My first video

Reflecting on creating a video

The actual creation of the video using iMovie was much easier than I expected it to be.  The hard part was embedding it into my blog.  I ended up googling how to embed an iMovie into Blogger and came across a website that talked about changing the quality settings.  I changed the quality settings, and lo and behold, it actually worked that time.  This is what I'm finding so frustrating about this course - the little things that should be so quick and easy, have been taking me so long to work out.  Once you've got it though, it seems very straight forward.  I enjoyed making this video, and think it would be a very useful tool in the classroom as well as something I will use in my personal life.  Sending a video to my mum with audio explaining the images, would be so much more easier to comprehend and much more personal.  In the classroom setting, I think the use of video is pretty much unlimited.  School excursions, sports days, class presentations would all be great ways to use video, but even making a video of the students doing everyday things could be very effective.

Pluses

• Easy to use. My son who is in grade 3 watched me creating my video, and then promptly created his own (better than mine of course - little show off!)
• Lots of fun
• Unlimited use. Would be awesome for school excursions, sports days, class presentations to name a few.  Limited only by the user's creativity.
• Cheap to make.  All you need is a digital camera, smartphone or ipod to create the image, and then the app to make the video is free.  I used iMovie on my mac and found it very easy to use.

Minuses

• Embedding the video into a blog was very problematic and time consuming for me.
• There is potential that students could misuse this technology by embarrassing or harassing other students.  Appropriate video etiquette would need to be discussed in advance.

Implications

• Students would need to have access to a digital device for taking photos, and then have access to a computer with a video app on it, such as iMovie.
• Appropriate sequential scaffolding is required from the teacher to ensure students are able to create their video without unnecessary frustration and time delays
• The video could be used to highlight important information/facts/ideas about a particular event, which would be useful in helping students to remember and store this information in their long term memory
• The teacher would need to monitor student videos to ensure content and language is appropriate.

Podcasts

I had never listened to a podcast before, and in fact my only knowledge about them was that I'd occassionally hear on the radio how the program was available on podcast, so people from all the world were listening in to the show.

The major benefits that I could see of podcasts are that anyone with access to a computer, smart phone, ipad etc is able to access them.  You find information in much the same way that you would find any info online, by searching using a keyword or words.  The fact that they are audio only has it's pro's and con's.  Students may find it difficult to maintain interest in purely listening to someone speak, so I would not envisage that a lengthy podcast could be used, particularly in the lower grades.  However, the advantages are that they are free, and because they are audio only, you can continue doing other things while you listen, much like listening to the radio, except with a podcast, you've got your very own `call-in' line especially set up for what you're interested in listening to.

I've just had a quick look around some of the podcasts available, and I can see that if chosen correctly, a podcast could be very beneficial for use in the classroom.  Some of the podcasts I looked at were National Geographic, ABC Radio, the TED talks and ABC's indigenous podcasts.  I was interested in these particular podcasts, as I'm doing an assignment on indigenous students, so thought these podcasts could provide valuable information, and a different perspective.

ABC Radio podcast with Cherbourg's Principal

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2013/03/eer_20130323.mp3

ABC Radio podcast with Cherbourg's Principal

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2013/03/eer_20130323.mp3

Check out my audio recording

https://suzannejmorgan.wikispaces.com/

Using images in the classroom

The use of images in the classroom is incredibly valuable for all year levels.  The old saying `a picture tells a thousand words' is so true, particularly in the learning context.  Using images could have the following benefits:

• get student's attention and interest piqued
• a picture can more clearly demonstrate a complicated piece of information than merely describing it
• they can provoke an emotional response that may not be possible by words alone
• the use of see think wonder, could be a very powerful tool to provoke discussion
• they're fun

Resizing a photo

Woo Hoo!  I have a mac and yet I managed to resize a photo without using Moba Photo.  This is great, I never knew how to resize photos and used to waste so much time trying to send huge photos.  This photo is of my kids Zac and Morgan on my daughter's first day of Prep.  Huge day for all of us.  My babies were both big school kids.

Reflecting on websites

This reflection is about creating a website and how they could be utilised in the classroom.  For my analysis of this online tool, I'm going to be using PMI.

Plus

• very simple to create and edit
• students are familiar with websites so understand the format and design of this tool
• students can express their creativity with very few boundaries
• it's a really fun, user friendly tool which students would enjoy using, which would result in greater enthusiasm for a project utilising this technology, and greater productive output

Minuses

• students must have internet access
• not a collaborative forum. Readers can not have any input into the website or even make comments 
• it costs money to password protect pages on the website

Implications

•  students could create a whole project presented on a website, rather than the traditional way of presenting it on a large piece of cardboard. Pages could be created to categorise the information.
• students would need to be tutored about online etiquette and understand that normal rules of behaviour and conduct apply when producing work online

My reflection

Of the three types of online tools I have created in this week's topic, I enjoyed creating the website most of all.  I believe this is primarily due to the fact that I found it relatively straight forward to create a website, compared to creating a blog or wiki.  This is probably because I am very familiar with websites and have a basic understanding of how they operate, whereas I had absolutely no idea about blogs or wiki's prior to creating them.

