Reflective Synopsis

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Teaching and learning in the 21st century requires a different approach due to the digitalised world we now live in.  We are now teaching what are known as digital natives, our students are coming to school with an increased knowledge about technology, and thrive with its use in the classroom. We do however need to remember that not each and every one of our students comes to school with the same knowledge of technology; some are still coming with limited access to technology prior to their schooling years.  It is important now, more then ever to ensure all students are leaving school with a sound knowledge of technology as it is now in nearly every workforce.  The learning of technology helps to set our children up for their future. 

Working Safely Legally and Ethically

Perhaps the most important part of E-learning is working in a safe, legal and ethical manner online.  It is essential as teachers that we are teaching our students how to work in this manner online, and that we too are working in this way. 
All schools have their own stance on ICTs in the classroom and their safe, legal and ethical use.  Schools should also be analyzing the risk that can be associated with posting information online.  It is essential that these school policies are in line with State and National Legislation and Policies. (Education Queensland, 2012) It is really important that parents are also aware of the rules that you have at school regarding working online.  In my Week 2 blog post I researched exactly how we can ensure our students and ourselves are working safely, legally and ethically. 

SAMR Model and Pedagogy

There are many reasons to incorporate ICTs into classroom practice, some of these include needing to equip students with the skills to participate and thrive in an information society, and the need to create highly skilled and knowledgeable workforces.  Also simply that the students are expecting the use of ICTs in the classroom, as they have them in many other aspects of life. (Gill & Dalgarno, 2008) How exactly do we as teachers ensure that we are incorporating ICTs in a useful and meaningful way? How can we be sure that we are using the ICTs correctly and to their full potential?

The SAMR model was designed to help teachers and educators to integrate technology into their current teaching practices.  The model aims to enable teachers to design, develop, and integrate digital learning experiences that utilise technology to transform learning experiences to lead to higher order thinking and high levels of achievement.  (DEWA, 2012) The model describes four levels of technology integration each increasing in complexity.  The model begins at substitution and ends with redefinition. 

The above image shows what each level of the SAMR model represents, and gives an example of this in the classroom. The SAMR model is only one approach that can be used by teachers to use available resources to the best of their ability.  It allows the technology to be used to its fullest potential. The effective learning with and through technology supports the contemporary learner. An excellent example of apps that can be used in each area of SAMR is shown here. 

Connectivism

The use of ICT's in the classroom closely relates to the connectivism theory.  The connectivism theory is a framework for understanding learning.  It demonstrates that learning occurs when knowledge is activated through a process of a student connecting to and feeding information into a learning community.  With the addition of ICT's in the classroom learners are in the centre of the learning experience, rather then the teacher.  An example of where connectivism is at work in the classroom is with the use of a wiki. While students are using wikis, they are at the centre of the learning experience. They are in fact learning from each other.  It can be seen now that it is much more important to be able to find the information, then to recall the information. 

Catering for all students 

The use of ICT's in the classroom also greatly helps to cater for all different learner types.  Howard Gardner, a Theorist for Multiple Intelligences suggests that software, materials, and other ICT resources can be used to present material in many differing ways. This ensures that students will find the material interesting and will appear to their intelligence. This allows teachers to incorporate ICT's to develop learning experiences that appeal to each and every student individually, making instruction relevant and interesting for students. 
Coming back from this, without making individual plans for students, it is much easier to incorporate more then one learning style into a lesson when ICT's are used.  More examples of this can be found in Week 2, 3, 4, and 5.  

In conclusion it is seen that ICT's can be a very valued addition to any school setting. It is essential however to ensure that through their use, both students and teachers are using them in a safe, ethical and legal manner.  It is also essential to have rules surrounding their use in the classroom to ensure that students are using them safely and ethically.  When used in the classroom students have shown an increase in attention and understanding of given topics.  As we know nearly every ascpect of life now incorporates the use of technology, therefore to ensure that our students are getting the most out of their educations it is paramount that technology and ICTs are incorporated into classroom practice. 

