Synopsis of e-Learning

Hello bloggers,
I would like to leave you with a link to my Wiki site where I have included a powerpoint of my reflective synopsis for this course. I have also attached a summarising table outlining these tools with a focus on the negatives and positives to them in terms of pedagogy. The final post in my wiki is some comments I made to your blogs which I have also reflected on. This course has been informative and most enjoyable. Good luck to you all.

Dorris - Tiffany
'If you think you can't, you can't'.

Wiki Here

Interractive Whiteboards

If within my classroom I am previleged to be provided with an interractive whiteboard, I will certainly be excited and use it daily. I have briefly used this form of technology within a school for disabled children and was most impressed. Within a particular lesson the students had learn't how to use the whiteboard which was guided by the teacher. The interraction was fantastic! Without this form of technology these students would not be able to participate with this form technology learning as the majority of these children are unable to use a mouse and computer.

Below I have listed some useful tips in reference to using Interractive Whiteboards.

Horses for courses
Choosing a whiteboard really depends on the needs of your school. Most whiteboards are either operated by a finger and have a soft surface or by an electromagnetic pen and have a hard surface. Both types have pros and cons so visiting other schools to see which will suit you best is a great idea.

Location, location, location
Consider if large windows require blinds for sunny days and the height of those viewing the board - children and staff. Remember that a board and extra equipment will require as many as six power sockets nearby.
Think about the area around the board. On either side of the board, I have two waist high units, one is for my laptop so I and the children can type onto the board while looking into the class. On the other is my visualiser or document camera. This allows easy access to the board, but is flexible and allows for other approaches

Get to know your new board
The installation company should offer you basic training on the software which operates with your board. Consider whether this software offers the tools and resources to enable you to teach effectively. Look around and see what is available before deciding.Accept that, although initial gliches may happen, they are often easily rectified

It's not a flip chart, so don't pretend it is
Don't be tempted to settle into a routine of creating a series of slides for you to talk about. If you would not have done it with traditional resources, don't do it now. Try to justify the learning aim of each slide

Make sure your lesson is interactive
Think about where it is appropriate to make pages, or slides, interactive. This could involve children coming out to manipulate some text or a diagram, or typing directly into the PC/laptop. A good, whizzy maths game with things flying around and going bang at the beginning of a numeracy lesson, will certainly get your children's attention

Images, images, images
Images are powerful learning tools. The software which runs on your board will allow you to import saved images from your computer or copy and paste images from the web. I try to start every lesson with an image which the children can make some kind of emotional connection (Teachers.TV, 2009).


References
Teachers. TV, 2009, Interractive Whiteboard top tips, Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from; http://www.teachers.tv/ict/whiteboardtips

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Personal Experience
At CQUniversity for the past three years I have been accustomed to using and interracting with our Blackboard site which is an example of a LMS. Our Blackboard site provides weekly information, lectures, manages our assessment requirements, details our weekly readings, allows for communication forums and is a fantastic opportunity for collaborative learning.

With this great experience in mind I am keen to use this form of technology within my classroom. Using a Learning Management System in the Classroom does not limit students to using the site alone at home; they can use it in a computer equipped classroom by a group of students and teachers.

How can this work in the classroom.
The teacher is able to give some lessons via the LMS that they may have not have been able to cover in class and students who were away can easily catch up on what they may have missed. At any time thge teacher can guide the direction of group converstaions by posting questions to the topic for students to respond to. Students are able to follow the teachers instructions and add their notes and later return to see if other students have added to their opinion.

Learning Theories
This form of discussion through collaborative learning succinctly alligns with the learning theory of connectivism. Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical. (Siemens, 2004)

Principles of connectivism:

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision. (Siemens, 2004)

References

Siemens, G, 2002, Connectivism, A learning theory for the digital age: Retrieved 18th August, 2009, from: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Provide content and activities via the LMS
Give students access in the classroom
Use the LMS assignment facility to see who has not finished exercises
Use the LMS for assessment
Does it work?
Used for two short intensive courses for public servants
To be used for courses in 2008/2009
Issues
Requires well designed, computer equipped classrooms
Requires good LMS (Moodle used)
Assumes computer skills for students and teachers
Will drive a demand for remote e-learning

e.Portfolio

A portfolio is a systemic and organized collection of work and assessments that documents a person’s efforts, progress and achievements. They can be used for education, career, and personal goals. They can be both formative or developmental and summative in nature.

The Classroom Context
Within the classroom context integgrating a portfolio based tool can have many uses from students developing their own unit of work, students and teacher adding to their portfolio as information and data is collected, collating evidence and also for reflection purposes. As students are developing their portfolio (which could also be developed over the course of a term or year) it allows them to reflect not only at the end of the unit but during the development of the topic. The portfolio can show the teacher whether the students have grasped the concepts

As a pre-service teacher
The professional portfolio in my opinion would be very effective when I come to the time of looking for my first teaching job. The Professional portfolio can map my journey of learning and provide a comprehensive description of my professional life and achievements. It can be a reflective, purposeful, analytic, and developmental way to demondtrate my abilities. it can also be used to summarise the sort of teacher I believe I am. I look forward to starting my new portfolio and believe by incorporating such ICT's, I am displaying enthusiasm and capabilities with modern technology.

