Thursday 31 March 2011
Sensation
Sharon took our class on a trip to sensation where we had to set up a trail using QR codes and iPhones. The science elective followed the codes with our help however I found that the task was manageable enough to follow without too much previous ICT knowledge. I liked this as it gave the ICT group a chance to play and proved achievable for every member of the group. If this activity was used with a class this would provide a sense of achievement and motivation to continue the task. It meets the Curriculum for Excellence principle of Challenge and Enjoyment and enhances the learning of particular scientific knowledge. Instead of superficial play at each station pupil's would receive a deeper learning experience. I would use this with a class as it is quick and easy to create and can also be differentiated by age and/or ability.
Nintendo DS
During the module Colette gave us an input on games based learning using consoles. I enjoyed the consoles but I found some of the games annoying (as usual). The game I was unsure about was Professor Layton as it was logical and challenging but too slow paced for my liking. I played a gardening game which I found boring and less engaging than the virtual worlds for the iPad. I played another game similar to Brain Academy which I liked as it was word puzzles and had activities where it was possible to beat my score however there was only a limited amount of progress which could be made per day which could be frustrating for children. My least favorite game was Artemis Fowl which I found was just a book series. This wasn't engaging as a game however I feel the novelty of the console could engage pupils and spark interest for reading. Overall I feel that the consoles are useful in education but think that iPads can provide the same learning experience.
Monday 14 March 2011
Promethean Training
'Interactive whiteboards enable improved delivery and pacing, whole-class teaching, interaction and discussion, and relate to increased motivation for both teachers and pupils.' (Passey et al., 2004 cited Hall 2010)
This is a statement I believe to be very much true after the training I received for the Promethean interactive whiteboards today. Similar to the Smartboards, the Promethean boards use many of the same method to make simple learning more engaging. For example, the different revelation methods during activities and the camera tools were alike in both programs. I think this is a positive thing as the skills learned in one can be easily transferred to another. In my opinion I prefer the Promethean as it is what I myself was taught on and have used in my own teaching practice.
I think that undertaking the tutorials online was easy but remembering the skills learned in them was hard as without the software on my laptop I didn't have the hands on experience. Learning with the program today was a lot easier and will stick in my mind better than before. This probably implies that I am a kinaesthetic learner rather than a visual learner. The pupils in my future classes may learn better using the board in a hands on way as well which is why a lot of the activities that can be created are perfect for pupils use as a class.
This is a statement I believe to be very much true after the training I received for the Promethean interactive whiteboards today. Similar to the Smartboards, the Promethean boards use many of the same method to make simple learning more engaging. For example, the different revelation methods during activities and the camera tools were alike in both programs. I think this is a positive thing as the skills learned in one can be easily transferred to another. In my opinion I prefer the Promethean as it is what I myself was taught on and have used in my own teaching practice.
I think that undertaking the tutorials online was easy but remembering the skills learned in them was hard as without the software on my laptop I didn't have the hands on experience. Learning with the program today was a lot easier and will stick in my mind better than before. This probably implies that I am a kinaesthetic learner rather than a visual learner. The pupils in my future classes may learn better using the board in a hands on way as well which is why a lot of the activities that can be created are perfect for pupils use as a class.
A Week in Nursery
The nursery pre-visit week which was undertaken recently was very interesting and enjoyable for me. I found the the worries of placing theory and practical issues together were not so apparent in practice. I found that, on discussion with other students and through my own experience, the more important factors of the week were settling into the nursery team and interacting with the children. I found that I was able to do this and still use theory to compare with observations I made of how the nursery was run. I found myself more interested in how the nursery works, sitting in on a meeting helped me really see how to team gelled and how I could learn from their own reflective approach. I feel that I have been very fortunate to be placed in the nursery I am in as there are very strong bonds between the staff however they are welcoming and helpful to me as well. As I continue to research and experience life in the nursery I feel I will learn a lot about using theory to support practice.
When I was in the nursery I kept an eye out for the different ICT tools used. There were the obvious such as computers and televisions (also a digital microscope which was unused as far as I could see) but there were also resources such as toy cash registers, telephones and calculators.
