Starting with Blogs, I believe these to be a wonderful reflective tool, that are yet to be fully administered in schools to their full capacity. They allow students the opportunity to analyze and give commentary to their own work in a digital environment. Unlike outside school users, students would not have access to blog accounts that I am using at present. As safety and security is paramount for each student with teachers always mindful of not breaching legal and ethical practices, blogs must be undertaken in a controlled environment that the teacher has set up.
Such an environment can exist as part of a virtual classroom for instance. Virtual Class Rooms, VCR's, are set up inside the Learning Place, which is a Department of Education and Training website. A platform called Blackboard is accessed through this website whereby teachers become administrators and create their own virtual classroom by adding resources they acquire from Education Queensland or any other websites that are acceptable and allowable to use.
Inside this digital classroom the teacher can add many different learning tools addressed age appropriately for students to not only access at school, but anywhere, anytime as long as they have the website address and their username and password.
Scrolling down the menu, students are able to choose from a range of topics the teacher has included such as Spelling, Maths, Announcements, Safe Internet Use, to name just a few possibilities, as well as access to a blog site.
For students to understand the workings and notions behind a blog it is important to first explain and give examples of exactly what is required. It is not merely an excuse to record what happened in the tuckshop line at big lunch, but a significanat learning tool whereby each student can contemplate the activities and work undertaken in the classroom and at home, with blogs entered and reflections added to support the work undertaken.
Once blogging has become a part of student's self learning, teachers can then have more insight into how they are learning and coping and where their questions lie.
Of course by setting up blogs there would be different expectations for different age groups. I could only see this form of reflective learning being implemented from year two and up, and then I expect the blogs to be minimal in content as students are still learning the QWERTY keyboard with typing being very slow. As the years progress to three and four and five, six and seven, blogs would gradually be expected to be more insightful as keyboarding would be faster and vocabulary higher.
Blogs are particularly useful to those students whose social ineptness doesn't allow them to
approach teachers or peers easily to vocalise their opinions or problems. However, on the other hand, some students would also feel apprehensive about leaving their reflections in a place where others can access and make comment for fear of ridicule. For this reason it would probably be a good idea to set rules and regulations regarding showing respect to all user's blogs. It should also be made clear that by students leaving their reflections they are giving their peers as well as the teacher the opportunity to extend their learning from what others have written. This can be seen as a great form of connectivism.
As an example, if class work is left in the VCR, each student can complete this work then access their blog to submit any problems, queries and even successes they had. This information can then be shared and discussed by the teacher as a class. I must admit this is not neccessarily the fastest way for students to have their problems addressed and anything pressing should be discussed straight away with the teacher.
Wikis are another space into which users are able to add content, however unlike blogs all users to a wiki are able to edit the content. This is also a form of connectivism as working as a community allows for the collaboration of information left to be learnt from. The learning then becomes a greater experience as more people's opinions and knowledge create a larger pool of information.
As a personal learning experience and something I could actually use in the classroom, I created a wiki for an art assessment in wiki spaces. This wiki is to be accessed by each student who have themselves created an artwork. The teacher,(myself) photographs each piece and adds content to the wiki. On the first page you can view the image and read a description and the criteria for the artwork. This then leads on to the critiques page where each student who accesses the page is able to answer the questions provided to form a personal critique of each artwork, even their own. Not only does this have a reflective purpose, but allows the teacher to evaluate students understandings of the requirements for the artwork.
To extend this wiki further I have given an example of how a voice recording can be used instead of leaving written feedback. This adds an interesting element to the wiki and perhaps another assessable dimension to the whole task. This wiki gives students the opportunity to be involved in giving constructive criticism to their fellow classmates and gives them an important lesson in accepting and drawing from it as well.
This particular use of a wiki, I feel, would work best in the hands of the higher primary grades as questions would have to be taken seriously with thought put into the use of artistic terminology. A wiki along these lines for lower grades has the potential to work, by perhaps using a one step process.
To set this and other wikis up for my class I would not be using a website such as wiki spaces, because of privacy and security reasons. I would however assess a wiki space through the Learning Place website.
Another way to use a wiki in my classroom would be to scaffold, with the aide of De Bonos 6 Thinking Hats (1970), to ask students to analyse a particular task. This form of self reflection is an apportune way for students in the upper primary grades (5,6 & 7) to delve into higher order thinking, gain more insight as they view other users content and perhaps change thought processes and perceptions.
A wiki that asks each student to work independently to add their ideas, thoughts and knowledge attached to a particular topic can end up in a great collaboration of personal information that then gets discussed as a class and collated into something that is interesting to the students as it is their work. This information can then be adapted to another digital tool in the form of an ebook which I have discussed in a blog entry.
One more example I'd like to give for the use of a wiki would be to network and connect students to another school, perhaps even further afield as another country. The learning experiences undertaking this procedure would be invaluable as students set about sharing knowledge of their geographical locations.
