Reflective Synopsis

While completing this E-Learning course, I feel my knowledge and understanding of how ICT’s can transform, support and enhance learning and pedagogy in the classroom has grown exponentially. I can now identify that E-Learning is not just working with computers, but a whole range of digital tools. As I was researching the digital tools, I found myself having a great time investigating and discovering how everything works. Therefore, I can now imagine how my students would feel when they are interacting in my lessons that include ICT’s.


For my Embedded Professional Learning 2 (EPL2) placement I have a Year 2 class and my learners are either 7 or 8 year olds. The teachers teaching style and the learners learning style already incorporates the use of a number of ICT’s. They have a projector in their room that is connected to the teacher’s laptop. This enables the teacher to find the relevant YouTube clip, another digital tool or simply a worksheet and display it easily and quickly on the white board, for all the learners to view. My teacher often uses Google, Google Earth and Google Maps with the students. My class has 1 hour ‘ICT time’ a week to learn about the World Wide Web and digital tools. Every student in the class has a computer at home, which they use on a regular basis.


Although my learners have the skills to interact and play on the web, I feel that they do not have the correct safety knowledge. Being as young as they are, most can not fully grasp the risks that can come about while harmlessly playing on the Internet. After attending the last couple of tutorials on Managing E-Learning I feel it is imperative that students, does not matter what age, realise the risks and can activate security measures to protect themselves from predators. Supervision is also a must when students are on the Internet.


As my class is quite young, they are limited in their knowledge, their reading ability and their attention span. They do not have the prior knowledge yet of how to create or access many of these digital tools. Before setting tasks, you should be aware of all students’ prior knowledge and ensure they are fully aware of the steps that need to be taken; supervising tasks is necessary.

The digital tools I have used throughout this course have amazed me and made me consider about how I can integrate them into everyday learning. The learning based theory by Kearsley & Shneiderman has also aided me in my new and exciting way of thinking. “By engaged learning, we mean that all student activities involve active cognitive processes such as creating, problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making, and evaluation. In addition, students are intrinsically motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the learning environment and activities. Engagement theory is based upon the idea of creating successful collaborative teams that work on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom. These three components, summarized by Relate-Create-Donate, imply that learning activities: occur in a group context (i.e., collaborative teams), are project-based, have an outside (authentic) focus” (Kearsley, 1999, p.1). This quote is definitely one of the most intriguing theories that I have read. I feel that it is exactly what students need. When they feel that they can relate to something in the classroom they are far more likely to engage in meaningful learning and there will be far less disruptions.


ICT’s are very important for student learning. Digital tools such as blogging and wikis, transforms learning by taking it out of the classroom and connecting people all over the world. For instance, a student in Mackay sets up a blog or wiki about the natural disasters that have occurred around the world. People who have had firsthand experience in these disasters can comment on their posts and leave real life stories. ICT’s offer students and teachers ways to discover information rapidly, helps them absorb and manage huge amounts of information without a problem, they can edit and re-edit without any hesitance and helps them visualise what can not usually be seen.


All digital tools in my blog have a place in the classroom, but I have selected the following four digital tools to elaborate on as I feel they are the most practical and beneficial in the classroom:


1. Blogging
2. Wiki
3. Concept map
4. PowerPoint

The first technological tool I investigated was a Blog. It is a very useful tool and I will without a doubt be creating a Blog for my future students. I feel that this is a great tool for students, teachers and parents. At the end of each day or week we can post, as a class, a summary of the things we have learnt about and found interesting on that particular day or at the end of every week. This way the parents can view with students from home to watch class progress and comment as desired. Images, Vokis, YouTube clips and many more digital tools can be added into the blog. A school or class Wiki can be used in the same approach. It can be added to with things such as school or class notices. When doing activities such as these teachers, students and parents must be aware of privacy and security measures to protect the students from predators.
The second technological tool I investigated was a wiki. I had heard of wikis but never fully understood what they were. After my investigation into ‘what is a wiki?’ I become aware of how much of an extremely useful tool it can be for getting students more involved in lessons. It is a simple tool to use for students. There is a lot of information out there that can help set one up. Wikis help connect people all over the world, young and old, who share the same interests. A wiki is an online space where any number of users or guests can post, edit, modify, add and remove information to help with a project. Using wikis in the classroom for projects helps every student work collaboratively with each other and the teacher. They are free to contribute freely to their groups anywhere where there is internet access. This promotes responsibility for their own learning, as it is public knowledge of how much each member has participated in contributing to a project. The student’s knowledge content grows as their wiki does. The classroom teacher, parent or guardian can easily monitor these spaces and attribute when necessary. I believe a wiki is a tool that can be used in alliance with other pedagogical approaches to ensure a high-quality collaborative learning environment for all students.