RSS = Really Simple Syndication

What is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading.

What problem does RSS solve?
Most people are interested in many websites whose content changes on an unpredictable schedule. Examples of such websites are news sites, community and religious organization information pages, product information pages, medical websites, and weblogs. Repeatedly checking each website to see if there is any new content can be very tedious.

What information does RSS provide?
RSS provides very basic information to do its notification. It is made up of a list of items presented in order from newest to oldest. Each item usually consists of a simple title describing the item along with a more complete description and a link to a web page with the actual information being described. Sometimes this description is the full information you want to read

Tying it all together
Here is a diagram showing how the websites, the RSS feed XML files, and your personal computer are connected:

The diagram shows a web browser being used to read first Web Site 1 over the Internet and then Web Site 2. It also shows the RSS feed XML files for both websites being monitored simultaneously by an RSS Feed Aggregator. (Software Garden Inc., 2004).

How could this tool be used in the classroom?

As a Learning Manager I feel that this tool would be best used for managing and controlling information that the students are working on.With an aggregator, we can "subscribe" to favourite sites, including blogs, wikis, news sites, etc. and be notified when students have added new information to those sites via the RSS. .I prefer to use Google Reader as an RSS/Aggregator because it is easy to setup and use and gives me access to many other useful tools from my access point to ... calendar, iGoogle, documents, maps, photos, and much more. This tool as it seems may just lighten the load for teachers who are wanting to observe the students and know when and how they are interracting and contributing to the given topic. At the click of a button the teacher can identify who had contributed and whether they have been doing the recommended readings.

References:

Software Garden Inc, 2004, What is a RSS?, Retrieved 15th August 2009, from; http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html

Oliver's Learning Design Framework-Situated Learning

In 1999 Prof. Ron Oliver, a researcher in ICT learning, came up with a learning design framework for ICT learning environments that is still being used to develop high quality courses for the VET sector and education. (CQUniversity,blackboard, 2009).


Situated learning encourages learners to construct their own meaning from knowledge and information in the learning process and places an emphasis on interaction and socialisation
among learners. The application of this approach to learning suggests the
need for a revised framework to reflect the processes involved in flexible
and technology-based learning. (Refer to diagram). In such a setting, the critical elements
now appear as the content, the learning activities and the learning supports (figure 1). While these three elements still reflect aspects of the separate stakeholders, they emphasise more the activities of each in the learning process.

These elements provide a strong framework for
instructional design, and highlight the importance of planning specific roles for learners, the teacher and the technology in the learning
environment.

Further reading
For more information I have attached a link to this framework. This reading is very informative:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0158791990200205

References
Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education, 20(2), 240-254.

Learning through Webquests.

What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web.

Beyond that, WebQuests:

• can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;
• usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;
• are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it. (Educational Broadcasting, 2004),

While WebQuests can be applied to a wide range of topics, they aren't equally appropriate for everything. You wouldn't use a WebQuest to teach the times table. In other words, don't use WebQuests to teach factual pieces of information.
The best use of the WebQuest format is for topics that are less well-defined -- tasks that invite creativity and problems with several possible solutions. For example a technology unit may require the students to conduct an investigation. With a Webquest students are able to explore the topic, map out the required processes and USE the information to solve and reflect on the investigation.

With a technology unit based around a Webquest, collaborative learning skills should be encouraged and modelled by the teacher. With this in mind Johnson and Johnson (2000) have selected some critical aspects of what a successful cooperative learning environment should look like. They include:

• Positive interdependence
• Promotive Interraction
• Individual and group accountability
• Interpersonal and small group skills
• Group Processing

Webquests encourage these attributes and challenge the thinking patterns of our learners. I have looked at several webquests constructed and guided by teachers and they have clearly shown how effective this form of learning opportunity can be for our students. I also feel that organisation and planning is a must for this tool to be effective. It would be easy for the children to become confused if the steps are not explicit. Organisation for this type of learning experience will vary depending on the availability of resources. I believe it is how these resources (even if limited) are utilised that inform the success for the students' outcomes. Below I have provided a link to some video's that show how student outcomes can be met by using a WebQuest in the classroom: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index_sub4.html

WebQuests and Constructivism:

Constructivist authentic learning environments are defined as those learning
environments whose design is consistent with the principles of the more recent constructivist tradition on how people learn. As Herrington and Oliver (2000) point out, such learning environments typically provide authentic contexts and activities,access to expert performances, and support multiple roles and perspectives. In addition, such environments also support collaborative construction of knowledge and promote reflection and articulation. Finally, such environments may include coaching and scaffolding by the teacher and provide for authentic assessment of learning within tasks. With this in mind, using a constructivist approach to frame our planning, for example a WebQuest, the principles of constructivism are adhered to. Within a Webquest students are creating multiple perspectives and and at the same time collaboratively creating authentic learning experiences.

