tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post489822824137767864..comments2024-03-29T07:39:48.764-04:00Comments on A Principal's Reflections: Engagement Does Not Always Equate to LearningEric Sheningerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733305358794643322noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-14139759668511488882016-02-11T19:12:57.082-05:002016-02-11T19:12:57.082-05:00I would thoroughly agree with the sentiments of th...I would thoroughly agree with the sentiments of this article.Last year, the 2014 Naplan ICT literacy results were released. What it showed is that exposure to ICT for students does not create ICT capable students.This is the problem that many schools have. In Australia, the government has spent $2 billion on technology in the classroom. All that is good.However, the perception appears to be that if give access to students to the technology, it would suffice. Yes, technology is great for motivation and engagement of students, it also should enhance the content learning and most importantly, it should give teachers the opportunity to develop student ICT capabilty and not just ICT skills. You can give students all the fancy and new technology available, but if there isn't a system that will ensure progression and continuity in student ICT capability, it is a waste of resources.ICTE Solutions Australiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627904042314205829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-29903351075723395022015-03-20T19:48:24.974-04:002015-03-20T19:48:24.974-04:00I agree and I feel like that is why learning targe...I agree and I feel like that is why learning targets have had such an impact on my teaching. They aren't novel concepts, but I felt before that I was always just picking lessons based on what was engaging. As I jumped from cool sounding activity to cool sounding activity (and as a social studies teacher, you have lots of options), I was just not focused enough on (or assessing) exactly what they were learning from it.<br /><br />I think engagement strategies should come after one has decided on the key learning targets.boonec1974https://www.blogger.com/profile/17948326639930610842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-68582534397901070082015-03-12T10:00:30.270-04:002015-03-12T10:00:30.270-04:00I wonder which is more problematic... a high degre...I wonder which is more problematic... a high degree of engagement with questionable learning... or a low degree of engagement with questionable learning... Both happen in the classroom and both are problematic. However, I would guess that the latter is historically more common. Of course, the sweet spot here would be a high degree of engagement with a high degree of learning... the hard stuff - the art and science of teaching/learning. You're right, that too often, we focus on one or the other rather than both. I think the current obsession with curriculum packed, performance-based, standardized and high stakes assessments drive the low engagement scenario... and when we try to leverage new technologies and learning spaces in this climate, we get what someone referred to on NPR this morning as chocolate covered broccoli (sorry to anyone who loves broccoli). Or, using a phrase that Sarah Palin is so commonly know for, "put lipstick on a pig and you still have a pig". If learning with technology is to truly make a difference with both learning and engagement, we need to talk about transformative uses, spaces, and contexts, I think.<br /><br />By the way, those percentages on Dale's Cone are mostly myth and should be banned from any relationship with Bloom's Taxonomy.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01927472664815750779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-90125096009258912842015-03-10T13:27:30.421-04:002015-03-10T13:27:30.421-04:00I really liked the video you had embedded in your ...I really liked the video you had embedded in your post.Eric Sheningerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13733305358794643322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5931834670826653533.post-27984589802547293162015-03-08T12:35:44.769-04:002015-03-08T12:35:44.769-04:00"Engagement" is a word that tends to dri..."Engagement" is a word that tends to drive me nuts too. Just because kids are paying attention to the teacher speaking at the front of the classroom, it does NOT mean they are engaged. I wrote a post about cognitive engagement and what it should mean for the learning process. It runs along similar lines as your post. I'll take any thoughts regarding this, given your expertise. http://bormannbytes.com/2015/02/02/what-does-engagement-mean-in-the-classroom-edchat/ Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com