Synopsis

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 21^st 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/powerpoint.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

Good. C (n.d.) http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/learning-styles.html

Good. C (n.d.http://chloeelearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/tpack-linking-technology-with.html.

TPACK- Linking Technology with Curriculum and Pedagogy

As a teacher of the 21st century it is crucial to understand how to link technology with the curriculum and pedagogy to be a successful educator. To gain an in depth understanding the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge which will be referred to as TPACK Framework has been developed. The above image highlights the process involved to implement the TPACK framework in the classroom.

The main idea behind TPACK is to help teachers make connections between technology, pedagogy (teaching) and the content to be delivered. TPACK promotes teachers to use the curriculum and link this with how it will be taught/delivered and select a form of ICT which can enhance and create a 21st century learning environment.

Technology surrounds us in our day to day life. It is important to ensure you are teaching the children of the future how to work in this technological world. Plant the appropriate skills and knowledge to create lifelong learning. Not piecing the TPACK framework together is like planting a seed and denying it of basic needs. Put simply to be a 21st century learner means navigating technology and by linking content, pedagogy and technology together learning will be transformed .

Here is a youtube clip which explains TPACK further for those visual learners

ZooBurst

Looking through a range of other digital multimedia tools, I discovered ZooBurst. I have never heard of ZooBurst before and was gob smacked at how amazing it is. Working in a pre-prep room, ZooBurst would be a perfect addition to storytime.

ZooBurst is a digital pop up book that comes to life.Simply creating a story and adding some pictures in ZooBurst will create a whole avenue on your story. This is such an engaging way to promote literacy in the classroom. I feel ZooBurst could really promote early reading and writing skills as well as imagination and creativity.  My first thoughts were how fantastic ZooBurst would be for younger children but with more thought I think ZooBurst could benefit any age. While younger children could help you create a  simple story the older children could create a complex story with images.  ZooBurst would be perfect for group time and literacy lessons. Not only could ZooBurst be used in English but many other subject areas such as history, science and Art. Why not embed literacy skills into a science project using a digital story book? You might just be surprised and engage some students who you would not normally.

When it comes to limitations, Zooburst is time consuming. It takes some time to create a really effective book but the finish product is well worth it. ZooBurst offers a range of privacy settings when creating your book however  when using an internet based program it good to be mindful of things such as cyber bullying, plagiarism and inappropriate comments. It is also important to respect your students wishes with their work going public.

I am stocked that I have found ZooBurst and been able to experiment and reflect on its effectiveness in the classroom. I am very excited to get my pre prep students to help create our very first ZooBurst book. I can see them all being very intrigued and early literacy skills being developed.

Here is the link to the ZooBurst I created. Not one of my finest stories but best I could do after a big day at work. Cheers to developing my story writing skills.
http://www.zooburst.com/book/zb03_5034c20451ba3

Glogster

At the bottom of this page you will see the image of my very first glogster. So what are my thoughts on glogster? benefits, disadvantages? Well here it goes,when I first logged on to the glogster website I was required to create an account. I was asked to enter a little bit of information, which I did but when I clicked on submit it went REALLY slow. I am still not sure whether it was a problem with my internet connection or just glogster being slow but it was a little frustrating. 

I quickly got over my frustration when I finally had an activated account. I got to experiment with the features glogster has to offer. My first thought was wow, this is amazing. In glogster you can select different backgrounds, frames for images, select speech bubbles for text and lots more. Glogster really provides alot of opportunity for creativity!   

I view glogster a bit like blogger, only more technical. I highly suggest to anyone who has never created a glogster to do so. You will not be disappointed. While creating my glogster I began to think of how this could be utilised in the classroom. I feel glogster would be perfect for projects and reflecting. It would be ideal for students who are reserved and do not often voice their thoughts. Even for just asking questions on a current assignment and/or curriculum area in class. This would be Similar to a forum but just more creative. The thing that really put glogster in my 'good' books is the way teachers can create an account, add their students and that is how a whole classroom can communicate and learn. The teacher has full control over the glog and is able to view all students accounts. 

