Slideshare!

I had never used Slideshare before today and I think it is a fantastic tool for classrooms. However I did find that uploading my slideshow took a bit longer then I had expected which could be a slight downside, but I'm not sure if this was just my computer or not.

Slideshare would be a useful tool for classroom teachers. The large amount of presentations would save time for teachers preparing presentations for students. This website can also be of help to older students when conducting research for assignments or class projects.

Using Slideshare as a place to put presentations is a good incentive for students to do the best work that they can. Greg Kearsley and Ben Schneiderman (1998) say that when student projuects are placed on the web, it provides them with an incentive to do their best work because not only will it be viewed by their classmates but possibly the world.

I uploaded a presentation of photos a friend and I made last year for a bit of fun. It's a bit dodgy but we had fun making it. Unfortunatly I don't have a microphone feature on my computer so I couldn't add narration. For some reason the embedding code won't apply to blogger so I've just posted the link below.

Mocktail 08 -
http://www.slideshare.net/grace1991/mocktail-08

PRO'S -

• Time saving for teachers
• Generally easy to use
• Variety of presentations, something for everyone

CON'S -

• Takes a long time to upload videos, so this might have to be done outside class time

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Teachers can share presentations
• Teachers can publish presentations for parents to view
• Students can publish slideshows for assessments

Grace xx

WikiPedia!

Wikipedia is a good starting tool for students doing research. Because the credibility of Wikipedia isn't outstanding, the quality of information is questionable. Wikipedia articles have references of where they have got their information from and this is where students should begin. With sourced articles and scholarly authors.

I did a Wikipedia search on my previous topic dinosaurs. I got a large amount of information and pictures including bone structures and previously existing dinosaurs. There was also an extensive reference list. Wikipedia does provide a great source of information but from a teacher and student point of view, I wouldn't feel comfortable in directly quoting from Wikipedia unless I was referencing a picture source.

Dinosaurs on Wikipedia -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs

In high school, Wikipedia was actually banned from a few classes for assignments because teachers didnt trust the information on the site. Students did continue to uses Wikipedia as a starting point for topics and pictures and for this purpose it provides a highly effective research tool.

PRO'S -

• References for more information
• Good pictures and thought provoking topics
• Accessible to anyone with no registration required

CON'S -

• Anyone signed up to Wikipedia can edit a site
• Not always scholarly and credible

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Basis point for researching
• Topics for assessment
• Teaches students to pay attention to author credibility

Grace xx

Google Earth!

Google Earth is a highly interactive tool for students of any age. With the technology to even see streets, I had so much fun looking at all the places I used to live. :)

History and geography are subjects that mostly require imagination because there isnt' much to do in the way of involving and engaging students.

With Google Earth, students can fly accross the world with the click of a button. They can see where life changing events like WW1 and WW2 occured and they can visualise what places look like.

Using Google Earth engages the learners that need to see things to understand and learn (thats students like me.) Younger students can use Google Earth to begin using and understanding maps and measurements. By having a lesson on Google Earth, students could then produce theor own maps, or draw the things they have seen on Google Earth. This could be useful in subjects like art or even graphics.

This tool helps students conceptualise, visualise, share and communicate information about they world they are living in and gives them an understanding of reality. Google Earth also provides students with an authentic focus of the real world which provides students with higher levels of satisfaction towards their learning. (Greg Keasley and Ben Schneiderman, 1998)

PRO'S -

• Easy to use
• Fun
• Engaging for everyone

CON'S -

• Students can easily get distracted with the lack of discipline and choose to view what they want

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Learning about maps
• Learning about measurement
• Locations
• Famous Landmarks

Grace xx