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

Podcasting!

The podcast I subscribed to is called 'Technology 4 Teachers.' There were many different episodes in this podcast and most of which related to this topic. There were ones about wiki's, twitter, web tools and google. But I ended up downloading '6 criteria for a highly effective website.' I thought that by listening to this podcast, it would be helpful for my future studies and research.

The podcast also talked about a website which I also found very interesting -
http://www.technology4teachers.org/

The podcast discussed how to determine if a website is effective or not and this information could be used as a teacher determining if the information on a website is credible or not. I found this information very helpful and will definatly keep it in mind when researching for my future assignments.

Podcasts aren't as engaging for younger students in the classroom because there isn't anything to watch and this could result in many students getting distracted. However podcasts would be very useful for older students because there are some very informative podcasts to subscribe to and this could be helpful for students in researching for their assignments.
Teachers could use podcasts as a homework activity for older students to prepare them for the classwork the next day.

Podcasts could also be used as a delivery tool by students creating their own podcasts. In high school for our media subject we had to conduct an interview in groups with teachers on why they believe the internet is important in education. We then had to publish our podcast onto our school server where everyone could access it.

This was a great assignment and because we were in groups and knew our assignment was going to be viewed by everyone we definatly tried our best to make our podcast fun and interesting. Greg Kearsly and Ben Shniederman (1998) also say that being in groups increases motivation and the pressure of knowing projects can be viewed by everyone makes the quality of work a higher standard.

PRO'S -

• Informative
• Accessible
• Something for everyone

CON'S -

• Not very engaging for younger students
• Not everyone feels comfortable downloading things
• Hard to navigate your way around iTunes

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Researching
• Homework activities
• Assignments

Grace xx

YouTube!

Youtube is a great tool for classrooms, there are so many videos available for just about any topic and this provides a great resource for teachers.
Because I haven't actually started teaching yet, I'm posting a video about dinosaurs. This is because that is what the prep class I was doing work experience with last year were learning about. The students had great fun with this topic and the class teacher engaged students in many ways.



This video is catchy and the cartoons are a great way to introduce younger students to the topic of dinsaurs. By having a class of younger students watch this clip, the would become engaged quite quickly.
After watching the video, students could participate in a class discussion where the teacher asks questions about the names and the colours of the dinosaurs in the video. Because the chorus of this clip is quite repetetive it ensures that the information students need is effectivly delivered.

Students could also comment on their favourite dinosaur they have seen in the video and then in groups could research some facts about these dinosaurs and then share them with the class.
By researching information in groups, increased motivation is likely to occur providing high quality information for the rest of the class. (Greg Kearsley and Ben Scheiderman, 1998)
I think this would be a very effective delivery tool to start introducing younger students to the topic of dinosaurs.

PRO'S -

• Constantly available to students outside the classroom
• Wide variety of videos
• Educational videos for teachers

CON'S -

• There isn't always the specific video your looking for
• No filtering so younger students have to be watched

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Videos for the classroom
• Note taking for older students
• Research for assignments

Grace xx

Quizzes!

Classmarker is a great tool for classrooms. At first I was a bit aprehensive about what to make a test about, then I decided to make it about the Engagement Theory. :)

Take The Test -
www.classmarker.com
Username - grace1903
Password - elearning

Classmarker Quizzes are a way for students to check their knowledge on topics studied in class as often as teachers set the quizzes. Teachers can set these quizzes so that students can undergo them as many times as they need to.

Online Quizzes are alot different to basic tests with pens and paper and because students answers are placed onto the web, it provides an incentive for them to do their best possible work since this can be viewed by their classmates and possibly the world. (Greg Kearsley and Ben Schneiderman)

Quizzes can also be good for younger students aswell as an introduction to online testing because as time goes on, many exams are going to be done online. The multiple choice option is a great tool and teachers could possibly use this to determine what students do know and are learning so they know where more detailed explanations are required.

The quizzes could also be used to determine what students already know before begginning a new unit of work.

PRO'S -

• No wasting paper (better for the environment)
• Easy to use (good for younger and older students)
• Helpful for teachers due to less marking

CON'S -

• Free text questions could be difficult as some students explain things differently
• Some schools may not have the resources for every student to do their testing online

USES IN THE CLASSROOM-

• Distance education subjects
• IT Classes
• Weekly tests to make sure students are learning what they need to
• Group discussions and tests to determine what students know

Grace xx

Animations & Simulations!

Animations are a useful tool to use in the classroom to engage students. Animations have interactive sounds and diagrams that are easy to understand which engages students in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise. By having students watch the animations, teachers can make sure students are learning by having older students take notes on what they believe is important information, and for younger students teachers can organise questionaires where students 'fill in the blanks.'

I actually remember using 'Froguts' to virtually disect a frog in primary school. Everyone in my class thought it was the coolest thing ever and when I got home from school I even showed my family. Being able to remember this myself shows that simulations are an effective tool for delivering information. By students actually feeling like they're part of the disection it provides them with a realistic atmosphere. Having a quiz at the end of the simulation is a useful tool because it ensures that students are actually learning and recalling information.