WWW
Using websites are a constant in teachers endeavours to provide students with new and interesting information related to all the KLA's. Again regard has to be made to the use of legal, safe and ethical practices when downloading information, images or text. Certain websites are automatically restricted to enter from EQ set up computers inside schools. Sites such as Google Images are blocked by student users for obvious reasons pertaining to the legal, safe and ethical practices guidelines.
A website that I sometimes use to find directions on how to perform an action is youtube. This site can be an invaluable place to find resources for special interest items including podcasts, stories, songs and instructional videos for a multitude of procedures.
Two websites that I would use on a consistent basis are the Learning Place and Studyladder. I am already quite familiar with these educational sites as I have access to them in my employment as a Teacher's Aide. Both my children are users of either a Virtual Class Room through http://elearn.com/ or Studyladder http://www.studyladder.com/ .
Having access to homework in this way is an exciting and engaging experience for them as they compete against the clock in many different learning games and exercises. Because I can see the possibilities and rewards of a VCR as well as Studyladder I will undoubtebly myself be excited to implement these sites into my class using age appropriate resources.
As part of an ICT activity I created my own website http://wonderoftheweepingwillow.weebly.com/ which is an online Art Gallery connecting to the wiki space I designed. An online art gallery such as this could be very useful for students wanting to display their work. This could be set up as part of the actual school's website and created by students working on a collaborative art class project. Obviously images would be required to form this gallery.
The use of images in elearning can be vital to linking students own real life experiences to their learning environment. For instance if the class was assigned the task of say, creating a collaborative ebook on classroom rules, this would be a more believable and beneficial task if images were used of each child acting out the rules. Because they've set themselves as part of the task they would have a sense of contribution, confidence and pride in what was produced. This is just one example of the many ways personal photos can be used for learning, but of course consideration needs to be given to whether or not parents/guardians give permission for children's images to be published and accessed by others inside the VCR. Usually this is facilitated in the form of a permission slip at the time of enrolment.
Personal photos are also useful for imbedding into tools such as Moviemaker, Photostory, Powerpoint, Glogs, Blogs and Wikis. Gathering images from outer sources is another way to supplement creative and visual learning. Images that children relate to or find interesting and eye-catching can make the difference when presenting ideas or facts to the class. Visual stimuli such as images can re-awaken and re-invigorate a class that has started to drift off.
A useful place for teachers to store images for students access is in their Virtual Class Room. Students can choose from these appropriate images to add interest to their blogs, collaborative wikis or any project or task that requires visual aides.
Once students are in the upper classes they can begin to access their own pictures from different websites by copying and pasting or saving and resizing the image using Picture Manager. It is in this program that other editing tools can be used also. Picture Manager is the program I chose to embed personal photos into my wiki and web spaces.
The use of video is another way images can be exhibited. This can take the form of many images being added into a program called Moviemaker to create a moving story with sound, text and effects.
I can see older classes being really involved with this program, more so than Powerpoint, as they can create a small stills movie in its entirety themselves, including the photos, audio and text.
I have given examples of the potential of using Moviemaker for primary students in my blog reflection titled "Moviemaker", dated 2nd of April 2011. It is also here you will find an example of a short film I made using personal photos, titled "The Wrath of Yasi".
Of course video usage can also mean taking footage in the typical manner of filming with a video camera. This can greatly benefit students in a self assessment, reflective way. An example would be to film students as they present their show and tell for instance. In the younger grades especially it is extremely important for students to understand what is required when giving an oral presentation. Hopefully if this is instilled in the younger years it shouldn't be a huge problem later. Once students view how they presented their talk an opportunity can be given for them to reflect and offer any suggestions as to how they can better speak next time. Sometimes it takes children to view themsleves in action to see exactly where they are going wrong in procedures like this. This is similar to someone with speech difficulties having to look in a mirror to enunciate sounds properly. In the same way videoing is used in the classroom it can also be greatly beneficial in the HPE class to try and better students running style or to improve any performance of a track and field event.
The use of sound obviously becomes part of most video recordings, but not limited to this. Using recorded sound in the classroom can take on many different applications and be an effective learning tool.
After creating a podomatic account I went on to record my daughter singing Australia's National Anthem then downloaded a photo to put with the recording, thus creating a podcast for all to view.
I used audio in two other ways whilst experimenting with different options. I embedded a sound file into my art critique wiki space for an oral critique, as well as embedding dialogue into my glog that you will be linked to soon. Since then I have thought of a number of differnet uses for audio recording within my classroom. One would be to record children reading from a book for a form of self analysis. Student and teacher could then discuss where to improve reading techniques so comprehension is of a better standard. Developing good reading skills with the use of expression, punctuation, pausing and stopping are all attributes that need to be overcome when children are making their way towards unguided reading.
Another way to use audio effectively would be to download audio stories from websites such as storynory, which is a free audio stroies for kids website. These stories could be added straight to ipods for listening post activities to be undertaken. This could be either in the form of comprehension tests, cloze activities or directional tasks. Listening skills would develop further by using audio in this way.
