Synopsis

On reflection of my E-learning journey over the last 5 weeks, I have come to realise that the digital world can be used to support and enhance what students learn, how they learn, and when and where learning takes place. According to Waterhouse (2003), E-learning involves improving teaching and learning using instructional strategies enhanced by technology, especially computer technology. It is also using information communication technologies (ICTs) to engage, enhance and extend learning in pedagogically sound, flexible and innovative ways (Moodle).

The change from web 1.0 to Web 2.0 changed the way we can interact on the web. The introduction of Web 2.0 provided people with access to comment & share thoughts and ideas globally. Individuals and groups can publish, share, network, download, upload to create user-generated content. Suddenly we are all connected in some way, though ICTs. Internet social networking is now part of society and people, especially young people are often immersed in socializing on the internet. Teachers therefore, need to meet the needs of 21th century learners and engage them in valuable learning experiences that appeal to their interests while meeting curriculum outcomes.

Mobile Phone Wiki

Taking part in the wiki about mobile phones in classrooms was very engaging. The wiki provided a platform for learning and engaging in a particular topic. Although I am against using mobile phones in the classroom, and so decided on the black hat by De Bono, it was very interesting to see others thoughts on the issue. Using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats provided an excellent way to scaffold a range of perspectives on the issue.

For teachers a wiki could provide a way to analyze and evaluate student understandings on a topic and assist them to make informed decisions. The benefits of doing this on a wiki is that students do not have to be in a classroom setting to debate and collaborate their ideas. It can be done anywhere!

According to Siemens (2004) we "derive our competence from forming connections” (Siemens, G, 2004. p2). Therefore the connections we made with other students on the wiki provided a deeper understanding of the topic.

Tool One – Blogs

Blogs, like wikis are owned by students. They provide a platform to share and comment on ideas and knowledge. What I really like about Blogs is that they are a reflection tool. Because the posts are in chronological order the learning journey is documented. At the end you have the ability to go back and look at earlier postings and compare them to the later postings and see just how far you have come. When I compare my early blogs to my later blogs I can see just how far I have come in the last 5 weeks in e-learning.

This would be a tool students could use to document their learning journey for a particular topic or assessment. Teachers can assess students learning and level of understandings through their entries and comments. Also, other students or teachers can access your blog, comment, or add extra information. Blogs encourage collaborative learning which enhances student level of understanding because content is viewed in multiple perspectives (Marzano, R, 2007).

Tool Two – Digital Images

Digital images can be used for just about everything. They have the power to provoke feelings and create a response. They appeal to Visual/Spatical learners (Gardner, 1975), add can be added to most online tools such as wikis, blogs and website. They can be used to create videos, storybooks, and presentations. The benefit of images is that students can take photos of their work and uploaded into PowerPoint for presentations. Teachers can take photos of student work samples or achievements and shared with parents, and other students and teachers. Images can be resized, uploaded and shared with others.

 Digital images can be used to enhance visual literacy. Students can create and design a range of tasks such as e-books, presentations and photo stories to demonstrate knowledge and engage in higher order thinking (Bloom's Taxonomy).

 

Tool Three - PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a tool that is so versatile. I was familiar with PowerPoint prior to this course but I have gained further knowledge about how you can use PowerPoint and its capabilities. For example I have now learnt to embed a PowerPoint into a blog, wiki or website using Slide share or Authorstream which enables you to share information with others. PowerPoint’s can be made into interactive presentations where hyperlinks are added to help navigate around the slides. Links can also be made to websites and you-tube clips. Images and art can uploaded using sites such as Flickr and Morgue files. Pictures can also be scanned and uploaded to a slide and students can create an E-book from a website called Snappy. With Smart Art and Clip Art concept maps, diagrams, graphs and tables can be added to slides. This is an effective way for teachers to construct meaning for students (Marzano & Pickering, 2006).