References

Department of Education Western Australia. (2014) Literacy and Numeracy focus. Retreived from http://det.wa.edu.au/ipadsforeducation/detcms/navigation/literacy-and-numeracy-focus/?page=all#internalSection3

 http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html

http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/documents/strategy/pdf/scbyte-elearning.pdf

 https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/Pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx

L, Gill., B, Dalgarno. (2008) Influences of Pre-service Teachers prepardness to use ICTs in the classroom. Retrieved form http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/gill.pdf 

Kop, R., Hill, A. (2008) Connectivism: Learning Theory of the future or vestige of the past. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103 

ICT's in Education. (n.d.). Explanation: Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from http://www.tcd.ie/Education/ICT/unit02/explanation05.htm

Week 6

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Mobile Technology in the Classroom

The topic for this weeks blog is mobile technology in the classroom. While this has been discussed to some degree in previous posts; this week will look at the benefits and implications of the use of mobile technology in the classroom as a whole. 

What is mobile technology? Mobile Technology is exactly what the name implies; technology that is mobile. Such devices are laptops, tablets, smart phones, music players, and GPS devices.  This week blog will be focusing on the use of tablets, smart phones, and music players in the classroom.  There is no denying that Apple devices are the most popular, therefore iPhones, iPads, and iPods will be discussed. 

Here is a short video that introduces mobile technology. 

There is no denying that education is shifting in its practice. Times are changing and education is changing along side it.  The major change in the classroom has been the introduction of mobile devices.  These devices allow students the opportunity to find any information needed at their fingertips. The introduction of these devices has meant that students can engage in education anytime, anywhere. What exactly are the implications in classroom practice when these devices are used? Are all students better off learning from a mobile device? Or are educators forgetting that what has worked in the past still does work today?

Benefits of Mobile Technology

This generation of students has been dubbed "Digital Natives" meaning they have grown up with technology and know how to use it with ease. They don't know life without technology, especially mobile technology. From a young age these children would have passed time by playing games on their parents smartphones when out to dinner, they may have even had a tablet of their own to play on.  This means that students have changed drastically in what knowledge they bring to school about technology. Wylie (2014) suggests that students are now more engaged when using the latest gadgets as it is what they are most used to interacting with. He also suggests that students don't just want mobile learning, they need it.
According to Wainwright (2014) using mobile technology in the classroom is helping your students to prepare for their futures.  Simply knowing how to use a mobile device will be vital for a students future career, in many areas.  It is also an essential part of being apart of a connected world. The use of mobile devices also allows students instant up-to-date access to any information they need. They allow students to stay up to date with what is happening around them, helping them to become well informed citizens.  As well as this, the fact that the devices are mobile allows learning to happen anywhere, not only on school campus but at home as well.  If students are excited and interested in learning when mobile devices are used in the classroom they are much more likely to do their own research and learning outside the classroom.  

Another amazing benefit is the ability to hold all textbooks in one device.  In the primary schools years, this is more a benefit for the teacher then the students. However if I was able to carry all textbooks and information needed to teach a school day, I would be saving a lot of paper, and would have one small device to carry around with me. 
The use of smart phones in schools is quite a controversial one.  Many schools have banned the use of any mobile phone in their schools. However smartphones can have a place in education. One program that I have come across in my research is the poll everywhere program.This program is discussed further down the page. 

Disadvantages of Mobile Technology

No one would say that there are zero benefits to mobile technology, and no one should say there are zero disadvantages either.  There are a few disadvantages to using the devices in the classroom that I have found.  At this stage there is no device that allows students to create and submit work; and for teachers to easily receive grade and return that work. To do this, a collection of apps may need to be used, or work uploaded to a computer, this in turn can create a lot more work then using traditional methods.  Then there is the dreaded Wi-Fi and internet connection issues, we all face from time to time, some more then others, especially in regional centres. A intermittent or non existent Wi-Fi signal can greatly effect the stressfulness of a planned lesson.  This just goes to show how important it is to always have a back-up plan. 
Then there is the distraction issue. While you are teaching a lesson with iPads it is easy for students to exit the app you are using and access a game, or something that excites them more.  There is a function on iPads where you can lock students into a particular application, however this wouldn't work if students are needing to go between two or more applications. Then with this comes the cyber bullying issue.  This is perhaps more of an issue in high grades where students are using social media, however it seems to be affecting younger students as well.  When students are using mobile technology they need to be monitored very closely to ensure they are staying engaged with the topic and not becoming distracted.The following picture is an example of Expectations that should be used and displayed in a classroom. 

 

Photo Source - http://notanotherhistoryteacher.edublogs.org/mobile-devices-in-the-classroom/#.U-QkmkhY7kU

Mobile devices can be quite expensive too, especially when trying to obtain an iPad for every student in the class. As well as this they are not indestructible, protective covering adds to the cost of equipping a classroom.

