Reflective Synopsis

ELearning is the specific learning and teaching method that utilises the diverse range of publicly available, interactive technologies such as digital media and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. With the ever changing and improving technologies, it is important to keep both the teachers and learners up to date with these new advancing technologies, to prepare both teachers and learners for modern life in the work force. This new method of teaching and learning has been slowly integrated into education systems, providing learners with access to update technologies such as an “IPAD”, which the learners would use for diverse tasks or challenges in their educational environment, both inside and outside the classroom.  James Paul Gee, a Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University says that we as teachers must accept and cater for the modern teaching methods and embrace them. He says that teachers should allow their students to “engage with games and other digital media”, so they are not simply accepting knowledge as facts, but instead becoming physically and emotionally engaged with the knowledge through interactive technologies. Getting the students to become “meta-aware” about what they do, how they do it, why they do it and what more could they do with it, gets the students to become analytical thinkers. Some interactive eLearning technologies that would be most beneficial for learners are Blogs, Digital videos, Prezi presentations, zoo burst presentations and IPADs and IPODs.

Wiki Activities:
We were asked to participate in an online wiki forum where we were to comment our own personal opinion on the topic of mobile phones.  This activity first of all introduced us to a wiki and gave us a brief understanding of what it was and how it works. A wiki is definitely a beneficial that can be used in the classroom or by a distance and it is online based; therefore it can be accesses at anytime, anywhere. Connectavism can be seen when working with wiki’s as it encourages each person as an individual to participate in the discussion, including their divers view and perspectives with their peers.  In a primary education environment, it would not be appropriate to use this eLearning tool with the younger classes, but rather with the older classes such as six or seven. These age groups would have a sufficient understanding of how to use a computer and the internet, therefore stress-free to use. Older classes are also more common to use computers for class activities and assessment, and would be more utilised for group discussion purposes.

Tool 1: Blog
A Blog is again, an online based eLearning tool where you can post information to the general public to view. I have created a blog that demonstrates most of the features of a blog, it can be found here: http://thundagettin.blogspot.com.au. Blogs are usually used as journals, where you can post your opinions on specific topics and are usually updated regularly. Some of the many features a blog includes are the ability to upload and embed images and videos, which can be used as visual aids for your learners, although legal, safe and ethical factors must also be recognised and be catered for. Of cause when working with children, especially in an educational environment, internet safety is an essential factor that must be recognised. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act was created to help protect kids online and is designed to keep anyone from obtaining a child’s personal information without a guardians consent or knowledge.  Every image, video recording or quote that is published onto your blog must be referenced, recognizing to the public that you do not own that information, but rather are displaying it from another author. You must acknowledge the Copyright Protection Act and keep within the boundaries of the act; otherwise it is regarded as unlawful and you may be prosecuted. Blogs would be great eLearning tool that you could use in an educational environment. For example, you may choose to set an assignment that requires the students to complete certain sections of the assignment and upload that section to their eLearning blog to be marked. Blogs could also be used as a journal that the learners might update weekly to demonstrate what they have learnt that week and reflect on what they have learnt.  Feedback can either be given using the blog to display marks, or to provide the learner with their results privately, although both of these feedback methods are written, therefore it leaves out emotion and expression of words and the learners may overlook your emphasis on specific words that may perhaps have been intended to be emphasised on.

Tool 2: Digital Video
I created a digital video which at first appeared to be difficult, but in fact was quite accomplishable with the help of “Windows Movie Maker 2.6”. I found that there are quite a lot of features that need to be concentrated on when making your own digital video including sound (music, voice overs), Images and special effects. All of these things help to create a simple yet appropriate video that can be used in an educational environment. Another program that I found to be extremely useful and simple to use is” Audacity”, it allows you to record and edit music or your voice over  so that it can be added to the video. I would undoubtable use a digital video in a classroom environment, as I feel videos have the ability to evoke passion and even persuade us to change our opinions. Again it is important to remember that if you use a song for background music in your digital video that you must always reference, otherwise risk being prosecuted. When creating a video, keep in mind It is not about how amazing your special effects are or how good the soundtrack song is in the digital video, but rather the information in the video that is important when using videos in an educational environment. It is the educator’s responsibility to make it an engaging and interesting learning experience.

