Week Five Personal Reflection

I guess it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to gather that children love computer games and animations. With the internet offering such websites in conjunction with an educational edge, we as future educators will be almost insane to not incorporate these resources within the classroom. With a wide range of different sources available for free use on the internet, students are given the opportunity to explore these websites in the classroom as well as at home for their own personal use.

I strongly believe these are the websites needed to assist in motivating students and allowing the process of individual learning. Incorporating such activities within the classroom allows for children’s creative problem solving skills to enhance, acting as a scaffold for further skills to also substantially develop. This in turn additionally allows for multiple intelligences and offers the flexibility for children to incorporate their multiple intelligences and work at their own individual pace.

Animation within primary schools works in conjunction with the modern methods of communicating information. Students predominantly find repetitive tasks boring and I believe this is the edge needed within classrooms to potentially keep students engaged and motivated. The biggest advantage of such activities is the encouragement of active learning as opposed to the common idea of passive learning.

References:

‘Integrating ICT in Classroom’ Notes prepared by Greg Powell.

Week Five Workshop Reflection

The idea of this session was the concept of creating digital movies online. The resources provided today once again catered for flexibility whereby the activities had the capability of being used within many topics of the curriculum. Going through several components, we were introduced to numerous resources in the lesson. For that reason, I have chosen to only make mention of a few of the websites utilised, whereby I have tried to outline the advantages and disadvantages seen within them.

Dvolver

Dvolver was one of the first websites we had a look at. This website allows the user to generate their own movie using creative tools. The MovieMaker software assists in constructing a movie with a few simple steps. Generated movies can then be posted on your own personal website or sent to a friend.

Having a browse through the website, I found it predominantly easy to choose characters, insert word bubbles, type in my own comments, add music and incorporate a selection of animations. I was able to create a movie within five minutes, which I found quiet amusing. My movie can be viewed by clicking on the following URL; http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-448179

I personally wouldn’t choose to use this resource within my classroom. The selection of some of the characters seems to be somewhat explicit and I found some of the settings provided to utilise within the movie were inappropriate.

Zimmer Twins

If I was to implement such an activity within my classroom, I believe it would be more appropriate to go with a website such as the Zimmer Twins (www.zimmertwins.com). This website caters for the same purposes however seems to be more suitable for the minds of primary school children.

Build Your Wild Self

This website allows students to let their fantasies run free and bring their wildest imaginary characters to life. By first designing a humanised character, the website gives children the opportunity to then choose animals parts and potentially ‘go wild,’ creating an intensely imaginative character.

Not feeling very creative, I produced a character of a male school boy. I have made reference to him in the image below.

Such activities can be used in conjunction with the English curriculum. Children can use these resources to invent characters and write a creative story with the incorporation of such characters. These websites can also be integrated into the students’ literacy programs. Children can work in groups and be asked to change the ending of a story. They will be encouraged to collaborate their ideas and express them in form of an animation using one of the MovieMaker websites, mentioned above.

Sketch Swap

This website allows the user to create a sketch, which is approved by the server and is then ‘swapped’ with a drawing that somebody else has previously created on the website. Being relatively interesting, this is a resource I would predominantly not allow within my classroom. Even though the website claims the images are approved by the server, you potentially do not know what you will be receiving in return of your sketch. Coming across as a fairly innocent website, I believe I would rather be safe than sorry.

With these websites offering many advantages and minor potential disadvantages, I further reinforce the notion of testing such websites before exposing children within the classroom to them. With a selection of features; these websites can be highly interactive, amusing and educational all at the same time. I believe using such resources to create variety in the classroom is needed to ensure children remain engaged and focused. 

Week Four Personal Reflection

I was unfortunately absent for this week’s workshop and therefore had to revise the materials covered on my own... Not fun at all!

