Over the past five weeks in Managing e-learning I have
studied and reflected on the importance of linking digital multimedia tools to
the content and pedagogy within my teaching practices. Throughout this time, I
have experimented with numerous digital resources which all support the 21st
century learner and teacher. Whilst I experimented with a range of digital
resources I began to reflect on the meaning and importance behind e-learning.
Education Queensland (2010) states that
“Students live in a technological world where
information and communication technologies (ICTs) are integral to everyday situations.
School curriculum should provide learning and assessment opportunities that
allow students to inquire, create and communicate with ICTs, and to use ICTs
safely and responsibly to manage, store and locate information”.
This statement made by
Education Queensland explains why implementing ICT into your pedagogy is more
important than ever before. Education Queensland also addressed the importance
of ensuring technology is used safely, ethnically and legally. As an educator,
I can see first-hand how technology plays such an important role from such a
young age. Learners as young as four and five and striving for more challenges
and stimulation as the technology around them opens many opportunities. As
technology is linked with content and pedagogy students are given the
opportunity to achieve, create, manipulate and communicate in ways like never
before. Teachers are able to plan authentic assessment that creates meaning in
this technology based world.
The following blog entry is
a synopsis which reflects on my learning experience in the managing e-learning
course to date. This synopsis will analyse the usefulness and limitations that exists
within four chosen ICT tools from the course. Explicit links will be made to previous blog
postings as evidence of my exploration and reflection of the ICT tools. The
four ICT tools that will be explored in greater depth are Wiki space (Tangient
LLC , 2012),, Microsoft Powerpoint, Windows Movie Maker and Zooburst (ZooBurst
LLC., 2010). I thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with all the digital tools;
however, I feel the chosen four had unlimited opportunities for learners to showcase
their abilities through the use of ICT. I really enjoyed learning and experimenting
with them for my future teaching practices.
To ensure and promote teachers to include technology into
their practice the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) Framework
has been introduced. The TPACK framework helps guide teachers through the
crucial steps to ensure students are being taught the way of the future. This is achieved by using the curriculum to be
taught and a series of pedagogical strategies and linking it with appropriate
technology. A more in depth reflection can be found by visiting my blog post at
this link http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/tpack-linking-technology-with.html.
As part of the Managing e-learning course weekly engagement
activities were organised for learners to undertake and reflect on. One
activity involved working with wiki Spaces. As I have worked with this program
before I felt comfortable and enjoyed learning more. In addition, I participated in Felder and Solomon Learning styles online test and Gardner multiple
intelligences questionnaire. Both were equally as engaging and the results
displayed were fairly accurate. To find
out my thoughts and results for both questionaries please refer to my blog post
on Learning styles http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/learning-styles.html
and multiple intelligences http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/multiple-intelligences.html
which can be found by going to the above links.
Wiki Spaces is a digital multimedia tool that can be used
to deliver and present content whilst communicating with peers in an online
engaging environment. With the ability
to do all that and more makes wiki spaces a very effective tool in the
classroom. One of the activities in the weekly engagement section on moodle
required learners to complete a collaborative activity via wiki spaces using
Edward de bono’s six thinking hats. The activity was organised for each learner
to express their thoughts, opinions and ideas based on the use of mobile phones
in the classroom. This was achieved by using the six thinking hats as a
strategy to gain various perspectives. By completing this activity I found out
how a simple activity can be turned into a challenging and engage task by using
a wiki. By going to this link you can find out my thoughts in further detail http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/week-2-de-bonos-six-thinking-hats.html.
The task reminded me of the importance of implementing the TPACK Framework and
how effective it can be.
Wiki Spaces are very simple to set up and operate. A
range of functions are available to embed into your presentation such as
images, videos, extra pages, data, etc. Some digital tools can have very
confusing layouts, this is not the case with Wiki Spaces. It is so simple to
navigate and you can even personalise it. Wiki Spaces would be ideal to use as
a way to present an assignment, collaborative tasks and even delivering
content. Teachers and schools could display newsletters and information on
current events. In one of my prac classes, my mentor teacher created a website
which included information on events, photos and online games. This was used as
part of the homework method for students to link content with technology at
home. Whilst doing this it also got the parents involved in their child’s
learning. Being available online and the opportunity to access anywhere at
anytime creates opportunities for every learner. Gone are the days were, if you
missed something it was just unlucky. We are fortunate now to have programs
such as Wiki Spaces to put the information in one spot to access when time
permits. While we praise digital tools there is always the need to look at the safety
side. Unfortunately, some inappropriate stuff happens online which is why
students need to be educated on how to use online spaces safely and cautiously.
Wiki Spaces is no exemption. Although wiki’s can be set to private or invite
only students need to be cautious about the information that is on their wiki
in a legal and ethical manner. One of the benefits of Wiki Spaces is the
ability to comment on other people’s wiki pages. This is great for communication
and feedback; however, can cause problems if not used appropriately.
