Synopsis

The way students learn is changing rapidly, let’s face it; the way teachers were teaching five years ago is no longer effective for today’s students. Student’s learning needs are changing and we, as future learning managers, need to meet these changes by changing our pedagogy from the traditional knowledge-transmission model to one that will facilitate our students to research and evaluate new information and then construct meaning and gain knowledge. Queensland Governments Department of Education(QGDE) (2010) states: ‘good pedagogy is about teaching strategies that achieve learning outcomes.’ To achieve ‘good pedagogy’ we teachers need to gain an understanding of our student’s needs and interests, to find how they best learn. Giving our students the chance to learn in the ways the suit them shows them we are catering for their ever-changing learning needs (Queensland Government, 2010). This is the twenty-first century claimed as the ‘Information/ Digital/ Technological Age’ (Millennium Technology, 2003), ‘good pedagogy’ is ‘digital pedagogy’ when used appropriately and effectively. Digital pedagogy helps create self-directed, independent life-long learners by broadening the range of information, knowledge and ideas that is accessible to students within the classroom, by allowing the potential for student thinking and learning more evident and by incorporating student teamwork and engagement with real-world issues outside the classroom (Queensland Government, 2010).


What does eLearning look like in my context?

Early Childhood Classrooms (5-8years old)

Student's can operate a computer with software

Some teacher assistance is needed when typing is being produced

ICT's effectively engage the majority, (if not all), student's within the classroom

Student's work well individually and collaboratively

What are the barriers and limitations to eLearning in my context?

• Three desktop computers, one laptop and one interactive whiteboard to be shared among twenty-six students

What are the opportunities in my context?

• I have seen ICTs used in lessons everyday within early childhood classrooms; powerpoints, interactive whiteboards with learning software, online learning games and activities etc. The three desktop computers are used during literacy and numeracy rotations and the interactive whiteboard is mainly used for whole class learning. While experiencing this ICT use did prove that students love to interact with technology, it also limited my thinking to, 'these students are too young to use any other tools'.

Since students are learning through digital technology, teachers need to be up-to-speed with how they function, and have the knowledge and experience of how to effectively use them as a teaching/learning tool. The following information is reporting my own personal experience, opinions and research I have found that proves the following digital tools can be effectively incorporated into the classrooms. The four tools are:

Forums

Concept Maps

Digital Video, and

Interactive Whiteboards

(IWB).

Forums:

Forums are online discussions between a group of people, the participants do not need to be online all at the same time, they can read, reflect and comment on the main information whenever they like. A successful forum is one that enhances and improves the student's learning outcomes; which needs careful, considerate planning by the teacher (Education Queensland, 2010). Forums are not mentioned out-right within Queensland Curriculum but they are found within QCAR cross-curriculum priorities: “By Year 3, students experiment with and use ICT across key learning areas to collaborate and enhance communication in different contexts for an identified purpose and audience:

• Participate in online events via the Learning Place


• Participate in collaborative online projects”
  (Queensland Government, 2010).

The Learning Place (2010), gives teachers the opportunity to create a ‘virtual classroom’ filled with forums where students, parents, teachers and even community members can communicate and share their values, beliefs and opinions on a range of different topics (usually relating to the classes unit topic). According to The Learning Place (2010), having a classroom forum enables students to:

• Consider other's opinions, share ideas and reflect on issues over time
  
• Communicate with experts, authors, scientists and business community members
  
• Share ideas regardless of distance
  
• Brainstorm with peers, students and colleagues
  
• Collaborate on projects or other tasks
  
• Have cultural experiences
  
• Have social experience
  
• Communicate easily and in their own time

From the examples mentioned above I believe forums best fit into the ‘application’ and ‘analysis’ stages of Blooms Taxonomy (2001). Students would be applying the knowledge gained into conversations and their own views of opinion. They could also be analysing their peers different points of view and new research discovered.

Some effective examples on how to use forums within are classroom are:

• To communicate with students from another school within a different state or continent (can discuss many issues covering KLA’s e.g animal habitats, weather differences, learning differences, history differences, culture differences etc.)
  
• To communicate with experts to hear different perspectives on a particular unit topic/issue.
  
• To communicate with students from class/class next-door on a collaborative assignment/activity
  (QGDE, 2010).

Having furthered my research, I have slightly changed my view from when I wrote my blog entry on ‘forums’. While I have always believed forums are an effective tool to use within classrooms, I now believe forums can be successfully used within lower primary, since discovering the above examples.

