Computers

Thinking and
Learning
Inspiring students with technology

David Nettelbeck
ACER Press
First published 2005
by ACER Press
Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd
19 Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell, Victoria, 3124

Copyright © David Nettelbeck 2005

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Edited by Margaret Trudgeon

Cover and text design by Polar Design
Printed by BPA Print Group

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Nettelbeck, David Clive.

Computers, thinking and learning: inspiring students with technology.

Bibliography.
Includes index.
ISBN 0 86431 779 4.

1. Computers – Study and teaching (Secondary). 2. Electronic data processing – Study

and teaching (Secondary). 3. Information technology – Study and teaching (Secondary).
4. Thought and thinking – Study and teaching (Secondary). 5. Learning – Study and
teaching (Secondary). I. Title.

004

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Foreword
I first came across David Nettelbeck’s and influenced reading, writing, viewing,
work when I was undertaking, with a speaking and listening in various ways.
group of colleagues in the UK and New They did not, on the whole, consider
Zealand, a review of research on the that, in turn, patterns and types of
relationship between literature teaching communication might have a backwash
and information and communication effect on interface design and computer
technology (ICT). David’s was one of use itself. They did not recognise that
the few pieces of research that got to technologies and literacies develop
the heart of the link between research, alongside each other.
policy and practice on this topic, and it Whereas Haas enables us to move
did so with integrity, verve and validity. beyond the one-way vision of the
Then I met him and heard him speak effect or impact of ICT on literacy and
about the topic at the 2003 International literacies, I now think that symbiosis is
Federation of Teachers of English not the most accurate way to describe
conference in Melbourne. My initial what is going on. After discussion with
impression was confirmed: that this was biologists at the University of York, UK,
someone whose practice and reflection my hunch is that we need a model to
were cutting edge, and someone whom describe and explain the relationship
teachers, researchers and policy-makers between computers and literacies
ought to follow – just as his students that sees it as reciprocal co-evolution.
probably do! Symbiosis suggests a conservative
It is therefore an honour to be asked relationship: one in which the two
to write a foreword for Computers, parties sustain each other and want to
Thinking and Learning. My own keep it that way. Reciprocal co-evolution
thinking about the relationship between is a more accurate descriptor because
new literacies and computers has it accepts that the two parties are
moved on from the 2003 conference, continuing to develop.
much inspired by people there and by Such a dialogic vision of the way
further reading in the field. In 2003, computers and literacies interact is
and in some writing before and after entirely in concert with this book, in
the conference, I wondered whether which David explores the potential
we needed to resurrect Christine Haas’ and actualities of thinking and learning
notion that the relationship between in the classroom. The book accepts
literacy/literacies and ICT was symbiotic and promotes the idea that ICT is no
rather than causal and one-way. In other monolithic entity, but rather a range of
words, the conventional point of view different technologies, media and modes
was that most researchers seemed to of communication (the biologists will be
assume that computers had come along asking me next to write a phylogeny or

iii
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

genealogy of types of ICT). Furthermore, of attention’. The question of what

the book also accepts that literacy is no we do with our and our students’
longer conceivable as a monolithic set of consciousness in the precious hours that
practices, but instead has to be seen as a are devoted to language and literary
number of different literacies or sets of studies in the school curriculum is
social, communicative practice (another ever more important in a world where
phylogeny). How these two phylogenies the demands on consciousness and
map onto each other and can inspire the channels of communication are
teachers and students to explore new increasing. From the point of view of an
ways of expression and communication economics of attention, learning in which
is the subject of this book. transformations take place will be a
In practice, the transformations that good use of time in that they will have a
this book has in mind are of the kind social life in the classroom (and perhaps
that English and humanities teachers beyond) and also a transformative effect
have been practising for a long time: on internal thinking and reflection.
the taking of a text or utterance and This book offers many approaches
transforming it in the classroom into to such transformations, and it places
something else. For example, the ICT and computers in a wider economy
reading of a short story can generate of forms and means of communication
the writing by students of a letter from which can be drawn upon as
one character to another, or the creation appropriate (or inappropriately, for
of some spoken and acted role-play. fun and subversive purposes). We have
With the added dimension of ICT, the moved beyond the first phase of the
range and nature of those pedagogic use of computers in classrooms where
transformations are multiplied. Learning futurologists were predicting (again)
and thinking in such a classroom has the end of the book and of literacy
the potential to be colourful, varied and learning as we knew it. Now that
and highly motivating. Some of the key computers are taking their place in
strategic decisions that teachers and the repertoire, we can see more clearly
students have to make are: what is the their advantages and disadvantages for
best format for what I want to say? Why particular occasions of communication.
am I using ICT in this particular context? The particular structure of this book,
What forms of hybrid text are possible? in which classroom applications are set
What am I going to learn by undertaking within learning contexts, and in which
particular transformations? Which further suggestions are offered for
are the richer and more challenging teachers to follow up in their own ways,
transformations in terms of getting me is ideal for busy teachers who need a
to think and in terms of communication guide that is authoritative, up-to-date,
with particular audiences? imaginative and inspirational. David
Answers to these and other questions Nettelbeck’s work and this book are
will be best made if we consider what exactly that.
Richard Lanham calls ‘the economics Richard Andrews
iv University of York
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii How do we assess this kind of
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix response? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Author’s acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii What did we achieve? . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Source acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiv Establishing the characters and concepts
in a text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1 Management initiatives: Who leads the Concept mapping as a planning tool . . . . . . 24
renaissance in your school? . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What did we achieve? . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . . 2 Science, history and religious education
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Personal organisation and planning . . . . 3
Classroom management and 4 Annotation: A focus on close reading of
expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 the text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Factors quite beyond the control of the The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 30
teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Responses to poetry tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2 The new paradigm for literacy: Practical Annotating with callout boxes . . . . . 31
consequences for the classroom . . . . . . 10 Callouts and graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The changing literacy framework . . . . . . . . . 11 Use yellow sticky notes or Insert/
Impact of computer technologies. . . . . . . . . 12 Comment function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Centrality of teacher’s role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Use a table from the Word/Insert Table
Taking advantage of flexibility . . . . . . . . . . . 14 function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Respond with graphics . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3 Concept mapping: ICT as a learning and Close reading of Shakespeare . . . . . . . . 40
thinking tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Close reading of a novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 18 Responding to newspaper issues . . . . . . 43
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Annotation of cartoons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Concept mapping task – a Year 11 online Wider applications and suggested
examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Comparison of newspaper coverage . . 48 Wider applications and suggested

Teaching history research methods . . . . 48 activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Annotation in geography . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5 Oral language: Avoiding death by A chat-room model for biology or
PowerPoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 51 A chat-room model for art and art
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
A single PowerPoint slide as an aid to Discussion groups using a front-end
an oral presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 intranet organiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
PowerPoint for formal assessment . . . . 53 Discussion group with colleagues . . . . . 75
Using PowerPoint to present a ‘choose
your own adventure’ story . . . . . . . . . . . 55 7 Hypertext: A writing tool for lateral
Using an Excel graph to promote class thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 78
Use of organisational charts to Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
summarise group discussion . . . . . . . . . 57 Student familiarity with hypertext . . . . . 80
A poetry example – defending the Instructional writing using hypertext . . . 81
indefensible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 A sporting hyperlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Wider applications and suggested Italian holiday hyperlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Informative writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Peer evaluation of an oral book report . . 61 Hyperlinks in a Shakespeare text
Planning a three-day excursion . . . . . . . 62 response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Summarising arguments for a debate . . 62 How do we assess this kind of
writing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
6 Online discussion: A challenge for Wider applications and suggested
thinking skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 65 Experimenting with hyperlinks . . . . . . . . 88
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 History hyperlink example . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Senior English text discussion online . . 67 Geography fact sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Middle school discussion as an extension
activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 8 Visual literacies: Moving on from
Discussion across the world – the predominantly text-based learning . . . . 91
classroom without walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . . 92

vi
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Wider applications and suggested
Accessing the immediate . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
The challenge of cartoon analysis . . . . . 96 Open-ended learning modules . . . . . . . .119
The study of a still from a movie . . . . . . 98 Write a poem with a poetry slide
Other text study incorporating visual show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
responses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Linking the visual to the verbal . . . . . . . 102 10 Responding to student work: Can
Visual responses to poetry . . . . . . . . . . 103 computers help? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Wider applications and suggested The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . 122
activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
A novel path to political, geographical Keep your eye on the big picture . . . . . 124
and cultural research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Play down the routine tasks . . . . . . . . . 125
Using online resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Plan the method of submission when
Designing a memorial . . . . . . . . . . . 107 you plan the task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Virtual museum of history . . . . . . . . 108 Computers as a personal workspace . . 127
Aboriginal history or Australian Classroom management . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
studies exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Wider applications and suggested
activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
9 Critical use of the World Wide Web . . . . 110 Experiment with e-correction . . . . . . . . 129
The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . .111
Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 11 Whole brain learning, whole brain
Teaching good analysis skills . . . . . . . . 112 assessment: Exemplar units for English
Coping with frustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 and History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Practical tips for productive Web The learning and thinking context . . . . . . . 133
searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Classroom strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Web sites – resources for thinking . . . . 114 The novel Holes – a Year 8 or 9 text
Sites for pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Newspapers online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 An open-ended research task . . . . . 135
Shakespeare online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Theme study and oral – a wide
Online resources for English . . . . . . . . . 116 choice of response options . . . . . . . 136
Web sites for poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Character analysis using concept-
Web sites for fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 mapping software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

vii
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Vocabulary and word study task . . . 137 The starting point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Creating writing – a traditional Other picture story books . . . . . . . . 144
essay enhanced by pictures or Other print resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
hyperlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 History texts and Web resources. . . 145
Wide reading response . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Report writing activities . . . . . . . . . . 146
Senior literature text study: The Lost Salt Extensions and thinking activities
Gift of Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 – ways of commemoration . . . . . . . 146
Research report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Final task – prepare a narrative on
Oral response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 World War I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Annotation of a passage from the What did we achieve? . . . . . . . . . . . 148
text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Concept map on the themes of the Final reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Essay response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Middle school History unit on Appendix 1 Linking student tasks with
World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 curriculum objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Flanders Fields – a multidisciplinary unit Appendix 2 Software packages . . . . . . . 157
for Years 8 or 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
The learning goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

viii
Preface
Computers, Thinking and Learning and literacy education actually mean.
is about thinking and learning in the The ideas in this book have been
digital age and how computers can distilled from classroom experiences
be used to enrich these processes. over many years, but particularly
‘The old computing was about what during the last decade when I have been
computers could do; the new computing privileged to work with amazingly open
is about what users can do. Successful and supportive groupings of colleagues.
technologies are those that are in Many of the examples in this book have
harmony with users’ needs. They must been drawn from the English classroom
support relationships and activities that because that is the scene I know best,
enrich the users’ experiences.’1 but the skills and applications are often
Teaching has been a long and changing generic and could be applied across a
roller-coaster journey for me. When wide range of subjects.
I began, the technology consisted of In the early days of computers in
blue wax stencil sheets, pen, radio, tape schools I was one of a largely self-
recorder and chalk. Whether I like it or selected group of interested teachers
not, I now teach in a world of laptops, who met for breakfast every few weeks
the Internet, online resources, electronic to share ideas and encourage each other
submission of work and a whole new in what were essentially pioneering and
concept of what the terms ‘reading’ risk-taking teaching practices. After
and ‘literacy’ mean for the cyber-kids, several years of some exciting forward
the N-Generation, the ‘screen-agers’ or thinking, genuine collegial support
whatever euphemism we may devise and great professional stimulus, this
for our current students. For many rather esoteric ‘think tank’ group was
of them, the traditional classroom is disbanded. I owe an enormous debt
almost becoming an alien world. of gratitude to that ‘breakfast club’
Today’s teachers have no choice but to and also to some fine professionals
re-conceptualise what the terms literacy in several schools who have been

ix
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

prepared to exchange ideas and take a genuine interaction between many

risks. Throughout the book I have tried fine professionals. I have, in fact, never
to acknowledge the help of specific conducted a session without acquiring
colleagues, but it can be hard to recollect something myself to try out in my own
and pinpoint the exact source of good classes. I learnt in my early teacher
ideas when these are often mulled and training days that the best teachers are
discussed over coffee or on the run also the best parasites. I trust that the
between classes. To all those I have experiences I have been able to garner
worked with, I offer my sincere thanks. from so many colleagues may be a
The best ideas get nowhere unless catalyst to the thinking and practice of
they can be applied, and our most those who read this book and that you
critical audience is always the students. too will unashamedly borrow ideas,
Some of them found it tedious being the modify them and, in turn, pass them on.
guinea pigs, as they saw it, and would David Carter believes that the
occasionally ask with a sigh, ‘Are you introduction of information and
experimenting on us again?’ Most, communication technology into
however, found classes with laptops or classrooms over the last ten years ‘has
computers in labs refreshingly different led to some of the most creative thinking
and were not afraid to reflect on the about the way we teach and learn in
changing nature of their learning. I have schools’.2 In an ideal world, or one that
included examples of many students’ is hopefully coming to every classroom
work, mostly unedited and from across a soon, students will access computers
range of abilities and year levels. In every or laptops on a one-to-one basis. The
case, the students have willingly given me computer will then become a very rich
permission to show other teachers their resource within a genuinely personal
work and a few have said, ‘I would be so workspace. ‘It just doesn’t work to
proud for someone else to see what we schedule time for children to go to the
have been doing’. It has been impossible computer lab. The information and
to acknowledge every individual student communication technologies (ICTs) need
contribution but I am grateful to all to be a material part of the learning
those whose work is reflected here and environment.’3
all who have taught me so much. Some of the best work I have seen with
I have also been privileged to conduct laptops has been in government schools
workshops for teachers from more where students choose to purchase a
than 100 schools across five states in personal computer and 80 per cent of the
the last few years. Teachers attending classes at a year level work with laptops.
workshops have come from a range of However, there are other good models.
schools and systems, and from middle In one school, students are required to
primary to upper secondary. The have a computer at home where they do
workshops have never been just a one- online retrieval of tasks for homework
way skills transmission exercise but from the school’s network and upload

x
their submissions. It limits flexibility extremely useful and I recommend these
of classroom teaching but is a good commercial software packages (with
compromise. In another school there an assurance that I gain no financial
was abundant lab access to computers advantage from doing so).4
with restrictions on the IT classes so What we all need, rather than glitz
that their demands did not become the and glamour, is strong and visionary
‘camel in the tent’ and take over the labs. educational leadership, supportive
I have also seen banks of computers in colleagues, helpful technical assistance
the back of secondary classrooms with and a climate that encourages simple
encouragement for teachers to use group risk-taking.
work and flexible learning programs, Just start in a small way and have
much like we so often see in primary a go.
schools. Please do not hesitate to e-mail me if
We do not need sophisticated you would like an electronic copy of any
commercial programs or elaborate of my own text material in this book or
front-end organisers for our intranets, if I can help in other ways. The email
helpful as these might be. You will address is davidnettelbeck@bigpond.com,
find that most suggestions in this book or write to me via ACER Press,
are simple and achievable in Word, Melbourne, Australia.
with a few in PowerPoint. I have also
found Inspiration and SchoolKiT David Nettelbeck

Endnotes
1 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge Massachusetts, 2003, p. 2.
2 D. Carter, ‘The role of teachers in the school of the future’. Abridged from a paper presented at the
Technology Colleges Trust’s Vision 2020 Online Conference 2002, Snapshots: The Specialist Schools
Trust Journal of Innovation in Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, July 2003.
3 S. Holden, ‘Just connecting’, Professional Educator, Vol. 3, No. 3, September 2004. Report of an
interview with Di Fleming, former school principal and now Associate Professor of Digital Design at
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
4 See Appendix 2 for further details.

xi
 In memory of our son
Peter
1976 – 2004

who challenged the ordinary

and without whose encouragement this book may never have been completed.

xii
Author's Acknowledgements
I am grateful to many whose support and willingness to break new ground with me
have kept me optimistic. I am especially grateful to:

my ever patient wife Rosalie and my supportive, extended family;

Tony Hewison and Fr Paul Cahill, who gave me the rope to run with;

the editors of ACER Press, who glimpsed some potential in early journal articles I
had written and helped me hone my ideas and experiences into this current shape;

Bruce Dixon and Jenny Little, whose workshops, conferences and support have
given me a strong desire to explore the many ways in which new technologies can
enrich and transform the teaching and learning environment;

many, many colleagues whose willing exchange of classroom experiences have

stimulated my own thinking. My particular thanks to Di McDonald for her
generosity in sharing her ever-flowing creative ideas and who fulfilled so admirably
the role of a critical friend;

Professor Richard Andrews for his valuable research, perceptive insights and very
generous Foreword.

xiii
 Source Acknowledgements
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p. 32 From: This Side of Silence, Poems 1987–1990, Bruce Dawe, Pearson Education
(Longman), 1990; p. 33 ‘Only Nineteen’ words and music by John Schumann © Universal
Music Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Printed with
permission; pp. 35–6 ‘Small-town dream’, reproduced with the permission of Kathielyn Job;
pp. 35–6 Annotations by Year 9 students Kerry Matthews and James Waters; p. 37 ‘Bury
Me’ by Chu Hsiang. Translated by Kai-Yu Hsu. Published in Richardson, P., Watson, K.,
& Gill, M (eds) 1998, Snapshots of Planet Earth: An anthology of international poetry,
Oxford University Press; p. 37 Annotations by Year 9 student Kerry Matthews; p. 38
‘Smugglers’ © Maria Lewitt. Published in O’Connor, M (ed.) 1988, Two Centuries of
Australian Poetry, Oxford University Press. Reproduced with permission of Maria Lewitt;
p. 39 Poem extract from: This Side of Silence, Poems 1987–1990, Bruce Dawe, Pearson
Education (Longman), 1990; p. 39 ‘Rusting Junkyard’ photo © 2004 Amanda Pinches;
pp. 41–2 ‘The Ivory Trail’ © Victor Kelleher, 1999. Published by Penguin Books Australia,
1999; p. 47 Reproduced by permission of Mehdi Sadeghi, Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate /
cartoonweb.com; p. 53 ‘Grandmother’s Hands’ photo © 2004 Anne Peterson; p. 60 main
image © 2004 Amanda Pinches; inset image © Digital Vision; p. 60 ‘Afternoon Tea’ photo
© 2004 Amanda Pinches; p. 84 Table prepared by Year 11 student David DeAngelis. He
gathered the sound files from http://www.frogs.org.au, the web site of the Amphibian
Research Centre which has links to the Victoria Frog Group; p. 94 Reproduced by permission
of A. Moir, The Sydney Morning Herald; p. 95 Reproduced by permission of John Spooner,
The Age; p. 97 Reproduced by permission of John Cole, The (Durham, NC) Herald-Sun;
p. 98 The Shawshank Redemption; Director: Frank Darabont; Producers: Liz Glotzer
(executive), David V. Lester (executive), and Niki Marvin; p. 104 Cartoon strip © 2004
Robert D’Alberto; p. 105 Extract from ‘But you didn’t’ by Merril Glass, published in
Latitude: Exploring and creating poetry. Edited by Lisa McNeice, Oxford University Press,
2002; p. 105 ‘Formal dress’ © 2004 Scott Cheslin; p. 119 Lesson reproduced with permission
of SchoolKiT International; p. 120 Left slide – photo © 2004 Anne Peterson; p. 142 Extract
from The Lost Salt Gift of Blood by Alistair McLeod published by Jonathon Cape. Used by
permission of The Random House Group Limited; p. 149 ‘Boat’ and ‘Train’ images and text
copyright © 2004 Will Allen; p. 149 ‘German Soldier’ PowerPoint slide text © 2004 James
Magree; p. 149 ‘Annabelle’ PowerPoint slides © 2004 Tom Yore. Photo of gaunt woman
© 2004 Amanda Pinches. Every effort has been made to acknowledge and contact copyright
owners. However, should any infringement have occurred, ACER tenders its apology and
invites copyright owners to contact ACER.

xiv
 Chapter 1
‘Howe
ver no
or enl ble, so
ighten phistic
e d ated
chang p roposa
e and ls for
might impro
be, the v e m ent
nothin y com
g if te e to
adopt achers
them don’t
classr i n t h eir ow
ooms n
transl a n d if they
ate th don’t
classr em int
oom p o e ffectiv
ractice 1 e
.’

Management
initiatives:
Who leads
the renaissance in
your school?
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

Perhaps we are asking the wrong computers can do; the new computing
questions if we want to know will be about what people can do’.2 Ask
what computers can do for us. Ben yourself where your school or faculty
Schneiderman sums this up by reminding stands when looking at the following
us that ‘Computing today is about what table.

The old computing The new computing

Focus on what computers can do. Focus on what people can do with
Teachers get excited about the ‘aha’ computers, not on what computers can do
moment when something new and exciting for people.
works.

Technician and technology driven. Driven by the curriculum and learning goals
Focus on bits and bytes, connectivity. of the forward thinking educational leader in
the school.
Teachers often told to adapt their classroom
practices to fit the system. User-centred not technology-centred.

Better ways of Better ways of

• marketing the school • using multiple intelligences
• presentation • analytical thinking
• vocational preparation • visual analysis
• research • facilitating
• communication • collaborating
• re-drafting • empowering
• organising/storing • discovering
• making and doing

Generally teacher-controlled, didactic Potential for open-ended, pupil-centred,

learning. constructivist learning.

2
 Management initiatives:
Who leads the renaissance
in your school?

Computers provide us with a whole is no question that ICT leads to changes

new way of thinking about teaching in classroom organisation which places
and learning; they are the vanguard new demands on teachers and successful
of a communications revolution that integration of ICT depends on teachers
is changing society, and in particular managing these demands.’3 Information,
schooling, as much as the printing press Communication and Technology (ICT)
did 600 years ago. Glimmers of this are can be a powerful motivator for learning
beginning to appear as the risk-takers when used wisely, while research is
and innovators, who are also experienced showing that it can also be a powerful
teachers, work with like-minded and de-motivator if the educational goals
supportive colleagues to question some are not clear, there is poor network
of the paradigms upon which classroom connectivity, or the initiatives are not
practice has previously been built. ‘There sustained.4

Classroom strategies
Let us be quick to take account of the Personal organisation and
ubiquitous influence of technology in the planning
world of our students. We hear them say
things such as: ‘I like to do things my Let me begin with a personal anecdote.
way’, ‘Give me the information, skills I began teaching with laptops as an add-
and tools and let me get on with it’, on to classroom management practices
‘visuals appeal to me more than text’, that I had long been used to, including
‘I can take responsibility for my own some blackboard work, some discussion,
learning process’, ‘I believe that breadth some reading of the text and some
of experience is as important as depth’, student response in each 50 or 60 minute
‘I need to be involved, to do it myself’. lesson. Laptops appeared to cause
If we are to fulfil the potential of immense frustration. The network would
this new learning paradigm, there are go down so online resources could not be
three key areas that teachers need to accessed; log-on time could be affected
concentrate on: by network connectivity issues or more
• personal organisation and planning; commonly by music or games files that
• classroom management and were using up computer memory; some
expectations; and students would forget or lose their blue
• factors quite beyond the control of the cords or wireless cards to connect to
teacher. the network; others just wanted a few

3
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

minutes to send their homework for listened to oral presentations from peers.
another subject or access e-mail because Brabazon calls such face-to-face teaching
the school was expecting students to a ‘tactile, aural, visual, sensory explosion
read notices but rarely gave them an of possibilities’,5 and these are vital
opportunity in the timetabled day to moments for any teacher.
check vital information about things In exchange for this computer ban
such as sport or music rehearsals. There in some periods, I set modules of one
were a plethora of other excuses, and the or two weeks’ duration which could be
student who was reluctant to have pen completed in some designated class-time
and paper ready was just as reluctant to and for homework and in any order.
maintain a laptop in good working order. Students could therefore choose whether
I also found myself very frustrated to read in class and do Web research at
at my inability to get the students’ home, discuss a creative writing task
heads out of the screen when I wanted with a group and work on it together, or
them to listen to me or engage in work alone on a poetry response. This
group discussion, pay attention to gave enormous flexibility and choice,
oral presentations or share literature and a far greater sense of control of their
together. I still see computer-mediated learning for those willing to take the
communication as one of the positive rope and run with it.
gifts to this generation, but I also To my surprise, many were able
fervently believe in face-to-face to reflect, with some insight, into the
relationships where facial expressions enhanced quality of their learning
and body language are vital elements in experiences. Of course, others who
building trust and understanding. The did not generally do pencil and paper
occasional teachable ‘aha!’ moment in a homework were not enthusiastic about
poetry or drama lesson, when faces light this kind of work either, and for some, I
up, is rare enough, but even more rare if had to build in intermediate checkpoints
students are tempted to keep their eyes through the week to ensure that they did
glued to the computer screen. not sink into a mire of despair on the
In order to minimise these problems date when the whole module was due.
in a one-to-one laptop or desktop It was also a great spur to me to ensure
classroom (where every student has that I planned lessons well in advance
access to a computer), I tried designating and a check that I included some
certain lessons in which students could elements of poetry, writing, fiction and
bring and use their laptops, and other oral in each module. The amount of face-
lessons when they were firmly told to to-face teaching actually increased and
leave them in their lockers. In these I was able to allow more time to help
latter lessons we went together to the those who needed it, while others were
library for fiction reading, or listened to glad to be left alone, immersed in their
poetry, shared the class novel, discussed various self-chosen tasks.
the current media topics in groups or It is advisable to have computer-

4
 Management initiatives:
Who leads the renaissance
in your school?

free days when students don’t access Only the Heart by Brian Caswell and
their e-mail and the network. David David Phu An Chiem in a traditional
Lyon, Professor of Sociology at Queens way with much face-to-face interaction
University, Kingston, Canada, says, in the classroom. Open-ended response
We must rest from gathering tasks were then offered with the proviso
information just as the ancient that if students did not like the choices,
Israelites rested from gathering food at they could make up their own topic.
least one day a week. Likewise … we Subjects for response included:
should regularly practice media fasts: • Draw the Vo family tree, using
days or weeks during which we reduce Inspiration7 software. Show
the flood of information to the merest the relationships between the
trickle … We say we are frustrated by characters and add paragraphs in
having so much to respond to, but we Add Note to say what you know
still carry cell-phones everywhere and about each.
check our e-mail every ten minutes. It • Explore the topic ‘Attitudes to War’.
makes us feel important to be so busy. Use a concept map to tease out this
Media fasts should help us to become topic in your own way.
more honest about our motivations.6 • Choose any passage which is a clear
Perhaps we need to be more honest description of a person or event
also about real engaged learning and from the novel. Put it into your Word
meaningful classroom interactions. Document, either by typing it in or by
One of the more significant scanning it in or by reading it into a
achievements to come from the way sound file. Now annotate the passage
of working outlined above was that I with Callout boxes or using the Add
was able to get away from the curse of Note function or a verbal explanation
the worksheet culture, where there are in a second sound file, or respond in
narrowly defined lists of tasks. When some other way.
these kinds of tasks are set the good • Interview a Vietnam veteran or a
students often race through them and Vietnamese person who was in
think that they have learnt something Vietnam at the time of the war or
while the weak students use their well- someone involved in the Vietnam
developed avoidance strategies and protest movement or someone who
think they are clever to have beaten has strong opinions about Australia’s
the teacher. In neither case does much involvement in the war in Vietnam
critical, scholarly or interpretative or someone who has something to
thinking take place. Teachers need to say about our treatment of Vietnam
provide a rich range of opportunities veterans or some other person who
that facilitate open-ended learning and will elucidate your understanding of
thinking processes. the novel. Summarise the interview
One brief example comes from a in a maximum of six PowerPoint
Year 10 class which studied the novel slides to present orally to the class.

5
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

• Compile or compose theme music These modifications may not be possible

for each of the three sections of the because many of us teach large classes in
novel. Accompany each with a key impossibly small rooms, or the wiring of
quote, visual representation and rooms may not have been designed by
annotation to explain your choices. teachers, who have to make the spaces
• Create a photo story to show the work educationally and practically.
main events in the novel. Use Recent advances in cordless, wireless
a maximum of ten pictures and connectivity and better laptop battery life
give each a caption and annotated are alleviating these physical problems to
explanation. some extent.
The range of choices built in here was I have also found significant difficulty
used to extend the talented students, in checking work submissions. In the
directing their choice to the more past, I could stand at the classroom door
demanding tasks, while at the same time and collect written homework or a class
encouraging those who needed modified task as students left the room, dealing
work by including some less challenging with recalcitrants on the spot. Now if
tasks but expecting them to do more I ask for work to be sent by e-mail or
of them. It also gave an opportunity lodged electronically and later find that
to students with artistic or literary or it is not there, the student seems to have
musical skills to use them to enhance a plethora of excuses such as, ‘I must
their responses and cross the subject have sent it to the wrong address’, or
barriers. ‘Do you really know how to open an
attachment?’ or ‘Perhaps the network
wasn’t up when I lodged it’. New ways
Classroom management and of discipline, checking student files and
expectations keeping students on task are simply
Computers of any kind in the classroom added challenges for teachers these days.
demand that we rethink the very basics Some Deputy Heads, who happily
of classroom management we were follow up graffiti or smoking offences
taught in our undergraduate courses. or punctuality issues, seem hesitant to
This could be as simple as ensuring take on board inappropriate material
that bags and power cords are carefully on a student computer file or the misuse
tucked under desks so that they are not of the school network, sometimes even
a hazard to the teacher or anyone else leaving these issues to the IT technicians
moving around the room. It could mean to unearth and deal with. At the very
ergonomically designed chairs with least, our discipline leaders may need the
adjustable heights and wheels, so that technician with them as they confront
students can roll across the room to the the student and unearth the offending
whiteboard or easily gather in groups material. One Head I know brings
away from the lure of the computer together the technician, the student and
screen so they can focus on discussion. the parent to view inappropriate material

6
 Management initiatives:
Who leads the renaissance
in your school?

which the student has accessed. This has to the Science lab staff or Art or Home
a salutary effect! Economic aides teachers have been used
Web discussions8 can be a particularly to working with in the past.
fraught area of classroom management Generally, we are familiar with teacher
with secondary students unless they are aides working near the staff offices and
tightly set up and carefully controlled. teaching spaces, readily available for
Anonymity of contribution in a large communication with teachers, aware of
group may offer an opportunity for the academic program and with clear
extroverts to show off and quiet students lines of responsibility to the Heads of
to retreat, so that the learning outcomes Faculty, who can direct and evaluate
can be minimal, even if the potential their work so that they are well tuned in
is educationally limitless. Although to support the curriculum. By contrast,
Web discussion can rarely capture the our IT technicians often work in an
immediacy and fiery interaction of a inaccessible area behind security doors
good classroom debate, it does give the and windows for very good reasons,
students – especially the quieter ones, surrounded by an apparent fog of jargon
slower thinkers and ESL students – an and mystery. Few seem to be aware of
opportunity to have a say and reflect on the details of curriculum and what kind
their answers before pressing the ‘send’ of support teachers need, and can often
button. be critical of teacher incompetence in the
IT area. Teachers too are critical because
they believe that technicians focus on
Factors quite beyond the tweaking or modifying the network and
control of the teacher delivering clever solutions to problems
that don’t relate to educational outcomes.
My third and final area for teacher
One of the major problems, as I see
concern is the need for teachers to
it, is that very few system managers
recognise that there are some things we
are accountable to anyone, from the
have no control over, any more than
Principal down, who is able to assess
we could stop the photocopier from
the technical details and competence of
breaking down. The best laid plans can
their work. Even school bursars, whose
be sabotaged by a flaky network or
work is a mystery to most teachers,
technicians who do not seem to support
generally have a financial wizard on the
what teachers are trying to do, or by
school council who keeps a supportive
poorly maintained machines. We do
eye on their work and are also subject
not live in a perfect world and there
to an independent external review each
will always be a need for ‘Plan B’ when
year when the auditors are called in.
any kind of technology is involved, but
Rarely are such accountability or support
we also need to recognise that good
mechanisms available to IT managers,
IT technicians are people who have
yet they may spend millions of dollars
undergone specialised training, and that
over several years on the network,
they often have different personalities

7
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

systems and associated hardware. and the Director of E-Learning sit

I see no simple or quick solution together in the same office, work through
to this problem, which is common in budgeting, networking, staff training
many schools. If, however, the vision and curriculum implementation goals
of the school includes an unambiguous together, and are both equally and jointly
statement on the value of ICT as an responsible for the implementation of
essential learning and thinking tool for these to the Deputy Headmaster.9 The
this generation of students, then the network at this school is rarely ‘down’;
mission statement of the school must there is a quick turnaround on laptop
include achievable objectives or strategies maintenance for students with only
for the fulfillment of the vision. This can minimal inhouse technical staff. The
only happen if specific goals are agreed Director of E-Learning is not IT-trained,
on together by the IT and academic nor does she claim to be a ‘tech wiz’, but
staff, rather than the two groups holding she does have a strong belief that being
each other at arm’s length. Specific in an environment with good intranet
strategies must be agreed on between the connectivity can enrich the learning
groups as they acknowledge the need experiences of her students and, by her
to work together as a team in achieving classroom example, gives the teachers a
shared goals. This may require some clear understanding of what the school’s
skilful leadership and mediation by the IT policy is, why students are required
Principal or Curriculum Coordinator. to buy laptops and how they are to
Among the many schools that I have implement the policy in their classrooms.
visited and the many teachers I have It seems to me to be a very workable
talked to, there is one school that seems pattern on which to build school
to have a framework of management administrative structures and sound
that could serve as a useful model for classroom management practices that
others. In this low-fee but ‘compulsory will make the best use of the great
laptop’ school, the System Manager potential of ICT.