At first I would not have considered these to fall under the category of ICT, rather number as Brenda has mentioned, however Hall (2010) states in The ICT Handbook for Primary Teachers that as, 'play is the means by which young children make sense of their world,' it is then the teachers role to,'raise children's awareness of technology in the world around them and create safe settings which model a range of real world scenarios.' p.99.
According to Hall, using everyday items such as the battery operated toys in nurseries helps the children with the following;
This list points out how through playing, the children are already picking up essential ICT skills and knowledge.
When I was in the nursery I kept an eye out for the different ICT tools used. There were the obvious such as computers and televisions (also a digital microscope which was unused as far as I could see) but there were also resources such as toy cash registers, telephones and calculators.
At first I would not have considered these to fall under the category of ICT, rather number as Brenda has mentioned, however Hall (2010) states in The ICT Handbook for Primary Teachers that as, 'play is the means by which young children make sense of their world,' it is then the teachers role to,'raise children's awareness of technology in the world around them and create safe settings which model a range of real world scenarios.' p.99.
According to Hall, using everyday items such as the battery operated toys in nurseries helps the children with the following;
- develop and interest in ICT equipment and apparatus
- identify and explore everyday uses of information technology in a meaningful context
- talk about uses for ICT in their own lives and represent experiences through role-play
- understand how to operate simple equipment and perform simple functions independently
- turn to appropriate equipment in their play in order to communicate information
- be aware of the dangers associated with some equipment, such as electrical switches, and of the need to work within simple safety guidelines
- use correct technical vocabulary
This list points out how through playing, the children are already picking up essential ICT skills and knowledge.
Collaborative PowerPoint
In the last week the class engaged in a collaborative PowerPoint in google docs.
I found this activity very useful as we were building on our ideas from the games based learning input and presenting them in a PowerPoint format. This would be beneficial to children as they would and improve their skills in this program. The fact that the activity was in a google doc was very helpful as each member of our group could have their own computer and contribute to specific slides, this eliminates the annoyance of crowding around a computer to work together which creates a difficult situation.
The result of each person contributing from their own computer is that teamwork is made much easier than it had previously been.
I think that as well as building on previous ICT skills, using the google doc PowerPoint enables the Health and Wellbeing outcomes;
I make full use of and value the opportunities I am given to improve and manage my learning and, in turn, I can help to encourage learning and confidence in others.
I found this activity very useful as we were building on our ideas from the games based learning input and presenting them in a PowerPoint format. This would be beneficial to children as they would and improve their skills in this program. The fact that the activity was in a google doc was very helpful as each member of our group could have their own computer and contribute to specific slides, this eliminates the annoyance of crowding around a computer to work together which creates a difficult situation.
The result of each person contributing from their own computer is that teamwork is made much easier than it had previously been.
I think that as well as building on previous ICT skills, using the google doc PowerPoint enables the Health and Wellbeing outcomes;
I make full use of and value the opportunities I am given to improve and manage my learning and, in turn, I can help to encourage learning and confidence in others.
*Responsibility of all
I value the opportunities I am given to make friends and be part of a group in a range of situations.
*Responsibility of all
Crazy Talk
As I extend and enhance my knowledge of features of various types of software, including those which help find, organise, manage and access information, I can apply what I learn in different situations.
Blackbeard introduced a task for finding adjectives and verbs.
I feel both could be improved by using the microphones to use our own or others' voices instead of typing.
This Curriculum for Excellence outcome represents what I have learned whilst using the Crazy Talk program. I feel that learning the new software and putting it into practice with the tasks we were given would help me in my future practice not only with the patience I am slowly gaining throughout the module but also as an opening stimulus for future lessons.
We made two talking characters, one relating to our wiki and the other for introducing a writing task. These served two different functions. The character for our wiki was giving extra information on what has already been written whereas the character of 'Blackbeard' which introduced the writing task had the potential to be the beginning of a context. It could be expanded in a number of ways across the curriculum, much like the games based learning activities from previous inputs.
We used Kelly Holmes for our wiki as the theme is Healthy Lifestyle.
Blackbeard introduced a task for finding adjectives and verbs.
I feel both could be improved by using the microphones to use our own or others' voices instead of typing.