Concept Maps

A concept map is an effective visual representation of the knowledge built into a person’s mind. Concept maps contain one main heading/subject that then branch out into different examples, information, ideas that are found within or formed with that main idea. As students begin to ask questions, research and pose problems on certain topics they will need an effective way to organise this information. Online concept mapping is a simple, effective way to organise this type of data individually, in groups or as a class (Global Perspectives, 2002).
Concept maps are specifically mentioned within QCARs cross-curriculum priorities: “Students experiment with and use ICT to create a range of responses to suit the purpose and audience. They use ICT to develop understanding and demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning, collaboration and communication across key learning areas:

• Produce representations of concepts, ideas and experiences using digital tools (by year 3)
  
• Use graphic organisers and digital concept mapping tools when planning to create products in the process of creating a product, use the specialised function of digital tools/software to solve design problems” (by year 7)
  (QGDE, 2010).

One online program that I personally tested was bubbl.us, I found the program extremely creative and perfect for use within an early childhood classroom. (For a more detailed description on bubbl.us please read my ‘concept map’ blog and experiment with the website yourself by clicking here).

Some examples on how to effectively use online concept maps within the classroom are:

• To discuss topic questions and organise their ideas and responses
  
• Class concept-map allows every student’s ideas and opinions to be heard
  
• Collaborative thinking and learning
  
• Modelling the correct process of concept mapping
  
• Reinforcing new knowledge
  
• Reflecting on new knowledge learnt
  (QGDE, 2010)
  (For more detailed information on these examples please see my blog entry on
  ‘concept maps’ and comments made to a fellow blogger Kate Pollard).

From some of the examples above, it shows that concept mapping fits well with the ‘knowledge’ stage in Blooms Taxonomy (2001) allowing students to ‘play around’ and then start to organise the new information. Of all the effective uses online concept maps can play within a classroom, I personally cannot see a reason why teachers would not include this fantastic tool into their lessons.

Digital Video

Digital Video can be created by using video clips, images, music or audio recordings. They can be created in many applications such as; photo story, movie maker, iMovie etc. Digital Video can be used within schools for communication, observation, analysis and reflection (Schuck and Kearney, 2002-2003). Creating and experimenting with digital video is an expectation found within Queensland Curriculum documents; “By Year 3, students experiment with and use ICT to create a range of responses to suit the purpose and audience. They use ICT to develop understanding and demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning, collaboration and communication across key learning areas:

• Use digital tools to create personal products and explore different ways to change and
  refine creations”
  (QGDE, 2010).

While incorporating digital videos into classrooms can be a time-consuming, risky process for teachers, a study conducted by Schuck and Kearney (2002-2003,) on the outcomes of digital video used in classrooms, found the benefits to student’s development with learning and skills were astonishing. Some benefits of learning and skills that digital video can help develop are: metacognitivie skills, high order thinking, communication skills, presentation skills, literacy skills, organisational skills, teamwork skills, and technological skills (for more details on how digital video can help develop learning and these skills please view sections 2.3, 4.4-4.10 and 5.1 of Schuck and Kearney’s research - available by clicking here).

Some effective ways to incorporate digital video into learning within the classroom are:

• To capture photos of students completing activities and for them to then make a video of those images in the order that the activity took place. Student’s could also type over the images within the video explain what they had to do, why and what happened.
  
• Students can create a digital video about themselves and their school years journey. The video could contain images, music, video clips, voice recording, photos from school, photos from home etc.
  
• The teacher could film the class completing an activity, game or experiment, the student’s could re-watch the video and have class discussions about what happened, why it happened (great with science experiments).
  
• Within small groups or as a whole class students could make a video of a class excursion, camp or major project
  (QGDE, 2010).

From the examples above digital video could fit within the ‘analysis’, ‘synthesis’ and ‘evaluation’ stages of Blooms Taxonomy (2001). Depending on the task, digital video could be used to analyse the order of an activity, synthesise an experiment and/or evaluate the school year or school excursion.

When I personally looked into incorporating digital video within an early childhood classroom, I only considered using the ‘already made’ clips (see my blog entry on ‘digital video’). It wasn’t until I read a fellow bloggers, Pauline White, own personal entry on the matter that I realised digital videos can be ‘made’ successfully with younger students. Their knowledge and skills can also be built upon with well-scaffolded learning experiences incorporating digital video. After coming-to-terms with the fact that I had overlooked a major advantage of creating a video with a younger class, I changed my point-of-view (see comment to Pauline White’s blog entry) and now look forward to incorporating the use of creating digital video’s within my future classroom.

Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)

An interactive whiteboard is a system made up of three technology pieces: a computer, a digital projector and the interactive whiteboard. The content displayed on the computer is shown on the whiteboard which can be used as the main navigation system simply by using an associating ‘pen’. You can draw, write, colour, conduct internet searches, play educational software and make power-points etc on the interactive whiteboard with an audience watching and/or interacting (NSW DE, 2010).