These authentic experiences succinctly line up with the 'Learning Engagement Theory' which has a group, project and authentic focus. This theory refers to learning environments and how our students need to relate to real-world, authentic problem-solving and then donate the solution back into the real world. This donating approach forms a rich task for students in which they can be engaged in authentic and real-life situations. (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1998).

The constructivist view of learning has its foundations in Piaget (1975) who believed that learning is not transmitted passively, but attained through well-defined stages by active participation of a learner. Vygotsky(1980), presented similar ideas but focused on the importance of socio-cultural activity in learning in addition to introducing flexible stages of development. (Zualkernan, 2006).

References:

Educational Broadcasting, 2004, Concept to classroom; What is a Web Quest? retrieved 17th August, 2009, from; http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/index.html

Dodge, B, 2001, International Society for Technology in Education, 5 rules for writing a great webquest. Retrieved 17th August, 2009, from; http://edWeb.sdsu.edu/Webquest

Central Queensland University. Course studyguide: Engagement Theory: Retrieved 10th August, 2009, from; http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=134

Zualkernan, I. A. (2006). A framework and a methodology for developing authentic constructivist e-Learning environments. Educational Technology & Society: Retrieved 17th August, 2009, from: http://www.ifets.info/journals/9_2/16.pdf

Wiki's are not difficult!

A Wiki is a collaboratively-edited website which many people also view as a publishing tool. The distinguishing feature of wikis is that they typically allow all users to edit any page, with full freedom to edit, change and delete the work of previous authors. Wiki's can be utilised for most grade levels and incorporated into any KLA. Here are some idea's;

• Study guides made by student groups for themselves and peers: each group prepares the guide for one aspect of the unit or responsibility rotates: one unit guide per semester.
• Vocabulary lists and examples of the words in use, contributed by students (ongoing throughout the year).
• The wiki as the organizational aspect of your class. Wiki all assignments, projects, collaboration, rubrics, etc.
• Products of research projects, especially collaborative group projects: They can include computer files, images, videos, etc. Creating an organizational structure for the content is an important part if the project.
• An annotated collection of EXAMPLES from the non-school world for anything: Illustrations can be included for visual representations.
• Students can construct their own class calendar of learning events for the term/year.
• Articles by students who miss school for family trips, written about their travels on the class wiki, relating what they see to concepts learned before they left.
• Have students post KWL entries and continue adding questions that occur to them as the unit progresses. As other students add their “answers,” the wiki will evolve into a student-created guide to the topic. (What is a Wiki, 2009).

Wiki's as Active Learning and the Learning Pyramid:

According to Dale's Cone (learning effectiveness), collaborative discussions make up 50% of our learning retention. This is a considerable jump as apposed to the 5% of information we retain within a lecture. It also shows that audio and visual activities have a retention rate of 20%. Through the implementation of a class Wiki, students participate not only within an on-line approach to learning but construct and control their own learning. Although the Wiki needs to be monitored and guided by the teacher, learning experiences through the use of a Wiki can capture the 'hands-on' approach to learning.

Wiki's and Mazlow's Hierarchy of Needs:
As I stated above Wiki's create opportunities for hands-on learning. I believe as a pre-service teacher that all students enjoy hands-on activities. If we look at Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs diagram self-esteem components such as achievement and recognition is the second highest level of effective learning. As student contribute to their class/individual wiki they can develop a sense of belonging as Maslow describes, can then anchor these attributes and result in the raising of self-esteem and satisfaction. Although self-esteem can be developed from the home setting and community I feel that all students, regardless of background, need to develop a sense of self-worth and I have found the Wiki to be most educational and a very flexible tool for developing such individual needs.




References:

Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Retrieved 16th August, 2009, from; http://www.psyctherapy.com/Enrolled/L3IndividualsMotivation.htm

What is a Wiki? Retrieved 16th August, 2009, from; http://www.usemod.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?WhatIsaWiki

Using 'Ning' in the classroom

Hello fellow bloggers: I have firstly put in a link to a U-Tube video which displays the uses of Ning and how it works as a social networking tool.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGb83rrs7WQ

So what is Ning?
Ning is a platform for creating your own social network. With Ning, your social network can be for anything and anyone. You start by naming your social network and choosing a combination of features (photos, videos, forums, events, etc.) from an ever-growing list of options. You can then customize your social network's appearance and launch it! People who join your social network will automatically have a customizable profile page and will be able to message and friend each other.
Concerns for Ning within the classroom context:
My concern with Ning is the security issues that may arise, although I have not completed my research on this tool I believe that passwords would need to be very explicit and we need to consider how do we give our students access to our private Ning site and prevent them from accessing the inapproapriate Ning sites too? If we allow www.ning.com to pass through our Internet filter we might have more problems than we imagined. Are school systems prepared for this? An educator posted a message saying that he had approached his ITC technicians for access to Ning, and they allowed him access to just one page of one network, the rest remained blocked.

So I hope this is achievable as I feel this is a really good tool for KLA's such as Literacy and The Arts. Students could retell a story from the point of view of a different character. This could then be shared by the class as they add to their ning page. Another great tool for collaborative learning.

