My slidecast so far

I am not sure if the narration is even working on this as I have been unable to view it all day, but time is running out for me this week with a sick child so here is my progress so far. I have set the narration which seems to have transferred however my editing of the slides in correspondence with the narration does not seem to have worked. When I can access slideshare (it seems to be working really slowly and then freezing?) again I will try to rectify this. Personally, I really would rather have someone else narrate or use music in my slidecast rather than my own voice, which I have tried to record without background noise! I can appreciate the technology and how it can be used and wouldn;t hesitate to use music or video to improve my powerpoint  I and will definitely be keeping my slidecast account.

I am trying to access some presentations I completed at my old workplace to keep for future reference and editing as I may be able  improve on these to incorporate into lessons at a later date. I also think that slidecast would be fantastic for students to work on their own material, the potential is endless for work on presentations, stories and narration and documenting field trips and activities just to name a few.

Again, this is another way to incorporate the Learning Engagement Theory and Active Learning Theory into the classroom. ICT'S such as slidecast can assist students developing procedural knowledge, putting a powerpoint and slidecast together also allows students to Use Knowledge Meaningfully which is addressed in Dimension 4 of the Dols. I am currently in the process of using the 6 reasoning processes listed under this category right now
Biodiversity

View more presentations from Meegan Sommerfeld.

Reference:
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Week 8 Powerpoint slide Audio File

Just a quick posting to document what is happening with my week 8 PowerPoint slide activity. So far I have

• created an audio file narration
• converted this to Mp3 format using Switch Sound file converter
• gone to my slid share account, edit uploads and create a slide cast
• uploaded my Mp3 audio narration

and....nothing..... no sound, I have repeated this process about 10 times, I don;t know if it is a problem with slideshare, which seems to be very slow. I will be embedding my slidecast if when or if it ever has some sound!

Reflective Synopsis: Assessment 2 ICTS FOR ME

It has been an interesting and exciting journey this past eight weeks; however I will be honest in saying that at times it was also frustrating and time consuming as well! The tears, fears, joy and feeling of achievement when I actually managed to work through the activities provided in the courseware after much experimentation and innovation thanks to my colleagues who responded so quickly to my cries for help on the forums! (Yes it is the Learning Engagement Theory and the Active Learning Theory put into practice!) has been mind boggling!

I have been forced to radically change my view of teaching today and think about the application of education in a completely different context to what I had initially visualised before commencing the GDLT program.

Gregory Heath’s article Mode 2 Learning (2001) states that knowledge is rapidly moving in the direction of Mode 2 Learning which is learning that is produced in the “context of application” and ICT’s can be used provide an avenue for the “application” of this knowledge.

As I am studying primary education I will address the technologies that I imagine could be used at this level to enhance student learning and make teaching more efficient. I will also try my best to relate these to the conceptual learning frameworks which we have covered in our online courseware.

All of the ICT’S I will mention have the potential to take learning from a Teacher Centric to a Student Centred experience and support the Learning Engagement and Active Learning frameworks.

Blogs and Wikis:

Blogs and Wikis are a great ICT to use both inside and outside the classroom environment to enhance student communication and build trust and communication with the students at a new and different level.

In reference to blogs at primary school I would use this ICT for the purpose of maintaining a classroom blog for students to contribute to as a class group activity to encourage Collaborative Learning. My blog postings http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-ideas.html and http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/03/101-ways-to-use-blogs.html

also address some other ways that blogs and wikis can be used in the classroom and provide a link to relevant online resources.

Maintaining a classroom blog incorporates Kearsley and Schneidermans (1998) Engagement Theory and Relate, Create, Donate frameworks which is based upon the idea of creating successful collaborative teams that work on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom.

Working in groups to create a blog and donate this technology to a public or semi public forum certainly covers this criteria.

Creating a Wiki at a classroom level for the application of a group project as an assessment piece also incorporates this theory, wikis are a great way to enhance communication outside of the classroom and can be used for collaborative classroom projects and as a tool for teachers for tutoring and homework activities.

Vokis/Avatars:

I would definitely use these at a primary school level. Please refer to my blog posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/03/educational-uses-for-avatars.htm and also
http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/acvokiembed100133369600169815aaf606aed6.html
which lists the ways that Vokis and Avatars can be used in class to incorporate Kearsley and Schiedermans (1998) Engagement Theory and Dimensions of Learning and provides links to relevant resources.

