Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Synopsis - Katrina


Upon commencing the Managing E-learning course the E-learning concept was about experiencing the use of different technological devices, software and hardware.  Having spent the past few weeks looking more closely at the use of ICTs in the classroom, there are many more elements to consider.

As Jacquie Poole (FAHE1101 Managing E-Learning presented at Central Queensland University, Noosa, August 2012) has discussed in lectures, there needs to be a purpose for students to use ICTs.  This learning that surrounds technology shouldn’t be solely about how to use the hardware or software but should encompass curriculum content and flow seamlessly between the two areas.

Marzano (2009) states that reflection and feedback are an imperative part of the art and science of teaching, which is what we, as pre-service teachers are essentially doing here with this blog.  Being able to analyse the effectiveness of our processes is imperative and directly related to the learning of our future students.

The concept of participating in the mobile phone wiki wasn’t a new experience for me. I have been required to complete many assessment items and to work through questions and problems surrounding assignments, to learn and contribute collectively prior to managing e-learning subject.  Personally I think using Wiki’s alone is becoming over used and there are other ways in which to collaboratively construct and learn through software that hasn’t been explored as much.  Google docs allows for sharing of documents but also provides a space in which students can edit a space together.  There needs to be consideration for the audience at which the learning experience is aimed to avoid copying of peers and experts on the web and the possibility that the works of others could be deleted either deliberately or accidentally.  The information contributed by students may not necessarily be correct and close monitoring would be required by the teacher utilizing such a space however, as the teacher is only monitoring, the students may gain some sense of ownership for their work and that of their cohort.

Careful scaffolding is needed to ensure that the contributions are purposeful and align with the content and the learning outcomes required.  Introducing DE Bono’s thinking hats provides a framework to help structure the thinking and processing of information by students however there are endless options as to how a learning manager could implement this in the classroom. 

Personally I don’t believe there is a place for mobile phones in the classroom.  If a teacher was to believe that they could be used to teach because of apps and gadgets then I would suggest using ipods or other technological devices that can replace them and still serve the same purpose.  Children need to be able to focus on the learning required of them and in case of an emergency or getting a message to them, there are other people employed at a school that can pass the information on to the student.   Let’s not forget that the very first mobile phone was invented in 1973 and could only make phone calls (When Was It Invented, n.d.) and the first iphone wasn’t released until 2007 (Wikipedia, n.d.).  Can anyone even remember what life was like before mobile phones?


Online Spaces:
Although I have tested wix.com on my blog I have gone on to have the most success with Weebly.com as an online space application.  Its diversity to include add-ons and embed external content is straightforward and reliable.  I have constructed several webpages with it for different purposes; science assignment, science expert groups allowing easy collaboration between three group members, a numeracy assessment and for personal use.

I have seen EdStudio in use in the classroom and believe that Weebly would be the next best application if EdStudio wasn’t available.  The ability to communicate with students using comments and message boards is great.  A web space like this could use just one page as an introduction to a unit or topic or contain a whole unit of work and a place in which students would collaborate their information and extend their learning.  Other activities and links are easily added to scaffold students learning and provides options when differentiating assessment.

Whatever web space is utilized, careful monitoring of the content of the page and the access needs to be considered.  The page needs to be secure so that only those who need to access it can and that the content isn’t visible to the whole world to protect the work and identity of those who have contributed.

Visual & audio tools:
Its astonishing to think that Prings (2012) research reveals “One hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second -  that’s 24 hours of video every 24 seconds, 60 hours a minute, 9 months every 2 hours, a decade every single day and a century every 10 days”

The shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 is evident on Avenue Nepal’s (2008) comparison with the introduction of social media and youtube applications alike.  We have obviously moved from being a society full of consumers to consumers who also want to produce and contribute to the abundance of information floating around out there on the web.

I have experienced the pleasure of successfully embedding a youtube clip into my blog based on the type of dancing I like to do and have done for more than 10 years now.  Although I have previously only uploaded one of my own youtube videos as part of an assignment for university, I can see the advantages to using this type of presentation in the classroom.  Students could record and play their work to the class, parents, other classes in the school or even send the link to a class on the other side of the world.  It could also be used to inform students of particular concepts that may be studied in class or to see how other people would approach a particular problem.

When placing security sensitive material like this on the web, the relevant settings need to be put in place to protect the students and teacher.  The video upload needs to be made private so that only those people who have access to the link are able to view it.


Presentation tools:
Whilst I have heard many negative opinions about Prezi, I believe there are some great features when using it.  The ability to direct the progress through a topic or information is fantastic.  I do agree that sometimes the speed and movement can make some people feel seasick however it takes a lot of work in a software program like powerpoint to make that same movement happen.  With Prezi, it’s as simple as mapping out the progression and clicking through.

Its disappointing that the free version only allows limited colours and features however if you were able to purchase a version to use in the classroom students could use Prezi to do a recount or retell about their camp or excursion and show parents and students.  The teacher could use it as a simple feed-forward process to guide students at the beginning of a topic as to where they will head with it and what will be required of them.  This would cater to the visual learners in the class.  For older students, they may be presented with a prezi containing information or pictures that need to be ordered as a form of assessment.  They may be required to map out the progressions and show this to the class or teacher.