References:
http://help.ning.com/cgi-bin/ning.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2695

Picnik Photo Enhancer (due to the university being unable to sign in to Picnik I was unable to apply a example of what Picnik can do.)

What is Picnik?
Picnik is an easy to use online image editor. It allows you to edit images uploaded from your computer, from an online source or even directly from your webcam. It is integrated with several other online services, for example flickr. Photo editing is a lot of fun and can be used by families, businesses, schools etc.
Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful editing tools. Tweak to your heart’s content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames. It's fast, easy, and fun. Here are some examples of what you can do with Picnik:

1. Fix and manipulate your photos in just one click
2. Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
3. Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
4. Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
5. Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
6. Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
7. Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers
8. Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
9. No download required, nothing to install

In investigating the use of Picnik for educational purposes I discovered a web site that describes a way in which it can be used for a primary school lesson. An educator posting on a web page called Open Source described her use of Picnik with sixth grade students by having them upload images and drawings into the program and edit them to make such items as CD covers. This demonstrates a real life example of the integration of Picnik into a learning environment.
This information was retrieved from
John Johnston . OpenSourceCPD. (No year listed)
http://www.opensourcecpd.org.uk/index.php?n=CpdOpportunities.Picnik

Below is an example of a similiar photo manipulation tool called Photoshop. This application could just as easily be used for educational purposes. This kind of activity would also be useful for building relationships within the classroom as the students bring in their photos to enhance they can construct re-counts or reports of the photo through the strand of literacy and then share with their peers.

Insert of photo TBA..

My Video

This is a very small example of a movie which I made at university. As I was shown this process Iwas surprised to see just how easy and quick it was. We had a basic digital camera and a small sound recorder which I believe can be bought for about $40. I then was shown how to link the visual and sound recordings together to make my movie. The whole process took about 30 minutes. Initially I had the presumption that movie making would be time consuming and complicated for primary students. Since making my own movie and conducting research on schools which provide opportunities for students to make movies, I decided I wanted to see what KLA's this technology would be effective in terms of student success and engagement.

I have found that making movies with students is a highly motivating activity and it can access all curriculum areas. I am assuming that the majority of my students would be have a interest in movies so a unit of work involving movie-making would value student’s existing knowledge of film genres and styles, and involve students in a range of literacy processes.

I then thought that it would assist in developing social skills as collaborative learning would be a strong focus due to time and resource availability. Connectedness to the real world is also a benefit as students can transfer their new knowledge and skills of movie-making to many areas of their lives. It can be a small, quick project or a longer, more complex activity and uses resources already existing in most schools.

Making short, simple movies as a cross-curricula activity can benefit from the following intended outcomes:
• Engages and motivates middle years students and supports multiliteracies
• Supports collaboration and strengthens professional links across schools
• Uses higher order thinking skills and actively involves multiple intelligences
• Develops ICT skills and film production skills for both students and teachers
• Helps students develop their understanding of curriculum units across many KLA’s, making sense of the world and students place within it
• Encourages the skills needed to analyze the media and foster appreciation of the art of movie making.

It also gives students the opportunity to see their creativity and skills develop from inspiration to performance.

I am questioning however, whether many teachers are savvy with this technology? Whether they are brave enough to embark on a totally different approach to learning opportunities? also Do teachers realise just how easy, with particular planning of course, it is to make a movie?

I would be very keen to implement a learning opportunity such a movie-making within my classroom and who knows maybe it could lead to the children participating within a short film festival! How exciting and collaborative would that be! As stated above Higher order thinking skills are a strong attribute in this sort of technology project and this has been examined below.

Critical and Creative Thinking - Bloom's Taxonomy
What are critical thinking and creative thinking?
Critical thinking involves logical thinking and reasoning including skills such as comparison, classification, sequencing, cause/effect, patterning, webbing, analogies, deductive and inductive reasoning, forecasting, planning, hyphothesizing, and critquing. Creative thinking involves creating something new or original. It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, metaphorical thinking, forced relationships. The aim of creative thinking is to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence.

How are the domains of learning reflected in technology-rich projects? Domain Attributes: interpersonal relations, emotions, attitudes, appreciations, and values accept attempts challenges, defends, disputes, joins, judges, contributes, praises, questions, shares, supports, volunteers

Here you will find some teaching resources, strategies, ideas and examples, as well as solving any small technical problems that arose for a school who implemented movie-making. Mark Richardson collated these resources on the Macintosh School’s Network web site, (http://wmr-msn.williamstownps.vic.edu.au/ictcurricideas/dvpd/dvpd.htm).

Resources:

Teacher Tap:Professional Development Resources for Teachers and Librarians: Retrieved 11August 2009 from: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htm

Theories Of Instructional Design

I found this slideshare relevant to our journey of E-Learning.


Reference:
http://www.slideshare.net/share/blogspot/999750

Theories Of Instructional Design

View more documents from Jordan .

Activate your students' minds',

What is EDHeads?
Edheads is an animation/simulation application which provides free educational activities for your classroom.
Edheads helps students learn through educational games and activities designed to meet state and national standards. Edheads partners with various school systems in the United States, which help them research, design and test activities every step of the way!
Not only do teachers and students appreciate the free activities, Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for their excellent educational content!

