Finally done!

No, I haven’t stopped the iHistory juggernaut – my students enjoy the sound of my voice too much…but the official stuff is finished! For those of you so inclined, the report I have submitted to Knowledge Bank (one of my funders) is here. Also, I’m presenting at an online conference which I referred to a couple of posts back, and here’s the powerpoint that I’ll be using.

Enjoy!

Student reflections on iHistory – video

This video is a collection of students’ thoughts about the iHistory project. The students really put a lot of energy into their responses, displaying an enviable grasp of pedagogical concepts and methods such as “going to Maccas” and “getting a day off school”.

Relatively meaningless milestone

The iHistory website has passed the 1000 hits mark! I guess it’s like Y2K – doesn’t mean much but has a mysterious symbolic power.

Thanks to all those who have had a look, and especially those who’ve made comments – I love you!

Being paid to learn?

Today, I let my students know which group won the iHistory fieldwork competition. They were really keen to know. Interestingly, the two groups with boys got the top two spots. One of these groups I expected to perform highly, but the other not so highly. Perhaps the fact that it was a competition motivated the boys more than the girls.

Anyway, I’m giving prizes to the first 2 groups. It’s a certain amount of money – they tell me what they want to buy with the money and I get it for them. I don’t know why it hadn’t struck before, but I realised how weird this was. It is as if I am paying them to learn – or at the very least giving material incentives to participate in learning activities. My question is – is there a problem with that?

When I was 14, I entered an essay competition on smoke detectors (of all things) and came 3rd, netting $200. That seems a legitimate reward, as it was outside of the school curriculum. But giving students prizes for their work in this iHistory project somehow seems…well, wrong! Teachers often give prizes (chocolate, vouchers etc) to students for hard work and excellence, and there is no suggestion that this is inappropriate. Why then do I feel that I have done something inappropriate? Maybe it’s because I’ve named a cash amount, which they are able to spend on whatever they like.

I suppose it is a short step from here to giving students financial rewards for meeting high academic standards, as some parents do. I’ve always been uncomfortable with such a practice, because I believe academic achievement brings its own rewards, and that it is not a competition against others, but against the limits of your own mental capabilities.

I think I was doomed to giving material prizes in the iHistory project as soon as I made the fieldwork a ‘competition’ rather than simply an ‘assessment task’. A competition with no prize is a misnomer. On reflection, I think I did need to broaden the reasons for being awarded a prize. “Getting the most answers right” was my criteria for a prize, but there were many more skills involved, such as teamwork and logistical planning. Perhaps these deserved prizes, despite being more difficult to judge.

Teacher reflections on iHistory fieldwork- Sue

The group was fine in the a.m. but lost the plot in the afternoon.

The group used mp3 players but was a bit awkward taking it in turns, ie ‘I DID IT LAST TIME ,ITS YOUR TURN!” All skills improved as day went onward and upward towards that holy grail of educational attainment… yes, I speak of engagement. Podcast information was excellent but they were impatient and wanted it all in 1 minute…but it is the tool of the week. I think my ears are defective because my hearing aid kept falling out.

Perhaps an a.m activity over two weeks with a gap in the middle would work better.

Beaut weather! Old fashioned moi liked the gaol best because we had a real person to guide us through.