Applications 

Celly

Celly allows students, teachers, and parents to communicate.  It allows teachers to message their students to remind them about homework tasks, up coming exams and a range of other things. It allows parents to contact the teacher about concerns they may hold for their child's education. All this is achieved without the teachers private mobile number given out.

In Celly's most recent update email addresses can also be used, meaning students or parents are not disadvantaged by not owning a mobile phone.  All communication is private, secure, and is monitored by one or more curators. 

Polls Everywhere

This program allows the teacher to ask a question, it could simply be "who understands this concept", students then text their response anonymously and the data is collected in real time and shown on an Interactive White Board.  This simple use of mobile phones allows teachers to quickly and easily collate data without students having to raise their hand and become embarrassed about not understanding.  

Socrative

Socrative lets teachers engage and assess their students with educational activities on mobile devices. Through the use of real time questioning, instant results and visualization, teachers can see the whole class’ current level of understanding. Socrative saves teachers time so the class can further collaborate, discuss, extend and grow as a community of learners. 

 

QR Codes

QR Codes, or quick response codes are pretty much an advanced bar code.  QR codes can be read both horizontally and vertically, not just horizontally.  When a QR Code is scanned it bring up information, links, audio, video, and much more.  QR codes provide rich education for students.  For example students learning about a particular battle for History may need to read a recount of the battle, if a QR code is added to this page, it could link to a YouTube clip of a reenactment of the battle.  This helps to engage more then one learning style in the lesson and engage students with technology at the same time.  The following video shows how one school incorporated QR Codes. 

 QR codes can be made at Kawya QR Code. 

References 

Business Info.UK. (n.d.). Mobile Technology. Retrieved from http://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/what-mobile-technology-and-what-are-benefits

Wainwright, A. (2012) 4 Benefits of having mobile technology in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/bid/82379/4-Benefits-of-having-mobile-technology-in-the-classroom

Wylie, J. (2014). Mobile Learning Technologies for 21st Century Classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754742

Poll Everywhere. (2014) Retrieved from http://www.polleverywhere.com/

iPads in special Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ed635ipadproject.wikispaces.com/Advantages+and+Disadvantages+of+iPad+Use+in+the+Classroom

Teach Hub.com (2014). Advantages/Disadvantages of the iPad Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/advantagesdisadvantages-ipad-classroom

Celly. (2014). Retrieved from https://cel.ly/

Mobile Devices. (2014). Retrieved from http://notanotherhistoryteacher.edublogs.org/mobile-devices-in-the-classroom/#.U-WfpUhY7kV

QR Codes in Education. (2014). Retrieved from http://theohiobloke.edu.glogster.com/qr-codes-in-education/

Week 5

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I think we all know that chalk and talk in the classroom no longer works. Students today are the most technologically advanced than any before them.  Children today pick up on new technology's and learn how to use them much faster then I ever did as a child.  Due to this it is increasingly important to engage yourself in lessons about new technologies and ways to engage students in everyday classroom activities.  I don't believe that teachers need to be one step ahead of their students when it comes to technology, however I do believe teacher and student can learn together. This weeks blog is all about PowerPoint, Prezi's and iPads in the classroom. 

PowerPoint

Some of us may hear the word PowerPoint and shudder at the thought of using it in the classroom.  PowerPoint is now quite an old technology, however updates are taken place regularly to keep the software up to date.  PowerPoint is traditionally a medium to support oral presentations; so much more can be done with the program in the classroom! It is now a platform the supports the embedding of text, audio, video, images, linking and interactivity; making it ideal for multimodal presentations. 
Winch et. al. (2012) state the importance of students becoming multi-literate in classrooms. It is increasingly important for children to be able to, not only read and understand words, but images, videos and auditory statements.  
The following website is an excellent resource for teachers who are wanting to engage their class in PowerPoint. It has links to other pages such as pages with free template downloads, a do's and don't list etc. http://www.investintech.com/content/powerpoint/

There are many activities that can be enhanced with the use of powerpoint.  

• A boring oral presentation is made much more exciting and engaging when a powerpoint is added. 
• Students can use powerpoint for a backdrop and use them for scene changes in Drama. 
• As well as students using power Point for various exercises teachers can also use it to enhance their own lessons.  