PowerPoint allows you to embed audio, images and video. Students can create a PowerPoint for standalone presentations, create a narrated presentation using audio & video. This is very beneficial for students who lack confidence speaking in front of the whole class. Teachers can use PowerPoint to scaffold learning, for quizzes and create interactive tasks for students to complete themselves. Often PowerPoint’s are created to highlight specific tasks & topics in a lesson to engage students and to guide the teacher.

Tool Four - Google Earth

This tool provides an amazing insight into the Earth. Images from around the world of places, sites and even your own home can be accessed on site. Lit trips were my favorite tool. It took me on a visually stimulating adventure around Australia through the book "Possum Magic' by Mem Fox.

Google Earth provides both teacher and student resources and can be incorporated into all areas in the curriculum. In Math’s students could calculate the distance from one point to another and in English students can take a Lit Trip adventure. It caters for many learning styles such as Kinaesthic, Linguistic and Interpersonal (Gardner, 1795).

When using such a diverse range of tools it is important to remember the legal, ethical and safety issues that surround working with this tool in classrooms. Children need to be protected and guidelines must be place to ensure they are. Permission must be obtained from parents to take and share images of children. All websites, blogs and wikis must be password protected and sites must be checked before students can access them.

  The implication for teachers is to be competent themselves on how to support students to build a network, how to communicate successfully, how to construct new knowledge and share with others. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge (TPACK) provides a framework for teaching ICT's in the classroom. Using this framework teachers can integrate ICT's into their pedagogy (Mishra, P, 2006) to ensure ICT's are used purposely and meaningfully.

I have created a voki, used Fodey, embedded a you-tube clip and played with many more tools over the last 5 weeks and they are only some of the interesting and engaging ways to include ICT's in the classroom.

This e-learning experience has taught me a lot about the positives and negatives of teaching students using ICT's. It has allowed me to gain further knowledge and given me a bank of digital tools to use effectively and assist students to learn effectively.

References

Avenues Nepal. (2008). Web1.0 Vs Web 2.0 Retrieved from http://web-updates.avenuesnepal.com/web-10-vs-web-20/

Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

Marzano, R, J, (2006). The art and science of teaching. A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. ASCD. Alexandria, VA

Marzano R, Marzano, D, (2006). Dimensions of learning. Teacher's manual. Hawker Brownlow Education. 2nd Ed. Victoria. Australia.

Mishra, P, Koehler, M, (2007). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for teacher Knowledge. Sited at:

http://site.aace.org/pubs/sigs/sig-Mishra-Koehler-TCR.pdf

 Siemens, G, (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

 Sited at: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

How do we learn?

After reading the many theories on how learning takes place I have concluded that there is not one theory that caters for all individuals but it is perhaps a combination of several. Task outcomes, learning styles and classroom environment all affect which style of learning is appropriate.

Behaviouralism
Behaviouralism where something is learnt through behaviour. Its underlying premise is that learning is characterised by an observable change in behaviour (Week 1 Moddle).
Through practise, positive reinforcement, and re-shaping students learn. It is consists of a sequence of steps in programmed instruction and the teacher reinforce target behaviours as they occur, and as a result the behaviour becomes internalised and automatic. An example of this would be tests and quizzes.

Connectivism
According to Siemens (2005) connectivism defines learning for the 21st century. Learning takes place by engaging in digital technology. Its not so much about the knowledge but knowing where and how to find the knowledge. It is the learning of the digital age. Creating and participating in Blogs and Wikis are an example of this.

Constructivism
Is based on making meaning based on past experiences and knowledge and combining this old knowledge with new information to construct your own understanding (McInerney, D, 2006)

Lesson 3 - Building challenge ppMore PowerPoint presentations from Tessa Yeah, it worked! I have embedded my first PowerPoint. Thank you to Erin and Wendy for the heads up on using Authorsteam! I signed up for the programe and then downloaded my PowerPoint. I then copied the embed code and pasted it into my Blog. What a great way to share information with others. Teachers can upload students presentations to a class website, wiki or blog to share with parents and others.

Lesson 3 - Building challenge pp

More PowerPoint presentations from Tessa

Google Earth!

