Week 4 - Audio, Images and Videos

This week in E-Learning, we learnt more about digital pedagogies such as audio recordings, images and videos. These digital tools can helps make learning fun and engaging for children in our classrooms.

AUDIO RECORDINGS
Using voice recordings within a classroom can lead to many creative and engaging opportunities for the children. It could be used as a voice over in a PowerPoint presentation or even when making a video for a class project. Podcasting is another idea for the use of audio recordings. Podcasts are known as broadcasts made as media files which are easily downloaded from the internet. They vary from expert talks, announcement, presentations and audio books which allow for an effective range of context within a classroom. Podcats are easy to use and therefore, can to used by students in group presentation to convey information or to support an argument or debate.

Audio recordings was something I had never done before today as I had never been confident with recording my own voice. However, I decided to give it a go and see just how easy it would be for a teacher to introduce this type of learning took into their classroom. I downloaded an app on my iPhone called Audioboo, this allowed me to easily record my own voice. As Blogger does not support audio files, I have attached a link to my recording here: http://audioboo.fm/Jennyrose18.  

IMAGES
Images are great for students to add into their school projects, assignments and presentations. Adding images allows students to deliver visuals to their peers and teachers to help support their written work. Images can also be used to make movies or on posters for the classroom walls to use as stimulating materials.

Source: Google Images
Example of Classroom Poster

Being a teacher means you have a huge responsibility to make sure students are searching for images safely. The wide world web has many relieving and inappropriate images for students to see. Therefore, using online multimedia databases such as Flickr would be safe and more resourceful. This site can be used within an learning context to support visual literacy, providing access to numerous pictures within a topic of interest. Flickr also provides the opportunity to search for photos by locomotion, providing geographic description of various places. This would be excellent if the children were learning about subjects such as Countries, War or the Olympic Games, just to name a few.

Using images also gives you the opportunity to edit images. This can be done by manipulation or resizing images if they are to large for the students projects. Tools such as paint can assist with this. However, there are also online editing websites such as BeFunky, which can also providing fascinating editing tools. Below are some images which I have manipulated and resized some.

Image Resizing 
My personal photography - Resizeyouimages.com

Image Manipulation

Edited on BeFunky.com

VIDEOS 

Using videos within a classroom is a common digital tool used for a number of situations. These videos can be created by children using many programs and applications. Some programs which are easy to use include iPods, iPads, camera, smart phones, moviemaker and iMovie. Teachers can introduce these tools into classrooms to make films relating to a specific subjects. These devises can also be used to film presentations or for a creative assignment and edited to construct a video by using Moviemaker or iMovie. The video below is something I created on Moviemaker using my personal photography images, music, and text. Putting all of this together was a creative way to show of my photography. 

Since all children in the 21st Century are extremely technological advanced, it would be a great idea for teachers to use audio recordings, images and videos within teaching context. However, it is the teachers responsibility to make sure the tools are used appropriately. Using a range of digital tools that is becoming the basis of everyday life is a fantastic way to make learning fun and engaging for students. 

Jenny Abel 

Source: Google Images

Week 3 - Blogs, Wikis and Websites

This week in Managing E-Learning we learnt about Blogs, Wikis and Websites. People in the 21st Century have so many ICT tools at their finger tips and most of them (including myself) wouldn't have a clue as to how you would use them! 

BLOGS

As you can already see, I obviously know how to use a blog. I have been blogging for the past three weeks so I think I have finally got this down pat. This is known as Blogger which is powered by Google. It is extremely easy to use and allows you to personalise your blog and change the layout. The greatest thing about Blogger is that it is FREE! 

I believe that blogs can easily be used as a learning tool within classrooms. They could be used for assignments where the students reflect on their learning experiences throughout a unit. Blogs could also be used as a classroom news letter where the teacher keeps parents updated on what is being learnt each week and when the important dates are approaching. Blogs have many other fantastic uses as long as the students are taught how to use it correctly. We are all well aware that the internet has many risks. Therefore, students need to be educated about online safety, cuber bullying and copyrights. 

