Teacher Made Digital Content_Workshop Report (1)

REPORT 1
Educational Technology and Management Academy
2
Workshop on
Personalized Digital Content Generation
Executive Summary
Educational Technology and Management Academy (ETMA) conducted a 3-Day
workshop on Personalized Digital Content Generation (PDCG) for 28 teachers sponsored
by Gurgaon Progressive Schools Conference (GPSC). The participants chose a chapter
from their own textbooks prescribed by the school; reconstructed curriculum the way
they would like to, wrote audio scripts, identified and accessed visuals from open
education resources (OER), recorded commentary and mix-n-match with visuals. They
created either in batches of two or individually digital contents that cover the entire
chapter in less than 25% of the time and also represent their very own personal styles.
They were thrilled, “we could do it”. But also lamented, “Wish this was a 4-day
programme”
Backdrop
Young persons, students included, are immersed in technology – cell phone, computer games and
simulations, WhatsApp, Chat, Net surfing, video conferencing, digital book reading, graphic
designing, etc. They collaborate and solve problems (home works included) on phone through sms
and mms, transfer of visuals and videos through WhatsApp and variety of other apps. This is not
true for elders – teachers included. The gap is visible and widening.
Schools are adopting and absorbing technology. Finance, administration, personnel and examination
management are favourite areas of technology intervention. This is not true for classroom
processes. The ‘private space’ in education is where teaching learning processes go on. That private
space continues to be guarded by conventional lectures or paraphrased textbook conversation.
Though there are classrooms fitted with smart boards, there are few smart classes as smart classes
are made of smart teachers, and not smart boards.
Progressive schools are committed to development of higher order thinking skills among students.
Teachers are also aware that only by involving and engaging students directly into learning tasks,
HOTs can be developed. With the overwhelming burden on ‘covering the syllabus’ teachers are
clueless how to find time to engage students in learning tasks. The secret is in covering the syllabus
more efficiently in shorter time span to create time for activities. ETMA developed the new
pedagogical model of ICT Integrated Blended Learning Design (iBLD).
One important and inseparable component of iBLD is digital content. The digital content takes care
of ‘covering the syllabus’. A chapter that requires upto four periods (140 minutes) in conventional
teaching format can be completely covered in 12 to 15 minutes of digital content. This generates
time for engaging students into a well chosen set of learning tactics (activities). ETMA identified as
many as 70 learning tactics. ETMA successfully experimented with iBLD with more than 1500
teachers from public schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas and state government schools. But then key
factors are
a. Quality and relevance of the digital content; and
b. Matching of the digital content with the very personal style of the teacher.
Educational Technology and Management Academy
REPORT 3
Large number of public schools possesses a large number of educational videos, but grossly
underutilized because the contents do not match the syllabus and textbook that a teacher is
expected to transact; and teachers don’t affiliate themselves with such off the shelf digital contents.
Every teacher has a unique personality and style of her own as a teacher. If she can develop digital
content herself, it fulfils several requirements:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
She can create perfect fit with her syllabus and textbooks;
She owns the digital content with pride because it is her own CREATION;
She situates it to her school and background of students (builds in situated cognition);
The Digital Content represents her personal and instructional style; and
She proudly uses it in her classroom.
ETMA, with its mission of pioneering innovations, tried its hands on creating Personalized Digital
Content Generation (PCDG) by teachers. ETMA’s next effort was to diffuse the innovation to
teachers – they should prepare their own digital contents. Thanks to GPSC, it took up to promote
the innovation. ETMA conducted a 3-Day workshop on PCDG at Salwan Public School Gurgaon,
attended by 28 teachers from 25th to 27th May, 2015 (Appendix II).
The programme comprised 8 steps:
Viewing and reviewing experimental PCDG;
Case Study of an iBLD
Selecting a topic either individually or in a batch of two teachers;
Curriculum Development – redefining the contents;
Script writing
Accessing open source visuals from the Net corresponding to the frames of the script;
Voice recording;
Finishing
1. Viewing and reviewing experimental PCDG:
ETMA has prepared few PCDG and some of them are on the chapters like ‘When the earth
shook’, ‘A Snake Charmer's Story’, ‘Super senses’ from NCERT Text book of EVS for class V. The
workshop commenced with the viewing of video on When the Earth Shook. Teachers were
allowed and encouraged to buzz among themselves. They appreciated the quality and the short
time within which entire chapter and more was covered in just 14 minutes. They appreciated
PCDG and confirmed that students will learn better with this media.