What amazing 21st century learning!

Ok so now I have told you all the amazing stuff, what are the limiations? Well just like most of the multimedia software programs around, if you are not tech savy glogster may drive you a little crazy. The privacy settings may open windows for cyber bullying, inappropriate comments and misuse of the glog. Some students may be a concerned about their work going public, however I do not think this should be to much of an issue as most students are part of a social networking site but it is worth being mindful of. As glogster is an internet site, students are required to have a reliable high speed internet connection to get the full benefits out of using glogster. Technology as we know, is not always reliable so teachers would need to factor this in to their planning. 

Overall, I think glogster is great for many reasons. It is really amazing to see the technology that is out there ready for learners to engage in, glogster being one of them

This is a screenshot of my very first glogster

Powerpoint and Prezi

During high school powerpoint was used to present a number of assignments and oral presentations. This is because it is so easy and logical to use. Powerpoint was promoted and widely used during highschool by most teachers. I had never heard about prezi, gloster, wiki or any other multimedia programs until I began studying at uni.

Throughout uni I have chosen powerpoint as my preferred method to deliver assessment pieces.  I feel very confident and comfortable working with this multimedia program, it is really just easier to use it rather than a whole new program that I know nothing about. Many lectures incorporate powerpoint to deliver specific content for the educational courses.  Again, this is probably due to the simplicity and ease of use.

Powerpoint has many key features such as ability to add images, sound, animations, text, graphs,tables, diagrams, bold, enlarge text and the list goes on. It can be used to deliver oral presentations, present findings,reflect, observe, movies/videos and many more. It is a very effective interactive tool that is widely used throughout the world.

Prezi

I have just created my first prezi. At this stage, I have to say I am not a really big fan of this multimedia software. I found it very difficult to operate and quite frustrating when it kept zooming in and out. I know that is what prezi is meant to do, but it was rather annoying. I think the idea and concept behind prezi is great. Opens up alot of new thoughts and ideas and a completely different way to present something. While I felt annoyed, I was intrigued and engaged at the same time. I wanted to learn more and keep manipulating my prezi. I would be interested to explore prezi more and who knows maybe one day I was use prezi in my classroom. 

Here is the very rough but first attempt experimenting with prezi

http://prezi.com/id5rrnkxuwj-/managing-e-learning-prezi-experiment/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=shareprezi&utm_medium=email

Digital Video - Windows Movie Maker

My next form of technology was to download and experiment with windows movie maker. I thought it would be very difficult to operate and time consuming.For this reason I avoided attempting to make a movie. After experimenting,  I was amazed at how easy this program was to operate.   All I had to do was add some photos, place them in order, add some music and some text. Honestly, I just made it sound way more confusing then it actually is to operate. It was so easy and I am really keen to make some more movies. 

With most students own a mobile phone, ipad and/or laptop, cameras and video recorders are always on hand. Teaching children to create a movie out of the images/videos recorded is a fantastic way to showcase memories. It provides another avenue to create, present, communicate, summarise and evaluate various ideas, thoughts, memories and events. Those old boring science projects no longer need to be boring. Student can use movie maker to create a movie of their experiment and findings. This is just one example of how movie maker can be used effectively in the classroom. It creates a timely masterpiece that requires students to express themselves and unleash their creativity. The best thing about it, Movie Maker has no limits- learners can simply create anything they want. 

I adore this program so much, it is really hard to find flaws. Nothing is perfect and I can really only say that perhaps if you are not very tech savy, you may experience some difficulty working with movie maker. If you have had plenty of experience with powerpoint and are familiar with windows, Movie Maker is pretty self explanatory.  If you are a Mac user, Windows Movie Maker will cause some complications to operate so the alternative is to use I movie.

Here is the movie I made of my sister wedding. Quality of the photos are not great due to the setting for faster upload. In this movie you will see a range of functions that I have explored in Windows Movie Maker. Enjoy!