BLOGS
STRENGTHS    Ø Blogger is free to all users Ø  Easy to use (does not require much knowledge) Ø  Can be customised as much as you like ØEnables you to embed videos, links and graphics ØAllows you to post anonymously  ØYou can change your blog to private	WEAKNESSES Ø Your blog can be accessed by anyone unless you change your privacy settings.  Ø Only one person can add blog posts and viewers can only comment Ø  Easy to unintentionally post personal information and breach copyrights of videos, information and graphics
OPPORTUNITIES Ø Students can use a blog as a reflective journal for part of an assessment, which can be checked online by the teacher at anytime. Ø Blogs can engage students as it is an interactive and personalised form of technology Ø  Blogs can allow students to continue learning outside of the classroom. Ø Gives students a sense of ownership and pride for their work Ø Targets student's technological interest and abilities	THREATS Ø Risk of students using the blog unsafely by posting personal information ØCopyright issues could arise when using a blog to share research Ø Customising and personalising their blog can lead to distraction Ø Increases opportunities for cyber bullying

WIKI

This week I created my first ever wiki as one of my activities. I found this process fairly straight forward. There were step by step instructions given on how to create the wiki page. This was great as it allowed me to easily upload a video clip and image. Wiki allows you to customise with fonts and images. As mentioned last week in my blog "Six hats are better than one!", wiki is similar to a webpage where it allows you to read, exchange, edit and modify ideas. It is known as a more collaborative sharing space. Unlike a blog, wiki is used more as a discussion based site rather than a reflection. Here is a link to my wiki: http://jennyabel.wikispaces.com/home 

WIKIS
STRENGTHS    Ø Collaborative learning space Ø Engages learners in active learning Ø Can personalise to suit the needs to students  ØCan embed videos, links and images ØCan post anonomously   ØYou can change your blog to private to some group members can access and edit it	WEAKNESSES Ø Can be difficult to understand how to use Ø Only one person can edit the wiki at a time Ø  Wiki can quiet easily become cluttered  ØCan distract students when they are on the internet
OPPORTUNITIES Ø A space for students to present their opinions and views on specific topics Ø Used as an online brainstorming activity  Ø Can be monitored by the teacher  Ø Targets student's technological interest and abilities	THREATS Ø Risk of students using their wiki unsafely by posting personal information ØStudents can become confused with wiki and therefore become disenaged Ø Customising and personalising their wiki can lead to distraction Ø Students could add their own ideas without reading the information first

WEBSITES

Making a website was very new to me. I found my first experience of creating a website a little bit confusing. However, after playing around with the site of a while and figuring out how it all works, it soon made sense to me. I feel a bit insecure because websites are very open and I'm not sure how I feel about everyone being able to view it. I believe that using websites within a classroom can be an effective tools to help students learn and express their individual creativity. The website allowed me to customise to how much or little I like. It also enabled me to upload video clips and images. When using a website within a classroom you could upload different activities and games for students to complete and learn from. Here is a website I have created: http://jennyabel.weebly.com/

WEBSITES
STRENGTHS    Ø  Can embed videos, links and images Ø  Can be customised as much as you like to make your website creative and personal ØCan be edited at anytime by the author ØWebsite such as Weebly offers free templates ØEngaging, interactive and fun	WEAKNESSES Ø Students can easily get distracted as   websites are extremely customisable Ø  Easy to unintentionally post personal information and breach copyrights of videos, information and graphics
OPPORTUNITIES Ø Students can post their work on their websites.  Ø Allows students to be engaged in learning Ø Gives students a sense of ownership and pride for their work ØCan be used as a presenting tool for students to publish their assignments Ø Targets student's technological interest and abilities	THREATS Ø Risk of students using the websites unsafely by posting personal information ØCopyright issues could arise when using a website to share research Ø Customising and personalising their website can lead to distraction

Jenny Abel

Week 3

In class this week we were introduced to a variety of ICT tools such as voki, wordle and fodey. Before this week I have already had some experience with Voki throughout my high schooling years. Therefore, I was fairly confident with using it. However, I have never heard of Fodey or Wordle. After exploring these tools and finding out how to use them, I played with the different ICT tools and created these two images below.