Eilidh on Holiday
Our bear has arrived in Germany and through the blog we have seen her arrive and settle in to her new home, we are the only group left without a bear being sent to us as the students in the university we are paired with have not began their term yet. It's exciting seeing everybody else receive their bear so I can't wait to meet ours and take him/her into nursery.
However I feel that this activity could benefit any age group in primary school. I feel that the bear blog activity not only builds pupils' ICT skills but by linking to another country enables the learning in social studies, particularly the outcome;
By comparing the lifestyle and culture of citizens in another country with those of Scotland, I can discuss the similarities and differences.
However I feel that this activity could benefit any age group in primary school. I feel that the bear blog activity not only builds pupils' ICT skills but by linking to another country enables the learning in social studies, particularly the outcome;
By comparing the lifestyle and culture of citizens in another country with those of Scotland, I can discuss the similarities and differences.
SOC 2-19a
This links into our task for Voices of the World from February. We have recently seen the responses and I feel a sense of achievement in the fact that we have created something and people from across the world have replied. I loved to hear that the voices had been recorded rather than typed like ours and feel that if a class did this activity they would feel proud of their work.
It is a good way of learning language whilst linking into social studies and creating a deeper learning experience.
This links into our task for Voices of the World from February. We have recently seen the responses and I feel a sense of achievement in the fact that we have created something and people from across the world have replied. I loved to hear that the voices had been recorded rather than typed like ours and feel that if a class did this activity they would feel proud of their work.
It is a good way of learning language whilst linking into social studies and creating a deeper learning experience.
Games Based Learning
During the module we have experienced tools which could implement games based learning within the curriculum. Guitar Hero, Samba and the Wii bike all use interactive technology to enhance learning. We then concentrated on the guitar hero in a group, discussed and recorded in a google doc how we could use this as a context throughout the curriculum. I liked the idea of using it as a tool for engagement and building the subject areas around a band/character the pupils can design.
I feel that my first impressions of games based learning were that it may be fun but failed to see the real educational benefit pupil's would get from the game itself. Throughout the input I realised that I needed to look past the immediate short term benefits of the game e.g hand eye co-ordination and look further.
Guitar Hero in the classroom is not specific to music teaching, it can be expanded to every subject area, creating a gig, selling tickets, pricing venues, designing logos, etc are all related to the starting point of the game. I realised this, not only when we were making our google doc and discussing how we could use this in the classroom but also when I was playing the game, I was engaged immediately as the pupils would also be, I wanted to pick the outfit and guitar for my character and choose my favourite song, I realised that if pupils were making these elements of the game themselves whilst designing costumes and writing songs the level of engagement would increase rapidly.
An interesting question raised by Sharon is how often would the game be played. I felt that it would need to be the introduction but could be used throughout for inspiration or to maintain enthusiasm for the project.
I feel that the stimulus of this particular games based learning tool meets the Curriculum for Excellence principles of Challenge and Enjoyment, Personalisation and Choice and Coherence.
I feel that the game is engaging for the pupils the activities created from the different areas of the curriculum provide scope for appropriate challenge and a sense of achievement in the final product
.
Challenge and enjoyment
'Children and young people should find their learning challenging, engaging and motivating. The curriculum should encourage high aspirations and ambitions for all.
At all stages, learners of all aptitudes and abilities should experience an appropriate level of challenge, to enable each individual to achieve his or her potential. They should be active in their learning and have opportunities to develop and demonstrate their creativity. There should be support to enable children and young people to sustain their effort.'
The fact that pupils can create their own style in every aspect of the project from their character to the song they play creates massive opportunities for personalisation and choice and pupil's will feel a sense of ownership in their work.
Personalisation and choice
'The curriculum should respond to individual needs and support particular aptitudes and talents. It should give each child and young person increasing opportunities for exercising responsible personal choice as they move through their school career.
Once they have achieved suitable levels of attainment across a wide range of areas of learning, the choice should become as open as possible. There should be safeguards to ensure that choices are soundly based and lead to successful outcomes.'
The project is drawing in many aspects of the curriculum and linking pupil's experiences together simply using the one stimulus.
