Reflective Synopsis

The internet is “a passing fad” (Kritt & Winegar, 2010, p. 31), “who the hell wants to copy a document on plain paper?” (Finger, Russell, Jamieson-Proctor & Russell, 2007, p. 287) These comments seem comical in retrospect; considering the Internet has revolutionised to become an ultimate platform for many of the ICT tools in the twenty-first century. It may surprise you to know that these comments belong to Bill Gates and Western Union respectively.

At the beginning of this course; in my own introspective world of familiar technology such as PowerPoint, Word, Publisher, YouTube and Google, I thought I resembled the typical well established digital native (Prensky, 2001). Similar to Bill Gates and Western Union, over the last five weeks, my previous connotations were dismissed, leading me to emerge looking more like a drowned digital immigrant after the flooding of new ICT tools and skills made available to me.

The expectations of a current student’s ICT skills are outlined in the Queensland Government’s Smart Classroom: Student ICT Expectations (2009), in accordance with Queensland Government’s Department of Education and Training Strategic Plan 2011-15.  Perhaps more importantly today’s educators are also expected to achieve a competency level in ICT as outlined in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s ICT Competency Standards for Teachers (2008). Despite these ICT expectations, there is still hesitation met in the classroom;

We live in a time of a global economy and globalised society, where daily life is mediated by complex and changing multimedia and technologies. In education, this situation causes unavoidable dissonance as teachers who grew up and were trained in earlier times try to forecast and prepare others and themselves for future times.

(Finger, Russell, Jamieson-Proctor & Russell, 2007, p. 18)

This statement only highlights the importance of making solid connections between the positive benefits of ICT and how it can be most effectively utilised in the classroom (Finger, Russell, Jamieson-Proctor & Russell, 2007). The effective use of ICT is conceptualised in the framework of T-PACK; Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. This theory highlights the significance of combining the three knowledge areas as shown in the diagram below.

 

During my own personal Managing E-Learning adventures, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the array of ICT tools, their affordances and their limitations, their effective and sometimes not so effective role in education, the learning theories underpinning these technologies as well as the legal, safe and ethical guidelines. This reflective synopsis will discuss four of the ICT tools that were explored and indicate how they could be used to “enhance, support and transform student learning” as well as discussing the legal, safe and ethical guidelines I would put in place to use myself as well as with my students (CQ University, 2011).

Group 1 ICT Tools Explored:

For the group 1 tools, I have explored Blogger, WikiSpaces and a website; Weebly, all tools that I had never used before. I can see the practicalities of both a blog and a wiki, however, after participating in week one and two wiki activities  as well as utilising a blog for the last five weeks, I found that I preferred Weebly as my favourite to be utilised in the classroom. I have based this on its easy to use, customisable drag-and-drop interface (in contrast to wikis), information cannot be overwritten by anybody (again, in contrast to wikis) and its utilisation of blogging features, in that it allows students to access the website and post comments; building on each other’s learning and theories. As a future educator, I also felt it was the most visually dynamic interface to use out of all three, and students could easily use it as well.

Weebly’s are a great way to enhance, support and transform student learning, in that they provide a visual and audio base for any learning topic. They can be set up with a home page and tabs, and you can easily rearrange and drag-and-drop videos, pictures, podcasts, flash, text and more. The flexibility and creativity this provides is endless. Students can interact and engage with a vast array of materials and activities from exploring Ancient Egypt, to rainforests, to maths activities and even interactive homework. Refer to blog for more uses as well as the learning theories underpinned in the use of  Weebly.

Group 2 ICT Tools –

For the Group 2 ICT Tools, I have explored several different technologies including image; Picnik, Mobaphoto, TagGalaxy and Flikr, audio; Voki, voice recording, and Podcast and last but not least video. Out of all these tools, I chose video to be the most effective ICT tool to use in the educational setting, largely because of its ability to encompass both image and audio in a dynamic manner (see PMI analysis). I would like to extend the umbrella of ‘videos in the classroom’ to include video games as they are becoming an important participant in classroom learning;

Learning through game-play is active, meaningful, multimodal, scaffolded, entails participation in social networks, encourages learners to take risks and allows for self-reflection... as is evident when watching child learning to play a video game, there are few times when children will sit down and be given step-by-step instructions by a tutor or instruction booklet.

(Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 14)

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009), a staggering 77% of 5-8 year olds engaged in online video games, with younger children engaging in one player problem-solving games and older players engaging in more interactive role-playing games. If we can successfully utilise educational games in the classroom context, it will draw upon a learner’s prior interests whilst enhancing and transforming student learning through a scaffolded ‘incidental’ learning process (cognitive and constructivism). Unfortunately, I am unable to showcase my skill in creating video games, as this is an advanced ICT skill, which I will leave to the experts. This does not mean however, that this technology is unable to me as future educator. I have fond memories of Just Grandma and Me; a Living Books educational game (see below), and I find it amusing now, as I didn’t even know it was educational at the time.

Aussie Kids Software

Refer to blog for uses of video in a classroom context as well as the learning theories underpinned. Videos can also be used to support and enrich abstract concepts that are unable to be understood by non-visual means.