Google Lit trips is a fantastic way to incorporate literature into the classroom. It provides visually stimulating images to engage students and can be used for all year levels.

http://www.googlelittrips.org/

I visited the Google Earth Educators' site and found more great resources.
I also liked Sky in Google Earth. A great tool to engage students in Science topics about Space.

With Sky in Google Earth, you can:

• Check out the new Slooh Space Camera layer to see live images of galaxies, objects and more
• View constellations and the movements of the planets
• Hear astronomy podcasts and read celestial research from expert sources
• Create and share your own imagery, placemarks and more

"Zoom to distant galaxies, view constellations and learn about celestial research from the experts".

http://www.google.com/earth/explore/showcase/sky.html

This is an image of a Darwin sunset from my Lit Trip to Darwin on my journey of Possum Magic by Mem Fox. This site is amazing. Students can take the journey that Hush and Grandma Poss took around Australia.

To access this site I had to firstly download Google Earth then Lit Trips. I then downloaded 'Possom Magic' by Mem Fox at Possum Magic.kzm

This site is amazing! I cannot stop playing! I cannot wait to use this in the classroom. Children would love taking the adventure themselves. They can learn about places and see images without stepping out of a classroom! What a wonderful way to bring a story to life!

Google Earth

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Students can explore the globe without leaving the classroom ·         Interactive ·         Diverse range of tools to research information ·         Research method ·         Appeals to visual & kinaesthetic learners * Teacher & student resources available.	·         Can be hard to navigate your way through it without guidance	·         Amazing photography of our planet ·         Can be used across all curriculum areas ·         Access to huge range of resource about the planet and outer space. ·         Engaging and interactive ·         Lit trips ·         3D available ·         Access to images of the world

PowerPoint

http://www.online.tusc.k12.al.us/tutorials/pptclass/pptclass.htm Who said PowerPoints are boring? They can be extremely creative and interactive for students and teachers. What a great way for students to demonstrate higher order thinking by creating their own PowerPoint for presentations or demonstrations. Images, audio and video can all be added to capture the attention of the audience. But how do I upload my PowerPoints?

PowerPoint

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Easy to set up ·         Can be used by teachers & students ·         Can add images, audio and video ·         Has a variety of designs, colours and backgrounds to choose from   ·         Diagrams, tables, clip art, shapes, graphs can all be added to pages ·         Can be used across all curriculum areas. ·         Can be created & used collaboratively or individually.	·         Can be too text heavy ·         Can be over used ·         Not for everyone ·         Can be boring	·         Can be used for presentations ·         Students can create their own ·         Can be used to teachers to ·         Music and audio can be added to particular areas ·         Can be added to websites, blogs or wikis ·         Slide transitions can be created ·         Appeals to visual & kinaesthetic learners

Digital images, audio & video

The ability to upload photos and images to word, powerpoint, blogs, wikis, websites etc..... provides a fantastic way to assist students and teachers to enhance learning.

Below is a PMI of using Digital Images.

Plus
Resizing and uploading images provide a visually stimulatimg way to present information. Images can provoke feelings and create an immediate response. Either on their own or combined with text and audio, digital images can be used for just about everything. The benefits of digital images is that they can document student work or activities across all curriculum's. Students can take photos of themselves or their work and use it to present to classmates, teachers and parents. Images can also be downloaded from free websites such as Flickr and Morgue files and embedded into powerpoints, wikis or websites. They can be used to create an E-book using Photostory or Snappy. Resizing images allows you to change the size of the image without loosing the picture quality.

Minus
The important issues of safety and copyright must always be addressed when using images from the web and taking photos of students and uploading. Permission from parents is required before sharing any photos of students. Wikis, blogs and website  that are created for education purposes should always be password protected.
Downloading and resizing can be frustrating and can be distracting!

Interesting
The amount of free images available on the Internet. Flickr and Morgue files are just a few.
Mobile phones can now upload images instantly to social networks, websites and blogs.

Fodey.com

Yes! I have mastered adding the HTML code to upload. I could do this all day its so fun!