Coherence
'Taken as a whole, children and young people's learning activities should combine to form a coherent experience. There should be clear links between the different aspects of children and young people's learning, including opportunities for extended activities which draw different strands of learning together.'
Another example of games based learning is the Sony PSP which provides support as well as stimulus for learning.
I feel that my first impressions of games based learning were that it may be fun but failed to see the real educational benefit pupil's would get from the game itself. Throughout the input I realised that I needed to look past the immediate short term benefits of the game e.g hand eye co-ordination and look further.
Guitar Hero in the classroom is not specific to music teaching, it can be expanded to every subject area, creating a gig, selling tickets, pricing venues, designing logos, etc are all related to the starting point of the game. I realised this, not only when we were making our google doc and discussing how we could use this in the classroom but also when I was playing the game, I was engaged immediately as the pupils would also be, I wanted to pick the outfit and guitar for my character and choose my favourite song, I realised that if pupils were making these elements of the game themselves whilst designing costumes and writing songs the level of engagement would increase rapidly.
An interesting question raised by Sharon is how often would the game be played. I felt that it would need to be the introduction but could be used throughout for inspiration or to maintain enthusiasm for the project.
I feel that the stimulus of this particular games based learning tool meets the Curriculum for Excellence principles of Challenge and Enjoyment, Personalisation and Choice and Coherence.
I feel that the game is engaging for the pupils the activities created from the different areas of the curriculum provide scope for appropriate challenge and a sense of achievement in the final product
.
Challenge and enjoyment
'Children and young people should find their learning challenging, engaging and motivating. The curriculum should encourage high aspirations and ambitions for all.
At all stages, learners of all aptitudes and abilities should experience an appropriate level of challenge, to enable each individual to achieve his or her potential. They should be active in their learning and have opportunities to develop and demonstrate their creativity. There should be support to enable children and young people to sustain their effort.'
The fact that pupils can create their own style in every aspect of the project from their character to the song they play creates massive opportunities for personalisation and choice and pupil's will feel a sense of ownership in their work.
Personalisation and choice
'The curriculum should respond to individual needs and support particular aptitudes and talents. It should give each child and young person increasing opportunities for exercising responsible personal choice as they move through their school career.
Once they have achieved suitable levels of attainment across a wide range of areas of learning, the choice should become as open as possible. There should be safeguards to ensure that choices are soundly based and lead to successful outcomes.'
The project is drawing in many aspects of the curriculum and linking pupil's experiences together simply using the one stimulus.
Coherence
'Taken as a whole, children and young people's learning activities should combine to form a coherent experience. There should be clear links between the different aspects of children and young people's learning, including opportunities for extended activities which draw different strands of learning together.'
Another example of games based learning is the Sony PSP which provides support as well as stimulus for learning.
Monday 7 March 2011
Wikis
Our class was recently given an input to complete our wikispaces in groups. This input was the most surprising to me so far within the elective. This was because my usual state of frustration wasn't the case as I found the task somewhat tedious however not difficult. It was in fact the rest of the class who were becoming frustrated and it was unusual for me to see the opposite of what usually goes on in ICT. The fact this happens makes me wonder whether it was just my mood that day or whether the task was more suited to my style of learning. This makes me think about the challenges of teaching any subject in any age group in any school as pupils would need to find something they can co-operate with and the differences among children mean that they will find different things to co-operate with. The teacher's job is to assist and encourage the engagement in a certain aspect of the child's education. Helping each child find what works for them could prove difficult but rewarding in my career.
The wikispaces themselves were fine in my opinion, although there were some problems with images and the main cause of annoyance was the fact that moving the pictures around while editing did not result in the same position on the wikispace. Also, some pictures did not show up after editing and only using public domain images was limiting. Overall, I found making the wiki simple and I do think that it is a good resource for classrooms as it is a more engaging method of displaying information than handing out fact sheets or booklets.
Furthering classroom use by making class run wikis could benefit pupils' learning experience, however I feel I would need experience through trial and error with a class of my own to feel confident in this.
Richardson (2006) explains that, 'In using wikis, students are not only learning how to publish content; they are also learning how to develop and use all sorts of collaborative skills, negotiating with others to agree on correctness, meaning, relevance, and more. In essence, students begin to teach each other.' (p.65)
I feel that this statement is just as it is the process I have been through working on my wiki and working in my group/pair in general.