8
 Management initiatives:
Who leads the renaissance
in your school?

Endnotes
Sections of this chapter were first published as ‘Classroom management challenges of notebook
computing’, edition of Global Educator Newsletter, May 2004, a higher education Web publication
of monthly peer reviewed papers on issues relating to the IT global education classroom.
See http://www.globaled.com/articles/DavidNettlebeck2004.pdf
1 M. Fullan & A. Hargreaves, What’s worth fighting for in your school? Teachers College Press,
Columbia University, NY, 1992.
2 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge Massachusetts, 2003, p. x.
3 A. Goodwyn, ‘What is the relationship between ICT, literacy and subject teaching and learning in
a secondary school?’ Paper presented at the International Federation for the Teaching of English,
July 2003.
4 R. Andrews, University of York, UK. Seminar presented at ACER Melbourne, July 2003 on some early
findings of research on the impact of ICT on literacy learning.
5 T. Brabazon, Digital hemlock: Internet education and the poisoning of teaching, UNSW Press, Sydney,
2002, p. 115.
6 D. Lyon, ‘Would God use e-mail?’ in Zadok Perspectives, No. 71, Winter 2001.
7 See details of this software in Appendix 2, p. 157.
8 This area of the management of online discussions is dealt with more fully in Chapter 6, p. 67.
9 Reference is to the management structure at Donvale Christian College, Melbourne.

9
 Chapter 2
‘Give u
p the i
pace o dea tha
f chan t the
down … g e w ill slow
It is no
change t the p
that w ace of
it is th e i g hs us d
e piece own;
fragme m eal-nes
ntation s and
us dow t h a t weigh
n … Al s
change l o f us ca
the im n
contex m e d iate
t aroun
leads u d us and
s down this
transfo t h e path to
rmatio 1
n.’

The new
paradigm for
literacy:
Practical consequences
for the classroom
 The new paradigm
for literacy

The changing literacy framework

Teachers today are being forced to show us that technologies are not just
rethink the meaning of the terms add-on resources but that ‘technological
‘literacy’ and ‘literacy education’. practices and capabilities are changing
Traditional printed text as a primary significantly what counts as literacy and
means of communication, learning and how this literacy might be learnt’.4
information storage and transfer is Brenton Doecke puts it this way:
rapidly being superseded. Technology The social world that teenagers inhabit
is therefore shifting the ways in which forms a vital frame of reference for
people learn and communicate. It is the reading, writing, speaking and
more common for us to find students listening that happen in English
channel hopping, Net-surfing, multi- classrooms. English enables students
tasking and thinking in mosaics rather to focus on how language shapes their
than reading a printed book. ‘The lives, from the language of newspapers
post-literate generation is making the and television advertisements, to the
shift from word to image, from text to imaginative worlds of novels, sitcoms
hypertext and from single sources to the and movies.5
interconnectedness of word, image and In his article ‘Defining new literacies
sound.’2 in curricular practice’, Ladislaus M
Traditional English teachers would Semali6 helpfully summarises the ‘new
like to anchor their ships in the safe literacies’ as those that have emerged in
harbour of literature and cling to the the post-typographic era. He believes
now moribund cultural heritage model of that, as a consequence, teachers must
learning rather than venture out into an examine their assumptions about
anarchic and largely untravelled world reading, writing and books. To help
where the living culture is the ‘culture them do this, he identifies five literacies
of the computer, the Internet, the global in the course of the article: computer
media, the hypertext, the interactive literacy, which is simply competence
encyclopaedia and of course the book’.3 with visual representations, visual
It is not a case of yet another trick in literacy and interactivity (‘competencies
the teacher’s toolbag. Prain and Lyons needed to perform a variety of tasks

11
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

related to computer language and use’); films, newspapers, Web sites, and video
information literacy, where students screens to arrive at meaning’; television
have ‘the ability to recognize when literacy, where students can ‘read and
information is needed and … to locate, interpret television messages including
evaluate, and use effectively needed advertising’; and visual literacy, which he
information’; media literacy, which says is ‘an interdisciplinary concept that
he defines as ‘as the ability to access, includes theoretical perspectives, visual
experience, evaluate, and produce language perspectives, presentational
media products’, and where students perspectives, and technological
have the ability ‘to sift through the development, including digitization’.
variety of presentations, including

Impact of computer technologies

In the light of all that is going on around online world becomes almost a private
us, we have no choice but to recognise biosphere where the language, imagery
that the new information and computer and ethos may be increasingly divorced
technologies undergird much of the from their school world and the culture
social and educational context in which of their teachers.
we now find ourselves. Our children There is also a factor of both overt and
grow up in this environment and covert parental influence with the use
experience the world differently because of technology in the classroom. One-to-
of it. Even for preschool children, the use one computing in some schools appears
of a computer may precede the use of to increase and reinforce the alienation
pen and paper to form letters. Research between the generations. This may begin
tells us that 75 per cent of children begin with the simple notion that parents can
using a computer before the age of four no longer look over the shoulders of the
and many acquire the skills of reading child and see what homework is being
and writing on a computer screen at done. Deliberate steps need to be taken,
the same time as they are learning to perhaps at information evenings, parent
write with pen and paper.7 This can classes or parent–teacher interviews
lead, among other things, to a huge gulf in order to remove the mystery of
between teacher and student. For many ICT-generated work and to encourage
teachers, ICT can be a foreign world they continued interaction and openness
are learning to cope with, rather than at home.
a natural part of life they have grown
up with. For students, therefore, their

12
 The new paradigm
for literacy

Centrality of teacher’s role

At a time when we fear that we are text; and in some cases led to a
watching the apparent demise of our deterioration in handwriting quality.9
book-centred culture, we must strongly The various elements of ICT offer us
reaffirm the centrality of the teacher’s role powerful ways of working with language.
in providing for engaged and effective There are, however, many despairing
learning with and through information and teachers who find it difficult to see
communications technology. Catherine beyond the perceived pressure of the pen
Beavis reminds us that it is still our and paper examinations that currently
fundamental concern to find drive the system at the top end. They
ways for students to become highly catalogue limited access to equipment,
engaged and reflectively, critically the hijacking of facilities by ICT classes,
literate … to develop high levels of poor online access, self-serving technical
literary competence, understanding and support in some schools, and the fear of
expertise in their subject areas … for an over-simplistic view of the internet
there to be powerful and self-evident as the new fetish in teaching or even the
links between students’ present and ridiculous hyperbole peddled by ‘snake-
future in and out of school worlds …8 oil’ salespeople about computers as the
Richard Andrews, Professor of panacea for educational ills.
Education at York, summarises the In the light of this, it is reassuring to
current situation as follows: read of research in the United Kingdom,
Because word processing is second which found that only one-fifth of
nature to us now … it is easy to take teachers were in the ‘fearful’ category
for granted what digital composing – those who see computers as alienating,
has done for us. It has enabled bewildering, threatening and anti-social,
concentration on the major structuring and who continue to say ‘books have
of writing; enabled argument, report to be central’ and ‘you just cannot get
and information writing to have a away from pen and paper’. About a
better medium for their expression third of the teachers in the study had
than pen and paper; encouraged mixed feelings, but saw computers as a
collaboration and talk about writing motivator, especially for the less able and
at the screen; liberated and validated reluctant boys. However, this group did
drafting and editing; and improved express serious concerns about students
presentation. On the down side, it losing their social skills.
has made many learners dependent on Just over half the teachers now felt
spelling and grammar checkers; been optimistic. They felt that ‘ICT was
overrated in its effect on narrative empowering and stimulating, providing
writing; limited a sense of the whole genuinely new forms of communication
work through its window onto a and means of gaining information and

13
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

access to texts of all kinds … that it is at a ‘critical crossroad. Language

broadens the whole concept of literacy and literacy educators have within
…’10 their power the opportunity to shift
Of course, reading and writing are their own and their students’ beliefs
still basic skills, but the way we teach and understandings about the new
and the way children learn is changing. technologies … and this process is now
The newsletter of the Australian Literacy happening.’12 Computers can be a
Educators Association argues that the transformative tool which will enable
current multiliteracies environment us to think and act in a whole new
means that way about teaching and learning. Di
our personal, public and working McDonald, in her recent research, says:
lives are changing in some dramatic Most computer software is now
ways, and these ways are transforming non-linear, highly individualized,
our cultures and the ways we provides multiple representations
communicate. This means that the of reality, emphasizes knowledge
way we have taught literacy, and what construction and often, as in
counts for literacy, will also have to simulations, provides real world and
change.11 case-based learning. These software
Ilana Snyder from Monash University elements appear to be based more
sums up the situation from her tertiary on constructivist theories of learning
perspective by saying that education than behaviourist theories.13

Taking advantage of flexibility

It will be no panacea, but there is ever were with folders, text books,
certainly light on the horizon for paper and pens. Students with poor
those willing to see it, experiment and organisational skills are no better with
evaluate. The focus of communication computers than they were with paper
in schools is still on the written word, folders. They still need the ability to
whether on screen or paper, so students organise and retrieve files and ‘adequate
with language difficulties are still at a literacy skills to read and understand
disadvantage, although perhaps more information, the writing skills to
motivated in this new learning culture. communicate with others, and the
Students for whom learning was never personal management skills to remain
a priority will be no more careful about focused on their learning’.14
maintaining their laptops or caring for On the other side of the coin, students
their backups or floppy discs than they can now move easily between paper and

14
 The new paradigm
for literacy

screen with the enormous advantage of cannot do is to pretend that the changing
easy drafting and revision to improve experiences and world view of students
meaning and the ability to incorporate can be ignored in the classroom. Marion
the texts of others into their writing. Meiers, who edits Literacy and Learning
There is also the potential for interactive in The Middle Years for the Australian
composing between students, just as is Literacy Educators Association, said in a
the norm in many offices and institutions recent article,
outside the school. Few students have The conversations that will engage
ever been original thinkers, but we teachers and their students in
should perhaps be more conscientious articulating new theories, including a
than ever before in our teaching of theory of the visual and verbal, will
the need for careful referencing and be complex, provocative and even
acknowledgement of sources. daunting, but in the end, we will have
The purpose of this chapter was not once again incorporated changes into
to be a treatise on the changing nature of the study of texts in English.15
literacy and the role of the teacher, but Hopefully this book will contribute to
to set the scene briefly for the practical this ongoing conversation.
suggestions which follow. What we

15
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Endnotes
Some sections of this chapter were presented as a keynote address in the 21st Century Literacies strand
at the International Federation for the Teaching of English conference, Melbourne, July 2003, and
subsequently published as D. Nettelbeck, ‘ICT and the reshaping of literacy: a secondary classroom
perspective’, in the joint publication English in Australia, No. 139/Literacy Learning: the Middle Years,
Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2004.
1 M. Fullan, Leading in a culture of change, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2001.
2 G. Kelly, Retrofuture: rediscovering our roots, recharting our routes, InterVarsity Press, Illinois, 1999.
Includes a fuller discussion on the post-literate generation: Chapter 6, ‘Gutenberg and Fries’.
3 A. Goodwyn (ed.), English in the digital age: information and communications technology and the
teaching of English, Cassell, London, 2000, p. 5.
4 V. Prain & L. Lyons, ‘Using information and communication technologies in English: an Australian
perspective’, in A. Goodwyn (ed.), 2000, op. cit.
5 B. Doecke, ‘Is anybody listening?’, EQ Australia, No. 1, Autumn, 2004.
6 M. Semali, Defining new literacies in curricular practice, Reading Online, viewed 7 January 2003,
<http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/semali1/index.html>
7 Meredith, Russell, Blackwood, Thomas & Wise, Real time: computers, change and schooling,
available at http://abs.gov.au 2000, quoted in C. Durrant & C. Beavis, P(ICT)URES of ENGLISH
– Teachers, learners and technology, Australian Association for the Teaching of English, Adelaide,
2001, p. 213.
8 C. Beavis, ‘Critical engagement: literacy, curriculum and ICTs’ in Idiom – Journal of the Victorian
Association for the Teaching of English, Vol. 38, No. 2, Sept 2002.
9 R. Andrews, ‘Framing and design in ICT in English: towards a new subject and new practices in the
classroom,’ in A. Goodwyn (ed.), 2000, op. cit., p. 23.
10 ibid., p. 8.
11 B. Cope & M. Kalantzis, ‘Putting “Multiliteracies” to the test’, Newsletter of the Australian Literacy
Educators Association, February 2001.
12 I. Snyder, ‘The new communication order’, in C. Durrant & C. Beavis, 2001, op. cit.
13 D. McDonald, ‘Hypertext and historical literacy’, doctoral thesis under preparation, Monash
University, 2004.
14 J. Misko, ‘On-line learning in the knowledge-based society: a VET perspective’, Unicorn, Journal of
the Australian College of Education, Vol. 28, No. 3, December 2002.
15 M. Meiers, ‘Then and now: texts in the English classroom’, EQ Australia, No. 1, Autumn 2004.

16
 Chapter 3
‘Techn
ology
end in is neit
itself her an
It is a n o r an add
tool fo on.
and u r impro
ltimat v i ng …
teachi ely tra
ng and n s formin
learni g
ng.’ 1

Concept
mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

Drawing concept maps is not a new and designing effective learning
activity for students. Such maps environments [that] require a new set of
can represent knowledge in a visual skills’.3
way and are useful for planning This development is closely allied to
and brainstorming ideas, with links the constructivist theory of learning,
identifying the relationships between where the learner is an active participant
the concepts, characters or themes. An and the students’ responses are
early developer of the technique in the valued, even when they differ from the
1960s was Professor Joseph D. Novak teacher’s perspective. Students construct
at Cornell University, New York. He understanding that is meaningful to
argued that concept maps are effective them and explore a range of possibilities.
because ‘meaningful learning involves Constructivist teachers ‘use primary
the assimilation of new concepts and sources, along with manipulative,
propositions into existing cognitive interactive … materials’.4 They also
structures’.2 seek elaboration of students’ initial
A group of colleagues in a school using responses and provide time for students
laptop computers were concerned that to ‘construct relationships and create
students’ notebook computers should metaphors’. Many will be familiar with
be much more than glorified word the work of Seymour Papert5 and Logo
processors. They saw them as a potential – a computer program that encourages
new way of fostering excellence and students to think. Inspiration6 software,
innovation, as well as an opportunity to and the use of other onscreen concept
challenge existing classroom practices, maps, provides another type of virtual
which at that time did little more thinking tool that enables ‘the learner
than put what was on paper onto the [to construct] his/her own world picture
computer screen. Burford and Cooper [reality] from individual experience’.7
called this ‘new approaches to teaching In a more recent and very challenging
and learning, … [using] the strengths article, Professor Brian Caldwell
and limitations of different technologies, argued that ‘nurturing and sustaining
catering to different styles of learning a culture of innovation is critical to

18
 Concept mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool

the transformation of schools’.8 Under ambitions for whatever under-funded

the pressure of time and discipline systems can achieve’. However, he poses
constraints, it is so comfortable to the alternative of a high investment,
revert to the traditional linear essay or high capacity educational system, in
standardised test. In the same journal, which ‘highly skilled teachers are able to
Andy Hargreaves warns that we could generate creativity and ingenuity among
so easily capitulate to the task of their pupils …’9 Concept mapping is
maintaining order, teaching to the test only one way to do this but it is an easily
and following standardised curriculum accessible way and one that students
scripts, thus becoming the ‘drones and respond to very positively.
clones of policy makers … anaemic

Classroom strategies
The following examples demonstrate in the concept boxes or use the ‘Add
how one group of colleagues took Note’ function as a separate, yet linked
the first tentative steps along this very writing space. They can also manipulate
exciting road. the shape, placement, colour and size of
the concept boxes, making their maps
highly individualistic. They can label
Concept mapping task – and move the links. This software allows
a Year 11 online examination a high degree of manipulation and the
students can easily change and modify
Linear essays have been the staple of
what they have done as they make their
classroom practice and examinations
links and associations. It is a powerful
for many generations. They can be
visual learning tool that inspires students
efficient, but take time to plan and
to develop ideas and organise their
write, are tedious to mark and favour
thinking.
only one style of thinking. Often ideas
We wanted our students to create a
are obfuscated by a student who plans
‘clustering’ concept map in which they
poorly or sets out to hide ignorance. Of
were asked to begin with a main idea,
course, the planning and writing of an
in this case a quotation from Heart of
essay is still an important skill, but what
Darkness, the classic novel by Joseph
a range of other response possibilities we
Conrad. They were then asked to
now have available to us!
generate other ideas around it relating
Inspiration software not only allows
to the characters, prose, symbols,
the students to create a concept map
themes and narrative. We anticipated
but to manipulate it. They can ‘write’

19
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

that their maps would be essentially The notes for this student behind the
non-linear. The links between the ideas box labelled ‘Journey of the Self’ were:
would be explained and they would be
able to make connections and possibly The trip upstream was called ‘Journey into
new associations between the various the Heart of Darkness’ for not only was it a
journey into Africa but into the soul.
elements of the novel. We expected the
students to be able to show and explain The Doctor told Marlow before he left, ‘The
the relationships in the novel. Hopefully, changes take place inside you know.’ While it
is easy to claim that the Africans had ‘horrid
they would create links and cross-links
ways’, Marlow claimed that all men had the
that could be rich in meaning. It was a
susceptibility to go wild. In Africa there was
noble ideal! Did it work? no judgement over what the whites did. Kurtz
After classroom practice, we asked adopted the savage ways, putting heads on
students under examination conditions spears as trophies. There were no limitations
and in less than 30 minutes, to respond put in place. So while the ‘cannibals’ may
to any one of five quotes from Heart of have been savage, the whites also murdered,
Darkness. The task was open-ended in pillaged and remained guilt-free.
that they were required to explore the
topic in at least four ways, identify in the
links the relationship between the quote
and the concepts, and then to write up
to 300 words as notes behind the boxes.
Below is the response of one student:

The Africans Exploitation

and Colonisation
The Africans were The company was
exploited by the in the trade stage of
Company claiming they colonisation, claiming
were civilising them. enlightenment and
However, the civilising as their
similarities are seen aims. Was it rather
between the two exploitation and greed?
cultures.

She talked about ‘weaning those

ignorant millions for their horrid ways’
till she made me quite uncomfortable. I
ventured to hint that the company was
run for profit.

In Africa, the lack of

The Belgians were
structured society
seen as the bringers of
led to the exploration
light to enlighten the
of the soul. Not only
dark empty spaces on
Africans’ horrid ways,
the map.
the white’s as well.

Journey of Bringing Light

the Self

Diagram created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

20
 Concept mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool

How do we assess this kind of response?

Here are the criteria we devised:

Criteria 5 4 3 2 1

Knowledge of the text

Clarity and relevance of the links

Control of the mechanics of language

Complexity of ideas and issues explored

This exercise was surprisingly quick to not particularly talented at writing linear,
mark and we found it very easy to sort argumentative essays, ‘unpacked’ the
out those who did from those who did topic in some remarkable ways. They had
not understand the fundamentals of the clearly understood the intertextuality of
novel. It was also open-ended, so that Heart of Darkness and demonstrated this
no two responses were remotely similar. understanding quickly and succinctly. All
Most students demonstrated quite 150 Year 11 students completed the task
innovative thinking to a greater degree in the 30 minutes that were allocated.
than would have been possible within the There were no software failures or
confines of an essay format. The writing suggestions of unfairness because it was
in the links used a specific telegraphic not a traditional pen and paper essay
mode of literacy where the students test. Many expressed their delight in
could encapsulate understanding in a being able to organise their response in
particularly concise way. such a different way. The range of marks
It was soon evident that some students was as wide as an essay response, but
did not know the text. This ‘virtual’ task with some different students at the top
did not hide their lack of knowledge and bottom of the range.
in the ‘colour and movement’ that is As in Gardner’s theory of multiple
one of the attractions of the Inspiration intelligences, perhaps this form of
software. Our verbose essay writers, response provided those students who
more often girls, could no longer hide are visual/spatial learners with an
behind a flurry of words. Our creative opportunity to shine in English, where
but disorganised students, more often normally the verbal/linguistic students
boys, took their diagrams in various perform the best. The former ‘wrote’
directions but sometimes found it the information more pictorially (as
hard to clinch what they wanted to indeed they can with other multimedia
communicate. authoring tools), although Inspiration
did allow the verbal/linguistic students
What did we achieve? to do what they do best – ‘write’ fluently
Some quite exciting creative thinking was and effectively in the note boxes, where
demonstrated by students, who, while we suggested a desirable word limit.

21
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Establishing the characters and As an alternative to a traditional

concepts in a text essay response, a Year 7 class was asked
to show their understanding of the
A quite different use of Inspiration relationships between characters in a
software is as a discussion tool early on novel in the form of a concept map. In
in the study of a text, to ensure that the the example below, a Year 7 student has
major characters and their relationships used an Inspiration map to sort out the
are understood. In this example, several relationships in a Harry Potter story.
Year 10 students worked together in a The significant advantage of this kind
group to develop the following concept of work is the requirement to name
map to help them sort out who was who the links, as this forces the student to
in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. enunciate the relationships. They found it
an enjoyable experience. It was quick to
do as it took only one homework period,
included visual and colour elements,
and the student could write brief notes
behind each character box:

Diagrams created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

22
 Concept mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool

This student’s notes behind the Snape did not understand the key concepts in
icon are: the text, giving us a basis upon which to
develop further teaching.
Snape is the meanest teacher there ever was In similar vein, Year 8 students
and ever will be. He walks around picking on developed quite complex character
people and trying to find someone doing the
maps from the novel The Hobbit. Their
wrong thing.
starting point was the requirement to
Snape only picks on kids that aren’t in explore the ideas of good and evil and
Sletheren. He picks on Harry the most even
to develop their understanding of the
though he saved his life.
characters in relation to this. Instead
of using the library of clip art in the
It would have been a tedious program, they imported actual film stills
experience indeed for a 12-year-old to get from the film’s web site. Part of the map
all this information into an essay form and text which one student developed is
and even more tedious for the teacher to shown below. (Film stills have not been
mark it, yet as a classroom exercise we reproduced for copyright reasons.)
could see very quickly who did and who

Diagram created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

23
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Concept mapping as a planning tool

In a Year 10 assessment task on the film e Use the links to write the topic
text The Truman Show, students were sentence for each paragraph.
required to use Inspiration software to f In the Add Note function behind
plan their essay. the Main box, draft your opening
The rubric for the task was: paragraph.
g After 30 minutes but not earlier,
a Open a new Inspiration Document.
open a new Word Document and
b In the main box, put in the topic you
write your essay.
have chosen.
c Create at least four new boxes, one Below is the plan that one student
for each aspect of the topic you will submitted. Note how he has copied the
explore in the essay. Into each box, topic into the main box, while aspects
put the idea or concept that you that he aims to deal with are listed in
will examine in each paragraph. the four surrounding sub-boxes. These
These will form the ideas for the will become paragraphs in the essay and
paragraphs of the essay. the topic sentence for each paragraph is
d Use the Add Note function for each ready in the link to the sub-box.
circle to put in dot point form what
you may say in that paragraph.

Diagram created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

24
 Concept mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool

For the aspect, ‘Outsmarted by his What did we achieve?

main character’, the notes behind the The students seemed to think through
circle were as follows: the topic more carefully using this tool
and structured their final responses more
Christof is outwitted by his main character
thoroughly because they had to plan
when he begins to cover up his counterfeit
world.
in this way. Our only concern was that
students who became used to thinking
– Truman realises the simulated world he is
and drafting on screen might find it
living in.
– Gets his first ideas from Sylvia who difficult later to transfer those skills to
informs him on the beach. the less flexible world of paper when the
– He outwits Christof by thinking that time came for a formal examination.
someone is watching his every move.
– Finds the courage to go out to sea as his
father has returned and never died. Science, history and religious
– It shows that Christof tries to predict what
Truman is thinking.
education examples
This software has applications across
From this basic planning and all faculties. In the example below, a
preliminary thinking, it was then simple Year 8 Science teacher asked students
for this student to write the opening to summarise their understanding of the
paragraph, followed by the entire essay carbon cycle:10
in about 30 minutes.

Diagram created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

25
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

In another Science class, this student

used Inspiration as a revision tool to
organise her knowledge of the optics
unit.

In this Year 9 History class, the

students worked in groups to try to
sort out their hazy understanding of the
Australian federal government system.
This is just part of the map one group
developed:

Diagrams created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

26
 Concept mapping:
ICT as a learning
and thinking tool

In a Year 10 Religious Education class one of the many art museums from
studying a unit on Sacred Texts, with around the world online. Their final
emphasis on the two creation stories understanding of these scripture texts
in Genesis, the teacher established the was summarised in a traditional essay.11
conceptual framework by first teaching Nothing outlined above is particularly
them the history and geography of the innovative or difficult to achieve, but
ancient Middle East. The outcome from it does require a measure of collegial
this section was peer-assessed after support and a risk-taking culture within
students prepared short PowerPoint the school. Exploring new ways of
presentations which included maps, teaching can be an exciting challenge.
diagrams and other graphics. For the There is no suggestion that we
study of the concepts of one God, abandon essay writing, as this is still an
faithfulness, revelation, covenant, important skill and one that is strongly
promise and so on, the students valued in high stakes mass testing,
summarised their understanding in a particularly as a hurdle for tertiary
concept map using Inspiration software. entrance. What this kind of learning
After the text analysis section of the does is to stimulate ideas, challenge
work, the students annotated a section conventional thinking and hopefully
of the passage as they had a copy of the prepare students in a far better way
Bible on their laptops, but they were for the narrow gateway of written
also encouraged to annotate a work of examinations. It may also make learning
art that illustrated some aspect of the more open-ended and, therefore, more
creation story. For this, they searched exciting.

27
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Endnotes
Sections of this chapter were first published as D. Nettelbeck & D. McDonald, ‘Mapping the heart of
darkness: using Inspiration software to explore the inter-textuality of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness during
a Year 11 on-line examination’ in Opinion – Journal of the SA English Teachers Association. Vol. 45,
No. 1, Term 2, 2001.
1 Mission Statement – Lin Wood Public Schools, New Hampshire, veiwed 28 May 2004,
<http://www.lin-wood.k12.nh.us/documents/public/technology.htm>
2 J. Novak, The concept mapping, Homepage, viewed 3 December 2000,
<http://www.to.utwente.nl/user/ism/lanzing/cm_home.htm>
3 S. Burford & L. Cooper, ‘Online development using WebCT: A faculty managed process for quality’,
Australian Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 16, No. 3, Summer 2000, p. 208.
4 J. Brooks & M. Brooks, ‘Constructivist classrooms’, viewed 3 December 2004,
<htttp://129.7.160.15/inst5931/constructivist.html>
5 S. Papert, The children’s machine, Harper Collins, New York, 1993.
6 See Appendix 2 for details.
7 Education and Technology Convergence, Commissioned Report No. 43, January, 1996. National
Board of Employment, Education and Training. Australian Government Publishing Service, p. 84.
8 Snapshots: The Specialist Schools Trust Journal of Innovation in Education, UK, Vol. 1, No 1,
July 2003, Editorial p. 2.
9 A. Hargreaves, ‘Teaching in the knowledge society’, Snapshots: The Specialist Schools Trust Journal
of Innovation in Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, July 2003, pp. 7–10.
10 Prepared by Harry Leather when teaching at St Michaels Grammar School.
11 Unit of work developed by Rowan Swaney, Geelong Grammar School.

28
 Chapter 4
‘Few t
eacher
as a g s see
oal in techno
i t logy
to see s e l f. They
how te want
make chnolo
their s g y might
writer tudent
s, read s better
They d ers an
on’t ca d thin
re mu kers.
wheth c h
er the
proces y are
sors.’ 1 good w
ord

Annotation:
A focus on close
reading of the text
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

Suppliers of educational software often easily become the curse of the senior
promote their material as ‘interactive’ secondary student. For them, it seems
when it may be little more than words so much simpler to buy a summary and
onscreen. Some teachers believe that they notes about the text than to read it and
have ‘computerised’ their courses and respond to the direct voice of the writer.
work entirely online, when what they In this context, Richard Andrews
often mean is that all their notes and reminds us that we are moving away
course material have been scanned into from the text as a stable, fixed, cultural
a computer and students have exactly artefact. A student can now
the same material onscreen as appeared play with Shakespeare, by, for
on paper, albeit more colourful and example, inter-cutting his text with
internally indexed. Beware the electronic yours, editing his words, writing
shovel! The new, so-called interactive new speeches and lines, commenting
work may be just the same learning tasks alongside his words in the same font
and notes delivered in a different format. … In such a world, reading becomes
This can be a particular pitfall in a creative act, and the processes of
schools which have invested in expensive composition apply to both reading and
software as front-end organisers. writing, interpreting and making.2
Teachers and students may find that In the same vein, Andrew Goodwyn
the original resources have simply been provides this perspective:
transferred from one medium to another … ideas about, in a sense, interfering
without any change in the nature or with the text of others, are aimed at
demands of the learning. increasing students’ understanding
It seems so easy with computers to of how texts work by getting inside
churn out yet another worksheet which them … what the electronic text
smart students complete too quickly and offers them is the opportunity to get
find boring, while struggling students fail inside the text and to enhance it or
to cope with it and invent yet another contest it from within … We should
avoidance strategy. Study guides or be cynical about some of the claims
commercially produced study notes can for ‘computer literacy’ but we should

30
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

also be idealistic about the power that It happens when ‘deep processing occurs
students can now have over texts, their through challenging and open-ended
own and those of others.3 tasks’.6 Computers help teachers do this
Here, computers are not simply used more easily than was possible in the past.
as word processors, where students can In the study of poetry and the close
easily redraft their work and quickly analysis of a fiction or play text,
complete comprehension exercises computers offer the student genuine
or quiz questions on poems. We are open-ended learning experiences with
talking about productive learning a range of intellectual processing that
engagement, ongoing cerebral challenge comes close to the best models of whole
and increasing the range and ‘depth of brain learning. Technology can enrich
intellectual processing’.4 Computers can and broaden the study of and response
help us to deepen the texture of learning to texts in ways that have never been
with processes ‘which are otherwise possible up to now. The medium is still a
unavailable to students in classrooms. fresh and attractive one to students, and
This aspect of online content appears most are delighted with the ability their
to provide the most potential for computer gives them to present colourful
improving learning and understanding’.5 and well laid-out work that genuinely
The best learning does not occur when reflects their individuality. This meshes
we ask students to find the tricks and with the personal and very individualistic
skills in poetic devices or unravel the nature of most literature, especially
code or remember the rhyming pattern. poetry.

