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.