The wikispaces themselves were fine in my opinion, although there were some problems with images and the main cause of annoyance was the fact that moving the pictures around while editing did not result in the same position on the wikispace. Also, some pictures did not show up after editing and only using public domain images was limiting. Overall, I found making the wiki simple and I do think that it is a good resource for classrooms as it is a more engaging method of displaying information than handing out fact sheets or booklets.
Furthering classroom use by making class run wikis could benefit pupils' learning experience, however I feel I would need experience through trial and error with a class of my own to feel confident in this.
Richardson (2006) explains that, 'In using wikis, students are not only learning how to publish content; they are also learning how to develop and use all sorts of collaborative skills, negotiating with others to agree on correctness, meaning, relevance, and more. In essence, students begin to teach each other.' (p.65)
I feel that this statement is just as it is the process I have been through working on my wiki and working in my group/pair in general.
Sunday 20 February 2011
Using my Blog across B.Ed
I have found that during the course of reflection in this blog that it is very beneficial for my professional development so I feel that this space could be utilized for reflecting across my other modules as well.
I feel our input on Friday 18th February is worth reflecting on as I found it very helpful and exciting. During this input we set up our context area in groups which we decided was 'People Who Help Us' as it is a prominent topic for nursery and early years education.
We were then joined by a nursery class who were free to explore every area set up by our entire year. This gave us all the opportunity to interact and observe the children and learn more about nursery. I have had lots of nursery experience as the bulk of my work experience before university was in nurseries rather than higher up in the primary school however I had been observing and interacting without having it backed up by theory. Because if this I was comfortable around the children and could easily interact and have fun but I could now add to that by taking into account the aspects Erika and Brenda have been talking to us about. I found this helped me with respect to observation as I was thinking about what to watch and what I could note if I had planned an observation however I was unsure how much we were expected to get involved as we were being told to interact but are often told in lectures that we should let the children play on their own and not dictate to them what to do. I feel that I managed to strike a balance between the two but until I have had more experience applying theory I cannot be 100% sure.
I learned a lot about what attracts children to a certain area. I think our area was great but the position was wrong as we were right next to the door in the corner and our tables were out of reach for the children. The areas which were colourful and had objects at the children's height were very popular plus colourful and crafty things were a favourite! Also, leftover balloons from the 1CM1 World Cafe were more popular than any area which goes to show the point that Erika and Brenda make all the time that you can create a fantastic context area but it still may not interest the children.
Overall the input has made me even more excited about my nursery placement!
I feel our input on Friday 18th February is worth reflecting on as I found it very helpful and exciting. During this input we set up our context area in groups which we decided was 'People Who Help Us' as it is a prominent topic for nursery and early years education.
We were then joined by a nursery class who were free to explore every area set up by our entire year. This gave us all the opportunity to interact and observe the children and learn more about nursery. I have had lots of nursery experience as the bulk of my work experience before university was in nurseries rather than higher up in the primary school however I had been observing and interacting without having it backed up by theory. Because if this I was comfortable around the children and could easily interact and have fun but I could now add to that by taking into account the aspects Erika and Brenda have been talking to us about. I found this helped me with respect to observation as I was thinking about what to watch and what I could note if I had planned an observation however I was unsure how much we were expected to get involved as we were being told to interact but are often told in lectures that we should let the children play on their own and not dictate to them what to do. I feel that I managed to strike a balance between the two but until I have had more experience applying theory I cannot be 100% sure.
I learned a lot about what attracts children to a certain area. I think our area was great but the position was wrong as we were right next to the door in the corner and our tables were out of reach for the children. The areas which were colourful and had objects at the children's height were very popular plus colourful and crafty things were a favourite! Also, leftover balloons from the 1CM1 World Cafe were more popular than any area which goes to show the point that Erika and Brenda make all the time that you can create a fantastic context area but it still may not interest the children.