Classroom strategies
Responses to poetry tasks Word/Drawing toolbar. When students
have selected one poem that appeals to
The following are several classroom
them for whatever reason, the instruction
practices tried by colleagues. Some are
for a Year 8 or 9 class could be:
better suited to one kind of poem or a
particular learning outcome than others, Annotate the poem. You will do this
and as we developed these we have tried by using at least six callout boxes. In
to be self-critical with each other about these callout boxes you will be writing
what actually worked. a total of between 100 and 150 words
of comment about the poem.
Annotating with callout boxes
Students really enjoy annotating
a poem with callout boxes from the

31
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Here is part of the response of a

Year 9 student to Bruce Dawe’s poem
‘War Without End’:

Document 1

War Without End

This war was not like any other war,
it was world-wide, and it was never done,
thousands died each year, and thousands more
robbed of all sweetness underneath the sun.

This is a metaphor,
The front-line ran through every road and street, saying that every road
A difference between
they died alone, in small groups (most were young), and street is the front
this war and other
no general offered up a balance-sheet line. The soldiers –
war is that it is not a
drivers and passengers
war fought between to justify torn limbs and silent tongue.
– die alone or in small
two countries or
groups. The passage
races. The casualties
This war was not like any other war, also states that most
are mostly self-
there was no enemy with a foreign face, of the dead are young
inflicted.
people, which also
we could not see what all the fuss was for
makes us think. Weren’t
– when someone died, it was some other place… most of our soldiers
Driving is a risk. young?
Maybe someday, we The rusting junk-yards were not on our maps,
will crash. Our car
the rehab hospitals off-limits too,
will be dumped to
we could not ever imagine that perhaps This passage creates
the junkyards that
someday our wheels and us might join the queue. an image of the
are never seen on the
ambulances rushing to
map, and our bodies
the site and trying to
will probably be in
And daily still, in sunshine and in rain, find any survivors. The
the rehab hospitals.
the ambulances with their strident cries nurses and doctors try
Both we and the car
sort out the barely living from the slain, to revive the seriously
will be visiting a new,
wounded, but most
unknown place. while, all invisibly, our future dies
likely, the victims of this
war will die, unseen.
Genghis Khan, it’s said, composed a hill
of skulls as tribute to his conquering hand
– he knew what he was doing; when we kill
we can only say we do not understand.

32
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Callouts and graphics Read this poem carefully three or

four times until you are sure that you
Students also enjoy showing their
understand it well. Then respond to
understanding of a poem with pictures
it in whatever way you wish, but you
as well as words. In this example, the
must include at least four notes and
students were required to use callout
two sentences in each note and at
boxes from the Word/Drawing toolbar
least four pictures.
but also the Insert Picture function from
that tool bar. The rubric was: Here is part of the response of a Year 10
student to the song ‘Only Nineteen’.7 The
lines he chose were highlighted in different
colours and the connecting lines and
explanatory text were in the same colours.

Document 2

On two legs; it was a war within yourself.

But you wouldn’t let your mates down ‘til they had you dusted off.
So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.
And then someone yelled out ‘Contact!’ and the bloke behind me swore.
We hooked in there for hours, then a god-almighty roar.
And Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon.
God help me, he was going home in June.
I can still see Frankie drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel.
On a thirty-six hour rec. leave in Vung Tau.
And I can still hear Frankie lying screaming in
the jungle.
’Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row.
And the Anzac legends didn’t mention mud and
blood and tears.
And the stories that my Father told me never seemed
quite real.
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn’t even feel.
God help me, I was only nineteen.
And can you tell me doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep? Australian War Memorial
Negative Number BEL/69/0378/VN
And why the Channel 7 chopper chills me to my feet?
And what’s this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen. >

33
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Document 2 cont’d

One of the only ways to get to Vietnam was

by helicopter.
The bad memories of Vietnam can be brought
back to people in Australia by the sound of a
helicopter. This is because they went to Vietnam
in helicopters and this brings back to them
what happened there and how close they
came to death.

A shot person is taken from Vietnam in a

helicopter.
One of the only things that could save you if you
got shot was a shot of morphine which would
kill the pain until the helicopter came or you
died. The shot of morphine could also relax your
body so much that your heart stopped beating
and you died. It was either a life saver or a death
sentence. It was the only thing that could be
done for someone hurt in the field.

Much of the time was spent on the ground

in the mud, shooting at an invisible enemy
hiding in the jungle.
The stories the young kids heard from the
Anzacs were about good times and heroes in the
war, they never heard about the real face of war,
the bodies, the bleeding and screaming of pain.
Many people who went had no idea of what they
would have to see. This would scar them for the
rest of their lives.
Australian War Memorial
Negative Numbers: COL/67/0781/VN;
COL/67/0140/VN; FOD/71/0257/VN.

34
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Use yellow sticky notes or Insert/ Make a personal response to any

Comment function aspects of this poem by using the
footnote facility in ‘Insert/Comment’.
A simple but similar means of response
You should write at least six
preferred by some students is to annotate
comments with one or two sentences
on screen with notes. In this case, the
of explanation in each.
task was defined as:
The following two responses are from
Year 9 students. The first was the result
of a group discussion by three boys. The
second was part of an assessment task,
where students were given 30 minutes to
respond to one of two unseen poems:

Document 3

Small-town dream
‘Back roads’ suggests the bus has come a long way over difficult
The back-roads school bus strains country, straining around every corner.

past the side entrance of Blue’s

This is a dozy town where the men ‘slump’ in boredom while they
gaze into the depths of mugs held in ‘sprawling’ workmans’ hands.
Auto Repairs where three men slump

in startling white plastic chairs

Chairs are ‘startling white’ because we perhaps expect everything
in this little town to be dusty or dirty.
in the eight-thirty am sun,

The ‘eight-thirty am sun’ is bright and probably hot already – that

eyes delving into the depths
is why the men gaze away into their mugs.

of mugs deep in sprawling hands.

Behind the safety net

Why is the father there? Is he one of the workers typical of a country town?
Is the shackle a symbol of not being able to get away from the town?
of a casually curved arm

with ankle shackle of thumb & forefinger,

Strong metaphor of safety for the child – to him the
father is vast and powerful like Mt Kosciuszko.
a determined small boy climbs toward

the Kosciuszko of his father’s shoulder.

>
35
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Document 3 cont’d

On the next gear-groaning corner Repetition of sounds – ‘gear groaning’, ‘loose-limbed’ and
‘river red’ give the reader an interesting pattern and rhythm.
a weatherboard house has settled,

loose-limbed, against a river red gum.

This is a picture of a run-down house, perhaps with
paint peeling, propped up by the powerful tree.
In dusty shade

a slump-shouldered caravan

& three shambly old cars

with deflated tyres

sprawl in a gossiping circle Like the wrecked cars with deflated tyres, the town
isn’t going anywhere – even the camel is old and looks
depressed and diseased, covered in flies.
beside a shaggy camel, fostering flies,

ruminating on nothing – some

The town is depressed and inward looking – even the camel
which is ‘dreamship’ from another world, a ‘ship of the desert’
half-forgotten dreamship – hobbled for escape, is now half-forgotten and is ‘hobbled in the narrow
yard’, leaving us a negative picture of the town.

In the narrow yard.

Kathielyn Job

36
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Document 4

Bury Me
Bury me in a lotus pond The eels are alive and so represent that life and death is
So that eels may swish by my ears, also in the present, so life and death co-exist together.

Light which is created by the fireflies is a symbol

While on the lanterns – the green lotus leaves, of birth or life but when the light disappears this
Fireflies flicker, now dim, now bright. symbolises death. Again, life and death co-exist.

Acacia flowers produce eatable bulbs which

Bury me under the acacia flowers are sweet and thus if you were to be buried
So I may have sweet dreams for ever under them, you would have ‘sweet dreams’.

The pine is alone but when the wind wails over, it is

Or bury me on top of Mount T’ai as if it is talking. When the person is dead and alone,
Where the wind wails over a lone pine. he will be kept company by the ‘wails’ of the wind.

Spring is a symbol of things coming to life such as

Or burn me to ashes and scatter me
plants flowering and showing their true beauty which
In a river where spring tides are surging high, was initially capsulated within the plant. This person
really wants to turn his death, which is unpleasant, into
something pleasant and wants to be with the things
he/she finds beautiful in life so that his death wouldn’t
be seen as a sad event.

So that I may drift away with fallen petals

He/she wishes to drift with the fallen petals (a form of
To a land that nobody knows.
life) and explore a land which he has not experienced.

Chu Hsiang
Translated by Kai-Yu Hsu

37
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Use a table from the Word/Insert Table what to look for in a particular section
function of the poem. Here is a poem presented
The verses of a poem can be put into to students in this format, with questions
a table by using the Word/Insert Table directing them to particular aspects of
function with instructions explaining each verse and space to respond:

Document 5

Smugglers
by Maria Lewitt

The poem your response

We were met How is the sense of ‘brisk efficiency’ conveyed?

By brisk efficiency.
Passport. Landing Permit.
Vaccination. Chest X-Ray.
Name. Nationality.
And yes, –
Anything to declare?

Hands shuffled, How do these lines continue the mood that has
Fingers lifted, been established?
Eyes looked
Scanned.

Nothing was confiscated. What cargo did they bring and how are these ideas
We were free to go. conveyed?
Our bodies bent
Under the heavy cargo
Of our past.
We smuggled in
Values and slanted opinions.

We failed to declare How does the poet convey a sense of loss?

Ever-lasting nostalgia,
Memories of distant people,
Already fading cities
And lost sunsets.

Nobody asked, nobody cared. What words or phrases convey the idea that the
We were left alone. new arrivals are ambivalent?
And wherever we go,
We leave a trail
Of unsuspected contraband,
Sometimes polluting, sometimes enriching
Our adopted Home.

38
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Respond with graphics The rubric for a Year 9 assessment

Most of our contemporary poetry books task across the classes for a poem that
have drawings or pictures, where the they had previously read and selected
editor has placed his or her own pictorial was:
interpretation of the poem as a guide Choose several lines or a phrase or
for the readers. Why not let the students key words or a series of words that
find their own pictures to illustrate some were particularly vivid to you as you
aspect of a poem which has appealed to read the poem.
them? The instruction could be:
Copy and paste these words into the
Respond to this poem by selecting next part of your response document.
a word or phrase or verse. Copy the
Now find on the internet or from your
selection onto a new Word Document
clip art one or two pictures, or create a
and illustrate your selection by
collage which illustrates for you what
choosing a picture from a web site or
you saw in your mind when you read
your clip art. Then in a few sentences,
those lines or words.
say how the words and picture
complement each other. Here is the pictorial response of one
student to Bruce Dawe’s poem ‘War
Without End’, about the carnage on
Australia’s roads:

Document 6

The rusting junk-yards were not on our maps,

the rehab hospitals off-limits too,
we could not ever imagine that perhaps
someday our wheels and us might join the queue.

Needless to say, this is a very clear picture of a rusty

junkyard. It is very messy – wheels, scraps of metal and
old, out of shape cars. Was that a racing car? The picture
is in black and white, although there are not any white
places. It creates a dark, old and rusty atmosphere.

39
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Close reading of Shakespeare

In another possible activity, the computer professional production and from their
can be used for a close reading task. A own mini-production in the classroom.
group of Year 9 students were taken to While many tended to use this exercise
a live production of The Tempest. Then simply to ‘translate’ the Shakespearean
for an oral assessment they were asked words, others used the task to explore
to choose and perform at least 100 lines the ideas of the play. The students did
from the play. As a written complement not have a printed version of the play but
to that performance they were required worked entirely from a text downloaded
to annotate and submit their selection from the Web. Here is one example:
with performance notes from the

Document 7

This scene is where Caliban and Stephano plan to kill

Prospero. This is an important scene because Prospero is a
very important man of the island and once he is dead his
daughter will be theirs and so will the Island.

Caliban’s plan to kill Prospero, so they can have his daughter

CALIBAN
This is where Caliban explains
Why, as I told thee, ’tis a custom with him, to Stephano how they should kill 85
Prospero because once Prospero
I’ th’ afternoon to sleep: there thou mayst brain him, is dead Stephano can rule the
Having first seized his books, or with a log Island and have his daughter.

Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,

Or cut his wezand with thy knife. Remember Caliban explains that the first thing they
First to possess his books; for without them must do is take Prospero’s books because 90
without them he is powerless with his
He’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not magic and is just a normal person.
One spirit to command: they all do hate him
As rootedly as I. Burn but his books. Calliban tells Stephano that they
He has brave utensils,—for so he calls them— must burn all Prospero’s books
because he is useless without them.
Which when he has a house, he’ll deck withal 95
Stephano is looking very excited.
And that most deeply to consider is
The beauty of his daughter; he himself
Calliban explains how beautiful Prospero’s
Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,
daughter Miranda is and how his mother Sycorax
But only Sycorax my dam and she; could never equal Miranda’s beauty. This is
But she as far surpasseth Sycorax important because it gives them another reason to
want to kill Prospero. Calliban kicks the ground as
As great’st does least. he talks about his mother with anger. 100

40
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Close reading of a novel

We have also used the screen to set boxes according to the mark allocated to
up a close reading exercise for Year 9 the question and length of the expected
students, where they were given the text answer. Once more, it was easy to mark
with questions in callout boxes and space and demonstrated very quickly those
to directly type in the answers. In the who did and did not understand the
example below, the teacher’s questions levels of meaning in the novel.
are in bold followed by the student Here is a small section of the response
response. We set up the size of the callout to Kelleher’s The Ivory Trail:

Document 8

Sinking back into his chair, just as he might What is the fourth road?
have done, I opened the book at the marker. The
(1 mark)
page before me was rough-edged and yellowed
The four roads that head to Ali Ben Gazrah.
by time. It contained only five lines, beautifully
Those of wonder, selflessness, faith, and the
inscribed, the ink so faded that I had to strain to
fourth one, The Way of Innocence.
read them:

The four roads that lead to XXX XXX XXX

I The way of Wonder
II The way of Selflessness How and why did Mbuqua lose her
III The way of Faith bondage?
I stopped at that point, suddenly aware that what (2 marks)
I’d read was a shorthand description of my three In The Elephant Hunter, Mbuqua was given
channellings so far. In Africa, Louis had learned freedom by Louis, within the depths of the
the value of wonder, not freedom, as I’d first Matolo Mountains. Louis had realised the
thought. For without a sense of wonder, he and fact of justice, morals and wonder, and this
Mbuqua would have remained in bondage: she caused him to provide Mbuqua, a slave
is destined for the slave block, and Louis bonded whose life had been placed in his hands, the
to cruelty and his dream of wealth. Yes, I could right of freedom.
see it now! The way of Wonder! The first of XXX
XXX XXX’s roads had opened my eyes as surely
as it had opened Louis’.

>

41
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Document 8 cont’d

Similarly, I could see that the English episode

Explain how John had learnt selflessness?
had dealt with more than straightforward love
(5)
and hate. At the end, when John sank into the
John and Richard Dudley had never had a
lake, he’d been prepared to risk his own life so
close, loving, brotherly relationship. John was
his brother could die in peace. And if that wasn’t
treated as not much better than a servant,
XXX XXX XXX’s way of Selflessness, then what
while Richard, his half-brother, was destined
was?
to be heir to a royal position. When Richard
sent John on a task to collect a gift for their
sister, Lucy, John made an important decision
that would affect the rest of his life. Instead of
collecting the unworthy bauble, which Richard
had bought for Lucy, John, disgusted by the
ugliness of the object, decided to exchange
it for a beautiful carving, that of the Ivory
Elephant. On returning to Richard, John had
presented Lucy with the gift. She had been
delighted and pleased with the carving, while,
Richard, on the other hand, had loathed the
gift. Richard disposed of the carving, and
shortly after, on his death-bed, he decided
that the ivory carving held his soul. John
decided that he would rescue the carving
from the lake, and would not allow Richard’s
soul to rest on the bottom of the icy lake. In
doing so, he risked his own life, for that of
a brother, a brother who had never really
accepted him until the last moment.

42
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Responding to newspaper
issues
There is a sense of immediacy when current topics through editorials, opinion
dealing with today’s news issues in the articles and reader’s comments. Here is
classroom. Hopefully students can learn one example from a Year 11 student,
to look beyond the simplistic 30-second completed in about 30 minutes:
TV news grab, moving on to probe

Document 9

And now for something completely different …

By Terry Jones
How does the writer catch the attention of
For some time now, I’ve been trying to find
the reader?
out where my son goes after choir practice.
The writer catches the attention of the
He simply refuses to tell me. He says it’s no
reader by mentioning a family member and
business of mine where he goes after choir
how they worry about them. As everyone
practice and it’s a free country.
has someone special in their life, it catches
their attention as the author is curious and
Now it may be a free country, but if people
probably worried about their special family
start going just anywhere they like after choir
member and the reader may have strategies
practice, goodness knows whether we’ll have a
to solve the situation.
country left to be free. I mean, he might be going
to anarchist meetings or Islamic study groups.
How do I know?

In what ways is the contention of the

piece being foreshadowed?
The contention of the piece is being
foreshadowed by the author suggesting his
son may be going to anarchist meetings or
Islamic study groups.

>

43
Computers,
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and Learning

Document 9 cont’d

The thing is, if people don’t say where they’re

Are there examples of hyperbole or
going after choir practice, this country is at
exaggeration in this paragraph? If so, what
risk. So I have been applying a certain amount
is the writer trying to achieve by using
of pressure on my son to tell me where he’s
them?
going. To begin with, I simply put a bag over his
There are two examples of exaggeration in
head and chained him to a radiator. But did that
this paragraph: ‘if people don’t say where
persuade him? Does the Pope eat kosher?
they’re going after choir practice, this country
is at risk’ and ‘To begin with, I simply put
My wife had the gall to suggest that I might
a bag over his head and chained him to
be going a bit too far. So I put a bag over her
a radiator’. The writer is trying to entice
head and chained her to the radiator. But I still
the reader to keep further reading and to
couldn’t persuade my son to tell me where he
keep them interested. He also uses the
goes after choir practice.
exaggeration to further emblemish his point
of being worried about his son.
I tried starving him, serving him only cold meals
and shaving his facial hair off, keeping him in
stress positions, not turning his light off, playing
loud music outside his cell door – all the usual
stuff that any concerned parent will do to find
out where their child is going after choir practice.
But it was all to no avail. How is a change of tone achieved at this
point in the piece and what effect does this
I hesitated to gravitate to harsher interrogation have on the reader?
methods because, after all, he is my son. Then A change of tone is achieved at this point of
Donald Rumsfeld came to my rescue. the piece by speaking in a past tense of what
he read last week. Also mentioning ‘Then
I read in The New York Times last week that a Donald Rumsfeld came to my rescue’ further
memo had been prepared for the US Defence emphasied the tone. The effect that this has
Secretary on March 6, 2003. It laid down the on the reader is that it makes the reader feel
strictest guidelines as to what is and what is not sarcasm as they realise that the author is
torture. Because, let’s face it, none of us want to having a shot at the US and their polices on
actually torture our children, in case the police torture of Iraq prisoners. There is a flippant
get to hear about it. tone in this section of the piece.

>

44
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Document 9 cont’d

The March 6 memo prepared for Mr Rumsfeld

explained that what may look like torture is not
Is the writer’s interpretation of
really torture at all. It states that: if someone
Mr Rumsfeld accurate and was it
‘knows that severe pain will result from his
necessary to paraphrase in this way?
actions, if causing such harm is not his objective,
The writer’s interpretation of Mr Rumsfeld
he lacks the requisite specific intent even though
was accurate. It was necessary to paraphrase
the defendant did not act in good faith’.
this way as it further emphasised how badly
What this means in understandable English is
the Iraqi prisoners had been treated by US
that if a parent, in his anxiety to know where his
soldiers and put it into perspective for most
son goes after choir practice, does something
people who in this situation would affect
that will cause severe pain to his son, it is only
most people.
‘torture’ if the causing of that severe pain is
his objective. If his objective is something else
– such as finding out where his son goes after
choir practice – then it is not torture.

Mr Rumsfeld’s memo goes on: ‘a defendant’ (by

which he means a concerned parent) ‘is guilty of
torture only if he acts with the express purpose
of inflicting severe pain or suffering on a person
within his control’.

Couldn’t be clearer. If your intention is to extract

information, you cannot be accused of torture.
In fact, the report went further. It said, if a parent
‘has a good-faith belief (that) his actions will
not result in prolonged mental harm, he lacks
the mental state necessary for his actions to
constitute torture’. So all you’ve got to do to
avoid accusations of child abuse is to say that
you didn’t think it would cause any lasting harm
to the child. Easy peasy!

>

45
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Document 9 cont’d

I currently have a lot of my son’s friends

Are there any examples of sarcasm or
locked up in the garage, and I’m applying
other devices of persuasion? If so, how do
electrical charges to their genitals and sexually
they contribute to the argument?
humiliating them in order to get them to tell me
There are a couple examples of sarcasm.
where my son goes after choir practice.
One example is ‘I currently have a lot of my
son’s friends locked up in the garage, and I’m
Dick Cheney’s counsel, David S. Addington,
applying electrical charges to their genitals
says that’s just fine. William J. Haynes, the US
and sexually humiliating them in order to get
Defence Department’s general counsel, agrees
them to tell me where my son goes after choir
it’s just fine. And so does the US Air Force
practice’. They contribute to the argument as
general counsel, Mary Walker.
if this was happening to people’s children, it
would no way near be accepted as much as
In fact, practically everybody in the US
the Iraq situation. The sarcasm contributes
Administration seems to think it’s just fine,
greatly, as it influences people to accept his
except for the State Department lawyer, William
argument.
H. Taft IV, who perversely claims that I might
be opening the door to people applying
electrical charges to my genitals and sexually
Summarise the writer’s contention. How
humiliating me.
effective do you find this as a piece of
persuasive writing?
So I’m going to round up all the children in the
The writer’s contention is that the actions of
neighbourhood, chain them and set dogs on
the US Administration in Iraq with dealing
them. I might accidentally kill one or two – but
with prisoners should be condemned and
I won’t have intended to – and perhaps I’ll take
should not be condoned or approved of
some photos of my wife standing on the dead
because ‘they may be a terrorist’. This piece
bodies, and then I’ll show the photos to the
of writing is effective, but at the start of
other kids, and finally, perhaps, I might get to
the piece it was hard to follow. The clear
find out where my son goes after choir practice.
contention only comes clear after the mention
of Donald Rumsfeld, but until then I found it a
After all, I’ll only be doing what the US
bit awkward. I did though think it was clever
Administration has been condoning since
and a very confronting and persuasive piece
September 11.
of writing.
Terry Jones (www.terry-jones.net) is a writer, film
director, actor and Python. This article first appeared
in The Guardian. Re-published in The Age, 19 June
2004.

46
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

Annotation of cartoons
Being able to discern and articulate the Use at least three callout boxes to
elements in a cartoon is an important annotate it.
skill for students to learn. The rubric for Point out significant details and
such a task could be: explain what the message or
This cartoon below appeared in 2003 contention of the cartoonist is.
in an Iranian newspaper (soon after Here is a response by a Year 11
the declared end of the second Gulf student, completed in class in a limited
War). time:

Document 10

America. Looting Iraq, passing

down the pieces to Israel.
On top of the world. World POLICE.
WTF?

Israel is portrayed to be
malevolent and scoring
from the war with Iraq:
oil, favouritism from
UN, OPEC. From Iran’s
point of view, Israel are
crooks.

MEHDI
KEYHAN
TEHRAN Snake = Tony Blair. Backup
IRAN
for USA. Hoping to ‘score’
from aftermath of war.

This Year 11 student has not managed snake in the Garden of Eden, and Africa
to get all the details right in the cartoon, is not the WTF, but for all that, we had a
but has made a reasonable attempt to good starting point for discussion when
understand an Arab perspective on a his and other responses were put up on
current and controversial topic. He has screen with a data projector.
not seen the significance of the tree and

47
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Wider applications
and suggested activities
Comparison of newspaper Or the Web addresses of all Australian
coverage newspapers: http://www.start4all.com/
newspapers/aus.htm
The immediacy of this kind of teaching
can be really exhilarating. Find a topical Or http://www.newspapers.com/ for
issue and see how it is dealt with in newspapers overseas OR use a search
more than one newspaper. For example, engine to find your own.
you could compare the reporting of a Or the Internet Public Library for every
world event in a local newspaper with newspaper online from around the
the report in a Singapore or Shanghai or world http://www.ipl.org/div/news/
Berlin newspaper.
Get students started by asking them
Use the National Library web site to copy this table into a new document,
http://www.nla.gov.au/npapers/ then paste in the articles:

News topic:

Australian Newspaper: Overseas Newspaper:

Writer: Writer:
Date: Date:

The Article The Article

My comments My comments

Teaching history research Using the Microsoft Word/Drawing

methods Toolbar/AutoShapes/Connectors and
Lines students could tackle the following:
Often in the middle years students study
the history of their own school as a way • Start with the foundation date of
of establishing good methodology for the the school
subject. They could do this by studying • Add some key dates like the ones
the periods that each headmaster served below using callouts. (Go to the
or key events, building developments or Drawing Toolbar/AutoShapes/
other points of significance.8 Callouts.)

48
 Annotation:
A focus on
close reading
of the text

• Add 1907 – First magazine Annotation in geography

published
• Add 1917 – House system
In a geography class, students could be
established
asked to annotate an Editorial or Letter
• Add 1926 – Junior School built
to the Editor about the siting of a toxic
• Add 1953 – P and F Hall built
waste dump. They would examine the
• Add 1973 – Science wing started
text by asking: ‘What is being said?’
• Add 1980 – Swimming pool built
‘Who is saying it and why?’ and ‘What
• Add 1992 – First interschool
position are they coming from – is
athletics premiership
it simply a “Not in My Back Yard”
• 2003 – Centenary
argument?’
• When you started at the school
It is immediately clear that these
• ADD at least three illustrations or
concepts and skills are common across
decorations. Use the school’s web if
many subjects and offer a challenge to a
you wish.
narrow view of subject disciplines.

Endnotes
1 J. McKenzie, How teachers learn technology best, FNO Press, 1999, p. 79.
2 R. Andrews, ‘Framing and design in ICT in English: towards a new subject and new practices in
the classroom’, in A. Goodwyn (ed.), English in the digital age: information and communications
technology and the teaching of English, Cassell, London, 2000, p. 27.
3 A. Goodwyn (ed.), 2000, op cit, Chapter 8, ‘Texting, reading and writing in the Internet’, p. 128.
4 D. McRae, ‘What to make and why – principles for the design and development of online curriculum
content’, Summary Document, Curriculum Corporation, Australia, March 2001, p. 4.
5 ibid., pp. 4, 5.
6 ibid., p. 9.
7 Reproduced here with permission of the author, John Schuman, singer/songwriter and former lead
singer of the band, Redgum.
8 Classroom activity prepared by Diane McDonald and the History teachers at Trinity Grammar School,
Kew.

49
 Chapter 5
‘[Educ
ation
a kind is] abo
of per ut cre
s ating
naviga o n able to
te cha
learn- nge an
as-the d dive
y - g rsity,
proble o, solve
ms, co
be flex llabor
ible an ate, an
d crea d
promo t i ve …
ting ca
reflex pabilit
ive an y,
learni d auto
ng, co nomou
l l a s
comm b o ration
unicat ,
ion … 1
’

Oral
language:
Avoiding death by
PowerPoint
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

The learning and thinking context

Oral language activities have been a means of enlarging one’s personal
accorded a far higher status in the past world view and modifying it to take
few years in secondary schools.2 These account of other people’s;
activities can include specifically planned, Have a repertoire of appropriate
structured and orchestrated tasks which questioning techniques;
the teacher prepares and mediates in Act as a facilitator, co-ordinator,
order to extend the oracy of the class.3 receptive audience, negotiator,
They may also include small group consultant and supportive mentor …
learning, formal student presentations Intervene when necessary, challenge,
to a group or the whole class, and will redirect or refocus talk to encourage
certainly include an encouragement to students to move beyond the mere
good listening. It is fundamental that expression of opinion …5
the ‘classroom teacher and students We have all sat through tedious
alike must assume that students have PowerPoint presentations where the
something to learn from each other’. It presenter turns away from the audience
is not necessary for the ‘teacher to be and reads an essay off the screen. As
the keeper and controller of the “talking an alternative, try peer assessment of
space”’.4 presentations in small groups where
In Re-Viewing English, a significant three or four students sit around a
1998 text for Australian English computer screen; insist on 36 point type
teachers, the role of the teacher in with six words per dot point and six dot
engendering the optimal learning points per slide; give students practice in
environment for oracy is summed up as: eye-balling an audience without turning
Plan, prepare, orchestrate and mediate to see what is on the screen behind them.
meaningful and enjoyable language One of the best presentations I have
experiences … heard was from a Year 12 girl who
Establish and affirm through practice delivered a passionate plea for the
the patterns of expectation about reintroduction of the death sentence.
acceptable and unacceptable talk; To complement her talk, a PowerPoint
Encourage a view of discussion as presentation ran behind her with one

51
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

photograph of a victim of Timothy In Chapter 2, reference was made to

McVeigh’s Oklahoma bombing scrolling constructivist learning theories, where
across the screen every ten seconds. Her the learner is an active participant in
point was driven home very forcefully constructing knowledge. A linking of
indeed. We do not have to subject the oral language with the vast potential
ourselves or our students to ‘death by of computers is a great way to put this
PowerPoint’ or ‘PowerPointlessness’ as theory into practice.
Jamie McKenzie calls it.6

Classroom strategies
The following are some ideas for Use that slide as a basis for the
learning activities through formal and explanation of what you found
informal oral work in order to achieve significant in the story, or the way the
sound learning outcomes. writer expressed the details or any
other aspect that you found notable.
Be prepared to read aloud to the class
A single PowerPoint slide as an a section of the story. The reading and
aid to an oral presentation your explanation should take between
Here is a rubric for an oral presentation two and three minutes.
which was used with a Year 11 class For more details of the rubric, see
after they had studied an anthology of Chapter 11.
short stories in a traditional way: One student used the very simple
Choose ONE sentence from a story slide opposite to talk about the story
that is different to the one you will use ‘The Road to Rankin’s Point’ from the
for the succeeding tasks. collection The Lost Salt Gift of Blood.
Find ONE picture or drawing that for Using this single slide as a focus, he
you illustrates that sentence or assists pointed out the timeframe of the story,
your understanding of the scene. the age of the grandmother and the
harsh life she had led, the voice of the
Present the text and the illustration in
narrator grandson and the major events
ONE PowerPoint slide.
of the story. It was brilliantly simple and
effective.

52
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

PowerPoint for formal • A maximum of six dot points and a

maximum of six words per dot point.
assessment
• Using the Notes Page View, each slide
A Year 8 class, studying the novel must be accompanied by about 50
Songman by Alan Baillie, was given words of explanation.
the following task with very specific
The presentation was to take no longer
instructions about the number of slides
than ten minutes and be delivered to a
and the number of words to be used,
group of three or four around a computer
with the following rubric:
screen in a lab. The presentation was then
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation peer-assessed according to the following
of six slides. criteria, although the teacher reserved the
• The presentation must include right to allocate the final mark using the
some graphics and/or sound clips. student assessment and observations while
moving around from group to group:

PEER ASSESSMENT of the PRESENTATION 5 4 3 2 1 0

Involved the audience (eye contact, answered questions, etc)

Structure of the slides (coherence and development of ideas)

Expressiveness (control of features of spoken English)

Knowledge of content (effective exploration of the book,

evidence of research, etc)

Comments:

53
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

In addition, the students were required

to prepare a 50-word summary for
each slide in ‘speaker’s notes’, and then
print the slide and the notes using the
PowerPoint/Print/Notes pages to submit
for teacher assessment. Here is a slide
prepared by one girl:

The notes which she printed for this

page (with uncorrected syntax) were:

Yolngu is another name for Yukuwa’s tribe. children would find plus wallabies, crocodile,
Their skin is very black because they live under kangaroo which the men would hunt for, then
the high sun. They never stayed in one place they would have a feast. The Yolngu people
like the Macassans – they always moved from have strong superstition. They believe that if
beach to beach. It’s part of their culture. The you disturbed a dead person’s grave, the spirit,
Yolngu people collect their own food from the the galka, can causes trouble for the tribe and
land. They believe that the land provided them bring bad luck like One Eye Grave post. It is the
food. So they never plant their food like the Yolngu Law that if a wife deserted her injured
Macassans. Yolngu people love eating yam, husband, the women must die.
apples, and duck eggs which the women and

54
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

The criteria for the assessment of the

written part of the task were:

Max Mark awarded

Knowledge of content and exploration of ideas 12

Coherence and effective organisation, paragraphing, 4

and relevance to the slide.

