This was a particularly difficult assignment for me to attempt. I’ve never before taken on the role of educator, and I am fairly unsure of how to apply these technologies in a teaching environment. Nevertheless, I have been and still am, a student, so the way in which I’ve researched these methods of elearning is how I would like to learn from them.
Google earth really excited me. It has a greater capacity to engage students rather than looking at an atlas. Imagine perhaps tracing the steps of your daily routine and then comparing it to the steps of someone else, possibly in another country (Google earth 2009). Geography could be totally rearranged with the use of this tool, History too.
However, I experienced a couple of technical issues with the program. I’m not sure what caused it, but my Google earth stopped working properly after about half an hour. It stopped responding to the commands I was clicking on, which was quite frustrating. Whether it was a program error or a computer error I’m not sure. This could have implications on its overall use, after all students and teachers aren’t going to use a tool that is sluggish and frustrating.
During my time in High school, students around me complained mightily of the uselessness of some of the things that were being taught. Looking back, I agree with them. Web quests would have been much welcome in my classroom back then.
Reading about web quests made me realise just how aware of the world outside of the school room we could make students. In particular, the web quests I read about terrorism (March n.d)and the environment (Hawkquest 2004). One only has to think about our communities to understand that these two subjects are probably the most prominent of this past decade. And although we are becoming more aware of these two universal issues, many people understand little about these problems.
I see Webquests as a terrific way to introduce these issues, and future issues into the classroom. They utilize some of the key aspects of connectivism. The idea that we learn through experience, and using the experience of others to form multiple valid arguments (Siemens 2005).
I’ve been aware youtube for a while now. I watched it for music videos and funny videos but not educational videos. You can find a youtube tutorial on just about anything you want. Youtube is good for spatial/visual learners, audio learners and musical learners. It also incorporates some of the Dale’s learning aspects(Aldred 2009). According to Dale’s cone of learning experience, we learn 30% through demonstration (watching youtube videos) and 75% by practice by doing (making youtube video, or acting out its contents).
Avatars can be a cute distraction used to break up large amounts of text. Some of the other students in the course have mentioned that they use avatars on their younger children to gain their interest (Makiko 2009). They are quite good at gaining attention, but probably not so good for long dialogues of information. I would definitely incorporate them into my teaching style in some way.
Another piece of learning tech that incorporates the idea of connectivism is the Voicethread (Siemens 2005). Voicethread uses a number of concepts to develop a mini forum around an image, in which people from all over can come and comment. They can use factual knowledge or anecdotal evidence to explain the image they are viewing. The image promotes a discussion that can be monitored and edited and is mostly used for educational processes(Voicethread 2009).
Incomputech is an excellent music resource. The creator Kevin Mcleod is very generous in believing that his art should be available to everyone (Mcleod 2007) and his target is specifically aimed at educators and students, who generally have limited music resources. Copyrights of musical artist must be observed, one has to be careful how they use any piece of music that they find. Knowing that there are sites like this that exist are a great relief. Music downloaded from this site is free to be used.
I would definitely use this site. Particularly when developing media projects like flash animation, dance routines, and video productions. This is another example of connectivism, one person sharing his creations with others so they can create.
Group collaborations are being more and frequent in students assessments. Wiki is a handy tool which resembles an online white board. A group of students can quickly log into their Wiki page to type their ideas and see what the others have put on up on the wiki. It enables people to share their views and ideas. This is a much easier way to access other student’s information as opposed to email, telephone and texting.
Picnik is a photo editing program that is free to use. Programs such as these are good for students and teachers with limited financial resources. The free tools are very basic, you can use picnik to reshape, resize, cut and colour your pictures (Picnik 2009). The more elaborate tools, come with a fee. It’s a good program to edit your photos and make them more suitable for uploading to other websites.