I could see websites being a very useful tool in the classroom, particularly with the middle to late primary schoolers.  They could be useful if the teacher created a website of the class' learning journey or school camp etc, but they would be even more useful if the website was created by students themselves.  The first thing that springs to mind for me regarding websites, is how they could easily be used by older students when creating research projects.  The website could be separated into a number of pages according to the type of information the student is presenting.  Images could be inserted as well as links to other sites.  This is really exciting stuff!  I imagine kids would go wild for this.  Students would be far more motivated to work on their projects if they had a tool to use that would not limit their creative capabilities.  

The fact that websites are not an interactive tool does limit their usefulness, as they are only going to be able to be used, when the required learning calls for a one way discussion about the topic.  As previously stated, research projects could be an ideal use.

Reflecting on Wiki's

In this blog I will be reflecting on my experience with creating a WIKI.  I will be using a SWOT analysis as the scaffold for my analysis.

Strengths

• A very interactive and collaborative online tool in that all members of the wiki can add information and ideas
• Information is more private, as only those members who are invited to be part of the wiki can view the information and contribute to the wiki
• It's a virtual piece of white butcher's paper. When students aren't in close proximity where they can share their ideas and information easily, a wiki is a viable substitute as all members can contribute and respond practically in real time.

Weaknesses

• It can be frustrating working out how to use the wiki, for instance, it took me hours to successfully add a youtube video into my wiki
• relies on students having a good internet service
• cannot have more than one author at a time.  If two or more people are working in the wiki, only the work of one will be saved.
  

Opportunities

• As more or better information  is gained, the wiki can be added to and/or updated
• pages can cite other pages, link to videos etc so duplication is discouraged or removed
• this could be an extremely valuable tool for enouraging interaction between students from different schools and even in different countries.

Threats

• students must be able to be relied upon to follow the rules of etiquette and to use appropriate language when using a wiki  
• because everybody can contribute, and nobody has to, there is the chance that some team members may choose not to participate
• without appropriate scaffolding from the teacher, students may veer completely off topic, or be unaware of what is required of them

My reflection on creating a wiki

My initial introduction to wiki's has not been a particularly positive one, as I've ended up spending hours trying to put a youtube video into my wiki.  It's so incredibly frustrating when something that you know is probably incredibly simple, but you just can't understand how the technology works.  I finally got the video in, and it really was something quite simple that I was overlooking, but when you're not particularly tech savvy, sometimes you can't see the woods for the trees.

From what I have read about wiki's and the `play time' I have had in my wiki, I can certainly see how they could be very useful in the classroom environment.  As long as using a wiki, is contributing to the effective teaching of curriculum content, and is not used in the classroom simply as an online tool, with no actual relevance to the particular content being taught, I think they could be a great tool in a teacher's toolkit.

I'm already thinking of ways that I could utilise a wiki in my prac classroom.  I have a grade 4/5 composite class in a reasonably rural area of the Sunshine Coast and my cousin is a grade 4 teacher over in Taipei, so I'm really keen to explore how I could utilise a wiki for collaboration between the two classrooms.  Since the students would have very different lifestyles, cultural backgrounds etc, I think it would be fascinating for both myself and the students to engage in an interactive discussion about something that is currently being taught.

Reflecting on Blogs

This reflection is on creating a Blog

I have used the PMI (Plus Minus Implications) analytical tool to reflect on what I have learned about Blogs and their effectiveness for use in the classroom.

Pluses

• they are easy to create so even younger students would be able to use them
• they operate in the same way as a diary, so the learner can easily check their progress in terms of their reflective capabilities over a period of time
• they can be about whatever the student is interested in
• readers of the blog are able to leave comments thus validating the student's point of view or providing another point of view, making the reflection interactive
• the student is not only limited to text, but can also embed images, link to other blogs, web pages and other media related to the particular topic
• when a blog is used as a student's reflection tool, it gives the teacher access to the student's thinking process and the progress they are making in this area
• most students are very comfortable with technology and would probably prefer writing in a blog than writing in the old style notebooks.  If they enjoy doing this, they are far more likely to participate in the process and to give their best effort.