The third technological tool I investigated was concept maps. These are used for scaffolding of students learning. It is a great tool to help students break down information into different topics and then further expand to provide students with a full overview of chosen topic. Students can get together to explore, gather and share information. Concept maps are great for every subject as it helps both, the teacher and students to recognise what information is already known and what knowledge needs to be taught.


The fourth technological tool I investigated was PowerPoint’s. Using a PowerPoint to present information on a lesson, to the class, will captivate student’s attention. PowerPoint’s are a powerful presentation tool and ‘they provide an effective approach to both student work and classroom instruction’ (eHow, n.d.). They can be made very basic or extremely complex. Asking students to complete a PowerPoint for a project is a great way to get them to use many other ICT’s, as you can include images, charts, motion, sound, videos and website links. PowerPoint’s can also be interactive. This helps teachers to involve students in their own learning.

This course, Managing E-Learning has opened my eyes to the many useful ICT’s out there. I had heard of most of the digital tools but did not realize that you could include them into your classroom lessons. I am very grateful that this course has allowed me to realize this, as I can now plan more fun, stimulating and engaging lessons and provide a great collaborative learning environment for my students.




Appendix- Blog Comments
The following are comments that I have made on other members blogs and some are comments replying to members who have commented on my blog.

Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Can everyone please ensure that they have a listen to my 'Rockin Chic' Voki. It was so much fun to do and I'm definitely including this in my lessons this term.
26/08/2010 5.09pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Thank you for your wonderful comment Toni.
26/08/2010 4.54pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Thank you very much for your comment. That is really interesting how they use ICT's in remote areas to engage Aboriginal learners. It is great to hear so much is being done to help our young Australians.
26/08/2010 5.07pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Thank you Selina. The tutorial is such a useful tool for the classroom.
26/08/2010 5.08pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Thank you Kellie for letting me know. I will look into it and fix the problem.
26/08/2010 5.09pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
I have now fixed the problem and you can now access my website. Thanks again Kellie for making me aware of the problem.
26/08/2010 5.26pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Thanks for the idea for a lesson! We are currently doing dinosaurs in my EPL2 class and my kids would love something like this. Catherine van Moolenbroek
26/08/2010 3.30am


Catherine van Moolenbroek said….
Thanks for reminding me to not over use powerpoint in projects and presentations. I have heard it before but did not remember until just now. Thanks again! Catherin van Moolenbroek
26/08/2010 3.27am


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…
Hi Hannah, I agree with you and Davooo7 on the images perspective and how you can inspire students in achieving the right outcome in having multi pictures in the classroom. Thanks for a great read. Catherine van Moolenbroek
26/08/2010 7.20pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said…..
Hi Kellie, thanks for all your great posts in your E-Learning Blog. I have really enjoyed reading them. They are both useful and inspiring.
That is a great YouTube clip! I can imagine it captivating the attention of all my Year 2 EPL2 class.

Catherine van Moolenbroek
26/08/2010 3.36am


Catherine van Moolenbroek said….
Hi Kellie, yes I have noticed that it does take a long time to find just the right one. That is a great idea to send great videos to 'favourites'. I will be using that idea in the future.
Thanks
Catherine
26/08/2010 7.26pm


Catherine van Moolenbroek said …
Hi Hannah, fantastic synopsis! Just wanted to let you know, that I can't access the link to your comments. Catherine van Moolenbroek
26/08/2010 9.03pm


References:
eHow. (n.d.). What are the benefits of using powerpoint and slide presentations in the classroom. Retrieved on 21 August, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5008796_using-powerpoint-slide-presentations-classroom.html

Kearsley, G,. & Shneidermann, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Voki

Voki’s are an incredible audio tool!

I found it fun and easy to set up. If you go to the Voki website they will guide you through the simple process of creating your interactive animation character. You cue it to say whatever it is that you desire.The Voki website describes a Voki as 'a free service that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them on your blog, profile, and in email messages' (Oddcast Inc, 2007).

Designing your character is great, as you can choose from a range of faces, clothes, background and even a range of accents. The Voki can also adopt the creator's own voice by downloading specific audio. It is a priceless tool that can be used in the classroom to scaffold learners who are challenged by the written text.

Voki’s can be used in a multitude of ways in the classroom to captivate and engage learners. Students may need to create one to explain an answer to a task, teachers can create them to explain the process of an activity or they could read a story.



Get a Voki now!