Like avatars, fodey provides animations that would be useful for giving instructions to students or guiding them though a task.

This photo I took while on a holiday at Port Douglas. The photo has been resized and uploaded into my blog.

You-tube clip

http://youtu.be/jGH7kQ30SKo Great it worked! I showed this video to my Year 4 class as part of lesson on building with paper. I didnt embed the video in my powerpoint but had it opened as a seperate page. Next time I could embed this into my power point! So much easier!

Digital native or digital immigrant?

According to Prensky (2001), I am a digital immigrant. He states that digital immigrants "have a digital accent and have trouble engaging with the technology". Well I have this to be very true. When I started this degree my skills on the computer and the Internet were very limited. I have had to force myself to learn new tools and skills to access information and complete tasks. But as I result I have learnt so much about the digital world and how beneficial it can be to learning and teaching.

My 5 and 7 year old sons are digital natives (Prensky, 2001). They are immersed in digital literacy all the time and already at times know more than me!

For them learning is much different that it was for me at school. It is important therefore to recognise that learning and teaching in and out of the classroom has changed dramatically over the last 40 even 20 years. For me the challenge is learning about the new digital world so I am competent in teaching others (Waterhouse, 2003).

One Intellegence or Several?

Multiple Intelligence by Howard Gardner (1975).



"There is a general consensus that there are different levels of intelligence, and that different individuals have different capacities of intelligence. In other words, "individuals differ from one another in their ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, to engage in various forms of reasoning, to overcome obstacles by taking thought" (Neisser et al., 1996, p. 77). But, how many and what kinds of different types of intelligences exist, and how to define intelligence, is still at debate."

Sited 01/08/12 at;
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/paik.html

The debate on how we can measure an individuals intelligence seems to be ongoing. According to Spearman (1904) an individual has one general intelligence factor or g. That is, a single factor that determines the intelligence of a person. He also referred this to the 'positive manifold' (Spearman, 1904).

Gardner (1975), however, claims that an individual can have 'multiple intelligence'. He suggests that there are 7 different forms of intelligence. They are linguistic, musical, spatical, bodily, interpersonal, intrapersonal and logicomathematical.

Each theory can be debatable as a persons social and cultural background needs to be accounted for and may affect the results of the tests that prove a persons level of intelligence.

I took the Multiple Intelligence test and was a little surprised at the results. The test results showed am higher in Kinaesthetic (Body Smart), Intrapersonal (Myself Smart) and Interpersonal (People Smart) than Visual (Picture Smart).  But 3 years ago I did this test when I first started this degree and my results were very different. I was higher in Visual/Spatical. This is very interesting to me as it is saying I have changed my levels of intelligence since starting university! Could this be true or just do other factors come into play?

My results from the test.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/results.cfm


In the context of classroom learning and teaching it is important to recognise that each student will have a different learning style. The benefits of using ICTs in the classroom in that they have the ability to cater for all different styles of learning and intelligence levels (moodle week 1). As teachers we have the ability to design tasks to suit each learner. The 'one size fits all' approach does not cater for different learning styles. Teachers need to be know their learners and how they learn best so they can create learning experiences that students will engage in and achieve outcomes.

Working legally, safely and ethically online

'Netsafe Kids' provided interesting information and resources on how to keep children safe on the Internet. I particularly liked the section on "Aged based tips for Internet use" which provides guidelines for children based on their ages. It gave me an insight into what children at different ages are likely to encounter and engage in when using the net. I believe as a parent in particular, the guidelines were helpful and outlined the importance of setting rules when using the Internet and consequences for breaking them.

It was very concerning to see the negative side of children using the Internet. Cyber bullying is a very real problem. The opening page on the http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/ page really put into perspective the damaging consequences of cyber bullying, not only to the student involved but to their families, friends and community. No longer as parents and teachers are we worried about bullying in the playground but now it is much more serious. 

It is important therefore, to know what children are accessing on the Internet and how much exposure they have to live chat rooms, forums etc. It poses the question is it  necessary for children to have so much access to the net?