Minuses

• monitoring these blogs would need to be factored into the teacher's workload to ensure that the content of the blogs is appropriate for publication
• students would need to be made very aware of the public nature of the blogs.  Anyone can access the student's blog, and so their thoughts are made public to the world.  Therefore care needs to be exercised to ensure that the content is not going to cause the student any embarrassment down the track.  Students would need to be given explicit information about blogs being part of the  public domain 

Implications

•  Blogs could potentially be used for student homework
• a class blog could be viewed by parents as well as students 
• careful consideration of scaffolding would be required of the teacher, so that students stay on track and are aware of what is required of them
• as many students may enjoy working in their blog, it could be expected that they also produce a greater output of work.  This is of course very positive, but would result in additional time being spent by the teacher in reviewing the blogs
• most importantly, Thomas (2013) states that unless the course being taught is a technology course, the web 2.0 tools should be used strictly to enhance specific learning objectives set forth within a certain content area.

References
http://www.openeducation.net/2008/10/10/using-blogs-to-enhance-learning-%E2%80%93-some-helpful-tips/

My Voki

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=7818276&height=133&width=100

Reflection on Wiki activity regarding the use of mobile phones in the classroom

I thoroughly enjoyed this wiki activity, even though I had gone into with quite a negative attitude, thinking that I would find it very difficult. The scaffolding via De Bono's 6 thinking hats and the direct questions to answer, made it much easier for me to work out what was required of me throughout this activity.  It was the first time I have ever been involved in an online collaborative learning exercise, and with it being such a positive experience, I am already thinking of ways that I could utilise this learning tool into my classroom. 

The wiki forum is a great example of a learning situation where all the learning theories are utilised at one point or another.  reflective predominantly of the constructivist learning theory in my opinion, although all other theories were utilised at least to some extent.

 Learning Theories
1. Behaviourism - reinforcement of learning with rewards, learning through practice, repetition and revising
2. Cognitivism - new experiences/learning build on prior knowledge and are added to the person's schema in order to understand the new knowledge
3. Constructivism - learning via social interaction and collaboration
4. Connectivism - focus in learning is on digital technologies

The wiki was a very social and interactive forum, with everyone's answers being able to be viewed and commented upon, which is clearly constructivist theory.  The collaborative nature of the exercise, made me look at the issue from perspectives I would not normally have considered valid.   Likewise, connectivism theory was apparent as the exercise was performed in a wiki which is a digital technology.  Behaviourist theory also came into play, as I felt rewarded for my efforts when I was able to successfully post and save to the wiki, and thus felt motivated to continue with the exercise. The practice from doing multiple hats also worked well to reinforce this new skill.  Cognitivist theory was also at work, as initially this was a very new experience for me, so I had to consider my prior knowledge before I could edit and save my posts.  Once I had successfully edited and saved my first post, the later posts were then much easier for me, which is also an example of behaviourism at work (practice, practice, practice).


In week 1 of PCK we learnt that there are five standards for effective pedagogy
1. Teachers and learners working together
2. Developing language and literacy skills across all curriculum
3. Connecting lessons to learners lives
4. Engaging learners with challenging lessons
5. Emphasising dialogue over lectures

Utilising the wiki for this exercise, was in my opinion, a fantastic example of effective pedagogy.  The teacher set the context for the learning experience, and provided a clear format and scaffolding questions to direct the student's learning experience.  However, all of the content generated was developed by the students in a collaborative fashion.  The teacher can access the student's learning at any point in time by logging on to the wiki and reading the students comments.  That way, if anyone was going off topic or misunderstanding the exercise, further direction could be provided to ensure the required knowledge is learned.

In a classroom setting, utilising a wiki would further develop students language and literacy skills, but in this particular context with this particular group of learners, I'm not sure that this standard would be being addressed through the course of this exercise.

The choice of topic was clearly an issue that people had some prior knowledge of, and had quite strong feelings about, either for or against, so the connection to learner's lives was certainly present.  I think this standard is particularly important when designing lesson plans, as the more relevant the material is to the student, the more likely they are to engage with it.

The wiki exercise was challenging for a novice wiki user such as myself, but there was adequate scaffolding provided so that I felt prepared to tackle the challenge.  Without this scaffolding via deBono's thinking hats and the direct questioning, I know I would have struggled with this exericse.  Because of the challenging nature of the material, there was a degree of satisfaction at completing the task.  I believe that student's need to feel challenged by the learning material, as this is the way that knowledge is expanded, and it also instils a sense of pride in the student when they realise they can do it.

There was no lecture at all with this exericse, just simple, clear directions and then it was up to the student's to get on with the task.  The collaborative nature of the exercise reduced the requirement for teacher input, as the student's discussed the issue amongst themselves, through the course of responding in the wiki.


