Reflective Synopsis

The past six weeks have been a journey of discovery. Digital technologies in the classroom are something we must embrace if we are to engage our learners in a world that is technologically leaping forward faster than we can imagine. The key to great pedagogy with the use of ICT's is to know the learner and accept that preferentially we all learn differently. Some children learn by hearing, others by seeing, some are kinaesthetic, some progress at a steady rate while others learn in fits and starts. Identifying these learning styles in children is imperative. Once I have an understanding of my learners I then have to develop lesson plans using ICT's that will engage as many students as possible. According to Prensky (2005) if we cannot engage children in education then we will enrage them. I do not agree with this theory, there are far too many variables that Prensky in his wisdom has not considered. I do however agree with Prensky (2001) who states that learners fit into either of the following categories - Digital Natives (born into technology) or Digital Immigrants (who are, like me, forced to adapt to a digital world).
Learning theory that has a little more substance to it are Behaviourism, which is pretty much how it sounds, it  is based on a learners behaviour and is a low order thinking. Cognitivism is the mental  processing and Constructivism developing higher order thinking along with Social Constructivism, which is more of a collaborative spin on constructivist theory where learners work together collectively. Howard Gardner's (1975) theory on Multiple Intelligences for me sums up just about everyone on the planet. I know from my own experience and watching my children grow up that depending on what they are engaged in, they demonstrate different abilities of which other learning theories do not account for.
Teaching with digital technology and having children develop their understanding and showing their creative side is something I look forward to. The possibilities with digital technologies as a teaching tool are endless.
Please refer to Week 1 & Week 2 Blog Reflections and Engagement Activities


I participated in the mobile phone WIKI which utilised Edward DeBono's scaffolding of the six thinking hats. This constructivist activity was extremely supportive. Instead of just thinking about the terror that mobile phones in the classroom might evoke, it made you think at a higher level, as each hat offers a different angle to analyse the positives and negatives. Having the WIKI set up with the thinking hats took the guess work out of organising my own thoughts and I can clearly see why this type of scaffolding activity will work in a classroom. It will get children to engage in higher order thinking. Through this process I found that working on a WIKI does have its drawbacks. I was unfortunate enough to have another class member participate at the same time as me, and their comments overrode mine. Panicking at first thinking all was lost, then discovering  I could find my postings under the history and managed to cut and paste these back in. I can clearly see why a WIKI is a great collaborative tool for the classroom.  I would therefore be confident as a teacher to use a WIKI in classroom with a similar scaffolding tool like with de Bono's hats or as a SWOT analysis.  
See my link here to the mobile phone wiki.
http://fahe11001bundaberg.wikispaces.com/Mobile+Phones+Wiki
Please also see my Blog reflection Week 2 Mobile phone Wiki


The first tool I was introduced to in Managing e-learning was this Blog. I enjoy this activity so much that I have set them up for other subjects. I enjoy using the blog to reflect. It is a way of cementing what I have just learnt and it is also a tool that I can draw on later if needed. I can invite other classmates to look at and comment on these reflections. This will provide me with valuable feedback to develop my strategies and thinking further. Blogs aren't just for reflecting. In the classroom they can be used to upload images, voki's, pod casts or even YouTube clips. They can be fun. The settings can be played with as often as you like. They can be a useful digital tool for a teacher to monitor growth in a students work, rather than relying on a paper based scrapbook.  However for the blog to be an effective digital tool in the classroom there would definitely need to be some form of framework or scaffolding to obtain maximum results. A collaborative teaching unit might be on Australian Wildlife or the Anzac's. It could be used as a critical thinking tool for learners, or a reflection of an analysis foor work on a WIKI. Overall my experience of the blog is enjoyable and engaging.

 
When creating my own Weebly website, I think I was a bit over the whole ICT thing, however looking back at my very simple website has shown me that I am a little bit clever, and anyone can do this. Weebly is a free site for setting up a web address. As I become more tech savvy I am realising the boundaries are limitless. However in the classroom there are boundaries, and for this activity to work in an acceptable manner there needs to be clear guidelines for the children to work with.What they can access must be legally and ethically safe. For the Weebly to be a pedagogically supported activity then children need to work with a PMI scaffolding. The children may be completing a cooking unit and they might like to set up a series of on-line recipes, so this may be one way of applying this technology in the classroom. My web site is extremely simple and is a very basic explanation of the ways different people learn.
Please see my link here.
http://nataliese-learingweebly.weebly.com/