Whilst you require a secure log in for this application, the protection of that log in would need to be kept private.  I don’t believe that there is a huge security issue as it requires a lot of effort to finalise a presentation and post or use a link to send to people in order to share it with others, however the content on the prezi would be the concern of the teacher and ensuring students are working with relevant material.

Animation/simulation tools:
Airpano.com is my favorite find during my course of Managing E-learning. 
Imagine wishing you could go to a place in the world to see a particular landmark or city, well just jump onto airpano.com and you can go! Whilst they’re still working on expanding the database, this website provides the ability for teachers and students to view a place from many perspective abilities similar to Google Earth to toggle the angles and definition almost as good as if you were really standing there.

This has so many applications in a classroom for me.  From SOSE geographical topics looking at places around the world, features of the place to historical studies like how a place has changed, looking at older photos compared with the view on airpano.com now.  Students may be encouraged to look at calculating population per area and pick an area from airpano.com or having picked a destination, write a persuasive piece about why you should go there and what to see.  Perhaps they pretend to be a monument in the city or landmark from airpan.com and they write about what they see and a day in the life of the particular structure.  Maybe it comes down to science and having chosen an airpano.com shot, they investigate why certain building materials have been used and their properties, how old they are and how you could find out their age. 

As airpano.com is currently provided free by a group of photographers trying to compile a fantastic database of the worlds landscapes and landmarks, I don’t believe that it would pose a huge security issue however copying the video file or manipulating it into another application wouldn’t be possible.  The correct attribution would be needed.

Having examined ICTs and their uses, it was interesting to read in Marzano’s (2009) article a study was conducted with 85 teachers and 170 classrooms looking at the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards.  Unfortunately “one of the more interesting findings from the study was that in 23% of the cases, teachers had better results without the interactive whiteboards.” Some reasons for this was that the teachers weren’t following through on the outcomes of activities that used ICTs, the timing and arrangement of the digital content wasn’t effective i.e. not enough time for students to gain information from slides or videos and too many images and pictures that prevented students from deciphering the information needed. 

Marzano (2009) also stated that these types of tools needs to be used “thoughtfully in accordance with what we know about good classroom practice.”  Having spent the time to work with and analyse a minute portion of the tools available out there I have discovered the need to be very selective, make it purposeful and ensure that the use of ICTs in my classroom assist in achieving learning outcomes for my students.

References

Avenues Nepal. (2008). Web1.0 Vs Web 2.0 Retrieved from http://web-updates.avenuesnepal.com/web-10-vs-web-20/

Marzano, Dr. R. (30 Nov 2009). Marzano Art & Science of Teaching Observation and Feedback protocol [Youtube audio and video clip]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdfEm_wIEtM.

Marzano, R. (2009) The Art & Science of Teaching: Teaching with interactive whiteboards. p. 80 – 82.

Pring, C. (2012). 100 more social media statistics for 2012. Retrieved from http://thesocialskinny.com/100-more-social-media-statistics-for-2012/

When Was It Invented. (n.d.).  When was the cell phone invented? Retrieved from http://www.whenwasitinvented.org/?s=mobile+phone

Wikipedia (n.d.) History of the iphone: origins. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_iPhone

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Google Drive!

Hi all,

I know that its always a concern when it comes to backing up things especially at assignment time but thinking about the future for all of us teachers!

I know there's Google Docs but when I went to upload an item to google docs tonight I came across Google Drive - you get 5GB of space FREE!!!

If you haven't got an external hard drive or want MORE space - give it a go! You do need the internet to access it but its compatible with all items -> PC, Mac, iPhone, android phones etc.

Cheers!

Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Glogging with Glogster!

http://s0207204.edu.glogster.com/year-7-earth-space/

Here I have created my first Glogster - mocked up of course (please ignore the name of the page).

I do see a use for this static space by adding links and information directed from this page but it lacks the flexibility of widgets and html embedding for the likes of Vokis and other html coded add ons.

HOWEVER, it is possible to add vokis by means of deciphering the voki code to find the relevant html information, copy and open that in a new internet browser, screen record the voki playing (using another software), save that video, go into glogster and upload the video you took of the voki.

Not impossible but more effort required than other sites that provide for direct embedding.

For Glogster I took a screen grab of my character.  I uploaded the picture of my voki and provided a link for him to the voki webpage therefore clicking on the image of my alien will take you to a site where he will play.  He works find but its not as integrated and smooth as I would've liked.

Networking and collaboration - check out airpano!

When you get a minute check out...

www.airpano.com (or google it!)

On tv yesterday my mum saw this on channel 10 (i think)
When I got home yesterday from uni she told me about it - thought it might be useful for uni stuff
I then jumped online for my SOSE subject and added a post to the forum communicating this awesome website with the others in my class
I now want to share this with others around me at uni hence putting it on my MeL blog!