Voki Recording

Once again, spent way to long playing around with more really great software. Even got the family into it.. that has got to say something. I think Voki would be great to use in powerpoint and website. It really breaks up lots of writing and information in an engaging way. Here is the link to Voki I created
http://www.voki.com/php/viewmessage/?chsm=e1bdc3794dfa233b406a350708a88c0a&mId=1363189 

Resizing and uploading digital photos

Mobaphoto Resizing 

I personally found it difficult to use Mobaphoto. I followed the links however somehow ended up downloading a different program which put alot of uneccesary and unwanted programs on my computer. I shortly discovered I had downloaded one of the advertisements instead of the program. This wasted alot of time, deleting programs of my computer. 

Once I downloaded the correct program, it was quick and easy to use. You simply just select a photo and click for it to be resized. Not only can you resize images for faster uploading, you can also create a slide show in the photo gallery section and complete basic editing to your images. For a free program this is ideal for teacher and students. It very simple to use, no tricks whatsoever. Perfect for someone who is not very tech savy or just needs some image resizing and manipulation done quickly.

Mobaphoto does not really have many limitations. It is very basic so if you require something more technical then this would not be the ideal software for you. As I personally had trouble downloading the correct software, to me this is a limitation. It was easy to get very frustrated and not want to continue with the program. In all honesty, I only continued because it was a requirement for this assessment task. Having said that, I am glad I did go through with it now that I am aware of the simplicity of the program. 

Using Mobaphoto in the classroom could be very effective in the classroom. As the program is easy to use and offers basic resizing and image manipulation, I feel it could save alot of time when you want to upload an image to a website, blog or wiki. It reduces the wait time as well as the size you are downloading. It would be a very  beneficial skill to teach students for assignments and classroom tasks. It can be very frustrating waiting for long images to load, normally for me anyway, images are the last thing I upload and you almost feel like not doing it when it takes forever! Best of all the program is free. Some many expansive photo programs are on the market, it is nice to have one that works and is free. Least when you are implementing it in the classroom you do not have to worry about any limitations as far as students not being able to purchase, etc. 

In the future, I will definitely be using Mobaphoto. Great program! Below is an image before and after resizing using Mobaphoto.

This is the original photo before MobaPhoto 

This is the photo after being resized with MobaPhoto

Image Manipulation with befunky.com

Wow, I love this website. For a free online website the amount of functions available is unbelievable. I actually spent far to much time playing around with everything on this site. I definitely recommend to have visit the website and try it for yourself. This would be a great tool to use in the classroom. Students could really great creative with a variety of images - possibilities are endless. This website had no set backs- very easy to use, free and such a great variety of manipulation options. Below is a photo I had a bit of fun with trying all the different options. This is my favourite one of this photo.

This is the photo with some manipulation from befunky.com 

Creating a Website with Weebly

The next form of technology to experiment with was creating a website with weebly.  I was rather excited at the though of creating my first website. After watching the youtube clip on creating a weebly, I began to think it would be pretty simple to operate just like  a wiki and blog. I was proven wrong!! I am not sure if it was just me but the weebly did not want to recognise any of the functions I pressed. My computer began to freeze and do all sorts of weird stuff with the program open. I would have liked to been able to create a website as I can think of many useful ways to implement them in the classroom.
I was able to see all the options available to make a weebly and if all had of gone to plan, I think it would be a great learning tool for the classroom. You opportunities are endless. The beauty of a weebly is the creator can really take ownership. You cannot edit the page if you are just viewing the website.
I thought it would be a great idea to make a class page which could contain activities and important notices for the children whilst also including the parents.

Having said this, here is a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) table on my thoughts/experience with weebly

Wiki Reflection

Just created another wiki and experimented with the functions. I have created a couple of wiki's before for other assessments throughout my university degree. The first one was created as part of a group assignment, some of the group members had prior experience with wiki's so I sat back. helped where I could and tried to sink in all the information.