A Voki is a fun way of getting children involved in an activity that they may not normally want to participate in because they are shy and would rather sit in the corner chewing their fingernails. It is an excellent tool for getting children to research a topic then create a voki to present it or perhaps a verbal recount of a field trip they have been on. They can change the Avatar to suit their own unique personality. You can type the information in for the voki to say, however that is not as much fun as children being able to hear their own voice played back to them. This is a great interactive useful tool for any classroom.
Please play my Voki which you will find under Week 4 Reflection: embedding a Voki


I am amazed with what you can actually do with a PowerPoint, and just how easy it is to use. Unfortunately I have the limitations of  Microsoft Word 2007 so have not been able to explore what the 2010 version offers. I have however created a PowerPoint with sound. With PowerPoint being so easy to use, children could be exceptionally creative. From presenting their findings on particular unit they are working on to learning more about ICT's in the classroom. They can add movement, sounds and pictures. PowerPoint presentations need no longer be boring.
Prezi differs from PowerPoint because it is an on line tool. This being the case the alarm bells go off again in my head with children using the Internet. It is very easy to use, and you can get really funky with it. You can flip the words and twist it, add YouTube clips and digital images. It offers the opportunity to zoom in and out. But if you move that zebra too fast you might just loose your head. Overall I am going to give myself a Prezi and say that this is my favourite and can certainly see myself mastering the technique and utilising this in the classroom.
Please see the link in week 5 for my Prezi


Bubbl.us is an on line brainstorming tool that is brilliant for children to use. It is environmentally friendly using far less paper than a huge sheet of butchers paper. The name says it all bubbl.us. Children can get together and have fun typing their ideas into the screen bubbles, linking boxes and then when completed they can print this out or save their ideas. This is a great tool for children to collaborate with each other.
Visit the Youtube video on my blog week 5 to see how to use this.


Working on the Internet it is extremely important to be aware of the Legal Safe and Ethical practices. I am aware of the copyright rule of no more than 10%. I understand that you have to give attribution when downloading and using any information as expected by the supplier of that information. I know that I have to be extremely wary of taking images of children in my class and being careful where these images are posted, and I know that legally I have to first obtain permission in writing from the parents or caregivers, not just one or two, but all otherwise it is illegal to make a posting with these images. If for example, I was using a WIKI or any Internet based activity for the class, I must firstly ensure that there are safety mechanisms in place to protect the children from on-line predators. We must protect our students as far as practicable. Setting up password protection assists to keep this under control.


I have and will continue learning much about the use ICT's in the classroom. The classroom walls are expanding as we become a global society. Just as air travel was once considered a breakthrough and of course the most civilised way to to travel, classrooms ICT's and digital technology is revolutionising our future citizens. We must as teachers or future learning facilitators embrace this technology in the classrooms and beyond. Both Blooms Taxonomy and TPACK provide a link between the old and new ways for bringing ICT into the classroom. I have learnt that there are times when you just cannot get the technology to do what you want which is extremely frustrating. Whilst I remain extremely open minded and willing to try anything, I must point out the one major flaw of digital technology. This is the amount of time that can be spent utilising and exploring different technologies. Eventually we might  find a solution to controlling this time-eating monster . I am really looking forward to this time next year when I can actually get into a classroom and put some of this fabulous technology to the test with a group learners.
See my Week 2 Blog Reflections and engagment activities



References

http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=15

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=12563

 

Week 5 Technologies Power Point & Prezi

This is my link for my Prezi. http://prezi.com/nbrx5ebd97dz/counting-for-beginners/
It is a work in progress. I can see the benefits of using this technology in the classroom. I had a lot of fun playing around with this, and I want to finish it off properly, however seem to have run out of time. As a teacher I could utilise this as a presentation tool or it could it be a used as a collaborative tool for children's in-class projects. It is a glorified PowerPoint. Having said that though I was amazed at what Wendy produced with the images on a PowerPoint in our tutorial. Mine is a far less sophisticated version due to the my windows 2007 version. I did however manage to save a PowerPoint with sound. Albeit a small effort I have at least gotten my hands dirty and can appreciate the usefulness in the classroom of each of these ICT's. Due to my level of engagement with what I had to work with I would have to say that the Prezi was my favourite, with plenty of time to play around I could create something fabulous. However time seems to be the major pitfall of all ICT's as useful as they can be for engaging a student, they can also waste a lot of time. I guess it is up to us as teachers (eventually) to try and minimise this time waste by providing clear step-by-step instructions to children whenever they are going to utilise a ICT as part of their program. Whilst I have not been able to create my Glogster (due to technical difficulties) I can appreciate the how interactive they can be. I have spent a bit of time looking at the best glogsters and I have learnt some things I didn't think might ever interest me, but because a child somewhere in a classroom has made the effort of presenting their project in a space that any member of the public can view is incredible. I am impressed! The link here Awesome!
http://tehescmarts.edu.glogster.com/coriolis-effect/

Once again with the issues of technology I have not been able to get my PowerPoint to link here, havign tried the HTML mode, I still cannot get it to work. Gotta love it!