Picnik also works in conjunction with Flickr a free, educational site for students and teachers to upload there pictures. The pictures are sharable, and are free to use within the copyright laws (Aldred, 2009). Like Incomputech, this program has availability for everyone in mind. Again this is a good teaching tool for visual spatial learners, and draws on the connectivism learning value of shareable knowledge
There are more tools in the following Blog, but these are the tools I’ve specifically chosen as they suit my learning style the best.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
BGFL (2009) Multiple intelligences, Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm
Google (2009) Google Earth. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://earth.google.com/intl/en/index.html
HawkQuest Educational Enterprise (2004) Antarctic ice to water Australia. Retrieved December 9 from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/web_quest/home.htm
Makiko (2009) Amazing Avatars. Retrieved December 17, from http://kellyselearning.blogspot.com/2009/12/amazing-avatars.html
March,T. (n.d) Freedom fighter or Terrorist. Retrieved December 9 from http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/tmarch/freedom2/webquest.htm
Mcleod, K (2007) Incompetech. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from
http://incompetech.com/
Siemens, G (2005) Connectivism. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Voice thread (2009) Voicethread. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from https://voicethread.com/#u668920
Wood, J (2009) Google earth in the classroom. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from http://joewoodonline.pbworks.com/Google+Earth+in+the+Classroom
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Podcasting
I've been listening to my favourite radio shows through podcast for about a year and a half. For me, it is a particular handy tool. Most often, I forget or don't have time to listen to my favourite radio broadcasts, so I download them and listen to them through my car, ipod and computer. There are a lot of educational programs out there to compliment teaching subjects, however, I have noticed that on long broadcast (around 45mins, or 1hr) I tend to start 'tuning out'.
On the other hand, podcasts are great because you can pause, and rewind. This could be helpful if your not a a strong auditory learner. If you are a strong auditory leaner, the podcasts are a good way to supplement the subject that you are learning.
Video's are also available as vodcasts, this allows for storage of good teaching programs or related videos on to portable devices. Students are very mobile these days, it makes sense to use technology to bring the education to them wherever they are.
Aldred, S (2009) An Introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Cheek, B (2006), Multiple intelligences, Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.gp-training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm
On the other hand, podcasts are great because you can pause, and rewind. This could be helpful if your not a a strong auditory learner. If you are a strong auditory leaner, the podcasts are a good way to supplement the subject that you are learning.
Video's are also available as vodcasts, this allows for storage of good teaching programs or related videos on to portable devices. Students are very mobile these days, it makes sense to use technology to bring the education to them wherever they are.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An Introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Cheek, B (2006), Multiple intelligences, Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.gp-training.net/training/educational_theory/multint/multint.htm
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Youtube
What a resource Youtube is! For years I've been using it to watch video's of people hitting pinatas, however recently I found it can be used for all sorts of learning purposes.
You can find tutorials on anything you can think of. I have a keen interest in playing the ukulele so it was one of my first searches and I found this little video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78nr8QMaUbI
Learning the Japanese language is the second subject I looked for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4OsejI4mIg
Some video's posted on Youtube are better then others, and if you manage to find some quality programing, you can subscribe to it, and Youtube will store the video's in your subscriber file. Teachers can find instructional video's to compliment their teaching subjects, and also encourage students to possibly make their own You tube video. You tube is a good place for people who learn by visual instruction. You can probably find any number of You tube videos that suit all types of learners.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Youtube, LLC (2009) Youtube: Broadcast yourself. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/
You can find tutorials on anything you can think of. I have a keen interest in playing the ukulele so it was one of my first searches and I found this little video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78nr8QMaUbI
Learning the Japanese language is the second subject I looked for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4OsejI4mIg
Some video's posted on Youtube are better then others, and if you manage to find some quality programing, you can subscribe to it, and Youtube will store the video's in your subscriber file. Teachers can find instructional video's to compliment their teaching subjects, and also encourage students to possibly make their own You tube video. You tube is a good place for people who learn by visual instruction. You can probably find any number of You tube videos that suit all types of learners.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Youtube, LLC (2009) Youtube: Broadcast yourself. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/
Monday, December 14, 2009
Quizzes
I'm not a particular fan of quizzes. I believe they are useful in evaluating how much you know, but I'm not sure of their value in assessing a student formally. Developing a quiz was more difficult then I thought it would be.
