Saturday, August 22, 2009

Reflective Synopsis

Before starting this journey I had never heard of the 'Digital Native' and the 'Digital Immigrant'. This has now become my catch cry. When I am frustrated with technology I merely take a step back, count to ten and say out loud 'I am a digital immigrant, my papers have not come through yet, but one day when I have proved myself to this digital world I will be accepted and I will pledge allegiance.' There is a saying that goes something like this "You have to crawl before you can walk". I am like a baby learning to walk. In this process I feel that perhaps I am at the stage of almost crawling making my way to walking. This journey for me has been steps. Sometimes tiny steps at other times it feels as though I have been pushed to walk before I have been ready. And perhaps I have needed this push for if I am not pushed into this digital world I will be left behind. I will be failing myself and I will be failing my students by not embracing digital technology.
In this process of digital discovery I have been like an explorer chartering waters not yet travelled. At times a very frightening process at other times quite exhilarating especially when I have discovered that 'yes' I can do this. The light bulb moment of 'Wow I actually did that without breaking my computer!" That may sound strange to all those digital natives out there but for me it is a real fear.

'To effectively participate in this future, students are required to be lifelong learners, develop transferable skills that enables them to contribute to a meaningful society (Qld College of Teachers 2006).'

For my students to be lifelong learners, develop transferable skills and contribute to a meaningful society I must be armed with the skills to pass these on to my students. If I have a limited knowledge of the digital world then I can only pass on limited knowledge to my students but if I empower myself with knowledge and a willingness to learn then I will inevitably pass these skills and knowledge onto my students. I cannot live with my head in the sand anymore when it comes to e-learning. I have to be willing to learn, to take risks, to look outside of the box in my efforts to reach my students in all areas of their learning.
Prensky (2005) explores engaging our students. He states that students of today are being served a stale, bland and almost entirely stuff from the past (Prensky 2005). We are educating children in the yesterdays for readiness in the tomorrow. This statement in itself is an oxymoron. How can we be teaching our children in the yesterdays. Yesterday is gone. We need to be focusing on the tomorrows. Todays students are challenging us to engage them at their level in many areas including our curriculum (Prensky 2005). We as pedagogues have to find ways of presenting the curriculum in ways that will engage our students(Prensky 2005) and this must include e-learning. The choice inevitably is ours. If we are not willing to take on this e-learning journey ourselves our students (Digital natives) are not going to be engaged in the learning process.

My Ideal Classroom

Throughout this process I have learnt about many wide and varied technologies. Some I can honestly say I would not use at this moment in my classroom, that's not to say that with more discovery of these technologies I wouldnt use them. Other technologies I have thought yes I could definitely use this in my classroom. In my ideal classroom I would be equipped with technologies of varying capacities. My students would all have Ipods for enhanced learning with the incorporation of podcasts. I would most definitely have an electronic whiteboard. I would use a blog or a wiki to aid in communication with my students and parents within my classroom. Days of a note sent home to the parents I feel are long gone. Having a wiki would eliminate the use of the note sent home which along the way could become lost or not even taken out of the child's port. In my ideal classroom I would have technology savvy parents/carers. It is all well in good to have these technologies but we must be willing to utilise them as well. What would the use of a blog or wiki for communication if my parents/carers hadn't bothered to log on to catch up on their child's day at school?
Some of the technologies that I have found interesting and worthwhile in my classroom would be the following:
  • Blogs/Wiki's
  • Webquests
  • Avatars
  • Image Manipulation
  • Google Earth
  • Wikipedia
  • File sharing
I realise that these technologies are the speck in a very large digital ocean but for now (today, presently, in this moment) this is what I feel I could incorporate in my teaching. That's not to say that in the future I will be using an incorporating other technogies as I hope that I am.

Our attitudes and perceptions influence our learning. When these attitudes and perceptions are positive our learning is enhanced; when they are negative our learning suffers (Marzano 1997). Fullan (1982, cited in Bitner & Bitner 2002) an expert in change theory stated that 'educational change depends on what teachers do and think- it's as simple and as complex as that.' We as Learning Managers must learn to use technology and must allow it to change our present teaching standards (Bitner & Bitner, 2002).
This responsibility should not just rest on the shoulders of the Learning Manager it should also be the a shared responsibility of the school, the school community, the state education system and the soon to be national curriculum standards. We cannot do this alone it must be a collaborative effort.
Finally, as a digital immigrant I want to say thankyou. Thankyou for opening these eyes to a digital world that is ever evolving into something that at times blows the mind. On a personal level I realise that I have so much to learn and that I am intrigued and really do want to learn more. On a professional level I realise that this professional journey is going to take me far if I am willing to open my mind and take risks and if I am willing to do this it is going to enhance my teaching and enhance the engagement of my students.

