REFERENCES

Create Simple Power Point Presentations. Retrieved on March 9, 2010, from
http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/create_simple_power_point_presentations#ixzz0hv5vJoOd

LL Gilson, CE Shalley - Journal of Management, 2004 - jom.sagepub.com



Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Marshall, S. (2007). Engagement theory, WebCT, and academic writing in Australia. Retrieved on March 9, 2010, from http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/viewarticle.php?id=227&layout=html

Podcasting Workshop - An Introduction to Audio Podcasting Retrieved on March 6, 2010, from http://www.atomiclearning.com/uk/en/podcasting?from_legacy=1

PowerPoint 2003 – Intro retrieved on March 11, 2010, from http://www.atomiclearning.com/uk/en/ppoint_2003_intro?from_legacy=1

Problem-based learning Retrieved on March 9, 2010, from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/content/develop.htm



Wikispaces-How To retrieved on March 19, 2010 http://www.wikispaces.com/site/tour

another summary

When reviewing the Essential Learnings for ICT, across all grade levels, it is found to be the only one that does not include ways of working and a knowledge and understanding focus. Rather, in the Essential learnings, it deals with Inquiring, Creating, Communicating and Operating the technology. In every year level there is a strong focus on the Ethics and responsibilities of ICT. To quote the essentials: “Students understand the role and impact of ICTs in society. They develop and apply ethical, safe and responsible practices when working with ICTs in online and stand-alone environments.”
From this it can be seen that ICT is a method for gaining knowledge and understanding, rather than a discipline in itself.

The new learning focus is on the ability to find information rather than remember it. It is better to know where (and how) to look for something, than to try to remember the details of everything. The ability to quickly access information is important, as is the ability to decide whether the information is pertinent and trustworthy. Technology opens up a world of information, but an overriding concern is the veracity of that information. This requires students to analyse perspectives, one of the 8 complex reasoning processes described in the dimensions of learning.

In the dimensions of learning DoL 1 the focus is on attitudes and perceptions. Productive Pedagogies also emphasizes the important of learner engagement. Many frameworks insist on learning that is real world in its nature. Kearsley and Schniederman (1999) also emphasise the importance of engaging the learner. Many of the technologies covered in this course certainly do that. It is suggested that in this emerging knowledge and creativity based economy, the ability to use and function effectively using this technology is advantageous.

In studies on the use of these new technologies, it was discovered that “the more creative teams were those that perceived that their tasks required high levels of creativity, were working on jobs with high task interdependence, were high on shared goals, valued participative problem-solving, and had a climate supportive of creativity.” (Gilson, Shalley 2004)

This also links to the current pedagogical trend to promote cooperative and collaborative learning, as a way of the future.

Learning with technology does not simply deal with computers, but a whole range of digital devices such as cameras, voice recorders, mp3/4 players and one that is becoming more prevalent, the interactive white board (and derivations of it). When gathering information, cameras and voice recorders allow a scene to be photographed and described, for more effective viewing and detailed analysis at a later date. Podcasting allows information to be viewed at leisure.

A concept of particular interest is that of digital nativity. Most primary aged students have grown up using this new technology. For the older generation, it appears that there is an accent that is due to unfamiliarity with the processes. As the learning model has shifted from teacher centric to collaborative and cooperative learning, this accent, whilst noticeable, should not hinder the learning of either party. It is a given that success breeds success. In a classroom setting, the fact that the students may be able to show the teacher how to do something may increase the students’ self confidence and esteem, an important part of many resiliency frameworks.

As the specifics of ICT are not in the description of it, but rather its use in allowing learning in other KLA’s , the possibilities for its uses are nearly endless. For researching and questioning people from around the globe, it is without compare. Skype allows face to face contact with anyone who has access to a computer (depending on timezones). If students are researching another country, communicating with students in that country will provide real time opinions and experience. If the communication is well orchestrated, the learning is for both sides of the discussion.