Although IWBs are not specifically mentioned within QCARs cross-curriculum, their uses do match with some of the expectations; “By Year 3, students experiment with and use ICT to create a range of responses to suit the purpose and audience. They use ICT to develop understanding and demonstrate creativity, thinking, learning, collaboration and communication across key learning areas:

• Contribute ideas for a class digital product”
  (Queensland Government, 2010).
  (Expectations from ‘Digital Video’s’ can also link with/to the use of IWBs).

When I conducted research about whether the Interactive Whiteboard did have a positive impact on classroom learning, this is what I found; The NSW Department of Education (2002) and SMART Technologies (2010) strongly recommended that the use of Interactive Whiteboards be available in all classrooms. While there were some negative aspects about the IWB, the benefits overshadowed any possible risks or expenditures.
(For a full list of benefits and negatives please access my blog entry on ‘IWBs’).

Here are some examples of how teachers can use interactive whiteboards effectively within the classroom:

• To take virtual field trips/ tours through a location that relates to the classes unit of work.
  
• To collaboratively collect information about the classes current topic.
  
• To identify and/or change text and images displayed: spelling words, grammatical elements, diagrams, graphs etc.
  
• To work collaboratively as a class or within small groups on assignments/projects; e.g. Class photo story or digital video.
  (QGDE, 2010).

Interactive whiteboards can be used throughout all the stages found in Blooms Taxonomy (2001); knowledge (view and design concept maps), comprehension (view and design flow charts), application (view and design a photo story), analysing (view investigation results), synthesising (view and design marketing posters) and evaluating (view and design class videos).

I believe that every teacher should have the opportunity to incorporate interactive whiteboards into learning experiences within their classrooms. IWBs are so beneficial in so many ways, not only do they engage students and can be used in nearly every key learning area, they also provide every student to view the same modelling process. I believe interactive whiteboards are the most efficient way of viewing, learning and designing within the 21st century.

Other tools grouped through the Dimensions of Learning framework (Marzano & Pickering, 2006):

Knowlegde Acquisition (Dimension 2):

• Blogs
• Powerpoint
• Podcasts
• Prezi

Knowledge Integration (Dimensions 2):

• LMS/RSS
• Concept Maps

Extending and Refining Knowledge (Dimension 3):

• Forums
• Wikis

Using Knowledge Meaningfully (Dimension 4):

• Digital Video
• Websites
• Images

‘Technology’ is how students are learning today, it is vital for us as future and current teachers to continue our life-long learning by becoming technologically literate so we can incorporate these technology tools (like the four discussed above) into our learning experiences, and giving our students the opportunity to learn in the way that best suits them.

(For more information on the four tools discussed and many others please view my blog ‘Managing E-Learning’).




REFERENCES

Anderson, L.W., & Krathwohl (Blooms Taxonomy), D.R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy of learning, teaching, and assessment: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.

Bubbl.us. Retrieved from:

http://www.bubbl.us/
Education Queensland. (2010). The Learning Place. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/communication/forums/about-forums.html
Global Perspectives. (2002). In the Classroom: Concept Mapping. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo/classroom/teachers/FTtopic6.html

Marzano, R & Pickering, D. (2006). Dimensions of Learning: Teacher's Manual. Heatherton, VIC: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Millennium WAVE Technology. (2003). Technology Education in the 21st Century. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://www.millenniumwave.com/2020.htm

New South Wales Department of Education. (2010). Cross Curriculum. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/pdhpe/crosscurriculum/ict/ict_003.htm

Queensland Government Department of Education (QGDE). (2010). Smart Classrooms. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdframework/why.html

Schuck, K & Kearney, M. (2002-2003). Students in the Director’s Seat: Teaching and Learning across the School Curriculum with Student-Generated Video. University of Technology: Sydney. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from:
http://www.ed-dev.uts.edu.au/teachered/research/dvproject/pdfs/ReportWeb.pdf

SMART Technologies. (2010). Benefits for Learners. Accessed 10th August, 2010, retrieved from: http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-GB/Why+Choose/CS-Research/Research/Benefits+for+learners.htm

Comments to other blogs:


EmilyJ said...
Hi Kate,
How fantastic are these concept map websites!I agree that concept maps would be extremely effective when used in learning environments as a planning tool and as a tool for reinforcing new knowledge and reflecting.One of the main aspects I loved about these websites was that they can be effectively used in any year level.I also agreed with your comment about bubbl.us and how it would appeal more to younger grades.Since you are also specialising in early childhood, I thought the concept mapping (as a whole class) would be a very effective tool to use to model the process. What do you think?


