Prac

How wonderful can a IWB be?
(practicum)

I just finished my prac and I had a Year 1/2 class. I had a fantastic cooperative teacher that was happy to share her teaching techniques and knowledge with me. I had a wonderful experience but did I incorporate technology in my lessons?

The answer is yes and as much as I could. As wonderful as my cooperative teacher could be, she was an older lady and was not confident with technology. The huge interactive white board (IWB) in her classroom was left untouched most of her lessons and her lesson in the computer room was mostly researching information on Internet. This meant that as soon as I started using it, students were very excited and motivated to participate in the activity. I used some PowerPoint slide to introduce some of my Maths lessons. With the help of PowerPoint 2011 I could create very interactive slides using different colours, images and information. Moreover, I was using the IWB program to create fun activities where students could actively participate in the lesson. Furthermore, I used the IWB to show videos to illustrate my instructions. For instance, during a visual art lesson on Eric Carle, while the students were creating their artwork, a video of Eric Carle's art techniques were shown on the IWB. This simple illustration helped the students to remember the simple steps to create their artwork.

I also used a website presented by one of my classmate. It was a wonderful website on the use of adjectives and adverbs that make a doll sentence more lively. As the students were changing the sentence, the image illustrating it was changing as well. Even though my class was a Year 1/2 and the activity was more directed towards a year 3 class, I chose to use it as a simple introduction to adjectives and their use. I showed the students a demonstration of how the website works in class using the IWB and wanted them to play with the website on their own in the computer room. After having all the students really excited at the idea of using the website, I brought them to the computer room. Students could wait to start, logged in, looked for the website, found it and....The website was BLOCKED! That really disappointed everyone, but super Miss R. (me) found a simple solution to the problem: We will all use the website on the IWB in the classroom. In the end, the activity worked even better! the students were helping each other, harder words could be explained and students actively participate. At the end of the lesson, I took a few minutes to review what was done and what was learnt. They all came up with wonderful explanations. A big success. Here is the website. Use it with your students, but check first if it's not blocked (I still wonder why it was blocked!)

I think I made as much use of technology as I could in my prac... If i had a bit more time i would have been interested to create a blog with my students for them to write down their learning experiences as i really think that it is a wonderful way to realize what have been learnt or not understood. I simply fell in love with the IWB for its numerous qualities (and also with my gorgeous students)!

Thanks flickrcc: http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php?terms=IWB&edit=yes&page=1

Meaningful learning

Meaningful learning ( reading + other students)


After going through Bethany's blog and reading the article What is meaningful leaning? (Jonassen, 2008) I wanted to share my view on meaningful learning using e-leanring resources. 

Using e-resources in our classrooms has to have a meaning. Jonassen (2008) states that perhaps one of the most unfortunate phenomenon in our current generation is that students often complete their K-6 education only knowing how to take tests. However, for the students to learn meaningfully they should be willfully engaged in a meaningful task. Those tasks require intentional, active, constructive, cooperative and authentic learning processes. I will explain each processes.

Learning should be about things enclosed in a natural context. Students should interact with their environment and manipulate the objects found in that environment. In fact, true learning will come from these active manipulations. Meaningful learning requires learners who are active.

Moreover, a simple activity, to achieve a specific outcome, is necessary but not sufficient for meaningful learning. Jonassen (2008) explains that it is essential for learners to articulate what they have accomplished and to reflect on their activity's observations. For meaningful learning to occur, students should be puzzled and curious about what they see. 

Learning should be intentional  as when learners are trying to achieve a cognitive goal, they think and learn more because they are fulfilling an intention. E-learning technologies need to engage students in achieving those goals. For instance, when students use computers for constructing and executing a way to research a problem they want to solve, they learn meaningfully. 

As teachers have so much to cover, they often focus on general theories or principles that may be used to explain specific phenomenas. However, in doing so, educators remove those ideas from their natural contexts and skip contextual clues that make them meaningful. Mathematics and Physics are a prime example. Students may learn a formula to resolve a problem but will not understand how this applies to they every day life. In my own experience, my science teacher use to teach us teach us this subject in a meaningful way. We went outside, played football to explain gravity and pick flowers outside to explain reproduction. 