Control of the mechanics of language, spelling, etc 4

Total 20

Comment:

Using PowerPoint to present

a ‘choose your own adventure’
story
Students find it quite easy to set up the slide from a Year 8 piece of creative
hyperlinks within a PowerPoint story writing where the audience, which listens
and then enjoy teasing their peers with to the story being read to them, chooses
the directions the story may take. Here is which way they want to take the story:

55
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

In similar fashion, students in a Year 8

Religion and Society class used the same
facility in PowerPoint to chart a path
through the temptations of marijuana:

Using an Excel graph to Factors contributing to the final tragedy in

promote class discussion Hamlet

A teacher working with a senior Gertrude’s quick new marriage 2

secondary class that was nearing the Hamlet’s madness 15
end of reading and studying Hamlet,
Laertes’ desire for revenge 7
took a straw poll on what the students
considered to be the factors which led to Claudius’ ambition to be king 10
the multiple tragedies in the last act of Procrastination by Hamlet 17
the play. Students were given two votes
Doubt that the ghost could be trusted 4
each and the data was quickly entered in
a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet: Weakness of women 6

Polonius spying on his daughter 1

Rotten political structures in Denmark 3

56
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

From there it was a matter of a few

seconds to translate that data into a
graph:

Vigorous discussion ensued when the Use of organisational charts to

graph was projected onto a screen. Those summarise group discussion
who voted for the weakness of women
were challenged, as were those wanting Something visual can focus the attention
to wipe their hands of the whole thing of students and provoke discussion.
by saying that Hamlet was mad. It was Word XP has an easy-to-use diagram
a good way of pushing students beyond gallery in the Drawing Toolbar. For
quick and easy answers. example, a group could utilise the
organisational chart to explore the
consequences of anti-communist
paranoia in Australia in the late 1940s:

Why was the ‘red scare’ a threat to

Australia in the 1940s?

Migrants from Eastern Europe Right wing political swing

The start of the Cold War
might bring it with them in Australia

57
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

This is no more than a quick

Referendum to change the constitution
five-minute classroom exercise that
and give Aborigines the vote
encourages students to think, talk and
tease out ideas. The very fact that groups
of students can approach a topic in quite
different ways and then have to defend Returned
their position sharpens their critical soldiers

perspective. The visual representation Public shame as

on a computer for a group or via a data massacres revealed

projector for a class is simply a way of Aborigines confined to

focusing their thinking. Chalk, paper and ‘missions’ and remote areas

crayons would do just as well but are Disease decimated the

more cumbersome and time-consuming. Aboriginal population

Another template from the Squatters acquired land irrespective

organisational chart is the cycle of previous occupiers

diagram, which could be used to plot the European settlement but no treaty
consequences of land degradation:

A Venn diagram could be used to

make a diagrammatic representation
Salinity increases Decreased of the common interests of Laertes,
through irrigation soil fertility Gertrude and Polonius, such as:

Sycophantic courtier
Power and
with power under the
security –
new regime
a lot to gain
personally

Loss of Polonius
biodiversity

Alternatively, students could use a Gertrude

pyramid chart to plot the steps that Claudius

led to the granting of citizenship to

Aborigines in Australia in 1967.
Widow needing Murderer and
protection usurper with a shaky
hold on power

58
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

There are a total of six different charts they could choose from a list. They were
in the diagram gallery but many students then given 30 minutes to tease out the
will probably prefer to construct their concept, find supporting evidence from
own from the AutoShapes/Flowchart at least three scenes and summarise their
patterns in Word or with an Inspiration understanding on poster paper or with
map. an Inspiration map. All then presented
Students revising Hamlet were put into their conclusions to the class within
random pairs to tease out concepts from the same lesson. Here is the diagram
the play, such as power, revenge, trust, screened by one pair via the data
greed, fear, friendship and others, which projector to support their explanation:

Diagram created in Inspiration® by Inspiration Software®, Inc.

Their brief notes on Claudius were:

Claudius’ fear of Hamlet resulted in him Hamlet escapes the fate designed for him
plotting to get rid of Hamlet after his ‘play and returns. The King then takes advantage of
within a play’ set-up. He first decides to send Laertes’ anger, convincing him that Hamlet is
him to England in Act III, Scene I (a reversal to blame for the deaths of his sister and father.
on his original plan to keep him under close
Claudius also plots when he pays Rozencrantz
watch), but then upgrades the plan in Act IV,
and Guildenstern to watch Hamlet and pose as
Scene III to have him murdered in England.
his friends.

59
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

A poetry example – defending which then took only 15 minutes the

the indefensible following day for all the students to
present on screen. The purpose was
In a Year 11 study of the poetry of merely to encourage students to look
TS Eliot, students were asked to select closely at the text for themselves and
what they saw as key lines and present read aloud that part of the poem to the
them to the class with a picture which class with some explanation. One boy
complemented the ideas of the poem. produced the following:
It was a simple homework exercise

His slide produced a hostile reaction It was a quick and interesting exercise
from the class. Not one of his peers that produced the valuable ‘teachable
agreed that the image was consistent moment’ and forced the students to look
with the intention of the poet and he had carefully at the poem. None chose the
to struggle very hard to explain why he same lines to discuss so it turned out to
had chosen it. The following example be a good summary exercise as well.
was far easier to defend:

60
 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

Wider applications
and suggested activities
Computers offer exciting challenges the rank order is usually spot on and the
for teachers and present students with comments often mean more coming from
stimulating ways for thinking and a fellow student than they would from
responding. the teacher.
Most schools have data projectors
which can be booked and are easily
accessible to teachers. Despite the Peer evaluation of an oral book
frustrations that this may involve, report
the more they are booked and used,
Wide reading is an individual activity but
the more pressure it will place on the
it must also be accountable in some way.
administrators to buy more.
Written book reports are boring to write
Ideally there should be one projector
and read or may have been plagiarised
per room, but oral does not have to
from the http://www.amazon.com
be a whole-class experience. We have
web site. On the other hand, an oral
often split a class in half for oral work
presentation where a student can
when there has been a student teacher
show the book to peers and read some
to take some of the class to the next
sections can be very stimulating and
room. In most schools the librarians,
encourage an awareness of new genres
and sometimes colleagues, are willing
and authors. Web research may give
to assist with this kind of assessment
some wider background to the novelist,
activity. It is necessary, however, to train
plot or setting. Overleaf is the assessment
students to work in groups, and to assess
sheet we have used for this activity with
each other in these groups. Students tend
instructions to group leaders and a
to bunch the marks, being reluctant to
requirement that talks be timed:
give very high or very low scores, but

61
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Peer evaluation of an oral book report

Name of presenter

Title of the book Author

Time: (4–6 minutes) VH H M L NS

The presenter has recently read the whole

book.

The presenter had a good understanding

of the plot and characters.

The presenter read aloud an appropriate

passage and explained the context.

The talk was well prepared with an

obvious structure and correct time.

The presenter communicated well, had a

clear voice, made good eye contact with
the audience and did not read a script.

Comments and suggestions for improvement

Name of evaluator Date

This task could be adapted to any time for searching, they were given
subject and there are more suggestions 15 minutes for each group to prepare a
about book reports in one of the models PowerPoint summary of what they had
in Chapter 11. just discovered. For the final part of the
lesson, the teacher brought in a data
projector and each group shared what
Planning a three-day excursion they had learnt with the class.
A Year 6 class about to go on a three-day
excursion to the national capital spent
a lesson sitting on the floor in groups
Summarising arguments for a
with their wireless-enabled laptops, debate
each group searching a different place This idea of oral assessment can be just
or activity that they might be visiting or as easily applied to a ‘Power and Politics’
engaged in on the trip. Each student in topic in middle school or an economics
the group searched different resources topic in senior school. A group in a
related to their topic. After allowing middle school class could, for example,
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 Oral language:
Avoiding death
by PowerPoint

be asked to discuss a topic such as ‘Does show these on a screen for all the class to
Australia have enough water for us to see and debate. This is a basic classroom
be growing cotton at all?’, while another technique which is effective across many
group could deal with the consequences subjects but one that computers help to
of controlling the flow of our river facilitate. Students enjoy the challenge
systems. Each group could summarise of justifying their opinions to their
their considerations in an Excel graph, peers, just as the peers no doubt enjoy
as suggested above, or summarise their challenging the assumptions that a group
main points in a PowerPoint slide and has made.

Endnotes
1 Australian Council of the Deans of Education, New learning: a charter for Australian education,
ACDE, 2001, Proposition 4.
2 In Victoria, oral work is now a component of the School Assessed Course work (SAC) which accounts
for 50 per cent of the final tertiary entrance grade in English. As we might expect, higher level
assessment inevitably drives curriculum innovation in lower grades.
3 The revised New South Wales curriculum document, currently in the process of implementation,
includes a requirement for students in the middle secondary years to be able to ‘express considered
points of view in speech or writing, accurately and coherently and with confidence and fluency in
rehearsed, unrehearsed and impromptu situations.’ For this and more details see
<http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/pdf_doc/english_710_syllabus.pdf>
viewed 27 April 2004.
4 W. Sawyer, K. Watson & E. Gold (eds), Re-viewing English, St Clair Press, Sydney, 1998, pp. 268–9.
5 ibid., p. 269.
6 J. McKenzie, ‘We’ve done the Internet. Now what?’ Speech presented at a seminar in Melbourne,
28 February 2004.

63
Chapter 6
‘I am l
ooking
adapta for cre
ble pro ative,
an inte fe s s i o nals w
rest in ith
to lear a n d capa
n and city
a role t h e a b ility to
model be
classro fo r this in
oms.’ 1 their

Online
discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

The learning and thinking context

The driving force for the ‘Philosophy in beliefs and values.
Schools’ movement, where the classroom The ‘New Basics’ curriculum project
is thought of as a community of enquiry, in Queensland contains the following
comes out of the work of Ann Sharp in statement about higher order thinking
the United States, Lawrence Splitter in skills across every subject:
Australia and others. ‘Dialogue lies at the Higher-order thinking requires
heart of all enquiry’, says Splitter, ‘be it students to manipulate information
within the context of specific disciplines and ideas in ways that transform
like history, philosophy and mathematics their meaning and implications.
or within the broader framework of social This transformation occurs when
and world problems’. This may range students combine facts and ideas
‘from engaging in dialogue and asking in order to synthesise, generalise,
probing questions to a preparedness to explain, hypothesise or arrive at
correct one’s thinking and treat other some conclusion or interpretation.
persons’ work with care’.2 Manipulating information and ideas
All teachers would love to think through these processes allows
that their classrooms are places students to solve problems and
where opinions are respected and a discover new (for them) meanings
range of viewpoints can be canvassed and understandings. When students
and scrutinised. This seems even engage in the construction of
more necessary in the face of bland, knowledge, an element of uncertainty
conforming stereotypes that are ‘fed to is introduced into the instructional
us by much of today’s media and the process and makes instructional
mindlessness of music videos and anti- outcomes not always predictable …
intellectualism which seems to bombard In helping students become producers
us all’.3 We are often fed 30-second news of knowledge, the teacher’s main
grabs and one-dimensional opinions in instructional task is to create activities
the popular press, so it is more vital than or environments that allow them
ever that all teachers encourage students opportunities to engage in higher-order
to think critically about assumptions, thinking.4

65
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Contrary to popular myth, computers ask thoughtful, open-ended questions

do not need to be isolating instruments of each other.6 Surely ICT provides a
where the supposed ‘nerdy’ students powerful new medium for this kind of
put their heads in the screen and let interaction.
the rest of the world go by! Ideally One teacher in Essex, UK, says that
we would like to see a collaborative her students found the Web
learning community where participants a powerful, new and effective way
are brought together to address issues or of communicating with others.
solve problems in a secure, supportive Given that speaking and listening
environment. Schneiderman, in his skills are, for most of us, our most
challenging book Leonardo’s Laptop, used and most important methods
envisages of communication, I was heartened
computer rich networked classrooms by the way in which these students
[which] make possible a variety of embraced and celebrated their
collaborations. Students can create on membership of the chat world.7
their computers and show the whole Researchers have found that girls
class for discussion with a large- tend to dominate linguistic space in a
screen projector or by copying to classroom, while boys are less inclined
every student’s computer. By rapidly than girls to engage in talk as a means
reviewing student work, everyone can of exploring their ideas. In one study,
see the range of good to bad work boys did demonstrate their enjoyment
and sharpen their reviewing skills. in participating in small-group literature
With appropriate software, classroom discussions but this depended on the
brainstorming among dozens of socio-cultural factors of what constitutes
students can, within minutes, produce a good discussion, the teacher’s control
an amazing variety of comments … of strategies that supported dialogue,
and encourage diverse and creative and a classroom pedagogy that embraced
suggestions.5 collaborative inquiry.8
One of the best ways of getting In the following examples from
students to focus away from themselves classroom practice, the group of teachers
may be to persuade them to engage involved had not abandoned face-to-
mentally with someone outside their face class and group discussion, but
normal peer group orbit. A constructivist rather complemented these by using the
educator will encourage students to test very flexible digital tools now so readily
their understandings, engage in dialogue available to us.
with the teacher and one another, and

66
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

Classroom strategies
Senior English text discussion In this scenario, one student from
online each of the Year 11 English classes was
randomly allocated to a group of seven
Chat rooms are a familiar milieu or eight students. Each teacher from
for students and are a mode of across the eight classes scaffolded the
communication where abbreviations and discussion and moderated several groups,
trivial comments are the accepted norm. with students not necessarily from their
But just as schoolyard or changeroom own classes. As there were over 200
chatter is not acceptable in style or students in that year level, many did
format for a formal piece of written not know each other, so there had to
work or a classroom oral presentation, be genuine communication outside the
so the conventions of student-to-student normal peer group. An electronic record
chat rooms are not acceptable in a was kept of what each student wrote.
structured academic discussion. Each teacher/moderator was asked
A group of colleagues decided to to intervene from time to time in the
test some assumptions about online discussion and evaluate the frequency
discussion for educative purposes by and quality of the student responses to
setting up Web-based chat groups the text In the Lake of the Woods by
across eight Year 11 English classes. Tim O’Brien, noting particularly how
A researcher, who viewed the process students followed and contributed to
from an external perspective, concluded a discussion, presented evidence, and
that students were able to carry out respected and responded to the views of
group discussion in an educationally others.
sound way and look at various levels The specific goals for this task were
of meaning in a text as they formulated defined as:
and re-formulated their thinking. The • Encourage students to engage in a
majority of students, she said, were able reflective and thinking activity with
to engage in scholarly dialogue with someone outside their class, normal
someone outside their normal social friendship group or normal comfort
group. Shyer students, ESL students and zone.
those who valued opportunities for more • Carry out a group discussion in a way
reflective debate appeared in particular that would be educationally sound but
to prefer online discussions to face-to- more difficult in a direct face-to-face
face discussions of the class text. Of way.
course, classroom interactions continued, • Provide a basis for further oral
but this online environment catered in a responses as students look at the
different way for students with specific various levels of meaning in the text.
personality and learning styles.9

67
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

• Give students an opportunity to • Experiment with the technology to

interact with an English teacher other ensure that we can use this method for
than their own and so enrich and further online discussion at other year
broaden their learning experience. levels and between schools.

Here is a small sample of the discussion from one group:

Teacher/Moderator: Carmen:
Before he realises Kathy is missing, John Yes – this may be true – that John decides to
decides to get his life in order. Isn’t this a get his life back into order before he realises
sign that he felt he could move on and find Kathy is missing, but it does show he can
something approaching happiness? Are we move on and approach happiness. This would
trapped by our past? Could Wade have made a have been Wade’s theory when starting out in
new life for himself that didn’t involve deceit? the political world – move on, forget Vietnam
and find happiness. As we can see this did not
Ron (responding to one early contribution):
work, and it did not help him ‘move on’ as we
Well Carmen, I happen to disagree with this
can see that a large portion of himself did not
statement of yours. Firstly John was definitely
move on from Vietnam or his childhood.
a prisoner of his past. His father’s death was
out of his control and caused him to feel angry This is a perfect example of how our past is
and at times have outbursts of anger. Due to with us always. When we do something wrong,
his past John was not a good soldier because when we make a mistake, people comfort us
he did not possess the qualities that a ‘Good by saying ‘don’t worry, the past is the past – it
Soldier’ should have. He was self-centred and is forgotten about’, and these sort of comments
scared. He only wanted to go to war to build make us feel better. John probably thought this
on his political status. His whole life, John after the whole Vietnam saga: ‘forget about it,
was in a desperate search for love, power and start a new life and let the past fade away’. In
control. His political failure after the war and the instance of Wade making a new life, well in
his diminishing marriage with Kathy shows us Wade’s case it couldn’t be done because he had
that he was indeed a prisoner of a past that left no one he could really turn to. Yes – he did love
him alone and desperate for love. Kathy – but he could not confide in her, and tell
her his secrets. If there is no one in your life
Fiona:
you can really trust then it is extremely hard to
It would have been better had Wade come
create a new person – as you yourself begin to
clean about his past the moment he thought
forget who you were, and therefore you lose a
about running for the US Senate, not so much
sense of purpose and reality. John’s life didn’t
that he was involved in the My Lai massacre,
really involve deceit – it was not purposeful or
but more that he tried to ‘cover his tracks’
intentional the bad things that he did. It was
by rewriting official military files. If Wade did
the way he went about covering them up that
reveal all this, Kathy would probably have
was deceitful.
stayed with him, but his political career would
be ended. People would simply not want
someone who had done so much lying to
represent them in the Government. >

68
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

Carmen: Teacher:
Sorry Ron – I see what you mean by me not Ron, surely Wade was a successful soldier – he
answering the question properly – I actually was promoted and received commendations.
meant it to answer the other question – that What definition are you using to support your
he was trapped by his past. So if you could argument?
bear this in mind, and re-read the question, my
Fiona:
answer may make a bit more sense. SORRY!
Is there such a thing as a good soldier?
Ron:
We need more topics!!!!

Middle school discussion as an The next student picked up the

extension activity argument immediately with, ‘I don’t
agree with Steven. Oh by the way I am
A discussion was similarly set up for Melanie.’
an extension group of Year 7 students The following student started with,
who read the novel Hitler’s Daughter ‘Hi this is Ying here’, and continued with
by Jackie French outside their normal a surprisingly mature comment,
English curriculum. A very simple but
password-protected discussion was set In my mind genocide occurs when one
up in Microsoft Outlook for the group religious group wants to get rid of the other
of 20 students who were selected from such as the Serbs and the Kosovars. Another
five different classes but who rarely met time we hear about genocide is when a
together physically. country wants to get rid of people in another
country, for example, the Indonesians in West
We started one thread by asking the
Papua New Guinea. A final example would be
students to define genocide and reflect on
where a dictator and his military wants to get
current examples in Rwanda, Kurdistan, rid of a race such as in Iraq where the dictator
The Sudan, East Timor and other places. Saddam Hussein killed millions of Iraq people
We also asked if they thought it was and Pinochet murdered millions of his own
appropriate for 12-year-old students to people in Argentina.
be discussing this topic. One student
responded quickly to this challenge by Then a student, who had previously
referring to the genocide of Australian not joined in, clearly felt so comfortable
Aborigines then said, with the group that she was prepared to
make a very personal contribution. She
The theme of genocide should be discussed
wrote,
in Year 7 because I think that when people
reach Year 7, they sort of start to want to know
about things that are happening outside of
their little part of the world.

69
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Hey guys. I’m Agnes. it difficult to get their ideas together

I find Genocide particularly disgusting, as my quickly in a face-to-face discussion, find
family were involved in the Holocaust. My this a supportive and less confronting
father’s parents parents were Jews, and were medium. Similarly, ESL students, who
living in Germany and Austria at the time. often like taking their time to compose
They were taken into camps, and my great
at the keyboard, said that they enjoyed
grandfather died very early on. However,
the discussions more than on-the-spot
my great grandmother lived through seven
long years of torture. I think people find comments in class. It is easy for both
genocide particularly horrible when they have these groups to be intimidated in a
been through it. They know what it is like to classroom by the extroverts or the quick
be hated for no reason, and killed for no thinkers.
reason. Although we all know that it is Talented students are another group
horrible, I believe that we don’t really know who appear well suited to online
what it is like.
discussion. They have lots of ideas and
enjoy a meeting of minds but often can’t
The teacher then tried to bring the be bothered saying much in a mixed
discussion back to the novel by asking ability class where they can be easily
students to reflect on war guilt and put down or ignored. Sitting in front
why German people appeared to follow of a screen is more private, even in a
Hitler so blindly. This is part of Dimitri’s classroom, although this can also be done
response: at home or for that matter, anywhere
else in the world. One of our students
Can we blame Hitler for what he did? Or continued her contributions while on a
would he be able to realise what is wrong and short study exchange in Europe.
right? I think German families would have
gone on family outings, like picnics, just like
us. It says in the book, when Fraulein Mundt Discussion across the world
is talking to Heidi, that the people of Germany
– the classroom without walls
(most of them) looked up to Hitler because
he wanted to give them more jobs and a new We invited a group of Year 10 students,
name for Germany, after the First World War. who had been selected by their teachers
Hitler promised this, nobody else did and as talented writers, to participate in an
people wanted him to win. So for a while
extension activity by joining in an online
the Germans probably went along with him,
discussion. They were clearly enthusiastic
almost being sort of hypnotised. Probably
after a few months they began to realise what
and motivated students, although not all
he was doing was evil. Imagine the faith they accepted the invitation. We also invited
must have held in Hitler . . . . students from a school in California and
one in South Africa to join in.10 We had
no illusions that a first experiment of
In the course of various discussions,
this kind would produce much serious or
we observed that students who have
reflective thinking, but it was a start and
ideas but are slow thinkers, finding

70
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

it was at least useful for the teachers to This message was viewed 345 times
see the pitfalls in this potentially positive and there were 18 replies. Two boys
learning situation. from the Australian school, one with a
Our first topic was ‘Terrorism affects conservative perspective and one with a
overseas travel’. While 107 students strong leftwing opinion, started off the
viewed the topic there were only two discussion which obviously then offended
brief replies. Clearly this did not grab the some of the American students, but got
interest of the students despite its very surprising support from some whom we
topical nature. presumed were South Africans.
The second topic ‘Why do Australians, This was the topic the teachers
who generally don’t favour capital initiated to generate discussion:
punishment, want the death penalty for The scenario: last week, George Bush
the Bali bombers?’ was read 67 times but addressed the Australian Parliament. A
drew only five brief replies. Again this Greens Senator, Bob Brown, interrupted
was a surprising deadend because it was the President and was ejected from
a topic that carried a very high profile, at the chamber. He questioned the fate of
least in the Australian media, at the time. the two Australians being held without
One student from South Africa, started charge in Guantanamo Bay. The rules
a new thread ‘The US led war in Iraq of Parliament here do not permit the
was wrong’. This was looked at 13 times filming of anyone except the person
but provoked no reaction at all. speaking. A CNN crew ignored these
A student then started a vitriolic topic: rules and filmed the interjection and
‘The US contains the most morons in the eviction and that footage was then
world’, and this became an unproductive shown on US and Australian TV. Would
slanging match, probably between two you like to comment on one or more of
students in the same school but as the free these questions:
discussion board we chose to use was not
1 Was the interruption just bad
password protected, there was no way of
manners?
knowing which school the students came
2 Does this just support the anti-war
from. Previous experience had shown
cause?
that 15-year-old students found it a bit
3 Should CNN have shown the
babyish to introduce themselves and their
footage?
school so this time we had tried to get
4 Should the President have expected
quickly into some discussion.
anti-war feeling?
Clearly the topic which sparked
5 The Chinese Premier Hu doing
the most interest was ‘The treatment
exactly the same thing the next day
of the US President in the Australian
required the public gallery to be
Parliament’, following the visit by
cleared of dissidents. Did he have
George Bush to Canberra in October
the right as a guest in a foreign
2003 to thank Australians for their
country to demand this?
participation in the second Gulf war.

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The following is a sample of the 18

replies.

AAAA: ‘Personally I feel that Senator Bob DDDD: ‘In reply to BBBB, I would like to know
Brown and Kerry Nettle were quite immature how you classify our President, George Bush
and irresponsible in the way they treated as a terrorist in the same way as you look at
George Bush during his speech to Parliament. Saddam Hussein. Our President has done
They broke the rules of Parliament and showed nothing in comparison to Saddam.’
a complete lack of respect by interrupting EEEE: ‘My response is directed towards BBBB,
the US President twice. They are allowed to why would you classify President George
disagree and hold a silent protest, but they Bush as a terrorist? What would make you
shouldn’t have heckled the man. In regards think that he’s as bad as Saddam or Bin Ladin?
to CNN filming in Parliament during the What Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle did was very
President’s speech, I feel that they shouldn’t inappropriate. They should have respected
have been allowed to, however it was a major President Bush by not blurting out. They should
event in the Australian media at the time so the have been mature enough to wait until he was
footage would have been highly sought after.’ done.’
BBBB: ‘Just in response to AAAA: What FFFF: ‘Responding to BBBB. Why would you
Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle did was very consider President Bush a terrorist? He does
appropriate. George Bush is just as much a everything for our country to STOP terrorisms.
terrorist as Saddam Hussein and opposing I feel his decision to choose to go to war was a
him is not immature, nor is it irresponsible. It good decision. Go President Bush!!!’
is disgraceful that Parliament – the house of
the people – was closed to protestors on this GGGG: ‘I agree with BBBB a little bit, but he is
day. It was a shameful act for (Australian Prime not as much as Osama but he is a horrible pres.
Minister) Howard to jump on the unjustified Bush does not care about the environment. He
war bandwagon and now he turns away from attacked Iraq and they had nothing to do with
the people as well.’ 9/11. I think he cheated on the election. More on
my last thing – Bush took us out of the nuclear
CCCC: ‘Yes, the decision to go to war so quickly arms act, does not believe in the ozone hole
(Iraq) was questionable and I personally think and broke treaties.’
that if he went, he should’ve waited until there
was rock-hard evidence. That’s if he had to go HHHH: ‘I think that anyone that has something
to war at all. War should be the absolute last bad to say please keep it to yourself.’
option for anybody to take and in the result, I JJJJJ to HHHH: ‘Don’t be a bad example!
think it may have made the American people a Try to keep you anger inside and respect
bit more arrogant about thinking they own Iraq other people’s opinions. If BBBB thinks he is a
and Afghanistan.’ terrorist, let him. If you don’t agree, calmly
say it.’

72
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

Wider applications
and suggested activities
The above examples were a first attempt don’t stay focused on the same topic
to use this new medium in the style of a for long so it is important to catch
Web chat room with which the students their enthusiasm and build on it. In
were well familiar. We knew that we the same way, many of us have found
were probably breaking new ground in that a precious teachable moment in a
the ways we were going about it and classroom cannot be easily recreated
that we may very well fall on our faces. some days later. We therefore wanted
We were, however, determined to take to generate some momentum but also
hold of the Web discussion practice limit the time commitment for teachers.
in chat rooms, which was a common It was not possible to expect busy
student recreational and personal professionals to prepare, teach and
communication activity and from this correct written work at the same time
to see if there was any educational as monitoring the Web discussions of
value in this medium and what effect it several groups of students on a daily
would have on language learning and basis. At the very least, we had to agree
communication skills. To do this, we that the written contributions of students
had to get away from the ‘anything goes’ on screen were the only writing we
‘free for all’ syndrome that has become would expect the students to do during
the norm in Web chat rooms. Thus there that period and the only correcting that
had to be active teacher moderation and the teachers would do.
intervention as well as accountability. As a consequence of this decision by
We found that it was best for the the teachers, the students undertaking
groups to be password protected to raise the unit In the Lake of the Woods in
the status of the discussion and to give Year 11 needed to know that their
some control over who could access contributions to the discussion were
the site and also give us the ability to accountable and would contribute to
monitor the appropriateness of what the assessment for the whole unit of
was being said. Along with this, we work. We established very simple criteria
thought it was important to keep the for the teachers. One outcome from
groups small so that participants could the Victorian Certificate of Education
pick up the tone and voice of the various syllabus requires that:
contributors so it would in some way [The student should be able to]
mirror face-to-face discussion. explore ideas and issues orally, giving
It also seemed important that the considered reasons for a point of view
discussions be run over a very limited and listening actively to the views of
time frame. The minds of some teenagers others.

73
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

[In order to achieve this outcome, advantages of genetic engineering?’,

the key skills the students will] and many similar topics are commonly
demonstrate include the ability to: discussed in senior secondary Biology
• follow and contribute to a classes. Online discussion provides a
discussion in a familiar setting; valid and alternative medium for these.
• present evidence orally in support of There will be issues that need to
a point of view; be discussed from a range of points
• recognise and respond to cues for of view in this type of discussion, as
turn-taking in a discussion; opposed to problems that can be solved
• listen actively and respond to others’ simply. There are vested interests to
views during a discussion; be accounted for, money restrictions,
• set own objectives for active pressure group influences and suchlike,
participation in class discussion; so students will learn that many things
• record key points and questions are not scientifically neat and clinical
raised during discussion’.11 or easily determined. Take an issue
This did not preclude regular face- such as conflict over land use between
to-face oral discussions, but we took a development, passive recreation and the
broad view of the word ‘orally’, turning preservation of something historically
this requirement into three simple significant. Perhaps the class could
criteria: explore the land use upstream and the
• Did the student contribute to the consequences downstream. Students
discussion at least every second day? often want to see a straightforward
• Did the student show evidence of a solution, but unfortunately life is rarely
thorough knowledge of the text? like that.
• Did the student respond constructively
to the comments of others?
A chat-room model for art and
art history
A chat-room model for biology
Similar controversial issues arise
or economics frequently in Art and Art History
A similar structure could easily be courses. This could range from a review
applied to a discussion of one of the of a range of critics relating to the works
many controversial topics in biology of a particular artist, the selection by a
or economics, and especially in similar curator of some works and not others,
subjects which involve the teasing out or the hullabaloo over the staging of
of ethical issues. ‘Should native forests certain exhibitions. The pulling of the
be logged?’, ‘Will the deepening of ‘Piss Christ’ exhibit by Andreas Serrano
the shipping channel affect marine from an exhibition at the National
life?’, ‘Should Australian kangaroos Gallery of Victoria in 1997 is a case
be culled?’, ‘What are the risks and in point. More recently, a display of

74
 Online discussion:
A challenge for
thinking skills

art about the Israel–Palestine conflict Discussion group with

was removed by the Melbourne City colleagues
Council after complaints and threats of
vandalism. Strongly worded letters to the Why not set up a discussion just for a
newspapers included, ‘… we don’t need group of staff to test out the medium
the conflicts in the Middle East brought and experience what it is like to go to a
to Melbourne’, ‘What is the point of discussion board each day and respond
provoking discussion unless we are free to the comments of others?
to see and hear all points of view?’ and Here is a pertinent example from the
‘… are these the continuing symbols of tertiary area. Problem-based learning
oppression?’. The question of whether to tutorials for medical students in a
use public money to support artists with regional teaching centre are conducted
a manifestly political agenda is a delicate in a room with just a projector, screen
one indeed. What a great opportunity and one computer with wireless Web
to carry on that dialogue in class, either connection. Each week one student
face-to-face or via a Web discussion, thus acts as the scribe and types up the
leaving more precious class time free for discussion as it progresses. These notes
practical work. are simultaneously displayed on the
screen to the group. At the end of the
tutorial, the summary and objectives
Discussion groups using a for the week ahead are e-mailed to each
front-end intranet organiser member and the tutor. Between sessions,
each member prepares a presentation,
Schools which have a front-end intranet usually in Word, with added diagrams
organiser or similar software for downloaded from teaching web sites
organising curriculum material on the and readily accessible online text books.
intranet will find that a discussion facility At the start of the second session, each
is incorporated in the program. If not, student’s presentation is downloaded
there are commercial programs such as from their e-mail account and collated
ProBoards (http://www.proboards.com/ with all the others. Relevant discussion
index.html), mentioned in endnote 10, points are added during the teaching
and most technical support staff will be session by a scribe, then the overall
glad to help teachers set up a discussion document covering the original topic
group. If these are not available, many and all its learning objectives and the
schools use Microsoft Outlook for contributions of the group are again
their e-mail. The public folders in emailed to everyone before they leave the
this program can easily be set up as tutorial. No whiteboards, no paper, no
password-protected discussion sites for overhead projectors! Copying from the
students within the same school. work of other groups could become a

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Computers,
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and Learning

problem but this was not apparent in the

early days of this new way of learning.12
It is certainly a great stimulus for
discussion and interactive learning.