Sailing ship Manurewa ca 1910


# A bit of fun! If you would like to take this test that I made in Classmarker to see if you are on your way in becoming a "Digital Native" click on this link



References
Bitnel, N., & Bitnel, J., Integrating technology into the classroom: eight keys to success, Journal of technology and teacher education, vol. 10, 2002.
Prensky, M., 2001, Digital natives, digital immigrants, On the horizon, vol. 9., no. 5., October 2001, University Press.
Marzano, R., 1997, Dimensions of learning, McRel, Colorado, USA.
Queensland College of Teachers, 2006, Professional standards for Queensland teachers, Queensland College of Teachers, Brisbane, QLD

Wikipedia

One of my focuses in my prac classroom is testing students on their own subitizing skills. Looking at the Wikipedia website on subitizing I am able to get a clear meaning on what the term actually means which then gives me ideas on how I could be testing my students and what I need to be looking for. The article also gives references which can lead to further investigation of the subject.
I was always under the impression that Wikipedia was not a reliable source of investigation as others can edit articles to add inaccurate content. But just like a Wiki you would need to sign in to make comment and your comments would be tracked. As all websites one must be sure of the reliability of the content and safety of the site. If it sounds ridiculous it most likely is incorrect and you move on to the next article.
I would use this wiki in my classroom as one source of investigation. I don't think I would use it as my sole source of information. Just as we look at numerous texts, journal articles, websites to glean our information for our assignments it is vital to teach our students that Wikipedia is not the answer for every question. Sure, it can certainly be a starting point but not the end point. Wikipedia has its place in the classroom if used correctly and judged for what it is: One source of information that can lead to other sources.

How many Elephants?
Amboseli Elephants.

  • Subitizing refers to the rapid, accurate, and confident judgments of number performed for small numbers of items (wikipedia 2009).
References
Wikipedia Inc, 2009, Subitizing and counting, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subitizing, viewed 22nd August, 2009.

VoiceThread

Another program another opportunity. VoiceThread is a fairly easy program to navigate. It did take me a while figuring out some of the steps but I did get there eventually.
I uploaded some photos looking at primary colours and how when mixed make different colours. Students are able to see the mixing, the colours used, and the final result. This program would form part of a students digital literacy. Olsson & Stalbrant (2008) states that the concept of digital literacy is related to the learning process as social practices. Technology transforms learning and the conditions for learning (Olsson & Stalbrant 2008). Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999) claim that for students to learn they must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through worthwhile tasks. Learning to mix colours and linking these coours with primary colours would be seen as a worthwhile task and with the assistanse of the VoiceThread program students are actively engaged in the process.
References
Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B., 1999, Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm viewed 20th August, 2009.
Olsson, L & Edman-Stalbrant, E., 2008, Digital literacy as a challange for teacher education, Implication for educational framewirks and learning environments, Stockholm, Sweden.
VoiceThread

Royalty Free Music

Have I been living under a rock? Incompetech is a site which provides royalty free music and best of all it is free! Although if you do read the fineprint the creator of this site Kevin McLeod does appreciate a $5 donation for every file you do download. This is optional.
I chose a piece of music entitled "Super Circus". As the title suggests it is music set to a circus type march. I would use this piece in my prac prep class at the moment as a way of getting my students to change rotations. At the moment rotations are timesd and then the teacher tells the students that they need to move to the next station. By merely playing this music at the relegated 5 minute turnarounds students are self directed and know when that music plays they pack up what they are doing and move to the next station. It would be important to inform students that when the music stops they are expected to be seated at their next station ready to begin the activity.
Circus

References
Macleod, K., 2009, Incompetech, Super Circus, http://incompetech.com/, viewed 20th August, 2009.