Structuring questions so they are understandable to others was tough. since I'm not a teacher, it also felt awkward. I'm not an expert, so I felt my questions and answers were too risky, after all I wouldn't want to give anyone wrong information.
I did attempt to make a quiz through Class Marker, which was easy to use. In the end, I scrapped the quiz, I needed better questions, and more accurate answers.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
ClassMarker (2009) ClassMarker. retrieved December 16, 2009, from
http://www.classmarker.com/
Structuring questions so they are understandable to others was tough. since I'm not a teacher, it also felt awkward. I'm not an expert, so I felt my questions and answers were too risky, after all I wouldn't want to give anyone wrong information.
I did attempt to make a quiz through Class Marker, which was easy to use. In the end, I scrapped the quiz, I needed better questions, and more accurate answers.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 16, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
ClassMarker (2009) ClassMarker. retrieved December 16, 2009, from
http://www.classmarker.com/
Powerpoint
I made a Powerpoint presentation for an assessment last term. Initially I believed powerpoint to be quite stagnant and boring. but there are numerous applications to be done with this tool. Using action buttons can make a powerpoint presentation a lot more interactive and engaging for the students. Adding a voice over using the in program software isn't very good quality, Luckily there is free software, like audacity available. The audio files made by audacity are quite large, and a large audio file may not always be able to save to a powerpoint presentation. Aside from those things, PP is very popular, it looks stylish and is easy to use.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Audacity (2009) Audacity. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Audacity (2009) Audacity. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
E Portfolio
When I think of an E portfolio I think of it in a traditional sense, a place to keep your work so it may be presented to potential employers. Without a doubt that may have been it's original use. I see the potential of utilizing it for an educational purpose, but not a direct teacher to student way. With all the Internet media that's available, teachers could find useful ideas through blogs, images, tutorials and the like, opening up more avenues to develop their own teaching style. E portfolio has the potential to become a creative hub for teachers to showcase their work, and learn off and connect with other teaching experiences.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Mosep (n.d) Mahara screencasts. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.mosep.org/index.php/lang-en/toolbox/maharascreencasts
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Mosep (n.d) Mahara screencasts. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.mosep.org/index.php/lang-en/toolbox/maharascreencasts
Wiki
Wikki appears to be a place for fans to post messages about their favourite shows (Wetpaint 2009), but I can see an educational use for it. Wiki feels like a natural expression for group collaborations for online students. It also incorporates the value of connective learning, and increase experience in dealing with new information and assessing its value (Siemens 2005).
The interface is user friendly meaning younger students (and older ones) can start putting their idea's forward to their peers immediately, instead of the tedious going back and fourth with other modes of communication. Wiki also means editing, so mistakes can be altered and new avenues explored.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Siemens, G (2005) Connectivism. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Wetpaint.com, Inc (2009) Retrieved December 15, 2009 fromhttp://www.wetpaint.com/
The interface is user friendly meaning younger students (and older ones) can start putting their idea's forward to their peers immediately, instead of the tedious going back and fourth with other modes of communication. Wiki also means editing, so mistakes can be altered and new avenues explored.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Siemens, G (2005) Connectivism. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Wetpaint.com, Inc (2009) Retrieved December 15, 2009 fromhttp://www.wetpaint.com/
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Voicethread
I've made a short voicethread to gain a better understanding of how it works. It is only a very basic creation consisting of a photo I took of Churchill statue, while I was on holiday in the UK.