I am also considering using a voki to address classroom bullying as the use of a voki has the potential to engage the students and address this issue without them feeling like they are being lectured by the teacher; these could be recorded and used at various stages when needed. This is an excellent way use vokis to promote a classroom environment of safety, respect and belonging.

As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Norman Kunc 1992) advises, the feeling of safety and belonging (or having a social context) is a requisite for the development of self esteem which directly affects the motivation to pursue education.

PowerPoint:

Has limitless potential to be used at any level of education and is a great resource to use for students to gain declarative knowledge of a subject.

A power point is also good to introduce a topic to a classroom and prompt classroom attention and discussion on the subject being covered. Please refer to my blog posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/powerpoint-presentation.html where I have addressed how Power Point can be used to address different learning styles and incorporate aspects of Dols.

E-portfolios:

This has great potential for maintaining a lifelong learning portfolio for students. Please refer to my blog posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/03/reflection-on-process-and-learning.html which addresses this topic.

Google Earth:

At a primary school level I would use Google Earth for those visual learners to show places and landmarks! To date I have used it to show students the Fitzroy River Catchment Area as part of their integrated unit topic being covered this term. Students took turns to search for relevant landmarks (under supervision). This activity took into consideration Marzano and Pickering’s Dimensions of Learning (1997) Dol 2: Acquire and Integrate Knowledge as students first obtained declarative knowledge on the topic and then used their knowledge in the application of a new skill in the form of using Google Earth.

Please refer to my blog posting
http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/google-earth-how-to-use-this-technology.html which also makes reference to Joe Woods Wiki which has some excellent ideas for using Google Earth in classroom activities.

Flickr:

This I would use for the creation of digital story telling projects and to create virtual field trips. My blog posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/have-you-seeeen-light.html covers this in further detail.

YouTube/Teacher Tube:

This one was a little bit tricky as most primary schools have strict policies concerning YouTube. In my blog posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/writing-short-narrative.html I have used a YouTube video as an introduction to an English Narrative topic to address Dimension One: Attitudes and Perceptions of the Dols.

Wikipedia:

Dales Cone and The Learning Pyramid (2000) addresses the concept that students learn best from direct and purposeful learning experiences which are hands on or field based.

Wikipedia is a resource which has the potential to provide this type of learning experience to students. An idea I have covered in my blog posting addresses the use of Wikipedia at a primary school level as a forum to contribute an article which has been completed as a collaborative classroom project. http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/wikipedia-how-would-i-take-advantage-of.html it also addresses considerations when using Wikipedia as a research tool.

Royalty Free Music:

Music is an excellent way to help develop effective listening skills and set a mood or feeling in the classroom to promote focus on a task. Deirdre Russell-Bowie’s MMADD about the arts (2009) pg.62-65 lists ways in which music can be used in the classroom to provide relevance to their studies.

Music has the potential to be used to enhance Affective –emotional and feelings (attitude) learning, covered in Blooms Taxonomy (1956). Music can be applied to learning experiences to have a positive effect on a student’s feelings, appreciation, enthusiasm, motivation and attitudes towards a topic.

My posting http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-music-on-web.html  provides a reference to my e-portfolio where I have an example of how music can be applied in the classroom.

I summary use of ICT’S facilitates the development of higher order and creative thinking by allowing students the opportunity to work together while completing a task which has a real life application.

If we were to think about the constructivist approach to learning ( Mergel 1998) which states that knowledge is “constructed from experience and that learning is an active process where meaning is developed on the basis of experience”, the use of ICT’S in learning would support this.

Completing this course to date has allowed me to experience a student centred approach to teaching and the opportunity for collaborative learning and I will express my thanks to Scot and all who responded to my questions so quickly on the forums and posted helpful comments and feedback on my blog.

 

References:

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Deirdre Russell-Bowie, (2009) MMADD about the arts! An Introduction to Primary Arts Education, Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

The Albiene Christian University Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Norman Kunc, (1992) The Need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from CQUniveristy e-course EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Brenda Mergel, (1998) Instructional Design and Learning Theory. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course EDED 20491 ICT’S for learning design http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au

Gregory Heath, (2001), Teacher Education and The New Knowledge Environment. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course EDED 20491 ICT’S for learning design http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au

Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Domains, The Three Types of Learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course EDED 20491 ICT’S for learning design http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au/