Group 3 Technologies–

For Group 3, I have investigated both Glogster and Prezi, and the clear winner for me is Glogster. Though Prezi has its merits, I find its display of information nauseating and it just didn’t engage me. I found I preferred static Power Points. Not to say this applies to all learners, but if it applies to some, then to me it is not suitable in my classroom.

Glogster, meanwhile I absolutely adored. You can find my creation here. I think it is a wonderful, dynamic, platform in which to engage auditory and visual learners. In reality, it acts as an interactive poster. Depending on the creative level of the educator, and arrangement of content, the possibilities of student learning are endless. Please refer to blog posting for examples of Glogsters used in the classroom, a PMI analysis as well as the learning theories underpinned.

Group 4 Technologies –

For Group 4 Technologies I investigated both GoAnimate and Scribble Maps and Scribble Maps is my favourite to be used in a classroom. Please refer to my blog posting for a PMI analysis, examples of how Scribble Maps could be used in a classroom context as well as the learning theories underpinned.

Connection between Technologies -

Through my personal exploration in this course, I have discovered or come to realise a connection between each of the ICT technologies in that they each encourage constructivist and connectivism learning theories.  Of course this can only be achieved through carefully designed learning activities. ICT can assist in constructivism; "the theory that informs much of our online design for learning" (Fasso, W, 2011, p. 9) by providing scaffolded learning activities whereas the internet and its many platforms can assist in connectivism of information.

Legal, Safe & Ethical Guidelines

Using e-Learning in the classroom can only be as effective as the legal, safe and ethical guidelines that underpin them. I still remember in school simply copying and pasting images from Google as I fancied. After engaging in this course I can appreciate my wrongdoing and how important it is to acknowledge the work of others. Taking this with me, as a future educator, I will be demonstrating legal and ethical guidelines by adhering to these in the classroom, presenting a good example to my students. I will adhere to the 10% Fair Use rules and will encourage students to do the same.

I can appreciate the dangers that the Internet brings to users including exposure to illegal activities, pornography and offensive, sexually explicit, violent or hateful material (Fasso, W, 2011). I will be open and honest about these dangers to students where appropriate and promote safe guidelines by integration of Cybersmart; an Australian Government program initiative aimed at promoting safe online usage. I will also be an active monitor ensuring that there is no bullying among students online.

Privacy of students will be maintained at all times by ensuring that I do not upload or share any information that may pose a risk to  students' privacy by use of permissions and password protections and ensuring that students do the same.

Conclusion

This course has helped me to appreciate the array of ICT tools available to use in the classroom context. It has enabled me to see where technology is appropriate and also where it is not. I feel confident as a future Learning Manager that I will be able to integrate technology into the classroom to provide enriched, visually dynamic learning that caters to various learners and learner styles. After all; “educational technology promises to revolutionize how learning takes place, if we will only embrace it...educators, not technocrats or entrepreneurs, must direct the future evolution of educational technology” (Kritt & Winegar, 2010, p. 1).

References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2009). Australian social trends. (Cat. No. 4120.0.) Canberra, ACT: Author

Australian Government. (2009). Cybersmart. Retrieved from http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/

Aussie Kids Software. Living book just Grandma & me [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.aussiekidssoftware.com.au/p/550788/living-book-just-grandma-me.html

Carrington, V., & Robinson, M. (2009). Digital literacies: Social learning and classroom practises. London, UK: United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA).

Kritt, D., & Winegar, L. (2010). Education and technology: Critical perspectives, possible futures. Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books.

Fasso, W., (2011, June 30). Readings: Active learning, learning diversity and the theory. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, FAHE11001 Managing E-Learning, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186311

Fasso, W., (2011, June 30). Readings: Effective e.Learning design. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, FAHE11001 Managing E-Learning, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186314

Finger, G., Russell, G., Jamieson-Proctor, R., & Russell, N. (2007). Transforming learning with ICT: Making it happen. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Koehler, M. (2011). TPACK: technological pedagogical and content knowledge: what is TPACK?. Retrieved from http://mkoehler.educ.msu.edu/tpack/what-is-tpack/

Marc Prensky. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf

The State of Queensland (Department of Education and Training). (2011). Smart classrooms: Student ICT expectations. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/strategy/dp/studentict.html

The State of Queensland (Department of Education and Training). (2011). Strategic plan 2011-15. Retrieved from http://deta.qld.gov.au/publications/strategic/pdf/strategic-plan-11-15.pdf

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). (2008). ICT competency standards for teachers: Competency standards modules. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001562/156207e.pdf

Prezi - Group 3 Technology

Images used in Prezi Presentation:

EcoCatLady. (2011, February 23). Feeling the hungry headache [Image]. Retrieved from http://ecocatlady.blogspot.com/2011/02/feeding-hungry-headache.html


Latest3DS. (2011, March 30). No complaints of 3DS dizziness or headache in Europe or UK [Image]. Retrieved from http://latest3ds.info/no-complaints-of-3ds-dizziness-or-headache-in-europe-or-uk/

Group 2 Technology - Video

To demonstrate my competency in a Group 2 Technology - Video I created a very short video in Windows Movie Maker on the topic of Rainforest Destruction. It includes a voice recording, images, music and animated slides. I have referenced the images used and the music at the end of the video.