My second wiki was a bit easier, although I was all on my own as this assignment was an individual task. I found it fairly easy to operate however once I had great difficulty with the privacy settings. This caused some frustration for my lecturer and myself as she was unable to view my wiki when required.

This is the practice wiki I created where I experimented with font, headings, size, videos images and adding pages http://chloeunilearning.wikispaces.com/

Below is the complete S.W.O.T table which explores wiki's in more detail

S.W.O.T - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats table

Blog Reflection

I have never created a blog before this assessment task. I have read blogs before and found them interesting but never got the urge to explore more. I am glad this assessment requires to explore digital technologies. It' is like opening up a whole new world of learning.

Once you get familiar with the different functions, it becomes pretty easy to use. At first, I was a bit confused on how to actually start a blog post and change size of the images I added. Just playing around with the different functions seemed to sort these issues out. If I am generally unsure of anything, I just youtube the problem. 99% of the time, someone has already experienced the same issue and has made a video.

While I have found using a blog interesting, I can see the positive and negative sides of using it as a teaching tool. Below I will analyse a blog using the S.W.O.T table. I have never actually used a S.W.O.T table before, but once again I'm sure it will become simple to implement once I have some practice.

S.W.O.T - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

de Bono's Six Thinking Hats Mobile Wiki

Using Edward de Bono's six thinking hats, this weeks activity promoted collaborative work via a wiki. The topic explored was 'mobile phones and there use in the classroom'. A wiki was set up and broken into each of de Bono's six thinking hats. We were required to put on your desired coloured hat and express your thoughts, ideas and opinions accordingly.

This was a great on-line collaborative activity which prompted lots of thoughts and ideas. Everyone got to access the wiki at a suitable time, read other peoples thoughts and then express their own. Using de Bono's six thinking hats in this exercise was really effective. It promoted that higher order thinking rather than just getting people to write what they thought about the use of mobile phones. Each thinking hat made you really think about the topic at hand.

As I am late starter on this assessment activity, I still felt included and was able to complete the required activity. There was no time limit or designated day or time you had to add your thoughts. This is an ideal activity for learners in the 21st century as it caters for different lifestyles.

In my second prac, I was placed in a year 1 classroom. Edward de Bono's six thinking hats were used in a number of lessons. The children were completing a unit on 'Around the World', they received postcards from different locations and explored the different food, clothing, icons, etc in that country. The teacher would often prompt a question for that day based on this location. The teacher would sometime incoportate one of de Bono's six thinking hats to seek higher order thinking. For example they may have been learning about Italy so they children would put on their yellow hat and think about what would be good about living in Italy? or put on their red hat and create a new pizza.This activity was very effective and over time it was obvious the children were using higher order thinking.

I would love to try an exercise similar to the mobile phones wiki and evaluate the effectiveness  in my classroom.

http://www.olivewriting.com/six-thinking-hats/

Multiple Intelligences

These are the results to the multiple intelligences test I took. I feel the results are fairly accurate and view myself as a linguistic learner. 

As a student, educator and future learning manager I regard the theory behind multiple intelligences important. It is great to provide opportunities for students to excel with there area of smart. After all, it does make sense to enhance your strengths but also be aware of your weaknesses. 

As an educator in a pre prep room, I like to provide a number of activities and learning opportunities in each 'intelligent' area for each child to experience. At such a young age, I feel it is highly beneficial to promote each area of intelligence so children can start to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

It is amazing to observe, even those these children have only been in the world for 4 or 5 years, they already have developed dominant smart areas. It is then the educators job to encourage children to engage in other areas and see there reaction.  

Each of the multiple intelligence areas create opportunity for the use of ICT tools. The internet is an excellent resource to find games and activities to develop and enhance  each area. For example as I am linguistic (word smart) the internet has a number of word games that I would enjoy. 

