Yesterday I finally created my Wiki page.
As you normally find with anything on the computer you start with one thing, which links to another and then another and something totally removed from where you have started has caught your attenetion. Then you stop and think "What was I doing?". There is so much content available on the web and you can become so immersed in it. It is truly amazing. At the beginning of this course I thought I was quite computer literate, with rarely a day going by without using my computer. But I can honestly say that I have gained so much more knowledge and have happily shared it with the members of my family.
I am looking forward to sharing my new found knowledge with my colleagues at school in the new year and eventually in a classroom situation.
Please come and view my Wiki
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
A little out there!
As I work my way through various tools that can be utilised in a classroom or with students, I thought I might share something that I tried with a couple of learning support students that I work with.
Nintendo DS. Yes you read correctly, Nintendo DS. My children have DS's and even I bought myself a DS. I pondered over whether to buy them a DS as a present until I found out that there are some educational game packages available. There are games available for spelling, math and LOTE. I found a great Math Personal trainer that the player can progress through number, addition, subtraction, double digit add and subtract, multilplication and divison. It has time play, flashcard play and the player needs to write their responses with a stylus.
With permission from the Learning Enhancement department at school I took my son's and my DS to school. I have two boys in year three who struggle with mental math problems. I figured what the heck, let's use something that will excit them. In one session they improved their 5 times tables from 1.5min to 45 sec. Imagine with just a small amount of time each day their math mental skills would improve dramatically.
Who would have thought learning could be such fun????
Sometimes you have to think a little outside the box and use tools that they are conversant with and that are engaging to them. I know that it is a learning experience that they will talk about and will remember in the future.
Nintendo DS. Yes you read correctly, Nintendo DS. My children have DS's and even I bought myself a DS. I pondered over whether to buy them a DS as a present until I found out that there are some educational game packages available. There are games available for spelling, math and LOTE. I found a great Math Personal trainer that the player can progress through number, addition, subtraction, double digit add and subtract, multilplication and divison. It has time play, flashcard play and the player needs to write their responses with a stylus.
With permission from the Learning Enhancement department at school I took my son's and my DS to school. I have two boys in year three who struggle with mental math problems. I figured what the heck, let's use something that will excit them. In one session they improved their 5 times tables from 1.5min to 45 sec. Imagine with just a small amount of time each day their math mental skills would improve dramatically.
Who would have thought learning could be such fun????
Sometimes you have to think a little outside the box and use tools that they are conversant with and that are engaging to them. I know that it is a learning experience that they will talk about and will remember in the future.
Using E Learning tools in my own learning journey
Today I am finally resuming my immersion in E Learning. I have just completed an assessment task for Ensuring Student Success (another course I am enrolled in) and have placed the link here for you to share;
http://ensuringstudentsuccessjohoutzager.blogspot.com/
I started this course with no experience with blogging and now have 2 blogs. Have have used concept maps in my presentation and I have even experimented with graphing using Microsoft Word. All these tools I had not used previuosly. Even if I have been absent from E Learning content for a couple of weeks I can honestly say that the skills I have learned to date have been utilised well and truly over this time and will be carried with me through my own learning journey and into a future role in learning management.
http://ensuringstudentsuccessjohoutzager.blogspot.com/
I started this course with no experience with blogging and now have 2 blogs. Have have used concept maps in my presentation and I have even experimented with graphing using Microsoft Word. All these tools I had not used previuosly. Even if I have been absent from E Learning content for a couple of weeks I can honestly say that the skills I have learned to date have been utilised well and truly over this time and will be carried with me through my own learning journey and into a future role in learning management.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Digital Video
After this weeks tutorial I was keen to try my hand at Movie Maker (even though I am not quite up to that week). The year 4 class that I assist in a couple of times a week have been studying World Explorers in SOSE. As a cross curriculum project they have worked in small groups to design and construct a background and setting in which to take digital photographs of miniature characters in action, representing their chosen explorer. They are to create a representation of an event in history using information they have gathered and then use Movie Maker as their tool to create their digital video.
I was going to wait and learn alongside the year 4 students however I felt that I would like to familiarise myself with the tool first. One thing led to another and I spent the next three hours creating a 30 minute DVD of our recent trip to Cape York. I used still digital photographs, digital video and created a title page with publisher and saved as a JPG file and imported it to the digital video. All this was set to music (I even worked out how to turn the sound on the video off and fade from one song to another without waiting for the song to completely end) and used various transition styles. I am mighty proud of my efforts and can see myself using this tool at home on a regular basis.
As a teacher this tool could be used to make digital video that could be used as the initial 'hook' to a new topic, to pose a question to the students in an interesting format or development of social skills/class rules.
I have created a small digital video using some digital video footage my daughter made a few years ago whilst on a road trip. I hope you enjoy the video and her creativity as much as I have enjoyed learning about and using this tool.
I was going to wait and learn alongside the year 4 students however I felt that I would like to familiarise myself with the tool first. One thing led to another and I spent the next three hours creating a 30 minute DVD of our recent trip to Cape York. I used still digital photographs, digital video and created a title page with publisher and saved as a JPG file and imported it to the digital video. All this was set to music (I even worked out how to turn the sound on the video off and fade from one song to another without waiting for the song to completely end) and used various transition styles. I am mighty proud of my efforts and can see myself using this tool at home on a regular basis.