Learning should also be cooperative as humans naturally work together. When students work in groups, communication and conversation occur which should be encouraged as it is the most natural way of meaning making. Technology-based activities should be performed collaboratively in groups, so teachers can assess the performance of the groups as well as the individuals.

After reading this article, I wondered if I could find an e-leanring resource that complied with all of the different processes of meaningful learning. I didn't. However, I found Smartkids - I referred to it in my earlier post - that satisfies a few of those points. This e-resource follows the idea that learning is a natural and adaptive human process. Students experience that when they are actively engaged in the activity, results come from their manipulations.  By writing their thoughts in a virtual sketchbook students articulate what they have accomplished and reflect on their observations. Smartkids is embedded in a real-life context as students learn about current art and artists through out the activities.

I will now have a clear reference to select my e-leanring resources to promote meaningful learning...

references:

I) Image:

http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php?terms=learning&edit=yes&page=1

II) Article:

Jonassen, D. et al (2008). What is meaningful learning? In D. Jonassen et al.(Eds).Meaningful learning with technology. 3rd Edtn. pp1-12. Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, N.J.

Top of the class

Top of the class- (class experience)


Liz Simpson and I have created a video on two excellent K-6 e-learning tools: Abracadabra and SmARTkids. They are can be used in different KLA(s) as Abracadabra is a literacy resource for Stage 1 and SmARTkids is a resource for visual arts for Stage 1 to Stage 3. I'll describe fore you what are the learning outcomes when SmARTkids is used in the classroom. 


Using SmARTkids is an outstanding way to introduce a new artist or a new topic in your Visual Art class. It is a fantastic resource to help children discover ways to look at, think about and respond creatively to Art. It offers many different levels of reflection and investigation about the art world, the artist and meanings' placed in artworks. It offers visuals, sound and practical interaction, catering to many levels of learning styles.

Students learn the language of art, understand that artworks invite multiple interpretations and see how art is created for a wide variety of personal and social purposes.

Firstly, it does this by inviting the children to meet an artist, tour an artist’s studio and discovers his art through pictures and videos. The students can select their artist and then write their thoughts and emotions in a sketchbook. Secondly, the students can participate in the Look and share activity. By doing this activity students understand that artists use a variety of tools and techniques to express their ideas. In this activity it is up to the students to make sense of the artists’ work by analyzing their artworks with different points of view. Thirdly, students can participate in the art speak activity students learn art words by hearing and reading them. Fourthly, in the Art detective interactive game, students have to answer some questions about an artwork they have learnt about in previous activities. Finally, it also has an Artwork of the month section, where students can learn about a new art style every month.

SmARTkids also includes a Teachers’ area and parents’ area where suggestions are made to enjoy Art at home and classroom use. It proposes some hands-on activities that can be done in class in reference to the website. The teacher also has the possibility to print out the sketchbook made by the students. 

This website is a challenging, interesting and motivational for students and for teachers. Not only, it manages to develop a positive attitude towards visual Art by exploring a vast range of artworks, but also, it encourages a higher order of thinking by the students while they are having fun.  It will help students to feel comfortable in interacting within the art world and to approach the conceptual aspect of the artwork with confidence.

If you are interested to use this resource in your prac or in your classroom, check out our video to have more information...Enjoy!  

   

Garage band

GarageBand

(class)

I have been using a Mac for two years now. I have always seen a little icon in my tool bar that said: Garageband. I always wondered how I could use it. One day, my friend bought me a guitar and told me that I could learn how to play guitar with garage band. Learning how to play an instrument with my computer? Madness. That is what I thought at first...

When I actually sat down with my guitar in front of my computer listening attentively to what my teacher/computer was telling me to do, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a great way to learn! They take you steps by steps and it is so simple.

When I told my friends how wonderful GarageBand was, they were not surprised. Some of them even used GarageBand during their Prac to teach children how to play an instrument! When we had to use GarageBand to create our podcast I felt quite confident. For the first time, I knew the sofware that we had to use! However, it was not as simple as I thought. It was hard to create a podcast with everyone talking at the same time in the classroom and I did not understand how to cut and paste what I wanted. My first podcast was a disaster.

However, when we had to create our digital story I was happy to have another chance at understanding how to use GarageBand to create a Podcast. I sat alone in my studio, took the time to play with all the applications and... Abracadabra! My podcast was a success!

