Podcasting and vodcasting are excellent tools for developing oral reading fluency and writing skills. They cater to all learning styles both in the viewing and creating arenas and promote active participation and engagement with a learning centred focus.
In order to create a podcast or vodcast, students need to research, plan, and write scripts, view and review and make judgements regarding the quality of the production. Podcasting and vodcasting provide an excellent collaborative learning tool and enable the learners to appreciate and reflect on the joint construction of the finished product.
Podcasting and vodcasting promote good writing, speaking, and communication skills and are useful as an interesting and motivating activity which can be both authentic and relevant to the learners. Podcasting and vodcasting can be used across all KLA's to develop reading, speaking, writing, communication and listening skills. With minimal assistance, young learners can develop their technology skills, acquire information and integrate technology into their learning via the use of podcasts and vodcasts.
It is important that young learners are able to interact and communicate knowledge to real audiences, this aids in the development of a sense of audience and purpose when reading, writing, and speaking.
The viewing of vodcasts and the subsequent learning that takes place after the viewing can be student directed, with the learners deciding what action they choose to take on the topic. This promotes student self regulation and can (if carefully guided)lead to deep involvement and active citizenship within the classroom. Above all, podcasting and vodcasting enable learners to look outside the box that is the classroom and really connect with the world around them.
Click here to view a vodcast that I found
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A useful resource for teachers to enable children to predict, hypothesize and reflect.
Being an early childhood student, I was searching the Flickr creative commons photos for something that I could use in the early years context. I think that this photo would be very useful across many KLA's; it could be used to promote higher order thinking and for interesting and engaging collaborative learning activities.
This image could be used to support the productive pedagogies framework (Department of Education, 2002) by promoting connectedness to the world. By giving value and meaning to real world problems and encouraging learners to reflect on relevant personal experiences, the learning manager is able to promote higher order thinking. A problem based curriculum and a driving question, such as 'what might the people in this photo need to do to avoid injury/damage' would allow children to predict, construct knowledge and critically examine contrasting and conflicting ideas. This, in turn allows for deep knowledge and understanding.
Thought provoking images are useful tools to stimulate, transform, support and enhance student learning in an early childhood context. SOSE is an obvious KLA where images can be utilised, however, with some creativity a learning manager could incorporate Science and Technology (e.g weather patterns and investigation) The Arts (e.g. analyzing images for colour, shape, line, texture, intention, looking at the positioning of features etc) Health and P.E (health implications, physical characteristics) English (analyzing and writing narratives, personal recounts, searching for adjectives) Mathematics (looking at patterns, estimating) all that is needed is some imagination and knowledge of how to access interesting and thought provoking images!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Power point
PowerPoint was covered this week and whilst I had used this tool in the past and have, on many occasions, been bored to death viewing PowerPoint's, I had no idea of the magnitude of its capabilities! I was unaware that it was possible to embed a sound or video file as I had only basically scanned the available functions in the past. I can see much value in using interactive PowerPoint as a means to scaffold and sequence learning across all KLA's and year levels. I envisage PowerPoint being used as a means of knowledge acquisition and integration and, with assistance for early childhood learners, as a tool for the presentation of new understandings. Click here to view the comments that I made on a peer's blog regarding the use of powerpoint.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Ethics and safety
Ethics and safety were heavily focused upon this week. It is vital that teachers and learners are aware 0f the potential dangers and liabilities surrounding internet use. Teachers must ensure that the strict policies concerning use of ICT's are adhered to at all times in order to avoid potentially devastating repercussions. Teachers must also ensure that their learners follow all relevant policies and procedures and understand terms and conditions of internet use. Privacy must remain ever-present in the teachers mind when using and/or asking students to use ICT's.
This week I also created a weebly website, click here to view it.
Static websites provide a permanent record of learning as they cannot be added to or altered by others as blogs and wiki's can. A website could be used as the basis of a unit by providing interlinked pages as well as links to various other sites. Whilst websites are unable to be edited by other's, there are options to allow feedback, contact and links pages. Maps and surveys can be embedded into websites and options, such as webquests, allow for problem based pedagogy. Websites can provide an engaging link to concerns beyond the classroom and allow connectedness to the world through knowledge integration.
Static websites provide a permanent record of learning as they cannot be added to or altered by others as blogs and wiki's can. A website could be used as the basis of a unit by providing interlinked pages as well as links to various other sites. Whilst websites are unable to be edited by other's, there are options to allow feedback, contact and links pages. Maps and surveys can be embedded into websites and options, such as webquests, allow for problem based pedagogy. Websites can provide an engaging link to concerns beyond the classroom and allow connectedness to the world through knowledge integration.
This week I was introduced to Wiki's and created one of my own ...click here to take a look.
Wiki's differ from blogs in that a blog is basically an on-line journal/diary which allows other people to view your postings, and a wiki is capable of having new, interlinked pages added to it. Wiki's are a perfect place for students to document their learning and allow students to construct meaning and connect learning whilst providing teachers with transparent, text based evidence of the learner's thinking. Learners are able to go back and reflect on their learning and further research topics of interest, thus refining and extending knowledge and engaging in Higher order thinking.