This educational tool seems very versatile in it's application. It can be set up like a text book, with facts and figures spread about the page, or like an open ended forum with comments made from people all around the world, like a giant share space of information. It uses pictures and audio programs, good for engaging students in using different programs to get there message across. i.e typing using a microphone.
I particularly like the potential use for teaching a different language (voicethread, 2009). The ability to edit and screen comments is also good for monitoring what information is worth keeping and presenting to others.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Voice thread (2009) Voicethread. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from https://voicethread.com/#u668920
This educational tool seems very versatile in it's application. It can be set up like a text book, with facts and figures spread about the page, or like an open ended forum with comments made from people all around the world, like a giant share space of information. It uses pictures and audio programs, good for engaging students in using different programs to get there message across. i.e typing using a microphone.
I particularly like the potential use for teaching a different language (voicethread, 2009). The ability to edit and screen comments is also good for monitoring what information is worth keeping and presenting to others.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Voice thread (2009) Voicethread. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from https://voicethread.com/#u668920
Incompetech
I downloaded a piece of African music from the incompetech website. This piece has a slow tempo, with a lot of drums and sounds very tribal and exotic. It could be used as background for film or flash projects or set to a dance routine.
Music can be useful in dealing with students who learn musically and kinaesthetically.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
BGFL (2009) Multiple intelligences, Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm
Mcleod, K (2007) Incompetech. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from
http://incompetech.com/
Music can be useful in dealing with students who learn musically and kinaesthetically.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
BGFL (2009) Multiple intelligences, Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm
Mcleod, K (2007) Incompetech. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from
http://incompetech.com/
MediaFire
I would use MediaFire if I wanted to show a media file, or a group of media files, I felt was interesting or relevant to the class I was involved with. This type of program is another way to share experience and ideas with others from all over the world. In return people can leave comments and thoughts that could possibly expand on the content of the media file. Connectivism is at the core of this technology.
I am currently studying literay studies, which means I'm learning alot about codes and symbolism within film, t.v, and literature. This file contains an episode of the ABC's hungry beast. It is a show all about the media in Australia, and I warn you, it is rated M and can be controversial. It is because of this that I won't make it a click able link, but I will show the link just in case anyone is interested:
http://www.mediafire.com/?tentiennmww
References
ABC (2009) Hungry beast. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://hungrybeast.abc.net.au
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
MediaFire (2009) MediaFire. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from http://www.mediafire.com/
I am currently studying literay studies, which means I'm learning alot about codes and symbolism within film, t.v, and literature. This file contains an episode of the ABC's hungry beast. It is a show all about the media in Australia, and I warn you, it is rated M and can be controversial. It is because of this that I won't make it a click able link, but I will show the link just in case anyone is interested:
http://www.mediafire.com/?tentiennmww
References
ABC (2009) Hungry beast. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://hungrybeast.abc.net.au
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 13, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
MediaFire (2009) MediaFire. Retrieved December 13, 2009 from http://www.mediafire.com/
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Slide share
Here is a powerpoint presentation I did last uni term.
Although I can show you the slide show, I seem to be unable to load my sound file. This my own personal work and I must admit that I'm a little reticent in exposing it to the web. From a teaching perspective this appears to be another great example of utilizing a free web tool to reach students online. It is, still, just a tool. Engaging the student would be something else, of which my slide show probably doesn't do much of (especially without sound). In the hands of a more experienced educator, I expect, there would be a better, more engaging approach, to the use of this program.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Slide Share Inc (2009) Slide share. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from http://www.slideshare.net/
Although I can show you the slide show, I seem to be unable to load my sound file. This my own personal work and I must admit that I'm a little reticent in exposing it to the web. From a teaching perspective this appears to be another great example of utilizing a free web tool to reach students online. It is, still, just a tool. Engaging the student would be something else, of which my slide show probably doesn't do much of (especially without sound). In the hands of a more experienced educator, I expect, there would be a better, more engaging approach, to the use of this program.
