Digital media and learning - The English Student Book Project

I encountered a tweet the other day asking for participant to an international collaborative book project. The book project turned out to be for

English

st

udents in a Norwegian school, and the project was that the students should collaboratively write a book about teaching and digital media. Really a cool and ambitious project.

As part of the project they posed 8 questions they would like feedback on from their PLN. Happily I qualified. This post is my answer.

But first a little more about the English Student Book Project. In the introduction it says:

“This is a book about learning online in a transparent world. This is a book about teachers and students learning together. This is a book written by students on topics they are passionate about, and topics they need to learn more about. It is not a book written by a teacher or educational experts telling you what students want. It's a book written by students and their teacher in a collaborative project where every voice counts.

We are still in the writing process and we would love to hear from you and get your input on the topic!“

(The Book Project)

The book is divided into ten chapters and the 9th of these is giving voice to others “Advice from our PLN”. The questions the students want answered:

• What do you think of writing a book in English class? What do you think about our book project?
• What do you think about using more digital tools in school? Can it help students learn and is it motivational?
• Would you read the book and perhaps use it yourself?
• What do you think about students & a teacher writing a book together, as a collaborative project? Could others do the same?
• What do you think is the most exciting part of our book?  
• Do you think the concept of writing a book about teaching others is creative/smart etc.. What is your opinion?
• Do you think that teachers would like to read a book on using social media and technology to connect and learn written by students?
• If you were to buy the book, would you prefer it on paper or as an E-book?

My answer goes as follow:

1. What do you think of writing a book in English class? What do you think about our book project?

I think that education for one part is preparing students to the work life they’ll meet at some point in life. One way of preparing students for a future work life is for them working with real and authentic challenges. Writing a book in collaboration indeed meets these requirements. A book project is authentic communication in that there are real addressees out there. Organizing the project is a meaningful activity. Considering, working with and writing about topics as teaching, technology, 21. century requirements etc and the relationships the topics in between is highly relevant. It would be great to read about students’ and learners’ approaches, feelings, opinions, experiences etc with teaching and learning processes with teaching, learning and technology. To reflect upon one’s own learning and learning process is a way of enhancing the effect (and affect) of learning and the book project is very likely to support this kind of meta-learning - learning about the way one learn. Collaboration is in itself something that is highly relevant to learn and to practice.

It make so much sense that students together with a teacher or a team of teachers are writing a book collaboratively. I support this book project and would like to shout out loud about it anyway I can letting other students and teachers know about it cause it sounds like a great project.

2. What do you think about using more digital tools in school? Can it help students learn and is it motivational?

The teaching institutions are a fundamental part of the society it is placed within. I think the idea of schooling is to mirror that society - but also to be a place in part disconnected from society; a safe ground for experimenting and playing with knowledge and practices and forms for knowledge and practices.

The schools should be at level with society when it comes to forms of practices which includes the way things are done. In the 21th century a lot of work processes includes the use of digital technology. Using different kinds of digital technology should, therefore, also be part of the practices of teaching and learning in schools. Competencies in using different tools solving different challenges is a basic part of schooling/teaching.

When it comes to another principal part of education, namely literacy, digital technology also play a big part. Literacy may be translated as the ability of each individual to take part in societal processes and develop as an autonomous individual within communities. This might sound a little abstract. Literacy means in more plain English that one should be able to relate to what’s going on in one’s own life and vicinities. One can speak up for what one believes. Literacy is an important part of an individual’s way of existence - being in the world.

What I’m trying to say is that literacy among a lot of other things has to do with the ability to communicate and relate to others. Doing that in the current society means being able to communicate and form or maintain relationships using digital media and social media.

The subjects taught in school are highly affected by new technologies (think about science, biology, esthetic expressions etc) so digital technologies play an inherent role within the subjects. It would be anachronistic if the teaching of the subjects do not reflect the changes within the subjects themselves.

Teaching is based on problem solving. Making teaching and learning as authentic as possible students are given assignment where they are to solve some kind of problem. Problem solving in ‘real life’ is very often and i a lot of respects dependent on technology use. So it ought to be in schools as well.

It is, however, equally important that students are stimulated in all sorts of fashion. Diversity is a very important part of learning - and students have to work in a multiple ways. Working without technology can be a very good and meaningful challenge and, hence, support learning.

I could go on listing benefits of using different technologies in teaching and how it supports learning. It all boils down for students to participate in meaningful activities with a predefined outcome - that is the definition of formal schooling. As mentioned above digital technology can be supportive of collaborative processes which should be a part of many learning activities.

I don’t think that digital technologies a particular motivational except as a break from other kind of work. When students say that they are motivated by the use of technology, I think they are referring to either that it is an exception or that the activity they are engaged in feels more meaningful doing with technology than without. They are not talking about technology as such but technology as part of doing something in a way that make sense for them. And in that a lot of students use computers or other devices as a primary tool for spare time activities it doesn’t make sense to do something in a more difficult just because it is school work; and they also miss the different aids technology often provide (as spelling check, fast fact finding, pictures insertion etc.).

3. Would you read the book and perhaps use it yourself?

I would be very happy and curious reading the book. I think it is important to listen in to as many voices as possible when it comes to education. The student’s voice is often not heart in school development and a book written by students would be a great source for information about how the think and feel about teaching and learning and schooling. It is important, though, that neither the students’ voice, the teachers’ voice, the administrators’ voice or the politicians’ voice is a kind ‘truth’. Voice are perspectives and they will probably be contradictory within the groups. Development of better educational practices is very complex and students are not the only ones with legitimate interests in education and improvement of education.

4 What do you think about students & a teacher writing a book together, as a collaborative project? Could others do the same?

Great - I think my answer is covered by the above (esp 1 and 2)

5. What do you think is the most exciting part of our book?  

Let me recapitulate two things which I find of uppermost importance with the book project:

a. the learning process as multifaceted: at lot of learning objectives will be - have the possibility of being - met.

b. voicing students

6. Do you think the concept of writing a book about teaching others is creative/smart etc.. What is your opinion?

I find the book project a great teaching/learning activity. If students take ownership writing a book together is a very creative and smart activity.

From a teacher’s perspective: It is not without risks, though. The project seem to be very big and there will be a risk that students lose interests before finishing. What about students who do not buy into the projects? How to engage everybody - all the included students - in the project? I can imaging a lot of problems with a project of this scope - but if you never risk anything you never gain, so go for it. Take all the precautions necessary (and imaginable beforehand) and be willing to give support where needed in due time. Be prepared to work overtime in a period for risk management. Involve colleagues and seek support from others. And most important of all: share your experiences about the project with other teachers - spread the good stories as well as the challenging ones.

7. Do you think that teachers would like to read a book on using social media and technology to connect and learn written by students?

All teachers interested in their own subject will indulge in a book like this - of course. Good teachers - as teacher are most - are interested in hearing news about their subject and ways of teaching it.

8. If you were to buy the book, would you prefer it on paper or as an E-book?

I think that an e-book - or a wiki - would be the more suitable for a book like the one you are writing. I’ve read other books about how clever web 2.0 - social media, digital media - is conveyed in a book without any digital enhancements. That is of course no problem. You can learn from reading an analogue book. But if you sametime claims a lot of benefits from digital media it would kind of undermine the argument not using those benefits in your own communication. In fact I think that you should break up the chapters in a wiki and you’ll be able to update the sub-pages whenever needed.

The best of luck to you all and your project. I’m looking forward to see it realized.