Mediafire

mediafire logo


The Mediafire program allows larger files to be stored and accessed easily through a secure site and therefore you wont be bogging down others email inboxes or your own website/blog/wiki. Personally this would be a fantastic site to upload all those photos and having relatives who live worldwide easy access to the photos without having to download. As a student I can envisage this program being my online USB where I could keep all of my assignments etc. As a professional this would be useful to store unit plans, photos, documents, templates. The list seems almost endless. This program would definatley aid in my organisational requirements regarding my professional needs.
The program itself was very easy to use. For a digital immigrant it was extremely simple to navigate my way around the page. Signing up was simple and quick and in next to no time I was able to upload my files. I chose a template file used for timetabling. This file is simple to use and will assist in time managament. So here it is Timetable Template.

References
Mediafire, 2006, Free file hosting made simple, Mediafire, http://www.mediafire.com/, viewed 20th August, 2009.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Slideshare take 1 & 2 explained

Well this has taken a long time. I have been scratching my head all afternoon on how I could record my own voice on my computer and I cannot find where or how I can actually do this without a microphone. So then I thought well if I cannot embed my own voice on to the Powerpoint I will embed someone else's so that is what I have done.
Finding the MP3 file format was in fact a collaborative project completed in my first term, first year of Uni when I was a real true blue digital immigrant. Along this journey that I am partaking my immigration papers are slowly moving up the digital ladder and I do hope that one day I will take the plunge and become a digital citizen.
The Slideshare program was easy to use and again it is a free share page. This program could be used to share presentations with peers, students, parents and other schools.
References
Slideshare Inc., 2009, Upload and share powerpoint presentations, Slideshare, http://www.slideshare.net/, viewed 20th August, 2009.

Slideshare take 2

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Slideshare

Webquests

Dodge's (2007) website 'WebQuest.org' describes a webquest as an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.
Last year as part of my SOSE assignment I was required to create a Webquest. The making of a webquest takes on many responsibilities from the content of the material, the setting out of the information and the technical side of making the webquest. Once I and my partner got more involved in the process the task became easier and enjoyable.
One advantage to the implementation of a Webquest would be having all the unit information in one place students. Students would work at a self-regulatory pace to complete each section of the quest.
A disadvantage to the webquest would be the lack of interaction with other students and the Learning Manager.
A risk of the webquest would be the possibility of not covering all of the curriculum requirements for that unit. This would be a time consuming project for any pedagogue but if done well could reap many rewards in the engagement of students and the achievement of results.
Our students the 'digital immgrants' would find a webquest easy to navigate and investigate as they are already used to engaging in multiple websites online. A digital immigrant such as myself would print off every page of the webquest so that I had it down on paper which in reality would defeat the purpose of a webquest.
Looking at the framework of a webquest it follows the principle of the engagement theory as explained by Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999). A webquest requires the student to engage in active cognitive processes including creating, problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making, and evalauting (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).
References
Dodge, B., 2007, Webquest.org, http://www.webquest.org/index.php, viewed 2oth August, 2009.
Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B., 1999, Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm viewed 20th August, 2009.
Prensky, M., 2001, On the horizon, Digital natives digital immigrants, University press.

Google Earth


Google Earth is a fantastic program which I have been familiar with for a few years now. Living an itinerant life my children have found this program helpful when moving to a new town. They are able to see how far we would be travelling to get to our new destination, where we would be living, what the street looked like, what the town looked like, finding where the pool, the tennis courts and even the school were situated. This actually eased their nervousness about moving.
Google Earth is a satellite imagery-based mapping product and according to the creators it places the whole world on a student's computer and brings a world of information alive for students (Google Earth for Educators 2009).
Some of the many different areas where Google Earth could be used:
  1. Looking at coordinates to demonstrate distance calculations.
  2. Investigate continents, mountain ranges, dry lakes, major landforms, and volcanic activity.
  3. Impact of Natural disasters such as the recent bushfires in Victoria.
  4. Space
  5. Stargazing
  6. Ancient cities
  7. Global warming
Google Earth for Educators (2009) states that the only limit to using 'Google Earth' in the classroom is your imagination.
Referring back to Dales Cone in relation to active learning Dale (nd) states that the most effective method for active learning involves direct, purposeful learning experiences with hands-on or field experience. Google earth allows students to sit and explore the world at their own pace. They are the navigators of their own exploration therefore they are actively learning.

References
Dale, E., n.d., Active learning online, Why use active learning?, http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm, viewed 20th August, 2009.

Google, 2009, Google for educators, Google earth, google.com/educators/p_earth.html , viewed 20th August, 2009.