References
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Slide Share Inc (2009) Slide share. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from http://www.slideshare.net/
WIKIpedia
I am currently studying the literary (as well a the film) genre of Science Fiction, More specifically the Invasion of the body snatchers. Naturally, WIKIpedia has quite a good selection of sources to browse through. If I were to introduce the subject of Science Fiction to a classroom I think Wiki would be good starting point. Its quite broad and covers briefly what the SF genre entails, not to mention links to very famous historical SF pieces (wkipedia 2009).
If I were to teach a class, or instruct students on anything SF related, I would use Wiki as sound jumping off point to other avenue of research. However, I would be hesitant to use it directly as a source. Wiki is gaining credibility as a solid source of factual information(Aldred 2009), but I still receive skepticism whenever I mention it to friends or family.
Here is my list of Wiki pages about Science Fiction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Snatchers_(1993_film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers_(1978_film)
http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18307
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Wikipedia (2009) Science Fiction. Retrieved December 11 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction
If I were to teach a class, or instruct students on anything SF related, I would use Wiki as sound jumping off point to other avenue of research. However, I would be hesitant to use it directly as a source. Wiki is gaining credibility as a solid source of factual information(Aldred 2009), but I still receive skepticism whenever I mention it to friends or family.
Here is my list of Wiki pages about Science Fiction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Snatchers_(1993_film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers_(1978_film)
http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18307
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Wikipedia (2009) Science Fiction. Retrieved December 11 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Web Quests
Web quests definitely feel engaging. I can see students getting quite excited about trying to solve these very relevant problems that seem very complicated. According to the views of connectivism, knowledge comes from experience (Siemens, 2004). Students, most likely, will not have much experience in dealing with environmental issues (HawkQuest, 2004)or terrorism (March, n.d). Assigning roles and allowing time to investigate their options, can help them attain and process knowledge from others. This could only be positive, as it can instill a greater understanding of how the world is at present.
Since I am not a teacher, and I'm not currently training to be one, I’m not sure how how to structure a web quest into a teaching curriculum. Nevertheless, I am a student, and I would probably see a web quest in the form of a end of term assessment in which part of school lesson time is dedicated to working on the web quest. From a traditional classroom sense, I can see there might be problems. Students and teachers would have to rely on the available resources. This would typically mean computers and Internet access, which may not be readily available.
Perhaps dropping the 'web' part of the quest might be better suited to the offline classroom. Instead of students using the web to deliver there results, change it to a classroom presentation. This is not to say drop the Internet completely, since it's a necessary tool for quest research. The aim of the web quest is to present students with real life problems and promote problem solving, the delivery of this method can always be negotiated.
References
HawkQuest Educational Enterprise (2004) Antarctic ice to water Australia. Retrieved December 9 from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/web_quest/home.htm
March,T. (n.d) Freedom fighter or Terrorist. Retrieved December 9 from http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/tmarch/freedom2/webquest.htm
Siemens,G.(2004) Elearnspace. Retrieved December 9 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Since I am not a teacher, and I'm not currently training to be one, I’m not sure how how to structure a web quest into a teaching curriculum. Nevertheless, I am a student, and I would probably see a web quest in the form of a end of term assessment in which part of school lesson time is dedicated to working on the web quest. From a traditional classroom sense, I can see there might be problems. Students and teachers would have to rely on the available resources. This would typically mean computers and Internet access, which may not be readily available.
Perhaps dropping the 'web' part of the quest might be better suited to the offline classroom. Instead of students using the web to deliver there results, change it to a classroom presentation. This is not to say drop the Internet completely, since it's a necessary tool for quest research. The aim of the web quest is to present students with real life problems and promote problem solving, the delivery of this method can always be negotiated.
