In the second half of the first year of life prattling occurs, which is characterised with a conscious repeating of sounds heard from the surroundings. It is interesting that during the prattling many phones are articulated correctly and clearly, and in the following periods of speech development various irregularities appear in their realisation.
The period of a word – the child more often uses in his/her statements words, though at the beginning of this stage of speech development this is only either the initial or final syllable of a given word. One can also notice a frequent use of so called sound-imitating creations in the function of a word for example: /bam/, /am/.
The period of a sentence – at the beginning of this stage of speech development the child joins two words with each other and they fulfill the function of a sentence. Further on verbless sentences are produces, and at the end simple sentences.
The period of child characteristic speech – at this stage many children have a huge need of verbal expression and carrying out a dialogue with other persons. However, the abilities of constructing of correct statements are at a low level, therefore one can notice various neologisms, reordering and shortenings, etc. in the child’s language.
Statements are incorrect from the linguistic point of view, but at the same time logically related with the contents or grammatical form of the words. For example: ‘holded’ shall mean ‘held’ etc.
An extremely important factor influencing optimum development of child’s speech is the environment in which he/she grows.
The factors favourably influencing child’s speech development comprise:
- Frequent conversations, during which the child will have an opportunity to express their own preferences and describe their emotional states. This will also allow eliminating so called “difficult behaviour.”
- Common looking at and reading books and talks concerning the contents read or illustrations looked at. It is important that the first bought books should have pages made of hard cardboard (frequent looking at and awkward turning over of the pages may cause their quick damage). The illustrations should be individual and of a large size, which is related with a low efficiency of visual synthesis and analysis of a little child. In particular we would recommend thematic books for example: “Pets,” “Toys,” etc. The pictures, contents and size of such books are wholly adjusted to the kid’s cognitive abilities.
- Continuous enrichment of vocabulary in the course of various every day activities, for example cooking of a dinner, a walk in the park. One should remember about naming objects, characteristics of the objects and activities.
- Making use of good multimedia software that is aimed at enriching of children vocabulary, developing the communication abilities and using correct grammar rules. Realisation of the purposes is supported by animated characters that often encourage to commence a dialogue.
- Answering the child’s questions and providing them additional knowledge, information about the issues bothering them.
- Buying the child of wise that is stimulating toys that should enrich the little man with new experience, develop imagination and model majority of senses: vision, hearing, touch.
- Encouraging frequent contacts with peers and enabling the child to establish social relations with other persons.
- Continuous encouraging the child’s self-expression and independent eating of food, in particular the solid food. During this activity the child makes the movements of chewing that are a perfect exercise favourably influencing the articulatory efficiency of the speech apparatus. Mixing of food or an excessive crumbling thereof do not positively influence the lower jaw and jaw, lips and tongue motor activity, which may at a later time cause incorrect pronunciation of various phones.
- Introducing to the ability of carrying out of a dialogue, in particular the ability of listening to the interlocutor.
It is assumed that at the end of the seventh year of life the child should properly utter all the phones, including the most difficult ones: r as in red, th as in this, th as in thing.
At the earlier age the phones are substituted with the other ones and this constitutes so called language norm, for example instead of the word /bath/ the child says /baf/ or instead of /roared/ the child says /wawed/. If such state remains for a too long a time, it should be consulted with a speech therapist, as well as all the other “strange” irregularities in the child verbal expression. The earlier the alarming symptoms are noticed during eating solid and liquid food and during verbal statements, the greater are the chances to eliminate the dysfunction and for correct development of the child’s speech.
Bibliography:
1. Kaczmarek, L., (1988). Nasze dziecko uczy się mowy. Lublin: Wydawnictwo Lubelskie.
2. Minczakiewicz, M., E., (1997). Mowa. Rozwój – zaburzenia – terapia. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe WSP.
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eduSensus
If you talk to teachers nowadays and ask them how they perceive their students, they will - most likely - tell you that the level of children's development has decreased. That the number of students and the diversification of the class make the teaching process very hard, almost impossible. Also the number of children with disorders seems to be growing and there are more and more children classified as having Special Needs.
So what seems to be wrong?