Podcasts


Wet Green Apple
Originally uploaded by Brett Butler
I had already been a fan of podcasts for my personal use. I must confess that I do have a slight crush on "Hamish and Andy" from the radio show. Imagine my sheer delight when I came across their podcasts on itunes. But I must admit I was not really aware of what a podcast was until I decided to play around with my itunes program when I purchased my Ipod. I thought my Ipod could be used to play all my favourite music with little or no awareness of any educational advantage my Ipod might posess. So what is a podcast in technical speak? According to Apple Inc. (2009) a podcast is a program delivered via the internet with the publisher broadcasting these episodes to a web server. Podcasts can include several of the most common types of media and can be used to offer many different kinds of programs. As a pedagogue there would be many advantages to using podcasts in my classroom. One of the podcasts that I feel could help my students in a prep classroom was the educational podcast program "Hooked on Phonics" this is a podcast was released August, 2009 and has 21 episodes. This program could be used by a teachers-aide working one on one , or with small groups of students. The advantage of this program is that not only can they see the animation but they can hear the correct way in which to pronounce letters and sounds. Alternatively this podcast could be sent to parents/carers of students for them to subscribe to for their children to peruse in their own time(in a perfect world).
The Learning Design Construct (Oliver, 1999) refers to different ways of designing learning experiences for students. It is a sequential set of activities based on the level or components of a subject. The Learning Design is the framework supporting learning experiences (Oliver, 1999). Podcasts can form part of the sequential learning activities. It can be summised that the use of a podcast need not be the only learning experience but form part of a framework of a learning experience which may incorporate other learning tools which inturn forms the learning design construct.
There is substantial research that suggests that university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person (Callaway 2009). The podcasted lectures allows students to replay difficult parts of a lecture and take better notes. To be able to podcast lessons would allow those students with different learning styles another avenue to gain the most from a lesson.

References
Apple Inc., 2009, Itunes, http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatson/podcasts/fanfaq.html, viewed 19th August, 2009.
Callaway, E., 2009, New Scientist, Itunes university better than the real thing, http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16624-itunes-university-better-than-the-real-thing.html, viewed 19th August, 2009.
Oliver, R., 1999, Learning Design, The learning desing construct, http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm, viewed 19th August, 2009.

Mahara


=Mahara_Box_v1
Originally uploaded by vagvolgyi.csaba
Mahara is an open source e-portfolio. Trying to download this was a mini nightmare until i figured out that it was not the program it was...... how shall I put this......... ME! I really thought that i was doing everything right, I followed the directions to the tee. Paid my paypal account (another nightmare, another story). The version of this long winded ordeal by which I wish to share is to just say that I have an excuse........ I am a Digital Immigrant. Yes that's right I was not born in this digital world but have immigrated into this digital planet and sometimes it drives me bananas. I worked out after conferring with others and placing my worries on the forum that I had merely not ticked a box. Who would have thought?
As a 'digital immigrant' (Prensky 2001) I do not speak the native language. Prensky (2001) states that the digital native think and process information differently from their digital immigrant counterparts. As a digital immigrant I have had to adapt to my everchanging environment but will I ever become a native? To be able to interact and cohabitate in this digital world and as a teacher of a digital native I must embrace this digital planet. I am willing to take on this challange for if I dont I will be left behind. But I must make this change today as tomorrow is another day and another birthing of a digital mastery.
One of these digital mastery's is the Mahara e-portfolio. This e-portfolio will be used as my own professional on-line portfolio and could be used similarly with students. This would be able to keep students personal educational information, assignments throughout their entire school life, sporting achievements and other achievements. Another advantage would be in the insatnces where students move to another school, interstate or even overseas which in today's economy is a reality.
References
Prensky, M, 2001, Digital natives digital immigrants, On the horizon, vol.9, no. 5, University press,
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf, viewed 19th August, 2009.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

You Tube



how did we ever survive without Youtube??? I chose this clip as a hook for a science lesson on movement. This clip would be aimed at students at around a year one/two level. The students would be exposed to this clip prior to any discussion on the lesson. Most students have prior kn0wledge or know of the Madagascar movie. After the showing of the clip students would have opportunity for discussion on what was happening in the clip. This would then lead into the science lesson on forces.

Youtube was founded in 2005 and has quickly become the leader in the watching and sharing of online videos (Youtube 2009). It has given the people the power to become the broadcasters of tomorrow. The people decide what they want to watch, what they want to upload, what they dont want to watch. Teachertube was launched 2 years later in 2007 by a teacher as an online community for sharing instructional and educational videos. This was a way of teachers teaching teachers (Teachertube 2009). The teachertube vision is to be a better alternative to other video storage sites and is a free service (Teachertube 2009) unlike Youtube which requires a small fee to upload videos.