The voice recording, I will mention here, unfortunately cuts of the last word (eco-system) so in future, I would make sure you could hear all words clearly.

I have also used this video in my Glogster (see http://heidislearningspace.blogspot.com/2011/07/glogster-week-4-activity-reflection.html)

I am going to analyse the use of videos in education using a PMI Analysis:


Positives

• Appeals to auditory and visual learners
• Easy for students to make their own videos with software such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. This software provides scaffolded learning (Carrington & Robinson, 2009, p. 18)
• Videos can be become a "reusable elearning resource...they can, for example, be used by a number of instructors teaching the same course or by instructors teaching different but related courses" (Waterhouse, 2005, p. 66)
• Easy sharing of videos on sites such as YouTube

Waterhouse (2005, pp. 114-115) summarises below key advantages of short video clips:

• - Introduce the instructor of a course, a guest speaker, or key points in a new topic
• - Summarise key points
• - Hear or see highlights of a guest speaker's presentation
• - Enhance course materials in music courses
• - Teach pronunciation in a foreign language course
• - Demonstrate hazardous processes and procedures, for example, firefighting methods and techniques
• - Capture activities that are physically inaccessible to students, for example, expeditions and field trips to remote locations
• - Re-create real-life situations, either through role playing or by capturing actual events
• - Hear from acknowledged experts who make brief comments or express opinons relevant to topics covered in the course
• - Clarify abstract concepts insensible to human perception, for example, the propagation of sound waves or the mechanics of nuclear fusion or fission

Minuses:

• Privacy issues
• Students/educators may not reference correctly leading to legal/ethical issues such as copyright infringement
• Video recording devices can be expensive
• Safety concern with students accessing inappropiate material online
• "Embarassing photos and videos are common-weapons of cyber-bullies, and students are as likely to target adults as they are fellow students" (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 81).
• Students can become bored with mono-tone presentations
• Files can be large or bulky and rely on bandwith

Interesting:

• "A survey released in June 2008 by Nielsen Online shows that kids ages 2 to 11 watch an average of 118 minutes of online video each month, and those ages 12 to 17 average 132 minutes viewing online videos per month" (Brooks-Young, 2010, p. 79) .
• Videos are now interactive such as BluRay movies which have interactive commentary throughout the movie

How would you aply these to your teaching context?

I would apply videos in the classroom first and foremost to both engage visual learners and to concrete understanding of concepts. For example, if you were teaching about antartica and talking about the extremely cold climate, the vast array of ice, and the type of animals that made it their habitat, you could then follow these discussions with a video making this information visual.

I do believe it is beneficial to both be told about information and then to see it in action, and video is a great tool for this.

I do also believe video has its place and can't just be shown for no reason as this does not aid to learning.


Learning Theories Underpinned:

I believe videos are foremost a cognitive constructivism tool, in that they aid the individual's understanding of a topic by applying visual and audio stimulus.

They can become a social constructivist tool, when classmates construct a video together.


References:

Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use: Learning with web and mobile technologies. California, US: Corwin

  

Carrington, V., & Robinson, M. (2009). Digital literacies: Social learning and classroom practises. London, UK: United Kingdom Literacy Association


Waterhouse, S. (2005). The power of eLearning: The essential guide for teaching in the digital age. Boston, US: Pearson Education, Inc.

Scribble Maps

I experimented with the Scribble Map techonology powered by Google and I must say I am very impressed at it's functionality and I absolutely love it.

I remember the days in primary and high school, when I would photocopy a map or print one from online, and then 'grab out' the pencils, rulers and highlighters to highlight different areas of interest on a map. How times have changed, you can now do all those things and more with Scribble Map.

I will be analysing the use of Scribble Maps in an educational environment using a PMI Analysis;

Positives:

• Easily embeddable into other websites, for example Blogger or Wiki (with customisable width)
• You can publish your map to a jpeg format
• You can insert images, YouTube videos, markers, animations and many more
• You can draw lines, circles and text 
• You can create a Legend to assign to your map (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• You can assign time ranges and time stamps to elements (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• You can stylise (personalise) maps (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• You can use your own image as a map (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• You can upload spreadsheets
• You can add 'heat' to maps to represent climates around the world (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• Completely flash based, so can be seen anywhere, for example on a computer or an iPad (Scribble Maps, 2010)
• Ability to hide ads
• Free

Minuses:

• Learners could become overwhelmed/distracted with the level of customisation that is available to them
• Learners would need to know the boundaries of what is acceptable to be placed on the map, as it could lead to a privacy issue
• To use the full range of features, you need to pay for a Pro membership.

Interesting:

• Utilises the already popular Google Maps as it's mapping platform
• Innovative utilisation in school assignments
• It will allow educators, such as those who teach geography and history, to show how things might have looked and changed from past to future (Stotland, 2011, p. 1)

Also, for future reference; the below is an instructional video from Scribble Maps:

How could Scribble Maps be applied in your teaching context?:

The possibilities of using Scribble Maps in the classroom are endless. Any time that calls for referring to a map or geographical location, you can utilise Scribble Maps.

