Pod casts. I found this in my documents. I am not sure where I got it from or if I wrote it myself, for last years Elearning. If it is copied or paraphrased, I will find out and attribute it. This also links to some content we looked at the other day rregarding sharing, copying and attribution.
Hello class, I think this might answer the question, why I borrowed your MP3 players the other day. It was to download a podcast, which is what you're listening to now. What's a podcast? Teachers are using podcasts to connect their students to listeners local and long-distance to give projects a real-world context and audience, and to boost technological skills and independence.
By S.E. Kramer | August 2009
The best part? Creating and publishing podcasts is a relative cinch. Podcasts are downloadable audio files. Listeners can download podcasts, and also subscribe to them using an RSS feed.
In all their forms, podcasts have become a popular classroom activity during the past five years—iTunes is now populated with streams from hundreds of K–12 schools across the country. Some student podcasts are simply recorded versions of history or book reports. But today, podcasts coming from the classroom are frequently much more creative and ambitious team efforts.
Students do all the work of creating the podcasts.
The fourth- and fifth-grade podcasts have hosts, and include “interviews” with historical figures like Christopher Columbus and Albert Einstein. And even the first graders make their own podcasts.
1. INVEST IN DECENT COMPUTER MICROPHONES. Most computers have built-in mics, but ambient classroom noise can make these difficult to use and result in poor sound quality. Fortunately, headsets with microphones can cost as little as $6 online.
2. CHOOSE GOOD SOFTWARE. Apple computers come with GarageBand software, which is great for recording and editing podcasts. Windows Vista computers come with Sound Recorder software for recording and Windows Movie Maker for editing. Another option for Windows users is to download free audio-editing software like Audacity.
3. DON’T FORGET THE MUSIC. Like most radio programs, podcasts often start with music or a theme song. Some students may record original music for their podcasts, but royalty-free or Creative Commons licensed music is easy to find online. Search for it on GarageBand.com (no relation to Apple’s GarageBand software) and PodSafeAudio.com.
4. TAKE AN EDITING TUTORIAL. The Web is full of podcast-editing tutorials—some are even in podcast form. A search for “podcasting in the classroom” or “podcasting for teachers” on iTunes reveals several good audio and video podcasts. Check out the illustrated video series Podcasting, from Learning and Teaching Scotland. Classroom 2.0 and Education.Ning.com are great places to connect with other teachers about podcasting strategies.
5. FIND YOUR PODCASTS A HOST. Once your students have put together their perfect audio files, where should you post them? In many ways, this is actually the hardest aspect of podcasting. Audio downloads take up bandwidth, and bandwidth costs money.
Some teachers find that getting podcasts onto official school websites is too complicated, technically difficult, or expensive. In that case, you can use free podcast-hosting websites. Podomatic.com’s free account gives you 500 MB of storage and 15 GB per month of bandwidth, while PodBean.com’s free hosting allows 100 MB of storage and 5 GB of bandwidth monthly. These amounts of storage and bandwidth will be more than enough for most classroom podcasts: If you post two podcasts a month at 10 MB each (about 10 minutes long), 5 GB of bandwidth would allow each to be downloaded 250 times in a month.
Once your podcast has a host, syndicating it on directories is free and easy. Simply enter the feed’s web address into the directory (for example, on iTunes, the Submit a Podcast link asks for a URL) and the systems will take care of the details.
6. GET NOTICED! You’ll want students and parents to be able to find your class’s podcast easily. The best way to do that (besides sending a mass e-mail) is to make sure the podcast file has strong metadata. Metadata is information that doesn’t appear in the podcast’s title or in its content, but is attached to the MP3 file and allows people to find the podcast using search directories.
The passage above came from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752278 . I found it very useful regarding podcasting.
Monday, August 2, 2010
more engagement
Kearsley and Shneiderman (1998) assert that for learners to be truly engaged in their learning in an Information Communication Communication (ICT) learning environment they need to RELATE to a real-world, authentic problem scenario that is messy and ill-structured. They need to, in small teams, CREATE solutions to this problem and then DONATE the solution back into the real world. While this theoretical perspective has strong links to pedagogical approaches like Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Authentic Learning environments, it is the DONATE aspect that sets it apart from the other approaches.