References

Teachertube, 2009, About us, http://teachertube.com/staticPage.php?pg=about, viewed 19th August, 2009.

Youtube, 2009, Youtube fact sheet, http://www.youtube.com/t/fact_sheet, viewed 19th August, 2009.

Classmarker

Classmarker is a fantastic tool to have access to. It was easy to sign up to and extremely easy to construct my own quiz. How could this be used in my classroom? This would be an excellent assessment tool. I am able to customise my tests to reflect my students and their individual learning styles. There are various options in how I can construct my quiz depending on what result I want to achieve. My students would be able to complete the test in an assigned time or at another time designated by themselves especially for the independent learner. It could also be used as a self-assessment tool. If my students are working through a unit of work the quizzes could be taken at different intervals to see if my students have achieved the learning standard that I have planned. If they have not achieved the set standard I am able to alter the unit to allow for those students who may require extra help. On the other side of the educational coin the quiz can also allow me to see what students may need extending. This tool would enable me to reach all of my learners needs. I quickly made a classmarker quiz.
Here it is
All there is to know about Moi

On further reflection of this classmarker program I not only could use this as an assessment tool but as a tool to gauge my students different learning styles, what are my students like and dislikes, what do my students want to learn about, are my students capable of completing an online quiz? This list seems endless.
Looking at my carbon footprint I could be saving endless amounts of trees just by having my students take their tests online. I do not have to waste time marking as the tests are marked and the results are instant. My students leave a test knowing the marks they have achieved.
References
Classmarker, 2009, Classmarker, http://www.classmarker.com/, viewed 19th August, 2009.

Image manipulation Take 2


family1
Originally uploaded by monjacbai39

This is a photo of my three children and their two cousins. Ok. So you see what I mean now? Yep a little heavy handed on the sticker section. I do like the effect of the polaroid frame. I love this picknik site so much that I have signed up to get some of the other premium effects on offer. It is a relatively cheap subscription even in US dollars. Lucky for me the $ is pretty good at the moment. Living in a household with teenage children I know that they will get a lot of use out of this program. The program is easy to use. I am able to upload, edit, create, save and share. The save and share tab is an excellent tool as it allows me many options to save my photos to other sites which I may have subscribed to. One disadvantage is that I cannot upload from picknik to my blog I do have to send it to another program that allows uploads to my blog. I had signed up to Flickr so I merely saved my photos to Flickr and uploaded from there. Very simple to use even for a 'digital immigrant'. I have been searching the Weird Wide Web (yes I said weird, I am a digital immigrant after all) to see what others have said about this picnik program and a lot of people have shared my same views in regards to having to upload the image to another program to be able to embed these photos on my blog. There has to be an easier way to do this! If anyone has any ideas please comment on this post.

Image Manipulation Take 1


Charlie Jackson
Originally uploaded by monjacbai39
Here is my image manipulation on a photo of my beautiful dog "Charlie the Wonderdog" a very much loved family member. I played around with some of the features of the picknik site and have to say that I got a little bit carried away with some of my photos. I will post another to show you an 'out of control' image manipulation. I have blogged before on the phrase "Less is More" and it seems as though I have not heeded my own advice.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Interactive whiteboard in the Classroom


IMG_2429
Originally uploaded by Breathe Technology
As a digital immigrant and considering the use of and Interactive Whiteboard in a school I had images of a sterile classroom filled with technology and no soul. This photo from Flickr shows that the Interactive Whiteboard does not look out of place in an everyday classroom it merely replaces the chalk/white board and works seamlessly alongside the everyday resources that define a fully working and functioning classroom. The classroom still looks inviting and stimulating.
The Interactive Whiteboard is basically a touch screen computer the size of a whiteboard (Kent & Holdway, 2009). Kent and Holdway(2009) suggest that the Interactive Whiteboard promotes higher-order thinking through the implementation of classroom activities that explores ideas, explores the implications of ideas and the construction of knowledge.
Studies have shown that when an Interactive Whiteboard is used productively it can produce significant improvents to student learning (Becta, 2003). Using the IWB productively is essential. It would be all well and good having this expensive piece of equipment sitting in your classroom but if pedagogues are not educated in the ways of IWB, then they are unable to utilise the equipment to its fullest advantage.