Here are just a few examples of how you could use it:

• Recording as a class your trip/adventure to a destination. You could upload videos, pictures, points of interest and commentary. This could be shared within the classroom or on the class blog or wiki.
• Using the time feature, show the colonisation of British colonies in Africa and the rest of the world, by placing links on the map and historical information and references.
• Ask students to utilise the technology in their presentation of an assignment on a given country/continent
• Highlight to students the differences in culture around the globe by use of embedded pictures, links or videos

Learning theories underpinned:

Using Scribble Maps encourages both a connectivism and constructivist learning approach. By using a map, and connecting sets of information on a geographical interface, you are using a connectivism approach. Building on your maps as a class uses a social constructivist approach as together you are building knowledge based on each individual's own experiences etc.

References:

Scribble Maps. (2010, December 25). iPad supports - upgrading your widgets [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

Scribble Maps. (2010, June 29). Legends in scribble maps [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

 

 

Scribble Maps. (2010, June 11). Time mapping in scribble maps [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

Scribble Maps. (2010, May 27). Scribble maps now has styled maps [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

 

 

Scribble Maps. (2010, May 3). Self made maps [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

Scribble Maps. (2010, March 1). Heat maps [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://scribblemaps.blogspot.com/

 

 

Scribble Maps. (2010, January 20). Scripple maps pro beta demo [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlU-mVuQSQk&feature=player_embedded#at=160

Stotland, R. (2011). Online map tools: scribble maps. Retrieved August, 8, 2011, from http://teamawesomer2011.wikispaces.com/Scribble+Maps

References (used for creating Scribble Map):

Constable, L. (Photographer). (2010). Darren and Tamara Corr have settled into life in the Pioneer Valley after leasing the popular Pinnacle Pub [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/10/27/couple-couldnt-go-past-country-hotel/

  

Fitzgerald, G. (Photographer). (2000). Teemburra Dam [Photographer]. Retrieved from http://www.sweetwaterfishing.com.au/Teemburra.htm

  

rauri76. (2010, July 22). TubingCacheCreek.MP4 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_hzHHhiMMw&playnext=1&list=PLEC66DCA13E85D0B2

  

TheNeri88. (2010, April 27). Finch hatton gorge swimming [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOMIbdc8ocY

GoAnimate

GoAnimate.com: Napoleon Dynamite by heidi.waddell

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Glogster - Week 4 Activity Reflection

Check out my Glogster I made. I'm pretty darn impressed with myself, with much thanks to the technology available to me. I will mention here that I have also made a short (incomplete) video using Windows Movie Maker and added it to my Glogster. It is called Rainforest Destruction. It is short, because I am already spending way too much time on this subject. You might also notice, if you press play on the media player, there is rainforest sounds; this is from a podcast.

SWOT ANALYSIS OF GLOGSTER (EDU version)

Strengths

• Very easy to use interface (caters for beginners to experts) that allows to you to upload all different sorts of media from YouTube videos, to mp3's to pictures and even files
• Colourful, engaging interface
• Ability to customise the wall in endless ways
• There is no set rigid structure (unlike Wiki's and Weeblies), it is just like cutting and pasting items on a wall
• Students whilst using EDU Glogster, do not have access to the mainstream Glogster site which prevents them from seeing unsuitable content.
• Glogs can be embedded onto a wiki or a blog
• Glogs can be made private and password protected

Weaknesses

• Students may get distracted by the endless amount of possibilities

Opportunities

• Glogs can be shared among teachers, providing inspiration and ideas for lesson planning
• Students can use them for portfolio's, assignments or for uploading onto their wiki's or blogs

Threats

• If Glogs aren't made private, there may be privacy issues

As you can see with Glogs, the strengths and opportunities far outweigh the weaknesses and threats, and are an excellent resource for teaching with ICT. They can be both static (teacher controlled) or collaborative (student controlled). They support a range of learning theories/behaviours including; Social Constructivism, Cognitivism and Connectivism.


How would you apply these to your teaching context?

The possibilities are endless, they are in a sense a digital scrapbook. I would use a Glogster in my classrom by two means; firstly to engage students on a new topic by means of exploration of video, sound and imagery and secondly; as a group activity where students and the teacher would collaborate together to create a poster on a given learning activity to encourage scaffolding and reflecting as a class. Here are just a few examples :

• As the example above, a scrapbook resource on the rainforest
• Teachers can use them to create audio/visual interest on any given topic; such as Papau New Guinea or Ancient Egypt. They are interactive, and create an interesting starting point for a topic.
• Teachers can use them to give instructions on an assignment in a more interesting format by linking videos or examples for assessment. An example of Glogster used for assessment can be found here: http://bdyck.edu.glogster.com/Assignment-Sheets-1
• As a class (teacher and students), creating a scrapbook page of an excursion for peers, parents  and community members to enjoy and reflect upon
• Students could also use it to create interactive assignments, encouraging creativity.

Other examples of Glogsters used in education can be found here:
http://nnorris.edu.glogster.com/ReadingPractice
http://cybrarian.edu.glogster.com/Decisions-Decisions
http://justintoney.glogster.com/Research-Project-1


Learning Theories Underpinned:

Using Glogsters encourages both cognitive (engaging with materials) and constructivist learning styles (by building on previous knowledge by designated activites). They also encourage social constructivism when used as a class activity.

