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School camps are traditionally the time when formal learning is put to one side, pens and paper, digital devices are left at home and kids get a chance to reconnect with the environment. They challenge themselves physically and emotionally, push themselves outside their comfort zones and generally have fun - most of the time! My belief is that they are absolutely an essential part of learning and the informal learning that happens on them is massive. And whilst I believe that technology use should be limited, I don't believe it should be banned on camps and field trips.
Camps and EOTC trips provide us with a chance to escape the distractions of digital technology but telling kids to leave their phones at home means that they and you miss out on huge benefits for cross-curricular learning. Find out in a hands on way, how to make the most of those digital devices in your hands to enhance learning through QR codes, social media, maps and more.
Read more here: Inside Out Learning
Children learn best when they interact with their environment, when they are able to link present content to previous experiences and knowledge and when they take an active part in their own learning.
Children learn best when they interact with their environment, when they are able to link present content to previous experiences and knowledge and when they take an active part in their own learning.
John Dewey
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is not just about school camps. EOTC happens in the school grounds, down the road at the local park, in the art gallery or museum, at the marae, church, old people's home. This article by Steve Wheeler outlines the key ideas behind the educational philosophy of John Dewey. Learner-centred pedagogy is not a 21st century innovation but it is being rediscovered. The digital environment in which we live makes it much easier to provide opportunities for learners to make connections between their environment and learning in the classroom and to 'rewind' what they experienced in an EOTC context.
EOTC presents opportunities to make the most of using digital technologies for learning. In fact, you could say that digital technologies don't just enhance learning, they should be integral to the learning experience. But we have to plan it well, just like any other learning.
"Making use of mobile devices [...] means that some of the activities can carry over to school after the excursion is finished."
"Making use of mobile devices [...] means that some of the activities can carry over to school after the excursion is finished."
Questions to frame thinking when planning EOTC;
When in a unit of learning do you normally take your students on an EOTC activity?
Who plans the EOTC activity? How much are ākonga involved in planning for the activity?
Is the EOTC activity part of a unit of learning or is it a stand-alone activity?
Are you making the most of local connections and resources for your EOTC activity?
Is the EOTC activity inclusive and culturally responsive to your ākonga, whanau and local community?
What connections are ākonga able to make between activities and their funds of knowledge?
What preparation do you do in advance of the EOTC activity for the use of digital technology?
Do ākonga take digital devices with them? If so, what do they do with them?
How do you integrate the use of digital technology in your unit of work that incorporates the EOTC activity?
What expectations do you have of students and the way that they use digital technology on EOTC activities?
What are the things that inform the activity e.g. the learning that sits around it, the people involved in it, the tools you make use of?
How immersive is the experience?
What role does technology have in shaping how students learn when they’re outdoors?
What do you do with the information gathered on the EOTC trip once you are back in the classroom?
How do ākonga share their learning?
Rewindable Learning
Learning in the moment
Contextual Learning
Shared learning
Cross-curricular learning
Connected learning
Reflective Learning
Making horizontal connections
"Students without mobile devices were not as emotionally connected to the environment, nor were they as empowered in learning the content as the group that was given technology and a field guide."
"Students without mobile devices were not as emotionally connected to the environment, nor were they as empowered in learning the content as the group that was given technology and a field guide."
For more information about Project Based Learning - https://create.piktochart.com/output/35343309-what-s-in-a-name-pbl
Raglan Photo Challenge
Raglan Photo Challenge
This is an activity that combines digital and non-digital. It is basically a treasure hunt or rogaine and can be adapted for any context. We were looking for an activity at camp in Raglan that encouraged kids to work together in teams, to think, plan and include everyone in the team in the activity. We also wanted the kids to find out about Raglan, put themselves in the shoes of settlers and see the township from different perspectives. My biggest constraint was persuading the Deans that the kids should be able to have digital devices (i.e. phones) on camp! It gave us an opportunity to have conversations about appropriate use, digital citizenship and all of that stuff!
Raglan Museum has heaps of photographs which we asked permission to use. They were thinking about developing it as a tourist activity but I don't know that they ever did. I share the activity on the basis that the photos should not be published on any website and references should be left on any iteration of the activity that you create from it.
Whilst for us, this was a one of activity, it has huge potential to be integrated into a wider learning unit with pre and post learning coming out of it.
It could also be fully digitised using Google My Maps, but sometimes it just works to be on paper!
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