How would I use and Interactive Whiteboard in my classroom? It could most certainly be utilised in all KLA's.
References
British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 2003, What the research says about interactive whiteboards, Coventry, British Educational Communications and Technology Agency.
Kent, P & Holdway, M, 2009, Interactive whiteboards, productive pedagogies and literacy teaching, Literacy learning: the middle years, vol.17 no1, pp 21-25, Australian literacy educators' association.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Long way to the Top!

This photo is from the Flickr webpage.

Going Up
Originally uploaded by phil.m
I chose this photo as I feel as though it represents my climb (very steep) up the elearning stairway. Still feel as though I am at the bottom :) Post on Flickr coming right up.

Powerpoint presentation

PowerPoints a students best friend. When you need to do a presentation the good old Powerpoint comes to the rescue.
I did do the Powerpoint in the Classroom tutorial as listed in our activity for e-learning. I already had a fairly good understanding of the powerpoint presentation program and at first thought "Why would I need to do this tutorial?" and then the lightbulb went off in my brain (been doing that quite regularly lately). I could use this as a learning tool in MY classroom. There is a prompt on the original site that takes me to the 2007 Powerpoint tutorial which is more relevent to my program as I run on Microsoft 2007. Having the option of the older version and the updated version of tutorials allows for my learners who may be running different programs. I have come to realise along this journey that I need to be sure that my students will be able to have access to any programs etc that I may be sending them through cyberspace. Another profiling question?
There are so many benefits and uses for the Powerpoint presentation. Daniels (1999) states that the Powerpoint presentation allows for students to use the visual differentations to their own personal benefit. The slides allow students to stay on track and with the added availability of printing out the slides as a handout advantages the varied styled learner within the classroom (Daniels, 1999).
The audiovisual properties of the Powerpoint allows those students with different learning styles and ESL students to easily gain the information required (Daniels, 1999).
How would I use the Powerpoint program in my classroom? A few thoughts come to mind. 1.Procedures
2.Webquests
3.Instructions
4.Assignment presentations
5. All Key Learning Areas

When PowerPoint Goes Wrong

Have a look at this Youtube clip "Death by PowerPoint" (McMillan 2007). The PowerPoint presentation can go really wrong if you have spelling errors, too many bells and whistles, too much colour, too many words. Have you ever heard the term "A little bit goes a long way". This was meant for PowerPoint. I don't want my students to be totally lost in a whizz bang PowerPoint and to not get the point of the lesson. This would be such a total waste of time not only for my students but also for myself who would have spent precious time doing up a meaningless PowerPoint. If you are going to use a PowerPoint use it effectively.

References

Daniels, L 1999, Journal of computing in higher education, Introducing PowerPoint in the classroom: PowerPoint as the first step, vol. 10, pp42-56, http://www.springerlink.com/content/3628423174085807/, viewed 13th August, 2009.
McMillan, D 2007, How not to use powerpoint, YouTube,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cagxPlVqrtM&feature=fvst, viewed 13th August 2009.




Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Wiki site

Last night I decided it was time. Time to set up my wiki. Yes it was easy to set up except when your computer decides that it would like to shut down in the middle of step two. So I gave up for the evening and decided that I would try again in the morning which is what I did. Except somehow I have set up my wiki in such a way that I am unable to get into it???? Early mornings do not agree with this Digital Immigrant. So I came back to the computer and have finally established my very own Wiki. The address is http://tips-and-ideas.wikispaces.com
and I do plan on using this Wiki in the future. For myself I decided that this forum would be a great place to jott down my ideas and tips (hence the name) that i receive as a pre-service teacher which I hope will follow through to when I am finally in the teaching profession. I have along this journey of study and Prac received many ideas and resources that I have found so helpful to me. I would like to share these resources with others and what better way in this digital age then to share with likeminded people in the form of a wiki. What I do like about the Wiki is this. Others can contribute to my wiki and I can invite people to become a member of my Wiki. What I dont like about the Wiki? Others can contribute to my wiki. What if others are placing information on this wiki that may be false or misleading? I would need to monitor this constantly. According to Matias (2003) the Wiki stores the history of each page so therefore I would be able to reset this page to its original setting or a point where I would like to reset this page.
How could I use a Wiki in the classroom. I had to sit and think about this for a while. In my classroom I need to be able to comunicate to my students, I need to be organised with my planning, implementation and assessment. I could use my Wiki for all of these things. I could use my wiki to communicate with my students as a whole and them with me. If they are researching for assessment pieces they may come across information, websites they would like clarifaction on, this could be easily checked easily by posting that website or information on the wiki for me as the teacher and others to comment on. Parents would be able to post comments, queries onto the wiki for collaborative comment. The term "Two heads are better then one" I feel describes the idea of the wiki quite accurately.
References
Matia, N (2003), What is a wiki?, Sitepoint, http://www.sitepoint.com/article/what-is-a-wiki/, viewed 11 August, 2009.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Setting up my RSS Feeder