Wiki's differ from blogs in that a blog is basically an on-line journal/diary which allows other people to view your postings, and a wiki is capable of having new, interlinked pages added to it. Wiki's are a perfect place for students to document their learning and allow students to construct meaning and connect learning whilst providing teachers with transparent, text based evidence of the learner's thinking. Learners are able to go back and reflect on their learning and further research topics of interest, thus refining and extending knowledge and engaging in Higher order thinking.
Preceding this post is a mindmap of the productive pedagogies framework. The productive pedagogies framework allows teachers to consider if all students in their learning environment are supported and engaged in relevant and intellectually challenging curriculum. It enables teachers to reflect critically on their work by considering how their teaching and assessment practices support or hinder their learners.
Particular learning activities which would fulfill these requirements could include incorporating problem based activities that require learners to sort and categorise items, design and create models and collaborate with peers whilst engaging in conversation focused around negotiating understanding.
Particular learning activities which would fulfill these requirements could include incorporating problem based activities that require learners to sort and categorise items, design and create models and collaborate with peers whilst engaging in conversation focused around negotiating understanding.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
This morning I read with much interest, the article about digital immigrants and digital natives by Prensky (2001). This article really hit home for me, whilst I realised that I am most definitely a digital immigrant, I now better understand the process going on inside my brain. Being a mature aged student and having not experienced elearning in my school education, my brain stores this information in a different place and a different manner to that of a digital native! amazing!
blogs, bubbl.us, delicious, powerpoint, google maps
O.k. so now that I am starting to get the hang of this blogging business, I am going to attempt to discuss my thoughts on the tools that I have been exploring.
Firstly blogs- I can see enormous value in the use of blogs in an educational context, both for the learners and for the teachers. This tool can be used to record and share information and allows a teacher to see exactly where the learner is at, how they are progressing and their level of application and understanding. Teachers can also use this tool to share ideas and network and as a space to record information in a practical, user friendly way.
The bubbl.us concept/mind map tool could be a great resource in any year level and across all KLA's. It can be easily rearranged, restructured and added to as thoughts and ideas emerge and change.
The online book marker tool 'delicious' is like nothing I have ever experienced. I feel this tool would be invaluable for middle primary levels and higher, allowing them to easily record websites and relevant information at the click of a button. This tool would also be very useful for educators when planning and could potentially save many hours of frustrating searching.
Powerpoint was another area discussed this week, and whilst I have used this tool before, I had never experienced it being used interactively with the drag and drop function. Again, a very useful tool, however I feel that we must be careful not to replace important concrete materials with too many elearning tools, particularly where kinaesthetic learners are concerned.
Finally Google maps. I have used this tool before but have never seen the real life application. I feel that this tool would be both exciting and engaging for all learners as it enables them to view and monitor real situations. I see much value for this tool for SOSE lessons, but, with a bit of imagination, it could be used across all KLA's.
Firstly blogs- I can see enormous value in the use of blogs in an educational context, both for the learners and for the teachers. This tool can be used to record and share information and allows a teacher to see exactly where the learner is at, how they are progressing and their level of application and understanding. Teachers can also use this tool to share ideas and network and as a space to record information in a practical, user friendly way.
The bubbl.us concept/mind map tool could be a great resource in any year level and across all KLA's. It can be easily rearranged, restructured and added to as thoughts and ideas emerge and change.
The online book marker tool 'delicious' is like nothing I have ever experienced. I feel this tool would be invaluable for middle primary levels and higher, allowing them to easily record websites and relevant information at the click of a button. This tool would also be very useful for educators when planning and could potentially save many hours of frustrating searching.
Powerpoint was another area discussed this week, and whilst I have used this tool before, I had never experienced it being used interactively with the drag and drop function. Again, a very useful tool, however I feel that we must be careful not to replace important concrete materials with too many elearning tools, particularly where kinaesthetic learners are concerned.
Finally Google maps. I have used this tool before but have never seen the real life application. I feel that this tool would be both exciting and engaging for all learners as it enables them to view and monitor real situations. I see much value for this tool for SOSE lessons, but, with a bit of imagination, it could be used across all KLA's.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Well, d.day arrived and I survived!
For years I have been burying my head in the sand trying to pretend that cyber world did not exist. Now that I have extended myself a fraction, I find that there is really a lot of useful stuff out there and that I just need the skills, patience and confidence to access it.
I have had experience using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom but limited experience using other elearning tools. I look forward to learning more about this exciting and ever changing topic.
For years I have been burying my head in the sand trying to pretend that cyber world did not exist. Now that I have extended myself a fraction, I find that there is really a lot of useful stuff out there and that I just need the skills, patience and confidence to access it.
I have had experience using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom but limited experience using other elearning tools. I look forward to learning more about this exciting and ever changing topic.
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