PRO'S -

• Students can work in groups when watching simulations, and according to the Engagement Theory of Greg Kearsley and Ben Schniederman, collaboration increases motivation to learn
• Very informative and is often able to give students an experience they wouldn't ordinarly have

CON'S -

• Some schools may not have the funding to purchase simulation packages
• Students may get distracted easily due to lack of discipline and face-to-face interaction

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Teaching anatomy of animals
• Practicing note taking
• Provides students with information for assignments
• Students can work in groups to produce their own animations, to show what they have learnt

Grace xx

Image Manipulation!

Picnik is a great tool for editing photos. Using this program (which is free!) to edit photos for class assignments is a great idea for students.

Assignments with pictures usually require a high standard of presentation and by being able to digitally edit photo's for free is helpful for both students and teachers.

Younger students can also get into photo editing by forming small groups and editing educational photos like the bones in the human body or the planets in outer space. By being engaged, Greg Kearsley and Ben Schneiderman say that students will have increased motivation to learn. Also by being engaged in their coursework, students are more likely to remember the topics they have covered in class.

Photo's I edited in Picnik -

One was my profile picture and the other was a previous image I had uploaded to flickr. The colours of the images have been changed and effects like rounding the edges can be added. I will definatly continue to use Picnik as my editing program of choice. I have previously used Picasa and there are so many things that Picnik offers that Picasa doesn't.

PRO'S -

• Easy to use
• Free!
• Engaging and fun for students of any age
• Links to Flickr accounts, so no double handling of photos
• Students can edit photos outside of class time
• You don't even have to register to anything

CON'S -

• To get all editing features you must upgrade to the premium software and pay

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Presentations
• Photo Slideshows
• Class Photos
• Students can edit photos and they become interested in what they are learning

Grace xx

Flickr!

Flickr is a really cool site that has tonnes of images constantly available to everyone. This is a great idea because in certain searches teachers don't have to worry about whether or not the images are copyright. Students can use these pictures for assignments or teachers could even use them to put up around the classroom.

Some of the photo's I uploaded to Flickr -

My Flickr Account -
www.flickr.com/photos/grace1991/

I found that to upload images took awhile, im not sure if this was just my computer but this could be a hassle if students are using classtime to upload their own photos.
Using Flickr to engage younger students would be a good delivery technology because technology can facilitate engagement in ways which are difficult to achieve otherwise.(Greg Kearsly and Ben Schneiderman)

PRO'S -

• Constantly available to everyone
• Easy step-by-step introduction (this is good for younger students)
• Settings can be changed so only friends and family can access private photos

CON'S -

• Not everybody likes having their photos published on the internet

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Individual classes can establish their own Flickr accounts with photos
• Class presentations
• Students can access and comment each others photos
• Documenting school and class events

Grace xx

Powerpoint Presentations!

Growing up as what is considered a 'digital native' (Mark Prensky, 2001) Powerpoints have been used in the classroom for as long as I can remember. Through high school, most teachers used powerpoints to engage students whilst they discussed a topic.

By having features such as sounds, pictures and embedding videos into slides, they are a useful tool to deliver information.

Students can also create their own powerpoints, and by incorporating the research they have conducted the information becomes more clearer as they add pictures and effects that suit their research. Younger students can also work in teams to produce powerpoint presentations and they become more engaged and have increased motivation to learn. (Greg Kearsley and Ben Schneiderman)

Having used powerpoint to deliver many oral presentations myself, using the bullet points and pictures as a reminder of what to talk about and not having slides full of information I've noticed that people become more engaged. Because of the lack of useless information on slides, the straight to the point slideshow is engaging for everyone.

PRO'S -

• Engaging pictures and sounds
• Useful for younger students studying specific topics eg. dinosaurs
• Good for both teachers and students

CON'S -

• Sometimes Powerpoints arent used properly and can be very boring eg. lots of information and no pictures

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Student assignments
• Delivering information
• Photo slideshows of student activity

Grace xx

Voki's!

Get a Voki now!

Voki's are so much fun! I made about 5 today just playing around with the voices and backgrounds. :) It was great.
Voki's are an interactive way to engage both students and teachers and as stated by Greg Kearsley and Ben Schniederman, 'students must be engaged in their coursework in order for effective teaching to occur.'
Teachers can use Voki's to deliver information to the class and have students take notes on important information.
The silly voices and settings grab and captivate younger students attention and engage them in the ways that teachers can't. Voki's can also be used by students themselves, quieter students can express themselves through Voki's where they wouldn't usually have the confidence to do so. Teachers can also use Voki's as a way for students to become different story characters and explain things from different points of view.
Voki's can also provide a useful fool for students that study English as a second language, or students that are studying via distance education.

PRO'S -

• Engaging for all students
• Use in online education
• Student participation

CON'S -

• Not always a personal way of communication

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Note taking
• Language teaching
• Flex education

Grace xx