Using the www.abc.net.au/dustechoes website; I was introduced to numerous dreamtime stories, which were told through animations of different colours, visuals and illustrations. Selecting a favourite movie within the resource, I was able to create a story line by sequencing screen shots of the animation. Completing this workshop at home; I explored the features provided in Paint to create my screen shots, which unfortunately didn’t offer many options. Speaking to some friends, I was told the ‘Adope Photo Shop Editor’ program can be downloaded for free, offering many features such as that of colour and tone options.

I believe such activities will be suitable for children at all learning levels; especially students who are more visual and students who are developing English as a second language. With easy to use software that has the potential for accessibility within a larger range of schools, programs are predominantly easy to use and incorporate the notion of scaffolding. Allowing for multiple pathways and starting points; these activities will be ideal for the independent use of students and cater to the individual needs of paced learning for each student.

References:
‘Educational Soundness in the Digital Age’ Notes prepared by Greg Powell.

Week Three Personal Reflection

Whilst the use of these websites can be both educational and beneficial, teachers need to be exceptionally cautious as to what they are exposing their students to on the internet. All websites should therefore be predominantly tested BEFORE introducing them to the classroom and allowing the students to explore their contents. With the internet being a resource which offers pornographic, sexually explicit, offensive, hateful and violent activities that are dangerous or illegal; we as future educators need to strictly ensure that we educate the children of the twenty-first century to be entirely safe when using the internet.

Just as we are well aware of certain aspects to be careful of when using the internet, children need to be educated to have these same ideas in mind. Students need to understand the importance of protecting their own privacy and personal information as well as being proactive in letting someone know if something seems odd or strange. When being asked to provide personal information, students should be aware of the risks involved in doing so and taught the differences of genuine websites as opposed to the ones, which may pose risks. In relation to these attributes, it is also important to educate children with respect to the notion of copyright issues and respecting the quality of work created by others.

The issue of cyber bullying is one, which is sadly increasing in the world of the internet amongst youngsters in the twenty-first century today. Watching the archived video named ‘Cyber Bullying Australia 2009’ on TeacherTube broke my heart to see such hatred words displayed on the screen. I believe it is in the power of the schools to educate children in order to stop such bullying from taking place and put a stop to cyber bullying all together.

When researching the notion of being cyber smart for children; I found this creative resource, which can furthermore enforce the understanding amongst children. A print screen of this image has been uploaded below.

The idea of this image is to allow children to ‘THINK in order to help children to stop and think before they act when using the internet.’ Each letter stands for a strategy, which can be implemented in order to be cautious when using the internet. They have been outlined below;

·         Tell your mum or dad if you see something online that upsets you, or if someone makes you feel unhappy. You can also talk to a trusted adult like a teacher, they can help.

·         Hide your password. Only ever share it with your parents – never with your friends. Someone else could go online pretending to be you and do something that could get you into trouble.

·         Interesting websites can be fun. Check with mum and dad if a site is okay to use before you visit. Sometimes they can set up a good list of sites just for you!

·         Be Nice to people you talk to on the internet or phone. Name calling or being mean is not call. Look out for yourself and for others.

·         Keep your special personal information safe. Never give your real name, address or phone number to anyone you don’t know in the real world. Use a nickname in chat rooms or when you play games on the computer.

I think this simple creation can be the key needed to further reinforce the importance of being safe on the internet. This image can be enlarged and put up in the classroom; ensuring children have access to it at all times.

Teachers need to be extra careful when organising for their students to make use of the internet. Children need to be constantly supervised and made sure they are not exposed to any form of the dangers unfortunately offered by the use of the internet. Teachers need to be extra careful and never leave anything to chance when utilising the use of the powers of the internet.

Resources:

TeacherTube: teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=139986

CyberSmart: cybersmart.gov.au/YoungKids/How%20to%20be%20cybersmart

Week Three Workshop Reflection

This workshop began with an introduction to the ‘Design Brief.’ Whilst working in a group, we were given a small piece of cardboard, a picture of a frog, an elastic band and a small portion of tape. Together and with the use of all resources; we were asked to produce a mechanism, which would allow the frog to potentially jump. Conducting this simple exercise within the classroom has the capability of allowing students to develop diverse ideas and predominantly ‘think outside the box’ whilst working within a group and showing respect to the opinions of others.