References:

bdcyk. (2009). Assignment sheets - 1. Retrieved from http://bdyck.edu.glogster.com/Assignment-Sheets-1


cybrarian. (2008). Decisions, decisions. Retrieved from http://cybrarian.edu.glogster.com/Decisions-Decisions


justintoney. (2009). Reasearch project 1. Retrieved from http://justintoney.glogster.com/Research-Project-1


nnorris. (2011). Reading practise. Retrieved from http://nnorris.edu.glogster.com/ReadingPractice

Wordle

This is my wordle I created, inspired by this term's English course. You can click on the picture to take you to the wordle.

Web 2.0 Technologies - Awesome Resource

Hi Everyone,

Check out this page: http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Artsonia for a list of Web 2.0 Tools.

Voki - Week 4 Activity

Success at last. You can see my Voki in the top right corner of my blog! It took longer than expected to create. This is because I had created a voice recording on my iPhone to use for my Voki but getting it from the iPhone to the Voki was a whole other kettle of fish (pun intended here, you may laugh :P If you don't get it, never mind haha).

For starters, a voice recording on a iPhone is a M4A file. I know, you are probably thinking what is that, so was I. Anyway, long story short, you need an MP3 file to add to a Voki. Here's how to convert it, head to this site: http://www.nch.com.au/switch/mp3.html?gclid=CJW2ha3anqoCFcYNHAod4Dp25Q and download the 'Switch MP3 Converter Software'. It is a sinch to use.

Voki's in education, I can see their purpose and I can also foresee their terrible overuse. Kids may get distracted by the novelty of it all, and lose focus in the task at hand as well as the negative of only having 60 seconds however I think the benefits in this case outweigh the negative. They are a wonderful tool for which you can lend your voice or audio too. They are user friendly, visually exciting, and can distract the child from what may have seen as an instruction, to see it more as an exciting cue to learn.

I was also interested in Oddball, Voki's creator and they have any novel technologies available on their website http://www.oddcast.com. Many however require a webcam.

Picnik - Week 4 Activity

Above are the before and after photos from using the online editing software Piknik.

I believe this tool could be a valuable resource for students as it will give them a creative license to edit their images. In today's society, creative ability is valued, as you need to stick out from the crowd.

 It's fast, there is no sign up fees, and most importanty it is VERY user friendly. Anybody can use it!

Tag Galaxy - Week 4 Activity

What a fascinating image search device. You type in a 'tag' or several 'tags' and Tag Galaxy will select a domain of images that contain these tags. Have a look at my screenshot below. I used the tags Garden + Macro + Flower + Pink + Nature and it has selected 10,431 images that contain those features. This could be a really great tool for students to use, to narrow down on those long strenuous google image searches looking for the perfect picture. Tag Galaxy does it all for you. Another plus is that it finds images from Flickr, images that are available for creative commons.

Flickr - Week 4 Activity

Flickr is a great website, hosting many creative common images that the public can use, particularly useful for educators. Below are two images I have taken off Flickr.

Flickr: key lime pie yumyum

Flikr: Ryk Neethling

Mobaphoto - Week 4 Activity

This is a photo I took, resized using the free easy-to-use software, Mobaphoto

This is a PrintScreen of a picture gallery that you can also create using Mobaphoto. The pictures can also operate in a slideshow. You do however have to have the photos saved on your drive for this feature to work.

Week 3 - Dangers & Benefits of Using Blogs in Schools

The following is a PMI Analysis on the dangers and benefits of using blogs in schools;

Positive

• Posting of resources, lessons and homework
• Keeping parents up-to-date on class happenings
• Sharing of schoolwork with peers, parents and the community
• Students' can collaborate on projects and get feedback from others
• Students' can keep a reflective journal
• Students' can use a blog for assignment construction (i.e. post a new blog entry when new information is found, or complete their assignment in sections (per blog posting for example), similar to the style that is being conducted for FAHE11001 Managing E-Learning.
• Can be password protected to ensure privacy
• Provides a platform for higher order thinking using critical analysis tools such as SWOT, de Bono's Six Thinking Hats & PMI

Minus

• If not password protected, there is a risk of privacy breaches
• If a student or teacher has used third party material, and it is uploaded without adding password protectoin and restricting access to teachers, students and parents, they are breaching 'Fair' use copyright laws.
• Potential for cyber bullying

Interesting

• EduBlogs provide a blogging platform purely for education. http://edublogs.org/why-edublogs/ - Have a look at this video for more information.

Resources:

Copyright Advisory Group. (2008). Smartcopying: the official guide to copyright issues for Australian schools and TAFE. Retrieved from http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/1

Edublogs. (2011). Edublogs. Retrieved from http://edublogs.org/

infinite thinking. (n.d.). Blogger ® in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.infinitethinkingmachine.org/stuff/Blogger.pdf

Week 3 - Weebly Reflection

Hi Everyone,

Wow, I have created my first ever weebly, and I just have to say I absolutely love it. What a wonderful tool and interface to use. I will be analysing the use of a Weebly using a SWOT Analysis (by the way, this will be my first SWOT analysis, so please feel more than free to pick me up on where I get things wrong).