There is really only one way to learn how to do something and that is to do it. If you want to learn to throw a football, drive a car, build a mousetrap, design a building, cook a stir-fry, or be a management consultant, you must have a go at doing it. Throughout history, youths have been apprenticed to masters in order to learn a trade. We understand that learning a skill means eventually trying your hand at the skill. When there is no real harm in simply trying we allow novices to "give it a shot."
Parents usually teach children in this way. They don't give a series of lectures to their children to prepare them to walk, talk, climb, run, play a game, or learn how to behave. They just let their children do these things. We hand a child a ball to teach him to throw. If he throws poorly, he simply tries again.
Recent research suggests that the electronic learners of today respond well to this style of learning. It can be seen to link to playing computer games, where through trial and error, the learner finds out not only how to do something, but also how not to do things.
There is really only one way to learn how to do something and that is to do it. If you want to learn to throw a football, drive a car, build a mousetrap, design a building, cook a stir-fry, or be a management consultant, you must have a go at doing it. Throughout history, youths have been apprenticed to masters in order to learn a trade. We understand that learning a skill means eventually trying your hand at the skill. When there is no real harm in simply trying we allow novices to "give it a shot."
Parents usually teach children in this way. They don't give a series of lectures to their children to prepare them to walk, talk, climb, run, play a game, or learn how to behave. They just let their children do these things. We hand a child a ball to teach him to throw. If he throws poorly, he simply tries again.
Recent research suggests that the electronic learners of today respond well to this style of learning. It can be seen to link to playing computer games, where through trial and error, the learner finds out not only how to do something, but also how not to do things.
pictures, sounds copyright, sharing, etc
Gathering information. Introduction to Digital camera, phone etc. Depending on availability of digital cameras at school, demonstrate the students how to use a camera, zooming in or out, composition, taking video, and most importantly, downloading the result to a computer. Editing programs such as photo shop, photo bucket, Windows movie maker to be quickly demonstrated here. Flickr, and other image sharing websites could be introduced here, as well as sites that share music.
Inquiring with ICTs
Students explore, select and use ICTs in the processes of inquiry and research across key learning
areas. They:
• identify the inquiry focus, data and information requirements and possible digital information
sources
• plan, conduct and manage structured searches and advanced searches for data and information
in response to questions
• evaluate data and information gathered for usefulness, credibility, relevance, accuracy and
completeness
• reflect on, analyse and evaluate how ICTs have assisted in meeting the inquiry purposes and in
developing new understandings.
Creating with ICTs
Students experiment with, select and use ICTs to create a range of responses to suit the purpose
and audience. They use ICTs to develop understanding, demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning,
collaboration and communication across key learning areas. They:
• express and creatively represent ideas, information and thinking
• creatively document and present their planning, thinking and learning using a combination of
media
Communicating with ICTs
Students experiment with, select and use ICTs across key learning areas to collaborate and enhance
communication with individuals, groups or wider audiences in local and global contexts for an
identified purpose and audience. They:
• collaborate, develop, organise and present new ideas
• apply suitable or agreed communication conventions and protocols
• select and apply a variety of digital media to improve communication
Operating ICTs
Students use a range of advanced ICT functions and applications across key learning areas to
inquire, create, collaborate and communicate, and to manage information and data. They:
• develop operational skills and begin to use the extended functionality of a range of ICT devices
• apply operational conventions when using ICTs
• develop strategies for learning new ICT operations and consider different ways to perform tasks
• reflect on, analyse and evaluate their operational skills to meet the requirements of system
resources, processes and conventions.
Inquiring with ICTs
Students explore, select and use ICTs in the processes of inquiry and research across key learning
areas. They:
• identify the inquiry focus, data and information requirements and possible digital information
sources
• plan, conduct and manage structured searches and advanced searches for data and information
in response to questions
• evaluate data and information gathered for usefulness, credibility, relevance, accuracy and
completeness
• reflect on, analyse and evaluate how ICTs have assisted in meeting the inquiry purposes and in
developing new understandings.