RSS may stand for really simply syndication but it didnt sound real simple to set up. So I took the Youtube tutorial on setting up my RSS Feeder. When I first read in the course profile that among other things I would need to set up and RSS Feeder I immediatley thought to myself "Oh my Lord this is way too technical for me, I am not going to be able to do this, quickly run to the fridge and get chocolate". No need to worry- I did it! All by myself! I may be a digital immigrant (Prensky 2001) but I can manage to set up my own RSS Feeder-High fives to me! How could I use this in my classroom. It would be a way of having other collegues information available to me easily. It would be a way of tracking my students progress- I would not be hassling them for information as it would be sent directly to me.

References
Prensky, M 2001, On the horizon, Digital natives digital immigrants, University press.

This is my blog

So this is my blog. The term Blog condures up many images in my mind and mainly they are brown in colour. According to wordnetweb(2009) the term blog combines two words web+log=blog. A web log or blog is an online journal where people can post their entries about personal experiences and hobbies(wordnet 2009). An online journal does sound rather personal and I'm not sure I really want all and sundary to read about my personal experiences and hobbies. Reflecting on this it would seem that the content that I decide to place on line is totally up to me. After completing the online personality sorter I found out that I am among other things 100% introverted so therefore it would be extremely hard for my personality type to place my thoughts and opinions on line for others to comment and make judgements on. I guess that along this e learning journey I am really going to have to put myself 'out there' to be judged by my peers on a very public level. This does send a shiver down the spine but I think that I am up for this challenge. As the definition describes a blog is a place to post about personal experiences so therefore judgement is not required but possibly inevitable? As a Learning Manager how would I encourage the use of a blog by my students whilst allowing for all personality types? Dimension One of Dimensions of Learning(1997) describes the attitudes and perceptions in the classroom. The attitudes and perceptions of my students would need to display acceptance, comfort and order, belief in oneself to complete a task, and understanding of the task, and a perception that a blog is valuable and interesting to their own learning journal(Dimensions of Learning 1997).

References
Jung, C & Myers-Briggs, I 2008, Humanmetrics, http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp, viewed 25 July, 2009.
Marzano, R 1997, Dimensions of learning, McRel, Colorado.
Princeton University 2009, Wordnet, http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn, viewed 9 August, 2009.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Get a Voki now!

I really enjoyed making this Voki and was surprised at how much it resembled myself (wink wink). Like so many of us girls I also loved being able to choose my outfit, accessories, hair etc (at times this took a little longer than i would have liked). So how could I use this Voki in my classroom?? I could use this type of technology in independant learning groups. Instead of having a task described in a written form students would merely log onto the computer and hear my Avator and what is required of them during this session. The Avator is able to be played again so for those students who didnt quite get it there is opportunity for them to replay the avator for clarification. For a time poor, overworked and underpaid pedagogue this technology would be extremely useful. Another way in which the Avator would be useful is in the use of tutorials. Instead of the teacher standing up in front of the class giving their speel they are able to play the avator and students are required to listen and note take any questions they would like answered and perhaps place it on my wiki for clarification. Although the downfall of this type of learning would be the answer would not be instant. The student would need to wait for a reply either by the teacher or others who are members of the wiki.

This avator only allowed so many letter characters to be used which limits what message you want to convey to your students but there are other avator applications out there

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Greetings

I am a student of CQU currently studying a Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood). This is my second year of study. The aim of this blog is to meet the requirements of my current course Managing E-Learning. I am a little scared and extremely excited all at the same time. I am not that technologically savvy 'But' I do have two teenagers who seem to know almost everything about this technology or do they? I have blogged before, I am an avid Facebooker, I have created a webquest, and of course have emailed, I have needed some knowledge of this technology to be able to complete my studies, I have lost files, I have found files, I have a digital camera, I can download, I can upload, I have ebayed, I have purchased textbooks online, i can Itune But can I Moodle?????