2. Case Study of an iBLD
This case is on the same theme -- ‘When the Earth Shook’ mentioned above. Sequence of
events in actual classroom in ETMA School is given below:
Educational Technology and Management Academy
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Workshop on
Personalized Digital Content Generation
Period 1
1. Video was shown to students without any interruption;
2. Video was shown after a brief buzz session allowing interruption by students;
3. Home work: Please glance through the chapter if you wish to.
Period 2
4. Video loaded on laptops; three children per laptop allowing move forward-backward,
discussion, taking notes, etc.
5. Home work: Consult elders about their experience about earthquake;
Period 3
6. Team of three surfing internet for Earthquake in Japan; History of Earthquake and
Seismograph;
7. Presentation of reports of consultation of elders and web surfing;
Period 4
8. Formative Assessment
9. Interaction with teacher
10. Revisiting the video.
3. Selecting a topic:
The topics were selected from the textbooks of publications like NCERT, Oxford, Ratna Sagar,
DAV, Mathsight Britannica Publication, etc. used by the teacher as prescribed by the school
(Appendix I). The teachers worked either individually or in a batch of two teachers from the
same discipline.
4. Curriculum Development- redefining the contents:
As part of curriculum development, teachers carried out content analysis of the chapter
identifying the concepts, and corresponding examples, and illustrations; teachers were
encourage to add more examples from their and students’ experiences for enhancing situated
cognition. The content was further enriched depending upon the teachers’ perception and
understanding what the content should be. Teachers then re-sequenced the contents
according to her understanding and specialization. Teachers had to assign weightages to each
concept in terms of time and emphasis.
5. Script writing:
Teachers, then, undertook script writing for the digital content. They spelt out – ‘what will they
speak if they had to teach in the classroom’ each content and their associated examples and
illustrations. As they wrote in the form of statements, they were introduced into the concept of
frames, and the structures. Teachers practiced editing their writing to convert into short frames
with carefully chosen vocabulary. Frames were made short. Sentences were simple and short.
Vocabulary chosen had to be within the reach of the students; yet offering brevity – using least
number of words. It was not easy for the teachers. It’s not surprising. Script writers hold the
key to quality of a programme. It’s a specialized job. But majority of the teachers did
reasonably well.
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REPORT 5
6.
Accessing open source visuals from the Net:
Corresponding to the frames of the script, teachers had to access visuals for illustrations.
Teachers were shown how to access open sources on the net. Issues were choice – still
pictures and cartoons, video files and animation, relevance of the visuals, number of visuals,
resolution and compositional quality of the visuals, shaping and reshaping the visuals, e.g.
cropping, trimming or muting, etc. A special training session was devoted on Composition
and Quality of Visuals. To create effect, teachers were recommended to use one visual for
every 4 to 5 seconds (approximately 8 to 10 spoken words). Teachers seemed to be more
excited in this activity.
7.
Voice recording:
Teachers had to now merge the audio with visuals. There are several ways. One teacher
presented her visuals as PPT slides explaining each slide as per her script. ETMA
videographer shot her as she spoke. Majority of the teachers read out their script on the
computer using recording facility. They had to change the visuals to correspond with the
audio. Not very easy. But majority of the teachers were grossly involved in the activity. They
kept trying till they were satisfied. For a better understanding, teachers were asked to be
careful about the pace of recording, not to exceed 100 to 120 words per minute. There are
different ways of recording the voice over -by using microphone, using laptops or smart
phones.
8.
Finishing:
After the recording of the audio script the audio and the visuals (still pictures and videos)
has to be synchronized so that there is no mismatch between the visuals and the audio
recorded. Trainers from ETMA mentioned that they used editing table to give the finish.
Outcome:
All the teachers were able to do curriculum development, script writing and part of visualization.
Some of the teachers, either individually or in group, were able to generate their digital content.
They presented their digital contents to the whole group. Participants appreciated and cheered
each other. They were given a good feedback by the experts on how to improve the quality.
Educational Technology and Management Academy
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Workshop on
Personalized Digital Content Generation
Appendix - I
List of topics and textbooks
Sl. No.