Emily.
July 24, 2010 10:19 PM




EmilyJ said...
Hello Kate,
I agreed with all your wonderful suggestions on how it's possible to use a power point effectively in the classroom.I have actually used a few power points in some of the lessons I have been teaching at prac, the the children love having the visual aid!For example: In a science lesson I implemented; I had a picture of the inside of a seed, and as a class we were able to label it (using an IWB), but then the students drew the labelled diagram in their books. By having the picture up on the screen the children were able to draw a much clearer picture. The only negative I have found is sometimes the powerpoint becomes quite distractive (especially if you use a moving animation!) and then you'll find the students are paying more attention the the screen then you!However, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives!
Emily.
July 26, 2010 6:12 PM




EmilyJ said...
Hi Kate,
I too had the problem with creating my own LMS.Anyway, thankyou for your great insight about how blogs and RSS go hand-in-hand. I hadn't really thought about that until reading your blog entry. Since reading that, I agree, I think if you're going to use blogs you would most certinaly incorporate the learning and using of an RSS.Although in our specialised area I do not know if I would use blogging or RSS with an early childhood class. I was wondering if you had thought of any areas it could be used in?
Emily.
July 26, 2010 8:11 PM




EmilyJ said...
Hi Anna,
I was very interested while reading your posting on the Prezi, I had a totally different experience to you :)I found the video clips on 'how to use' the prezi very helpful, I was wondering if you watched them before starting to design your own?I thought Prezi's were like concept maps and powerpoints rolled into one. Therefore they would be useful for:brainstormingorganising thoughts, ideas and opinionsused to show pictures and key points of a lesson, anda fantastic visual aid to keep students engaged.I agree with you though about using it in an early childhood class: Only the teacher would be able to use it for a whole class project or discussion. I think as future teachers we need to continue our own 'learning' of all these tools so we will be able to incorporate them into lessons in the future.
Emily.
Oh...and bubbl.us is a fantastic tool! :)I cannot wait to use that within an early childhood class :)






EmilyJ said...
Hello Anna,
I loved your SWOT analysis, I found it very effective, to the point and correct!You mentioned a few aspects that I would never have thought about when considering a Weebly Website as a classroom tool.Such as; the students must trust the information that is displayed (a great way to introduce critical literacy, don't you think?)
Thankyou for sharing your thoughts and knowledge Anna!
Emily.


EmilyJ said...
Hi Kelly,
Your post on Skype and how it can be incorporated into the classroom was very interesting for me.As a regular user of Skype for personal uses, I was pleased to read that it can serve a purpose within the classroom!Your post encouraged me to research it's uses further and to post my own entry about Skype.I found some other interesting uses for skype at this website: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/But the other main interesting use I found for Skype, besides the sister-school was forGuest speakers/interviewers can skype in from any type of field to discuss issues relevant to the classes topic.So thankyou for sharing research and opinion on Skype!
Emily.
August 3, 2010 7:25 PM


EmilyJ said...
Hi Emma,
I absolutely agree with your blog entry about YouTube!Having conducted, quite a few lessons this prac using YouTube as a 'hook' for learners, I have found how time-consuming it can be!Like you said, finding a relevant clip for the age group can be extremely difficult. I have found that typing more specific entries into the YouTube search (e.g. Water and conservation for primary aged children) can narrow down the results, but still won't prove to be relevant!I have found a few other websites like Youtube that are for classroom use:- www.schooltube.com- www.teachertube.com- www.godtube.com (If you're at christian school)With these websites I have found it easier to find a relevant clip, however, the video still needs to be downloaded, checked and played a on school computer before implementing the lesson - and that aspect is still quite time-consuming.I think if the video fits perfectly with what you're teaching it is worth the time and effort, however if it's just being used as a time filler or just to prove you have an ICT resource, it really doesn't need to be incorporated into the lesson.I personally love finding a clip that fits perfectly and I know the children in my prac class love watching something before they begin their lesson.
Emily.
August 10, 2010 11:18 AM






EmilyJ said...
Hello Anna,
As a early childhood training educator myself, I agree with your perspective on images. They are very helpful within the younger grades.I remember last year in my prac with preps, images were used to communicate the steps of an activity. The teacher verbally communicated them first, but then wrote the instructions, on the board, with images at the end of the sentences so student's could understand and remember what needed to done.
For example: Step 1: Cut out pictures in a magazine shaped liked a circle (picture of a circle and scissors)
Step 2: Glue and then write what the item is (picture of glue and pencil) etc.I was amazed that even though the students couldn't read, once they saw the next picture they were able to remember what the teacher's instructions were.So I agree with you, relevant images need to be used within classrooms.
Emily.
August 9, 2010 6:29 PM






EmilyJ said...
Hi Pauline,
Thankyou for sharing your knowledge and insights about Digital Video and how this tool can be used to enhance student learning. I found the study you mentioned by, Ross, Yerrick and Molebash (2003), very interesting and helpful to see that even though a learning experience including digital videos would be very time consuming, if scaffolded to fit your student's the skills being developed are worth all the time and effort.It has made me see that I can successfully incoporate 'making' a digital video with an early childhood classroom.
Emily.
August 11, 2010 8:17 PM

Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)

Interactive Whiteboard...I have had one in both my prac classrooms and I absolutely love them!
I love the interactive learning games that can be used within a lesson - and how the children can come show the answer which turns into a moving animation showing they answered correctly.

