I have always been the 'nerd' of our family. The one everyone calls on to hook up their new DVD player or new TV's. I am the one who searches the internet for days until I find the best deal on a new computer when someone asks me "Is this a good price?" Even if this means that I will build them a computer from scratch, but this being said, technological hardware is a long way from the software that it runs. I am always looking at new software for my computer that can make me more efficient in what I do day to day. Throughout my career as a building designer I have been introduced to different ways to collaborate online, some which have worked better than others, and was introduced to the messy and chaotic world of emailing data. This is explained more in THIS POST. This previous introduction to online collaboration got me quite excited about the prospect of enhancing the e-learning opportunities within the classroom so I was quite keen to begin reviewing a sample of the online technologies currently available.
From what I have read, Prensky (2001) would classify me as a digital native, one who is born into and has grown up with technology rather than a digital immigrant who is forced to adapt to the digital world. The students that I will be teaching within my classroom will all be digital natives like myself which I find very exciting as there are so many opportunities to use digital media and online tools to educate students now so just imagine how quickly these technologies will grow! O’Neil and Knight (2007, p.44) state “educational use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed as new inventions forge new pathways for learning opportunities”. I cannot wait to begin exploring these new pathways within and also outside of my own classroom.
By identifying learning styles early on in this course it really allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the different ways that people learn. This is an essential knowledge when trying to teach and it is also a great guide when trying to choose ICTs that can be used in the classroom to aid all types of learners. I also found that by using de Bonos' thinking system containing the 6 different coloured hats that it has opened my view up in some areas. When I first looked at the Mobile Phones wiki I found that I had a negative attitude towards using these devices within the classroom but after reading the multitude of different responses by my peers I found that my thoughts on the issue changed and now I realize that there are legitimate reasons to use phones within the classroom as long as students are vigilantly supervised whilst doing so.
ICT Tools Group 1
The first group of ICT tools that I investigated were online spaces which include web 1.0 & 2.0, blogs and wikis . The difference between web 1.0 and web 2.0 is that web 1.0 does not allow for user input / changes to be made apart from the webmaster or owner of the website. These sites do not promote online collaboration. On the other side we have web 2.0 sites. These are the kind of sites that we are interested in as they include blogs and wikis and form the base that this assessment is built upon. blogs are a great way of contributing ideas to a topic as the ideas are presented in a chronological timeline where users that are collaborating in the work can look back through the previous posts to see how the work has evolved over time. This differs from wikis as all posts in a wiki can be edited by all users. This means that if Joe writes his part on the wiki and then Harry comes along and doesn't like what Joe has written then Harry can just alter Joes work. This can lead to trouble with students not getting along and in extreme cases may lead to cyber bullying. The use of wikis for an educational purpose is analysed further HERE.
ICT Tools Group 2
Digital technologies are those such as digital images, image hosting websites, podcasts and digital videos. It used to be a painful task sharing photos with friends. You had to go to the shop you’re your roll of film, leave it there for an hour or so, come back to pick up the photos and pay your money, then head down to the post office to place the photos into an envelope, pay for a stamp and send them off to Aunty Beatrice. What an effort. But what about now? It takes a total of around 30 seconds to take a photo and send it anywhere within the world thanks to mobile phone technology. The rate at which they are adding features to mobile phones is incredible. You can now record full high definition videos, take and manipulate photographs, play games, send and receive emails, light your path at night, get directions, find restaurants, order a pizza, find a house to buy, set reminders, update your calendar and even make phone calls all with one (or maybe two) fingers! Mobile phones are only one way of sharing pictures. You can also use websites such as Picasa and Flickr! where you upload your photos to share them with your friends or anyone in the world. These sites also have a social networking side to them that allows you to comment on the photos or just 'like them' (or give them a thumbs up". There is also an application for the iPhone which I use called Instagram which is an application that allows users to take a photo or chose one of their own, manipulate it and then share it for all to see. I quite like this application as it can give you great ideas of how to present items but also you get to see some very creative photographs of what can usually be pretty dull / boring items.
Youtube and Vimeo are two of the largest video sharing websites available for use. I have only ever used Youtube which works in much the same way as the photo sharing described above does. The use of digital video within the classroom can be highly beneficial. Teachers can use it to 'hook' their learners and also learners can use it to create their own assessment pieces. By creating a digital video the learner is constructing information, this is a learning theory known as constructivism (Learning theories, 2008). Podcasts are audio recordings that are readily available for download or streaming online. These resources give people the opportunity to listen to radio shows, instructive texts or even lessons wherever and whenever they are comfortable.
ICT Tools Group 3
I learned a few new things in this section. Before this course I had never heard of Glogster but I also did not realise how far PowerPoint had come since the old days of making plain old slideshows with some 'funky slide-in text'. Glogster is a website where you can create posters of whatever you would like. I think it would be great to use for in class assessments as it allows students to break free of the usual 'large piece of cardboard' style posters and into the world of almost Harry Potter style posters where the images can move and the information can be updated with the wave of a wand…..or mouse.
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A Prezi is similar in theory to Glogster but it has a few major differences. Prezi's are highly interactive where the user navigates their way around a digital workspace clicking on links and zooming in and out for more information. A Prezi can be a great learning resource but it could also pose as a distraction for learners. A more in depth look at Prezi's can be found HERE.
ICT Tools Group 4
This part of the assessment looks into a range of various technologies available for educational and other purposes on the internet today. These technologies include animations and simulations, interactive learning objects, Google earth, maps and docs, online concept mapping, online timelines, Zooburst and Museum Box. When I was researching these I found a great site for Google earth lesson ideas http://gelessons.com/blog/. This blog lists a lot of examples of how to use Google earth to create fun, engaging and meaningful lessons for students. This would be very similar to using Google maps as they are almost the same tool except Google earth has a lot more features like the sun, solar system, buildings, etc. Using the sun feature in Google earth you can demonstrate to students why we have different seasons and compare the way that the sun falls on the earth at the same time of day but for different months of the year. Although students can easily get distracted by this technology it is also a powerful resource that I will no doubt be using in my classroom. Other tools such as animations and simulations are a great way to deliver parts or all of a lesson without actually standing in front of your class. Students can listen to and watch animations that you create for them or they can even create their own animations in response to certain stimuli. Animations and simulations are a fantastic way to engage learners as they can be created to sit firmly in place with students learning styles and interests.
References
After having participated in the weekly reading materials, online forums and researching and trying out a whole range of ICT tools I now feel as though I have a greater understanding of how to incorporate them into the learning environment. Appropriate ICT tools that have been selected for classroom tasks that have been properly structured and are conducted in a safe online environment will prove to be a large part of teaching in the future. Although this seems like a daunting task now, in years to come these ICT rich lessons will become the norm'. I am very excited about finding more and more appropriate ICTs and creating all sorts of highly engaging and educational lessons for my future students. Bring on 'Learning with computers!' (Snowman, 2009)
References
Learning Theories. (2008). Constructivisum. Retrieved from:
http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html
O’Neill, P., & Knight, A. (2007). E-Learning: A catalyst for a futures orientation. In Smith, R., Lynch, D., & Knight, B. Learning management: Transitioning teachers for national and international change [pp.44-56]. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved from CQUniversity course, FAHE11001 ELearning online, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/
Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Bartlett, B., & Biehler. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Milton, Australia: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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