Four major dimensions of pedagogy:
1. Intellectual Quality - higher order thinking, deep knowledge, deep understanding, substantive conversations, knowledge as problematic, metalanguage.
2. Connectedness - knowledge integration, background knowledge, connectedness to the world, problem based curriculum.
3. Supportive classroom environments - student direction, social support, academic engagement, explicit quality performance criteria, self-regulation.
4. Recognition of difference - Cultural knowledge, inclusivity, narrative, group identity, active citizenship.

The design of this lesson was very authentic, in that the primary aim of the exercise was to learn to utilise a wiki, but instead of just looking at one, or reading about how to use one, we actually contributed to the wiki ourselves, which certainly for someone with my learning style (mostly active) is a far better way for me to learn.  Because there was active engagement by all students in a very vigorous discussion,  intellectual quality was maintained.

Connectedness was definitely achieved, as the issue being discussed was an authentic real life problem being discussed and debated in schools today.

This exercise definitely had a supportive vibe about it.  No one belittled or trivialised anyone else's ideas or thoughts. The students themselves directed the learning experience by their contributions to the wiki, and they were self regulating by using the appropriate language and etiquette.

The recognition of difference dimension was also established, as all students were included and were able to contribute their own thoughts and ideas on the issue, whilst being respectful towards other viewpoints.  I also felt a sense of community evolving between this group of  `soon to be' teachers, as everyone involved in the exercise obviously took it seriously, and is committed to their course of study.

Conclusion

This learning experience was highly beneficial, as it introduced me to a new form of digital technology and gave me time to rehearse within it, so that I became familiar with it.  I particularly enjoyed the collaborative nature of the wiki, and have been thinking about how I can utilise this technology in the classroom.  I understand that there is no point in using a wiki just for the sake of it - an authentic learning experience must be the result.  Education Queensland identifies digital pedagogy as being "a new way of working and learning with ICT to facilitate quality learning experiences for 21st century learners. Digital pedagogy moves the focus from ICT tools and skills, to a way of working in the digital world". (p.3)  The 21st century learner wants to collaborate with others when learning new knowledge, and the wiki could be a very useful tool in the classroom for this purpose.  Very explicit protocol standards would need to be in place when using a wiki in the classroom, to ensure that the supportive learning environment is maintained and hopefully even strengthened when using this technology.  Correct language and etiquette would need to be rehearsed and monitored closely to ensure students feel `safe' about contributing their thoughts and ideas. 

Week 1 - Learning Theory & e-Learning

As part of our engagement activities this week, I undertook two tests that are designed to determine what type of learning style I favour.  I have to say that I found it very interesting reading about the various types of `smarts'.  In the past, I would probably been inclined to say that a person was either `smart' or `not so smart', but not look further into the varying types of `smarts' a person can have.  I wasn't overly surprised at the results of my test, as I would have considered myself both word and number smart, but I would never have said that I was particularly `nature smart' or `body smart', though having said that, I've always known that I enjoy solitary time walking or running, as it allows me the time to work on problems and to formulate courses of action.  I seem to see things clearer when I'm doing this type of activity.  When I don't need to focus on the physical activity that I'm doing, my brain seems to make connections that it wouldn't ordinary make.

Now, that I'm aware of these different learning styles, I can see how different my two children's learning styles are.  My son is a lot like me in his learning style, for instance when we do his homework, I often take him outside and incorporate physical activities into the homework session, eg. once he's read 5 pages of his book, we get to kick the football to each other 10 times etc.  This approach really works for him, and makes homework sessions so much easier.  My daughter on the other hand, is more than happy to sit for hours at a time, reading, writing and listening to instructions.  She is a very intelligent child who is extremely motivated in her desire to learn and amazes me with the level of persistence and tenacity that she shows for a 6 year old child.  If all classrooms were filled with clones of my girl, we'd all have a very easy and satisfying life as teachers.

This is only a sample of two children, but it is amazing how different two `normal' learners are in their approach to learning.  If I taught my class according to the way that I'd teach my daughter, I imagine I would lose the interest of a great proportion of the class, as they would hate sitting still and taking in knowledge.  Likewise, students like my daughter would not necessarily enjoy a classroom that was continually moving around, as she would want to `just get on with the learning'.  It is clear that a varied approach is required when teaching a classroom and all of the various learning types within the classroom need to be appreciated and catered for at some point in time, otherwise it is not fair to the students who have a different learning style to my teaching style.  This is obviously a big challenge for the teacher, and one that may be quite intimidating as it may take the teacher out of their own comfort zone.

Some Study that I used to Know

Hi there fellow GDLT students.  I'm not the most tech savvy person out there, so I'm just having a little play with this initially until I find my feet.  I found a great clip on youtube on the weekend, which I thought was hilarious and probably pretty relevant to our field of study.