Overall the input has made me even more excited about my nursery placement!
iPhone Treasure Hunt
This week Sharon had us running around the university looking for clues in out treasure hunt! Using the code-scanning app we took pictures which led to another code with another clue! Unfortunatly nobody found the prize, I'm not sure if Sharon was joking and sent us on a wild goose chase just for the experience or if there was actually a prize somewhere and we all missed it. Either way it worked because the experience was extremely engaging, even if we didn't win the prize I still enjoyed following the clues and working together. It may have worked better if each team started out with a different code though, as the first person to solve the clue was followed by everybody else. Doing this with a class would end up in a pile up of thirty children all trying to take photos. The active learning with the modern technology was a perfect combination! I will definatly use this in the classroom! This is my favourite transferable activity so far!
Movie Making!
Over the past few weeks our groups have been making movies based on out topic. Our movie was about cooking a traditional Scottish meal of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties and it all going disastrously wrong.
First was the Filming, our plan was to film outside and inside Tesco's but the camera wasn't working when we got there! This was our first obstacle, but we decided not to let it frustrate us and cut the supermarket scenes from the movie. This worked out better in the end as our movie would have been way too long if we had included them. We then went on to film with Kirsten as camera-woman, Sarah as director and me as the actress. I didn't mind being in the movie but would have maybe liked everybody to be on camera at least for a small part. Although nobody else would join me in front of the camera, filming was fun, there were so many out-takes as we all kept laughing, especially me! I can see how children would find this fun because there are roles for pupils who want to be in front of the camera and pupils who prefer to be behind the scenes. I think that this gives the teacher the important role of grouping carefully. This is not a job for the random group generator which can be used on the Smartboard.
Next came the Editing which involved cutting the scenes, writing titles and adding music all using Windows Movie Maker. Kirsten and I worked together on editing the movie, Kirsten was in charge but we both had input into what our movie would look and sound like. Sharon questioned whether I knew how to edit a movie after seeing Kirsten in the driving seat but I learned through the process as I know the processes for each step of the movie making after first being told by Sharon and then testing it out for myself.
During the first input for editing the video we finished cutting the scenes together and had most of the subtitles but whilst saving on a memory stick all our editing was lost! This was extremely frustrating as my known lack of patience was already being pushed with the specific nature of the movie making process! Kirsten managed to make the movie again quickly and this seemed to be a common problem amongst the groups. This shows how careful we would need to be when teaching this to children. We picked up where we left off in the next input and added French subtitles to the spoken English which were translated by Claire. We then added music using Audacity. Although it is simple to use we had to record our songs from heaphones onto the microphone and the quality was often quite bad or would include the background noise. Also the sound was very low and it was only resolved when we figured out how to turn it up in Windows Movie Maker. Because of this I am not too fond of this program.
During the Strictly Come Movies Carrie commented that our movie was a good introduction into teaching about how food gets from the ground onto our plate and that the comedy aspect was something primary school children would find extremely funny! I was glad to hear this as I was uncomfortable acting on my own and the fact that it came across funny was a relif but it was still embarrassing for me to watch!
Throughout the journey of movie making I have been increasingly frustrated and impatient, every aspect seemed to create obstacles. Despite this I have learned that ICT is about problem-solving and finding different ways of overcoming these obstacles but I am still undecided whether I would use it in a primary classroom.
First was the Filming, our plan was to film outside and inside Tesco's but the camera wasn't working when we got there! This was our first obstacle, but we decided not to let it frustrate us and cut the supermarket scenes from the movie. This worked out better in the end as our movie would have been way too long if we had included them. We then went on to film with Kirsten as camera-woman, Sarah as director and me as the actress. I didn't mind being in the movie but would have maybe liked everybody to be on camera at least for a small part. Although nobody else would join me in front of the camera, filming was fun, there were so many out-takes as we all kept laughing, especially me! I can see how children would find this fun because there are roles for pupils who want to be in front of the camera and pupils who prefer to be behind the scenes. I think that this gives the teacher the important role of grouping carefully. This is not a job for the random group generator which can be used on the Smartboard.
Next came the Editing which involved cutting the scenes, writing titles and adding music all using Windows Movie Maker. Kirsten and I worked together on editing the movie, Kirsten was in charge but we both had input into what our movie would look and sound like. Sharon questioned whether I knew how to edit a movie after seeing Kirsten in the driving seat but I learned through the process as I know the processes for each step of the movie making after first being told by Sharon and then testing it out for myself.