Source: Gernerated on Fodey 

Source: Generate on Wordle

Week 2 - Six hats are better than One!

In our tutorial this week we were introduced to de Bono's six thinking hats. In relation to the six thinking hats we were to complete an activity which allowed us to express whether or not we think the use of mobile phones should be introduced into schools as a learning tool. This activity was to be completed in a wiki which had been developed in the past. 

My previous experiences with wiki had me concerned when I first looked at this activity. I have never been confident with using wiki as it has always scared me. Essentially, a wiki is quite similar to a webpage where it allows you to read, exchange, edit and modify ideas. Everyone can see your view points and opinions. However, a blog is based on who you are. It is where you can express your feelings and reflect on your experiences. Today I overcame this fear and concurred wiki with ease. Turns out wiki was not as confronting as I thought it was going to be. The simple layout and instructions definitely made it easy to understand and follow.  

Source: Google Images 

Some people can find the six thinking hats extremely confronting. The six thinking hats are made up of 6 different colours. These consist of:

White Hat - Facts, information, data, research needed. (Bloom's knowledge). 

Red Hat - Feelings, hunches, emotions, intuition. (Bloom's evaluation).

Black Hat - Caution, risks, judgment. (Bloom's analysis and evaluation). 

Yellow Hat - Benefits, good, vale, strengths. (Bloom's analysis and evaluation). 

Green Hat - Creativity, new ideas, brainstorming, predicting. (Bloom's synthesis). 

Blue Hat - Thinking about thinking, metacognition, summaising. (Bloom's comprehension and application).

Source: Screen shot from wiki page 

My original thoughts towards whether or not mobile phones should be used in a classroom as a learning tool were very negative. I felt as thought the black hat was the only hat I wanted to wear. However, after thinking further into the question began to change my mind and tried on the the other hats. I recongnised that to be a great educator means you need to be resilient and adapt to change. Therefore, being creative, resourceful and doing what interests the students. So why not give mobile phones a change, right? I began to make connections with the facts and other uses for mobile phone and decided that it would be worth expressing my alternative view points and opinions. De Bono's six thinking hats encouraged me to consider different vies through a range of thinking strategies. By wearing each different hat it allowed me to be open minded to the subject and consider all outcomes. This is a highly valued strategy to use throughout learning. On the right is a screenshot of my participate, view points and opinions throughout the wiki activity.

"Mobile phones are forcing children to become more literate. Without the ability to txt, they cannot fully participate in their own cultures of communication" - Perter Yeomans

Jenny Abel 

Source: Google Images

Week 2 - Digital Pedagogies

What is Digital Pedagogy?

Source: Queensland Government

Digital pedagogies move the focus from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools and skills to a way of thinking in a digital world. These new ways of working and learning with ICT facilitates the quality of learning experiences for 21st Century learning. Effective digital pedagogy is based on the needs of individual students and incorporates contemporary teaching and learning strategies. 

"The goal of education is to enrich the lives of a student while producing articulate, expressive thinkers and lifelong learners that are socially reasonable, resilient, and active citizens of the world. Education is about teaching students, not subjects" - Dave Truss 

My Views of Digital Pedagogies 

Source: Google Images

I believe that by using different classroom technologies like iPads, tablets, computers, iPods and video games are great tools for helping students learn. Using new technologies is the future of the education system. Students love using new technologies whether it is the 'cool factor' or just the genuine interest in the technology. It allows teachers to make education fun and engaging. Children are known to spend hours engaging in technology like computers and television why they come home from school, so why not teach them through their favourite media? Teaching children through digital technologies incorporate the four key components to learning; active engagement, participation in groups, frequent engagement in feedback and interaction with the real world. Through the use of technology you are able to reach different learning styles. I believe that if digital technologies are used correctly it can provide students with engaging activities which keep their interest.

My Experiences

Source: Google Images

My first experience of using digital technology was in my grade 1 classroom. I was attending a large public school which consisted of 400 students. At the back of our classroom were 10 computers. The ones with massive box monitors which you could not psychically move on your own. There were no USB ports, no CD drives, just the good old Floppy Disks which you could save four word documents onto (if you were lucky). I remember my teacher using the projector. All my fellow classmates would get so excited when they got asked to answer questions on a laminated piece of paper which would project onto the wall in front of the classroom.