This PMI chart is a handy go to, when thinking about PowerPoints use in the classroom. 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·      It’s fun to use ·      It’s easy to use ·      It has a spell check function ·      Able to be saved as an image ·      Able to be printed ·      It’s easy to learn the basics of the program ·      Increases students possibility in retaining what they are taught when used in a lesson	·      Computers do crash – have a back up plan ·      Overuse of program can bore students ·      Students can waste time on the “pretty” aspect rather then the information ·      Need a large screen (Projector or IWB) to successfully watch a presentation ·      Not using PowerPoint effectively can render the lesson worthless, as students attention wont be kept.	·      Templates can be downloaded from webpages ·      Can be converted to a webpage

Prezi

Now that we have learnt all about Power Point we have the next stage, a Prezi. Prezi are quite different from powerpoint as they allow you to view the big picture, then zoom in on the detail that you want to see.  It allows students to see the 'global perspective' then smaller detial.  This short youtube clip is an introduction to the use of a Prezi. 

There are many ways that a Prezi can be used in the classroom including but not limited to"

• Biographies
• Glossary
• Timelines
• Unit/Lesson Overview

I have created a table of both Plus' and minus' for power Point and Prezi's use in the classroom:

PowerPoint		Prezi
Plus	Minus	Plus	Minus
·      It’s fun to use ·      It’s easy to use ·      It has a spell check function ·      Able to be saved as an image ·      Able to be printed ·      It’s easy to learn the basics of the program ·      Increases students possibility in retaining what they are taught when used in a lesson ·      More features and options	·      Computers do crash – have a back up plan ·      Overuse of program can bore students ·      Students can waste time on the “pretty” aspect rather then the information ·      Need a large screen (Projector or IWB) to successfully watch a presentation ·      Not using PowerPoint effectively can render the lesson worthless, as students attention wont be kept.  ·      Most people don’t know how to use it to its full potential therefore can seem boring	·      Presentation appears more fluid and more visual ·      Web based therefore can be accessed from any computer ·      Easy to edit presentation with other users in real time ·      Easy to Learn	·      Can make people dizzy ·      Limited printing options ·      Web based (problems if no internet connection) ·      Animation Novelty can wear off

iPads

A lot of schools are now equipped with iPads or tablets either for each classrooms or a school set.  iPads are a resource that offers never ending roles to be used.  When accessing the App Store on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod it is easy to see the myriad of applications that are accessible, literacy at your finger tips.  These applications on offer help a range of subject areas, and a range of year levels.  A few apps that I have come across during my time would be beneficial in any classroom setting. 
The first application is the Lego Movie Maker.  This App allows students to take photos and create their very own movie.  Frames can be edited, by reducing the frame speed or creating an effect on the frame, adding sound effects etc.  During a tutorial session we were given the opportunity to have a play with the iPads. One app that I explored with a group was the Lego Movie Maker. We found the app to be very user friendly, and quick to design our very own movie.  One issue we did come across was saving of the clip.  The clip was able to be saved to the iPads camera roll, however an issue may arise if the movie was needed to be transferred to a computer or another device.  During the session we ended up using air drop to transfer the movie to my iPhone, then the iPhone was synced with my computer and the movie was able to be uploaded to this site. I believe this app is a great app for use in lower grades and for many different subject areas. The following video is the movie we made with the App Lego Movie Maker.

There are a number of Applications that are able to be downloaded for a number of reasons.  A simple Google Search will present with hundreds of ideas of Apps to use, and ways to incorporate this into classroom activities.  To help teachers to come to a conclusion about an Apps use in the classroom Kathy Schrock's critical evaluation tool may be of use. 
The following shows a range of Apps, aligned with SAMR, Blooms Taxonomy, and related activities.  

Image sourced from http://elearningrnps.global2.vic.edu.au/2014/05/01/samr-model-using-technology-in-the-classroom/

References

Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2012). Literacy, Reading, Writing & Children’s (4^th ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Technology. (n.d.). PowerPoint in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/powerpoint/

Invest in Tech. (n.d.). Using PowerPoint in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.investintech.com/content/powerpoint/

The Vivid Method. (n.d.) Prezi versus PowerPoint for presentation visuals. Retrieved from http://vividmethod.com/prezi-versus-powerpoint-for-presentation-visuals/

Week 4

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As we all know there are many advancements in how the classroom is operated now, compared to 10 years ago, even 5.  In order for Learning Managers to run their classroom in a way that engages children, they must take part in life-long learning.  This blog, for me, is a part of my learning journey, to ensure that my classroom is as technologically savvy as needed.  This weeks blog is all about the use of images, audio, and video's in the classroom. 

