OVERALL THOUGHTS - Learning Technologies Unit/Assessment

For the Learning Technologies unit, our major assessment was to create our own blog and post weekly entries on what we learnt during workshops and lectures. This unit of study was quite useful in that it introduced me to many useful educational websites. As a preservice teacher, i am open to any programs that may be useful and fun for students to know and learn about. The blog assessment was also useful in the sense that it allowed me week my week to reflect on what i have learnt and it gave me ideas on the type of activities students can actually do whilst in their primary years. Not all websites were useful and some required constant teacher guidance and attention.

The most difficult part of this assessment was setting out the blog and attaching the images correctly; sometimes it wouldn't work and it became quite stressful. I am thankful however to our lecturer/tutor Greg Powell for helping me get better and develop each week with technology. I am not so confident with computers but i believe constant encouragement and working with peers helped me out alot during this unit and assessment. I do hope you enjoy reading about my thoughts on each activity and each week as i did enjoy the learning technologies classes.

Week 5

Week Five Lecture: Animations and Claymations


Technology isnt always easy to use; Some students may feel quite threatend in using technology to develop animations and stories; it is thus important to guide students to the programs that are user friendly in regards to animations and images. Some programs are quite hard to follow and are not suitable for students in primary schools. Some programs even portray material that is not suitable for young students. It is the teacher's role again to pick programs that deal with animations and provide great education and computer background to students.



During my placement, i was working with students in grade 1 and 2; every day for an hour in the morning they will have an ict lesson and the teacher will introduce many programs that deal with animation and help provide a clear understanding on why such programs are used. Seeing young students work on computers and develop as they go was quite amazing; in my primary years, i wasnt introduced to useful programs; it was always pencil on paper and nothing more then that. I enjoyed seeing students develop overtime and become quite confident in using technology and working around different programs.



Workshop:


For our workshop this week, we were required to visit websites and work around the different annimations. Some websites were useful for both adults and primary students and some were not suitable for the primary classroom.




















In the rebus story, pictures used to replace the nouns in order to make the story more interesting for students to read. This type of program is fantastic for students to learn how to read. Some students face difficulties when reading particular words, so when they see the picture, they are able to make sense of it and identify what it is. Some students may also need clues in order to identify what the sentence says or what the story is about.
Students are able to create their own stories and they can also insert pictures, making it quite interesting and fun to read. This type of website is definitely useful and many students will benefit from it. It is a literacy type of activity with visual images used.
It is great in the sense that it allows students to actually create their own stories using their own clues; this will show students understanding and just how important pictures may be in order to be able to make sense of a story.






This Building lego website is also quite a smart site in which students are able to create their own characters using different lego shapes and sizes. Many schools nowadays have their own blocks and legos in which students can physcially build and play with however this is an actual computer website and students are able to have the great experience in forming their own charatcers. It is a clever site and quite user friendly; primary students will find it quite easy to follow; this type of learning is fun for students. Each student has the opportunity to work independently and design a character of their choice. I think its quite crucial for teachers nowadays to constantly reinforce to students that we do not all share the same oppinions and we may differ interms of our favourite shapes, colours, pictures, stories - this website is greate in allowing students to have their own choice in what they wish to create.



This image is from the websit http://www.buildyourwildself.com/; this website is quite interesting and fun. It allows students to be creative thus work independently exploring the different features of wild creatures. Students are able to choose from a range of different types of mouths, legs, clothing, hair and eyes. The end result a wild character is produced. Once your wild character has been produced, you are then able to find out facts about your wildness and what you can do with the types of arms you have, types or legs and the power you have within your eyes. This type of website and activity i beleive can be clearly linked within the art domain; students can produce their creatures on the computer then draw them on a peice of project paper; in terms inquiry, they can also rsearch facts and information about the different body parts and which animal each body part actually comes from. This wesbite is a useful tool and will be fun to use in the primary classroom. It will be interesting to see how creative students can be.














The image below is from the website http://www.sketchswap.com/ ; this website is quite fun - students are required to draw their own image and swap it into cyber space. In return, they will receive an image from a random person. It is a fun wesbite in that it allows students to sketch they kind of image they want however once they push the swap button, their image will travel through cyber space to a random person located anywhere, and the students will receive an image in return. Now the problem is, we do not know who is receiving our images once we sawp them and we do not know who is seeing our the images that we sketched. Although it is a good site in the sense that it allows students to draw using the computer and internet however personally i wouldn't use such a website in my classrooom because the students and i wont know what type of image we will receive. This image may be unsuitable for students at primary school to view. Texts and words may also be swaped and we do not know what we will receive. As a teacher,i will be responsible for my own classroom and students in my care therefore i will not risk students being exposed to material that may harm them.
Below is an example of the picture i received from sketch swap.