Creating with ICTs
Students experiment with, select and use ICTs to create a range of responses to suit the purpose
and audience. They use ICTs to develop understanding, demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning,
collaboration and communication across key learning areas. They:
• express and creatively represent ideas, information and thinking
• creatively document and present their planning, thinking and learning using a combination of
media
Communicating with ICTs
Students experiment with, select and use ICTs across key learning areas to collaborate and enhance
communication with individuals, groups or wider audiences in local and global contexts for an
identified purpose and audience. They:
• collaborate, develop, organise and present new ideas
• apply suitable or agreed communication conventions and protocols
• select and apply a variety of digital media to improve communication
Operating ICTs
Students use a range of advanced ICT functions and applications across key learning areas to
inquire, create, collaborate and communicate, and to manage information and data. They:
• develop operational skills and begin to use the extended functionality of a range of ICT devices
• apply operational conventions when using ICTs
• develop strategies for learning new ICT operations and consider different ways to perform tasks
• reflect on, analyse and evaluate their operational skills to meet the requirements of system
resources, processes and conventions.
Concious Incompetance
I have previously made a post about this subject. Wendy explained it much better than I had heard before. It relates to where a user's level of competency lies within a subject, and whether they are are aware that they have no idea and are trying to learn, or think that they have a good grasp of something and are yet to be disillusioned.
An analagy given the other day was of a learner driver: They are extremely aware that they are practising the skills to become competent; the skills have not yet become natural (thus requiring little thought). Reflecting on my own use of technology, it becomes painfully obvious that I am fairly incompetent, and as an older user, the skills are harder to pick up. This is not ot say that I can't do it, rather, it may take me a bit longer to work out. Having done this course before, I can remember a fair few of the ideas discussed, and I have had the benefit of having an extended time to think about how I would use some of them. It has also given me a chance to discuss a variety of ideas with competent practising teachers, to see how they would work in the classroom.
An analagy given the other day was of a learner driver: They are extremely aware that they are practising the skills to become competent; the skills have not yet become natural (thus requiring little thought). Reflecting on my own use of technology, it becomes painfully obvious that I am fairly incompetent, and as an older user, the skills are harder to pick up. This is not ot say that I can't do it, rather, it may take me a bit longer to work out. Having done this course before, I can remember a fair few of the ideas discussed, and I have had the benefit of having an extended time to think about how I would use some of them. It has also given me a chance to discuss a variety of ideas with competent practising teachers, to see how they would work in the classroom.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
catching up with e learning
I have just set up my "Delicious" acount, and therefore will be able to share bookmarks with anyone who is linked to it. Wendy made some interesting points in the tute the other day, regarding this being the new way to access knowledge. It is no longer necessary to actually "Know" something, rather knowing how to find the information on that topic is valuable. Also interesting is the difference in the focus of the course this time; last year it was all about engagement, this time it appears to be about acecessing the information; it appears to be a given that there is engagement with the topic. As there are apparently several possible emphasises to the same learning this could be the basis for a concept map made using bubbl us. The emphasis on the course in general seems to have switched from "Dimensions Of Learning" towards the work and ideas of Eric Frangenheim. This could be because of the supposed shift next year back to this being a Bachelor of Education rather than Learning Management.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
another go at E learning
I am undecided as to whether I should start a new blog or continue with this one. By typing here now I will at least have a record of the continuation of this one, that I may change later. For this task, we have to blog about the usefulness of a blog in our own learning context: "In it, provide a brief evaluation of the functionality of a blog and its usefulness in your learning context." I am going to copy some of my previous posts to put here, as they are still applicable.
"The more I do this, the more apparent it becomes to me that Blogging is a good way of encouraging people to write, and also to think about what it is they are actually writing. This relates to the idea that literacy is about communicating with others, through a means that has common rules and conventions."
"I am constantly checking for meaning and also to be sure that I am not being offensive to anyone. In looking at this process from the point of veiw of a student, it could be seen as a way of intrinsically motivating, that is, the motivation for doing it properly comes from within. Looking a bit deeper, however, there could be seen to be extrinsic motivation at work: make it the best you can, otherwise you may look like a bit of a clown in front of your peers."
Add another Blog post. In the second post, upload your concept map of the information covered in topic 1.
"The more I do this, the more apparent it becomes to me that Blogging is a good way of encouraging people to write, and also to think about what it is they are actually writing. This relates to the idea that literacy is about communicating with others, through a means that has common rules and conventions."
"I am constantly checking for meaning and also to be sure that I am not being offensive to anyone. In looking at this process from the point of veiw of a student, it could be seen as a way of intrinsically motivating, that is, the motivation for doing it properly comes from within. Looking a bit deeper, however, there could be seen to be extrinsic motivation at work: make it the best you can, otherwise you may look like a bit of a clown in front of your peers."
Add another Blog post. In the second post, upload your concept map of the information covered in topic 1.
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