In 24hours its reached a LOT of people.  This just emphasised how important it is to have a support and professional network around you as a teacher.  I can't imagine getting through uni without a similar support group around me and I hope that I stay in touch with such wonderful people well into our careers!

This is such a great tool to use for subjects like SOSE and geographical/historical studies to look at changes that have happened in a real place over time or to visit a landmark or monument without leaving the classroom.  It's real, its current and students can relate to it.

Monday, 30 July 2012

This image size is 1.3MB taken on my mobile phone when we visited the Bundaberg factory







This image is the resized copy of the one above and is now 600 x 800 pixels and only 123kb







This image has been put into word and had the background removed
The image would be less grainy if I had started again with the original sized image.  The more images are manipulated with and changed the more quality you lose from the image.  Best to start with the biggest and best picture you can! 




This image is a mixed up photo collage with some iArt additions 




Etiquette on the Net - Netiquette!

http://www.bridge.edu.au/en/collaborations/etiquette,_netiquette_and_cyber_safety.html

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Kids/Tips%20to%20stay%20safe%20and%20cybersmart/Netiquette.aspx

Some great sites when considering our student's safety on the net!

Netiquette takes one a wider focus for me now as a pre-service teacher.  Prior to E-learning, it was about NOT PUTTING THINGS IN CAPS AND SHOUTING, adding a :) to your email to show some emotions and putting a great deal of consideration into how you worded your online comments considering no one can tell your tone.

My consideration has definitely taken a wider scope to consider my professional digital footprint, those of my future students and their safety and wellbeing.  I look forward to educating my students about taking the security of their identity seriously and that they can still have fun and remain safe online.

It also includes some serious education of my own regarding use and copyright issues.  How and when we can use students' work, how to show it and where we can show it.  I believe I will be doing some further research into these matters so that I don't put myself or my students in jeopardy with copyright laws and intellectual property.




Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Uses for ICTS in the classroom

use EdStudio (the learning place) to create a class webpage and put up homework, spelling, challenge activities, links to mathletics, educational simulations, topical/subject information (create hard copies for those students who don't have access or encourage them to come into the classroom prior to school) 

use ipods to take photos of science experiments and create a journal with a blogger account

interactive whiteboard for playing spelling games/math games integrated into literacy/numeracy lessons

use school/classroom computers for research projects

teacher could use wix, weebly or webs to make webquests for students to follow

and could make use of such widgets and accessories like Voki to provide instructions

nintendo DSis (education games only) could be used as a reward system for students 

audio centre (headphones and hi-fi/computer) could be utilised for comprehension activities (students who may be more auditory learners)

teacher may use a 'wand scanner' to quickly access documents or items to put on an interactive whiteboard to show students 

blurb.com might be used by small groups of students to communicate their learning of certain topics by creating a book 

video recording equipment/digital cameras may be used to capture still or video regarding steps to take in an experiment or communicate how something works and then... 

place a slideshow or edited video on youtube 

use a blog program such as wordpress or google blogger to create free digital student portfolios for their work and class contributions throughout the year



I shall keep adding to this as I think of more things.... 



iPhone app active!!!

Wahoo!

Finally got the iPhone blogger app so I can blog all day and night! Ppffttt.

Yup. Typical gen y I hear! Twitch speed all the way

AHUH moment!

How to add a blog to your reading list (when they don't have a follow me widget)

On the desktop for blogger, the left hand side there is a 'reading list'
Under that is an 'add' button
you can put the url of the blog you wish to follow and manually add them to your 'watch list'

Yyiippeeeee

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Rock N a Hard Place!

Hey all, 

Whether its because I'm dehydrated and not thinking straight or whether i've had a brain wave... I feel I need to share this... 

Those of you who know me well, know how much I enjoy helping others so what i'm about to type will be taken in the correct context.  Those of you who aren't as familiar with me, please don't be offended. 

OOoohh I'm getting a bit D&M on myself LOL! 

Ok, sitting here reading through my blog and the entries on other people's blogs I realise that I sometimes am at war with myself when it comes to helping others.  

1) to understand the problem and find a solution I initially sit and go through options and possible solutions to the issue until I find something that works - this comes naturally to me (being a digital native - Prensky)

2) if i'm doing this to assist someone else, I try to undo anything I've done and explain what I'm doing and why so that they grasp the concept and steps behind why it wasn't working or couldn't do it in the first place

3) sometimes I wonder whether saying yes to assisting or stepping in with solutions for people is the right thing to do; I have only learned what I know by going through my own frustration, a little bit of growing up with ICT all my life and pure trial and error.  If I decline to assist someone, am I teaching them more than what I could if I helped???? 

So sometimes I wonder whether I should "get back in my box" rather than jump in or be so willing to help but then again if i have the knowledge I'm more than willing to share what I know.  This is the dilemma I come to... 

COMMENTS WELCOMED!  :)  to help me at my cross roads  ;)

www.nationalgeographic.com 


Cheers
Kat