Mr Steve Dixon shares his experiences of eLearning in action. 

To begin with, a broad definition for eLearning is "learning and teaching that is facilitated by or supported through the appropriate use of information and communication technologies (Ministry of Education 2016)". This is my second year taking a B.Y.O.D class and I have developed a blended learning approach. This is a combination of traditional and eLearning practices. 

Research indicates that blended approaches involve a range of advantages for students including, but not limited to, increased flexibility (Pratt & Trewern, 2011), student engagement and motivation (Barbour & Reeves, 2009; Wang & Reeves, 2006), development of independent learning (Bolstad & Lin, 2009; Parkes et al., 2011) and new ICT skills (O’Dwyer, Carey, & Kleiman, 2007). Most importantly, eLearning, including blended approaches, is regarded as a means for educational reform, modernisation of schools, and increased access to a world-class education (Powell & Barbour, 2011).

The focus is still of course on learning, but using digital technologies to enhance engagement and provide high-quality learning opportunities so that every student is better able to achieve their full potential. Research has shown that people do not learn well by passively receiving packets of information. Good learning requires active engagement (Counts 2016). This is where the blended learning approach is fantastic. I can deliver a demonstration to get the students engaged. This can be reinforced by the students carrying out their own practical work where they are actively engaged. This leads to group discussions and sharing of knowledge. The animations and other multimedia can show what actually is happening on a level not previously able to be shown previously in a textbook or the teacher lecturing on the subject.

Some of the advantages I have noticed for the students is the ability to photograph and video their practical work to aid in writing up their observations and conclusions. Using OneNote as a platform, has enabled the students to produce work of a high quality and any spelling and grammatical errors are noted automatically which the students can recognise and correct. In addition, if a student misses a lesson they can access the material at any time and any location with an internet connection. The use of simulations and animations has allowed me to cater for students with differing learning styles and helps reinforce new concepts visually. Collecting books in for marking is a thing of the past as I am able to give feedback via audio recordings or in the more traditional method of using a digital red pen! I have been able to showcase students work to the rest of the class and allow for peer assessment.

After being asked to write the article I did a little research and there seems to be a push for the teacher to move from their more traditional role towards facilitating student-centred learning (Zaka, P 2012). Personally I think this is fine for the more senior students who have acquired excellent I.C.T skills, along with literacy and numeracy skills who are able to manage themselves well. For the junior classes I have found I have still had to have well-structured, episodic lessons but allowing some flexibility for independent learning once I have monitored their progress and confidence in their skill set.

A recommendation for parents who are considering buying a device is to choose one that is touchscreen and to purchase a high quality stylus, as recent research has shown that the ability to annotate, label and summarise text in longhand has led to significantly better exam results and deeper understanding (Herbert, 2014).

We have only begun our eLearning journey at CBHS and there will be hiccups along the way. I am sure if all the students, staff and the CBHS community continue to work on developing excellent infrastructure, sharing good practise of digital pedagogies, allowing opportunities for innovation along with inspirational teaching, CBHS can, and will, be leading from the front in this exciting new era.

Footnote:
B.Y.O.D - Bring your own Device

Reference list available on request.