A disadvantage that the author has experienced is the lack of this technology in any of the schools that he has ever done practicums in. The most working computers he has ever seen in one classroom is 4. This was for a class of 23. He has seen an interactive whiteboard in action once. At his local school (where his wife is Head of Special Ed.) the BER funding has allowed for the construction of a new hall which will eventually contain 32 computers in a computer laboratory. Unfortunately the funding ran out before they were able to buy computers to fill the lab with. Also this year all classrooms in the school have been given interactive whiteboards.

There are several tools which the author will endeavor to use in his classroom, where ever that may be. In no particular order they are:

Podcasts/ Podcasting. See blog post from 10/8/2009 and 2/8/2010. Podcasts are advantageous in that they allow listening/ viewing at any time, through very common equipment. In constructing one, they engage the students in decisions about content, audience, scripting, and many other English essentials. As there are thousands of podcasts available on Itunes, many made by students from around the globe, the content available is enormous.

Digital Recording Equipment. See blog post 2/8/2010 from Digital recording equipment streamlines the gathering and analysis of information for further investigation. Its use also allows for a large variety of presentation methods: videos; podcasts; webpages; as well as the more traditional ones like posters and pamphletts. This relates to several frameworks by engaging the learners in real world authentic experiences.

Blogging. See blog post from 18/10/2009 Blogging is: reading and writing; a conversation; communication with a larger audience; about applicable to every subject; and a portfolio of learning, work, thoughts, feelings,and life. As a means of sharing information and communication, blogging provides many educational benefits. Linking to the English essentials, the writer must identify the target audience and work out how best to get their message across. As all Ict is based on communicating in a multiliterate way, and due to the fact that there is a hope that what is produced will be observed, there may be an intrinsic motivation in producing a blog.
Email. Email is the basic method of communication on the web. Students need to know how to find information and communicate that information. The telephone reduced the art of letter writing, emailing may encourage its uptake. Because the communication is instantaneous, and there is a record of it, it is a very useful tool for students to master. As much business is conducted by email in modern times, there is another link to real world authentic tasks. There are many links relating to this: 11/8/2010;

Movie making/ animation. This is an engaging topic for students of all ages. I have not had too much success at it myself, but I am aware of the many possibilities that it presents. Several of my friends who are already teachers, use movie making and animation extensively in their classrooms. A friend of mine; who I once drove boats for, has won an Oscar for animation (David Denneen, Leisure, 1976). I have had several discussions with him as to how he thinks animation may be used in the classroom. The advances in software make this easier to achieve. I must spend more time with them so they can better train me, however. Further evidence of this is the 4 hours I spent trying to turn a PowerPoint into a movie, without success.

Interactive whiteboards. Due to their interactive nature, these devices align well with the cooperative and collaborative learning scenario. Whilst I have only ever seen one in action, and seen the “clip on” one that Wendy brought in last year, discussions with people who use them point to them allowing a lot of useful teaching/ learning. One point to note is ergonomics. Apparently many have been installed at a height that precludes younger learners from reaching much of the board. A use that springs to mind from my own perspective is the display and manipulation of such interactions as the Moon, the Earth, and the Sun. whilst researching for a science unit last year I found many things that worked on the interactive white board. Unfortunately we didn’t have one. As they become more prevalent in schools, there will be more training in the use of them, and more applications that will work with them.

To sum up, whilst I may be a technological dinosaur, I believe that much of the technology is extremely useful, and for that reason I am quite happy to plod along and learn to use it. I am conscious of my incompetence, and am working to remedy that.

being colourful

Following the helpful advice from Gema, I am trying to make my blog more colourful. I have somehow managed to change the colours and the background. This produces a pleasing effect. Due to the fact that I owned and operated my own business for the last 14 years, I think I am more interested in the information contained in the report, than the way the report is presented. I believe this is is called pragmatism, and when the buck stops with you, is a good way to be. However, it is so easy to make colourful things that are visually pleasing that it is worthwhile doing. Ahh, the benefits of free time...

