Interactive Powerpoint Presentation

I opened a word document to create a storyboard powerpoint presentation with hyperlinks to link certain pages together.  I now understand the hyperlinks may be made to pages and then you can add return buttons to new pages and not just the home page.  This makes it easy to navigate when presenting.  I used this to display some basic facts regarding Australia's Economy (very generalised), however further brief presentations could be produced to detail each of the main headings given in the first presentation. 

Powerpoint can link audio,movie,pictures and text so does not have to be boring.  It can be used to create charts for brainstorming, put data into graphical form, it can add students own voice recordings, pictures.  May be used in class for multiple choice questions, linking the question to the page where the answer may be contained!  Kiosk presentations for information nights, to display work.  The best presentations hold only 10 slides and are no longer than 20minutes and have a font size of 30. 

Here is a link to my very short interactive presentation

https://michellehardy.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Australia%E2%80%99s+Economy.pptx

Week 5 Basic power point presentation

The Windows Vista version of Power point was very different to the older version I have been used to.  It took me some time to get used to the inserting of photos and charts however I was surprised to learn I could embed a youtube video into the presentation.  I was able to do this by going to freefileconvert.com I then copied the URL for the video into the converter and converted it to a pdf file.  It took sometime to work out however works well.  This is the link to the presentation on my wiki.

https://michellehardy.wikispaces.com/file/detail/basic+presentation+fpd1.ppsx

Engagement Activity 7 - Digital Video

Hoping this fist home made video will work!  I used Movie Maker 2.6 and used an old video clip then added slides and an audio file recorded on my computer.  The whole process was fairly straightforward, I just have to remember where all the files are saved on the computer!

My First Audio Podcast

I am hoping that the below link will take you to my first podcast:

http://hardyoverseas.podomatic.com/entry/2012-03-25T18_12_44-07_00

This could be used in a wiki or class website to introduce a subject, homework or group assignment.  It may be used to record ideas from students on a topic and you have a record for all to refer to. 

Engagement task 5: Using Web-based Podcasting

Below is a Link to a food podcast.  It is a radio interview where other listeners call in to ask questions regarding preparing good basic food.  This podcast may be used to help learners plan the practical component of a food lesson.  As it discusses how we can tell if a steak is cooked correctly, do we need to soak peas before cooking etc. 

It may also be useful for the teacher to use some of the topics covered to create classroom discussion to generate deep thinking and problem solving Eg how do we know if we are eating 'fake meat' or 'real meat'. 
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=148920090&m=148923158


The below podcast exemplifies how creative thinking can result in real life success.  It interviews 2 young business creators and discusses how they created a small successful business using a basic website and ideas from previous travel experiences.  It could be linked to aspects of  business studies as an opening  to a class discussion on how to run a small business and aspects of running a small business: 

• It refers to a 'business model',
• why do we make changes to a business model
• what are profits and cashflow
• use of the internet to create a business
• the business websites are referenced so we are able to gain direct access to the creators of the business for further questioning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b019gzqt

This task did take some time to listen to some podcasts of interviews but there may be some very valuable information and new ideas that can be encorporated into learning.  The following website lists podcasts in subject area.

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/

Week 3 Creating A Website

I used http://www.weebly.com/ to create my website which is free. 
I never knew that creating and publishing a website for the whole world to view would be so easy to do.  By viewing the 'Weebly how to make a website' on my ipad it gave me the freedom to construct on the computer as I was viewing the information. 

Week 4 Engagement Task 4 - Digital Audio Recordings

My Avatar

Please click on the link and at the bottom of this page you will find an avatar of myself in Egypt!


https://michellehardy.wikispaces.com/Week+4+Engagement+Activity+1

Week 3 - Creating a Wiki

It was very good practice exploring the wiki creation pages.  I felt it may have been more beneficial  if I had a little more guidance on setting up the wiki using a real life classroom example.  I was very slow to work out the different pages and creating links.