So how can Edheads be incorporated into the classroom planning?
Here is an example of the Edheads tool being used for the planning of a science or Technology lesson for year 5 students.

TechnologicalDesign
Students can revise an existing design used to solve a problem based on peer review. Following this students then explain how the solution to one problem may create other problems.

Scientific Inquiry
Students can evaluate observations and measurements made by other people and identify reasons for any discrepancies. Then using their evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of their investigations. Following this students could explain why the results of an experiment are sometimes different

Reflection:
I recently completed a unit on weather for my students on prac. Throughout this unit I included a guest speaker (weatherman) and provided a kit for the students to analyse how clouds are formed. This was a lot of fun1 Following this the students then wrote a report for their local paper to advise of their new information on the formation of clouds.

However, after investigating the tool 'EdHeads' I am wishing I knew about this tool before this unit of work. What a great tool for analysing and predicting the weather. Here, I would have wanted the children to use their evidence from their cloud data tool to explain their findings by creating their own Edhead design. This is a great rich task in completing a unit and i know the children would have had a lot of fun so they would be engaged throughout the whole unit.

Below I have posted the URL for an Edhead activity...However, a child's imagination and peer collaboration, in my mind, is where this tool really has an advantage.

http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/frame_loader.htm

References:
http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/frame_loader.htm

Demonstration of Voice Thread Tool

Hi Bloggers
Take a look at this video demonstration of Voice Thread. The second URL is fantastic! It shows 17 strategies of encorporating voicethread into the classroom. These are really worth a look, so enjoy and share!


http://voicethread.com/share/409/

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_245f2nkv3g3


References
Barrett.T. (2009),ICT In my classroom. Retrieved 3 August 2009 from:
http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/

Tagcrowd and Blooms Taxonomy

analysis appraise arrange assemble assess benjamin bloom choose classify compare core criticize design develop discuss educational evaluation examples facts found headed identify important intellectual interpret level list lowest manage name order plan possible propose psychologists question rate recall recognition recognize repeat represent reproduce schedule select simple six test translate verb

Tag Crowd is fantastic for the visual learner! Tag Crowd is a web application for visualizing word frequencies in any user-supplied text by creating what is popularly known as a tag cloud or text cloud. It was created by Daniel Steinbock, a doctoral student in Design and Education at Stanford University.
When we look at a text cloud, we see not only an informative, but images that communicates in a single glance, we see a whole new perspective on text.
TagCrowd would be an effective, visual tool for our classrooms particularly as topic summaries for speeches and written works . In my opinion it would most benefit students in reflecting on their work. Another way to incorporates this tool is for the use of literacy learning. Here students can use this tool for the development and experimentation of poetry planning and writing.

However, as I said this tool would be useful for the visual learner. I feel that there may be a limit to what we can do pedagogically with this tool.There’s not a whole lot you can do pedagogically but it could come in handy for improving the vocabulary of student topics. I feel that a great teacher of literacy involves helping students' to 'visualise the language' so with this advantage and also the fact that students would enjoy this tool I would love to employ such an application into my planning process.

Google Maps

Have a look at my uni!


View My Uni in a larger map


Today we looked at Google Maps. As I developed knowledge of this tool, I started to think of many uses for Google Maps within the classroom. The map i have provided is of my uni CQUniversity in Bundaberg. Below I have listed some effective strategies in incorporating this tool into the classroom.

1. View the location of a field trip in Google Earth before you actually visit.
2. Embed media in Google Earth from web sites like Youtube, Voicethread and Slideshare
3. Use the Line and Path measurement tools to find distances that are challenging to measure.This is a great section of the tool.For visual students the Line and Path measurement places a real-life perspectives on the distance they are measuring.
4. Use the KML data file of the leaf colour in the UK for your science lessons. Track the colour as it changes throughout the seasons
5. A great collaborative assignment would be to have students plan and construct the next great city in Google Earth. Find a massive area of undeveloped land within GE, and let the fun begin.

Podcasts for Primary Schools

A tool such as podcasting is useful within the classroom and in many ways. Although I am new to this tool I have been asking a few friends if they use it in their planning. One friend said she has used it and found that it took the topic to a new level (higher order thinking) of thinking. It surprised her to see how much the children already knew about podcasts. Another friend said she planned to use the tool but ran out of time. However, she is planning on doing more research herself next time before incorporating it into her lessons.
I feel that this is a general consensis with a lot of teachers, where their knowledge and confidence of using such tools is not of standard and, as time is everything in the classroom ICT's are often left for another time. This is such a shame as these tools can take all students to a new level of thinking, learning and reflecting.

Here are some idea's I have found for using podcasts within the classroom. I highly recommend playing with podcasts/vodcasts before incorporating it into your planning, but most of all avoid putting such great tools into the too hard basket.