Tool 3: Prezi
Prezi is a simple, easy to use online presentation tool with unique features that are not included in versions of “Microsoft PowerPoint”. Prezi features an effect that zooms in and out, anywhere you wish on the provided canvas.  I made an example presentation (http://prezi.com/7lo5y9s0zzrf/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-7lo5y9s0zzrf&rc=ref-35742869) to demonstrate all of the features that are available using Prezi. Another reason why Prezi presentations are an appropriate option is because they cater for the diverse learning styles through multimedia, such as embedding images, audio and videos. They are also not limited to just the use of teachers but because of their simplistic design and navigation, Prezi’s can also be used by student within an appropriate age group. You must however, register with Prezi.com to be allowed to use the program and this may breach some confidential, personal student information, so parent consent must be provided before using this program in a class activity. It is also important to keep within the boundaries of the copyright laws, or risk prosecution. Prezi is definitely an appropriate eLearning tool that can be used by the teacher, in an educational environment. It has the possibility of being used by students as well but following the related legislation is necessary before making Prezi a class activity.

Tool 4: ZooBurst
ZooBurst is another presentation tool in the form of an animated pop-up book. The design is simplistic and brightly coloured, using images that can be found in the ZooBurst library that you simply drop and drag onto the canvas provided. I have created an example that can be view, (http://thundagettin.wikispaces.com) to show my understanding of its capabilities. ZooBurst is an enjoyable eLearning tool to play around with and learn how to use although I found navigating the page when creating the presentation to be a challenge, therefore I do not recommend children under year 5 use the program as they may not have the appropriate computer skills. The images are all taken from the ZooBurst image library, meaning that there is no need to reference the pictures you have used in the presentation. This eLearning tool would be a useful tool in the classroom, especially for the younger learners, being an entertaining method of getting the message across, and engaging them in something that they are familiar with. You could also take the student suggestions to make the presentation as a class activity, allowing the learners to participate in, and give them pride in, creating their own book. This eLearning tool is a great presentation tool that would be very useful in the classroom for the right ordinance. The younger learners viewing the presentation and perhaps the older learners could create their own. Either way, ZooBurst is a useful tool from early primary to early secondary, to be used in any learning environment, obviously in the right context, to engage learners in their learning journey.

Conclusion:
Implications for my future as a teacher is to heavily incorporate the latest tools and technologies that the learners are familiar with so that they can achieve the best possible out come from their educational experience.  Certain restrictions would of cause have to be applied for different circumstances, but where ever necessary, I will apply my new understanding and experiences of technology into the classroom to involve the students and engage them with their learning, no matter their learning type. Lessons learned from participating in these activities, are that not all learners are the same and each learner must be catered for, and that technology is forever advancing and keeping up with the times will help to engage the learners with educations because they will be learning with tools and in a ways that they have chosen to use and that they enjoy.

 

Week 6 - Tool Group 5 - IPods and IPads

Learners of the 21^st century have grown up with, and therefore are accustomed to, using technology on a day to day basis. These days, IPods and IPads are not just used for games and entertainment purposes, but also for educational purposes. Because of their vast range of features such as a built in camera, touch effects, downloadable applications and music playing capabilities, IPod’s and IPads are becoming an essential item in the classroom. With technologies, ever advancing and being incorporated and used in educational environments, students are expecting to also move with the times in their schools. I would use them in my educational environment as an educator as, for example, interactive PowerPoint presentations. Instead of looking up on the board, students would have the option of going through the presentation themselves, at their own pace, as they see fit.  Because of their simplistic design, Ipod/IPads can be used by all ages as an engaging tool in the classroom, and overall a must have educational tool in the classroom.

Week 5 1/2 - Tool Group 4 - ZooBurst

ZooBurst is an interactive online teaching and learning tool that is aimed at primary and early education students. ZooBurst can be used by both students and educators and offers a diverse range of presentation options such as simply telling a story or writing a book. This education tool has interactive features, therefore the potential for a high level of participation and engagement with the students. I believe the website would be a valuable tool for students above year five as I found the navigation of the site to be more complex then would be the expected capability of an eight year old. Therefore it would be a great activity that the class could work through together to create the desired presentation. Bellow year five though, ZooBurst would be a great presentation tool that can be viewed rather than the created by the individual learners.

Just one of the interactive features that ZooBurst offers is the option of using a webcam. This can be an exciting feature for users of all ages, by simply holding a “special” symbol up to the webcam, the characters “pop-up” into the room around them. This augmented reality feature can also be used in a simpler form of merely waving an arm in the air in front of the camera to turn the books page. https://edshelf.com/tool/zooburst. Another great feature about ZooBurst is that it is able to be embedded into a blog, website or wiki. This allows authors to include their own contextual framework, so the viewers don’t have to acquire all new information from the pop-up book animation but rather use the information already provided from the particular site.