By signing up with a website named ‘Quia,’ we were provided with a thirty day trial account where we had the ability to create a variety of quizzes within the online website. Quia not only gives you the flexibility to create and solve your own variety of quizzes, but also gives you the opportunity to search millions of quizzes created by educators all around the world.

The print screen above is a snap shot of a multiple choice quiz I created in the workshop. It was great to have the preference of selecting options such as how many questions I would like to create and whether or not I would like my quiz to be timed and for how long.

I believe implementing such an exercise within the classroom could be highly beneficial for both the teacher as well as the students. Such an activity has the capability of being incorporated within any topic of the classroom. This notion forces children to create questions in which they predominantly have to answer themselves. With the flexibility of this task, an incorporation of a research activity can also be introduced to the students. Allowing students to develop their own quizzes enhances their information technology skills such as typing and develops writing skills with the inclusion of grammar and punctuation. The notion of producing questions and answers furthermore enforces the use of question marks and important question words such as who, what, when, where and why.

With a given time frame of completion, students can then be given the opportunity to have a wonder and attempt the quizzes of students within the classroom. This additional activity furthermore creates interaction within students in the classroom. 

Week Two Personal Reflection

Before beginning this course; I had many friends working within the teaching profession approach me and attempt to explain the notion of the ‘ePortfolio.’ Honestly, I never understood. Different people had different perceptions and it seemed like everybody brought various concepts. The one common opinion people shared with relevance to this resource was that it was extremely ‘important’ and that ‘I couldn’t get a job without it.’ Listening to Greg’s views of the ePortfolio and reading through the notes provided on LMS, the concept started making more sense. Going away and completing my own research, I believe I now not only have a better understanding but have also been able to develop an understanding for the importance of this resource.

Pebble Pad describes the ePortfolio as being a resource, which allows others to see the progress of both your skills and development (Pebble Pad, 2010). Rather than being a ‘one off’ notion, I gather the ePortfolio should be ongoing and continuously developed through additions and updates. Essentially, ‘it works as a user-centred, personalised learning space allowing the user to shape the way they present themselves to the world’ (Mahara, 2008). With the freedom of creating personalised design and template, the idea of personalised learning is further enhanced and learning needs are catered for at an individual level (Mahara, 2008). ‘Students get to be informed, active participants in their own learning, they contribute to decisions about what learning can work best for them, and they have a much better understanding of how they are progressing (Minister of Education, NZ, 2007).

With a wide range of resources to work with, the ePortfolio allows students and teachers to further enhance their multimedia skills as well as develop their presentation skills. With a development of achievements overtime, the ePortfolio allows for both reflection and self assessment. Having a personal experience of the standard ‘scrapbooking’ exercise, I perceive the ePortfolio as a ‘scrapbook with an edge.’ As the notes provided on LMS also mention, scrapbooks are only an accumulation of information which provide no incentives of reflection. With the incorporation of continued learning, I only wish this proposal had been around when I was in school.

References:

Mahara: http://mahara.org/about/eportfolios

Pebble Pad: www.pebblelearning.co.uk/definitions.asp

Week Two Workshop Reflection

In this week’s workshop; our main focus was Microsoft Office Publisher, which made me really happy! Previously working as a full time executive assistant, my word processing skills were strongly influenced and I really enjoyed using software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft Publisher however, was always the one aspect in Office that I was really uncomfortable with, which is a shame because it comes across as being such a useful tool.

I initially contemplated using Microsoft PowerPoint to compile my ePortfolio but wasn’t really satisfied with the ideas I was bringing together. I guess I simply chose PowerPoint because it was software I was familiar with and it was potentially my ‘comfort zone.’ Being a more paper based person, my only concern was the presentation of my final copy.