References
HawkQuest Educational Enterprise (2004) Antarctic ice to water Australia. Retrieved December 9 from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/web_quest/home.htm
March,T. (n.d) Freedom fighter or Terrorist. Retrieved December 9 from http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/tmarch/freedom2/webquest.htm
Siemens,G.(2004) Elearnspace. Retrieved December 9 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Monday, December 7, 2009
Google earth
Google earth is a rather excellent tool in connecting students with places all over the world. Not only do you get a physical sense in where these places exist within the earth, you can tap into a street view camera and see how a city looks right down to it's residential housing.
Using the different layers also revealed earthquake zones, nature trails, locations of interest, and places to eat and drink. It is also possible to see how the landscape has changed through time. The ability to create a sight seeing tour seems like a great assignment to under take. Flickr can also be used to incorporate photos into the virtual tour. Students can use photos of their homes or work to create a day by day itinerary of their journeys, if they wanted too.
On a more technical note, I had some rather annoying problems occur. On initial usage of the street view tool everything was fine and I had some good street views of the surrounding buildings. After a while, the street view tool stopped working. It could be a technical issue with my computer or a user issue since this really was my first look at google earth. Aside from this, Google earth is an excellent geographical introduction to places outside of your own backyard.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 managing elearning.
Google (2009) Google Earth. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://earth.google.com/intl/en/index.html
Wood, J (2009) Google earth in the classroom. Retriveved December 10, 2009 from http://joewoodonline.pbworks.com/Google+Earth+in+the+Classroom
Using the different layers also revealed earthquake zones, nature trails, locations of interest, and places to eat and drink. It is also possible to see how the landscape has changed through time. The ability to create a sight seeing tour seems like a great assignment to under take. Flickr can also be used to incorporate photos into the virtual tour. Students can use photos of their homes or work to create a day by day itinerary of their journeys, if they wanted too.
On a more technical note, I had some rather annoying problems occur. On initial usage of the street view tool everything was fine and I had some good street views of the surrounding buildings. After a while, the street view tool stopped working. It could be a technical issue with my computer or a user issue since this really was my first look at google earth. Aside from this, Google earth is an excellent geographical introduction to places outside of your own backyard.
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 managing elearning.
Google (2009) Google Earth. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://earth.google.com/intl/en/index.html
Wood, J (2009) Google earth in the classroom. Retriveved December 10, 2009 from http://joewoodonline.pbworks.com/Google+Earth+in+the+Classroom
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Picnik
Finding and using photo editing programs is difficult to do free of charge. Most programs available are quite expensive and consequently, out of reach for many students. Education is seen as a right for all Australians regardless of wealth.
I've had nil experience with editing photos, this is mainly due to affordability. Picnik is a good program to have on hand for the very basics of photo edit. The program is quite user friendly, However, the more creative tools are locked away behind a yearly fee.
Still, not all creative tools are for paying customers only. I still managed to shrink my image and paint it neon blue. From a student point of view, this is a handy application for resizing and editing photos so they are suitable for the world wide web to see.
Photos tell stories and can express ideas in a visual way. I would use Picnik to engage my students visually and creatively. It's relation to Flickr means any photos can be shared. since Flickr is designed for education purposes, it leaves little doubt to it's purpose:To share and connect people to ideas through the use of pictures. To see my image click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219551@N06/4156074307/
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 4, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Picnik, Inc (2009) Picnik. Retrieved December 4, 2009, from:
http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome
Yahoo Inc. (2009) Flickr. Retrieved December 4, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/
I've had nil experience with editing photos, this is mainly due to affordability. Picnik is a good program to have on hand for the very basics of photo edit. The program is quite user friendly, However, the more creative tools are locked away behind a yearly fee.
Still, not all creative tools are for paying customers only. I still managed to shrink my image and paint it neon blue. From a student point of view, this is a handy application for resizing and editing photos so they are suitable for the world wide web to see.