Besides my own personal experience, I did not really know the full benefits IWBs can have within the classroom, so I decided to do some research and see if the results aligned with my personal opinion.

The following data has been collected from NSW Department of Education and Training (1999-2010) and SMART Technologies (2010) who conducted a study in the UK, US, Australia and Canada to find the positive impacts interactive whiteboards have in the classroom.
This is what they stated:

• IWBs are suitable for learners of all ages.
• Interactive whiteboards allow computer-based learning without isolating pupils in front of individual computer screens.
• Teachers can use digital resources while maintaining dynamic interaction with the entire class.
• IWBs give the students the opportunity to become the 'teacher', this increased ownership of their learning leads to better retention of the information.
• Graphic brain-storming software is available for all KLA's and has been proven to effectively engaged nearly all students
• Intrinsically motivates learners to enjoy demonstrating their knowledge on the interactive whiteboard.
• Extrinsically motivates learners to be enticed by the “wow factor” and to enjoy the use of technology.
• Can be used as a 'reward' for students
• Their large, visible workspace encourages a higher level of pupil interaction in both teacher-directed and student-directed lessons.
• Visual learners benefit from note taking, drawing diagrams and manipulating objects or symbols on the large screen
• Kinaesthetic learners can reinforce learning through exercises involving touch, movement and space on the interactive whiteboard
• Auditory learners benefit from receiving the information verbally read by the talking narrator
• The technology motivates teachers to incorporate and develop more digital and interactive resources into their lessons
• Notes and materials can be saved use with the next lesson, class or even next year

I was very impressed with the positive results IWBs received, however I knew it wouldn't be fair to end the blog entry without also researching the disadvantages. I struggled to find credible/reliable negative information about IWBs, I ended using comments made from UK school website, made by students and UK Learning Technology website, here is what they stated were some disadvantages:

• Very expensive to buy and fix
• Screens can be damaged by students
• Lighting has to be right to be seen clearly by students
• Pens have had to be charged correctly
• Access to a computer and projector is needed to 'run' the IWB

I personally believe the advantages outweigh the negatives, and I love incorporating the IWB into my lessons. I believe all classrooms should have one, and I would definitely recommend it as a effective tool within the classroom.

Skype

I am a regular user of Skype for personal use, it is a fantastic, FREE tool to use for talking with friends and family who live far away. It wasn't until I read Kelly's blog entry on Skype that made me realise it could be useful within the classroom as well!

Just a bit of background information on Skype (found at their website):
Skype is a free program that enables individuals and businesses to communicate with others for free! Some of its features are:
-Voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype
-Conference calls with three or more people
-Instant messaging, file transfer and screen sharing
-Talk face-to-face with friends, family and colleagues.
-Share a smile, blow a kiss, explain an idea or just gaze longingly

It all began in 2003 and during busy times can have up to 23 million 'online' users all at the same time!

So how can this tool be effectively used within a classroom?
After doing some research I came across this website of '50 Awesome Ways to use Skype in the Classroom': they have some very interesting stories about how teachers used Skype within their classroom. However the majority of the ways can be summed up into two points:

1. Communicating with other schools, students, children either overseas or within Australia (yet in a different climate area) (e.g. sister schools overseas, Brisbane school could skype a coastal school in NSW).
2. Communicating with members a communities around the world or locally that can help assist with the students learning within the particular topic being taught at the time (e.g. When implementing a unit on farming, the class could skype a farm to ask questions about the job, crop etc)

While these ideas are fantastic and the students would be very engaged and interested, the teacher would need to find a suitable guestspeakers/interviewee's and arrange a date and time that would suit students, teacher and guest.

I personally love the idea of using Skype within the classroom during appropriate, relevant topics and I look forward to implementing my ideas in the future.

Forums

Forums can be an interesting tool to 'set-up' but once it's up and running it is a relatively easy way to extend the walls of a classroom (The Learning Place).
A successful forum is one that enhances and improves the student's learning outcomes; which needs careful, considerate planning by the teacher.

P:
It enables students to:

• Consider other's opinions, share ideas and reflect on issues over time
• Communicate with experts, authors, scientists and business community members
• Share ideas regardless of distance
• Brainstorm with peers, students and colleagues
• Collaborate on projects or rich tasks
• Have cultural experiences
• Have Social experience
• Communicate easily and in their own time
  (The Learning Place)

M:

• Students must have Internet access to participate
• Heated discussions/arguments may arise
• Bullying could occur when different opinions are voiced
• Set-up can be time-consuming for the operator
• New posts and conversations need to be constantly checked and followed

I:

• What will happen in the classroom when a debate has been discussed over the forum?
• Will students have the skills to 'sort-out' any tension or problems caused by different points of view?