 Some URLS for Comments I have placed on blogs and responded to:


http://kyliegupwell.blogspot.com/2010/04/interactive-whiteboards.html?showComment=1271133022889_AIe9_BGSB6MSvgQqjXJBOPzggqbZFRsTmSjqGf5-GHFNqlq_FrIRGHVJGAkfYvhhttcs0CphOpm7Dc3mpoEdVit6MYKnNbVn9DQEuHijnrXE2RTQ4VMn-Y0YezVNzhdP6xqNdiESaXpxwrKmbm6IhSq2b1dmW1YxapNEfKEimE5XDCZBnlo53L7ah3y07dNS3y6Xt5FzulMcr4Er_LXMnCXt4hjxL6ymBh_xnBNopC5k2oVJ-y_7lxE#c2774248303140079087

http://nataliearthurgdlt.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-let-our-students-blog.html#comment-form

http://bean-the-teacher.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-video-in-classroom.html?showComment=1271933959832#c4000865193170925945

http://sallyjames2010.blogspot.com/2010/04/webquests-hard-work-but-worth-it.html?showComment=1271657284293#c7182314743022702439

http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/writing-short-narrative.html?showComment=1271933430274#c9042493118530164106

http://sallyjames2010.blogspot.com/2010/04/webquests-hard-work-but-worth-it.html?showComment=1271657284293#c7182314743022702439

http://newlearningexperience.blogspot.com/2010/04/wikipedia-how-would-i-take-advantage-of.html?showComment=1272235632882#c6100164357847967256

EPL Reflection on ICT'S

After week 2 of my EPL placement I thought I would post a brief summary of my progress so far! I have been placed in a Year6/7 composite class and I am one of the fortunate people who have been placed in a classroom with great ICT'S including student Laptops and an Interactive Whiteboard which I am still trying to figure out how to use!  However The students love the technology and are always willing to show me how to everything (The class even has "Technology Officers"!).

There are several special needs students in the class and many that the MT has advised should be classified as special needs, but have not been for varying reasons. So far I have identified many areas where I can incorporate ICT'S into my lessons included the Year 6 and 7 integrated units and Narrative lessons which I have outlined in previous postings. (Please refer to my postings on Google Earth and YouTube in the classroom)                          

The one thing that became most clear to me when working with and observing students behaviour and classroom management was their eagerness and excitement to use the Laptops and the Interactive Whiteboard. Classroom management was no longer an issue during lessons where the ICT'S were incorporated as students really focused on their set tasks and related easily to the technology. Proving Kearsley and Schniedermans Engagement Theory really does have merit!

My MT also, uses any technology she can when applying the curriculum, however she did mention that she is still struggling with finding the time to learn and understand the technology working out the Interactive Whiteboard. Something which I can really relate too! And  I myself am unsure what resources we have used in this course I will be able to incorporate into my pedagogical approach as the school policy regarding ICT'S looks like it was written before the interactive whiteboards and Laptops were introduced into the classroom so I will adapt as I go!

Surprisingly also, having the ICT'S in the classroom also has had the effect of promoting a caring and accepting classroom environment as students help each other to use the laptops and take good care and maintenance of the equipment. Students who may also previously been slower workers  and students with special needs are finding that they are just as capable of using the technology as anyone else and it is wonderful to see how their self-esteem and commitment to learning improves when working.  Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states the students need to be in a safe and accepting classroom environment in order to learn and having the introduction of ICT'S certainly has had a positive influence on the classroom environment so far from my observations over just two weeks and the MT comments regarding the classroom progress and behaviour.

So I have had to admit to myself, yes using ICT'S is hard for me and a challenge but they definitely have there place in education today even (or maybe most especially) at a primary school level and I need to do all I can to practice with the resources I have learned so far and develop skills using other technologies as they introduces students to so many different ways of learning and working and help to develop important skills which they will no doubt synthesize in future learning.

Using Music On the Web

I have posted this activity first as I am still working on my slide share narration and so far not making much progress so give me strength!

Please refer to my e-porfolio view (there is only one unfortunately!) for my posting for this activity. I was unable to upload my music onto my blog so I did as I noticed some others have done before me and uploaded the music to my e-portfolio. Thank you so much for that idea guys! you have saved the tears at 2am this morning and for that I will be eternally grateful!

Wikipedia, How would I take advantage of it?

To begin with I should mention that my only interaction with Wikipedia to present has been as a quick reference for a basic understanding of a topic and nothing more. This activity prompted me to have a closer look at Wikipedia and to my surprise I found some excellent resources which have the possibility to be integrated in my classrooms "Catchment to Coast" unit.