Bubbl.us Is another on line technology I have found which would be an extremely useful tool for brainstorming idea and getting children to work collaboratively. See how easy it is by looking at this Youtube tutorial.

Week 4 Reflection

I am extremely disappointed with myself this week. I am at a loss of how to get this technology to work. I cannot seem to upload an photo of my own into my blog even after reducing the pixels, nor can I get the photomoba or mobaphoto thing to work!!! Feeling rather beaten by this experience. Up until now I have been enjoying these activities. Perhaps I have reached my peak, or perhaps as I am a hands on learner, I need someone to show me what to do, after all I had no trouble creating my voki, after the girls showed me what to do in the tute. Thanks girls!! I have looked at the podcast, and that is about the extent of it. All of this technology is sure to enhance the classroom experience for our learners, some more than others, and it is all well and good if you have the smarts and patients to percevere when things don't work out. I guess that right there is the key..... when you are dealing with technology it does have it's drawbacks. However that said I honestly believe that the scales are tipping towards the benefits moreso. I just need more practice!!! That's all folks!

Embedding a Voki

The weebly website

EA4
I'll be honest, this really didn't do much form me. I didn't find this engaging at all. I can see why it would be a great tool for children to create their own website, and yes it would be great for them to explore their options, however I felt it was a little limiting. It could be that it is late and I am tired, and I really don't want to play anymore.
Here is the link to my simply, simple weebly web pagee.
http://nataliese-learningweebly.weebly.com

Create the wiki

EA3
Well I have succeeded! I too have made a Wiki (took a while) but I got there in the end and I am proud of my achievements. I can see that the benefits of working in a wiki would outweigh the drawbacks. Whilst I am not particularly IT savvy I am enjoying the challenges that this course is presenting. I believe this is because of the hands-on approach. I can not only put what I am learning into a form of practice, but my peers can share my interpretation and I can see theirs. I think that not only is this type of learning connected, it is constructive. Each week I am building on where I have been before, constantly pulling apart in my head the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to this type of learning for our children.
Strenghts - A wiki is a fantastic opportunity for each student to voice their opinions, they can back this up with evidence and support from their research, by adding links to the source. The research alone opens up the world, as there is just no limit to the amount of information we have access in today's classrooms. Children can grow and discover, things that I have never thought possible. They become more connected to each other and learn more about one another. I can liken this to an exercise I participated in when in high school. Everyone had to write down on a piece of paper what they knew about someone else in the class, they were then selected at random and read aloud the class. A wiki which would not generally be used for this purpose can have similar outcome - by reading the responses of peers you can better understand their complexities and interests.
Weaknesses - Safety could be a concern. The wiki needs to be set up in the correct manner and within the QLD Government curriculum guidelines. It would perhaps have to be time limited. I know how much time I have spent mucking around with this trying to get the right look, trying to ensure I was embedding correctly. It can be awfully time consuming. Take my experience last week, where I discovered the hard way that you can only have one person edit the wiki at any one time (thanks Scott for your comments on my last week blog - it is all a part of our learning)! MMM not such a great learning tool after all. Perhaps one way to avoid this would be to have students work in groups in class to edit at certain times thoughout the lesson. No not really a very good solution.
Opportunities - The opportunities for learning outcomes are engaging with others, working as a collaborative group, and this is not limited to the confines of the classroom walls. Students are engaging their high order thinking, especially if they were responding to a scenario where they are utilising a structure such as de Bono's six thinking hats. I believe this form of collaboration does lend itself to constructivism, because your learning is draws on ideas from your own personal experience and the ideas and interactions of experts. It makes the students think.
Threats - There are many issues here, as there are still may issues in the playground! Cyber bullying could be a threat. Clearly the legal, safe and ethical work practices must be adhered to. We must ensure that our children are safe from harm, and are not exposed or exploited. Here are some links that can help.
http://www.smartcopying.edu.au/scw/go/pid/944
http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html
Wiki's are a great idea if you can get co-ordinated. They really do provide a quick link to be able to contribute collaboratively with each other.

Here is the link to my creation.
http://natelearnwiki.wikispaces.com

Week 3 Blog Reflection

EA1
Definition:

Blog/WebLog: a web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information. A blog can take the form of a diary, journal, what's new page, or links to other web sites.