When asked to design a brochure of any destination, I chose Istanbul (a city in Turkey). A copy of my brochure produced has been posted in the image above. This simple exercise allowed me to play around with the different templates, different pictures of different sizes and different alignments and different colours, themes and styles. I was really grateful for today’s workshop because I’ve constantly wanted to excel my knowledge using Publisher. Having the chance to play around with the software in this week’s workshop was a fantastic way to help me overcome my fear. 

I now have a better insight of the program, which I will definitely be using to produce my ePortfolio. Using a web site template, I believe such a design has the capability to work well in both the soft and hard copy format. This workshop has encouraged me to be extra creative with my ePortfolio; whereby I have already started brainstorming different ideas, the summary of my pedagogy and a consistent quote which can be followed throughout my portfolio. I sincerely believe an extra resource such as an ePortfolio can be the edge, which allows me to stand out within the recruitment process. 

Week One Personal Reflection

I was incredibly surprised with the first Technology workshop for this week. Frankly, I never understood the importance of utilising such opportunities within the classroom. I guess I’ve always thought about education the old fashioned way; pencils, paper, an eraser and perhaps a calculator. However after only one workshop, Greg’s passion for technology has me thinking otherwise...

I knew I had to research this notion at hand further and really comprehend the concept of incorporating ‘technology’ within a primary setting classroom. As a result; I came home after finishing classes for the day, turned off my iPhone 3GS to avoid any distractions, sat in front of my Sony Wireless laptop and opened up my internet homepage to Google... And that’s when it hit me! Technology has enhanced on so many levels in the world today, we have become oblivious to how many times a day we use it. If we as future educators have the luxury of using such methods to elaborate our understandings, why shouldn’t the students in our classroom?

Wikipedia describes a blog as being ‘maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.’ Blogs are a useful form of communication between teachers and students, which give children the opportunity to share ideas and have the ability to simply develop writing skills (Resourcing the Curriculum, 2010). I personally believe creating blogs is a good way to develop ‘community’ within the classroom as well as give each child a sense of identity. With the use of internet rapidly increasing around the world, students are also introduced to the guidelines of being safe online.

All in all, this subject has already opened my eyes and allowed me to really consider various ideas of keeping students engaged and enthusiastic. The development of technology is truly amazing and I think we’d be crazy to not introduce children to such facilities at a young age. I honestly believe we will not only be teaching children about the curriculum at hand but also developing life skills for their future. I guess it all comes down to the following; ‘Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.’ (Chinese proverb).

References:

Resourcing the Curriculum: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Week One Workshop Reflection

Today was the first technology workshop where we set up our own blogs and had a play around with the Inspiration software.

With so much to work with; I believe the software is a fantastic tool for group work, brainstorming and linking ideas within one topic whereby relationships can be made apparent. I think it gives children the option to think outside the square, which as a future educator is something I wish to encourage within my classroom.

Having never even heard of the Inspiration program, I actually found myself having a good time! Children are given the wide availability of creating hyperlinks, using set graphics as well as migrating ones of their own and simply being creative. With the option of different colours, different sounds and different shapes and objects; I believe Inspiration encourages students to explore ideas and concepts within different topics across the curriculum.

Today, I created a mind map of simple animals and grouped them into four categories as illustrated above. This simple task can work extremely well with the younger children of primary school. Students can be assigned into groups where categories can be arranged as is and children can then be asked to find animals of their own and place them into the correct categories using the software. Rather than simply learning about the unit of work on hand, students are given the opportunity to unconsciously build team work and leadership skills.

With so many options and easy to use software; Inspiration is a reference tool I hope to have access to. Simple ideas such as brainstorming and planning are useful in everyday life and I believe it is essential to introduce such thinking views to children at a young age. Incorporating programs as such within the classroom; students are encouraged to build their computer and research skills, which will be carried with students to secondary schooling, university and hopefully even work life.