1. Encourage students to review a book they've read in an informal chat session.
2. Let students read a play with sound effects (e.g. door closing, footsteps).
3. Let them interview someone, like a television reporter with breaking news.
4. Do a running commentary on school activities or news. (Daily or weekly, as is convenient for your situation)
5. As a link, discussing a Science experiment or Social Studies project they may have blogged about. (To go into more detail or maybe to clarify an issue)
6. As a public speaking forum, where students give speeches on topics.
7. To keep the school community updated on upcoming events.
8. To listen to and talk to students from another school, perhaps even in another country.
9. To insert excerpts from school concerts etc. on a website or blog.

I don't believe in the saying 'the sky's the limit' because as a teacher we can take our students so much further than that, and ICT's are a perfect guide through their journey of learning.

Podcasts for Primary Schools

View more presentations from wattle.

Find my Podcast feed here:


References:
Learning to teach.(2009).Using podcasts in the classroom retrieved 2 August 2009 from:
http://learning-to-teach.blogspot.com/2006/07/using-podcasts-in-classroom.html

New site for Powerpoint Backgrounds!

These PowerPoint® templates and backgrounds will freshen any presentation! Flash-animated and classroom game PowerPoint templates are also included.What fun our students could have with these!

http://www.getworksheets.com/samples/powerpoint/index.html

Why not incorporate Powerpoint into your planning!

Is it collaborative learning?
Educational‘theorists’ such as Vygotsky and Bruner tell us that interaction with others is of crucial importance in learning.As a pre-service teacher I foresee the importance of collaborative learning.I have listed below the benefits to using powerpoint as a tool within the classroom. However i wanted to also display another useful tool that involves the use of collaboration between students where powerpoint as a tool may not.

The electronic whiteboard connected to a network means that the children have a
world of resources at their finger tips ready for discussion, to test hypotheses and
research. The children do this as a large co-operative group. It ensures that learning becomes a much more collaborative and social process therefore a much more
powerful way of learning across the curriculum. Teachers and pupils are able to discuss, modify and extend ideas in a shared arena.

Powerpoint
Powerpoint is not new to todays' classrooms. for almost a decade now teachers have been incorporating powerpoints both into their topic presentations and for students to use as a research/presentation tool. Microsoft PowerPoint is beginning to pop-up in classrooms of all levels across the nation.

PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-directed situation. It can add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain new concepts. Used properly, PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for delivering new information. Employed inappropriately, PowerPoint could potentially confuse students and make learning a difficult process.

There are plenty of sites on the web that allow you to access many types of different media (pictures, sounds, movies, etc.) for free.
Try www.lycos.com , www.av.com, images.google.com.

What's Good About PowerPoint?em>

1. PowerPoint is fun to watch and fun to make.

2. Used correctly, PowerPoint can accommodate all learners' needs.

3. It has a spell-check function! Something our black boards and overheads lack.

4. It motivates students when used in moderation.

5. It motivates staff.

6. PowerPoint allows you to reflect on your lesson and correct any needed changes. Finally, you can create the perfect lesson!

7. Imagine to be able to print out what you did in class for students that were absent. Better yet, turn the accountability on to students and post your presentations on-line.

8. PowerPoint is not hard to learn. Our technology staff rates it a "B+" for ease of use. It should take about one hour to learn the basics.

What's Bad About PowerPoint?em>

1. Content can sometimes take a back seat to flash. Watch-out for triple "P."

2. Computers crash, networks go down, viruses can plague computers! Always have a back-up plan!

3. Overuse can bore learners and diminish PowerPoint's effectiveness.

4. Classrooms need large monitors or projectors to display presentations. Make sure your technology plan furnishes this. With simple TV-out cards or VGA-TV converters, this can be easily accomplished.

5. A successful presentation can take several hours to develop.

I have provided a link below to a powerpoint presentation that a peer and I developed for our Ensuring Student Success course. The powerpoint was used to guide our listeners throug our presentation on the topic of 'gender inequities in the classroom'. We had a lot of fun developing this powerpoint.

P point TBA



References
http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/powerpoint/the_good/

Technology in the Classroom

Technology can help facilitate the knowledge-constructed classroom. A number of researchers ([Bork, 1985, Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition, 1989, Papert, 1980 and Ragosta, 1983]) views computers as having an influential effect on the teaching and learning processes. They state that with the use of computers in the classroom, schools would become more student-centered and that more individualized learning would take place than ever before.

In the student-centered classrooms of today, with the aid of the computer, students are able to collaborate, to use critical thinking, and to find alternatives to solutions of problems ([Jaber, 1997]). But the shift from teacher-centered delivery to a student-centered model potentially leads to a resistance in change. Student-centered teaching is challenging educators to restudy their teaching methods and student learning methods ( [Jaber, 1997]).

Research done by [Dwyer et al., 1991] indicates that computers can be used in collaboration for all subject areas, but that teachers have to take into account the different styles of teaching and the students involved in this learning. This type of teaching requires a change in the teacher's method of teaching and learning, the amount of time needed to learn how to use the technology and the location of models that work with technology ( [Sheingold and Hadley, 1990. K. Sheingold and M. Hadley, Accomplished teachers: integrating computers into classroom practice. , Bank Street College of Education, New York (1990).Sheingold and Hadley, 1990]).