I personally believe that forums would be a successful tool in selective upper-primary classrooms. It would depend on the students within the class, how they learn, operate and behave to whether or not a class forum would be useful and successful.
However, within the right classroom I believe it would be extremely effective andit would enable everyone's opinion to be heard and would also help develop many skills.

YouTube

I love Youtube!
I love watching the latest movie trailers, comedy acts, watching friend's home-made videos etc.
But not only is Youtube great for my personal use it's also a fantastic tool to include in my lessons! The following videos are one's that I have found off Youtube today that would be suitable to use with early childhood classes.

Incy Whincy Spider


Speckled Frogs


Elmer Story (Walt Disney)


The last one would go particularly well with a lesson on 'being different' and/or 'bullying'.

While YouTube is brilliant for finding many videos for all different purposes, the main thing a teacher needs to do is watch the ENTIRE clip with the SOUND ON to make sure nothing 'pops' up or is 'said' that is not suitable for students. It is also important for teachers to either download the video or 'post' it somewhere (e.g.virtual classroom) where there is no advertisements.

I believe YouTube can be incoporated into any lesson (as long as there is a safe, relevant video on that topic). It engages the students and gets them excited/ready for the learning.
For example: I used this clip from SchoolTube when teaching 'rhyming' and once the students had finished watching the clip they couldn't wait to write their own rhyming song.

Digital Video

Video's...when that word is mentioned the first thought that pops into my mind is 'home-made video's of family and friends, there is always one person doing something silly, and one person that has to be the star of the show'.

That thought, always brings a smile to my face, however that's not the only type of video.

Videos can be created through many forms, they can be professional videos, cartoon videos, picture/image videos etc. Videos can also be made very public by being 'posted' on YouTube, SchoolTube, Facebook and websites.



According to Kearney & Shuck (2006), videos can be extremely useful and beneficial for teaching students within a classroom.
Digital Video can be used for:

• communication: e.g. messages, ideas and information
• observation and analysis: e.g. phenomena, experiments and performaces
• relfection: e.g. personal reflection of learning

Digital video also helps develop skills:

• metacognitivie
• high order thinking
• communication
• presentation
• literacy
• organisational
• teamwork
• computer software

Within my own classroom, one day, I will definitely use digital video! Using digital video for an assessment piece with a middle to upper primary class would make a fantastic ending to a digital unit. However, within early primary I would still use digital video, but I would not create one I would use 'already created ones' off YouTube, SchoolTube etc.
Within an early primary class I would use the digital videos for story telling, examples (within a food unit I could play a video of a seed growing to a plant to a tree to bearing fruit etc), teaching lyrics to a song and to play back group performances.

Within my prac class, I already use digital video for story telling and the students love it!
I think it's a tool that can be incorporated into any KLA effectively!

Podcasts

I do not think I have every downloaded or even listened to a podcast.


I know what they are and what they are used for, I personally have never needed to use one or listen to one.
A podcast is an audio feed, one records and then uploads to a main source (e.g. iTunes), in which users can then come download the podcast onto their iPod or mp3 player which is saved there to listen whenever they please.





From reading the information given within my course content and the websites linked I have gained a new appreciation for 'podcasts'. Little did I know how many skills are being developed and defined when creating and using a podcast, found from 'The Magic of Learning' (2010):

Collaborative Skills
Writing Skills
Speaking Skills
Presentation Skills
Communication Skills
Media Skills
Oral Fluency
Technology Skills
Auditory Skills
Storytelling Skills
Information Literacy

Although the skills gained from podcasting are fantastic, I do not see how it could be a relevant tool for early childhood classes. I can see the relevance for mature students, such as; year 10 to university. However, I'm failing to see a way of incorporate podcasting into earlier years.

Please share your ideas and responses.

Images...are they even important?
While we have been told that when using images, within a classroom, they should be relevant to the topic and content, but is that really true? According to Stefanov (2008), an author and speaker on 'Exceptional Performance', images are the main tool that first catches and then engages the viewer. When researching the percentage of websites that is 'images' the results were a shock to me. I could not believe the high percentage of images that made-up the website and it was all for one reason: 'Catching the viewers eye, and then keeping them engaged' (or so they explore the website further).

So, if websites know it's the main engaging tool to use why shouldn't teachers be using it as a major tool too?

I believe some sort of image should be used within every lesson, especially with younger grades and the majority of the time they should be relevant to the content. However, I do not see a problem with using a random image of a find-a-word or using that image for a colouring-in etc, for extra work in a early childhood classroom.

What is your opinion?