Photos tell stories and can express ideas in a visual way. I would use Picnik to engage my students visually and creatively. It's relation to Flickr means any photos can be shared. since Flickr is designed for education purposes, it leaves little doubt to it's purpose:To share and connect people to ideas through the use of pictures. To see my image click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219551@N06/4156074307/
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 4, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Picnik, Inc (2009) Picnik. Retrieved December 4, 2009, from:
http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome
Yahoo Inc. (2009) Flickr. Retrieved December 4, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Flickr
Bellini Gardens
Originally uploaded by brezcat99
I set up a flickr account and went searching for some photos. I found this and decided to upload it to my blogg. The question I would put to my students (If I had some) would be 'Where is the Bellini Gardens?'. Flickr has the potential to really direct students in putting faces to the names of places or subjects they are researching.
A teacher setting up a flickr account is potentially setting up a small hub on which students can share their pictures and their information with great simplicity. Student group learning collaborations can only benefit from this online sharing program.
With the addition of flickr to the many other online avenues of information, the days of sticking pictures onto cardboard and writing detailed captions below them are long left behind!
References
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 2, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Yahoo, Inc (2009) Flickr. Retrieved December 2 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219551@N06/
Yahoo, Inc (2009)Flickr. Retrieved Decemebr 2, 2009 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/45219551@N06/4153466503/
Monday, November 30, 2009
More on Voki
I think avatars are a great way to initially engage students. from my own personal experience I feel they can add colour and humour to an otherwise dull learning experience.
That being said, Talking avatars could be viewed in the same light as maybe a video presentation. Just because they are a different medium in which to relay learning to students, does not mean it cannot become stale, or uninvolved. Since they use very simple animation designs, they could appear 'cheesy' or unrefined, compared to incredible animation that can be found on our televisions, computers and movie theatres.
Still they can be useful in small does, possibly even a cute way to involve students, (in particular, shy students) in putting forth their ideas.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Oddcast, Inc (2008) Voki. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from http://www.voki.com/
That being said, Talking avatars could be viewed in the same light as maybe a video presentation. Just because they are a different medium in which to relay learning to students, does not mean it cannot become stale, or uninvolved. Since they use very simple animation designs, they could appear 'cheesy' or unrefined, compared to incredible animation that can be found on our televisions, computers and movie theatres.
Still they can be useful in small does, possibly even a cute way to involve students, (in particular, shy students) in putting forth their ideas.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) A introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Oddcast, Inc (2008) Voki. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from http://www.voki.com/
Thursday, November 26, 2009
RSS
Setting up an RSS is helpful for keeping in contact with all your web interests. It would be great for students keeping track of a teachers blog, or other student blogs. It also saves time, and helps keep the distractions down such as advertisements and 'cosmo' quizzes.
Since it keeps track of a specific blog, it means learning from some one else's experiences (Siemens 2005). This can also develop abilities in problem solving.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Google(2009)Google Reader. Retrieved December 15 from http://www.google.com/reader/view/#overview-page
Siemens, G (2005) Connectivism. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Since it keeps track of a specific blog, it means learning from some one else's experiences (Siemens 2005). This can also develop abilities in problem solving.
References
Alded, S (2009) Active learning and Diversity, retrieved December 18, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001, Managing Elearning.
Aldred, S (2009) An introduction to teacher’s delivery technologies, Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Moodle, FAHE11001 Managing Elearning.
Google(2009)Google Reader. Retrieved December 15 from http://www.google.com/reader/view/#overview-page
Siemens, G (2005) Connectivism. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Hello
Hello to everyone in my elearning class,
Just a quick intro of myself on my very first blog ever. My name is Kathryn and I am currently working on a bachelor of arts, in hopes that one day it will help me become a librarian. I am currently involved in the many aspects of elearning and I will be posting my next blog shortly. So watch this space!
Bye for now.
Just a quick intro of myself on my very first blog ever. My name is Kathryn and I am currently working on a bachelor of arts, in hopes that one day it will help me become a librarian. I am currently involved in the many aspects of elearning and I will be posting my next blog shortly. So watch this space!
Bye for now.
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