Topic Chosen
Textbook
1
Water
OXFORD
2
Motions of the Earth
RATNA SAGAR
3
Formatting in MS Word
BRAINY MEGABYTES ,MB PUBLISHING
4
Lost spring
NCERT
5
Carbon and its compounds
NCERT SCIENCE
6
Keeping it from Harold
NCERT
7
Reflection of light
NCERT
8
Water
NCERT
9
Resources
NCERT
10
Generations of Computer
BITS AND BYTES, PM PUBLICATION
11
Life in deserts
NCERT
12
Understanding quadrilaterals
NCERT
13
Light
NCERT
14
Time
MATHSIGHT BRITANNICA PUBLICATION
15
Food and health
DAV PUBLICATION
16
Resources & development
NCERT
17
Money
NCERT
18
Components of food
NCERT
19
Environment
NCERT
Educational Technology and Management Academy
Appendix
- II
REPORT
7
List of Participants
Sl.
No.
Name
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Ms. Bharti Arora
Ms. Seema Gaur
Ms. Pinky Shekhawat
Ms. Shweta Gupta
Ms. Runa Chattejee
Ms. Pooja Yadav
Ms. Navina Das
Ms. Farah Awasthi
Ms. Neetu Bhateja
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Ms. Arshi Nagpal Grover
Ms. Rubal Dudeja
Ms. Neena Bhaskar
Ms. Sujata Khanna
Ms. Sushma Sharma
Ms. Vandna Daroch
Ms. Harsh Vandana
Ms. Tuneer Rana
Ms. Shubhra Verma
Ms. Alka Vinaik
20
Ms. Sonia Behal
21
Ms. Shivani Chawla
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Ms. Deepa Aneja
Ms. Roma Panwar
Ms. Henna Daryani
Ms. Neeraj Kapoor
Ms. Prativamayee Marimganti
Ms. Geeta Sehgal
Ms. Sheetal Jethi Kapoor
School
S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sector-47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sector-47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sector-47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sector-47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sector-47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon
Rotary Public School, Sector- 22, Gurgaon
Meenakshi Public School, Sector- 10 A, Gurgaon
Meenakshi Public School, Sector- 10 A, Gurgaon
Salwan Public School (Afternoon), G.L. Salwan Marg,
Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi
DAV Public School, Sector-14, Gurgaon
Summer Fields School, A block, DLF Phase -1, Gurgaon
Summer Fields School, A block, DLF Phase -1, Gurgaon
Summer Fields School, A block, DLF Phase -1, Gurgaon
Summer Fields School, A block, DLF Phase -1, Gurgaon
Rotary Public School, Sector- 22, Gurgaon
Lion Public School, Sector -10 A ,Gurgaon
Summer Fields School, A block, DLF Phase -1, Gurgaon
Salwan Public School, Mayur Vihar- III, Delhi
Salwan Public School (Morning), G.L.Salwan Marg ,
Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi
Salwan Public School (Morning), G.L.Salwan Marg ,
Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi
Salwan Public School (Afternoon), G.L.Salwan Marg ,
Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi
DAV Public School, Sector-14, Gurgaon
DAV Public School, Sector-14, Gurgaon
Rotary Public School, Sector- 22, Gurgaon
Lion Public School, Sector -10 A ,Gurgaon
CCA School, Sector- 4, Gurgaon
Rotary Public School, Sector- 22, Gurgaon
Salwan Public School, Mayur Vihar- III, Delhi
Educational Technology and Management Academy
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Workshop on
Personalized Digital Content Generation
Annexure - III
Evaluative Comments by Teachers
It was a very enriching workshop, we really learnt a lot from it.
Work shop was very inspiring, we realized the importance of personalized digital
content and we will prepare more such contents for use in the classrooms.
We are really excited that we were able to complete the video.
Earlier we used to prepare Power Point Presentations, but during this workshop we
learnt a lot about the visuals, its quality and how to search them from open
sources.
It would have been more useful, if the workshop would have been for 4 days.
Educational Technology and Management Academy
T-6/1701, Valley View Estate, Gwal Pahadi, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road,
Gurgaon – 122001 (Haryana: India) Tele/fax: 01242588559,
Website:
www.etma-india.in
E-mail: etma.india@gmail.com
Educational Technology and
Management
Academy