Endnotes
1 P. Crawley, Principal, Knox Grammar School, Sydney. Address at the Expanding Learning Horizons
Conference, Lorne, Victoria, August 2002.
2 L. Splitter & A. Sharp, Teaching for better thinking, ACER, Melbourne, 1995, p. 3.
3 ibid., p. 182.
4 ‘Higher-order thinking’, viewed 27 May 2004, <http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/
html/pedagogies/intellect/int1a.html>
5 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge Massachusetts, 2003, p. 121.
6 J.G. Brooks, & M.G. Brooks, In search of understanding: the case for constructivist classrooms,
Alexandria, Virginia, ASCD, 1993, pp. 101–18.
7 J. O’Donoghue, ‘To cope, to contribute, to control’ in A. Goodwyn (ed.), English in the digital age:
information and communications technology and the teaching of English, Cassell, 2000, p. 85.
8 S. Godinho & B. Shrimpton, ‘Boys’ and girls’ use of linguistic space in small group discussions: whose
talk dominates?’ Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2003.
9 K. Love, ‘Mapping on-line discussion in senior English’, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy,
Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 382–96.
10 We used ProBoards for this discussion. See <http://www.proboards.com/index.html> See Appendix 2,
p. 158 for more details.
11 See English Unit 1 Outcome 3, viewed 27 May 2004, <http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/english/
EnglishESLSD.pdf>
12 Monash University Faculty of Medicine – Department of Rural Health at Traralgon Hospital.

76
 Chapter 7
‘Sustai
ned las
classro ting ch
om per ange in
likely t f o rmanc
o occur e is mo
w h st
partici en teac
pate in hers
networ a supp
k with ort
order t p a r t ners …
o blend in
strateg n e w teac
ies into hing
daily p
ractice 1
.’

Hypertext:
A writing tool for
lateral thinking
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

What is hypertext and what can it mean randomness by decreasing control over
to our day-to-day teaching? It is a new its edges and borders, making it more
world of literacy where a document self-contained and less dependent on
contains connections within itself to other what precedes and follows it. The printed
documents. These can be to other pieces book encourages us to think of the text
of text, as well as to sounds, images and as an organic whole, a unit of meaning
movies. Images themselves can be selected independent of other texts, whereas
to link to other sounds or documents. hypertext gives us a unique opportunity
Viewers can zoom in on images or listen to visualise intertextuality. It gives the
to audio annotations while viewing. The opportunity to redefine beginnings and
most significant feature of hypertext for endings, and puts the focus back on the
a teacher and student is the control the reader.3
viewer has over what is selected, viewed In the realm of reading, literary
or heard, and in what order. Also, the hypertext can prompt questions about
content can be easily manipulated so the nature of text and of reading, so its
that in some way the viewer becomes the value as a learning tool in the English
author too. It is, in fact, a new way of classroom is clear, despite the frustrations
interacting with text. it brings to teachers.4 Students probably
In her 1996 investigation, Hypertext: take this multi-dimensional, mosaic
the electronic labyrinth, Ilana Snyder reading environment for granted and
reminds us that the computer calls into wonder what all the fuss is about. They
question the traditional belief that the are attuned to boring down into web
written text must take the form of a sites and picking up a variety of signals,
linear progression. ‘The new electronic even from a single computer screen. This
writing space,’ she writes, ‘allows a is all quite apart from the text messages
writer to entertain and present several and mobile phonecalls they receive and
lines of thought at once.’2 Hypertext send, and the music they listen to at the
creates an open-bordered text, a text that same time.
cannot shut out other texts. It introduces

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 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

This chapter is more concerned about processing facilities in the library had
the production of text in a classroom facilitated literacy in logo-centric, print
as, for most students, the computer is a modes of text’.6 She sees the school
new writing surface that needs different library as a public space not tied to any
conventions to those of the printed page. faculty, readily accessible and with a rich
It is probable that hypertext writing will bank of image and text support resources
increasingly replace traditional linear with permanent help on hand. The
text as the standard means of writing on librarians in any school are, or should
a computer. It will allow the reader to be, at the vanguard of the new literacies.
determine where the beginning, middle In similar vein, Tara Brabazon looks
and end of a piece lies and to plot their beyond the ungainly graft of electronic
own way through the textual landscape. resources onto the 19th century models
The reality is that we are speaking a new of print, space, time and information.
language, not just new words but a new She ridicules the libraries that reinvent
way of using words.5 themselves as information resource
Students are able to interact centres. This new name, she says,
electronically with texts so that they are apparently means diverting money from
not only reading but interpreting and the acquisition of books to maintaining
making, with much greater control over database subscriptions. Her own vision
the production process. Susan Boyce, is of librarians using their expertise
a librarian, has located a publishing to ‘support new modes of reading,
suite in her library to ‘facilitate multi- writing and communication, integrating
media literacy, in much the same way and connecting discovery, searches,
that the photocopier, scanner and word navigation and use of diverse resources’.7

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Computers,
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and Learning

Classroom strategies
Student familiarity with
hypertext
Many of us may not have realised Over 70 per cent said that they found
that students are intuitive users of hypertext useful to navigate, find things
hypertext, yet we often do not draw quickly, find their way around a long
on this expertise to enrich and develop document, explore a topic, go quickly to
their learning. In 2001, we asked about a web site, and combine text and images.
150 students over three year levels in The disadvantages, a few said, were that
a secondary school about their use of the links did not always work and that
hypertext. The following table shows some of their teachers did not know how
a summary by percentage of the total to construct hyperlinks themselves.
number of students and how they said
they used hypertext.

I use hypertext: Year 9 Year 10 Year 11

S O S O S O

To find information on the Web 51 38 58 16 47 26

To click from one place to another on the 43 43 26 50 47 42

Web

To explore Web pages 43 46 26 53 42 37

To have a word or piece of information 27 16 29 16 58 11

explained in the Web

To have a word or piece of information 32 16 46 5 32 0

explained in a CD-ROM

To make my own Web pages 19 11 11 11 16 11

To play computer games 22 8 16 5 21 0

To ‘write’ in Word and then I put in my own 62 14 37 13 47 16

links

To put links into a PowerPoint presentation 19 5 26 5 26 16

As part of computer class activity 16 5 16 2 0 0

Note: (S = Sometimes, O = Often).

80
 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

Instructional writing using A sporting hyperlink

hypertext One keen senior sportsman was eager to
In the rubric for a writing task in share his knowledge:
Year 11, we experimented by asking
students to write an instructional piece PLAYING A CRICKET COVER DRIVE!

with a specific audience focus. Ever wondered why when you to try to hit
a cover drive while playing cricket, it never
Your piece must include at least five
comes off the right way?
hyperlinks which could include images
Now you may be able to play a cover drive
and text but there must be no more
perfectly so you will not need to read this,
than one direct link to a web site.
but if your cover drive is not the best then
Here are some suggestions but you just read on and I will tell you about the
may choose any topic on which you correct procedure of how to play a cover
have knowledge or expertise. drive and some hints and tips on how to
correct your shot. I guarantee you it will help
• Travel directions to a place you you develop your shot better … it is your
know well for a friend who wishes choice …Yes or No …
to go there. I am happy to see that you have decided to
• A recipe in a context, e.g. camp continue on reading my document. Firstly if
cooking for a Year 10 Outdoor you don’t know what a cover drive is then
Education Camp, or preparing for a click here to find out because if you don’t
birthday party of a close friend. then you won’t understand most of what I
• How to get the most out of a visit am about to tell you.

to an art gallery. Write it for an

insensitive Science student who is For readers who wanted to know
forced to go on a school excursion. more and who clicked on the link above,
• Making a decision to purchase a the following information appeared on
second-hand car. Write this for your screen:
best friend who has just turned 18
and is itching to buy a car.
• A tourist brochure for a place you
know well, for a backpacker from
overseas.
• How to play a sport. Focus on a
very specific aspect and skill (e.g.
how experienced goalies take a
penalty shoot-out in soccer). Write it
for a Year 11 student who is keen to
improve his or her skills.
• Any other topic and audience you
may choose.

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Computers,
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and Learning

What is a cover drive?

Now obviously you have clicked this link because you do not have a clue what
a cover drive is but do not worry because once you have read this you should
know what a cover drive is.
Below is the layout of a cricket ground: Just imagine that there is
an imaginary line down the
middle of the oval like the
It depends on one here. Now each side
whether you bat of the oval has a name. It
right handed or is either the off side or the
left handed but in on side.
this diagram this is Off side On side
the side for a right-
handed batsman. If Cricket Pitch: This
you are left handed is where the ball
then they are the is bowled and the
other way around. batter hits it.

With the above diagram in mind the cover drive is an attacking shot played on
the ‘off side’. It is played through the ‘cover’ region; hence that is why it is called
a cover drive. Below shows where a cover drive is played on the ground.

The blue arrow The red arrow

shows the region shows the region
where the cover where the cover
drive should go drive should go
when you try to when you try to
play it if you are play it if you are
right handed. left handed.

The essay then continued with a

paragraph each on the V grip, the stance
I hope this really helps you understand where
and backswing, each one containing a
a cover drive should be played and if you
want to learn how to play it then go back to link to diagrams the student had drawn
‘Playing a cricket cover drive’ and continue himself. We asked students to include
reading the document. at least one live web site. This student
concluded his essay by telling his readers
to go to the Australian Cricket Board
web site if they wanted any further
coaching tips.

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 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

Italian holiday hyperlink speak a dialect … so when you thought you

Another girl, who had been on a school had a grasp of Italian, you basically have no
cultural exchange to Italy, wrote advice idea. In saying that, still try your best for both
your sake and theirs. There is nothing more
for the following year’s group and
uncomfortable than sitting at the dinner table
included links to the host school’s web in silence, so at least attempt to recount your
site, a list of common phrases in Italian daily activities (‘Italia è bellissima!’ usually
to help the traveller, advice on how to wins them over; any patriot loves praise of his
avoid putting on extra kilos without country). Here are some essential (and not so
offending the host mother and tongue- essential!) expressions to learn … CLICK
in-cheek advice on how to repel the
advances of amorous Italian boys! The link included the following
translated phrases, along with many
So you’re stuck with an Italian host family for
more:
two weeks? Here’s how to …

Italia è una paese bellissima! – Italy is a very

beautiful country!
Può parlare più lentamente per favore?
– Could you speak more slowly please?
Quanto costa? – How much is it?
Hai adocchiato quello? – Did you check out
that guy?

You’ll be given lots of time in the computer

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR STAY IN ITALY lab to send emails, so before you go take a
Congratulations! You’ve successfully managed speed-typing course there is never enough
to get your parents to cough up the dough time to write to everyone. And most of all,
for you to go on the Italian exchange for … while you’re at school DON’T BE SNOBBISH!
ahem … ‘educational’ purposes. But before There is nothing worse than foreigners who
you set off on this eye-opening experience, seem stuck up, so when people yell out, ‘ay,
there are a few essentials you need to know. Canguri da Australia!’ just laugh it off, it isn’t
Read on … meant maliciously. CLICK here to see the web
Firstly, you need to know what to say. Try site of the school you’ll be attending, with
to avoid embarrassing mistakes such as pictures and everything!
replacing ‘pomeriggio’ (afternoon) with … Hopefully this has been a useful guide to
‘pomodoro’ (tomato). Stick to basic language you … Before I go, you need to CLICK HERE
but still try to talk as much as possible – it for some invaluable info on general overseas
is very flattering to the Italians when you etiquette. Have the best time in the world,
at least attempt to speak their tongue. But and DON’T GET HOMESICK! Once you arrive
BE CAREFUL – Italians do not speak like the home, everything is just the same as it’s
actors on class tapes. They mumble just like always been, so keep telling yourself that.
the rest of us, and worst of all, many of them Buona Fortuna…

83
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

This last link contained helpful advice, Informative writing

including:
One student, who was fascinated by
frogs, wrote his piece on bringing frogs
Remember to take only half the clothes you
back into the urban neighbourhood.
think you need and twice the money.
He included paragraphs on providing
Know at all times where your passport is, for
a water source, indigenous plants and
a person without a passport is like a person
keeping domestic pets away, each
without a country.
hyperlinked to diagrams that he had
drawn. He then included a table with
sound files so that his readers could listen
to the calls of the various species:

A key to identification – the frogs of Melbourne and surrounding suburbs

Common name Scientific name Call – click here to listen to the frogs

Common Froglet Crinia signifera ‘crick crick crick …’

Plains Froglet Crinia parinsignifera ‘eeeeeeeeek’

Red-groined Froglet Paracrinia haswelli ‘quack’

Victorian Smooth Geocrinia victoriana ‘wa-a-a-a-a-ark pip pip pip pip pip pip pip …’
Froglet

Southern Toadlet Pseudophryne ‘cre-ek’

semimarmorata

Bibron’s Toadlet Pseudophryne bibroni ‘cre-ark’

Brown Tree Frog Litoria ewingi ‘creeee cree cree …’

Peron’s Tree Frog Litoria peroni ‘cra-ah-ah-ah-ah …’

Growling Grass Litoria raniformis ‘crawark-crawark-crok-crok’

Frog

Whistling Tree Frog Litoria verreauxi ‘weee weee weee …’

Eastern Banjo Frog Limnodynastes ‘bonk bonk po-ble-bonk po-ble-bonk …’

dumerili

Spotted Marsh Frog Limnodynastes ‘toc toc toc toc toc …’

tasmaniensis

Striped Marsh Frog Limnodynastes peroni ‘cluck cluck cluck …’

Common Neobatrachus sudelli ‘craa-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-aw-awk’

Spadefoot Toad

84
 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

In other pieces, one student put in links to previous class work he had done
links to the daily weather reports on the and to current productions of the play
ski fields, including the addresses and in the United Kingdom and the United
price lists of the ski-hire shops and a map States. These turned the piece into quite
of the best runs for the various levels a different kind of essay, though the
of skiers. Another, who wrote a guide- essential arguments on the topic were
book to a popular seaside holiday resort, included and very clear.
included a list of restaurants, personal Writing in this way and teasing out
recommendations and links to a local ideas will be a strength, certainly not a
entertainment guide. Another, who wrote disadvantage, when it comes to writing
a piece giving advice on how to pack a traditional essay in the final Year 12
for an outdoor education expedition, examination. Interestingly, the Victorian
included links to photographs of himself Curriculum and Assessment Authority
in various stages of agony trying to stuff was preparing for 1300 students to trial
all his gear into his pack. the computers for their final external
English examination in 2004 so that
they could compare the performance
Hyperlinks in a Shakespeare of those using computers with those
text response using pen and paper, and what effect
this would have on the way the markers
After the study of a Shakespeare text,
responded.8 The report added that one
one student, without prompting,
of the driving factors of this test-run was
presented an essay on ‘Shylock, villain
the concern expressed by some schools
or victim’, and decided to link what he
that their computer-literate students
wrote to the film Life is Beautiful. At
could be disadvantaged by pen and
the conclusion of his essay, he put in the
paper exams. A later report suggested
following helpful links for the reader:
that examinations could be online for
If you would like more information on
all 80,000 students within five years.
Shylock being a villain or a victim go to A Chemistry trial in June 2004, where
http://www.severi.org/studenti/ipertesti/ papers were marked both online and
jewish/merchant_of_venice.htm off-line, found no difference in marks.
If you would like to know more about the In a trial later the same year, 2000
movie Life is Beautiful go to English and Mathematics students from
http://www.amazon.com or http:// 20 schools sat one examination online
www.geocities.com/aaronbcaldwell/Life.html and another using pen and paper under
normal examination conditions. Both
papers were double marked as they
Another student wrote his final
would be at a final examination but
assessment piece on The Merchant of
results were not available at the time of
Venice, but included, at his own volition,
writing.9

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How do we assess this kind of writing? A more serious issue for teachers than
In the instructional task outlined above, agreeing on the criteria was the very
the students were given the criteria on practical issue of how to collect and
which their work would be assessed in correct this kind of work. The teacher
advance. This involved a lot of faculty who wants to gather only handwritten or
discussion as we needed to agree on printed work to take home and mark as
whether we were assessing their technical they curl up by the fire, red wine in one
competence with computers or their hand and red pencil in the other, cannot
ability to write and deal with the topic. do so with this kind of writing.
Were we asking for hyperlinks as a From a practical point of view,
gimmick or as an essential element in this students who use hyperlinked writing
kind of writing? The conclusion was that must gather all the related documents
the hyperlinks would be an attention- into one folder. This can then be
grabber for the teachers because the transferred as a complete folder to the
territory was so unfamiliar and would teacher either by disc or memory stick,
definitely be a technical challenge for infra-red transfer or by lodging it on the
us. For the students, however, it was a school’s network in a ‘common drive’,
natural part of what they might expect accessible by both teacher and student.
to do and the requirement did not seem E-mail is not suitable for this purpose as
to faze them at all. The table opposite only single documents can be attached
shows the criteria we finally agreed to an e-mail message. Therefore, issues
upon. Note the emphasis on the quality of online correction and classroom
of the information and the language and student management (Chapter 10)
features and conventions in the writing. become significant factors if teachers are
We tried to judge the main piece and the going to go down this track.
linked documents as a whole, and only
in the area of coherence and organisation
did we look at the appropriateness of the
hyperlinks.

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 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

Criteria for assessment VH* H M L VL/NS

Criterion 1 – Knowledge and control of the chosen

content
Quality and usefulness of the instructional
information. Evidence of research and sound grasp
of the subject matter.

Criterion 2 – Language features appropriate to

purpose and audience
The reader could confidently follow the directions
or instructions.
Extent to which writing captures the interest and
attention of the reader.

Criterion 3 – Conventions of the English language

Basics and mechanics of expression.
Effective and accurate language appropriate to
specific purpose and audience.
Expressiveness and fluency.

Criterion 4 – Coherence and effective organisation

Usefulness and relevance of the information
attached by the hyperlinks.
Extent to which hyperlinks interrupt or add to the
basic material.
Was the hyperlinked material appropriate or should
it have been in the main text? Did the hyperlinks
work?
Structure and organisation of the written material.

Grade awarded

* VH = very high, H = high, M = medium, L = low, VL/NS = very low/not shown

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Wider applications
and suggested activities
There are some great new ways to • Open any existing document on your
increase the repertoire of student My Documents and Save As in the
responses. We live in a world of changing Hyperlink Trial folder.
literacy. Recognising that many students • Open any existing second document
no longer think and write in the ways and Save As in the same folder.
that we as teachers used to, we need to • Select any words in the first document,
think beyond the straightjacket of the then use Insert/Hyperlink OR Ctrl K
linear essay tradition and give students to link it to the second document.
the freedom to ‘think outside the square’, • Now open the second document, type
making it clear to them that we welcome at the bottom Return to Document 1,
a range of responses and will, in fact, select the phrase and put in a link back
reward innovative thinking and writing. to the Document 1.
Various ways of responding to poetry • Do the same to one or two more
(or any other text in virtually any documents that you copy into your
subject) were outlined in Chapter 4. To folder and also put in the reverse
that list we could now add hyperlinks. hyperlink.
Students could be asked to identify • Now put in a link to one of the web
phrases or words and hyperlink them to sites you know and have saved in your
pictures, explanations or glossaries or Favourites folder.
some other document that may indicate As mentioned earlier, when you do
the student’s personal response or this with students they must keep all
demonstrate understanding of the work. the linked documents in one folder and
There is an example of a Year 9 give the whole folder to you when they
History unit on World War II in submit it for marking, otherwise the
Chapter 11. The students were required hyperlinks will not work.
to hyperlink elements of their class
study to the final assessment essay.
History hyperlink example
Try asking students to create two stories
Experimenting with hyperlinks about two schoolboys, one living today
Try a hyperlinking task for yourself as a and one living in the time of Ancient
trial run. To do this, create a new folder Rome or Egypt or Greece. Hyperlinks
called Hyperlink Trial. could be used to enable readers to slide
through time, jumping between the
stories at various points.10

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 Hypertext: A
writing tool for
lateral thinking

Geography fact sheet The examples in Chapter 11, where

students submit an assignment with
In another possible activity, students
required hyperlinks, is applicable for
could be asked to research a country by
almost any subject. In these tasks we
preparing a fact sheet. When they are
required our students to prepare an
ready, they prepare a board game where
assignment, including within the main
the clues are hidden with hyperlinks.
document links to a glossary, a formula
This is a SchoolKiT activity with one
table, a live web site, a cartoon, a
page of the instructions as follows:
document summarising some previous
learning and so on. However, beware
Hiding in Asia
when you ask students to submit an
Now that you have performed your assignment like this. Such hyperlinked
research and have written your clue documents cannot be printed and they
statements, it is time to hide yourself make no sense unless the teacher is
and see whether your partner can find prepared and able to mark them online.
you. This topic is dealt with more fully in
Chapter 10.
To open the Map, click this button:
The Map workbook contains two
worksheets. The Board worksheet is
where your partner is going to guess
your location. The Hidden worksheet is
where you are going to hide yourself.
At the bottom of the worksheet, click
on the Hidden tab.
You will use a formula to represent
your hidden location on the map. The
formula looks like this:
=IF(Board!A4=‘g’,’Fred’,’’)
The Formula Explained
Let’s try one together as a way to
explain the formula.
On the Hidden worksheet, click in cell
A4 and enter the above formula.
This formula says: If, on the Board
worksheet, your partner types in cell
A4 the letter g (‘g’ stands for the word
‘guess’) then show the name Fred (this
will be your name). Otherwise, show
nothing.11
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Endnotes
1 J. McKenzie, How teachers learn technology best, FNO Press, 1999, p. 36.
2 I. Snyder, Hypertext: the electronic labyrinth, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1996, p. 45.
3 ibid., pp. 50–7.
4 G. Parr, ‘If in a literary hypertext a traveller…’ in Durrant & Beavis, P(ICT)URES of ENGLISH
– Teachers, learners and technology, Australian Association for the Teaching of English, Adelaide,
2001, p. 229.
5 G. Kelly, Retrofuture: rediscovering our roots, recharting our routes, InterVarsity Press, Illinois, 1999,
pp. 88, 89.
6 S. Boyce, ‘Engineering literacy in the library’ in C. Durrant & C. Beavis, 2001, op. cit., p. 136.
7 T. Brabazon, Digital hemlock: Internet education and the poisoning of teaching, UNSW Press, 2002,
p. 93.
8 The Sunday Age, 6 June 2004, p. 7.
9 The Sunday Age, 17 October 2004, p. 9.
10 This suggestion is from a SchoolKiT module. For further details see http://www.edclass.com and the
explanation in Chapter 9.
11 From the SchoolKiT activity ‘Where in Asia am I?’ for Years 6–9 Geography. The rubric of the
activity says: ‘Asia is the planet’s largest continent. In this activity you will hide yourself in a country
in Asia. Your partner must try and find you by using clue statements that you provide. Will your
partner be successful?’ For further details see http://www.edclass.com and further explanation on
page 158.

90
 Chapter 8
‘[Leona
rdo da
pages Vinci’s
demon ] noteb
s t r ook
integra ate the
ting gr b e nefits
his ana aphics of
lyses t a n d text,
estify and
of com to the
bining power
thinkin visual
g. [550 a n d analyt
combin years l ic
ation o a ter,] th
f skills is
this tim i n s pires u
e to en s–
and co vision
mmun i n format
ication ion
that ar t e c h n
e in ha ologies
human rmony
needs.’ 1 w ith

Visual
literacies:
Moving on from
predominantly
text-based learning
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

‘Screenagers’ of today absorb thinking. Media texts can so easily
information from a far wider range of be ‘manipulated, copied, excerpted,
media than their teachers can even begin morphed, revised, annotated … and may
to imagine, and they transmit their own contain messages that … harbour bias,
messages through visual, auditory and specific ideologies or prejudices of all
printed means in ways that leave older kinds – racial, economic, gender, political
generations gasping to keep up. There is and moral.’3 Semali makes a strong
an increasing use of visual text in society, point that popular culture can glamorise
so there is a significant need for teachers violence, irresponsible sex, junk food
to address these areas in the classroom. consumption, drugs and alcohol, while
The speed of change has left many of stereotyping the boring teacher, the geeky
us almost breathless. For example, the egghead male adolescent, the airhead
study of film as text rather than studying blonde, the welfare mother, clueless
the film of the book is now the norm father, and so on. He reminds us how
for many English classes, and students easy it is to ‘manipulate media texts and
are becoming as adept at creating and worldview to privilege one viewpoint
manipulating images onscreen as they are over another … thus teachers need to
at dealing with text. Bill Green now calls understand more about what students
it a ‘digital convergence of technology, already know before they start to teach
literacy and the arts … as we develop what they think students ought to
new attitudes towards textual practices know’.4
that are appropriate for a mixed Of course, such manipulation has
media, multi-semiotic, digital-electronic always occurred, but it appears to be
environment’.2 so much more blatant and intrusive
The corollary of these developments in a multimedia environment. There
is that if students can control images is also the added concern that a lot
on their screens, so can the mass media of information is passively pushed at
in a very powerful way. It is, therefore, students who do not need to interact
all the more important that we teach with it but just absorb it, and it comes
discrimination skills and critical at such a rate that they may have no

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 Visual literacies

time to filter and align it with their own Schneiderman puts forward a similar
developing world view. perspective when he says that listening
Perhaps all history students should to radio and CDs, and watching TV and
view the web site ‘The Commissar videotapes are not educational panaceas
Vanishes’, which shows a series of images as they are
of Stalin deliberately manipulated as his largely passive media, offering limited
regime continued from 1939 to 1953. capability for students to be creative
The web site says of itself, unless educators shift their focus to
The Commissar Vanishes exhibition student content generation using these
explores this censored history. By the media. Once again it is taking decades
1930s Communist ‘truth’ circulates for educators to recognise that the
worldwide in party approved books. most potent use of videotapes happens
With airbrush or ink spot, the photo when teachers offer blank ones to
censors work quietly. But despite their students.6
power, they ultimately fail. The images
expose decades of photographic lies.5

Classroom strategies
Accessing the immediate then worked in pairs, one searching any
national newspaper while their partner
Current text books for the study of
searched one from overseas for news of
media language and the presentation of
the massacre. The pair then swapped
issues drag out the still important but
seats to compare the stories, and were
well-worn topics of whales, gun licences
surprised to find that most of the reports
and capital punishment. With online
were identical, varying only in the degree
access, the issues can surely be much
of detail. Only one report that any
more immediate and capture the interest
student found made a reference to the
of the students in a way that even the
home and family of the accused gunmen.
best prepared printed text can never do.
It can be especially difficult to find a
On the day of the Columbine massacre
topic where the information is accessible
in April 1999, when 13 secondary
and able to capture the interest of a
students were gunned down by two of
group of lower secondary students.
their peers, I happened to be teaching
The confluence of text, pictures, maps
a Year 8 class in a computer lab. The
and interviews on this occasion made a
students brainstormed the titles of
compelling jumping-off point for some
national and overseas newspapers and
valuable lessons about the media, as well

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Computers,
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as giving students an understanding of an election less than a year away. The

how news is reported in different parts cartoonists had a field day. What a great
of the world. Web sites of most world and immediate opportunity for students
newspapers are given on page 48. to compare his portrayal by various
Mark Latham became the leader of the cartoonists and to make a close analysis
Australian Labor Party on 2 December of the visual language.
2003 by a single vote in the party room, This is how Moir in the Sydney
and to many people’s surprise, suddenly Morning Herald portrayed the issue:
became the potential prime minister with

New Leader of the Opposition,

Mark Latham, ready to go

Minister for Health Prime Federal

and Ageing Minister Treasurer

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 Visual literacies

In Melbourne’s The Age newspaper,

Spooner used similar car race imagery on
the same day but added the frequently
quoted Latham metaphor about the
ladder of opportunity.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition, (2003) with Mark Latham’s ‘ladder of
Mark Latham, 2003 opportunity’ in a tradesman’s vehicle

Federal Treasurer Prime Minister

2003 2003

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Nicholson in The Australian took The challenge of cartoon

quite a different line, with Latham analysis
escaping from the chrysalis while the
current Prime Minister and his Cabinet Some recent research has concluded that
colleagues rush around trying to catch ‘learning and information environments
the pesky insect with venerated Labor must provide the scaffolding that
figures from the past looking up at supports critical and creative thinking,
Latham in admiration. especially in the light of opportunities
and threats that learning technologies
can bring’.7

Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Latham, new
Federal Treasurer and Minister for Foreign Affairs Leader of the Opposition

Cartoon by Nicholson from The Australian. <http://www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au>

Former Prime Minister and mentor for Mark

Latham with leading Opposition figures

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 Visual literacies

In 2002, a Year 9 class was set the From a teacher’s point of view, we
following task: were impressed that this student was
Find a current cartoon from an able to make a selection on a topic
American newspaper which is on a that interested him, could pick up the
theme of relevance to Australia. Copy subtleties of the message and respond to
and paste it here, then in a paragraph the details of the cartoon. This can be
below or using callout boxes to a difficult task as all of us are quick to
annotate, sum up the contention or laugh at cartoons but often find it tricky
message of the cartoonist. What is to put into words their contention and
he or she communicating? In what say how the fine points of the drawing
way is the reader being positioned contribute to our understanding.
to believe or agree with something?
This web site may help you
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/
The topic in the news at the time,
and selected by one student, was the
Bullets emphasise the
Washington sniper. Here is how that
danger of inner city crime.
student responded:

Inner cities sign

– Nothing published or
done about the daily
shootings of innocents
in inner cities.

Key point: suburbans safe but inner Sarcasm – sniper problem eliminated
city citizens in as much danger as ever. but street crime still unsafe

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The study of a still from a In a recent study of The Shawshank

movie Redemption, students were asked to
select a still frame from a number of
Studying a film text can be frustrating images that had been made available on
as we repeatedly trawl through the the school’s intranet. They were then
movie to show the class key scenes and asked to make a series of assertions
focus on the detail of any one aspect, about the shot they chose. This was
just as we would do by getting students the ‘who, where, what, why and when’
to look at a particular paragraph in a scenario, as well as what the shot was
novel. DVDs are gradually alleviating telling us about characters and plot at
this problem but it may still be some that point in the film. One student made
time before we either have easy access some interesting assertions about the
to DVD players in our schools or the crucial scene where the warden discovers
films we want to teach are available. the escape tunnel used by the prisoner:

Image is when warden realises that Andy has

escaped and all hell is about to break loose for him.
The camera view
is from Andy’s
perspective looking
up on the look of
horror on Norton’s
and Hadley’s faces

This shot shows the

beginning of the
fall of power in the
movie. Norton is the
main person in shot
with Hadley in the
background. They
are the only people
in the shot because
they controlled every
aspect of authority
within the prison
– Andy’s escape will
affect them the most.
The shot pans away – down the tunnel. This
symbolises Andy crawling away, and also shows
the Warden’s control on the prison is slipping away.

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 Visual literacies

This kind of response does not This is an example of what one

preclude formal written assessment, but student created:
as a homework exercise or classroom
response tool, it confirmed basic under-
standings and it was certainly enjoyable
for the students to be able to express
themselves in this very succinct way.

Other text study incorporating

visual responses
As part of a study on the language
of advertising, students could use
PowerPoint or another graphic program
to devise an advertisement for a fictitious
product which they would like to create
and market. For assessment, they simply
show these to the class on-screen, with
an opportunity to also explain the design
principles they have incorporated – why
certain colours have been chosen, size
of font, language that appealed to a
particular target market, and so on.
In place of a written book report on
a wide-reading fiction book from the
library, students enjoy producing a poster
that advertises a meeting of the fan club
for this author. Here is a suggested rubric
for the task:
You are the president of a fan club for
your favourite author. You have read
at least two of this author’s books
including one during the last weeks.
Eager for literary discussion and the
promotion of the author’s works, you
decide to create some promotional
materials to target and encourage
others to read some of the novels and
join your fan club.

