It's a brave new world out there, isn't it? I had no idea all of these technologies were available. The tool for dissecting frogs online would have been a godsend to me in year 8 science. I had to get a note from my parents to get me out of this activity as I have an absolute phobia of frogs, and there was no way on earth I could have dissected a real frog. I know I'm not alone in this phobia, so the use of this tool for those students would be extremely beneficial.
The Darfur is Dying interactive game is a brilliant blend of video game and information about a very real and current issue happening in the world today. This would absolutely appeal to kids but would also provide valuable information about the topic. This is the ultimate `learning is fun' tool.
Google Earth
Wow, what an interesting tool. They say a picture tells a thousand words, and that is certainly the case with Google Earth. I checked out the volcano site, which was absolutely fascinating. The format used for the information was excellent and very intuitive. The user can either choose to get a big picture aspect or drill down and get all the nitty gritty detail about specific volcanoes. The images were fantastic. When looking at the Australia/Melanesia area, it was fascinating to see where Australia's lone volcano was located and all of the volcanoes that were in the Melanesia area. I think this tool would be extremely useful particularly for history, geography, sose types of lessons.
Google Map
This tool would be used very regularly in a classroom context. The ability to draw routes from one point to another is very useful when talking to the class about historical routes taken. The map that I have drawn would be useful when discussing Anh Do's book `The Little Refugee', as it shows the route taken by Anh and his family when they left their home before arriving in Australia as refugees.
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217710217957730612448.0004d97f2339740c74e08&msa=0&ll=1.230374,159.257813&spn=111.73835,187.910156&iwloc=0004d97f528d1f31ff386
Concept Mapping
This tool would be able to be used on a very regular basis in the classroom. According to Marzano et al (2010), concept patterns, the most general of all patterns, organise information around a word or phrase that represents entire classes or categories of persons, places, things and events. This tool could be used for so many different activities: collecting and categorising facts when researching; categorising ideas about a topic; listing defining characteristics etc. Because I believe this tool would be useful on such a regular basis, I will conduct an indepth PMI analysis of this tool.
Pluses
- Very easy to use
- Fun and engaging
- Information can be stored digitally and saved, so ideas/info are not lost and are easy to retrieve
- Allows students to be a bit creative rather than just jotting notes in a notebook
Minuses
- Students need access to a computer
Implications
- Teachers would need to monitor computer time so that all students get the chance to produce an online concept map
- Teachers would need to monitor student activity to ensure that they are not spending too much time on the creative side of this tool, and are actually using it to collect and categorise facts and ideas. There is no point in using this tool just for the sake of it. It must be used to fulfil this function, not just make pretty coloured boxes on a page.
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