We are educating our children too late or not adequately and sufficiently enough. Children have an amazing potential and the earlier we start the bigger the potential. But I am not talking about teaching children to read and write when they are 2 years old. Quite the opposite - I am talking about an overall enhancement of all the developmental skills, adjusted to the pace of individual path of a particular child. The way eduSensus has been prepared.
Because Special Needs can - in many cases - be prevented if we start the education process early enough and stimulate all the areas of a child's development. And that's where multimedia comes in very handy.
Children learn by watching, listening, babbling, imitating, analysing, playing, repeating, trying and interacting with the world and manipulating it. They should be allowed to follow that path at their own pace but they should also be guided properly and provided with necessary tools. The child is ready to accumulate, associate and transform the inputs it receives from the world.
Taking this into account it is essential that the resources provided for the children include as many stimulations as there are in the real world. The only way to provide it is by including multimedia such as videos, animations, photos and sounds. The real world is not still but neither is it just a movie.
Multimedia in eduSensus provides the most natural and comprehensive, individualised but guided path of development. It also allows the necessary engagement and fun that will increase the child's natural curiosity.
Almost 20 years of experience have given Young Digital Planet the necessary knowledge to prepare the perfect tool. Thanks to multimedia, eduSensus stimulates all types of intelligence: children can watch, engage, converse, listen, imitate, create, think, solve problems and have fun while reinforcing their skills and sharpening their senses.
With eduSensus the education process is fun and provides endless opportunities for repetition. The impact of the product goes well beyond the computer world as it contains hundreds of printable materials, videos with physical exercises to be followed, musical activities to be performed, recitation and even sign language. It is a different approach to education, one that takes the individuality of each child and their natural surroundings into account.
"eduSensus – The role of multimedia in supporting Early & Special Needs Education" – an article by Jola Galecka, is featured in the latest "Media & Learning News". – a Media in Education Newsletter. This newsletter is aimed at people actively engaged in promoting excellence in the use of media in education and is linked to the annual MEDEA Awards and Media & Learning Conference.
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eduSensus
Watch our Promo Video for the series:
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Causes of speech disorders
by
Katarzyna Szady
Young Digital Planet
Speech disorders result from many reasons and therefore they are characterised with varied symptoms and diverse symptoms’ intensity. Many authors divide the speech disorders’ reasons into two basic groups:
- Extrinsic, also called environmental
- Intrinsic.
The extrinsic (environmental) reasons for speech disorders comprise:
- Incorrect speech models with which the child encounters every day. Using by the persons from the closest surrounding of the child of the language incompliant with the Polish language standards, also including too infantile language.
- Incorrect models, educational methods and related therewith so called parental attitudes that may adversely influence development of speech, for example: overprotective attitude is often related with helping the child out with various activities, also including independent expressing oneself;
- Too rare engaging of the child into conversations, dialogue and too poor stock of vocabulary which the little man encounters;
- A lack of making use of so called sensitive period for speech development (the largest development potential of this function) in the age from 2 to 5 years – too little number of the stimuli provided thanks to which the verbal development proceeds in an optimum manner. This concerns both the grammatical side of the verbal statements as well as the lexical stock.
The intrinsic sources of speech disorders comprise:
- Irregularities in the structure of speech organs and incorrect way of their functioning for example: occlusion defect, structure of palate, efficiency of tongue, etc.
- Irregularities in the structure and functioning of the organ of hearing. The most often reasons comprise impaired hearing or deafness. The nature of such type of disorders is a lack of the possibility of learning speech via imitation of the sounds from the surroundings.
First of all it is the speech therapist that deals with a precise diagnosis of the speech disorders, also making use of additional tests that are made by other specialists and therapists. Most often they are physicians of various specialisations and psychologist, counsellor and other speech therapists, for example: surdo-speech therapist, neuro-speech therapist, typhlo-speech therapist, oligophreno-speech therapist.
Bibliography:
1. Minczakiewicz, E., M., (1997). Mowa. Rozwój – zaburzenie – terapia. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe WSP.
2. Styczek, I., (1981). Logopedia. Warszawa: PWN.
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BETT 2011 presentations - eduSensus
See the second in the series of product presentations that took place during BETT 2011. If you have any questions regarding this product, please contact us at info@ydp.eu.
To find out more about eduSensus please visit the product page.
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