[Negroponte et al., 1997] argue:

…that digital technologies can enable students to become more active and independent learners. The Internet will allow new “knowledge-building communities” in which children and adults from around the globe can collaborate and learn from each other. Computers will allow students to take charge of their own learning through direct exploration, expression, and experience. This shifts the student's role from “being taught” to “learning” and the teacher's role from “expert” to “collaborator” or “guide”.


References
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCJ-497YSWN-1&_user=409397&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=966886236&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000019483&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=409397&md5=2af6594c200d7cb88a6bb9240ee2e044

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Learning Theories and The Next Generation

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Learning Theories & The Next Generation:

View more presentations from Gayla Keesee.

This slideshare covers a variety of teaching methods and theories. Some of these I have added extra information below as per relevance to the classroom. This blog will be added to in the coming weeks:

• Knowledge is specific content: Traditionally teachers felt that all students needed was the transmittal of knowledge from the teacher to the student. Today, it is recognised that students arrive at school a wide range of experiences and knowledge that can be created and expanded into valuable life-long learning experiences.


• Blooms Taxonomy: TBA


• Cognitivism: It is now recognised that valuable learning experiences develop a form of schema to help students in making connections to their prior knowledge.


• Paradigm Shift: Today teachers encourage social interractions both in and outside the classroom. This is demonstrated through supportive and guided teaching rather than the traditional methods of a chalkboard and rows of individual desks. Grouping desks is a fine example of collaborative learning.


• Connectivism: This theory devised by George Siemens is the application of network principles to define both knowledge and the process of learning. Knowledge is defined as a particular pattern of relationships and learning is defined as the creation of new connections and patterns as well as the ability to maneuver around existing networks/patterns. The "more" of information and technology today, and the need to stay current, forms the climate that gives roots to connectivism."

References:

(http://connectivism.ca/blog/2008/08/what_is_the_unique_idea_in_con.html)

Dorris - The Idealist!

I am a Idealist in terms of my learning style and below I have selected some of the many core characteristics which I feel are applicable to benefiting my classroom pedagogy:

• Idealists are enthusiastic, they trust their intuition, and dream of attaining wisdom.
• Idealists pride themselves on being , kindhearted, and authentic.
• Idealists tend to be giving, trusting, spiritual, always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination and they want to help others make the journey.
• Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.
• Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals.
• unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all.
• they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood.
• Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness.
• they strive for a special rapport with their children; Idealists are relatively rare, making up no more than 15 to 20 percent of the population.
• their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.
• Princess Diana, Joan Baez, Albert Schweitzer, Bill Moyers, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mohandas Gandhi, Mikhael Gorbachev, and Oprah Winfrey are examples of Idealists.

Reflection:

I was surprised to see that my learning style was rather accurate in terms of my personality and learning-style. Although some of the other learning-styles also made connections this one being the Idealist certainly hit the nail on the head! I thought however, it would be relevant to look at how these attributes may hinder the pedagogy or daily running of my classroom. Here are a few concerns:

• As an idealist I am kindhearted and giving. I must admit when my daughter was a young girl she recieved far too many chances in terms of discipline, and I do consider discipline to be the last resort within my classroom. As a way around this I ensure that i have developed a sincere relationship with my students and therefore, there is a trusting ,respectful relationship between us and discipline is minimised and managed effectively.
• As an idealist I strive to help people and am always looking for the underlying messages that are a cry for help or support. Sometimes within my classroom i am drawn to the aspects of children who need this help-and feel saddened and inclined to help, knowing that this is not my area of expertise. I often wonder if I don't help this child will someone else?

Ideally I like to inspire people and I strive to ensure a classroom which models these kind of attributes which can effectively contribute to a enjoyable learning environment for both the students and the teacher.

References:

http://learning-styles-online.com/

My Inventory Results

TRY YOUR TRAITS BEFORE TRYING FATE!

After completing the questionnaire, I was able to obtain the description of my personality type .

These are the results of my inventory. The scores are out of 20 for each style. A score of 20 indicates that I use that style often.

My Style Scores :

Visual 14 , Social 19, Physical 16 ,Aural 16 ,Verbal 18, Solitary 16 , Logical 9




Inventory Tool and how it can be used within the classroom

I am interested in giving this simple assessment to my students and find ways to alter my teaching to meet the needs that this test demonstrates in my students.

However, as an alternative I found this site below which showed a good example of how a 'personality test' could be incorporated into a English unit. The unit is based around the book "Withering Heights".

They suggested to conduct a personality test on one of the main characters. The personality test students take can also be used on characters from the novel. The class can discuss the different characters and how their varying power affects the plot. Also, how would the characters act outside of the Wuthering Heights environment? How would they be treated in today’s world? Are there people like them today? I have provided the link to this site below, it is well worth a look and a great future resource.