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To attract members, you do three One student accessed the publisher’s

things: web site for a contact address and used it
• Design a new advertisement for the to e-mail the writer directly with a series
fan club of questions. She was delighted to get a
• Create a FAQ (Frequently Asked brief and apparently personal response
Questions List) to distribute to new within a few days. This student was not
members only commended for her initiative but
• Write two monthly newsletters had some valuable information to add
highlighting a different novel each to her poster. Here is the beginning of
month to stimulate discussion. a poster about one student’s favourite
Reflect on the effectiveness of your author:
work as President.

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 Visual literacies

One student, when asked to present

the main ideas of a chapter of a class
novel, used a simple Paint program in
Windows to create the following image
to represent an Aboriginal initiate
being taught to fish by his tribal uncle
but being caught by a shark instead of
catching a dugong. This is from the first
chapter of Alan Baillie’s novel Songman:

Another student, who was reading a doing, suggested to his parents that they
book that made reference to the spirit monitor his interests. Another student
world, decided to send an e-mail to a used the Web address in the novel to
US society for mediums to satisfy his contact the writer directly and was
curiosity. They wisely asked his age and thrilled to get a detailed reply in less than
only gave him a brief response while the 24 hours.
teacher, who found out what he was

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Linking the visual to the verbal • two objects or images or things of

some kind
When teachers try to stimulate ideas • one place or background setting.
for creative writing, the real challenge
may be just confronting the blank page. Lay these images out on a single A4
Try giving students a digital camera for page.
recess or lunch or a sporting match. A Now write a 300–400 word plot
student who can come back to class with summary or synopsis for your
a picture of an altercation in the canteen planned story. Remember that you will
queue or the staged picture of a body be using this summary to sell your
outside the Principal’s office window idea to a publisher who will be asked
can paste it into a Word document. to fund your work while you write the
What a great starting point for a piece novel over a period of 12 months.
of writing. Pictures from the Web offer Your synopsis will include at least the
similar unlimited options. A series of following elements:
pictures could be used as prompts for • The names and brief details about
a narrative or students could be asked each character
to illustrate their story with pictures • The relationship between the
that are incorporated into the text of a characters before and during the
hyperlinked piece of writing. action of the story
This is the rubric for one task we tried: • Enough details of the setting to give
You are a novelist deciding on a plot the reader a clear background for
for a new novel. the action
Choose from the Internet or Clip Art, • The action or plot of the story.
or any other source you wish, the
following: These are the elements that one
• two characters or people student chose from readily available Clip
Art without going to picture web sites:

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 Visual literacies:

He then wrote a synopsis to Annotate any one poem in a

accompany these graphics: document called ‘Poetry Response’.
You will do this in a single A4 sheet by
It is set in the mountains on the Himalayas in
using at least:
winter, high winds are ruminating everywhere
• 6 Callout boxes OR footnotes OR
and it is set back in the time of peasants and
so forth …
text boxes OR images.
• and at least one picture which
The main storyline of the book is when a
illustrates the mood or idea or
very old poor man, who has no home, no
money and no belongings, resorts to stealing,
setting of the poem.
otherwise he will die of starvation. While he is Find your own images but you may
trying to steal the money (which is successful) wish to look at
he gets caught, but using his defensive
skills he breaks through their armies into the • The Fine Arts Museum of San
wilderness of the snowy weather where there Francisco at http://www.famsf.org/
are lots of men on horses out, ready to kill the or
robber at first sight. He gets away successfully • our national picture web site at
at first when he finds a hut in which he finds http://www.pictureaustralia.org/
a unique knife, which he uses to defend with pictures from our National
himself when the robbers find him again after
Library, Australian War Memorial,
a desperate search for their money and the
the National Archives, Fryer Library
robber who would get killed. The robber gets
away again successfully and manages to live of Uni of Qld and the State Libraries
life on the rich side. He changes his name so of Vic, Tas and NSW.
the men on the horses do not know where to Try Google pictures or Alta Vista
find him and capture him.
images or http://www.ditto.com/
OR web site image search or image
search in other search engines.
Visual responses to poetry
In these annotations, you will be
It is helpful to give tight directions writing altogether between 200 and
to students who need them, but we 250 words of comment about the
have also tried to make the tasks as poem.
open-ended as possible so that capable
Your annotations may include some or
students have some latitude to follow up
all or none of the following:
their own interests.
• Imagery through simile and
In a war poetry unit around the time
metaphor and personification.
of Anzac Day, we gave the students
• Imagery through the use of
about 20 poems, read through them in
particular adverbs and adjectives.
class, discussed them and ‘taught’ them
• Other imagery.
in the traditional way. However, we then
• Communication through rhythm
gave the following open-ended response
and sound.
task for class work and homework:
• Appeals to the senses.

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• Connections and reversals. Just in case the reader didn’t

• The use of direct speech and understand his drawings, he continued
monologue. with the following explanation:
• Patterns or repetitions or the use of
symbols. This poem is really interesting. That is why
Remember, your teachers are NOT I particularly chose it. The start of the first
INTERESTED in how clever you are three paragraphs in the poem commences
with ‘Remember the time’ and it concludes
at identifying poetic devices. We
with ‘But you didn’t’. What makes the poem
ARE INTERESTED in your personal
‘But You Didn’t’ great is the way it builds up
response to the poems you have to a short, disturbing and sad conclusion.
chosen and how clearly you can It portrays a girl who took most things for
communicate that response to the granted, but didn’t notice how much her
reader. boyfriend put up with her until he died an
honourable death.
One Year 9 student, whose work had
been modest up to this point, decided to
show his understanding of the poem ‘But
you didn’t’ by Merrill Glass by drawing
a series of cartoons, shown below, in the
Microsoft Paint program to illustrate
each verse.

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 Visual literacies

A Year 11 student with limited skills For the next verse:

in written communication but a great
interest in visual literacy and competence Remember the times I’d flirt with
with the Corel Draw program from his Other boys just to make you jealous, and
Art classes, decided to illustrate the same You were?
poem but in a different way:
I thought you’d drop me …

Remember the time I forgot to tell you the But you didn’t.
dance was
Formal, and you wore jeans? He also prepared a collage of photos
I thought you’d hate me … of himself with his best mate’s girlfriend
But you didn’t.
at a party just to make his response
really personal. He then went on to
annotate the poem with callouts to show
what particular features of it meant to
him. The result was not profound but it
engaged him like no previous task had
done so far in that class.

Wider applications
and suggested activities
A novel path to political, You will present your report in any
appropriate manner depending on the
geographical and cultural
topic you choose. It could, for example,
research be a 400–500 word essay in Word OR a
A Year 10 class was recently studying report in Publisher combining text and
the biographical novel Off the Rails by images OR a PowerPoint presentation
Chris Hatherly and Tim Cope about a with images, graphics and sound
12-month trip on a recumbent bicycle and at least 50 words of text in the
across the former Soviet Union. As speaker’s notes explaining each slide
part of the introduction to the novel OR an Inspiration diagram where you
and an opportunity for students to tease out one of the themes in the
familiarise themselves with the political, novel and have a total of at least 300
geographical and cultural background words in the Add Notes boxes.
to the trip, the students were given a
brief research task with the following
instructions: 105
Computers,
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We encouraged the students to select 7 Write an argumentative essay on

any topic that interested them, but if the topic, ‘Democracy will not work
they could not find something we gave in Russia’.
a list of suggestions. We try never to 8 Choose any ONE place that was
integrate technology for the sake of it, important to Chris and Tim on
just ensure that students have the basic their journey, such as Babushkina,
skills – and most do anyway when they the Taiga forest, Siberia, Kirov,
come from primary school these days. Taishet, the BAM railway, the Altai
They are then in a position to choose for mountains, the Gobi desert or any
themselves a way of responding that is other place that you thought was
most appropriate to the task. This is part significant. Write a detailed account
of the rubric: of what happened there with
appropriate illustrations.
1 Import a map of Asia from an
9 Make up a topic which interests
e-atlas and mark in the key places
you.
Tim and Chris visited on their
journey. Annotate the map with One student with a particular interest
details of significant events that in art chose the topic of realism in
occurred in at least six places, using 17th-century Russian art and was very
text boxes and arrows or callouts. keen for his peers to see the slides he
You will be writing a total of over had prepared. Readers may argue that
200 words in the boxes. this is an Art rather than an English
2 Research the restrictions on tourist exercise but it seemed to us that we were
travel within China and comment stimulating cross-curriculum thinking
on the specific ways in which Tim and enriching this boy’s understanding of
and Chris flouted the restrictions. the text, while allowing him to draw on
3 Why couldn’t this trip within Russia his art skills and interests.
have happened 20 years earlier? Computers make multi-disciplinary
4 Review the life of the Russian tasks like this much easier to initiate and
President Vladimir Putin and manage; the outcomes can be exciting for
the recent election. What are his both the teacher and student.
policies and what do you predict There is plenty of material on the
about the future of Russia under his Web to act as stimulus to lateral ideas
leadership? for written and visual responses.
5 Examine the art of Russia. Go to Unfortunately the Web can also be a
galleries online in Russia and the huge time waster and a source of great
west and prepare a report on any frustration. Remember to always have
one great Russian artist. This will a ‘Favourites’ column set up in your
include some visual material, some Internet Browser with subheadings
biographical material and some like drawers in a filing cabinet labelled
appraisal of the artist’s work. to take the material. It also needs the
6 Do the same as No 5 but with one ready support of colleagues to willingly
of the great Russian composers.
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 Visual literacies

pass on any good sites they have found, movie where the poem Five Bells is read
hopefully with some helpful annotations to the complement of film clips and voice.
so that you don’t need to reinvent the Asking students to bring earphones and
wheel. access the CD from the network is a very
Three are worth mentioning: enjoyable experience for them.
A brilliant site for students in about When we used this resource, we gave
Years 6 to 9 with ideas for starting a the students a response sheet to fill
piece of writing, brainstorming a topic, out so that there was some structure
keeping a writing journal, working and purpose to their listening. This is
through the drafting process etc: particularly important with a boys’ class.
http://www.writesite.org/ Topics included:
Try the mystery writing site: Some significant facts I learnt about
http://www.mysterynet.com/learn/ as a the life of Slessor.
starting point for a piece of writing.
Some significant facts I learnt about
It can also be great fun to get students
the life and work and death of Joe
to write 55-word stories, a task which
Lynch.
will challenge the garrulous and focus
their minds on the structure of a short Some significant facts about the poem
story. There are plenty of examples Five Bells – e.g. when it was written,
around, including a daily story from a what prompted the writing, what it is
reader in the Melbourne Herald Sun. about.
One is the best is The New Times I read and heard at least two of
– the San Luis Obispo County’s News Slessor’s poems. Here are some
and Entertainment Weekly, who say notable images or phrases or
they invented the genre and have been repetitions or key words or other
running a competition for 16 years: things I would like to comment on:
http://www.newtimes-slo.com/
Poem 1:
index.php?p=55fiction
But more of this in the next chapter! Poem 2:
The examples in this chapter could be
applied to many subjects, for example,
Using online resources illustrating a cartoon in a history
One of the best-produced and most class or annotating a photograph of a
stimulating CD-ROM resources available land formation in a Geography class,
to English teachers is Five Bells,8 which especially where the photograph has
is called an ‘interactive celebration of been taken on an actual field trip.
Australia’s favourite poem’. It includes
some biographical material on Kenneth Designing a memorial
Slessor, several voices reading five of his One interesting and challenging activity
best-known short poems with musical in SchoolKiT9 is Designing a Memorial.
accompaniment and a ten-minute-long The task asks students to:

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imagine that you have been To complete this activity you will:
commissioned to design a memorial • select a person, event, or culture to
wall to commemorate a significant study;
event in history. To complete this • research information based on the
activity, you will undertake research to four theme areas;
learn all that you can about the subject • edit and write research so that it can
of the memorial, then use what you be read by people from the ages of
have learned to create a moving and 10 to 60;
informative tribute. • create an electronic virtual museum
A PowerPoint example explains the exhibit.
principles of researching and designing a Students are then given a sample
memorial with this instruction: virtual exhibit on the Aztecs and
As you develop your memorial wall, instructions on deciding upon their own
keep in mind your goals. Depending topic, preparing a data sheet, selecting
on the context, your aim may be: information, building the exhibit,
• to encourage remembrance; creating a floor and background, adding
• to honour and express gratitude; exhibits and using action buttons in
• to encourage reflection; PowerPoint.10 By the end of this task
• to educate; students will know a lot more about
• to preserve history and cultural their chosen topic, have acquired some
heritage; and/or new computer skills and presented their
• to inspire national pride. information in both visual and verbal
form.
Then there are instructions on how to
format the page, build the stone wall as Aboriginal history or Australian Studies
a background, put in a text box, engrave exercise
the text and make the sculpture stand
out as a relief against the background. History educators who teach Aboriginal
history or Australian Studies may like to
Virtual museum of history track down a superb two CD-ROM set
Frontier – Stories from White Australia’s
Another activity which History and Forgotten War.11 It includes 90 minutes
Social Studies teachers would find very of video and audio by leading Australian
stimulating for students in about Years 6 actors, excerpts from some 150 primary
to 9 is called Virtual Museum of History. sources, 200 paintings, illustrations and
In this, students are asked to photographs, internet sites, suggestions
create an historical exhibit with for further reading and a search index.
information based on four general A great resource like this can be an
themes: History Timeline, Geography, infectious motivator for both teacher
Society/Culture, and Artefacts/Evidence. and student.

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Endnotes
1 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2003, p. 4.
2 C. Durrant & C. Beavis, P(ICT)URES of ENGLISH – Teachers, learners and technology, Australian
Association for the Teaching of English, Adelaide, 2001 p. 8.
3 M. Semali, ‘Crossing the information highway: the web of meanings and bias in global media’,
viewed 7 January 2003, <http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/semali3/index.html>
4 ibid.
5 Viewed 10 May 2004, <http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes>
6 B. Schneiderman, 2003, op. cit., p. 118.
7 V. Watson & M. Kairouz, ‘Student learning and information processing in the knowledge age: a case
for the strategic teaching of thinking skills’, IARTV Occasional Paper No. 75, May 2002, Melbourne.
8 K. Slessor, Five Bells, produced by Roar Films in conjunction with G3 and the support of the
Australian Film Commission and Arts Australia.
9 For further details see http://www.edclass.com and the explanation on page 158.
10 ibid.
11 Frontier – Stories from Australia’s Forgotten War, two CD-ROM set, Australian Broadcasting
Commission.

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 Chapter 9
‘The ne
w know
deman ledge e
ds that conom
we lea y
our dir r n by
ect con
inform frontat
ation t i o n with
accesse hat is
increas
d, or d ingly
electro elivere
nically d ,
need to . There
fore th
teach e e
proces xplicitl
ses an y the
has be d skills
come c o f think
ritical.’ 1 ing

Critical
use of the
World Wide Web
 Critical use of the
World Wide Web

The learning and thinking context

What makes the Web so fascinating? from a sports coach when a student
Why do otherwise balanced and normal has perhaps written to query an unfair
adults become mesmerised in front of result or the rules for a carnival. How
a computer screen? Is it the curiosity of much easier it is to write for an audience,
what is out there? Are we such a prurient published internally on the school’s
generation that we just can’t keep away intranet or on the Web, provided there
from the multitude of porn sites? Is are safeguards for anonymity.
finding a needle in a haystack on the Web The Web helps us to move away from
like doing a home handyman job that the traditional notions of the written
won’t work, so we keep trying again and word to an understanding of the word as
again in the hope of getting it right? part of a matrix of communication. Jane
We recognise that students, who O’Donoghue writes that
have been brought up with the Web appropriate use of ICT can help us
as a normal part of their lives, see it to put students at the forefront of
quite differently to adults, for whom it producing texts … Writing for the
is often a mystery and fascination. It is Web, a student is not obliged to
important, however, that we do not just have an interior need to write, nor
see the Web as text on a screen and a even to have an audience to write
quicker access to information. It actually for. The fact that anyone can publish
provides a whole new way of integrating anything means that the notion of
text, image and sound, while giving users audience is denied, the concept of text
a greater control over what they do and is decentralized and the process itself
how they do it. becomes the focus.2
Ease of publication on the Web is also Schneiderman takes this one step
one of its practical uses for teachers. further when he says ‘the Web enables
English and Humanities teachers in students to publish their projects, making
particular are always keen for students to them available for anyone. Students are
write to a real audience and are delighted anxious about making their work so
when they see a student’s article in the visible, but it does push them to polish
local newspaper or a reply to the class their projects more than in the past’.3

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Classroom strategies
Teaching good analysis skills collated and given to all students. A step
like this could save a huge amount of
We can’t take it for granted that students
wasted time, let alone the possibility of
will know how to search the Web
limiting frustration levels.
effectively any more than that they will
know how to structure an essay, respond
to a poem, find relevant material for Coping with frustration
research, use a dictionary, interpret the
latest trade figures or follow the patterns The Web can be an enormous time
in a novel without some guidance. If, for waster, so many students, not to
example, we ask students to analyse and mention their teachers, end up angry
annotate a web site, we need to tell them and frustrated after a session of Web
what to look for: use of colour, simplicity searching (or was it just vague Net
of layout, ease of exploration; direct grazing that they were doing?). Some of
them to the links and to the usefulness of the following suggestions may help:
the information on the splash page; ask • Library resources and class texts
for the date on which the page was last should be carefully vetted, selected
updated, the name of the author or Web and offered for reading and research
master and especially ask them to verify at a level appropriate to the age and
the quality of the information. conceptual understanding of the
We could summarise this into a series user, so we know that when we go to
of questions such as: them we will find relevant and usable
• Who created the web site? information. By comparison, we
• What is it about? must be aware that the internet has
• Where was it created? the potential to drown us in garbage.
• When it was last updated? Jamie McKenzie writes,
• How reliable is the information and Many teachers will find the Internet
how do we know?4 too poorly structured to support
Of course, this process could be efficient learning unless we invest
reversed by the teacher annotating a web in lesson and unit development that
site, then sending that model annotation meets their desire for order and
to the students so that they can review practicality. Teachers seek structured
the accuracy of what the teacher has lessons and scaffolding to deliver
done. Similarly, groups of students at the efficiency, quality and standards-based
start of a project or unit of study could learning. They also require quality
each be given a different web site to find, digital content, as the process of
explore and report on. From this, an digitizing materials has been slower
annotated list of useful resources can be than expected.5

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• It absolutely imperative that students Practical tips for productive

cull the essential, meaningful and Web searching
reliable data. They must therefore
establish criteria for reliability in order • Before students go to the Web, get
to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’. them to establish a document into
Key action verbs are choose, pick, which they can place the information
select, separate, sift, single out.6 they find. They can then select on the
• Jamie McKenzie tells us also that we run, cut the relevant words, phrases or
should learn to navigate in the mud. paragraphs and have somewhere ready
When sailors misread the ebbing tide, to paste them. Also show them how
they may feel the sudden resistance of to keep the Web address and the date
soft, sucking mud. The Internet offers accessed, ready for final referencing.
its own information mudflats – vast • If students have their own laptops, be
expanses of soft data and opinion that sure that they have their ‘Favourites’
can bog us down and slow our search folder organised and ready to save the
for truth. Students must learn to skirt addresses of useful web sites that they
these shoals unless they are prepared find. If, for example, you know they
to dig deeply and carefully.7 will be doing newspaper searching,
• Many schools and most public there should be a ‘drawer’ in the
libraries appear to be blessed with a ‘Favourites’ filing cabinet ready to take
reliable network. If you are in a school the Web address when a useful one is
where the network is flaky or locked found. It will save a lot of effort next
down by nervous administrators to time round.
such an extent that even the most • When you want students to go to
innocuous search is blocked, don’t a particular web site, give them the
waste your time. Until your school has address electronically if that is at all
a system manager capable of building possible. A slash facing the wrong way
a reliable system, stick to books or or a misplaced comma means that
direct students to a public internet the address won’t work and students
facility. Above all, don’t dissipate the are notoriously inaccurate at copying
valuable learning time of a class unless correctly off the blackboard or a
you are sure that they will be able to printed page.
quickly access the web sites you have • Make Web searching a collaborative
given them to search. activity. A lot of good discussion
can be generated around a computer
screen. It lends itself very well to a
group activity so don’t be misled
by the myth that computers are an
isolating way of working.

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and Learning

• Make Web searching fun. Try bringing • Limit the size of the response in order
into the class a packet of Smarties to force the sifting, culling, choosing
and give one the first student to find and selecting from a mass of data. If,
the answer to a Trivial Pursuit quiz. for example, you require a research
Questions could range from ‘Who report by a Year 9 class on the nature
played Nicholas in the recent BBC of Elizabethan theatre, set a word
version of Nicholas Nickleby?’ to limit. The rubric could be
‘What is the topic of today’s editorial Present a report on … The report must
in the Straits Times newspaper include a maximum of 300 words,
in Singapore?’ or ‘What is the one graphic image and a link to one
predominant colour that Baz Luhrman live web site. Direct quotes must be
uses for the Capulet family in his in quotation marks and all sources
film version of Romeo and Juliet?’. clearly footnoted. The report must be
Even: ‘Where and when did the poet laid out on one A4 page.
Sylvia Plath die?’ or ‘What is the
title of David Guterson’s most recent • Each search engine has a Help menu to
novel?’. Follow this up by discussing guide users through its particular style
the path the winners used to find the and syntax. Direct students to these
information first and what steps they and encourage them to use the search
went through. tools as the designers intended.
• Have students save the passwords
of the school’s library subscription
Web sites – resources for
services. It should be as easy for a
student to go to the Encyclopaedia thinking
Britannica online in class or at home Web sites can be transient, so the
as it is for them to pull a book off recommendation of certain web sites
the shelf in the library. If necessary, in the following pages is made with
encourage your librarians to release some qualification. This is only a very
the resources by making the web sites small sample. It is best to build up your
and passwords readily available and own list with colleagues. Like a good
don’t be afraid to check that students reference book, a good web site is like
have these saved for future use. gold, so value it, save it and pass it on
• Teach footnoting and reference skills to your faculty. If some of the web sites
so that it is clear how we expect a on the following pages are no longer
student to acknowledge sources. Tell available, just accept such transience as
them that it is OK to copy from books part of the new blueprint for learning.
or web sites. We have all done it. What
is not OK is to pretend that it is all
our own work and not give the source
proper acknowledgment.

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Sites for pictures Newspapers online

For brilliant pictures that could illustrate Newspaper study is one of the most
responses to poetry or form the basis for valuable student activities online,
a piece or writing, or illustrate a concept holds the student’s interest and has an
in Geography or act as a background for immediacy that makes it an effective
a report in History, try: learning tool. See also Chapter 4,
http://australiasevereweather.com/ Responding to newspaper issues.
Have a look at the New York Times
For a searchable index of many site designed specifically for students.
thousands of pictures go to the Fine http://www.nytimes.com/learning/
Arts Museum of San Francisco where Another way of teaching from
there are 82,000 images arranged under newspapers is to discuss a cartoonist’s
subject headings: take on a current issue – see
http://www.famsf.org/ http://cagle.slate.msn.com/ for US current
or http://www.ditto.com cartoons.
Australian pictures from the National Try the cartoon section of the New
Library, the Australian War Memorial, York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
the National Archives, Fryer Library of pages/cartoons/index.html
University of Queensland and the State You will cheer yourself up and your
Libraries of Victoria, Tasmania and New students with a good cartoon such as
South Wales and many more are all on Randy Glassbergen’s Teen Cartoons at:
one web site: http://www.borg.com/~rjgtoons/
teen.html
http://www.pictureaustralia.org/
or Jerry King’s cartoons at
There is also a web site for all of http://www.jerryking.com/
the Australian museums – lots for the
students to find in what is called the
gateway to the museums and galleries: Shakespeare online
http://amol.org.au/discovernet/ A good resource for lesson plans and
Or try copyright-friendly pictures for information about Shakespeare is the
education arranged under categories at Folger Library, which calls itself the
‘world’s most significant repository of
http://pics.tech4learning.com/
Shakespeare material. Look for it at http:
Try http://au.altavista.com/image/ //www.folger.edu/education/teaching.htm
default for the Alta Vista images site.
Try taking a virtual tour of the Globe
Students could put a word like mystery
Theatre at http://www.shakespeares-
or danger in the search tool and see what
globe.org/
comes up. This is a great way to confront
a blank page when you start a piece of Another site with everything you ever
creative writing. wanted to know about Shakespeare and

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and Learning

an online copy of the scripts, try almost every text we are likely to teach,
http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/ all arranged alphabetically with infinite
For free electronic books, including numbers of worksheets:
the complete works of Shakespeare, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/
go to Project Gutenberg at For papers relating to IT in education
http://www.gutenberg.net/index.shtml across a global scenario, have a look at
http://www.globaled.com/ and subscribe
to this free service which styles itself as
Online resources for English a peer-reviewed collection of extensive
Try subscribing to this weekly resource articles for the global educator.
from New Zealand by getting it for a few Look at http://www.dictionarylink.com
weeks as you decide whether it is worth It provides a compilation of free online
continuing: dictionaries, thesaurus, language
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz translators, encyclopaedias, crossword
solvers, quotes and other language
The Learning Federation web site is resources. It also contains an alternate
run by the Australian Commonwealth page with links to major news sources
Government. At the time of writing and newspapers.
the site was still under development, The visual thesaurus, where words
but have a look at it to see if there is keep popping up around the key word
something which you can use. like satellites around the moon, is great
http://www.thelearningfederation.edu. fun for teachers and students:
au/tlf/ http://www.visualthesaurus.com/
The online journal From Now On by online/
Jamie McKenzie is free and excellent for
practical ideas to integrate computers
into learning. Web sites for poetry
http://fno.org/ Have a look at a poetry web site. There
Another useful web site which may are plenty around. Here is one to start
be worth a look but you will need to with, probably best for upper primary or
subscribe to get the full benefit: lower secondary classes with cool poems
http://www.teachit.co.uk/ and funny poems and poetry lessons all
If you have colleagues or students laid out for you:
who debate matters of style, direct them http://www.poetry4kids.com/
to http://www.bartleby.com/141/ The If you want to hear authors reading
web site says of itself that it will provide their poetry to you, go to a site that
suggestions to ‘avoid tame, colourless, offers ‘literary audio’:
hesitating, non-committal language’. http://www.epc.buffalo.edu/sound/
Check out Spark Notes – American links.html
oriented but good teaching material on

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World Wide Web

Web sites for fiction The web site ‘Focus on Fiction’ offers
information about authors and books, all
Here is the web site of the International
pitched for secondary students:
Reading Association
http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cmis/
http://www.readingonline.org/
eval/fiction/index.htm
There are some good reviews and
The Young Australia Readers Awards
teaching ideas for American novels and
is pitched at upper primary/lower
other useful information at the National
secondary and worth a look:
Council for the Teaching of English
http://www.yara-online.org
(USA) home page at
http://www.ncte.org/ ‘Magpies’ is a great resource for
children’s and youth literature.
Have you tried to buy a book from
http://www.magpies.net.au/
the world’s biggest online book store?
They have great book reviews that are Try ‘Stories from the Web’ – there
brief and accessible. Students really seems to be a range of resources for
enjoy finding reviews of books they are 11–14-year-olds:
reading. It is worth a look … http://www.storiesfromtheweb.org/
http://www.amazon.com sfwhomepage.htm
As an example of an author’s web Try this US site for study notes of 375
site, try the Roald Dahl web site with books – print on screen – but worth a
the Quentin Blake illustrations and browse if you want more worksheets:
everything you ever wanted to know http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
about him: The selection of web sites is a very
http://www.roalddahl.com personal matter. These are some that
Most authors have their own web an English faculty has found useful
site and students seem to enjoy reading and bookmarked in the ‘Favourites’
the biographical information and other folders. One measure of collegiality in
details about an author they have got to any faculty will be the extent to which
know through the printed page. resources, print or online, are shared and
A few examples of the web sites of made available to colleagues.
authors are
John Marsden
http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/
johnmarsden/index.htm
James Moloney
http://www.home.gil.com.au/~cbcqld/
james.htm
Libby Hathorn
http://www.libbyhathorn.com

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and Learning

Wider applications
and suggested activities
In the last few years a whole new world with – one who is honest or courageous
of resources has opened up to everyone or resourceful or a good navigator or
that is up-to-date, visually interesting a good manager of people. Once the
and reliable if you carefully check the students have rated these qualities in
source. Should an Economics teacher rely order of importance as they see them,
on a text book that is several years old they are in a better position to evaluate
when today’s statistics are available from the information they uncover about the
the Treasury, the Bureau of Statistics or various captains they are studying.
the Bureau of Trade? The availability of Web resources that
Of course, library books and text are so immediate allow us to seize the
books should not be discarded, but we moment in quite a dramatic way. For
must acknowledge that there is now a example, around Easter 2004 when Mel
whole new array of Web resources to Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ
add to the collection. And as we have was getting saturation distribution and
said many times, this is an overwhelming was a frequent topic of conversation,
task if you are trying to do it on your one teacher of Religious Education in
own. It is absolutely imperative to build a laptop class was able to capture the
up a community of practice and foster a interest of the moment by getting his
collaborative culture that will not only students to find the web site for the film,
minimise frustration but lead to some read the reviews and then watch online
exciting new initiatives. images and the trailers of some of the
This can be all so open-ended, but in key scenes. These made a very pertinent
the best-case scenario will help equip our and immediate talking point.
young people to think for themselves
and make up their own minds. This
may depend on the kinds of questions Open-ended learning modules
we get them to ask and the evidence One excellent commercial resource is
we require to support their contention. SchoolKiT,9 which is accessed online
At his seminars, Jamie McKenzie often and enables the teacher to browse, select
reminds his audience that questions are and download hundreds of learning
the most powerful technology of all.8 modules across the Arts, Mathematics,
He gives the example of challenging Science, Social Studies, English and
his students before they begin online cross-curricular activities. Modules are
research studying the early explorers, organised under subjects and year levels.
where he asks them to say which kind For example, for Years 9 or 10 you
of captain they would most like to sail might choose modules on how to write
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 Critical use of the
World Wide Web

an argumentative essay, how to prepare observations about speed, weather

and present an oral report on a wide- danger and the like.
reading book, how to write your own For further details go to the EDclass
news story, or use a template to gain an web site http://www.edclass.com
overview of a novel by examining the
major conflicts in the story. Another
offers basic instruction in the use of Write a poem with a poetry
reason, authority and emotion in slide show
development of a piece of persuasive
As an example, here is the first page of
writing. In a Geography class, students
the module on how to write a poem
could plot the course of an actual cargo
and prepare a poetry slide show for the
ship in live time as it crosses the Atlantic
following lesson:
and while doing so, make all sorts of

Challenge
You are going to make a poetry show. You will:
create a slide master with a photograph on it;
make a slide and multiple copies of it;
write a poem, typing one phrase on each slide; and
set up a slide show to present your poem.

I know a place
To help you understand the project you are going to look at a sarr show.
Before you click the button to view the project, read these instructions
• When the slide show is finished, click to use it
• Restore the resource sheet

A sample project
To start the Project sample, click this button then minimise the sheet

Project sample

119
Computers,
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and Learning

A class was given this to do as a

homework activity. The sets of slides
which the students showed each other
included the two below. They are
nothing profound, but for boys who
wouldn’t previously involve themselves
with poetry it was quite a breakthrough:

Endnotes
1 V. Watson & M. Kairouz, ‘Student learning and information processing in the knowledge age: a case
for the strategic teaching of thinking skills’. IARTV Occasional Paper, No 75, May 2002.
2 J. O’Donoghue, ‘To cope, to contribute, to control’, in A. Goodwyn (ed.), English in the digital age:
information and communications technology and the teaching of English, Cassell, 2000, p. 72.
3 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2003, p. 123.
4 M. Kennedy & M. Lee-Ack, ‘Review: Net texts: exploring electronic English’, English in Australia,
journal of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, No. 137, Winter 2003.
5 From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal, Vol. 12, No. 11, Summer 2003, viewed 10 May
2004, <http://www.fno.org/sum03/nowwhat.html>
6 J. McKenzie, 1999, How teachers learn technology best, FNO Press, 1999, p. 51.
7 ibid., p. 52.
8 J. McKenzie, ‘We’ve done the Internet. Now what?’ Speech presented at a seminar in Melbourne
28/02/04. Viewed 10 May 2004, <http://www.fno.org/sum03/nowwhat.html>
9 The author has used a number of SchoolKiT modules in the classroom to supplement and extend the
student’s activities. See Appendix 2 for further information.