Positives

• the wiki did enable me to construct a seperate page for each class assignment, I choose to  separte by grade.  The pages were titled by grades so there would be no confusion over direction of where to go for students entering the wiki.
• I was able to upload photos from my computer, therefore taking photos in class and uploading these into the class wiki will give a sense of accomplishment and pride to individual classes.
• I was also able to upload videos from external sources (You Tube) and from my computer also.  Again class video's could therefore be shared on the wiki.
• The classroom wiki enables all students to write comments and see others comments.  This is encouraging collaborative learning, learning from each other.
• also encourages literacy
• ongoing creation of the wiki is possible.  Adding new projects/discussions/class planning for activities or events. 
• Easy to edit if students want to change a comment.

 

Minuses:

• extra reading for each student which may increase overall workload
• not all students may have access to a computer so some students may be at a disadvantage
• sometimes can accidently delete information from the wiki
• It can be very slow when moving up and down a page.
• may reduce face to face time discussing issues.

Interesting/Implications:

• Pre-service or newly graduated teachers may not yet  have learned the many potentials for the use of wikis in their subject area.  This will take extra planning on the teachers part.
• Safety and ethical considerations when publishing on the wiki need to be embedded into it's use also.
• parents will need to be updated on the use of wikis in schools and computer use at home negotiated.

Potential of Blogs in Education

I am new to using blogs and Now realising the potential of blogs in many situations. I have used the PMI tool to examine the potential of blogs in teaching: 

 PLUSES:

• I may use a classroom blog to share links to useful websites related to current topics being discussed in class
• It may be used for students to add comments made by the teacher on recent work completed in class.
• Podcasts may be shared with students, these may be created by the students themselves.
•   It may be a record of current work or homework set for students
• Sharing of videos on difficult tasks or concepts that need to be learnt in class.
• Sharing of class peers opinions on a topic

There are lots of positives with the use of blogging such as:

1. It is available 24/7 from anywhere
2. free to use and easy to maintain
3. May be used for FAQ
4. Ongoing archive for resources and materials
5. communication to parents

MINUSES
There are some negatives to the use of blogs also:

1. Not all children may have access to a computer
2. Maybe confusion over its use initially, careful consideration of  how it fits into the learning program is required.  This may not be sucessful initially.
3. Confidentiality/ Privacy/ethics all need to be considered.

INTERESTING
Interesting points about blogs:

• Many special interest groups have blogs that enable you as a teacher to put students in contact with real life situations and receive current topical information Eg Food and Nutiriton blog  http://www.nutritionblognetwork.com/  these can list many useful websites for reference material.  Encouraging global interaction!
• Blogs may be research based, collaborative, institutional or educational.
• Can inspire creativity in it's use.
• Encourages use of literacy and grammar.

De Bono's Hats

http://www.blackhillps.vic.edu.au/storage/six-thinking-hats-class-display.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1291722722279

This was a very new and organised way of thinking for me which I enjoyed learning about. At first I did not realise that I had to organise my thoughts into all 6 categories. It was good to be able to read others opinions and how they all contributed to the problem posed. I think the design of this wiki activity reflects the constructivist and connectivism learning theories. We all reflected on pervious experiences with mobile phones And what they, Mean to us, we used our knowledge of them and the learning environments we have experienced and then we used the connectivism approach to relay this information. We learned through collaboration within the wiki others experiences and views on the topic, therefore we have learned through the use of technology from others. The wiki allowed me to spend time to collects my thoughts, interact in a group setting in my own time. There were drawbacks with Internet connection (trying to complete this while moving house). The wiki page was a little frustrating to use, slow to respond to movement. I feel this activity could be used in a class activity to maybe open a class discussion on an issue. Some students may not feel comfortable talking out loud in front of others to put forward an opinion so the teacher could use the wiki to generate differing thoughts on an issue.

TPACK Reflection

TPACK is an acroynm for technological, pedagogical and content knowledge.  Technology may be books, whiteboards, computers, camera's, internet, software (windows, e-mail) etc.  Pedagogy refers to the strategies or activities the teacher chooses to engage learners to produce effective learning outcomes.  Content knowledge is the teachers knowledge of the subject area to be taught EG biology/food science etc.  Therefore TPACK is when all are combined so the teacher uses the correct activities to teach with the available technology  for that subject area.  Or in other words the ability to use the technological tools to teach effectively the knowledge required for the subject area.  Some teachers may have lots of technology knowledege however this needs to overlap into the knowledge area and know when to use the technology for effective teaching.