I fell as though ZooBurst is a valuable learning tool that should be utilised within the classroom as an inclusive group activity rather than an independent activity, as I struggled with the building process and the navigation of using the site. Apart from it not being as intuitive as other educational tools, I found it to be a creative, useful tool none the less.

My example of a ZooBurst can be found on my Wiki page: http://thundagettin.wikispaces.com/

Week 5 - Tool Group 3 - Prezi

After exploring the options provided in the Learning engagement activities, to me Prezi was the obvious choice. Prezi is a presentation tool that offers the unique feature of smoothly, “zooming” up close on a specific area of the canvas page, which allows you to show the section that you want, at certain times, keeping the students from being distracted from other information on the screen. Although Prezi does not have as many advanced features like “Microsoft PowerPoint”, it does have the basics needed to create a presentation. Prezi provides you with options of animation, however the user has to have the power and the ability to make the presentation engaging and interesting. Each section, where you display information, whether it is images or text, it is important to only reinforce key points or introduce different topics. You should refrain from reading directly off the presentation screen, demonstrating that you know and understand what you’re teaching; furthermore, having a heavily cluttered canvas can be distracting and confusing for some learners.
Every learner has a different combination of learning Styles. Prezi caters for these diverse styles through multimedia methods, such as embedding images, sound and design. They can also be used by the students, not just the teachers. The learners can work in collaborate learning groups, which involves all students in the learning experience. Working within groups also gives the learners rolls to play, from a scribe/ recorder, to the group spokesperson. A great feature of the Prezi being online is that once you make an account, you can access it from any computer with access to the internet. Prezi’s are also able to be downloaded; meaning that you can transport them on a USB stick or simply that you will not need to access the internet to access the file. Prezi’s are great for an educational teaching environment because you can present them more than once. If you are teaching multiple classes the same topic, you could show the same presentation rather than writing the same thing on the board every class.

Overall, I believe Prezi is a useful tool that can help keep a presentation interesting, in a learning environment. Creating a presentation through Prezi (or any other presentation program) in a group situation can help learners build on their technology capability skills as well as their social skills. Working within Collaborative groups also encourages peer teaching, and students teaching other learners, shows that they have understood the task/ topic, so much that they are able to support their peers in their learning experience. Although Prezi does have quite a few limitations, such as cost effective upgrades for certain extra features, it is a tool that can be utilised effectively to interest learners, therefore engage them in their studies.
View my Prezi here: http://prezi.com/7lo5y9s0zzrf/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-7lo5y9s0zzrf&rc=ref-35742869

Week 4: Digital Video - Tool 2

Creating a video for the first time, appeared challenging, but in reality it was very simple. I used “Windows Movie maker 2.6” for the first time and it proved to be very helpful and had a lot more useful features than the latest version “Windows Live Movie Maker”. I also used the program “Audacity” which allowed me to edit my “voice over” and add music to play softly in the background. Movie maker has clearly been designed so even an amateur like myself can find it useful. It has a simple design structure, again making it simple and easy to use. It involves mainly drag and drop editing where you can change the amount of time an image is viewed by sliding a bar. It provides photo transition animations when changing from one image to another which can be useful if your intent is to not only provide information but to also engage your learners and make the video interesting and enjoyable. Simply having a series of images blink onto the screen, one after the other is not going to be as enjoyable or interesting as a video with creative image transition animations.

I believe that videos have a unique feature, one that can evoke passion and even persuade us to change our opinions. Through their method of delivery, sound, images and videos come together in a harmony where they have the potential to inspire, encourage and motivate, therefore being a useful tool in our community. Therefore they can be a very useful tool in an educational environment. Even in their simplest form, videos can provide support and opportunities for many different types of learners. It can be used to support students of most learning styles, whether it is visual learners or auditor learners.

Digital video

My Digital Video 

Images Support Learners

Being able to display and edit digital photographs for a learning environment provides my learners with visual aids. Photos and Images can be extremely helpful, especially for the students who are visual learners, like myself. Instead of confusing the student with multiple descriptions of a certain image, simply showing them will help them to understand. I find it helps to get the message across to the learner, more swiftly and clearly then words alone. These images also include graphs and tables.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adettara/7629888212/sizes/c/in/photostream/