The image below is from the zimmertwins website; This website allows users to create their own films; they can choose their own characters, backgrounds and they can also enter their own texts and have the characters say what they want them to say. It is a fun website for students to produce their own thoughts in a movie. Definitely a program to use in a primary classroom. Studets will enjoy this program. Below is a scene form a movie that i created during our workshop. I found it enjoyable being an adult, i can only imagine the different types of annimations and movies that students will come up with.

We also were introduced to another movie making website http://www.dvolver.com/ ; this is also a site in which students can direct and produce their own movies; they will have the different characters, backgrounds, and will be able to insert their own scripts. Making movies is a good way in showing the teachers just how far the students imaginations and creativity can go. Movie making wesbites are useful and the students will enjoy them.


















This workshop was one of the most intense classes of the learning technologies unit; we visited many webpages however i was only able to capute a few due to problems with certain websites and the blog program itself. It is always useful to take note on the various programs there are as ICT is quite important nowadays and soon students will have to rely on computers and internet websites more than books and papers. As a class teacher, it is important to study these websites before explaining to the students so that any harmful material is avoided.

WEEK 4 - PART TWO - Microsoft Excel

MnMs on Mircosoft Excel

The second part of our week four workshop in Learning Technologies, we were required to design a bargraph using mircrosoft excel. We were required to use different colours. It was based m&ms. We needed to sort out each coloumn seperately by using the m&ms colours. Graphs can be used to sort out information in a numerical order. When i was in primary school, we were introduced to Mircrosoft Excel - when we gathered data the easiest way to organise this data was in a form of a graph - Personally when i was younger, i didnt know we can actually design graphs using excel; i always thought they can only be drawn on paper. Excel is such a useful tool in that sorts infromation calculating the total on its own. Some may find it hard to use, they may find it difficult to split the cells on the excel page; alot of guidance is required as a teacher - however it is important to know that it isnt hard to follow. Once a clear explanation is showen and explained thoroughly, students will be able to understand how to use it and the reason as to why this program is used.

All sorts of graphs can be design on Microsoft excel; pie, bar and pictographs. Charts are also designed using microsoft excel. The graph above basically shows what we needed to do during our workshop this week. As a student in my final year of study, over the years i have become quite confident in sorting out information using graphs and charts on Mircrosoft Excel. Microsoft Excel is an important tool and i believe students should be introduced to such a successful and useful program in their primary years or study.

WEEK 4 - Integrating ICT in the classroom; Dust echoes

ICT in the primary classroom:


In the 21st Century education, ICT use is the prime focus in the primary classroom. Although we may still use books and pencils as well as worksheets, computer use is important in that it allows students to learn how to use various educational programs which will inturn boost their confidence in having more then one successful way to learn. ICT is beneficial in the sense that it recognizes students skills and weaknessess and it later advances students fluency in a range of areas of study. ICT use in the classroom also promotes creativity to students work; not only should the internet be used but also programs such as Microsoft office to aid in presenting an academic peice of writing and the use of powerpoint presentation to show different forms and layouts.





Week 4 Lecture - Critical Thinking

Basically critical thinking refers to the the individual thinking clearly and deeply. When thinking critically, one will also develop a sense of thinking independently. Critical thinking involves solving problems on his/her own, construct and evaluate arguments, the ability of justifying arguments etc. Thinking Critically also involves promoting creativity.

A useful website on critical thinking is provided in the link below:

http://www.austhink.org/crticialthink.org/critical/


Workshop: Dust Echoes

This week in our Learning Technologies workshop, we were required to visit the Dust Echoes website and watch Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. The purpose of this lesson was to carefully choose a dreamtime film from the dust echoes wesite and to retell the story in the form of a concept map - i used the program 'inspiration' as it makes it quite easy to develop a concept map and make links from scene to scene. The Dust Echoes website is a useful site for students to visit as it clearly talks about Aboriginal history which can aid in literacy as well as ART learning units. The website is user friendly as each story has its own explanation, activities to follow and learning focus. Nowadays in primary schools, Aborginal studies is incorporated in certain subjects as it is important for all Australian students to learn and know about Aboriginal culture. This website is useful and it will help students understand Aboriginal life and history.




The link for this useful website is below:

www.abc.net/dustechoes

week 3 - QUIA WEBSITE/Protecting Students Online

WordSearch

Workshop:

During this week in Learning Technologies, we were introduced to a website known asn QUIA - Quintessential Instructional Archive. This website is quite fantastic for both students and teachers. It includes many activities in which students are able to test their own knowledge and receive fast online feedback. Activities include various quizzez, wordfinds, and many more. Teachers can use QUIA to create their own quiz for students int their classes in order to test their knowledge on various topics. The great thing about QUIA is that you may use your own personal content in setting up activties for students. Some other activities that can be used in the primary classroom by young students include jumbled words, hangman, ordered lists, flashcards and matching words. QUIA is a useful tool in assessing students knowledge other than using pen and paper. Students need to be able to use the internet and computers quite often in order to imporve their ICT skills and to make learning much more enjoyable.