Productive Pedagogies Activity

On reflection of this activityI feel I should have used a different learning example for this activity!  I have been recently teaching my children how to tie their shoelaces and thought it was a relevant example however the links to the productive pedagogies are limited.  I still however feel this was a valuable activity as it enabled me to reflect on the framework to further develop the teaching activities and look at different ways in which to teach the activity.  Therfore reflecting on your own lesson planning so to incorporate activities that will suit the majority of the learners.  As we know all learners have certain preferences to learning styles. 

Information Communication Technology - Reflection on Learning Theory

I found the engagement activities in the first week very interesting, my beliefs and understandings of the nature of today's learners are developing as I myself learn more through the readings in this course.  I enjoyed reading Prensky's views on digital natives versus digital immigrants. I do see children today using ICT in lots of situations, my own children love programs such as reading eggs, mathletics and intrepica, which were all introduced as learning tools in school.  There was a divide amongst parents regarding their use as some parents felt that children at the age of 5-7 years should be learning through active play, socialising with peers and not spending 1 or more hours on the computer each day after school.  There may be resistance from parents regarding the use of ICT for homework, and not all children participated in the computer homework set.  There were limitations within the school setting regarding the use of computers to make use of the numeracy and literacy programs.  Practicalities were:

- shared use of the only one computer room for the whole school
- helping all 25 children log into the system  took time
- at least 5 helpers were needed when a group of 25 children were all attempting the same task whilst they learnt the program and time was restricted.

Obviously this was only one school as an example and many others may be set up differently. 


I feel we need to keep in perspective that today's learners cannot learn all through ICT, it may be useful as a tool to motivate children to carry out other necessary tasks at school.  There has been no mention in any of the learning theories if there any differences between males and females with regards to the embracing of ICT. 

I feel each of the learning theories have some very valid points.  Within the behaviourism theory, positive reinforcement and praise for certain behaviours are seen to be effective however restricted in the area for tasks that require skills in problem solving, it does not encourage deeper learning or understanding.  The readings on cognitive theories of learning make sense with regards to the stages of development of children and how they move from one stage to the next around a certain time in their lives, however important to note that not all children in the same age group will develop at the same rate.  I enjoyed the video breaks and exploring the use and construction of  Mind Maps.  I have attempted to use the Mind Map tool to compete some work for PCT, see the link below   

https://bubbl.us/?h=dd030/1a599d/903H2TRnsD9nE


The theory of how we construct knowledge from our own experiences is an interesting view on how we learn.  The basic principles of the constructivism theory being:

- learning is a search for meaning
-the construction of meaning requires an understanding of the whole as well as the parts
- we learn through the application of knowledge
- we learn from one another and not only in isolation

These principles will apply when planning and preparing lessons they lead to learning activities that are based around problem solving, discovery and construction of meaning.  It was important to see the links to ICT within this theory of learning such as the use of forums, blogs, wiki, webconferencing.  Use of the word 'Scaffolding

George Siemens learning theory for the digital age has valid points, I agree that it is not possible to know everything and how to source information to gain knowledge has changed how we live today.  ICT has made it so much easier and faster to gain information, however we cannot forget that will need to know how to use this knowledge in everyday life. I believe the following statement Siemens makes is very true and one of the very reasons why we need to embrace ICT in our teaching, "how people work and function is altered when new tools are utilised.  The field of education has been slow to recognise both the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes in what it means to learn. 

I feel the digital age theory has developed because previous learning theories do not account for new changes in our environment.  It is more common for people to move into different work roles, my own father has never moved company.  I did not know that technology is altering our brains so we need to go with what works for our brain (computers and mobiles, MP3, iPod and iPads are now our tools and what we are becoming more accustomed (if we are digital immigrants)).