A short list of the resources I was able to access includes:

• A map of the Fitzroy River catchment area (which I may also be able to use in my Google Earth Activity if I ever work it out!)
• Links to information on the Mackenzie, Dawson and Burdekin rivers included in the catchment area
• Information and links to information on the Fitzroy River
• Links to information on the Flora and Fauna in the Catchment area
• A brief history of Rockhampton and other cities in the catchment area
• Links to related topics such as the Murray Darling System
• Links to information on other river tributaries around Australia

 And this is just a brief list I also found the reference listed to be a valuable resource and have downloaded some information from it also!

It has taken me some time to think about how I would take advantage of this technology. I will first mention, that, although it is a wonderful resource, students should be taught how to access and use other resources in conjunction with wikipedia. I would also ensure that students know how to check the age of the page and the credentials. This video provides a good overview of how students should use wikipedia in their work. At a primary school level I would think that the teacher would choose the wikipedia resources for the students while students may learn how to access information themselves at a high school level.

The main idea that came to mind for me of using wikipedia in class was as a classroom co=ordination project to write and publish an article for wikipedia. Which is my case could be getting the students to complete an article on the Fitzroy Catchment Area to be contributed to wikipedia.

This  encourages collaborative learning and is a great way to incorporate the Engagement Theory (Taking into account the three components relate, create, donate) into the classroom and also correlates with Dales Cone and the Learning Pyramid which states that students learn most effectively from direct and purposeful learning experiences which are usually hands on or field based. Creating a wiki article to publish gives students a real life scenario to apply their work  and gives the opportunity for the direct "hands on" experience of using wikipedia as a source to publish the article.

Wikipedia itself also had suggested lesson plans and topics for teachers to use at any level with instructions for both teachers and students I have included this link for classroom projects as I needed it to get some idea of how wikipedia could be used! If anyone has any other ideas or suggestions in regards to this topic, please feel free to add to this! With a sick toddler and deadlines piling up I have been feeling rather overwhelmed these past few weeks! I think I need to start using my habits of mind a little bit more because they are slipping!

Reference:

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.


Why Use Active Learning? available from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Google Earth How to use this technology in Teaching

Okay, So far this little image is about as far as I have gotten using google earth in teaching! at present I am attempting to create a virtual tour of the Fitzroy River Catchment Area for my Year 7 Integrated Unit "Catchment to Coast" and nothing seems to be happening! And Joe Wood made it look so easy!

How to use this technology in teaching? a virtual tour of the Fitzroy River Catchment area would have been a great way for me to introduce this topic to the students, that is  if I can actually complete it with my limited ICT skills! I have also added other areas of interest such as schools, parks and local landmarks on the map using the layers so that the students can form an idea of where they are placed in relation to the catchment area. Other ways that this technology could be used in teaching? Here are some suggested in our courseware from Joe Woods Wiki I would be lying if I said that I came up with anything on my own but I thought that this wiki was a terrific resource and definitely gave me some ideas to work with! So back to the drawing board and the Google Earth User Guide for me!

Flickr in classroom, belated entry!

Here is my late entry of an example of how flickr can be used in class!(please refer to my posting "have you seen the light? flickr in the classroom) I found this video on YouTube, students have used flickr in this activity, a song which they compiled for a maths class. Great use of ICT'S, covers several KLA'S (Maths, English, The Arts, Technology) and is a perfect example of collaborative learning using Kearsley and Schniedermans relate, create, donate frameworks.

Writing a Short Narrative

After considering the topics that the class I am placed in is currently covering, I chose the one that I noticed many of the students seemed to be the least enthusiastic about which was writing a narrative. I was informed by my MT that NAPLAN testing usually has a narrative component and along with this narrative writing is a unit Incorporated to encourage imagination and creativity along with encouraging students to READ.

After considering this I spent some time searching YouTube and the videos I found on narrative writing and short story writing were about as exiting as watching paint dry, so if the students were reluctant already they would be even less motivated after viewing these! (Anyone that knows any great resources for this topic please let me know!)

The pedagogical rationale for choosing the video featured above was that it is an excellent example (I think so anyway!) of a short narrative and would be a great introduction to the topic. After playing the video, students would be informed on the components of a short narrative and asked to identify these components in the video narrative. This supports Student Centred Learning as well as the Learning Engagement Theory.

I think using an interesting video such as this as an introduction to the topic also addresses Dimension one, Attitudes and perceptions in the Dol's. Opening a learning topic with something interesting designed to gain attention would assist the students to develop positive attitudes and perceptions regarding the classroom task which they are required to complete.