First of all, the link to my weebly can be found through my wiki or you can click straight through to my weebly here. You can see snapshots of my weebly below. I'm pretty proud of it :-)

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths

• Easy to use drag-and-drop interface (suitable for beginners to experts)
• Content is easily customisable
• Easy to create links between pages
• Layout can be changed (e.g. a picture and a paragraph next to a YouTube video), making the information more readily accessible/easier to navigate
• Much more visually exciting than a Wiki
• Creation of forms (for parents or students to utilise)
• Blogging function
• Password protection
• Easy upload of files such as PDF's, videos, sound files
• The ability to create a picture slideshow without having to use Slide, Flickr etc
• Moderator controls the website
• No advertising

Weaknesses

• Need to pay for membership to use many of the features, such as video, sound etc
• Need to pay for membership to password protect
• Only the moderator can control content
• Limited interaction is provided compared to a Wiki or a Blog

Opportunities

• Could be an excellent interface for which upper primary students could utilise for their assignments to express their creativity
• Could be a great resource/starting point for a subject supporting student learning
• Appeals to the visual/auditory learners

Threats

• Costs involved with membership 
• Without password protection, information is open to the public (minimised with membership)
• Risk of bullying through the blogging pages (however this is minimised if the moderator sets prior-approval of comments)

How could Weebly be applied to your teaching context?

Weebly, I like to think of as a tool that utilises the benefits and features of both a wiki and a blog. It allows users to post comments (similar to a blog), whilst being easily customisable (by adding pages, forms etc like a wiki). It is interesting in that it provides the benefits of a Web 1.0 technology, with main features/layout only being able to be edited by the webmaster, with the benefits of a Web 2.0 technology, with visitors or users like students posting comments under the blogging page.

Here are just a few ways that weeblys can be applied to the teaching context:

• Creating class/home group websites. These can be a main domain that the class can refer to as a group.
• Creating indivdual student pages. Of course these can be password protected. The teacher can maintain these pages for the invidual student and their parents. Grades and remarks can be uploaded and students or their parents can communicate with the teacher confidentially about their grades.

Learning theories underpinned:

A weebly constructed by the educator does not necessarily encourage a constructivist or connectivism approach. It more encourages cognitivism as the information is static. Learners are encouraged to utilise the static material presented and learn. The links in a weebly may however link to sources that encourage other learning styles. The weebly can be social constructivist in the blogging format; where students blog their thoughts or reflections, adding onto one another's previous posts, building knowledge as a social group.

If the weebly is constructed by the individual or as a group it can encourage constructivism and connectivism, as information or layouts may be constructed together (social constructivism) or individually (constructivism) and from a wide array of sources (connectivism).

References:

TechCrunch. (2009, September 30). Weebly launches new managed site builder for educators and students [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/30/weebly-launches-new-managed-product-for-educators-and-students/

Weebly, Inc. (2011). Weebly for education: Our features. Retrieved from http://education.weebly.com/ed-features.php

Mobile Phones & de Bono's Six Thinking Hats - Week 2 Wiki Activity Reflection

This week in class, we had to again use an online Wiki to deconstruct various issues revolving around using Mobile Phones in the Classroom. The issue was deconstructed using de Bono's six thinking hats.

Using de Bono's six thinking hats combined with a wiki was very similar to Week 1's PMI/Wiki approach as both support higher order thinking & collaboration under a Constructivist approach. The characteristics of the wiki that led me to thinking it was a Constructivist exercise was that as a group we were each given one thinking hat, on which to add information. As a whole we were each constructing on each other's ideas, hence a constructivist approach.


I personally (so far) do not like Wikis or should I say my experience with Wikis. My major complaint with wikis is that as a classroom, so far we have not been able to edit the same wiki page simultaneously without chaos. This is because one person's edits overwrite the other or in other words, you can't have 2 people working on the same page at once. So this is definitely a drawback. However, if a wiki is properly utilised/organised, then I think this issue can be minimised.

To me (or should I say, what I like), a wiki so far is more effective/holds more benefits as an online resources page, and there could better alternative avenues on which to hold class discussions or work collaboratively online. However, I am yet to become aware of these avenues but hope to throughout this course.


I feel a wiki could contribute to the learning of my students by acting as an online resources page, kind of like a central home to where they can find any information, links, powerpoints etc that they need to access. There could maybe be a section where students' leave a personal reflection on certain topics (because the students aren't simultaneously adding to the page all at once, this can work), or where they collaborate in groups to add information to group pages.

Also, for anyone that's interested, below is a website that has many examples of educational wikis that were constructed for use in the classroom;
http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis

Last but not least, my reflection on de Bono's Six Thinking Hats;

Personally I do not like them. To me, they are alien, difficult and partly silly (partly because I am extremely comfortable with the old trusty Positive vs Negative approach practised by the PMI Analysis), however being 'mature about it', I can appreciate their use in a classroom and that I must learn to like them, as I will be using them, however at the moment I am a teensy bit resentful towards them. This is when I knew, that for me to feel comfortable with de Bono's approach, I will have to conduct extra research on the utilisation of these six hats. I am hoping that de Bono will be discussed further upon in class because at the moment I find these hats difficult; particularly the red hat and the blue hat. The red hat; feelings; my first thought is how do you analyse a text with the red hat? How are students to break down a text under 'intution, hunches and gut instinct'. To me, it just doesn't make sense. The blue hat - thinking about thinking; my first thought; 'Aaagh! Get me out of here, what do I do with this hat?!!!"