LMS and RSS

I tried exploring learning management systems today by trialing how to make my own, unfortunately the system was over-loaded and I couldn't contain any further other then the home page. However, being a user of Blackboard and Moodle, I believe I have enough experience and information to make a few comments about LMS.
LMS would be an effective tool in the classroom:

• Allow all students to stay connected with one another


• All students receive the same information, questions and answers


• Parents can also have access


• Great communication tool between teacher, parents and students

However, while there are positives there are also some negatives

• Even though it's a school-based website (in the mind of students) bullying can still happen


• The student must have access to the Internet at home


• LMS could collapse


• Could/would be very time consuming for the teacher to set up and successfully keep it running

In my opinion, LMS would be like a 'virtual classroom' for older students.
I do not know if I would personally use a LMS within my classroom, I think I would prefer the virtual classroom layout.

RSS

I created my own RSS with Google Reader when we first started our blogging. Like Kate Pollard states in her blog on this topic...'blogs and RSS go hand-in-hand'.
It has the fantastic feature of 'following' allowing updates from your favourite websites, blogs, wiki's, forums etc to be emailed to you, notifing when there is something new for you to read.

I believe if you were to use blogs within the classroom you would also allow students to becomes members of an RSS (e.g. Google Reader) in order to keep updated with other students work, or to even keep the teacher updated with the students process.

I personally wouldn't use an RSS within my classroom because I wouldn't use blogging with an early childhood class, just because the majority of them have no concept of typing...yet!

Prezi

Designing my own prezi was a lot of fun! The introduction video's were extremely effective and so was the 'notes' column that appears after the video.

The basics, (entering words, pictures etc), were easy to design, but I think there are a lot of other interesting tools that could be used...that I haven't discovered yet.
A prezi would be another effective visual tool to use in a classroom. It could be used from a prep classroom to a university lecture. The user has the option of changing colours, the the content can look child-like, colourful and fun or it can look formal, business-like and informative.

I believe prezi's would be a fantastic tool to use in any classroom.
However the teacher would need to be extremely comfortable and confident in using the program. The program's features would need to be 'second nature' to the teacher, as you wouldn't want to be fiddling around, muttering under your breath 'how do you do that again?' You would need to make sure you were fluent with prezi's before implementing them within a classroom.

Prezi's are almost half concept map, half power point; so it comes with all of their advantages.

• brainstorming
• organising thoughts, ideas and opinions
• great assessment tool with older grades
• used to show pictures and key points of a lesson, and
• a fantastic visual aid to keep students engaged.

I cannot think of any negative issues that could be associated with a prezi. I think in younger classrooms only the teacher could operate the program. Unlike power point, once the information has been typed and showed there is no further 'moving' of the animations and because the program is online there shouldn't be any unnecessary 'break down' where it just stops working.

I look forward to furthering my knowledge of 'prezi' and hopefully I can use it successfully within my future classroom.

PowerPoint

I love using Microsoft Power Point!
I remember learning how to use power points back in primary school around grade 5.
I used them throughout high school and still use them occasionally in assessments at university!
I have even used them during lesson with preps and grade ones.
Power Point is an easy tool to use and to learn ('Setup Wizard' can be used).
They can be simple (just words and pictures, changing at the click of a mouse) or they can be complex (Changes automatically - set to a certain time, plays video's, music, moving animations etc).

In my experience, over the past 2years I have seen power points used in a variety of effective ways:

• As part of a lesson: showing pictures, playing a video, key ideas and spelling word


• Learning a song for assembly: lyrics typed and highlighted when they need to be sung


• Photo slide: Photos throughout the year were shown on break-up day


• Visual aid: I found with younger grades, having the visual representation left on the board keeps them engaged and also is a good form of modelling; because when it comes to them copying off the board/screen having the picture or word in front of them results with clearer, precise results.

Visual aid example: I recently implemented a science lesson using a power point. We were looking at the inside of a seed (picture on PP) and were labelling it as a class. When the students were asked to draw/copy and label the same diagram that was on the screen, I was amazed at some of the students drawings. Students who usually had some difficulty in drawing 'realistic' pictures, were showing me an exact replica of the image on the board - all they needed was that visual representation kept in front of them.

The only negatives I have found are:

1. Distraction: if moving animations are used they can often distract learners (especially in the younger grades)


2. Doesn't Work: sometimes the power point (which you have given a run through before the lesson) doesn't run smoothly or work at all, once you're using it in front of the class.
   Although, whether this is a power point problem or a computer problem or the user's problem is open to discussion :)

I enjoy using power point personally and within a classroom!
It is definitely a digital tool I would reccommend to any teacher!

Weebly Website

Today I experimented creating my own website using www.weebly.com. I found that a website is quite different to a blog or a wiki. The website was much easier to create than a wiki, however there were some similarities between the setup of the website and the blog.
The website can only receive new information and be edited by the creator, although this does not mean that all websites have credited information.