We're getting towards the end of this section of blogging, so now it is time to go back through them to make them more applicable to the task at hand. As this blog has now been going for over a year, it has given me plenty of time to reflect on the things I would use in a classroom. It has also given me lots of chances to talk to teachers about how the differnt technologies have been used in their classrooms. Many of them have given me very useful ideas to incorporate some of the things we have learned here. Most have come from teachers who have just started in the last few years, and reflects their experience with this new technology. Not all of them are necessarily young, but all have used technology in different careers. Some older teachers have shown a mistrust for this new stuff. As I am an older learner, this stuff does not come naturally to me. However, I can see that this is the way of the future, and when it is explained properly, it can be seen to allow some very powerful teaching/ learning. To this end, I have thought very hard about the things I will use, and some of my thinking may prove to be a bit out of the square. Never the less, I believe it can be used to gainfully engage a variety of learners. After re reading this several times, I still believe that it doesn't relect the amount of reflecting I have done on these topics. Bruce Lee suggested that in the study of martial arts, the student should take in what was apllicable to them, and ignore anything that wasn't. As I have had a couple of attempts at doing this course, I am well aware that there I may appear to have not grasped any of it. As I am a relatively deep thinker, it may be that my lack of essay writing ability could be holding me back. As with most Uni subjects, I would perform substantially better with an exam, rather than assignments. I suppose I will have to get used to this as it appears that this style of learning (and assessment) is the way things are headed.

mind mapping stuff from the Learning Place

A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. They are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge.

Concepts, usually represented as boxes or circles, are connected with labeled arrows in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts can be articulated in linking phrases such as "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to".[1]

The technique for visualizing these relationships among different concepts is called "Concept mapping".

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing.

The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories.

By presenting ideas in a radial, graphical, non-linear manner, mind maps encourage a brainstorming approach to planning and organizational tasks. Though the branches of a mindmap represent hierarchical tree structures, their radial arrangement disrupts the prioritizing of concepts typically associated with hierarchies presented with more linear visual cues. This orientation towards brainstorming encourages users to enumerate and connect concepts without a tendency to begin within a particular conceptual framework.

The mind map can be contrasted with the similar idea of concept mapping. The former is based on radial hierarchies and tree structures denoting relationships with a central governing concept, whereas concept maps are based on connections between concepts in more diverse patterns.

Below are some different mind and concept maps I found on the learning place. An outside the square use I found for these sorts of tools is to create food webs and food chains in science; they lend themselves really well to this sort of thing.

Circle Map (35 K) - Type: MS Word file
Cyclic Flow chart

Cluster Map (32 K) - Type: MS Word file
Another way of organising research information

Concept Web (12 K) - Type: Adobe Acrobat file
Build a concept by branching off into each sub heading. For example Narrative. Setting with who, when, where.

Flow Chart (20 K) - Type: MS Word file
Use a flow chart to show your thinking process,
where one word or thought connects to another.


Genre graphic organisers (93 K) - Type: Adobe Acrobat file
Graphic organisers for the power genres, from the Pat Edgar website. They are extremely useful and necessary to give directions to students learning.

Jigsaw (26 K) - Type: MS Word file
Begin with small home groups, disperse into smaller groups as experts, and then return to home groups to report the new findings.

KWL (32 K) - Type: MS Word file
What I know . What I want to know . What I learned .

Matchmaking (24 K) - Type: MS Word file
To reinforce the meaning of subject-specific vocabulary

Mind Map (19 K) - Type: MS Word file
Write the words on the branches as visual pictures that reflect your knowledge of a topic. Use mind mapping for brain blooming what you know, reviewing and summarising.

Mind Web (20 K) - Type: MS Word file
Write your topic in the middle of the web and
write relating words at the end of each branch.
Continue to expand your ideas on each branch.


Placemat (23 K) - Type: MS Word file
Give each group a large sheet of paper and ask them to draw a large circle in the centre. The outside section is of the diagram is divided so that each person has an individual work area. Point out that the circle is for writing the group summary at the end of the activity. Continued

PMI (19 K) - Type: MS Word file
Draw a table to find the plus, minus and interesting points about a topic. Use it for organising your thinking, making decisions, brain blooming,
evaluating an experience or solving a problem.


Question Prediction (31 K) - Type: MS Word file
List questions and predict the answers or results that you would might expect. Refer at end of unit and see if you were right in your responses.

Response Journal (31 K) - Type: MS Word file
Students wrtie their Thoughts,Feelings and Questions about an issue or topic.