Reference:

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Animations and Simulations

After browsing through the listed animation and simulation sites in the ICT courseware I actually came ac cross some I could use directly in the school I have been placed at! The Year 7 Integrated Unit for the class I am in is "Catchment to Coast" and I found some digital media on the Depardre site and two Gizmo's on the Explore Learning Site on the water cycle and pollution that would be perfect to use in class!

The digital media on Pardre would be great for introducing the topic and the Gizmos would be a novel way to help the students obtain some declarative knowledge on the water cycle and pollution which is a part of the content of the "Catchment to Coast" unit! A justification for the use of animations and simulations in class!

Reflection: How Experience using Picknik fits into pedagogy frameworks

Today's experience using Picknik was far better than my day trying to upload photographs from Flickr! I found the picknik site to be extremely user friendly, especially for the technologically impaired such as myself! I actually had a lot of fun cropping and rotating different photos and even managed to get some family snaps edited and printed out for myself! although I am sure that this was not the aim of the activity as I cannot justify how doing this fits into pedagogy frameworks!

So how does Picknik fit into the frameworks? I will admit that after feeling especially brain dead and tired today after a late night with a sick child the only idea I could think of for using this program in class was as an easier alternative to photoshop for editing things such as yearbook and class assignment photographs. So I did a quick search and found this wiki which, if you scroll down to section III, has some awesome ideas for incorporating picknik into lesson plans for both primary and high school students.

One of these ideas for primary school students involves using picknik to practice grammar and using picknik for students to create their own postcards which, at the risk of repeating myself from the last blog on using flickr, encourages collaborative learning amongst students as they are learning by using the software and interacting with each other, this in turn incorporates Kearsley and Scheidermans Relate, Create, Donate theory as students have a real world application for their learning experience in the form of a postcard which can be sent to family and friends.

Along with this,  using picknik in the classroom for an activity such as creating a postcard also addresses Mode 2 level of Learning  from  Heath, G 2001 Teacher Education and the New Knowledge Environment,  part of the definitions for Mode 2 learning stated that knowledge is produced in the context of application and characterised by production is teams. Using Picknik in groups for students to complete this activity certainly covers these two areas of mode 2 learning.

In conclusion, as with all of the ICT;S we have had the opportunity to learn and experiment with in this course, picknik is defiantly an application to be used in the classroom to encourage student/learner centered learning. Use of technologies such as picknick, flickr, slide share, blogs, vokis, wikkis and countless more also incorporate Dimension 4 of Marzano and Pickerings Dimensions of Learning as these applications give students the opportunity to take what they have learned and Use Knowledge Meaningfully in a real world application.


Reference:

Gregory Heath, (2001), Teacher Education and The New Knowledge Environment. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course EDED 20491 ICT’S for learning design http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

IMG_0341

IMG_0341,
originally uploaded by meegan4.

This is my Photo for Week 7 ICT activity edited on Picknik,

HAVE YOU SEEEEN THE LIGHT? Flickr in the Classroom

HAVE YOU SEEEEN THE LIGHT?,
originally uploaded by Christolakis.

Finally, I have how appropriate! after so many Internet issues I have linked my flickr page to my blog! After already posting this once I now have to do it again and take another hour to post my blog! serves me right for not saving a draft as I usually do.

Initially I think that the setting up the flickr account and uploading my photos was a fairly easy process. It was also a straightforward process to link the flickr page to my blog once the Internet stopped dropping out. I have to admit that  I have been looking at photos and slide shows, some are just spectacular. However I have not had the chance to fully explore the many uses for this ICT as I don;t want to drop out again and need to post this blog!. I can see by quickly looking through the applications that flicker would be a valuable ICT to use in the classroom environment. Applications I have thought about for the use of flickr in classrooms include:

• using single photographs as writing prompts
• using multiple pictures in digital story telling projects
• using flickr imagery to improve student presentations
• using flickr to create a virtual field trip or document an excursion.

Also thinking about listing these few ideas I did some research and  I discovered further uses for flickr in the classroom which made my short list of ideas look small in comparison to the scope of what flickr can be used for.