Peter Scott, Internet Librarian 2001

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/
This week I have been asked to reflect on my learning about blogs. Before I started this course I didn't even know what a blog was - (see my first day at uni), however since this time I have embraced this space and I realise what a valuable tool this is. Personally it is a way of reinterating what I have learnt, and can also be an interactive experience, by inviting others to comment and commenting on others blogs. I enjoy this activity so much that I have set up a separate blog for my POUL studies and use this to reflect across all subjects I am studying. It is a way of tracking where I have been, what I have seen and the new things I am yet too experience, my fears and expectations.
I believe blogs would be an extremely useful learning tool in the classroom. There are many potentials for their execution, and I guess starting with the SWOT analysis is a great way to figure it out. Examining the strenghts/positives, weaknesses/negatives, opportunities & treats.
Once again as this is my first year first term it is hard for my to try and get my head in a classroom and, and imagine what level I might try and apply this type of ICT in a lesson. I have to really use my imagination.... "come on stretch those brain cells Nat......"
It can be an  interesting way of getting students to complete their homework, class work and posting assignments.  The Learning Place is a interactive Queensland government website for for primary and secondary students and their teachers to set up class lesson and students can complete their tasks during class time.  At various different times must participate in a compulsory blog, dependent on the learning outcome, students are expected to provide feedback on how they are progressing with their learning experiences. The teachers can then re-design or enhance their learning outcomes within current curriculum guidlines. This site is password protected to ensure the security of teacher and students alike.
I might design a mathematic class for adddition, where children are asked to complete a series of mathematical problems related to addition. Children must then complete this task in collobrative groups of 3, and their answers are posted to the site via the classwork tab. Upon completing the task each student is asked to reflect on this group exercise via the blog page.
Having this type of lesson would be a way on ensuring students particpation, monitoring their progress within the classroom, and then analysing their responses. It should be clear from this type of learning experience what is relevant and what needs improving.

http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/

Week 2 Reflection - The mobile phone WIKI

My goodness, what a disaster this has been. Firstly I had no idea what wiki was. That sorted, I spent some time (what I thought was) participating in one, only to discover, when I wanted to go back in to complete this blog, that my comments were G O N E !!!. Distraught - I packed up and sent Wendy a SOS email......... Still no reply. Upon looking back at this tonight I have discovered when going though the edited list -my comments to appear....Phew! However my first comments seem to be mixed up in the edit with Scott's. I have printed this page, so at least for my own benefit I know I have participated. All is not lost, just have to figure out how to get them to show on the wiki.

Technology - Don't ya just love it?????

Edward de Bono's thinking hats covered for me all basis of behaviourism, constructivism, cognitivism and connectivism. Behaviourism is included because through a series pre-defined steps I got to the end. Constructivism albeit social constructivism as I created my own interpretations based on my own beliefs. Cognitvism as I learnt from this experience and contributed to the discussion based on my own 'stored' experiences. Lastly connectivism, as it was completed on line and in a collaborative form, for all to participate and be critical of.  There is a connection with de Bono's six thinking hats here and Blooms Taxonomy, as it forces you though a series of steps to encourage high order or critical thinking. It challenged all I despise about mobile phones and engaged my understanding of their greater functions. 

The benefits of a wiki is that we all get to have our say, it takes away, onerous experience, as we are collaborating with each other, and getting ideas and making ourselves think more deeply about the topic at hand. The major drawback for me is that my comments didn't stick (for whatever reason). This could be due to a technical issue or something that I have done. Who knows, this could be a common problem when working on line. The use of de Bono's hats is a fabulous scaffolding tool and it covers all bases.

Only being a very new first year student (I have no idea about classrooms), however I can see where this type discussion is beneficial. Firstly it gets you thinking and allows each participant to have an informed discussion. There is no talking over one another, and it can engage people from outside the classroom or on the other side of the world who may offer a completely new perspective.

http://fahe11001bundaberg.wikispaces.com/Mobile+Phones+Wiki

Week 2 e-learing engagment

EA 2  Productive Pedagogies

Crossing the road
Stop at the kerb
Look both ways - left & right
Listen for coming cards
Look again - left and right
Cross the road & don't run.
Why don't we run across the road?
Where is the safest place to cross the road?
Do they have pedestrial crossings in China or in other countries?
- Being technologically challenged - I couldn't get this up on my blog - however the below video answers the last question.

EA 2  TPAK

What is TPACK? It is Technological Pedagogical & Content Knowlege. But what does this mean?