Resources:
http://english.byu.edu/novelinks/Novel%20pages/Wuthering%20Heights.htm
http://www.humanmetrics.com/

Google Reader

Google Reader although appearing similar in components as Delicious bookmarking, has a few outstanding qualities that would again be a useful time saver for teachers of the twenty-first century.
As a pre-service teacher it is important to maximise the available time I have for reading what matters the most to my studies and preparation of lesson plans. Google reader allows me to sort my reading list by relevance and also search for blogs and sites that I may have previously missed by utilising the ‘Discover’ option on Google Reader. This option finds blogs and sites that are based on my existing topics and therefore adds to my subscriptions for me.
Similar to Delicious, Google Reader allows for friends and colleagues to be invited to your site and share your subscriptions. This again is a form of opening the channels of communication and particularly as a new teacher to a school, this would be a clever way to make friends or introduce you to new colleagues.

I am finding this research to these applications very interesting as I am rather new to these forms of communication. I feel that as part of the responsibility of today’s teachers, technology is moving at a much faster rate than I will ever maintain. However, if we are able to decipher and implement a percentage of such technologies, we are helping to maintain student interests’ thus promoting a climate within the classroom that encourages communication and valuable learning. Teachers are striving to maintain student interest and keep students at school and these programs such as Google Reader, Delicious and Blogging this may just open the doors for these students who could otherwise be lost in the system.

Delicious Bookmarking

Delicious is a simple and effective tool for tagging information and websites for future access. I imagine Delicious to be my own personal library. The difference is that my library of information can be accessed at home, when I am out, or at school. Information I have found on the internet, that I am interested in reading, can simply be tagged onto my delicious account.

It is a well known fact that the responsibilities of teachers within today’s society have greatly increased as apposed to the teaching practices of the past. During the 1960’s our classrooms began to change in reference to the responsibility of the teacher. Within the past teaching was seen as a ‘lonely, isolated endeavour in which teachers jealously guarded their lesson plans and this has undergone significant change.’ (Serber, 2008). As technology changed, the availability of resources contributed to a greater collaboration between teachers. Tools such as delicious can provide the organisation of information that teachers can openly share at the click of a button. I might also add that their may be a reduction in the tree lopping as these ideas are shared on-line and therefore less paper is being printed.

I now understand that there are two types of tagging. Bookmarking is where we save addresses of a Website that we may wish to visit at a later date. Social Bookmarking is where we save bookmarks to a public Website. Social bookmarking within the school is again, a form of communication and a way to intrigue students about a subject as they use technology which the majority use frequently. I feel that tapping into the students interests’ is fundamental to the delivery of topics within the classroom.

References
Serber, M, (2008) History Education Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow .Retrieved on May 12, 2009, from: http://www.oah.org/pubs/nl/2008feb/serber.html

'Blogging with Students'

• 
  
  Hello fellow bloggers, this week I have discovered a thing or two about the communication tool of blogging. Being that this is new to me, I firstly needed to research others’ points of view to the benefits and possible complications of this tool. Following this research I was able to form a personal viewpoint of how this tool can benefit the learning within a classroom.
  
  As a pre-service teacher I am certainly interested in opening the communication barriers within my classroom, so is this the way to go about it? Here I have posted my thoughts on some of the strategies as to how blogging can be incorporated into the classroom.
  
• Students’ can read up on school/classroom information for example a weekly newsletter.
• Blogging can be used as a reading discussion and book reviews.
• Interesting news reports can be posted where students’ can respond with their thoughts and ideas on the topic which can ideally be linked to their current unit of work.
• Blogging can be used to enhance communication and promote self/peer reflections and feedback.
• Promote etiquette of formal writing.
• Encourage students to post their ideas for topic choices of study and as a class decide scaffold their own learning.
• Individualise student blogs where student’s progress can be discussed and monitored by the teacher.
• Students can post assignments on their blog and share ideas with other students’.
  
  Another positive side to blogging is the enjoyment received by the students’. The principal at the Institute of St. Joseph in Quebec City referred blogging as the ‘Virtual extension of the classroom’. (Downes, S. 2004). A study, as carried out by Stephen Downes who is a researcher with the E-Learning Research Group in Canada, quoted a student’s view on blogging to enhance learning. The fifth grade student said: 'The blogs give us a chance to communicate between us and motivate us to write more'. (Downes, S. 2004). This student also pointed out that ‘by reading other peers’ comments, we can know our own weaknesses and strengths’.
  
  This is a valuable comment and this communication would not just be between the students’ but also between the teacher and the students and the students’ and the school community. It is of my opinion that this tool be of most benefit as a communication and reflective tool at the same time increasing the students’ enjoyment of learning.
  
  There will however, be some possible downfalls to implementing a tool such as blogging into the classroom. These are my findings:

• Not all students have access to a computer at home.
• Well planned and explicit teaching would be needed to scaffold the teachers expectations.
• Time efficiency.
• Security and privacy of individual’s work may be jeopardised if the system is not secure.
• Mixing schoolwork and social conversations by blogging may reduce the focus of the topic.
  
  So after more consideration I have arrived at a few of my own questions in reference to blogging in the classroom. I am interested to see how many more students will complete their homework by blogging rather than the conventional method of the pen and paper? Also where will the teacher find time to deliver such strategies into our curriculum? And if any one knows, I am keen to know how many schools have blogging as a tool within their school?