Below is a list of uses for flickr in the classroom adapted from   http://www.jakesonline.org/flickrinclassroom.pdf


Classroom and School Uses of Flickr
1. Anywhere visual images are required, such as presentation, etc.
2. Single image analysis
3. Single image writing prompt, sometimes called Flicktion
4. Multiple image digital storytelling projects
5. Creating slides shows within Flickr
6. Virtual Field Trips
7. Creation of visual arguments,
8. Illustration of Poetry with Flickr, or Flickr meets Carl Sandburg
9. Using Flickr with Google Earth to teach Geography
10. Visual documentation of school events
11. Visual documentation of student artwork and other school products
12. Creation of digital visual portfolios, using the photoset function of Flickr
13. Social software applications: how to tag, how to make comments
14. Delivery of school/classroom visual information via RSS
15. Intellectual property rights lesson using Flickr Creative Commons licensing
16. The use of third party Flickr applications to produce classroom products:
a. Motivational posters
b. Magazine Covers
c. Movie Posters
d. Flickr slideshow
e. Mosaic Makers

How this ICT fits in with our pedagogical frameworks:

as with the use of vokis, flickr brings to mind the Engagement Theory  (Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) )where students engage in the learning if an ICT by relating to a real-world scenario. Flickr can be used as a part of the relate, create, donate framework where students relate a real world authentic problem, create a solution and or product and donate it to the real world. Students can use flickr to create imagery and stories in the classroom and donate the finished product to the community (perhaps imagery, stories, slide shows on various topics which are access able by the community).

Flickr is also an ICT which could be used as part of an Active Learning Strategy as indicated in Dales Cone the most effective learning strategies involve direct and purposeful learning experiences which are "hands on". Flickr could be integrated into many "hands on" activities where students create media and donate it back to the community example the documentation of school events. Here is a useful link to flickr resources which have definitely helped me with ideas!

Ok, I was going to post an example of flickr in class but I have dropped out again and do not want to tempt fate! I will attempt to post this at a later date!

Reference:

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD
http://www.jakesonline.org/flickrinclassroom.pdf

 Active Learning Online http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Just my thought for today

we are all students and teachers, I often ask myself,"what did I come here to learn, and what did I come here to teach?" Louise, L Hay.

Powerpoint Presentation

Biodiversity

View more presentations from Meegan Sommerfeld.

Above is my PowerPoint presentation, I did have a video in this, however it did not seem to transfer in my presentation so here is the video which I would have used in my introduction.


UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo.


The Learning Framework Theories behind the construction of this presentation include Kearsley and Schiedermans Learning Engagement Theory(1998)In the presentation I have included questions which are designed to encourage and initiate collaborative learning amongst students by prompting them share ideas with each other on how they can help the biodiversity cause.

I have also kept in mind Marzano and Pickerings, Dimensions of Learning This PowerPoint has been designed as an introduction to a topic with the aim of students acquiring some declarative knowledge of this subject and constructing meaning from this knowledge and I hope I have included different types of media (auditory, written, visual) to cater for different learning styles.

My challenges completing this activity was first the time it took to research and access resources in order to put together my presentation. It also took me some time to transfer this to my blog and some media included in the PowerPoint was lost in this process. For those familiar with PowerPoint and using blogs this would not have been as significant a problem as it was for me!

The presentation is aimed at a year 6/7 class and it did take me some time to condense and construct the information to something which was suitable for this year level, which I am hoping that it is! I have tried to keep the presentation as short as possible as it is just supposed to be an introduction to a lesson or unit of work and I think a longer presentation would loose students interest. It has also been designed to play as a slide show or used in sections throughout an entire lesson with activities in between slides. Any feedback and ideas are welcome!
Reference:

Aldred, Scot (2010) in Week 7 2010 - PowerPoint Based on the Readings.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (with Arrendondo, D. E., Paynter, D. E., Blackburn, G. J., Brandt, R. S., Pollock, J.E., Moffett, C.A & Whisler, J. S.). (1997). Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Use of Avatars in class

Get a Voki now!



This posting is about a week delayed due to some Internet connection issues, it was made last week as an example of how avatars can be used in class, in this case, I have used a Koala to introduce a class.

This would be an excellent tool to engage students and have them paying attention at the start of the lesson. They would also be a great resource to use to apply Kearsley and Schneidermens Relate, Create, Donate Theory to a lesson. Students relate to the novel nature of the avatar, create their own voki and donate their voki to a public forum or real life scenario.

I would have like to have a microphone as the Koala needs a different voice! I could also imagine using avatars for longer activities such as teaching students songs and languages. These could also be saved and used again later in other learning activities.

Reference:

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

http://www.squidoo.com/voki#