1. This presentation is associated with Technology Together: Whole-School Professional Development for Capability and Confidence, by Renata Phelps and Anne Graham. Copyright 2013, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), Distribution and copying of this presentation is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE and the authors. The research informing this publication was conducted as a collaboration between the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore Diocese, NSW, Australia and was funded by the Australian Research Council. Other resources are available from the Technology Together website: http://technologytogether.scu.edu.au Clipart is drawn from Masterclips 500,000 ® IMSI

2. PRELIMINARY NOTE This presentation is intended to be used as part of the Technology Together process. We strongly recommend that you modify the presentation, selecting those slides which convey concepts most appropriately to your staff. You may choose to delete some slides or insert additional material relevant to your local context. This is a hidden slide and it will not show in your presentation.

3. Exploratory learning and playfulness Resource 24 || Presentation

4. Many novice computer users feel concerned that they will irreversibly damage their computer if they explore. This is one of the beliefs that can stand most in the way of their ongoing learning.

5. What do we mean by ‘playfulness’? By playfulness we don’t just mean playing computer games. Rather, playfulness is the tendency of an individual to interact spontaneously, inventively and imaginatively with computers. (Martocchio & Webster, 1992; Webster & Martocchio, 1995).

6. Small group activity Think about the students in your class… How do they do most of their computer learning? Do they explore? How effective is this learning approach?

7. Children tend to naturally adopt active experimentation as a learning style, particularly with regards technology. Adults, through a variety of life experiences, tend to decrease in their ability to learn in these ways. Exploratory learning strategies can be learnt, developed and practiced! (see Resource 25 || Box 4.1)

8. Small group discussion To what extent are you playful in your approach to computer learning? Share some of your past experiences of using exploratory learning. What factors impact on your willingness to explore and try new things? How might you overcome these barriers?

9. At the computer challenge Find one new feature of a commonly used program. Try exploring the menus or browsing the Help files. Learn one new shortcut – note that many programs list shortcuts next to the menu items. Explore one program on your computer that you have not used before. Explore the Control Panel and find the settings for one thing that you did not previously know about ** This requires a little common sense, so if you change something, it is good to remember how to change it back!

10. Weekly challenge Solve one problem during the week using the exploratory learning tips (see Resource 25 || Box 4.1) Metacognition in the classroom Run a lesson that explicitly involves students exploring or playing to work out a solution to a problem (it may not necessarily be related to technology).

11. Three key things from today… What three points can you take from today’s discussion? You might base your thoughts around the metacognitive model…..

12. This presentation is associated with Technology Together: Whole-School Professional Development for Capability and Confidence, by Renata Phelps and Anne Graham. Copyright 2013, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), Distribution and copying of this presentation is allowed for educational purposes and use with full attribution to ISTE and the authors. The research informing this publication was conducted as a collaboration between the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore Diocese, NSW, Australia and was funded by the Australian Research Council. Other resources are available from the Technology Together website: http://technologytogether.scu.edu.au Clipart is drawn from Masterclips 500,000 ® IMSI