Assessment 2 Reflective Synopsis

There are many different elearning technologies available either free from the internet or through purchasing. To work through the few we were asked to each week made me very nervous to begin with, as I not generally technologically minded.  But apprehensively I started, and found that the instructions for many of these technologies were easy to understand and follow.

Although there were many elearning technologies to work through we were asked to critically analyse only one technology from each of the weeks.  I had my first prac in a composite 1, 2, 3 class that has approximately twenty students and as such I chose Blogs, Moviemaker, Powerpoint and Google Maps as my four elearning technologies.

Although Blogs had been discussed previously I felt that they would be very useful as they are both student and teacher centred. I believe that students would use this technology as Blogs are easy to set up and use.  Students could finish their day at school by logging on and writing up their requirements for homework and for the next day as an online diary, and as such also reduce the amount of paper notes being sent home to parents or guardians. In today’s technological age most if not all students will have at least one home computer whether it be a desk top or laptop or both, with internet access.  Therefore parents would also be able to access their students Blog to check for school notes, and this also connects the parents to the students learning. As the teacher I would also have my own Blog set up for extra or general information that all students may need. Working within a composite class this would help with the different grades of the students. Parents would also have ease of mind that as I can access all the students Blogs to check that the students have written appropriate information. Using Blogs as an online diary will help students write more, be more creative in their writings and increase their comprehension skills.

Moviemaker required the uploading of photos or videos onto this elearning technology. I found this technology easy to use and it had many features to enhance the uploaded material.  The technology also enabled me to upload a piece of music and through editing I could put my name and location of my ‘movie’.  For my students this allows them to ‘own’ their masterpiece.

After critically analysing Moviemaker and trying to upload my movie onto my ‘Flickr’ account I realised that the movie had to be of a particular size, in this case ninety seconds which meant I had to shorten my movie.  I found another issue which was that if students did not edit their work before saving it they would have to start again as the program did not allow for the movie to be edited again. But this could also be a good thing for students to learn so that they check their work carefully before they save it.  I created a movie of several photos that I uploaded into my Flickr account (www.flickr.com), user name ‘Terese.’. The use of this technology can be varied from photos taken on sports days through to videos of excursions that will then be made into a presentation for parents at term or year’s end. The students’ ability to make movies themselves leads to confidence in themselves and possibly wanting to find better technologies to create their movies.

Powerpoints are a good way to start an area of study, as they are a slide show style presentation. They are easy to use and to create and they also have the ability to add photos and music can be uploaded to create an exciting and individualised presentation. For my students I could also add comic/cartoon style characters to help them to understand the concept being taught. Also with the ability to link slides to other slides then return to the original slide will create a timeline of the area of study.  Links can also be created to internet sites that may explain the subject better. Although this can be considered as a behaviourist style of learning, it is necessary at times when wanting to give an overview of a new topic. There are more interactive elearning technologies available such as Prezi, but I found it harder to use therefore if I do not have the confidence to use it to its best advantage then I cannot possibly expect my students to be confident in using and creating presentations on it. A student can use a Powerpoint presentation as part of their assignment instead of using cardboard sheeting and cutting and pasting pictures and text, which can become tattered before their presentation is due.

Google Maps are an interactive service available to anyone with internet access. Google Maps are an easy way to find addresses and also places of interest. On Google Maps there is a tool bar in the top right hand corner that when I clicked on photos, photos of locations that might interest me or anyone else showed in their approximate locations. Google Maps was easy to use and with the ability to zoom in on an area meant that I could see homes within streets then zoom out on the location to see the topography of the whole region than needs to be assessed. Students would use Google Maps for subjects such as geography as possibly also to find out a location and for an excursion to see the local sites of interest.