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 Chapter 10
‘In tim
es of r
the lea adical
rners i change
n ,
earth, herit t
while t h e
themse he lear
lves pe ned fin
r d
for a w fe c t ly equi
orld th pped
exists.’ 1 at no l
onger

Responding
to student
work:
Can computers help?
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The learning and thinking context

Even the most enthusiastic and Andrew Goodwyn says
experienced teachers who have [of all the] activities that dominate
sharp antennas for the valid learning English teachers’ time none is so
experiences of children and are keen relentless as marking, the physical
to allow computers to enrich the act of putting marks on student’s
constructivist learning goals in their work … yet most teachers frequently
classroom, still find many practical doubt that their efforts are making the
difficulties with this new medium. difference that they hope to achieve …
Change is at best incremental rather If [however,] the student completes a
than revolutionary; risk-taking can truly provisional electronic text, then
be challenging and draining, and the the teacher has far more options.2
practical support and understanding Computers hit classrooms in the early
of colleagues is vital. We all struggle 1980s, at about the same time as the
with the demands of planning, class process writing movement associated
management, the changing and more so strongly with the name of Donald
fragile social situation of many children Graves. In many ways the two thrusts
and the effects that all this has on complemented each other. It was a hassle
learning. Now add to this the seemingly for students to redraft or even make
endless corrections and we may well simple corrections when these had to
wonder where computers fit into the be done in longhand, so only the most
picture, if at all. diligent were willing to take this burden
If computers are going to be more seriously. The new digital medium has
to us than a glorified typewriter, we enabled us to allow students to walk
will need to think differently about the away from a text and return to develop
nature of teaching and learning. One it at a later stage with little effort
consequence is that we also need to think required in the process. There is more
differently about how students respond, chance now that the final version will
how they submit their responses and have had some mature reflection and
how we as teachers give feedback. genuine reconstruction, if it is required.

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 Responding to
student work: Can
computers help?

Yes, they do still need at times to write teachers and students have far more
under pressure in a formal written opportunity to ‘play with’ the logic
examination and this kind of writing will and emotional structures of their
still need some practice. The inherent compositions, with the teacher having
motivation, however, of getting a good several opportunities to assist the
mark in an examination has to be writer with suggestions, corrections
balanced against and additional ideas.3
[the] intrinsic motivation that comes So often we feel good about putting
from a writer having something to say red marks on a page, finding some
and also the conviction that ‘saying grammatical errors and thinking that
it the right way’ will take time and we are helping the learning of a child. In
effort. A great deal of writing under fact, if we are honest, we will admit that
pressure is forced, inaccurate and many students rushed the original work,
inadequate. In the educational attempt ignore our painstaking comments, knew
to balance such pressure, teachers will the correct spelling and syntax anyway
find that technology gives them far but could not be bothered to proofread
greater flexibility, so they can make the original, and were interested only
the most of this potential in the way in the grade. Will computers make any
they support and monitor a student’s difference to this situation or are they
development as a writer … Equally just another chore, another complication
with the texts such as the essay, … to add to our already busy lives?

123
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Classroom strategies
In this chapter, we will explore some
• The paper has a reasonably strong focus
suggestions that will hopefully make life on the point of making education a better
easier, not more complex, in this new and more open experience. Examples are
teaching and learning environment. good but the examples don’t completely
speak for themselves and need to be
clarified – exactly what is what that the
Keep your eye on the big teachers were trying to get out of it. What
you might also consider in this first half is
picture
how the technology affects the teachers’
One of the huge advantages of computers own widened concepts of reaching out to
in any subject is that they make it easy the students.
for a piece of work to be revisited, • I think this should be extended as it is a
redrafted and revised with relative ease. highly important issue in terms of not
Rather than focusing on the important opening possibilities but making use of
yet somewhat trivial aspects of spelling the flexibility available.
and syntax, most of which could be dealt • This needs to be explained to a greater
with by spelling and grammar-checking extent. Why is having such a live resource
software, word processing of comments so valuable?
now allows the student and teacher to • I think a little elaboration is necessary
stand back and view the piece from a here to recognise the foreign ground that
distance. teachers were put on.

Several years ago at a school camp,

a bored student too sick to join in a Of course, this was an astute senior
climbing activity, asked if he could read a student and I would not expect that level
paper I was preparing for a forthcoming of perception from most of the students
‘Computers in Education’ conference. I I teach, but it was nevertheless a very
anticipated no more than a casual glance valuable model for me, as an example of
at my computer screen while I went the ways in which I could be responding
to get a coffee. Instead, when I came myself to student writing. It was also
back, I found that he had used the ‘Add a shock to find a student looking so
Comment’ function in Word to make carefully and critically at my text!
genuinely global observations, indicating Rather than getting bogged down with
to me that he had tried to come to terms the minutiae of spelling and grammatical
with the ideas I was grappling with in the errors, why not use the Word Add Note
paper. He wrote in various places: function or a Text Box at the end of the

124
 Responding to
student work: Can
computers help?

document to make global comments time spent in careful preparation could

which challenge the thinking of the save hours of marking. Perhaps this kind
students and help them to reflect on of work could be marked by the students
the quality of their learning. There are themselves or by exchanging computers
many friends and family who could help or by the teacher marking while the
students pick up basic errors if students work is being done. We are all guilty
cannot do this for themselves, quite apart of setting a piece of writing on the spur
from the spelling and grammar checkers of the moment as a class management
that are now available. Teachers have a activity, only to find that because we
much broader role to play in responding did not define the rubric carefully or
to student work. have a clear idea of the purpose of the
task, we are left with hours of pointless
Play down the routine tasks corrections.
For example, we could set an essay
Quick tests that indicate homework asking students to summarise the main
has been completed or a piece of class ideas and characters in an act of a
teaching understood are important ways play. Alternatively, we could select text
for a teacher to monitor the outcomes of from the Web and use the Table/Insert
teaching and a way of introducing future function of Word to set up a homework
work. It is easy to get bogged down with exercise. Here is one on Act III of The
the correction of routine work, but more Merchant of Venice:

The text Who is speaking? What is the context? Summarise the

To whom? What has just meaning.

Where is the scene happened? Explain why these

set? What happens next? lines are important.

Act 3, Scene 1, line 37

He was wont to call me
usurer; let him look to
his bond.

Act 3, Scene 2, line 310

Come, away; For you
shall hence upon your
wedding day.

Act 3, Scene 3, line 26

The Duke cannot deny
the course of law.

125
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

There are some good commercial Plan the method of submission

programs for setting multiple choice or when you plan the task
one-word answer tests, and many of
these are self-correcting. The danger is We can no longer stand at the door
that they may be costly to purchase and and collect the written homework
once understood and set up, the teacher when students are working onscreen,
may be tempted to re-use the test and so so the careful planning of the method
lose the freshness of quickly responding of submission becomes even more
to the interests of a particular class. important. Some teachers like working
One very easy-to-use product that with e-mail attachments, while others
is free, with certain conditions, is Hot find this clunky and time-consuming.
Potatoes.4 It has the facility for designing Collecting discs is clumsy and may
multiple choice questions, which Science open the door to viruses if students do
teachers love so much; short-answer not keep the virus checker up-to-date
questions, which are useful in any on their home computer. Plugging the
Humanities subject; jumbled sentence teacher’s memory stick into the USB port
exercises, crossword puzzles, mix and of each student’s computer is an effective
match exercises and cloze or fill in the way to collect work but can be a lengthy
blank exercises to test the student’s ability process. Students with a laptop can
to make meaning within a context. ‘infra-red’ their files to the teacher, but
Another even more accessible option is only one at a time.
to use the Forms toolbar in Word. With Many teachers find that a ‘common
this facility, it is possible to construct drive’ or ‘drop box’ on the school’s
• a blank text box – allowing students network is the most efficient way to
to complete sentences, insert words or gather student work, and perhaps the
complete a short answer; only way if the student has hyperlinked
• a drop-down multiple-choice box documents behind the main piece of
– allowing the teacher to give students writing. It may also be necessary when
a number of choices from which they dealing with Inspiration documents
can pick the correct response; which don’t attach to e-mail in some
• a tick box – similar to multiple choice systems. This drop box works best if the
except the student ticks the box next teacher can see work from every student,
to the appropriate answer. open it, correct it and return it, while
Some tasks do not need to be collected the student can only see their own work.
and laboriously marked provided The teacher can then tell students when
the teacher is active in watching and to retrieve the corrected work and save it
responding to the work as the students back to their own storage space.
are doing it. Self-correction or peer One major problem with this method
assessments are also good ways of of submission is that teachers may have
dealing quickly with some responses. to do all their marking at school in order
to be online. Of course, this will depend

126
 Responding to
student work: Can
computers help?

on the helpfulness of the technicians, the at a place where we are online.

efficiency of the school’s network and the However, it is important to ensure that
speed of home access, if that is possible students themselves keep all original
at all. and corrected versions of tasks. Just as
There is also a need to save teacher in the past we would get them to label
frustration and the potential mix-up of their folders for the subject with tabs
computer documents, which all look such as poetry/novel/folio/oral, etc, so
similar when students forget to put now folders can be set up at the start of
their names on their work. It is good to the year in My Documents so that even
get students into the habit of putting a the most messy students can save and
header and footer on every document. subsequently find their work. Boys in
The header could include student name, particular comment on the advantages of
subject and class, while the footer computers for this kind of organisation
would include the topic, teacher’s name and storage.
and date. It will save time if a blank In a survey conducted in 2001 on
document is set up with the header and the use of laptop computers,5 it was
footer in place and saved as a template found that if computers really are to be
ready for future re-use. a personal workspace, then most work
must be done on them, at least in the
lower and middle secondary years. Why
Computers as a personal do we need to burden students with the
workspace weight and hassle of both a paper and
an electronic system? The data collected
This is one of the strongest arguments
showed that computers are mainly
for laptops or one-to-one computing. We
used for research and responses other
all possess some degree of fussiness when
than traditional essays at the lower and
it comes to our study desk with preferred
middle secondary levels. If there is an
pens and pencils, paper, envelopes,
immersion in this digital technology for
scissors, eraser and suchlike. Using a
a range of classroom activities in say
computer that is not our own is exactly
Years 7 to 10, students in the later years
the same as going to someone else’s desk
will choose for themselves the most
and finding things organised differently
comfortable learning style and means
– fonts, toolbars and other features have
of response with or without computers.
all been customised to the preferences of
However, they must have the skills and
another person.
experience if it is to be an informed
Some teachers like to keep electronic
choice, and most now come from
copies of all student work because it is
primary schools with very advanced IT
so easy to do, yet generally in the past
skills.
we did not keep photocopies of student
written work. The exception may be
special examples to show at a parent–
teacher interview, hopefully conducted

127
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Classroom management there is no point in asking questions if

the answers can be sourced from the data
There is the ever-present issue of
on their own computer, just as open-
classroom management6 and control
book examinations test understanding
when students have a very tempting toy
rather than the facts in the book taken
in front of them, especially if they know
into the examination room. The students
more about the tricks of using it than
interviewed in the survey above did not
their teachers. Also, some of us seem
believe that cheating was any more of an
to think that we can ask students to
issue than in the past.7
open paper folders for us to check but
Students can be critical of teachers
that laptops are somehow private and
who prepare electronic worksheets and
personal, and teachers should not probe
require online classwork submission,
what students do with their computers or
then print out the responses presumably
how they file their work.
because they are not comfortable
A simple trick to add to the repertoire
correcting it electronically. Some
of steps used to keep one step ahead
students, who don’t like computers,
of the students is to use the Alt/Tab
think that it is a lot easier to have
function on a student’s keyboard to
everything on paper but plead that
quickly see what applications are open.
teachers should at least stick to one thing
Cheating will always be an issue in
or the other. One said, ‘We get confused
schools, as it is in universities. Now it is
if there is occasional use of computers,
easier than ever to copy documents and
then we have to keep paper files as well’.
swap homework, but all of this is still a
Another asked, ‘If they give you a laptop,
discipline issue and teachers will have to
why do they then give out worksheets as
deal with it in the same ways that they
well?’ One Year 11 student got around
have always done with misbehaviour. In
this by throwing away every piece of
this, as in online tests and examinations,
paper, except the few really vital ones
it is more important than ever before that
which he stuffed in his laptop bag. This
teachers set tasks requiring higher-order
is one method of coping with a practical
thinking skills rather than factual recall.
problem!
In the case of an online examination,

128
 Responding to
student work: Can
computers help?

Wider applications
and suggested activities
Computers can save an enormous It is a good idea to first set up some
amount of marking time. The many e-mail filters that allow you to segregate
advantages include: students’ submissions from everyday
• a definite record of work submission, e-mails. This will ensure that your inbox
date and time; does not become clogged and difficult to
• no papers piled up on your desk; navigate.
• reduced risk of misplacing work; A good way of putting in shortcuts
• work comments and corrections is via Tools/Auto correct where you
that are easily retained if required, can choose the colour and size. You
allowing comparison with future work could, for example, put in ‘sy’ as the
submissions or a record for parent– abbreviation and a smiley as the text.
teacher interviews; Some personal abbreviations could be:
• easy onscreen correction mode. sx = Correct the syntax of this
sentence
There are, however, significant pa = Paragraph structure needs
disadvantages, including: attention
• tedious onscreen correction if this sp = Check spelling and proofread
means long periods in front of the before submission
computer screen; rp = You are repeating the same
• that students sometimes don’t read phrase or words
comments placed in an electronic file hf = Put in the correct header and
just as they may not have read the footer
comments on paper; pn = Punctuation needs attention
• the need for students to have access aw = Awkward expression – check this
to an e-mail account and if they are sentence
working from home, they may not bd = Poor choice of words – broaden
want to mix school work with their your vocabulary
Hotmail account; sy =
• problems with student access to the z=
network in some schools.
zx =

Experiment with e-correction Another way of doing this is to go to

Insert/Symbols/Wingdings2.
The actual process of e-correction can Select a tick and assign a shortcut to
be very easy once you have good typing it such as Ctrl F1.
abilities and have established a routine.

129
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Every time you now put your cursor at Students in one class were asked
a certain place in a document and press for a review and evaluation of their
Ctrl F1, a tick will be put in that place. classroom work and comments on
Choose another symbol such as a cross how their learning had changed since
or a smiley or a star or a sports the introduction of laptops. While
symbol, or whatever else you may some students felt insecure in the more
want to use, and assign a shortcut to it. open-ended learning environment, the
Have a play. Remember what you have following comments were encouraging:
assigned as the shortcut keys.
If you are making comments I learned more about myself and I tried things
electronically, it is a good idea to have that I wouldn’t normally try. These tasks have
really opened my mind and made me more
your name on the comment. To ensure
interested in English.
this happens, go to Word/Tools/Options/
User Information and insert your name The modules we did helped me and kept me
busy, let me tell you that much! I found that
and initials, but only if you always use
it was a very good way to present work to
the same computer. Your name will
students such as me, and you could always
appear on the student work you correct find extra work to do in these modules. The
electronically. Similarly, students who work was to a certain extent, endless.
work on their own computers and
I enjoyed this semester of English. It was a
exchange work or send work to a teacher much easier way to work because you can do
annotated with comments from the some whenever you have spare time rather
reviewing tool bar will have their name than having to rush homework because you
on the comment if they have personalised have to go to sport or work. I thought my
their user information. personal strengths were Creative Writing
If you are using Outlook, go to and Interpreting Current World Issues. I also
thought my poetry improved throughout
Outlook/Tools/Options when the Inbox
the year and I can interpret poetry better.
is open, and tick the box ‘Use Word as
I enjoyed the class discussions when talking
you e-mail editor’. This will ensure that about world issues. I would have enjoyed it if
the features you are used to in Word will we had more of these.
be there on your screen when you use I learnt from this module that I have amazing
e-mail. levels of untapped creative wells that I did not
We are all breaking new ground in the even know about.
area of computers and learning. While
it has always been important to ask
What more could a teacher ask?
students to evaluate and reflect on their
learning, it seems even more important
now.

130
 Responding to
student work: Can
computers help?

Endnotes
1 Eric Hoffer, quoted in I. Jukes, ‘Digital kids: learning in a new landscape’, viewed 1 December 2004,
<http://www.lasb.com/files/j4030407.htm>
2 A. Goodwyn (ed.), English in the digital age: information and communications technology and the
teaching of English, Cassell, London, 2000, p. 13.
3 ibid., p. 14.
4 ‘Hot Potatoes’, viewed 26 January 2005, <http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked/> For further details see
p. 158.
5 D. Nettelbeck, ‘Computers and learning: does ICT really change the way secondary English students
learn?’ English in Australia, No. 134, journal of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English,
July 2002, p. 78.
6 These issues are dealt with more fully in Chapter 1.
7 D. Nettelbeck, 2002, op. cit., p. 83.

131
 Chapter 11
‘Never
before
necess has it
ary tha been m
t ore
how to people
read, w l e arn
critical rite, an
ly. It’s d think
click. not jus
t point
and
It’s poi
nt, rea
d, thin
k, click 1
.’

Whole brain
learning, whole
brain assessment:
Exemplar units for
English and History
 Whole brain learning,
whole brain assessment:
Exemplar units for
English and History

The learning and thinking context

Melbourne teacher, innovator and education of our children to shift from
entrepreneur Bruce Dixon realised plateaus of knowing to continuous
more than 20 years ago that computers cycles of learning.3
allowed children to do things that were One of the first laptop teachers at
not possible with pen and paper: ‘The MLC in Melbourne, Adam Smith,
whole idea of giving them different similarly realised the potential of this
learning experiences that identified skills new kind of learning when the school
that we couldn’t otherwise see was part pioneered the introduction of laptop
of my growing awareness’.2 Amid the computers. He observed that in this new,
excitement of bits and bytes, Bruce saw constructivist-style classroom, ‘relatively
beyond the simple issues of adequate young kids were spending more of their
connectivity and access, to the changing time working things out for themselves,
social experiences of children and the or in collaboration with their peers … we
changing nature of learning in the 21st- provided a scaffold but the kids built their
century classroom. buildings, and each was different. 4
In the 1990s, the digital divide was This kind of teaching for better
characterized as a gap in technology thinking owes a lot to Piaget, who saw
access that translated into inequities children not so much as empty vessels to
in educational, economic, social, and be filled but active builders of knowledge.
civic opportunities among sectors of The quest for understanding is at the core
the population. Since then, education of any kind of constructivist educational
leaders have come to realize that enterprise where teachers seek and
access is simply the first step. Equally value students’ points of view, challenge
important are robust home access and suppositions, pose problems and
the readiness of individuals to use structure learning around ‘big’ concepts
technology, communication networks, and ideas. This is a theme that has been
and information efficiently, effectively, developed throughout this book.
and productively … It’s time for the

133
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

The Writing Reading Assessment What steps, therefore, can we take

Project (WRAP) revealed that between to encourage individuals to use their
1989 and 1991, 75 per cent of all preferred intelligences in learning, to
Year 10 writing tasks in South Australia deliberately appeal in our teaching
allowed students no choice in any aspect activities to different forms of
of the task and only 1 per cent allowed intelligence, build in real choice and take
students choice in purpose, audience or account of multiple forms of intelligence
form.5 Many teachers are well aware of when we assess work?
situations similar to this.

Classroom strategies
The following units of work make some Disney released a highly praised film
attempt to build on the theory outlined version of the novel for which the
above. They do not set out to make author was also the screenwriter. It is an
use of computers as though we have enigmatic and multi-layered story that
to find artificial ways of justifying the has spawned an abundance of teacher
expense. Instead, it is assumed that one- resources, mostly available on the Web.
to-one computing, or other generous These are generally well constructed and
provisions for connectivity, is available are sincerely intentioned, screen-delivered
as a seamless element of the teaching and worksheets. Most are just text on screen
learning environment, and that given the with a little more colour and movement
choice, students will opt for the tools than you might find on a printed page.
appropriate to their preferred learning They follow the predictable formula of
style and the nature of the task they have ‘fill in the blanks’ or ‘answer the question
chosen. by guessing what is in the teacher’s
mind’. These may be useful in some way
and will certainly be a good starting
The novel Holes – a Year 8 or 9 point for busy teachers. But where are
text study the unrestricted, mind-challenging tasks
to stimulate and encourage thinking? We
Holes, by Louis Sachar, was first
are making no pretence to succeed where
published in the United States in 1998,
others may not have done so, but the
in Britain in 2000, and has become very
following is an attempt at more open-
popular as a class text in Australian
ended tasks which build in a great deal
schools in the last few years. In 2003,
of choice for the students.

134
 Whole brain learning,
whole brain assessment:
Exemplar units for
English and History

An open-ended research task

• Choose ANY TOPIC related to the
background or setting of this novel.
• Research your topic through
the Web or from printed library
resources.
• Prepare a report with careful
attention to a heading, graphics and
layout.
• Your report will be presented in
Publisher or Word and include the
following:
– Approximately 200–300 words of
text
– Clear quotation marks where
you have copied material PLUS
an acknowledgement of your
sources
– A picture or graphic or drawing
– A link to a web site.

Some possible topics for research

Remember that a good report will include
• The life, background and other
• clear headings and subheadings;
books by the author
• well laid-out text with clear sentence and
• Juvenile justice in this state
paragraphs breaks;
• Juvenile justice in Texas
• an annotated bibliography;
• Water conservation
• annotations to explain the illustrations;
• The yellow spotted lizard
• pictures and graphics;
• Rattlesnakes
• links to web sites.
• Scorpions
• Recipe for spiced peaches
• Family migration
• Digging up the past
• Any relevant topic which interests
you

135
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Theme study and oral – a wide choice of Some suggested themes to explore
response options Family Destiny
Race Bullying
• While this is an enjoyable story,
Alienation Loyalty
Sachar also deals with significant
Optimism Perseverance
themes or issues in the course of
Ancestral identity Friendship
this novel.
Power Justice
• In a group of two or three, choose
Relationships Courage
any ONE of the themes below or
Survival Kindness
any other theme that you think is
Brutality Any other theme
significant. Be sure that each group
in the class chooses a different
Character analysis using concept-
theme to explore.
mapping software
• You may explore this theme in
any way you wish, so long as you • Use Inspiration to prepare a
relate it to very specific incidents character map. It is best to design
and characters in the novel. Look your own map but you may
for patterns, opposites, reversals, get ideas from Inspiration/File/
conflicts and chain reactions as you Template/Character or Comparison
trace your theme. or Literary Web where basic maps
• You may summarise your are done for you to adapt and use,
understandings of the theme in a if you wish to do so.
Word document using AutoShapes/ • Choose any TWO significant
Connectors OR in maximum of six characters from the novel. Put them
PowerPoint slides with a maximum into TWO MAIN boxes.
of six dot points per slide and a • Now put in other boxes which
maximum of six words per dot show other characters who relate
point OR you may find it easiest to to your two main characters. You
use an Inspiration map, OR use the should choose at least half of the
Diagram Gallery from the Drawing characters from the list below.
Toolbar in Word XP. • It is essential that you name the
• Your teacher will arrange a time for links to show the relationships
you to present your findings to the between the characters.
class or to a group within the class. • Now in an Add Notes box behind
each character, record notable
personality traits (influential,
conceited, hateful, etc.) and at
least TWO incidents from the novel
where these traits are evident.
• Submit your character map by
saving to the H Drive on the date
and with the file name which your
teacher will give you.
136
 Whole brain learning,
whole brain assessment:
Examplar units for
English and History

Character list
Stanley Yelnats Zero
X Ray Squid
Magnet Armpit
Zigzag Warden
Charles Walker Sam
Elya Yelnats Madam Zeroni
Stanley Yelnats I Mrs Yelnats
Mr Sir Mr Yelnats
Mr Pendanski Clyde
Livingstone Derrick Dunne

Vocabulary and word study task

• Find the word in the text and study
exactly the way it is used by the
author.
• Look up the word in a dictionary
and/or a thesaurus. Study the
meaning.
• Complete the table below.

Key word Meaning Metaphorical or special use of

the word in the novel

shrivelled (3)

stifling (6)

pretend (7)

barren (11)

destiny (24)

despicable (25)

wreck (43)

delirious (128)

mirage (152)

moon (153, 161)

shadow (166)

fugitive (188)

137
Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Creative writing – a traditional essay The following more open-ended

enhanced by pictures or hyperlinks format may stimulate the interest of the
• Choose any ONE of the sentences students:6
below. After reading your chosen book, you
• Use the sentence as an idea or will be asked to prepare a report. It
starting point for a personal or will contain the usual context of:
creative piece of writing. • Title
• You DO NOT need to use the ideas • Author
from the novel or write about the • Genre, fiction, non-fiction, etc
novel. Just write your OWN true or • Date started, date finished
imaginary story. • Brief statement of the time and
setting of the book.
‘… and just a little bit of luck.’ (8)
The major part of your report will be
‘If only, if only …’ (9)
under the heading My interaction with
‘This isn’t a Girl Scout camp.’ (14) the book.
‘Nobody believed him when he said For this, you will choose ANY of the
he was innocent.’ (22) suggestions below OR make up a
‘You don’t need a lawyer … just tell topic of your own.
the truth.’ (25)
Your response will include the
‘They did it to “build character”.’ (71) following:
‘He was staring very intently at the • Between 300 and 400 words of text
busted television screen.’ (73) • At least one image or graphic
‘He was in the wrong place at the relevant to the response
wrong time.’ (85) • At least one live hyperlink to a web
site related to the author, publisher,
‘The last thing we need is an
place or theme of the book.
investigation.’ (139)
‘Who will dig the grave for me?’ (162) Here are some suggestions for your
interaction with the text :
‘We’re almost there.’ (167)
1 Unanswered questions – e.g. Does
your book have an ‘open ending’?
Are you satisfied with this type of
Wide reading response
ending? What are the unresolved
It is a common practice for teachers to issues? Make some predictions.
ask students to write a book report as 2 Reading between the lines – You may
one accountability measure after a wide choose to write a more ‘traditional’
reading assignment. Students often find response which shows your ability
these essays boring to write as it can be a to analyse a text. In your response
difficult format in which to express their you should include a discussion of
enthusiasm or other feelings for what themes, plot, character, setting and
was hopefully a moving piece of fiction. language features.

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3 Advice to the librarians about this an e-mail survey about this author
and other books for the library. around the class, or among others
4 Alternative ending. Write another who have read the book.
ending for the story. 11 Re-create a scene in a maximum of
5 Suggestions about how the six comic strip frames.
characters could have acted 12 Sound file where you recreate
differently in specific situations and the dialogue between two of the
how this may have affected the characters at a critical point in the
outcome. story OR an audio interpretation
6 Real life experiences which this of the book such as a dramatic
book reminded me of. reading, a commentary, a review,
7 Patterns and connections with a debate, an interview.
other books on the same or similar 13 Graphic interpretation of the book
theme. such as a portrait gallery, alternative
8 What I learnt about human nature settings, ‘collage’, symbolic
or moral lessons from this book representation of the main ideas,
– about people, relationships and a series of advertisements, a film
communication. What makes poster or a video clip.
the characters believable or
unbelievable?
9 ‘One man’s junk is another Senior literature text study:
man’s treasure’ – Search for The Lost Salt Gift of Blood
differing reviews of this book and
The Lost Salt Gift of Blood is an
explanation of why I think it has
anthology of short stories by Alistair
had such a reaction. Why I liked
McLeod. The novel can be taught in the
or disliked this book and why
traditional way, but the response and
someone else may disagree. (Go to
assessment tasks below are designed
the site http://www.amazon.com, or
to take into account a whole range of
other web sites, to see what other
interests and thinking skills.
readers have said about it.)
10 Let me introduce the author to Research report
you (Find web sites produced by or
about the author. How useful is the Prepare a report on the setting and
site? What have you learned about author for the collection of stories.
the author? What has surprised You may choose to research Nova
you? What else would you like to Scotia, Cape Breton, Gaelic language,
know? Research the author’s writing Gaelic myths and traditions, the life of
context – historical, social, political, Alistair McLeod, the journeys of the
ideological etc? E-mail the author characters or any other aspect that
and conduct an interview. Prepare a may interest you.
newsletter for a ‘fan club’. Conduct

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Your report will include: significant in the story, or the way

• about 300 words of text; the writer expressed the details or
• pictures or graphics to illustrate any other aspect that you found
your understanding of the setting significant.
and background of the author Be prepared to read aloud to the class
• some biographical, historical and/or a section of the story. The reading and
geographical information; your explanation should take between
• use of direct quotes for any two and three minutes.
information copied directly from
In preparing this slide, you may wish
a book or a web site;
to use
• acknowledgement of sources in
• a search engine to find some work
footnotes or a bibliography;
of Winslow Homer OR
• a maximum length of two A4 pages;
• go to the San Francisco Museum
• carefully considered aspects of
of Fine Arts with a key word for the
layout and design with a format
search http://www.famsf.org/ OR
attractive to the reader.
• the picture site if you know
You may find useful information at the what you are looking for
Cape Breton web site: http://pics.tech4learning.com/ OR
http://capebretonisland.com/ OR • the spectacular pictures at the
browse the collection of the Boston Australian Severe Weather site
Museum of Fine Arts, particularly the http://australiasevereweather.com/
Winslow Homer paintings or others that OR
may relate to the setting of the stories: • the Australian gallery collection at
http://www.pictureaustralia.org/ OR
http://www.mfa.org/home.htm
• the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
http://www.mfa.org/home.htm
Oral response
For an example of a student response to
One strength of this anthology is in this task see page 52.
the detail of the description.
Choose ONE sentence from a story
Annotation of a passage from the text
that is different to the one you will use Choose a passage of about half a page
for the subsequent sections. or about two paragraphs from one
Find ONE picture or drawing that for story. The passage will be a very clear
you illustrates that sentence or assists description for you of a character or
your understanding of the scene. animal.

Present the text and the illustration Put it into your Word Document either
in ONE PowerPoint slide. • by typing it in or
• by scanning it in or
Use that slide as a basis for the
• by reading it into a sound file.
explanation of what you found

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Now annotate the passage with 3 Write, in either the boxes or as

callout boxes or a verbal explanation an Add Note, specific details or
or in some other way. As you do this, examples from the text to explain
you will be demonstrating why this very carefully how the other ideas
passage was important to you, in what link to your Main Idea. There will be
ways it is typical of Alistair McLeod’s a total of about 250 to 350 words in
writing, in what ways the use of all your notes.
language is significant … or anything
else you would like to say about it. Essay response
Your annotation or comment will total Write an essay of between 300 and
approximately 200 to 300 words. 400 words on any one of the topics
below or make up your own topic
Concept map on the themes of the if there is something you wish to
stories explore.

Your task is to create a concept map Your piece must include at least three
using Inspiration. The aim will be for hyperlinks which could be to images,
you to demonstrate your detailed maps or links to any of the documents
knowledge of the text and your above, but there must be no more
understanding of the links between than one direct link to a live web site
some of the elements in the stories. and this must be clearly relevant to
the argument you are developing.
Choose one of the ideas or themes
below as your Main Idea. • ‘Cape Breton could be anywhere.
It is immediately accessible to us.’
Pain, joy, sacrifice, isolation, tradition,
Discuss.
weather, family, animals and people,
• ‘Every story is tragic because the
death, life cycles
characters are not only destined for
1 From the Main Idea, develop at death but they fail to connect with
least four links. These could be to life while they live.’ Do you agree?
a character or theme or symbol or • ‘Isolation is more than
some aspect of the story that you geographical.’ Do you agree?
would like to explore. • Are family ties a gift or a curse?
2 Label the links. This is most • ‘There is no room for love or hope
important as the link between the in any story in this collection.’ Do
central theme and the idea you are you agree?
exploring will help to clarify your
thinking and communicate it to the
reader.