Retrieval Chart (25 K) - Type: MS Word file
A Retrieval Chart organises a number of categories, objects or topics, and enables them to be easily compared.

Similarities and Differences -Characters (30 K) - Type: Adobe Acrobat file
Compare the Characters in a story by outlining their differences.

Venn Diagram (27 K) - Type: MS Word file
For differences and similarities between 2 topics

Y Chart (19 K) - Type: MS Word file
Helps to visualise thoughts, experiences and ideas.
Write points in each area of the chart.

What is the most important thing to remember about Netiquette. "Remember the Human."

This quote came from one of our online quizzes. It sums up a lot. Re reading some of my previous posts, I have noticed that I have not said much about the young learners we will be dealing with. Because this technology allows communication with anyone around the world, there is a responsibilty to provide guidelines for safe usage of the net. As my daughter in grade 5 is learning to email, it is worth looking at the guidelines they have been given.
1. Never give your full name out online.
2. If you recieve an email from someone you don't know, delete it straight away.
3. If you recieve a message that contains something offensive, don't delete it, but show your teacher straight away.

There are also guidelines regarding what can be displayed online. Permission must be gained before publishing photos of students, and thought should be given as to who will be able to access the photos. It may be best to publish to a closed site, where only certain people are able to veiw them.

Sites such as flick'r allow students to access a variety of photographs that may be used for a variety of purposes. Some may be free to use with no attribution, others may require the source to be attributed. When using some of these photos on a website, it may be necessary to resize them, so pages load quickly. A size of about 65 kb is usually adequate.

If students are researching a topic, it is legally acceptable to copy 10% of a work, with attribution.Attribution in copyright law, is the requirement to acknowledge or credit the author of a work which is used or appears in another work. Attribution is required by most copyright and copyleft licenses, such as the GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons licenses.

Attribution is often considered the most basic of requirements made by a license, as it allows an author to accumulate a positive reputation that partially repays their work and prevents others from claiming fraudulently to have produced the work. It is widely regarded as a sign of decency and respect to acknowledge the creator by giving him/her credit for the work. (Wikipedia) (I had better attribute this quote)

Learning with ICT is best when ICT is integral to learning.
ICT is integral to learning as a method of being able to efficiently find what is sort. Consulting the essential learnings for ICT, there are no ways of working, or knowledge and understanding as such; rather there is an emphasis on enquiring, creating, communicating and operating using the opportunities that Ict presents.
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) suggest in their paper "Engagement Theory" that highly effective learning is best achieved by providing small student teams with authentic, real world problem tasks that they can relate to, create a solution/product and then donate that back into the real world for authentic feedback.
Collaborative ICT tools are important to learning because they support collaborative, constructivist online learning.
Web 2.0 technologies offer significant advantages to educators and students in that there is now a fast growing repertoire of excellent resources designed and uploaded to public areas of the Web.
Authentic learning allows students to see real world applications in their learning.
When comparing a student-centred learning environment to a teacher-centric learning environment, the key difference is learning is negotiated between students and teacher.
ICT is integral to learning when effective integration is essential, not peripheral to the learning activity.
Guidelines for safe, legal, ethical operation online include protection of intellectual property, copyright, privacy and child protection.
"I have a responsibility to get through this content by ..."(a certain time) is not an example of student-centred teacher discourse.

The previous was one of the online quizzes we had to do for this course. As well as being a method of checking what has been learnt, it also represents a good way of acquiring knowledge. Because the questions by nature can not be too long, and the answers fit in them, they represent a good summary of what has been learned. They can also be used as a method of formative assessment, and simply as a method of remembering the important points of a topic. In a classroom, they would be useful to keep students engaged, and also may provide motivation for a reluctant participant. By having a variety of quizzes available for students after they have finished a task, they could be a method of extension, if not re inforcement. Mathletics online and reading eggs are two online sites that deal with Maths and reading respectively. Mathletics appeals to most primary age groups, reading eggs is useful for students who are just beginning to read, probably prep to yr2. It would also be possible to make verbal quizzes that could be loaded to I tunes, as a podcast; there could already be a variety on there (I haven't had a good look yet). Nintendo DS's also have a variety of educational games available.