Throughout the using of these elearning technologies there are legal issues that need to be considered. After checking Education Queensland website (www.education.qld.gov.au), I found that there is a legal code for taking photos and videos when they show students within them. Any school has the legal obligation to the parents/guardians that any image taken of their student is not used inappropriately and is only for the express use that they permit. A permission form must be signed by them beforehand so that they know the purpose for taking the image, how that image is being used, where and for how long it will be used. This means that if I use an image of my students on the schools web page or in a powerpoint presentation the parents must permit me to use it and I need to inform them of how long their students’ image will be on the web page or the type of presentation I am creating. I consider these a safeguard not only for the parents and the students but for myself as well. I do not want any misunderstandings that may cause parents to lose faith in my ability to teach their student.

These are only a few of the elearning technologies that I looked at, but the technologies that I felt confident not only to use within my classroom, but also to teach my students to use. The ability for my students to interact with these or any other elearning technology through an Interactive White Board would greatly enhance their learning cognitively, as they can connect with the information better when they can see their class mates easily using any elearning technology.

After using an Interactive White Board within a classroom I am confident that this technology would increase my or any other students’ ability to quickly understand their benefits. The students will learn collectively rather than feeling they are being forgotten or ignored as can happen if they are all sitting in a computer lab and being told how to use the technology as they may not hear or understand a step and feel they are being left behind. Once the students understand the process of using a particular elearning technology through seeing it work through the Interactive White Board, they can then sit in a computer lab and use the technology with confidence with minimum teacher assistance.

I know as I become more confident with other, newer or better elearning technologies throughout my teaching career I will use those either to replace these technologies or to coincide with them, as I scaffold my own learning of the different technologies. And when I need to teach any newly learned technology to my students the Interactive White Board would be used.

References:

Department of Education and Training, ‘Consent to Use Copyright Material, Image,
     Recording or Name’, Queensland Government, retrieved 5 April 2011,

     www.education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/ict/ictpr004

www.flickr.com Terese.

MovieMaker, EDED20491 ICT’s Week 4 Elearning Technology Activities,    

    http://my.cqu.edu.au

Group 4 Technologies

Group 4 Technologies

A Google map is a technology for finding streets, business and places of interest. I have used Google maps before as it is free. The main requirements of this and Google earth and Google documents is to have a computer with internet access. I had used the technology to look up our now purchased property many times before moving. My issue with this is that the map of our area has not changed in over three years.  There are newer features available as I could tick to see places of interest in an area of interest. Rather than buying expensive maps to find the best way to get from point A to point B this has it all available for free, whether driving or walking or if in a city catching public transport and times between each turn off. This can then be printed and used instead.  The game ‘Where in the World’ was fun, but again my internet was slow or not working properly to bring up the map images. I am hoping this is only due to the bad weather we have been experiencing.

Group 3 technologies

Group 3 Technologies

These were more presentation style elearning technologies. I have used ‘PowerPoint’ before in the creation of a presentation on a particular topic. At that time though, I did not realise that I could have embedded audio into it. A ‘PowerPoint’ presentation can be very static with the use of slides, although they can be personalised through using different backgrounds and uploading photos or graphics into them. There was also the ability to link a slide to others then return to the original slide to carry on with the presentation. The next technology ‘Prezi’ went beyond simple slides to create a more interactive presentation. I did find ‘Prezi’ a lot harder to use and understand and maybe if I had the technology shown to me rather than trying to work it out myself I probably would have understood it.

I had a look at ‘Dipity’ and thought that as an online timeline technology it was good. The main concern was that as anyone could put a timeline in. Any that were on the program may not have been accurate and therefore not usable. To create a timeline to include as an extra teaching tool would be good as the students can get a better understanding of when things happened and possibly the repercussions of those actions.

Group 2 Technologies

Group 2 Technologies

This week’s tasks were to download ‘MobiPhoto’ onto our usb stick. This program allowed me to resize two photos from my computer. This then makes it easier to upload photos quicker onto other programs, such as flickr or any social network site. This would be good and teachers to use when wanting to upload activity photos onto a schools website or the class blog. I uploaded them onto a ‘Flickr’ account which I found easy to use and the directions were easy to understand. I have made my ‘Flickr’ account public with my user name being ‘Terese.’. The fullstop after my name is supposed to be there.