The
next ICT tool I chose was Microsoft Power Point. Microsoft Power Point is one
of the most commonly used multimedia software. I chose Power Point as I have
used it a number of time throughout high school, during my prac and university
degree. Many of the lectures that are uploaded to moodle are created using
Power Point. The program has been reviewed and Microsoft Power Point 2010 provides
endless opportunities for creation. According to Microsoft Corporation (2012) “PowerPoint
2010 enables you to work simultaneously with other people or post your
presentation online and access it from virtually anywhere using the Web or your
smartphone”. Using this program it is very simple to load pictures, videos,
links and personalise it with a variety of backgrounds and slide formats to choose
from. Power Point is one ICT tools that most students are exposed to throughout
their schooling. Using it in the class demonstrates different ways to use it to
your learners. Power Point is very effective for presentations, meetings,
training and advertising. It is a program that can carry on through the
workforce as most work places use Power Point to conduct meetings and training.
Being someone who does not like very complicated programs, I find Microsoft
Power Point very user friendly and simple to navigate. With most ICT tools
being available online Power Point is an actual program that requires
downloading. This minimises the risk of information being copied, cyber
bullying and innaproiate information/comments happening. If learners chose to
share their presentation via a website it is important to educate them on the
safety, ethical and legal aspects. That is ensuring information is appropriate and
respectful. More information can be
found by accessing my blog link http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/powerpoint.html.
Digital Movie was
my next ICT tool that I chose to use. The program I experimented with was
Windows Movie Maker 2.6. I created a really effective yet simple movie by using
a series of images, text slides and music. I had never made a short movie
before and was very shocked at how simple it was. My blog posting expresses my absolute
love for the program as well as the movie I created http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/digital-video-windows-movie-maker.html.
Microsoft
Movie Maker 2.6 is a free program to download with numerous features. With a variety
of learning styles in the classroom, Movie Maker provides another avenue for
visual learners to express their knowledge and skills. Students could present a
science or history program using audio, images and slides which contain written
information. Who would think of using Movie Maker to present a new Maths or English
concept? Sounds strange yet has the ability to be engaging and help to create a
new outlook on the topic. Microsoft Movie Maker can be an effective tool for
teachers to use apart of their moderation and observation process. In my most
recent prac, students had been learning about fiction and non-fiction, my
mentor teacher filmed a few students while she asked them questions about this
topic. She then uploaded them to a powerpoint presentation which she used as
part of a moderation process. Having a digital video was very effective as it was something her and
other teachers could look back at for future reference. It could even be used
as extra evidence at a parent teacher interview. She did have some difficulity
uploading the videos which is were I feel Microsoft Movie Maker 2.6 could have
played a role. Being so easy to navigate and with loads of editing tools, the
task could have been done much quicker and with more creativity
Digital videos are a major target for inappropriate
behaviour. When uploading movies to the internet, it is important be aware of
the safety of yourself and others featured in the movie. Movies online often
attract cyber bullying, pornography, violence and offensive comments. It is
important to educate students how to use digital cameras in the correct manner.
Students need to understand to respect people’s diversity, opinions, thoughts, and
ideas and disengage from unnecessary behaviour whilst working online.
The very last ICT tool I explored was ZooBurst. This
program is highly educational and places an interactive, digital view on story
time. ZooBurst is a digital 3D pop up book. I had never worked with a program
like this before and was instantly hooked. While creating stories is not one of
my strongest points, I was enthralled into the program so much I just began to
write and add pictures. Within no time I had created a story that would easily
engage young students. ZooBurst can be used with all ages. Younger students
could help the teacher create a story while older students could write and illustrate
their own. Engaging students into literacy programs such as ZooBurst from a
young age will create positive reactions in the future. Students can really
express their creativity using this tool in a range of subject areas such as history,
science and social science in a visually engaging way. Learners can feel safe
as books can be set up as private and are password protected. It is beneficial
to access the privacy policy for safety, ethical and legal issues.
Unfortunately, the free version has limited function
available to use such as number of pages and the audio. Using ZooBurst can be
time consuming particularly if the learners have not planned their story out.
It is a good idea to create a story map before beginning. As ZooBurst allows
pictures and scanned or drawn images, uploading them beforehand will save
frustration. A reliable and fast internet connection will be needed. Teachers need to ensure students know where
to access images from and how to embed them into their ZooBurst. For further
reflection and to see an example of my ZooBurst go to this link http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/digital-video-windows-movie-maker.html
After exploring a range of
ICT tools I am eager to implement them in my future practices. While most
multimedia tools are accessed online it is important to ensure students are
well educated to use the web safely, ethnically and legally. They need to know
there boundaries and be aware of the consequences that result for misuse. It is
also important to ensure the TPACK Framework is implemented in the classroom.
While linking content with pedagogy and technology it is crucial to ensure the
meaning of the task is not lost. While we want the task to provide a challenge
and be engaging, having the students achieve the intended outcome is the main
goal. This simply means, choosing appropriate technology for the content. In
the future, I would like to try presenting some of my work using various
multimedia tools so I can become more comfortable with the functions out there.
This way I can pass it on through my teaching practices. Overall, learning is a
journey and as a future learning manager I will endeavour to create the journey
for my students as rich as possible.
References
Education Queensland (2010), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/ict/index.html
Good. C (n.d.) http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/digital-video-windows-movie-maker.html
Good. C (n.d.) http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/digital-video-windows-movie-maker.html.
Good. C (n.d.)http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/week-2-de-bonos-six-thinking-hats.html.
Good. C (n.d.)http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/multiple-intelligences.html