Week 3 - Creating a wiki

https://tessaselby.wikispaces.com/

Having a look and a play with my wiki I liked the fact can be a multi-author page. Comments can be added directly to the page. Others can also edit, delete and make additions. The benefits of this is that students can take ownership of the wiki. Students can read others comments and make their own judgements. What a great way for teachers to monitor students level of understanding and thinking of a particular topic! They do not even have to be in the classroom!

Creating a website!

http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php


Today I created my own website using weebly. The difference with a website is that they are 'static'. People cannot make comments, add or delete information as apposed to blogs and wikis. This can be a good thing. Teachers can set up a website for a particular task or purpose which can direct learning. Teachers can use the website for direct and guided instruction. Students can create websites to demonstrate their learning. What a great assessment tool! Websites can be used to present research for specific outcomes and shared with others.

http://ttf.edu.au/

I also found this website from the Learning Federation to be worthwhile. I really liked the above Venn Diagram that illustrates the linking of pedagogy and content knowledge.

I used the "snipping tool" to copy the page, save as a jpeg file and copy it to my blog. Such a handy tool to know (thanks Jacqui). I wish I had learnt this sooner! I will certaining be using it now!

http://econtent.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ec/p/home

I found this website full of great ideas and resources to use in the classroom across a range of KLAs.

This was one resource I viewed which has a selction of images and information about active volcanoes. Great for Year 5 Science Earth and Space topic!

Week 2 of E-learning!
This weeks lecture was really informative. The amount of tools available is quite extensive and they can cater for all different year levels and learning styles. I really liked the you-tube clip we watched about the fast rate in which technology is moving and changing our world. The realisation that as Learning Managers we will be teaching students in primary school for jobs that have not been created yet is extremely mind blowing!

Mobile phone wiki reflection

Taking part in this task was interesting. Although I am against using mobile phones in the classroom and so decided on the black hat by de Bono, it was very interesting to see others thoughts on the issue. Using de Bono's Six Thinking Hats provided an excellent way to scaffold a range of perspectives on the issue.

For teachers it could provided a way to analyse and evaluate students understandings on a topic and assist them to make inform decisions. The benefits of doing this on a wiki is that students do not have to be in a classroom setting to debate their ideas. It can be done anywhere!

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=6376826&height=133&width=100

Woops that did not work!

Oh I did embed the voki by using the HTML tab. I seem to learn best through trial and error. I have learnt to become less fearful of using new digital tools!

Blog Reflection

Week 1 Reflection.

Week 1 of this course was exciting but a little overwhelming. I am some what new to the digital world and technology has changed so much since I was at school 20 years ago. Blogs, websites and wikis are very new to me. Even Power point was foreign to me before starting university! As a result I have had to learn all about these tools in such a short period. It has not been an easy task. I have learnt how to use these new tools mostly by trying them myself and through the help of others.

By completing this course I hope to learn about new tools for teachers and students and to achieve a greater understanding of how digital technology can enhance learning. I have always been a creative person and now I am learning new ways of creating and designing in the digital form. I am looking forward to learning new tools to engage learners in the classroom!

Blog Reflection.
Wow I am now a blogger! Very cool and exciting and very easy to set up. Within a few minutes I am on-line with access to others who share a common goal. What a wonderful way to learn collaboratively. Blogging allows learning to take place outside the classroom and into the home or anywhere really!  I particularly like the ability to share ideas with others and as a result I can gain a deeper understanding of concepts and tasks. I am very excited about this course!!!

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Easy to set up ·         Free ·         24hr access ·         Enhanced learning ·         Collaborative learning ·         Can access in & outside the classroom ·         Engaging ·         Teachers can monitor students learning ·         Can provide a safe way to talk and interact with other students	·         Need computer access ·         Need internet access ·         Can be time consuming ·         Not for every body	·         The ability to connect with others ·         What you can upload and store on the blog ·         It can never be lost ·         Teachers can map students level of engagement & learning outside the classroom ·         Can cater for most learning styles

Well, I am so suprised how easy that was to create an account and set up my blog!