The application is not aimed at professional musicians, but is intended to help amateurs produce music easily. Which is what I like about it. I would happily use it with my students, as if I understand it, I am sure that all of my future  students would be great at it...

                                     

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.premiermusic.com/_images//Band.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.premiermusic.com/quoterequest.html&usg=__qJf2es9DlZ0-E_AIUX6rhkOMcL8=&h=3338&w=4807&sz=1090&hl=en&start=22&zoom=1&tbnid=lfNoxU2dNoqHIM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=187&ei=F0idTcOuC47EvgONxJW1BA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmusic%2Bband%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1177%26bih%3D747%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch0%2C448&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=554&vpy=298&dur=4353&hovh=187&hovw=270&tx=190&ty=111&oei=DkidTfjIF4OougPZqumtBA&page=2&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:22&biw=1177&bih=747

Animoto

 Animoto

(Class)

For our PE3 class we had to create a digital story. I have always wanted to create those beautiful videos, that you can see on the web, of holidays photos or simple videos about what you are doing in life. I have played with iMovie before but never created a real video so when I was asked to publish a video about a significant learning experience I was sightly scared! In the end, I have looked at the choices that we had - i.e. Garage band, movie marker, iMovie, Jaycut, vuvox or Animoto - and I discovered that Animoto was a very simple website to use to create a video.  

With animoto, they give sample videos that you can choose from to create your own video. You can create a video for free ( if it is less than 30 seconds) or you can pay 5 dollars a month (if it is more than 30 seconds). After choosing your video, you need to had pictures or short video clip, then add music and you are done! They create the video for you and send it to your e-mail...It's that easy!

To create my video, I created a podcast using garage band and added some music (found on garage band as well) in the background. Then, I selected some private photos from iPhoto and put everything together with Animoto. Have a look at my video and tell me what you think about it...

Here is a video on Youtube in case you have more questions about Animoto...

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/29476683@N05/3039408771/

Wiki Wiki

                                                                                   Wikis' mystery

(Class+ reading)

 

Last year we were asked to go on UTS online and create a wiki. A wi...what? I had no idea what it meant. After a few attempts, I just decided that creating a wiki was too hard for me. This year, in PE3, we are asked to create a wiki...again. So this time I have decided to tackle the problem seriously...

Firstly I have watch a video on youtube to help me understand what wikis were with simple words...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Secondly, I have read the article "Wild about Wikis" by David jakes (2006). He explains that wikis enable anyone and everyone to create, for free, content online using easy tools. I learnt that wikis were actually used by eBay and Wikipedia! It is very easy to access and understand. A user begins a wiki on a particular subject and invites others to participate in creating content using an interface that is similar to Microsoft Word. It has many educational benefits - in classrooms, profesional development and adminitrative uses. There are some very useful websites like WikiMatrix, Blackboard and Moodle. There are sample tools that schools can consider like : PBwiki, Wikispaces, Editme, WetPaint and MediaWiki.   

Now, I understand what wikis are and will be ready to use them with my students. Happy times.

                                

Mind map

 Mind maps

(Class)

Last year I attended a seminar on mind maps. We were all sitting at our desks when our teacher asked us the following question; "What do holidays mean to you?" Immediately, a wave of hands appeared in the classroom, with people throwing out words like: sun, beach, airplane and sunglasses. The teacher, using a mind mapping software, created in front of our eyes a mind map using every single words that we had told...

Similarly, in Prac, my cooperative teacher used the same program on the interactive blackboard. this time the subject was a little bit more academic : Colours and Vincent Van Gogh. Year 1 students came out with incredible words and ideas and therefore created a very interesting mind map that the teacher than printed out and handed out to the students after class.

I immediately saw the potential in this method. Being a visual learner I couls see how a complicted subject can be simplified using a mind-map. For example, to write an essay, my brainstorming takes shape in a mind map. Also, we have been told in PE2 that lessons on a new subject  should always begin with a brainstorming session and I think it is a wonderful way to take into account every students' idea about a subject in a clear and precise manner.

This is what we did in our PE3 class. We were in groups of 3 and we had to create a mind map about learning technologies. Ours isn't finished but it gives you an idea of what can be done with a simple mind map...