Images

Images are used in the classroom every day in many different formats. Images can be used online or by hard copy.  The images used in the classroom can either be made by the children in your class, or created by someone else for the children to observe.  Images can be used for a range of reasons, to engage thinking, influence feelings and skill training.  When using images on a webpage it is important to not use images simply for decoration or colour, however it is an important factor when thinking about the engagement levels of students.  Ensuring that a range of different visual aspects are used throughout the classroom, helps to ensure that a students visual literacy is enhanced and catered for.  

 
When talking about images in the classroom there are many different activities that can be done to enhance a child's visual literacy, engage them in thinking, influence their feelings etc.

• Children can use images to predict what will be taught in the lesson, or what the topic of the lesson may be. 
• Putting the images in a particular sequence can enable the children to tell a story using the images.

There are also a number of online applications that enable children to create their own images. This can be useful in an art lesson, or to engage students usually reluctant to participate in artistic activities.  

When taking photos in the classroom it is important to remember a few tips. 

1. Set your camera onto the smallest image size
2. You need permission to upload a photo of a person to a webpage
3. Your students cannot be identified in the images
4. All images of children should be kept in a secure place
5. It is ethical to ask a child's permission before uploading their work to a webpage

Audio

 As we all know students all learn in different ways. Students can learn best via visual, auditory, or tactile resources, or a mixture of 2 or all of these. It is very important when designing learning experiences that all learning styles are catered for in a lesson, to ensure students are getting the most out of the lesson as possible.  
Audio books are an excellent tool to engage learners in a Literacy lesson. Audio books are traditionally used with English Second Language learners, learning disabled, impaired students, low level or non readers. In the past they have proven successful in engaging these learners in literacy and actually enjoy it. There are also a few benefits for ALL students. 

• Introduce students to books above their reading level
• Model reading
• Teach listening skills
• Introduce new genres
• Introduce new vocabulary 
• Recapture the love of having a book read to them 

(Reading Rockets, n.d.).

Ezi Speak

Another device that can be very useful in a classroom setting is the use of an Ezi speak. The Ezi Speak is especially useful during assessment time.  Students who are reluctant to write answers may well achieve good results if they are given the opportunity to verbalise their answers.  This microphone is a audio recorder USB device. It enables audio to be recorded and uploaded to a computer via the USB. 

Video

Viewing videos in class is a great way to engage students in the chosen topic.  Videos can be used to show students new information, or for students to create themselves. As discussed in last weeks blog, YouTube is a fantastic database of videos with thousands of topics.   Another video database that I have come across in my research is WatchKnowLearn.org.  This site breaks down each their videos into subject areas, making it easy to navigate. As the website was set up for educational purposes, it is less likely that inappropriate material will be found.
Videos are a great way to introduce a lesson or to engage those reluctant learners in a lesson.  The following video can be used to introduce a unit on forces for Science. 

The most complicated aspect of working with videos is interpreting the various file formats that work with cameras, as well as editing and publishing tools. The following formats are most commonly used an accepted:

• Mp4
• Wmv
• Flash

There are many activities that can be enhanced by students creating their own videos.  Creating common Craft-Style videos is an excellent way to engage students in revision, and assessing their learning. A common-style video are made using simple cardboard cutouts and dialogue that focuses on explaining the topic in plain English.  This is an excellent way to encourage students to demonstrate their learning using minimal resources. More information can be found here: http://www.commoncraft.com/ The following video is an example of common craft style video. 

To enhance learning experiences for your students the use of all three of these technologies is beneficial in the classroom.

References

Moodle Notes. Retrieved from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=295963

How English Language Teachers Can use Pictures in the Classroom, (2014). Retrieved from http://blog.britishcouncil.org/2013/12/06/how-english-teachers-can-use-pictures-in-the-classroom/

Reading Rockets, (n.d.). Benifits of Audio Books for ALL Learners. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64 

Learning Resources, (n.d.). Ezi Speak USB Recorder. Retreived from http://www.learningresources.com/product/easi-speak--8482-+usb+recorder.do 

Edutopia, (n.d.). Lights, Camera, Engagement...Three Great tools for Classroom Video. Retreived from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-video-in-classroom-ron-peck