Creating and Communicating online...I'm starting to get a slight case of brain overload now - I thought I was on top of everything, until I discovered this module - there is just a plethora of information, ideas, concepts, tools and technological equipment, that I feel like I can't keep up! I get the hang of one thing and before I know it, it's a "thing of the past" and something bigger and better is put in place!
All of these discoveries are definitely fantastic and I can see how wonderful these are to help with teaching the 21st Century Learner - but I feel like I'm only one step ahead of the kids, if that!
The next purchase for every classroom should definitely be a SmartBoard, and I know I would use it for so much more than just an expensive overhead projector. Once again, time and facilities are such huge contributing factors to getting all of these Web tools taught and understood.
Bubbl.us - I becme familiar with the inventive brainstorming tool last year and used it quite extensively...but like some of my colleagues, I was simply a visitor, and unable to save and edit my concept maps. Now I'm a member!
And I love how you can create an online ScrapBook and post it to your Blog - very impressive!
Looking forward now to our next Module!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Module 5
Digital Story Telling - "The modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling"...I like that quote - very much intended for the 21st Century Learner. And I think we'll continue hearing that phrase thrown around for the next few years or so - we, as teachers, need to focus our teaching on that of the "21st century Learner"
...and I loved the "Hefelumps" - what a great way to satirically display many teachers anxieties and apprehension when teaching with computers. As they say - "it is the way of the times".
Once again, I refer back to my trusty MacBook, when I say I have used digital storytelling in the past. iMove and iDVD have been great tools for me in terms of displaying photos, creating movies and composing music. I spent hours last year creating a digital photo story for my Year 6 class to take away with them as a final farewell to primary school, only to be presented with the incompatibilty of Macs and PCs - unfortunately my kids missed out and I learnt my lesson.
Since this occassion, I am yet to give it all another go - however, the amazing Year one team at our school have created some excellent retells of Fairy Tales through Microsoft Photo Story.
The only problem I can see arising though, is, as usual, time constraints.
Photos need to be scanned and uploaded before calling up each individual child to record their voices in to the one microphone, before then having to wait for your classes IT Lab time to then all be working on the custom animation of their story - where have the teachers found the time to teach every other KLA spelt out in the Term's program?
So definitely, the benefits of Web Tools are extensive, but as I'm only learning all of this now, I think it will take time before all schools are equipped with the resources and professional development in-services necessary to accomodate the "21st Century Learner"!
...and I loved the "Hefelumps" - what a great way to satirically display many teachers anxieties and apprehension when teaching with computers. As they say - "it is the way of the times".
Once again, I refer back to my trusty MacBook, when I say I have used digital storytelling in the past. iMove and iDVD have been great tools for me in terms of displaying photos, creating movies and composing music. I spent hours last year creating a digital photo story for my Year 6 class to take away with them as a final farewell to primary school, only to be presented with the incompatibilty of Macs and PCs - unfortunately my kids missed out and I learnt my lesson.
Since this occassion, I am yet to give it all another go - however, the amazing Year one team at our school have created some excellent retells of Fairy Tales through Microsoft Photo Story.
The only problem I can see arising though, is, as usual, time constraints.
Photos need to be scanned and uploaded before calling up each individual child to record their voices in to the one microphone, before then having to wait for your classes IT Lab time to then all be working on the custom animation of their story - where have the teachers found the time to teach every other KLA spelt out in the Term's program?
So definitely, the benefits of Web Tools are extensive, but as I'm only learning all of this now, I think it will take time before all schools are equipped with the resources and professional development in-services necessary to accomodate the "21st Century Learner"!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Module 4
Hmmmm Flikr....I became familiar with this online tool about 5 years ago when I started Flying Trapeze. A friend that I made there, from England, gave me a website and said "go look at my photos". So, whenever we wanted to see photos of ourselves flying, we'd just jump online! It was cool, because anyone could look at them and prospective employers could check us out - I was actually casted for a "Levi's" advertisment and a QANTAS one because of Flikr!
