Hi everyone.  Welcome to my MET ePortfolio blog.  This is not my ETEC 590 ePortfolio (which can be found here) but rather a type of repository for my artefacts from each course.  Currently, I am embarking on my last MET adventure and have been learning about Technology in the Maths and Science classroom.  I was really excited to take this course and have been waiting in anticipation for it to be offered again.  However, now that I am taking it I am realizing that the context that I am currently working in is not necessarily providing me with fantastic opportunities that align with my assignments.  I am in Kuwait and working across 3 international schools as a Science advisor.  Great right?  Access to Science classrooms form Year 5-12 in three schools, awesome!  The trouble is that there is virtually no modern technology in the school at all (a few data projectors and the ICT labs used by ICT teachers only) so in terms of who to interview I am limited.  In terms of seeing (or putting) technology into action to promote constructivist learning I am limited.  But in terms of unpacking my assumptions regarding technology in the Science and Maths classroom I am not limited at all.  In fact I have plenty of ammunition to promote the use of technology and I am endeavouring to have the schools invest in more technology as we speak.

Wish me luck and please visit the 533 subpage for more detail.

• What conditions have to be in place for learners to create new meanings, or adapt old ones?

In order for learners to create new meanings or adapt old ones the following conditions need to be in place:

1) Cognitive conflict- whether it is resolved through assimilation or accommodation this cognitive conflict is what inspires inquiry and curiosity.  It motivates learners to find out why something ‘is’ or does’ what it ‘is’ or ‘does’.  It is the intrinsic motivation that lives in every learner.

2) Openmindedness and collaterality- having an acute awareness and willingness to accept that new meanings can corroborate and/or support as well as possibly replace our initial understandings.

3) Acceptance that learning can be deliberately structured or intuitive- as learners it is essential that one understands that learning can be constructed in a learning environment that was scaffolded and prepared to deliberately lead us to that meaning-making AND that learning can happen organically through discovery and inquiry.  In other words, we can learn through traditional mechanisms of apprenticeship (watch-practice) and constructivism (create/trial-make meaning-inquire)

4) Interaction between prior knowledge, school and the socio-cultural environment- activation of prior knowledge is essential in making meaning and this is especially true for the socio-cultural environment- everyone has different prior knowledge from our life experiences/culture/family and from our schooling/education experience so it is important to enable learners to tap into that and keep it contextual so it actually makes sense

5) Conceptual eco-cultural paradigm – learners require opportunities to make sense of science and the world around them using local examples to explain phenomena.  The learner must be ready to make meaning without feeling that they are jeopardizing their belief system.  Making connections is essential.