‘Picnik’ was then used to photo shop a photo.  I just chose a demo photo as I have been having trouble with my internet access at home. Bad weather and satellite internet do not work well together. The photo I chose was of the leaves on the tree, which I was able to crop until only the leaf was in the picture, and change it from a pale green to the vibrant green of summer and back to an autumn gold. The extra features on this program also made this an easy program to use. These programs would be good for my students as an art project or maybe to see how they see themselves.

Through ‘Moviemaker’ I created a movie of my photos. These were photos were from a ship heading into Sydney Harbour. After adding music and a checking out the different effects I felt confident that this was a relatively easy elearning technology to use.

Assessment 1

Previously learned knowledge did not prepare me for what is required to critically understand 'Information Communication Technology, ICT'. My previous knowledge of computer skills were limited to emails, banking, and using library resources for research purposes.  This course has changed that, through the need to learn and understand different aspects of technology, and also the need to understand them for the purpose of using them within a classroom as effective learning tools. These new tools, such as blogs and wikis, could be used to help students in their own learning outcomes.

The course required that we find our Learning Style (http://www.engr.nscu.edu/). I had considered I tended towards the visual learner. Knowing this helps as, in a classroom environment there will only be a small percentage of students who have the same learning style. Therefore, I need to find out each students learning style and accommodate each style throughout the day toa facilitate the students in their understanding of all the material learned.

As an Interpersonal type (http://www.gp.training.net/), I need to become more outgoing, otherwise the students within my classroom will be able to override me and the classroom will become disruptive and the learning outcomes will not be achieved.  Students also need to feel valued and comfortable within the classroom so that learning will be achieved in a manner that students are willing to participate, whether that will be from pen and paper or from technological tools such as computers. 

The use of mobile phones in educational situations (cmslive.curriculum.edu.au) showed that technology, even that generally considered to be disruptive, can be useful for specific subjects, such as science, maths and some field trips.  The use of De Bono's hats as a learning tool (http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/) and a wiki to analyse the use of mobile phones showed a unique tool for the students to gain and share their knowledge.

The learning theories wiki instructed us to form a group and perform a Plus Minus Interesting (PMI) on a specific learning theory (http://www.thirteen.org/) and upload the results onto a wiki.  This then enabled other groups to read and add their own knowledge to the theory. This helps with the sharing of knowledge.

The creating of the blog (http://www.blogger.com/) for me, made me very nervous as I was worried I would make a mistake. The instructions given proved to be very helpful which made it easy to set up.  The creating of the wiki (http://www.wikispaces.com/) also with good instructions was easy to set up and after uploading a scenic photo, I was comfortable with the process.  The web (www.weebly.com/) was slightly harder to actually create, but only because I was not sure how I wanted to set it out or the information I wanted to put on the web page.

The scaffolding of each of these technological tools has led me to be more confident, so that when I am using them within a classroom environment I can lead the students to also be confident users.  The tools can be used to connect students within groups to other groups within the class, and it can also connect students from other classes to collaborate their learning experience.

As a teaching tool, the teacher creating and using a blog whereby both the students and their families can access it leads to more inclusive learning.  Families will be able to keep up with their students education, and through online comments be able to ask the teacher questions when it is convenient for them. Therefore setting up a blog is a great communication facilitator.  The students' access to the blog can also lead to fewer misunderstandings on instructions when the student arrives home to start on an assigned task.

Creating a wiki for the students to use is a good experience in their learning, through not only cross class learning but also cross school learning. Through our group activity, with only contacting each other through emails, and as a result I felt disconnected from the communication process.  Students can be assigned a task that requires them to work in smaller groups. Any group activity should be conducted face to face to allow students to learn all communication strategies that help in sharing of their knowledge.  The information from each of these groups is then uploaded onto the wiki. This then allows each group to read other groups conclusions which can then be shared with other classes, which ultimately leads to a more collaborative learning.