During this lesson, as shown in the images above, i created a quiz about the seasons of the year as well as a word search. Our lecturer Greg asked all students to form a quiz using this website and had us rotate at least once and complete a quiz that one of our peers formed. This was a great experience and it was quite interesting to see the different type of activities students put together. Sometimes quizez handed out on a peice of paper may seem quite stressful for students in a primary classroom; computer work is always more enjoyable and students are more eager to learn.

The link below will lead you directly to this beneficial website - QUIA



http://www.quia.com.au/



Week Three Lecture: The protection of Students Online.

ICT has become quite important in terms of education, but we as educators must be aware of the dangers that may result when a student is using the internet. Teachers must always monitor and be around students when using the internet during class time. Primary students aren't always aware of the 'bad' websites therefore it is the schools duty to bann all websites which may cause harm to a students learning whilst browsing the internet for educational use. Students must also be warned of the risks and therefore they too need to responsible for how they use the internet.

The Department of education has provided teachers and schools with recommendations on how to prevent dangers so students whilst using the internet - The DEECD use heading such as lead, educate, manage, support, empower, and participate for cyber safety. Teachers are told to reinforce and act upon these headings in order for the risks to be prevented.

WEEK 2 - Microsoft Publisher

This week in Learning Technologies, we were expected to visit Microsoft Publisher and create our own brochure about a country of our choice. Microsoft Publisher can be used not only to create brochures but also newsletters, awards and advertisments as well as your own personal e-portfolio. Many students nowadays use computers to complete their homework tasks and are quite familiar with microsoft office - Publisher is an easy tool to use in terms of creating cards, resumes and different templates.

Students in the primary classroom will find it easy to navigate around the program and experience using different templates espescially if they are quite familiar with Microsoft word as these programs are all linked to one another. In the primary classroom, publisher in my opinion will be quite a useful tool for students to use when completing tasks such as brochures etc. Publisher can also be used by primary students to help them produce a letter to their friend/family using a template and background of their choice; also students will be able to create banners and produce their own personal post cards.

Microsoft Publisher has its many functions and this program itself is quite creative. I am a frequent user of Microsoft Publisher and i feel it has given a great sense of creativity and layout to my work. In a primary classroom i believe creativity should be a main focus and as a teacher, i aim to teach my students how to be creative and how to use programs that can aid in designing tasks to a great level.

ePortfolio for students and Teachers:

An ePortfolio can be used as a successful tool in reflecting what the student has learnt and achieved over time. One of our assessments for Learning Technologies unit is to design our own e-portolio and include in it our educational philosphy, Resume, Practicum reflections etc. It is a fantastic tool due to the fact that it gathers all the important information needed in order to reflect on a students learning and engagment throughout his/her study period. The use of Microsoft Publisher also helps in creating an e-portfolio, basically designing it to suit an indvidiual's wants in terms of colour, backrgound and layout.

Personally i wasnt familiar on how to create an e-portfolio, i created my own folio in the form of a large folder with plastic pockets however visiting Mircrosoft publisher made it so easy and much more understanding. An ePortfolio is definitely what should be taken into a job interview nowadays; the use of ICT is so important in schools and it is thus a manin focus on learning.

An ePortfolio should be introduced to students in order to reinforce how organistion is always needed in order to be successful and academic.

WEEK 1 - INSPIRTATION

Learning Teachnologies in education is a very interesting subject. In the first lecture, we discussed the many different forms of technology and how it had changed rapidly to date. We were reminded of the transmission from type-writers to computers and from computer desktops to laptops and so forth. Technology has been around for quite a long time and it is changing every single year even month. This subject i believe is important in noting the various changes in technology and how these changes may affect learning for both the teacher and student.


During our first workshop of Learning Technologies in education, we were introduced to the program 'inspirtation' - Personally, i am not confident around computeres and new technologies and softwares however this program was quite easy to grasp. I believe inspiration is a useful program for students in grade 3 and up. For the lower grade students, they might find it difficult to work with. Inspiration is useful in creating mind maps and linking one thing to another. With practice using the program, it does get very easy. Not only does this program allow you to select from a range of different pictures, but it also allows you to explain what the picture is about through typing subheadings. A teacher may find it useful to set out a task where students need to click on the picture to view what it is about. Students may then learn how to do their own notes around the pictures and hide them. Inspiration is a useful program and ideas of students can be expressed through it in a positive way. I enjoyed this lesson as i was introduced to a new program i found it very useful