Put simply it is the intergration of technology, with content and the way we teach (pedagogy). It has to be engaging, informative and interactive, and it has to be a harmonious intergration of the three together to ensure our children's future is fullfilling. The options of incorporating technoligy with the art of teaching are endless.

Technology has revolutionised the world. The way we communicate with each other, and the way we receive information. We have to find the right way to incpororate this into the classroom.

Natalie's Learning styles video

This is a short video on learning styles, that as a movie lover I can relate to.

I enjoyed watching this and it does show the differences between visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners.

Week 1 e-Learning Activities

EA 1
I am more of an active leaner, however I sometimes tend to procrastinate (reflect) on how I am going to get to the end result. This is often due to the level of confidence I have in my own ability. I need to be stimulated and engaged with an activity to fully understand what I am trying to learn or achieve.
Based on this I believe my combination is an active reflector.

The learning experiences that would best suit me are practical and hands on activities. I need to talk-out loud and be involved  in group activities. I need to constantly stop and re-read to absorb content. I don't particularly like sitting still listening to someone waffling on. It is boring and after a while I completely switch off.

Understanding and identifying each type of learning style, structuring lessons to try include a variety of practical, repetitive, factual, diagrammatic and auditory experiences. Splitting up the class into sections an mixing up the various learning styles, so that collaboratively they are experiencing each other strengths.

To support my learners better (with my current lack of ICT knowledge), it would have to be colourful and interesting and engaging to grab the children's attention.

Profiling is something I need to learn how to do, as I am unsure of the types of questions that need to be asked. I would think that I would have to establish their likes and dislikes, also their interests.

To support differences in learning styles there are interactive games that get children thinking quickly, visual stimulation, individual or collaborative work, and access to the world.

Even in this first week, I have learnt so much. At the moment however it tends to be a little jumbled. However I can clearly see why ICT plays and important part in today's learning not only for the early stages, but for everyday education and life in general.


EA 2 Multiple Intelligences
I have taken the multiple intelligences test and here is my result.

Mmmm! No surprises here. I need to see, do, and talk about what I am learning (or in other words EDI (have it explained, demonstrated & immitated)). I need to be actively engaged and interact. However at the moment, this being my first week it is very onerous.

EA 3
Prensky's view point makes some sense, however I cannot believe that if all students who are not offered some form of digital learning are going to be enraged.
Today's learners want to be involved. Have more input in discussions and are prepared to share their learning experiences with each other. There is much substance to the catergorisation of 'digital native' and 'digital immigrant'. I am an immigrant. There are times I find myself struggling to grasp certain concepts, however my four year old daughter can play Mario Kart on the Wii with precision as she is a 'native'.

There are certainly places for interactive digital learning in the classroom, however due to a range of circumstances not all children have access to digital technology and therefore may not be enraged as they are being engaged in other ways.  I don't believe that in our current society there is much substance to Prensky's agrument. He has put the cart before the horse.

EA 4 Connectivism
With the way the world is changing, becoming more reliant digital technology. I don't entirely agree with these authors. Students generally know how to fnd the information they are seeking. However there are times when everybody needs help. We all need a source (teacher) to show us where to look and guide us. We need a refernce point. There is a lot more to learn today than there ever was. I know from my own experience that we are expected to keep on top of workloads, utilising multi-tasking skills. We don't always have the answers, and it is more important that we become self-reliant and KNOW WHERE to find information. Isn't this RECALL?

I can cleary identify with Siemen's point of view. I beleive in connectivism. It is the collaboration of the learning theories; behaviorism, cognitivism & constructivism.

Ways I could use this theory in the classroom would be to have children access learing mateials via the internet. Teachers are an integral part of our learning experiences. Going to school each day and interacting with student and teachers, forms part of our social learning, this cannot be gained from on-line sources only.

My first day at uni - e-learning

Wow, talk about hit the ground running. I have never seen a smart board before, nor was I aware that such technology existed in the classroom, however my eldest daughter was quick to point out that they have them in all of their classes.  Clearly I have been living under a rock for the past number of years. I am extremely technically challenged, however usually can pick things up quickly once shown, or if given clear instructions.
Until yesterday I didn't know what a blog was. I guess I have had to work with computers all of my working life, so to me they have have always been associated with work, and therefore I have never wanted to explore beyond the walls of the office. Texting on my mobile is another challenge.
Clearly I have some catch up to do and really need to start exploring more. There is a great big world out there, and the classroom walls are expanding and being taken down in sections as we become more reliant on e-learning. Just as air travel has made the world more accessible, so too has this new chapter in learning made the classroom a far more interactive place to explore the world for our next generation.
Natalie Josefski