Week 4

Learning tasks using websites.

In the workshop today we directed our attention to the following website: http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustEchoesFlash.htm

We explored the Aboriginal culture focusing on the dream time stories. As with accessing any website it is advised that there be some user discretion, as the content can be disturbing to some audiences.

The task was then to watch and then retell one of the dream time stories using Inspiration software. In this software, a series of pictures are taken with captions underneath. These pictures together then retell the story. The nice thing about this software is that the user can paste pictures anywhere they like and be creative in the way they use the pictures to retell the story.

There are many websites that have movies on them that students could make these picture stories from. I thought a really educational idea would be to use the kids National Geographic website http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ for students to create their own picture stories. This has some great educational videos that i think students would really enjoy.

I retold the story Morning Star as i found it particularly interesting. Below is how i expressed my story.

This Inspiration software could be used for numerous activities in the classroom. It provides a unique learning opportunity for the students because it allows them to express themselves using pictures and brief summaries, making their stories concise, and making sure their pictures really do tell a thousand words.


Our next task involved the use of M&M's to create number charts. This was done using Microsoft Excel and had a Numeracy focus. Whilst using a fun medium such as chocolate, it is important to always remember the responsibilities as a teacher, in that some students may have allergies and so caution must be taken.


The task was to count out the different colours in an M&M packet. After sorting the different colours, we then needed to tabulate the results in Excel. From this we then created a chart using the data. From my previous schooling and University life, i have used Excel graphs an abundance of times, and strongly believe that it is one thing the students should learn how to do well from a young age. Microsoft Excel is a brilliant tool for Mathematics, from beginner to advance. It is a very underestimated piece of software because it is so simple to use, yet when it is used to it's full potential it is an extremely powerful piece of software. I know that in my teaching i am going to encourage students to use spread sheets to evaluate data and get the most out of the software.


















The Internet is a great source of education for Numeracy because many statistics can be found and manipulated. Most children are interested in a particular sport, and they could create graphs and charts of statistics for their favourite player or team. Websites such as http://www.afl.com.au/ or http://www.australianopen.com.au/ are full of statistics that students can copy into their excel spread sheets. By choosing a topic that interests them, students will be better engaged in the activities.

Week 3

Technology within the classroom

In this weeks workshop we learnt about designing activities based on the following four step method:

Investigate

Design

Produce

Evaluate

We were given a task to create a jumping frog, using minimal materials. By using only cardboard, a paper cut out frog, a rubber band and some sticky tape, we needed to make the frog jump. My partner and I had a few attempts to make the frog jump by folding the piece of cardboard in various fashions with minimal success. We then taped the cardboard to the table, folded it over, and held it in place with a rubber band. We placed the frog on top of the folded cardboard and let the rubber band go. The frog did jump to some extent, however it was fairly unsuccessful. Whilst we may have not succeeded in the task, it was very enjoyable that got our creative minds thinking.

By giving students a similar task it will help them to think about ways in which they can solve problems. The hands on approach is a very successful method and I believe that students will benefit greatly from it. I also think it is important to make sure that you can show them a successful result for the experiment. In this case it will be a way to make the frog jump.

Online games

We then used technology to create our own games. Most students loved to learn using technology because it is exciting and challenging. By asking the students to create their own games online, they need to use a clear thought process in the creation of the game. I created a Hangman game using words that were all fruits. If a students was to do this task, they would need to think of as many words as they can that relate to the topic, and also use correct spelling for them. Whilst it might seem to the child that they are just creating a task, they are actually learning just as much in the process!

Hangman

We then learnt how to create online quiz using the same program. This was a lot of fun and I also found it to be quite challenging as you really had to think what questions you wanted to put in your quiz. This would be an excellent activity to use in the classroom. Students could be given the task to create quiz's about a topic of their choice. Once the quiz has been created an assessed by the teacher, students could then take each other's quiz's, and research the answers. This is a great way to promote classroom interaction and it also enables students to find common interests.

Online quiz creation

Their are numerous benefits for students creating their own games. Firstly, it is a creative way to express themselves. It gets the students thinking of the tasks they have created and why it is important. It is also fun and challenging for the students and a great way to make the classroom come alive with active involvement from all students.

Week 2

Creating e-Portfolios

I must admit that i have never heard of a ePortfolio before today. I was surprised at how effecting using an ePortfolio can be to show a students work progress. I was thinking that it would be a great way to show the students parents their progression throughout the year. Furthermore it is a great way to show off the students work, and its impressive look would be very appealing I would imagine to future prospective parents when they come to look at potential enrollment for their child.

The ePortfolio system is not only an exceptional way to display students work, it is a way that I can keep track of the progression of my own work. When I first saw the concept, It reminded me of the way an artist would present their work, only in digital form. But as we discussed in the lecture, it is a way to not only express work, but ideas, concepts, and information that would otherwise be forgotten about. I also believe that being able to show a prospective employer an ePortfolio would put me at a significant advantage to others. Not only does it enable me to show my work, but it also allows me to show my creative side, a side that would otherwise go unnoticed. I also believe that is demonstrates my technological competence, and my ability to develop new ideas using technology. I believe this is a significant advantage when applying for jobs, and it is also exceptionally easy to update.

As a way to initiate ourselves to the concept of an ePortfolio, we did a simple exercise using Microsoft Publisher to create a brochure as outlined below.


Microsoft Publisher: Creating a brochure:

This was a fun activity that i enjoyed as i was able to be creative, and it allowed me to make a brochure of a place that interests me. This would be an exciting task for a student, as it will enable them to research a topic of interest, yet also allows them to create and design their desired brochure. To make the brochure we used Microsoft Publisher. I was not familiar with publisher, but Greg's step by step instructions made it very easy to use and understand, and with a little practice, I found it very enjoyable. Greg's step by step instructions also reminded me how important it is to model your work to students when showing them something new. When you model how to do something, it makes it much easier for a student to understand, and they enjoy the task more.

I will definitely be using this ICT task in my class. Within my lesson i would also include a brain storming activity to introduce the topic. I would get the students to design their layouts, information, and pictures on a piece of paper to begin with so they have an idea of what to do.

For my brochure I chose Coffins Bay, a popular tourist spot in South Australia.
My brochure is below:



I














Microsoft Publisher: ePortfolio

The ePortfolio template on Microsoft Publisher made it much easier to start an ePortfolio. It was easy to customise, but even in the standard template form it provided a very effective design for a prospective employer. I particularly liked the sidebar for navigation. I think that an employee would also be particularly impressed as it is easy to navigate around. It also provides one click access to things like references, which because they are time-saving, would make the employee generally happier. Upon looking further into ePortfolios, I found this website - http://www.foliospaces.com

It provided similar resources as in Microsoft Publisher, but it is stored online. The benefit of using the online tool is that anyone can access it via the Internet, so a prospective employer could even view it online. This would be great if you were talking with them on the phone, and then were able to give them a weblink for them to peruse. I am sure that they would find it very impressive.

Below is the ePortfolio template