Reflns on- Social software: E-Learning beyond learning management systems

The differentiation between LMS and personal tools is not as black and white as the authors would have us believe. In the Victorian Catholic Education system our own private network combines both through the myinternet account system which includes the LMS as well as the personal and collaborative tools aspects. Myinternet has 3 sections: mydesktop, mymail and myclasses. It is in the myclasses section that many of the personal and collaborative tools can be found. such things as topic specific myclasses pages, forums, discussion rooms, notice boards, on-line polls, events calendars, files boxes, personal and collaborative journals and eLFs. An e-Learning Folio (eLF) is a means of managing (collecting, organising and presenting) activities, lessons and resources that support varied approaches to teaching as well as the designated learning outcomes of a class project or unit of work. It provides educational context for learning objects provided by the teacher.
The pedagogical approach advocated by the authors is really just the same used for many years by primary teachers for their integrated curriculum, and now with advent of VELS, inquiry topics. The approach is called the inquiry approach and has been championed in Victorian schools through the adoption of the integrated curriculum approach promoted by Kath Murdoch of Melb. uni. It does as Dalsgaard states in his article- allows students to develop tools to solve problems.
A word of warning is required regarding the personal tools the author wants the students to use. For younger students there are a number of security issues to be concerned with. What access to they have to the extended internet? Who can access their particular pages? What safeguards and supervision has been initiated? Is a private network better suited to primary students.
To conclude it is reaffirming as a primary teacher using ICT that many of my pedagogical methods have been supported. It is also challenging to view how other tools such as wikis can be incorporated. Finally as a teacher of primary children it is important that students e-learning is still carefully supervised and supported in their undertaking of self-governed, problem based and collaborative activities.
AndrewL