Source: Google Images

As I approached grade 12, I was attending a public school of 1000 students. We were all using touch screen tablet computers to complete all our school work. These tablets could be taken home with us at the end of each day. All out assignment were to be emailed to our teacher instead of being printed out. We were no longer writing on laminated paper and putting it under a projector - we could now walk up to an interactive whiteboard and write our answers using our finger. I believe technology throughout my schooling life was extremely engaging and motivated me to learn, so I can't begin to imagine how children in this era thrive to get their hands on the newly advance technology.

Future of Digital Pedagogy

Source:  Learning Place - Digital Pedagogies

So what does this mean for the future of digital pedagogies? As a Pre-service Teacher I am striving to include digital pedagogy into my lesson plans. This is because it engages children and makes learning fun. One of the ways I can make this happen is just making students create their own blogs and posting their progress, thoughts and experiences throughout a topic. Digital pedagogies can cater for personalised approaches, intellectual engagement, rigorous learning, supportive and collaborative classroom environments and connected curriculum, assessment and reporting to improve outcomes for students. Education of the future always need to remember that technology should not just be used for fun. It should serve a purpose to the content being learnt within the classroom.

"Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by those who do." - Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

Jenny Abel

Source: Google Images

Week 1

Wow, this year has gone extremely fast!! It seems like just yesterday I was just starting my first day at CQU. Now I'm already into my first week of Term Two, crazy right?

It's been a very interesting start to the semester. I've met new people, new teachers and learnt new things. On Tuesday in the 2-4pm class we were introduced to Padlet software, this allowed us to capture the thoughts of every student around the class about their expectations of the course. Everyone appeared to have the same ideas, I have provided a sample of the wall post below.

Source: Padlet Software

The online material for E-learning this week was information which I had already been exposed to in the past. However, it was great to revisit the content as it enabled me to jog my memory and refresh my mind on various topics. A couple of these topics which really interested me this week were Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligence's.

In 1975 Howard Garner came up with a theory that involved  multiple intelligence. He believed that learners had a variety of abilities in many different areas which the contemporary learning theory could not account for. Below is a test I took which identifies my 8 different intelligences and the value of each.

Source: www.bgfl.org

I believe that Learning Styles are one of the most important concepts when it comes to teaching and allows educators to connect with their students. You are always going to find children who have different approaches to learning. As an Educator, you are never going to be able to cater for all learning styles all the time, however having an awareness of the different learning styles can help improve your methods of teaching.

As a Pre-Service Teacher I strive for student success. The feeling of your students being successful and achieving their best is extremely overwhelming. Not every learner is the same! Therefore, broadening your knowledge of different learning styles is going to give you an advantage and put you a step ahead.

Source: Image from Ministry of Advanced Education

Every student within your classroom is an individual. They all have their own abilities and capabilities to achieve great things in life. Some students may be academically ahead of others, some may be behind. Some students may be visual learners and learn more through pictures and images. Others may use sounds and music to understand what they have been taught. As an educator you may even find that some students prefer using words, while others prefer to learn best by touching ad doing. Therefore, it is our job to know our students and help them increase their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses.

Teachers in this era say that the educational system does not allow them any time to make learning fun. Therefore, our job as future educators is to accommodate for every child and allow them to have the chance to achieve their best. Together as the future educators of the next generation, we are going to turn the education system around and begin to make learning fun and engaging for students in our classrooms.

Jenny Abel

Source: Google Images

Welcome to my Blog

Hello Fellow E-Learners,

My name is Jennifer Abel, but you can call me Jenny. I am a first year student at CQUniversity, studying a Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood).  I am thrilled to begin this course and gain better knowledge and understanding of the technological world. I hope to gain an insight into teaching children new and exciting ways to learn, through the use of technology.

I have had some experience with blogging before, so I will do the best I can! Stay tuned every week and I'll keep you posted. :)

Jenny Abel

Source: Google Images