Of course video usage can also mean taking footage in the typical manner of filming with a video camera. This can greatly benefit students in a self assessment, reflective way. An example would be to film students as they present their show and tell for instance. In the younger grades especially it is extremely important for students to understand what is required when giving an oral presentation. Hopefully if this is instilled in the younger years it shouldn't be a huge problem later. Once students view how they presented their talk an opportunity can be given for them to reflect and offer any suggestions as to how they can better speak next time. Sometimes it takes children to view themsleves in action to see exactly where they are going wrong in procedures like this. This is similar to someone with speech difficulties having to look in a mirror to enunciate sounds properly. In the same way videoing is used in the classroom it can also be greatly beneficial in the HPE class to try and better students running style or to improve any performance of a track and field event.
The use of sound obviously becomes part of most video recordings, but not limited to this. Using recorded sound in the classroom can take on many different applications and be an effective learning tool.
After creating a podomatic account I went on to record my daughter singing Australia's National Anthem then downloaded a photo to put with the recording, thus creating a podcast for all to view.
I used audio in two other ways whilst experimenting with different options. I embedded a sound file into my art critique wiki space for an oral critique, as well as embedding dialogue into my glog that you will be linked to soon. Since then I have thought of a number of differnet uses for audio recording within my classroom. One would be to record children reading from a book for a form of self analysis. Student and teacher could then discuss where to improve reading techniques so comprehension is of a better standard. Developing good reading skills with the use of expression, punctuation, pausing and stopping are all attributes that need to be overcome when children are making their way towards unguided reading.
Another way to use audio effectively would be to download audio stories from websites such as storynory, which is a free audio stroies for kids website. These stories could be added straight to ipods for listening post activities to be undertaken. This could be either in the form of comprehension tests, cloze activities or directional tasks. Listening skills would develop further by using audio in this way.
As part of exploring presentation tools I discovered Glogster, my new best friend! Experimenting and creating an online, interactive and informative poster has left me eager to use this tool with my students.
I have thought of a number of ways in which glogster would support presentations being made by my students, and include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Interactive book reports
- Research projects
- Informative posters
- Awareness posters
- Classroom rules
- Weekender journal
- Holiday journal
I have left more examples in a SWOT analysis of glogster in my blog titled "Glogster - inc. SWOT analysis of potential of glogs in the classroom", dated 3rd of April 2011.
Glogster wouldn't be an appropriate presentation tool for years P - 1, and even then the years 2 - 4 would use it in a more basic fashion. Given to the upper grades, 5, 6 & 7, as a tool to experiment with to deliver a project, I feel would be more worthwhile as they have a better understanding of adding links, audio, text and images as well as how to better position objects on the page and not overload it with too many graphics.
I spent limited time using the presentation tool Prezi as the more I tried to manipulate my text, the more I was starting to think that it would be a difficult task to use this tool as a primary school student. Because the effects aren't instant I could envision students losing track of what they were aiming for and becoming quite confused. As a tool for the teacher to use as a presentation method it could be quite effective, however in the process of viewing ready made Prezis I did have a feeling of motion sickness, which I don't deal with well.
I don't believe I'll be pursuing the use of this tool in my classroom, unless in the future I happen to venture into High Schools where it would be better used. I can see the great potential prezi has, however I think it's too abstract for primary school users.
I have previously used the lineal presentation making program Powerpoint at my workplace and encounter students using it for major units of work. I do feel though that students have a tendency to fill the pages with long-winded passages that could have been used more concisely and effectively in a glog or two. The glog could contain a mindmap to get important points across and even have a Moviemaker file embedded into it.
So it is that Glogster remains my presentation tool of choice.
Animations and Simulations
Two instant online tools that allow a fantastic geographical learning experience are Google Earth and Google Maps. These can be used to extend upon subject areas such as SOSE in particular. A fun way to use Google Earth would be to conduct virtual excursions. Without leaving the actual classroom, students can engage in an online field trip where the teacher maps out destinations with assigned questions tagged to each place visited. Virtual Field Trips can also be accessed through Collaborative Online Projects in the Learning Place.
An alternative to this example would be if the teacher or students knew of someone travelling overseas it could be arranged to follow that person, via Google Earth, on their journey. This makes the task more personal as the whole class might actually know the traveller, therefore giving the task further interest and excitement. Daily or weekly contact could be made via emails or iconnect with children taking turns to ask questions about the place the traveller is at that time.
Another idea that could be used as perhaps a reward would be to play 'spin the globe'. The student being rewarded would spin the globe, put one finger on to stop it and wherever the finger is pointing would be the place to look up on Google Earth and Maps. A great game of discovery!
In conclusion I feel confident that by incorporating the digital tools I have explored, into my classroom, my students will find great benefits. I choose to provide an elearning environment as most children today have grown with digital technologies and they are familiar and comfortable using these tools. I want my students to continue to be digital learners because I have seen first hand how ICT's engage them in their learning and believe this is how they can best respond effectively to attain certain learning outcomes positively.
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