But now that I am such an avid FaceBook user and I swear by my Mac Book, I now simply edit my photos in iPhoto and upload shots onto my profile. I think it will probably be difficult for me to go back, now that I find this way so easy - but I can definitely see how using Flikr will be a great tool in the classroom!
The main reason why I would stay with FaceBook for myself and Flikr for the kids, is the simple fact of privacy. I definitely don't want my students asking to "be my friend".
Unfortunately nowadays we can't be too careful when it comes to online predators. Obviously, a lot of direction from the teacher would be needed in order to ensure that students are only uploading photos necessary to the work they may be undergoing in class.
Although I haven't been as impressed by this module as I have been by the introduction of Google Docs, I definitely want to give it a go! Now that my students have started adding their research to our Science Wiki, my next step is getting them to upload and edit photos of their work through Flikr!
By the way, this is what I do when I'm not runnning after kids!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Module 3
Ooooooooooooooooo...I like Google Docs - my favourite new discovery so far!
It wasn't until I watched the YouTube video showing just how "messy" sending and re-sending documents through email can be, that I actually recognised how often I have been in a situation where work could all be collaborated by a whole bunch of people, on the the one topic, on the same document - programming with grade partners initially came to mind.
I was also this week in the process of editing one of my cousin's uni assignments. We were attaching different ideas and sending them to each other over days and days. There was colour coding, italics and inverted commas everywhere - extremely difficult to keep track of! How fantastic had I known about Google Docs sooner.
But I needed to think about situations where it could be used in class? I know earlier in the year, working on Narratives, that the most time consuming task was conferencing and editing with the students on draft peices of paper (which, suprise suprise, were often lost, ripped, thrown out, stained...you get the idea). If I could introduce this online editing tool, I feel that a lot more constructive work would be achieved.
So, I wanted to get into it straight away - Talent Quest Time! Last year myself and one of my colleagues organised a Talent Quest with the Student Representative Council. "As part of the process, the SRC made up sign on sheets for people wishing to audition. Not only did we have over 40 people sign up, but the complete Sign On sheet was a mess - students crossing out other people's names, names scribbled onto the piece of paper. We both had a hard time trying to work out who was on the sheet and for what reason" (Thanks for your words Rena) ;)
My colleague then had a thought - we could create a Sign On Sheet online using Google Docs. All the students had to do was sign on electronically and not only did we have a neat, clear record of the auditions, we:
a) saved a lot of time having to type up audition names
b) could instantly see the list merged with all of the students' names on it.
She created a document and sent it to me. I edited it and am now in the process of talking to the students about it. A tough task ahead!
It wasn't until I watched the YouTube video showing just how "messy" sending and re-sending documents through email can be, that I actually recognised how often I have been in a situation where work could all be collaborated by a whole bunch of people, on the the one topic, on the same document - programming with grade partners initially came to mind.
I was also this week in the process of editing one of my cousin's uni assignments. We were attaching different ideas and sending them to each other over days and days. There was colour coding, italics and inverted commas everywhere - extremely difficult to keep track of! How fantastic had I known about Google Docs sooner.
But I needed to think about situations where it could be used in class? I know earlier in the year, working on Narratives, that the most time consuming task was conferencing and editing with the students on draft peices of paper (which, suprise suprise, were often lost, ripped, thrown out, stained...you get the idea). If I could introduce this online editing tool, I feel that a lot more constructive work would be achieved.
So, I wanted to get into it straight away - Talent Quest Time! Last year myself and one of my colleagues organised a Talent Quest with the Student Representative Council. "As part of the process, the SRC made up sign on sheets for people wishing to audition. Not only did we have over 40 people sign up, but the complete Sign On sheet was a mess - students crossing out other people's names, names scribbled onto the piece of paper. We both had a hard time trying to work out who was on the sheet and for what reason" (Thanks for your words Rena) ;)
My colleague then had a thought - we could create a Sign On Sheet online using Google Docs. All the students had to do was sign on electronically and not only did we have a neat, clear record of the auditions, we:
a) saved a lot of time having to type up audition names
b) could instantly see the list merged with all of the students' names on it.
She created a document and sent it to me. I edited it and am now in the process of talking to the students about it. A tough task ahead!
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