Websites are widely used and known throughout school and the classrooms, but are they used to conduct the learning? I had only seen 'websites' as a tool within a computer studies class, however I have heard during the lectures of this course that some teachers create websites as a 'virtual classroom' where students and parents can have access to certain information (homework questions/answers, newsletters, photos etc).

I have created a P.M.I (positive, minus and interesting) to gather the information I have collected.

PLUS

• Attractive layouts, colours etc
• Quite easy to create
• Can be used within the classroom
• Can only be changed by one person - the creator

MINUS

• Can only be changed by one person - the creator (this could be a minus if it's a group task and/or there are more than one main creator)
• Comments can not be made by viewers
• Not all information is credential

INTERESTING

• Can be used as a 'virtual classroom' for parents and students
• Can be an effective individual task

I am quite interested in how efficient a website would be as a 'virtual classroom'. I would love to put it to the test in my own class one day.

Concept Maps

Today I experimented with two recommended websites to create mind maps.
1. Bubbl.us
2. Text2MindMaps

I found bubbl.us concept maps easier to create and it also used great visuals when adding or deleting new entries.
However, when using Text2MindMaps I was able to easily change the colour of the boxes, words and lines.
I found these websites fantastic!
They would be fantastic tools to use in any classroom!

Concept mapping is such an effective tool in the classroom: it enables students to gather all their ideas and position them in an easy to read organiser. From there the students can sort through all of their ideas and choose their favourite or the most relevant to use for further learning.

From an early childhood perspective, online concept mapping would be a very effective tool to use when modelling concept maps. In younger grades it is difficult for some students to even write a few sentences. Introducing concept maps online allows the whole class to contribute and learn the process together.
In older grades concept mapping could become individual or small group tasks for assessment.

I believe concept mapping would be an effective tool to use in any classroom, no matter what age the students are. I will implementing their uses in my future classroom.

Blog vs Wiki

The main difference I clearly found out between blogs and wiki's was how confusing wiki's are!

When you first make a Blog it seems a little overwhelming but then everything becomes quite straight forward. I have been fiddling around with wiki's for a few days now and instead of everything becoming clearer I am becoming more confused!

On the left is a picture of how far I have managed to come along on my wiki! Simply editing the layout, to make it look more appealing was stressing enough!

While I struggle to see a Wiki's uses in the classroom (most likely because I myself have no idea how to use one) other students in my course can clearly see how using wiki's could enhance learning within a class.

From Kristen's blog 'The Difference between a Blog and Wiki' I found a hyperlink to the website 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom! Which had great suggestions on how to effectively use a wiki in the classroom.

In order for me to successful use wiki as a teaching tool I would need to continue my learning to gain an understanding on how to use a wiki. But, the same with the blog, wiki's could probably be used more effectively in middle to seniors years.

Blogs

Until this assessment task I knew nothing about blogs or blogging!
I had heard some friends talking about their blogs, and had even read a few - but to me they seemed pointless: just a place where people could complain about something going on in their life.

It wasn't until Managing eLearning that I realised they could hold a real purpose - such as a learning journey and constructive information on a specific topic. Blogs is Web 2.0 tool, which allows the creator information, facts or personal opinions on various topics. Blogs are like a journal entry, except they are online and open for followers or the public to read and respond to.

Blogs can be used for a number of other purposes besides a personal journal, for example: they can used as teaching tool within learning environment.
Blogging can be used within the classroom for many reasons; they can form part of an assessment (to document the students learning), they can be used by students, parents and the teacher/s to communicate with one another on relevant school/learning related issues. Blogs can also be used in the classroom for keeping in contact, sharing picture and video's with overseas sister schools.

In my own experience (with my prac schools this year and last), I have seen blogging used within the classroom, but not within my own prac class. In my opinion, blogs would be fantastic to use with sister schools and apart of students assessment but only from middle to senior years.
Since I am specialising in early childhood, I have yet to witness blogs being used in year P-3.
However, an idea from a case study done on a Prep/Year 1 class, within a tutorial of Managing eLearning (22nd July 2010), created a great enthusiasm in me to use blogs with my future class. The blogs would not be individual, yet done as a whole class. The blog could be used for a particular topic (e.g. African Animals), and the teacher could pose as an African animal researcher and post comments on the classes blogs that could be filled with questions and comments about what they were learning.

I cannot wait to implement a similar unit within my own future classroom.

About Me

My name is Emily-Jane Cunningham and I am currently completing a Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) through Central Queensland University. This Blog is a part of my studies, in the class Managing eLearning. It's purpose is to explore and evaluate a range of technologies that can be used in a learning environment within the 21st century. My entries to this blog will reflect my own learning throughout this subject, and as I begin to experiment with these technological tools. I'm sure I will find some excellent tools that will benefit my own classroom...in the future.

So Confused!

I hope this task becomes clearer/easier as time goes on.
It feels strange knowing other people can read this.