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In response to the task of annotating

a passage from the text, The Lost Salt
Great description, vintage Alistair McLeod,
Gift of Blood, this is the response that it’s such a good description because she
one student submitted after selecting for runs it so organised, as if any good boat
himself the story and passage: isn’t organised it won’t catch many fish.

Section C – Annotation of a passage -

character or animal
The Boat
My mother ran her house as her brothers
ran their boats. Everything was clean and
spotless and in order. She was tall and dark
Uses famous
and powerfully energetic. In later years she
people to relate his
reminded me of the women of Thomas
descriptions. For Always gives background
Hardy, particularly Eustacia Vye, in a physical information about the
example, she moves
like Michael Jackson way. She fed and clothed a family of seven character to put you into
does the moonwalk. children, making all of the meals and most the picture even more.
of the clothes. She grew miraculous gardens
and magnificent flowers and raised broods
of hens and ducks. She would walk miles on
McLeod always gives a lot
berry-picking expeditions and hoist her skirts
of background information
This sentence is to dig for clams when the tide was low. She on all of his characters;
very powerful was fourteen years younger than my father, this is a characteristic of
because it explains whom she had married when she was twenty- his writing.
how the mother six and had been a local beauty for a period
thinks and acts, just
of ten years. My mother was of the sea as
by explaining her
were all of her people, and her horizons were Very detailed descriptions,
eyes, to me this part
the very literal ones she scanned with her it puts the picture straight
of the passage is the
most powerful. dark and fearless eyes. into your head.

Middle school History unit on Prepare an online publication on a

significant event for Australia during
World War II
W.W.II. It will include a front page only
After four weeks of class study, in which and at least four hyperlinks, at least
many of the tasks below were completed one of which will be to a live web site.
in class or for homework in a quite
Your front page must include: banner,
traditional manner, the following was set
headline, factual detail of event (who,
as an assessment task:7
what, where, when, how and why),

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Examplar units for
English and History

picture, advertisement, and could also Flanders Fields – a multi-

have an ‘odd spot’ or ‘in brief’ report.
disciplinary unit for Years 8 or 9
Embedded to any of the above will
This unit attempts to combine the
be hyperlinks to at least four of the
stimulus of a recently published and
following:
brilliant picture story book, using online
• Cartoon with annotations – use at
and print resources, the enjoyment we
least four callout boxes that explore
know students get from writing a picture
the content and context.
story book for a real audience and the
• Interview with someone who recalls
opportunity for some challenging lateral
the event and a compilation of their
thinking which incorporates a response
reflections, thoughts and feelings of
to visual literacy elements. Many
the time and experience.
English teachers in Australia normally
• A poem, photograph, artwork,
include a unit on war around the time
music from the time with an
of Anzac Day (25 April), and a unit
accompanying personal response.
on World War I is commonly taught in
• An editorial from a newspaper of
History or SOSE (Studies of Society and
the day about the event and a brief
Environment) in Years 8 or 9.8
reflection on the content and tone.
• An editorial that you have written The learning goals
that reflects the tone, attitude and
position of the time. • To examine the ways in which war
• Speech from the time. in general is represented from
• Newsreel from the time. multiple perspectives of historians,
• A link to a live web site. painters, poets, writers and
• A film that deals with the event participants.
examined and an annotation of an • To investigate in detail some
image from the film. aspects of World War I.
• An excerpt from a newsreel of the • To read some literature and original
time with a brief written reflection documents from the period.
of the content and context. • To seamlessly integrate traditional
study and research methods with the
Students were then given a list of ten
new literacies now made available
essay topics on which to base the front
through the use of information and
page of their newspaper with topics
computing technologies.
such as: ‘The sinking of HMAS Sydney
• To introduce students to at least
1 December 1921 by the German raider
three ways of reading a narrative
Kormoran off the Western Australian
about war: as a children’s picture
coast’. The significant element of this
story book, as an accurate historical
study was that the students were able to
record and as an insight into the
integrate via hypertext many elements of
lives of participants.
their classwork into the final one-page
document.
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The starting point robin. A whole-world experience is

captured in a tiny incident. Careful
In Flanders Fields by Norman
research and respect for soldiers of
Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever.
both armies are evident in the spare
Published by Sandcastle Books,
text, which uses the present tense
August 2003. This book won first
to intensify the immediacy and
prize in the Australian Children’s Book
dramatic tension of the incident,
Council Picture Book Award for 2003.
and in the close details of uniforms
As students read this book, they will and the minutiae of trench warfare.9
be encouraged to respond to their first
impressions by formulating their own Other picture story books
questions and examining such issues as:
Students will be encouraged to read as
• What were the authors conveying in many of the following as possible:
this book? Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti,
• How effective is this format for that Creative Editions, Minnesota, USA,
purpose? 1984
• What is your first emotional During Word War II, a young German
response to the story? girl’s curiosity leads her to discover
• In what ways do the pictures something far more terrible than
complement and interact with the day-to-day hardships and privations
text? that she and her neighbours have
• What qualities may have appealed experienced. Excellent teaching
to the judges in making their material available at
selection for this award? http://www.dramavictoria.vic.edu.au
• Do you agree with the judges who /resources/lessons/perspective_of_
said: children_during_wartime.htm
In pared-back text and sombre
Let the Celebrations Begin by
colours, this powerful and moving
Margaret Wilde and Julie Vivas,
picture book for mature readers
Orchard Books, 1996
captures a moment of simple
This is a child’s view of the release of
heroism and compassion which
prisoners by the British at the end of
triggers unexpected camaraderie
World War II.
in the midst of war. The poignant
story combines the true incident of The Angel with the Mouth Organ by
the famous Christmas truce, where Christabel Mattingley, illustrated by
German and Allied armies broke Astra Lacis, Hodder and Stoughton
off hostilities to sing ‘Silent night’ 1984
across the snowy battlefield, with a This is the story of a close-knit family’s
fictional story of a compassionate flight from their homeland in a time
young soldier rescuing a trapped war, told from a child’s point of view.

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 Whole brain learning,
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Examplar units for
English and History

A Different Sort of Real: The Diary All Quiet on the Western Front by
of Charlotte McKenzie, Melbourne Erich Maria Remarque, Pan Paperback,
1918–19 by Kerry Greenwood, Ashton 1995
Scholastic, 2001. Shortlisted for the A novel from World War I, written from
Children’s Book Council Picture Story a German perspective.
Book Award, 2002 Fly Away Peter by David Malouf,
13-year-old Charlotte recounts the year Vintage, 1998
in which her soldier father and uncle A story set in the marshes of southern
return home; her father has shellshock Queensland and the trenches of
and can’t relate to the family, her France in World War I.
uncle has been wounded but tries to
I am David by Anne Holm, Harcourt
tough it out.
Children’s Books, 2004
My Hiroshima by Junko Morimoto, The story of a boy trying to find his
Angus and Robertson, 1988 parents at the end of World War II.
The dropping of the first atomic bomb
When the Guns Fall Silent by James
on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in
Riordan, Oxford University Press,
1945, told through the eyes of a child
2000 – may currently be out of print
who was there at the time.
This novel includes poetry and
My Dog by John Heffernan and snippets from songs at the start of
Andrew McLean, Margaret Hamilton each chapter and weaves in male,
Books, 2001 female, home front, Western Front and
The story of a family forced to flee other perspectives.
from their village during the recent
Generals Die in Bed: A Story from the
Yugoslav civil war.
Trenches by Charles Yale Harrison,
Memorial by Gary Crewe and Shaun Penguin, 2002
Tan, Lothian, 1999
Men who Marched Away
This book takes up the ideas of Anzac
An anthology of poetry from World
Day and war memorials and what they
War I.
symbolise. Superb illustrations but a
less satisfactory text.
History texts and Web resources
Other print resources Most secondary history text books have
Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill, Penguin,
good information on World War I.
For example:
2001
The true story of Jim Martin, the Australia and the Twentieth Century
youngest Anzac. World, R. Darlington, J. Hospodaryk,
and P. Cupper, Heinemann

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A History of Australia Since 1901, • Cartoons and propaganda posters

R. Darlington, and J. Hospodaryk, from the time with an analysis of
Heinemann what they convey
Investigating Australia’s Twentieth • The life of Matahari or Nurse Carroll
Century History, Nelson (Thomson or Vivian Bullwinkle or Nancy
Learning) Wake, or Sir John Monash, or other
significant figures from the war
Australia and the World in the
• Consequences for children and life
Twentieth Century, Nelson History 3,
at home during the war
Nelson (Thomson Learning)
• Or any other topic which the
There is an excellent web site with student finds of interest.
pictures and information from our
National Library, The Australian War Extension and thinking activities – ways
Memorial, The National Archives, of commemoration
Fryer Library of the University of War memorials can reveal much about
Queensland and the State Libraries of a nation, the way it represents war,
Victoria, Tasmania and NSW. national identity and what people
http://www.pictureaustralia.org/ regard as important.
Here is the web site of all the • Choose a local War Memorial.
Australian museums. When was it built? Was the site
significant? Which wars are
http://amol.org.au/discovernet/
remembered? How is the war
Use a search engine for a specific remembered? How are the soldiers
topic or try remembered? For example,
http://www.trenchesontheweb.com/ are there statues, stained glass
windows, poems, names? Are both
Report writing activities men and women represented? What
do you think the various elements
Choose one aspect of World War I to
of the war memorial symbolise
study such as:
to the nation? How can the public
• The life of Australian soldiers in the
participate in commemoration? For
trenches
example, what ceremonies take
• Battle tactics and the nature of
place? Has there been any debate
trench warfare
about the war memorial? Why?
• The spontaneous Christmas
When? What does this say about
armistice
conflict and unity in that nation?
• Annotation and recording of songs
from World War I
• Examine propaganda from the
time, especially the conscription
propaganda in Australia

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 Whole brain learning,
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English and History

• Make an analysis of the Australian Final task – prepare a narrative on World

War Memorial web site. Annotate a War I
screen dump of the first one or two
You will do this by preparing an
pages in order to read the meaning
electronic picture story book in
of the site and to examine the visual
PowerPoint.
language. What images are on the
Splash Page? What is the first list of Your book will be aimed for an
contents? What does this indicate audience of middle Primary children.
about how the site is used? What It will contain:
do you think are the purposes of • a maximum of 12 slides;
the site? Is it to explain the War • one picture per slide or a collage of
Memorial, for information, research, pictures, if there are related ideas
to explain commemorations? or images which you have drawn or
• Make a comparison between an scanned in;
Australian War Memorial and one • brief sentences on each page
overseas. How are they different appropriate to the audience and
or similar? What does this say complementary to the visual and
about the differences or similarities aural material;
between how nations represent • some slides to contain, where
war? appropriate, links to music, sound
• Compare Anzac Day with effects, video clips, cartoons,
commemoration ceremonies or documents or other material
special days in other countries. which may enhance the reader’s
Why do you think there has been a understanding of the story.
recent increase in commemorating
Evaluate the picture story book
wars with an increase in visits to
according to the criteria you set out
Gallipoli, more attending Anzac
for yourself in the first activity.
Day marches and the building of
the recent new shrine in London?
Is this just ‘glorification’ of war or
redefining the ‘Australian spirit’ in
terms of war?

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What did we achieve? the Head of Creative Arts. It was a very

As a response to the extension and worthwhile conclusion to the task and
thinking activities suggested above, demonstrated a huge range of responses.
one student decided to examine a war Here are two slides by a student who
memorial in a park near his home more drew his own pictures:
closely. In many ways the report is
unexceptional but is significant in that
the student chose the topic, followed up
the information and was able to illustrate
the report with some pictures he took
with a digital camera borrowed from the
school. This is just the first paragraph
from the report:

War memorials can be found all over

Australia which are dedicated to different
wars like the World Wars and the Vietnam War.
They usually consist of some sort of a tribute
to the deceased soldiers like a marble wall,
a statue, a flag pole or a garden and they are
there to remind us of the soldiers who fought
and died for Australia and as an honour to
their sacrifice.
The war memorial that I chose to do some
research on is one that stands in Halliday Park
in Mitcham.

After class activities in the Flanders

Fields unit above, which the teachers
used in a variety of ways, each class
at the year level nominated their best
Picture Story Book. At a Year level
assembly, the selected student from each
class presented their story and the best
was judged jointly by the Principal and

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Examplar units for
English and History

This student went about the task

in quite a different way by importing
pictures to illustrate a very unusual
perspective on the First World War, but
one that he has picked up from the In
Flanders Fields starting point:

There are hundreds of ways the

suggestions above could be followed up,
depending on the interests of the class
and the extent to which the teacher is
prepared to take risks. The above units
are merely examples of what may be
Image: Australian War memorial Negative Number E02306/ possible. We trust that teachers will find
some ideas to apply to their own texts
In the following response, the student or topics and to suit their own syllabus,
has written from the perspective of a class and teaching style.
child left at home and he has illustrated
the story with very simple imported
pictures. Here are two slides from the
story:

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Endnotes
1 D. Tapscott, Growing up digital: the rise of the net generation, McGraw Hill, NY, 1998.
2 B. Johnstone, Never mind the laptops: kids, computers and the transformation of learning iUniverse,
Lincoln NE, 2003, p. 233.
3 ‘enGauge® 21st Century Skills: Literacy in the Digital Age 2003’, The North Central Regional
Educational Laboratory, viewed 7 June 2004, <http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/skills.htm>
4 B. Johnstone, op.cit., 2003, p. 252.
5 J. Edwards, ‘Learning and the teaching of thinking’, IARTV, Seminar Series Paper, No. 88, October
1999.
6 This unit was developed in conjunction with Joe Carrozzi, librarian at Knox Grammar School, Sydney.
7 This unit was prepared by Year 9 History teachers at Carey Baptist Grammar School, Melbourne,
under the guidance of the Head of Middle School Humanities, Sarah North, and the Director of
E Learning, Elisabeth Lenders.
8 This multi-disciplinary task was devised together with Di McDonald, History teacher at Trinity
Grammar School, Melbourne.
9 CBA Judges Report 2003, Reading Time, the journal of the Children’s Book Council of Australia,
Vol. 47, No. 3, August 2003.

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Final reflections
Some experienced teachers will say, • ‘Knowledge, values and good
‘Leave it to the young ones coming out thinking are … key ingredients in the
of teacher training; they will know what educational process’.2 Computers are a
to do’. Strangely enough, it seems to be significant new tool to learn with and
the older, experienced teachers who are to think with, so let’s not undervalue
often the most enthusiastic proponents of them as simply a safe, attractive word
ICT. It is they who are confident in their processing and presentation gizmo.
discipline and have a well-tuned antenna • Constructivist teachers value children
as to what makes good learning and as makers of meaning, creative
what engages students, so they are more learners and thinkers. Schneiderman,
ready to grasp the nettle and integrate however, warns us that creativity is not
online learning into their classrooms.1 universally valued. ‘Many cultures and
This book has been designed to share communities prefer training students
examples of innovative practice with to accept existing structures rather
secondary Humanities teachers. The than training them to form new ones;
approach has been based on certain they prefer memorisation and copying
principles or assumptions which to research and creative writing.’3 His
have been dealt with in various ways book poses the intriguing question of
throughout the text. The following is by how Leonardo da Vinci might have
way of summary: used a laptop and what applications
he could have created.
• Innovation does not happen in
• Teachers, not technicians, must be
isolation. We don’t need to rush for
the driving force if there is to be any
the overkill and change everything at
innovative change in teaching and
once. Let us just take small risks, make
learning as a result of the advent of
incremental changes and do so in a
computers. The inhibitors of change
team with the support of colleagues
are not essentially hardware problems
and critical friends.

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Computers,
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or money or the adequacy of software ‘identify successful models, show-case

or the competence of technicians, but innovative practice and spread the
the reticence of teachers to change. good word’, something he has been
It does not require heroic efforts but doing very actively for more than ten
an admission of the need to learn in years with Australia-wide conferences.
small steps and a culture in the school • The computer will inevitably become
that supports risk-taking initiatives. a learning tool that is as invisible as
Students will probably always have a pen or pencil. Teachers just need
more skills than most teachers, but we to choose the right medium for the
cannot watch it all go by and remain task and then focus on the task itself,
fringe-dwellers in a rapidly developing not the medium. Laptops or personal
but alien culture. computers become an individual
• If we are to introduce computers workspace, and with adequate prior
into our classrooms, a different experience, the decision of a student to
classroom management model is use Word or Excel or PowerPoint or
required for this kind of learning to be paper or crayons will depend on the
successful. ‘Teachers, in creating this task and the way the student chooses
environment, must become more of a to respond. We do not need to set a
“guide” and less of an “expert” which computer-based task for the sake of
can be difficult for teachers who are making use of the equipment. It is the
used to being the provider of direct learning that matters.
instruction all the time.’4 • Real learning is often measured by
• Giving students laptops or equipping clear thinking, accurate expression,
good labs is just the beginning. There cohesive organisation and detailed
is no point in having expensive, understandings, not attractive
delicate hardware if there is no presentations and neatly printed
measurable impact on learning. documents. Computers can be a
Entrepreneur Bruce Dixon posed the great asset in this promotion of real
challenge in the very early days of learning. Let’s not be sidetracked by
computer implementation: ‘How do computer gimmicks!
you get the teacher to decide that it’s ‘Change is a journey, not a blue
worthwhile taking the risk to change print’, says Michael Fullan.6 May this
what they are doing, to implement be both an encouragement and a useful
technology to produce better outcomes guidebook on your journey.
for kids?’5 His answer was that we

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Endnotes
1 C. Murray, ‘The crossroads: e-pedagogy and e-curriculum’, EQ Australia, Melbourne, No. 4,
Summer 2002, p. 21.
2 L. Splitter & A. Sharp, Teaching for better thinking, ACER, Melbourne, 1995. p. 1.
3 B. Schneiderman, Leonardo’s laptop: human needs and the new computing technologies, MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2003, p. 131.
4 D. McDonald, ‘Hypertext and historical literacy’, doctoral thesis under preparation for submission to
Monash University, 2004.
5 B. Johnstone, Never mind the laptops: kids, computers and the transformation of learning iUniverse,
Lincoln NE, 2003, p. 329.
6 M. Fullan, Leading in a culture of change, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2001.

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 Appendix 1
Linking student tasks with curriculum objectives
Chapter Subject or Task Some links between tasks and curriculum
Key Learning objectives
Area

3 All, especially Concept mapping Present information in different forms and

Science, for different purposes and audiences.
History

3 English, Art, Close reading of Apply strategies to support understanding

Religious Shakespeare and of complex or extended texts.
Instruction other texts
Study of sacred texts

4 English, Annotation of text Use a variety of brief note-form responses

History, Detailed reading of to summarise or précis essential
Geography, text information and understandings.
Science, Art, Read literature, daily print and media
LOTE texts and construct interpretive responses
supported by evidence.

4 English, Annotation of Discuss and interpret the way a

History cartoons newsworthy event is presented in a
variety of ways.

4 English, Newspaper opinion Demonstrate an understanding of the

History analysis visual, auditory and written ways opinions
are presented.
Critically interpret a range of texts that
present challenging themes and issues.

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 Appendix 1

Chapter Subject or Task Some links between tasks and curriculum

Key Learning objectives
Area

5, 6 All Oral – formal Prepare and present oral performances.

and classroom Use a range of strategies to influence an
discussion, group audience.
activities
Listen to, evaluate and produce a range
of spoken texts dealing with challenging
themes and issues.

6 English, Discussion of Ask relevant questions and respond

History, controversial constructively to new ideas and
Geography contemporary issues information.
and text responses

7 English Informative and Write a variety of texts, including web

instructional writing pages, hyperlinked documents or
newspaper articles, which explain, argue,
persuade or report.
Adjust writing for a range of contexts,
purposes and audiences.
Use a range of strategies to plan,
compose, revise and edit texts.

7 English, Art Close study of Apply a variety of strategies to support

Shakespeare understanding of complex or extended
texts.
Use hyperlinks to explore understanding.

7 Geography Fact sheet and Use hyperlinks to present research.

analysis

8 English Visual response to Generate and expressively develop ideas

poetry when making and presenting visual
communication.

8 History, Research and Construct a timeline of significant events.

Geography analysis of Select resources to support a point or
contemporary issues view on a contemporary issue.

9 All Selection, analysis Select, collate, annotate and synthesise

and annotation of meaningful and reliable resources and
web resources data.
Organise resources for future reference.

9 English Argumentative Identify, explain and use techniques to

writing influence an audience.

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Computers,
Thinking
and Learning

Chapter Subject or Task Some links between tasks and curriculum

Key Learning objectives
Area

11 History, Research of Research and present significant events

English historical events and ideas in a variety of modes, such as
and accompanying concept maps, verbal recorded reports,
literature oral presentations, annotation of text,
creative responses combining music, art
and other modes of response.

11 All subjects Open ended Use a range of assessment strategies to

assessment tasks encourage student choice and allow for a
range of thinking styles.

Curriculum reviews are currently being In their research for this project, they
undertaken around the country. One identified the desire in schools for, among
example comes from the Victorian others things:
Curriculum and Assessment Authority • the ability to use innovative and
which published a discussion paper in flexible teaching styles to achieve the
2004 as part of their Curriculum Reform best learning outcomes for students;
Project. In their Guide to the Proposed • more focus on depth of understanding
Reform of Victorian Curriculum,1 rather than breadth of content;
they listed, among other things, some • the provision of skills, values and
challenges which are particularly attributes that promote life-long
pertinent to the theme of this book. They learning.
argue for a curriculum which will: Essential cross-curriculum skills include:
• enable students to develop the skills • communication skills (reading, writing
and attributes expected of people in a listening speaking, information and
modern society; communication technology, drawing,
• encourage students to think their way performance) and thinking skills
through issues and problems; (e.g. inquiring reasoning, problem
• promote innovation and variety in solving, evaluation).
teaching, according to the needs of In the summary of the proposed changes,
students and the communities in which one significant point is:
they live; • … the new approach will explicitly
• promote a range of assessment recognise the importance of values and
procedures. the ability of students to apply what
they have learnt to new situations
through deep understanding.

Endnotes
1 See <http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/prep10/crp/consultGuide.pdf>, viewed 1/02/05.
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Appendix 2
Software packages 2 Now create four other circles, two
with reasons for and two against.
The author has used a number of
3 Put in links between the central box
software packages in the classroom
and the four others. Try putting in
to supplement and extend the student
a link between the outer boxes. The
activities. He recommends these products
most useful part of this program for
but gains no financial advantage from
students is the requirement that they
doing so.
name the links, as this forces them to
think through the relationships.
1 Inspiration 4 Now put a few sentences of notes
behind the boxes.
Examples using Inspiration software 5 Experiment with the icons and the
can be found on pages 20, 22, 23, 24, colours. Change the background of the
25 and 26. screen and of each box or change each
If Inspiration is new to you and you box into a symbol after browsing the
have downloaded a free one-month trial symbol palette. Look at the Outline
version of the software1, here are some View, Notes View, Zoom in, Zoom
suggestions: out function, change the position of
1 Find your way around the program the boxes, select text from any Word
by using it: In the first Main Idea, Document on your computer and
type the phrase, ‘Terrorism curbs Paste it into one of the Notes boxes.
overseas travel’ OR ‘Year 12 students Do the same with a picture from clip
at this school are spoon fed and art or the Web. Just play to familiarise
lack initiative’ OR ‘The “Stolen yourself with the program.
Generation” is a myth perpetuated 6 Have a look at the templates (File/
by the black arm band view of our Templates) set up for each subject.
history’. They are a good starting point,
although generally students prefer to
create their own maps.
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Thinking
and Learning

7 Now start another new Inspiration For further details, see the web site at
document. This time, put in as the http://www.schoolkit.com and click on
Main Idea a concept from one of your EDclass OR go directly to the EDclass
texts or topics, or some other open- web site http://www.edclass.com
ended ‘thinking question’ such as:
• Juliet’s foolishness led to tragedy in
the play Romeo and Juliet OR 3 ProBoards
• Hamlet hid behind excuses OR ProBoards is free and easy-to-use, though
• The Lord of the Rings is a boring not password protected and contains
movie OR minimal advertising, generally of tourist
• Our team is performing badly destinations. It is useful for setting up
because of poor leadership OR a discussion group in the classroom.
• Medicare is not economically viable Examples using Proboards software can
in its current form OR be found on page 75.
• Arab slave trading in Africa was the The web site address is
‘jihad’ of the eighteenth century OR http://www.proboards.com/index.html
• Australia’s water resources are badly
managed
• Use Inspiration as a flow chart to 4 Hot Potatoes
detail the process of getting a crop
Hot Potatoes (referred to in chapter 10)
or livestock from farm to consumer
is a suite of six applications enabling
• any other open-ended and
users to create interactive multiple
provocative topic.
choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence,
crossword, matching/ordering and gap-
2 SchoolKiT fill exercises for the World Wide Web.
Hot Potatoes is not freeware, but it is
An excellent commercial resource is free of charge for those working for
SchoolKiT, which is accessed online, publicly-funded, non-profit-making
enabling the teacher to browse, select educational institutions, who make their
and download hundreds of learning pages available on the Web. Other users
modules across the Arts, Mathematics, must pay for a licence. Check out the
Science, Social Studies, English and Hot Potatoes licensing terms and prices
cross-curricular activities. Modules are on the Half-Baked software web site at
organised under subjects and year levels. http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked.
Examples using SchoolKiT software
can be found on pages 89, 107 and 119.

Endnotes
1 See <http://www.inspiration.com>.

158
Index
Aboriginal citizenship 58 Boyce, Susan 79
adventure ‘choose your own’ 55 Brabazon, Tara 4, 79
And Now for Something Completely Burford, S 18
Different 43–6 Bury Me 37
Andrews, Richard iii–iv, 3, 13, 30 But You Didn’t 104–5
annotation 29–49
cartoons 47
newspapers 43–6, 48 Caldwell, Brian 18–9
novels 41–2 callouts 31–4, 41, 47–8, 106
poetry 31–9 carbon cycle—concept map 25
Shakespeare 40
Carter, David x
anti-communist paranoia 57
cartoon analysis 47
art discussion online 74–5 Cole, John 97
assessment: Medhi Sadeghi 47
book report 61–2 Moir, Alan 94
concept maps 21 Nicholson, Peter 96
criteria 55, 63, 87 Spooner, John 95
online Year 12 85 Caswell, Brian 5
oral presentations 53
cheating 128
peer 53, 61–2
poetry annotation 39 Chu Hsiang 37
task 19–21, 24–5, 39–42, 52–5, 61–3, 73–6, Columbine massacre 93
86–7, 102 Commissar Vanishes, The—Web site 93
Australian Literacy Educators Association 14 Cooper, L 18
auto correct short cuts 129 concept mapping 18–27
Conrad, Joseph 19
Baillie, Alan 53, 101 constructivist learning 2, 18, 52, 133,
Beavis, Catherine 13 151
Biology discussion online 74 Cope, Tim 105
book club promotion task 99–100 Corel Draw software 105
book report 61–2, 99, 138–9 cricket—hypertext response 81–2

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and Learning

Dawe, Bruce 32, 39 History unit:

designing a memorial 107–8 designing a memorial 107
Diagram gallery in Word XP 57, 136 federal government concept map 26
own school history 48
discussion online 64–76
school boy stories 88
see also Web discussion
war memorial research 148
Dixon, Bruce 133, 152 World War II 142
Doecke, Brenton 11 Hitler’s Daughter—discussion response 69
Donvale Christian College 8n Hobbit, The—character map 23
Drawing toolbar in Word 31, 48, 57, 136 Holes 134
Hot Potatoes software 126, 158
Economics discussion online 74 hyperlinks in PowerPoint 55
Eliot, TS 60 hypertext writing assessment criteria 86
Excel graph 56–7, 63, 152
excursion planning 62 In the Lake of the Woods—discussion
response 67, 73
federal government—concept map 26 Insert Comment function in Word 35–7
fiction response task 41 Inspiration xi, 5, 18, 157
Five Bells CD-ROM resource 107 Italian holiday hypertext response 83–4
Flanders Fields—multi disciplinary study 143–9 Ivory Trail, The 41
Forms toolbar in Word 126
French, Jackie 69 Job, Kathielyn 35–6
frogs—hypertext response 84 Jones, Terry 43–6
Frontier CD-ROM resource 108
Fullan, Michael 1n, 10n, 152
Kelleher, Victor 41
Kelly, Gerard 11, 79
Gardner’s multiple intelligences 21
Genesis sacred text study 27
land degradation 58
Geography:
Lanham, Richard iv
annotation task 49, 107
fact sheet task 89 Latham, Mark:
cartoonists’ responses 94–6
Glass, Merrill 104–5
Leonardo’s Laptop ix, 2, 66, 91, 93, 111,
Goodwyn, Andrew 3, 11, 30–1, 122
151
government, Australian federal—concept
Lewitt, Maria 38
map 26
Life is Beautiful 85
Graves, Donald 122
literacy
Green, Bill 92
framework 11
visual 91
Haas, Christine iii written 12
Hamlet—discussion 56–59 Logo software 18
Hargreaves, Andy 1n, 19 Lost Salt Gift of Blood, The 52, 139, 142
Harry Potter—character map 22 Love Kristina 67
Hatherly, Chris 105 Lyon, David 5
Heart of Darkness—examination task 19–21 Lyons, L 11

160
 Index

MacLeod, Alistair 52, 139, 142 Proboards discussion software 75, 158
management:
classroom 3, 124 Religious Education 27, 118
factors beyond the classroom 7
research skills 112
marijuana report 56
McDonald, Diane 14, 17, 48, 143, 152
Sachar, Louis 134
McKenzie, Jamie 59, 70, 112, 113, 118
sacred texts—concept map 27
Mehdi Sadeghi 47
Schneiderman, Ben ix, 2, 66, 91, 93, 111, 151
Meiers, Marion 15
SchoolKiT xi, 120, 158
Merchant of Venice, The:
designing a memorial module 107–8
hypertext response 87
hiding in Asia module 89
response table 85, 125
open-ended learning modules 118–20
Moir, Alan 94 poetry slide show module 119
movie analysis: virtual museum of history 108
Shawshank Redemption, The 98 Schuman, John 33
multiple intelligences 21 Semali, Ladislaus M 11, 92
Shakespeare:
newspaper: Hamlet 56, 59
opinion analysis 43 Merchant of Venice, The 85, 125
Web sites 48, 115 Tempest, The 40
Nicholson, Peter 96 Twelfth Night 22
Novak, Joseph D 18 Web sites 115–6
Sharp, Ann 67, 151
O’Brien, Tim 67 Shawshank Redemption, The—visual annotation
O’Donoghue, J 111 task 98
Off the Rails 105 Small-town Dream 35–6
Only Nineteen—annotation task 33 Smith, Adam 133
Only the Heart 5 Smugglers 38
optics—revision map 26 Snyder, Ilana 14, 78
oral language 50 Songman—visual response 53, 101
organisational charts 57 Splitter, Lawrence 67, 151
Spooner, John 95
Papert, Seymour 18 Stalin, Joseph:
The Commissar Vanishes Web site 93
Parr, Graham 78
system managers 7
Passion of the Christ, The 118
peer assessment 53, 61–2
Table function in Word 38, 125
Phu An Chiem, David 5
technical support, technicans 7, 151
Piaget 133
Tempest, The—annotation task 40
picture story book task 143
Truman Show, The—response planning map 24
poetry:
annotation 32 Twelfth Night—character map 22
visual responses 39
PowerPoint xi, 5, 52 War Without End 32, 39
Prain, V 11 Web discussion 7, 67, 73, 75

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and Learning

Web searching tips 112–4 whole brain learning 31, 132–48

Web sites: wide reading see book report
English resources 116 work submission issues 4, 86, 126, 128
newspapers 115 worksheets 5, 30, 116, 117, 128
novels 117
World War II history unit 142
pictures 115
poetry 116 WRAP (Writing Reading Assessment
Shakespeare 115–6 Project) 134
Web sites for writing 107 writing task visual stimulus 102
Web sites for writing and thinking 114

162