However back to it's use in an educational setting. I can see this tool being able to be used in most year levels through primary (even lower primary)and definitely through secondary and across many curriculum areas including SOSE, Science, English, Drama and even with a little creative thinking Math. It uses could vary from showing a procedure, an experiment, oral presentation of story writing, recounts, reports, an alternative to the traditional oral speech, holiday journals, improvement and development of oral language or as a method of presenting assignments(research). It encourages collaboration between learners in small groups. Clear planning and direction for the storyboard will assist with overcoming creative differences in production.
As a teacher this tool could be used to make digital video that could be used as the initial 'hook' to a new topic, to pose a question to the students in an interesting format or development of social skills/class rules.
I have created a small digital video using some digital video footage my daughter made a few years ago whilst on a road trip. I hope you enjoy the video and her creativity as much as I have enjoyed learning about and using this tool.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Mobile Phones in an educational setting.
As I completed some reading on this topic I was introduced to yet another new term M-Learning. I have heard of some use of mobile phone technology being used in the classroom setting but had been related more to converting text messages from text lingo to correct english grammar.
After reading through the WIKI and completing this reading on M-learning in a teritary setting,
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/duncan-howell.pdf
I have gained a greater appreciation for what mobile devices can be used for.
As I sit here adding to my blog I thought about how my mobile helps me in everyday life. One of the things I was only discussing with work colleagues the other day was getting a reminder text from my chiropractor the day before my appointment and how in my busy life this is great for organising me and reminding me. Pherhaps sending a reminder to students a week and then a day prior to due dates for assignments and/or exams will overcome that good old excuse I forgot when it was due.
After reading through the WIKI and completing this reading on M-learning in a teritary setting,
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/duncan-howell.pdf
I have gained a greater appreciation for what mobile devices can be used for.
As I sit here adding to my blog I thought about how my mobile helps me in everyday life. One of the things I was only discussing with work colleagues the other day was getting a reminder text from my chiropractor the day before my appointment and how in my busy life this is great for organising me and reminding me. Pherhaps sending a reminder to students a week and then a day prior to due dates for assignments and/or exams will overcome that good old excuse I forgot when it was due.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Concept Maps in an Early Childhood Setting
Well as always I have done my best thinking while sleeping. I woke up this morning with this bright idea. Wouldn't it be good if someone could develop a concept mapping program that contained a bank of clipart or to which clipart could be added?
Imagine being able to brainstorm on an interactive whiteboard with Prep and Year 1 (students could find, drag and drop clipart into the tabs), the teacher could with student assistance add the text and create a map eg. theme- farms, what do the students already know - animals, farm equipment, what they want to find out-what is the purpose of farms- food. Even better if each tab could then be printed individually to create a classroom word wall.
A way to help visual learners form a picture/concept map in their head!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine being able to brainstorm on an interactive whiteboard with Prep and Year 1 (students could find, drag and drop clipart into the tabs), the teacher could with student assistance add the text and create a map eg. theme- farms, what do the students already know - animals, farm equipment, what they want to find out-what is the purpose of farms- food. Even better if each tab could then be printed individually to create a classroom word wall.
A way to help visual learners form a picture/concept map in their head!!!!!!!!!!
Concept Map
Bubble.us concept map was quite easy to use. I have produced a concept map for Task 1. I will build a more extensive map as I read further through the content of the course.
Once my concept map was uploaded I used the options to change the size and location of the map.
I have seen a teacher who used mind mapping extensively in his classroom. I can see how this site could be used as an electronic version for the digital natives.
Once my concept map was uploaded I used the options to change the size and location of the map.
I have seen a teacher who used mind mapping extensively in his classroom. I can see how this site could be used as an electronic version for the digital natives.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Using Blogs in Education
To be honest at first I was struggling with this, how could blogs be used in the classroom?
When the ideas eventually started flowing it quickly became a flood of ideas. Blogs can be used in education to ;
When a Blog is setup up it is fast and efficent to use and is interesting and interactive for students that are digitial natives.
The learning manager needs to set guidelines for use of Blogs and needs to monitor the interactions to ensure the tool is not being used for cyber bullying.
When the ideas eventually started flowing it quickly became a flood of ideas. Blogs can be used in education to ;
- Be used as a reflection and self evaluation tool
- Completion of homework tasks
- Collaborate with students across the class, the year level, the school, the community or the world
- Create book reviews - sharing opinions on books
- Teacher collaboration and sharing of ideas and practices
- Foster writing and research skills
- Provide a genuine audience for sharing of written work
- Improve reading skills
- As a tool for cross curriculum activities
- Provides an efficient and effective tool for moderation and comparison of student work
- Peer motivation - sharing of ideas and feelings, providing feedback to peers
- Create an online version of debating for various topics
When a Blog is setup up it is fast and efficent to use and is interesting and interactive for students that are digitial natives.
The learning manager needs to set guidelines for use of Blogs and needs to monitor the interactions to ensure the tool is not being used for cyber bullying.
My First Blog
Wow! What was scary about that?
In my last course unit I made a Webquest and I was pretty amazed then, now my very first blog. I had a little trouble with my internet explorer shutting down when I tried to play with the design but perserverance paid off and I even succeeded in uploading a photo and tiling it across the background.
In my last course unit I made a Webquest and I was pretty amazed then, now my very first blog. I had a little trouble with my internet explorer shutting down when I tried to play with the design but perserverance paid off and I even succeeded in uploading a photo and tiling it across the background.
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