During my first prac I completed for my university degree, the classroom I was placed in had a board which had the multiple intelligences displayed. When children had finished the  given task and time permitted, they were allowed to go chose an activity for the box they were most interested in. This helped the teacher profile the sort of intelligences in the classroom and the students got their work completed as they wanted to complete a smart activity. It was managed well and was very effective in the classroom. 

This could be incorporated in any classroom with the use of computers and printed worksheets, activities and games.  

Learning Styles

Wow, just took the Felder and Solomon learning styles quiz and got my results back. Before revealing my results, I must say for a majority of the questions I was a fence sitter, was not sure if I was more (a) or (b). The questions required me to really think about what I would do in the situation.
As you can see below, my results for the learning styles test indicate me sitting balanced between both dimensions on the scale.

Learning Styles Results

       Results for: Chloe Good

      ACT                      X                            REF

           11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11

                              <-- -->

      SEN          X                                        INT

           11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11

                              <-- -->

      VIS              X                                    VRB

           11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11

                              <-- -->

      SEQ                          X                        GLO

           11  9   7   5   3   1   1   3   5   7   9   11

                              <-- -->

       

I am 60% active and 40% reflective learner. I have to say I tend to really think about the requirements of a task and really analyse it in great detail. I often think so  much and pull the given task apart , that I have some many questions that need clarification. My family often says "yours just over analysing the situation". I may well be but I just cant stop, I want to be spot on with what the marker is looking for. From this trait, I thought I would have been more on the reflective side. Having said that, with some tasks (not many) I push them back and  do them quickly or not at all so I do not analyse the situation to much.

According to the Felder and Solomon test I am a Sensory learner oppose to a intuitive learner. I had a look at the explanations to find out the difference between sensory and intuitive learners. This helped me decide what learning experience are best suited to my learning style and if I agree or disagree with the outcome. Based on the description,  I agree with the test results. I feel I definitely show the attributes of a sensory learner. Sensory learners are good at memorizing facts and learn best when the content is connected to the real world. They do not like surprises or complications and completing routine calculations. Perhaps this explains why I excelled in some students and not at others in school.

I am more of a visual learner than verbal. I feel this one goes hand in hand with being a sensory learner. Again, I like concepts and ideas being visually brought to my attention. If I am given information on something that has a whole heap of writing, I often skim read it and miss judge the intended outcome. If the same piece of paper is given to me but just broken up with some pictures, charts and diagrams, I will instantly be more engaged and the task no longer feels like a huge chore. The information is retained better as I think back to the pictures and diagrams and I visually remember reading or completing that activity. These are the exact qualities a visual learner displays.

Felder and Solomon define me as a well balanced sequential and global learner. a sequential learner learns best when the task is scaffolded.  They learn by taking the concept and idea step by step before gaining the 'big picture'. On the other hand, global learners like to understand the whole picture and work backwards completing the steps of the task. Personally, depending on the task in front of me I display one of these learning styles. Sometimes, I tackle the task by firstly understanding what is required and then break it done. Other times I will work step by step until I have the final picture. It really depends on what the task is that I am completing, how well it is explained and the materials/resources I have at my disposal.

Overall, I found this test fairly accurate with the results I was given. I think it is very important that students and learning managers understand the learning styles as it really helps to understand who you are, how you learn and provides a chance to work with your strengths rather than against them.

My first Blog

Hello and welcome!

My name is Chloe and welcome  to my very first blog ever. I am completely new to this side of technology as I have never really expanded my knowledge beyond the basic's in computers. I currently study part time via flex mode and work full time in a pre-prep educational centre.

As a student, educator and future learning manager of the 21st century, I feel it is a vital to have sufficient knowledge and skills with technology in order to help enhance the digital learning world. As the world of technology can be very overwhelming (there is just so much to it) I am thankful there is a course structured to enhance my digital knowledge and skills.

This blog will be the home of many reflections, ideas and thoughts based on the Managing e-learning course throughout the next few weeks. I look forward to 'blogging' and increasing my knowledge and skills which I can utilise within my studies, work and as a future learning manager.