Reference:

Oddcast Inc. (2007). Voki. Retrieved on Thursday 26 August, 2010 from http://www.voki.com/

Podcast

What is a podcast? Personally, I was a bit dumbfounded when I started this post as I have heard it mentioned before but had no idea where to start looking. I googled the definition and couldn't find one that I could get my head around, until I found the following website 'PodcastFAQ'. It has a section called 'Blogging and Podcasting terms'. I found it very useful and definitely recommend having a look, if you are not 100% clear yourself, on what a podcast is and how it is used. The definition PodcastFAQ (2010) uses is 'A multimedia file (audio or video) that is part of a feed. An author can publish podcasts on a regular schedule, and when the author publishes a new podcast, anyone who is subscribed to the feed using an aggregator will get the file downloaded automatically.'

In the classroom, a teacher might wish to create their own podcast for a unit of work. This way when the teacher publishes, the students who are subscribers, will automatically get this feed. Therefore, will have the information simultaneously, whether it is at home or at school.

Reference:

PodcastFAQ. (2010). Blogging and podcasting terms. Retrieved on 23 August, 2010 from www.podcastfaq.com/glossary/blogging-and-podcasting-terms/

Images

Images are a great way to enhance a lesson by adding them to your presentation, your students' presentations, worksheets and posters around the classroom wall.

There are a number of purposes for images to be used online. 'Teachers can present learning materials to the student with the purpose of engaging thinking (knowledge, understanding, analysis, evaluation); influencing feelings, or supporting skills development' (CQUniversity, 2010).

A lesson idea might be to ask students to walk around the school and take photos with a digital camera. They will then need to upload these images onto the computer and insert them into a presentation.

The above picture of our solar system is an example of a useful image for a learning resource in the classroom. It is from a great free digital photo website called Free Digital Photos.net


References:

CQUniversity. (2010). Managing e-learning: Digital tool 2 images. Retrieved on 22 August, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91805


Freedigitalphotos.net. (2010). Free photos: Science and technology. Retrieved on 22 August, 2010 from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Space_and_Science_Fi_g289-Solar_System_p17565.html

Powerpoints

Powerpoints are a great ICT to integrate into lesson plans. An advantage in including a powerpoint is that, like all ICT’s, it will engage the students and consequently there will be less disruptions and more productive work accomplished.

Powerpoints are a useful presentation tool and ‘they provide an effective approach to both student work and classroom instruction’ (eHow, n.d.). They can be made very basic or extremely complex. A powerpoint can include:

• images
• charts
• motion
• sound
• videos
• website links

Using an interactive powerpoint with your students or asking them to create their own, helps the lesson to become increasingly interesting, which captures and holds students prolonged attention.

Here is a powerpoint tutorial that will guide you through setting one up and introduces you to creating imaginative ways to help keep students engaged.

Reference
eHow. (n.d.). What are the benefits of using powerpoint and slide presentations in the classroom. Retrieved on 21 August, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5008796_using-powerpoint-slide-presentations-classroom.html

Websites

Today, I created my very first website. I found it simple and easy. Please click on the following link to access it and find out how to use websites in the classroom. My first website!

I followed the simple steps set out by the Weebly tutorial.

Wikis for Collaborative Learning

Wikis are an incredible online tool! They help connect people all over the world, young and old, who share the same interests. A wiki is an online space where any number of users or guests can post, edit, modify, add and remove information to help with a project. In comparison to a blog where there is only one author and multiple contributors, a wiki can have multiple authors.

SmartTeaching.org (2010) states, ‘Wikis are an exceptionally useful tool for getting students more involved in curriculum.’ Here is a link to a section in their website ‘50 Ways to use wikis for a more collaborative and interactive classroom’. They have great information that will help encourage participation, collaboration and interaction in the classroom.

Using wikis in the classroom for projects helps every student work collaborately with each other and the teacher. They are free to contribute freely to their groups anywhere where there is internet access. This promotes responsibility for their own learning, as it is public knowledge of how much each member has participated in contributing to a project. The students knowledge content grows as their wiki does. The classroom teacher, parent or guardian can easily monitor these spaces and attribute when necessary.

Unfortunately, Wiki’s do have their disadvantages. These are noticeable on well-known public wikis, such as Wikipedia, as it is easily vandalised. Although, ‘changes to any page are archived so the vandalism can be easily undone’ (iQuantum, 2010).

Now that I have made my own wiki and have enjoyed viewing others, I am confident to say that I will be using wikis in my classroom in the future.

Here is an entertaining YouTube clip to help you understand how a wiki works. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY&feature=fvw

References:
iQuantum. (2010). Get it together: Making wiki’s work. Retrieved on 19 August, 2010 from http://www.iquantum.com.au/benefits-of-a-wiki

SmartTeaching.org. (2010). 50 ways to use wikis for a more collaborative and interactive classroom. Retrieved on 19 August, 2010 from http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/