That aside, I do think the Six Thinking Hats supported the collection of a range of perspectives on the use of mobiles in the classroom (more so than the traditional positive vs. negative). This is because it offered alternative ways of thinking, such as the green creative hat and the blue thinking hat (it's also a shame the text that was added to the Mobile Phones Wiki has since disappeared). As a whole, the thinking hats produce a higher order thinking approach and a deeper analysis of a topic or text, and I can see how they would be valuable in the classroom.

References:
CQUniversity. (2011). Readings: active learning, learning diversity and the theory (pp. 6). Retrieved from CQUniversity Course Resources Online FAHE11001
http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186311

CQUniversity (2011). fahe11001Mackay. Retrieved July 13, 2011, from http://fahe11001mackay.wikispaces.com/Mobile+Phones+Wiki

Mindwerx Pty Ltd. (2011). Dr Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats [Image]. Retrieved from   http://www.mindwerx.com/mind-tools/5970/six-thinking-hats

Tangient LLC. (2011). Educational wikis. Retrieved July 13, 2011, from http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis

Bloom's Taxonomy

Ok, this Bloom guy I have heard of before, but understood his Taxonomy or even read it, nope, don't know anything about it. So this week having to read about Bloom's Taxonomy I can do, but understand it I am finding a little bit difficult. Hopefully over the next few weeks Bloom is elaborated and discussed so that I can gain a deeper understanding and hopefully apply it to Assessment 3.

I have posted some videos about Bloom's Taxonomy in this blog, mostly for my future reflection, but also for anybody else who may prefer a visual/audio explaination (I do acknowledge here that some of the key words such as 'knowledge' & 'comprehension' in the video have since been revised to 'remebering' and 'understanding' respectively)

I am finding myself regularly 'YouTubing' terminology in this class to gain further understanding, which only highlights to myself how much more successful I learn through audio and visual means.

I hope some of you may find these videos from Kaizer1110 (2008) useful like I did;

References:

Kaizer1110. (2008, Sep 5). Intro to assessment and Bloom [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZARe2_HQcA&feature=player_embedded

Kaizer1110. (2008, Sep 8). Intro to assessment and Bloom part 2: the words to use [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q2_PlmRq80&feature=player_embedded

Kaizer 1110. (2008), Sep 8). Intro to assessment and Bloom part 3: Assessment Techniques [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwyZCv_rs2s&feature=player_embedded

Blogger Templates

Hi Everyone,

I have recently discovered Blogger Templates and I think they are wonderful. There are so many different varieties available to customise your blog and give it a more upbeat vibe.

I got mine from http://www.bloggerthemes.net/. The reason why I am sharing with you all, is because I think templates would be a valuable resource to blogging in the classroom. If you had a class blog that students used as part of their assessment, having the blog themed would make it more visually exciting, therefore hopefully encouraging/enticing the students to use it.

Only problem is, you may spend a little bit too much time browsing through all the different templates. I know I did :-)

References:

Blogger Themes & Blogger Templates. Retrieved from http://www.bloggerthemes.net/

TPACK Round Table - Week 2 Activity

Task: Design a class activity on a given content, choosing ICT technologies that will support effective pedagogy.
Content: Ancient Egypt
Technologies: Ancient Egypt is a topic that really fascinates me, and I would be more than happy to share with my students my eagerness and excitement combined with knowledge on the content. I would do this through several technologies including;

An excerpt from the children's film Prince of Egypt;
The film is based on Moses in Ancient Egypt. Yes, it is biblical based,  however I loved the film for it's egyptian references, and I think showing just an excerpt or two from the film would be an interesting way to introduce children to the Egyptian way of life.

My second technology would be a presentation made in movie maker with all sorts of Egyptian information and pictures, such as the amazing pyramids (making size comparisons to the children, so they can understand just how remarkable these pyramids really were), the process of mummification, hieroglyphics, Tutankhamen's tomb etc. This presentation would be upbeat and interesting, therefore (hopefully) inspiring similar interest/awe in the children.
This would be followed by an interactive game; 'Mummy Maker' on the mummification process found on BBC's website;

(Screenshot from Mummy Maker)

This online game guides the learner through the mummifcation process (you have to remove the organs in order with the right tools etc) combined with interesting factual knowledge. This exercise would be done as a whole class, so that as a group they can cheer for what 'move' should be made next in order not to lose the three lives you have in the game (keeping mind this game, although not gruesome does make reference to pouring brains out through the nostrils etc. so would be suited to an older grade) Students can bounce ideas off each other, whilst concreting their knowledge of mummification. They are doing revision on the topic through a game, and not even realising they are learning.

I think the combination of activities support good pedagogy through;
Assessment integral to
learning. Reflection, self and
peer assessment. Feedback.

References:

BBC. (2011). History: mummy maker. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/mummy_maker/index_embed.shtml

Chapman, B., Hickner, S & Wells, S. (Directors), & Cox, P. & Rabins, S. (Producers). (1998). The prince of egypt [Motion picture]. USA: DreamWorks SKG.