Creating a web page for the class is another way of having parents access their students work.  The students can upload their work with any explanation needed, which can then be accessed by any interested parties. This is a good tool for students to build self-esteem and pride in not only their work but within themselves. The web page can be used at the conclusion of an assignment or to show how the students have an understanding of a subject, such as early Australian history.  The web page can also be used to inform parents of extra activities that are happening within the class or with the school, such as sports days.   After these events, photo's can be uploaded to show the students prowess on the sports field.

After learning low to use thes new information technology tools, I believe that the use of these within the classroom would be of an asset that affects not only the students learning ability but their family as well.  The technology will lead to a more inclusive and collaborative style of learning for all the students.

References:

Felder, R & Soloman, B (n.d) 'Learning Styles and Strategies', retrieved 26 February 2011, from
     www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Multiple Intelligence (n.d) retrieved 26 February 2011, from
     www.gp.training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm
Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning, retrieve 5 March 2011, from
     www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index/html
Mobile phones and student learning in secondary school, Curriculum Leadership Journal, retrieved
     4 March 2011, from http://cmslive.curriculum.edu.au/leader/default.asp?id=28526&issueID=11897
De Bono's Hats, Kurwongbah State School, retrieved 1 March 2011, from
     ww

S.W.O.T. Analysis

S.W.O.T Analysis for Blogs

Strengths  -  Able to view

                       Ability to leave comments

                       Can upload text, pictures, videos and links to other sites

                       Students can be creative

Weaknesses  -  Set out in chronological order

                            Only the author can add or edit the text

Opportunities  -  Students and Teachers can keep their blogs going over long periods of time

Threats  -  Not sure

S.W.O.T Analysis for Learning Potential of a Wiki

Strengths  -  Allows teachers and students to collaborate, edit and modify their information

                      Shared knowledge

Weaknesses  -  As a learning tool, consideration need to be taken on the way the learning will occur

                            Information can be deleted by mistake

                            Editing issues

Opportunities  -  Can be used as a great learning tool

Threats  -  Others can access and input information

S.W.O.T Analysis for Websites

Strengths  -  No one else can add or edit the content

                      Can be shared by all who have internet access – World Wide Web.

Weaknesses  -  Teachers or students can add/contribute to the website, supervision may be needed

Opportunities  -  Can be shared by everyone who has access to the internet

Threats  -  Information can be used elsewhere,  copied and reposted

                           

Wiki Posts

Wiki Reflection – Mobile Phone use in Education

Using De Bono’s six thinking hats framework as a way to gather information created a large body of information.  We used the hats framework to critically analyse mobile phone use as an education tool within schools, and the information was then put into the wiki.  The use of a wiki allowed other students to read all students perspectives and add their own information.  This helped with the learning process, as other students’ ideas may have differed from the ideas that I had considered, and re-reading the text with those ideas in mind, other perspectives for using mobile phones occurred.        

For some students the wiki can have a lot of benefits as the students have access to collaborative elearning, but for others they may need extra encouragement to put their ideas into the wiki.   

Learning Theories Wiki  

The Learning Theory Wiki task required that I work with a partner to perform a PMI (Plus, Minus and Interesting) on a particular reading. I felt that the process of performing the PMI was constructive as a learning tool as it helped with critically analysing the reading and sharing that knowledge with a partner and then with other students.

As a distant educational tool I felt disconnected from my partner, therefore I believe this would task would be better conducted through face to face communication with the partner. Within a classroom atmosphere a small group of students could collaborated their knowledge. Then through the wiki share their combined knowledge with other groups within the class and possibly groups within other classrooms or even schools, therefore expanding their knowledge further.