CQUniversity. (2011). Readings: effective e.learning design (pp. 1-5). Retrieved from CQUniversity Course Resources Online FAHE11001
http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=186314

hometheatre07. (2009, Mar 4). The prince of egypt - part 2/11 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HElPNIlg4T8&feature=player_embedded

Digital Natives & Immigrants (Marc Prensky) & PMI - Week 1 Wiki Activity Reflection

Yesterday, Shannon and I had to collaborate together on a Wiki activity, which required us to read an article written by Marc Prensky, 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants' (for those of you who don't yet know, a digital native is someone born into our digital frenzy world with the operation of mobiles, laptops etc. second nature and a digital immigrant is someone who is foreign or immigrant to technology). From this article we were asked to further examine under the PMI approach; positive, minus and interesting.

On a side note, I found the below YouTube video to be a nice introduction to what is a wiki?

This week's wiki exercise could be seen as similar to the Jigsaw approach (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(teaching_technique) for further information & see diagram below; http://www.maryborougheducationcentre.vic.edu.au/successforboys/resources/pdf/planning_core/planning_activity5.pdf)

Jigsaw Approach

The differences however, were that Shannon and I were given a segment (in this case 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'), we were to dissect the information, and to report back to the class online by adding our information to the Learning Theories Wiki. So instead of having both home groups and expert groups, we only had a home group.

This strategy could be useful in our own teaching context, if utilised correctly, as it relies on the student's ability to be an active constructivist in their learning. Of course a student's ability to be a constructive learner is influenced by the teacher's enabling of the student. Teachers can equip their student's with the right scaffolding tools and mediums in which to use them, to support collaborative social understanding and interaction with others.

The act of reading and presenting back information online can be better than in a classroom if the activity is designed properly and the task given to them is clear. That way students are able to utilise scaffolding tools combined with social interaction to collaborate with each other and share ideas, to eventually interalise the new knowledge.

A constructivist approach does support individuals with different learning needs, as the students are learning together in a collaborative approach. The knowledge can be documented collaboratively online in forums, wikis, blogs etc. so that each student can build upon the other's learning. Each student is also given the chance to contribute, opportunities that are sometimes lost in a classroom context.

As mentioned earlier, knowledge from this task was scaffolded using the PMI Analysis tool. It was used to dissect the article and seperate it into the following categories; plus, minus & interesting. This technique supports greater analysis as it asks the reader to think about/analyse the text on a deeper level, by triggering the reader to examine all options before making any decisions.  You can also use the PMI tool to grade a text. For example, if every plus was graded +5, every minus -5, at the end of analysis, the text would have a grade that could support or reject a decision. This technique could be a useful strategy with my own learners as it encourages students to analyse on a deeper level as well as being a useful scaffolding tool for collaborative learning. A PMI tool could also be particularly effective in a Wiki as it allows each student to contribute to the list.


References:

Commonwealth of Australia. (2006). Planning guide: Activity sheet 5: Expert jigsaw. Retrieved from http://www.maryborougheducationcentre.vic.edu.au/successforboys/resources/pdf/planning_core/planning_activity5.pdf


ramitsethi. (2007, Mar 2). Pb wiki - What is a wiki? [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmByB0sIPog&feature=player_embedded


Wikipedia. (2011). Jigsaw: Teaching technique. Retrieved July 7, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(teaching_technique)

Multiple Intelligences - Week 1 Moodle Acitivity

So I took the Multiple Intelligence test and I have to say I am very surprised. I knew I wasn't Body Smart, Musical or Interpersonal, but I would have guessed myself to be more logical, particularly because Math & Problem Solving are one of my strengths. However, the test only had 40 questions, so if it was more comprehensive, it may have shown different results.

What I did learn from this exercise however, was there ARE different intelligence styles out there, and our teaching should cater to these different styles, so that a student's individual strengths are nourished. I look forward to learning more on how this is capable.

Also, I would like to add that I found Sir Ken Robinson's conference delightful and humorous and I recommend fellow students to watch the video in Moodle.

Learning Styles - Week 1 Moodle Activity

I just finished the Felder & Solomon Questionnaire that reveals your own individual learning style and here are my results:

I swing far towards the Intuitive learner and not the Sensing.
I am more Reflective but also Active.
I am far more a Visual Learner than a Verbal one &
I prefer Sequential learning than Global.

I think the test was fairly accurate, but it fails to mention that my learning style changes with the topic I am learning. For example with math, I like straightforward no-nonsense learning, with procedures and solutions that make clear sense, however with science I love the bigger picture, ideas and theories and the facts are not so important to me.

As far as my reflection on the implication for online learning design, I think it is clear that learning styles vary greatly between students, (and there is only more information coming to the surface proving this is true) so it is important to use a range of teaching techniques and stimuli to engage ALL students and not just the ones lucky enough to absorb only written lessons well.

Technology in the Classroom

Hi Everyone,

Seeing I had to learn eventually to upload a video,  I thought I would find one relevant to what we learnt this week, and what I learnt this week, was like it or not, technology is going to play a major part in classrooms now and in the future. This video I thought was interesting as it highlights the importance of not shunning technology in the classrooms.



First Class for E-Learning

Ok, well first class feels very rushed. Created a WikiSpace and a Blog, both of which I've never had. So welcome to my blog and my first post. If you can see this, I did something right :-)