During the first input for editing the video we finished cutting the scenes together and had most of the subtitles but whilst saving on a memory stick all our editing was lost! This was extremely frustrating as my known lack of patience was already being pushed with the specific nature of the movie making process! Kirsten managed to make the movie again quickly and this seemed to be a common problem amongst the groups. This shows how careful we would need to be when teaching this to children. We picked up where we left off in the next input and added French subtitles to the spoken English which were translated by Claire. We then added music using Audacity. Although it is simple to use we had to record our songs from heaphones onto the microphone and the quality was often quite bad or would include the background noise. Also the sound was very low and it was only resolved when we figured out how to turn it up in Windows Movie Maker. Because of this I am not too fond of this program.
During the Strictly Come Movies Carrie commented that our movie was a good introduction into teaching about how food gets from the ground onto our plate and that the comedy aspect was something primary school children would find extremely funny! I was glad to hear this as I was uncomfortable acting on my own and the fact that it came across funny was a relif but it was still embarrassing for me to watch!
Throughout the journey of movie making I have been increasingly frustrated and impatient, every aspect seemed to create obstacles. Despite this I have learned that ICT is about problem-solving and finding different ways of overcoming these obstacles but I am still undecided whether I would use it in a primary classroom.
Smartboard Training
At the beginning of the week both the ICT and modern languages electives were given training for the Smartboard.
I found this training extremely useful as the technology is designed for and frequently used in classrooms therefore all the skills we were learning could be directly transferred into classrooms.
We were learning the basic skills like moving the objects, resizing, writing in different colours etc which was necessary and needed but we also learned how to use tools which made lessons which could have previously been simple or boring into something a bit more exciting and engaging.
I really liked the idea of using different ways of revealing answers, methods such as erasing, dragging objects onto colours, sliding and linking question pages to the answers. This was all made possible by contrasting background colours with that of the written answers. All this could be done whilst pupils come up to the board and write over anything with a pen.
The technology makes the lesson engaging for the pupils and is easy to use for the teacher.
The possibilities are endless for any subject and pupils can really be involved in the activities!
The voting systems are a fantastic tool for the classroom as each pupil can type in their own ID and the teacher can see who is answering and record their answers from every vote ever made. Their assessment is automatically saved and easily accessible.
The voting systems can also be confidential so are similar to Poll4 in this respect but are better as they are already linked to the Smartboard and do not need each pupil to have a device linked to the internet.
I found this training extremely useful as the technology is designed for and frequently used in classrooms therefore all the skills we were learning could be directly transferred into classrooms.
We were learning the basic skills like moving the objects, resizing, writing in different colours etc which was necessary and needed but we also learned how to use tools which made lessons which could have previously been simple or boring into something a bit more exciting and engaging.
I really liked the idea of using different ways of revealing answers, methods such as erasing, dragging objects onto colours, sliding and linking question pages to the answers. This was all made possible by contrasting background colours with that of the written answers. All this could be done whilst pupils come up to the board and write over anything with a pen.
The technology makes the lesson engaging for the pupils and is easy to use for the teacher.
The possibilities are endless for any subject and pupils can really be involved in the activities!
The voting systems are a fantastic tool for the classroom as each pupil can type in their own ID and the teacher can see who is answering and record their answers from every vote ever made. Their assessment is automatically saved and easily accessible.
The voting systems can also be confidential so are similar to Poll4 in this respect but are better as they are already linked to the Smartboard and do not need each pupil to have a device linked to the internet.
Bear Blogs
Throughout the module our class has teamed up with the Modern Languages elective to send off a teddy bear to a foreign country. We named him, took pictures and sent him away in a little box with a few treats for our friends in Germany.
We are connected to Sharon's bear blog and posts are going up from our class and from our friends across the world. I think that the whole process has been engaging and would defiantly work in a classroom. The bear's adventures are exciting for the learners as they will be interested to see where their bear has been and will be able to take the bear sent to them on adventures of their own. Sharon's stories of the bear on the bike rove that pupils love this idea as they wanted to know exactly where it was and the excitement generated when a bear arrives in our input is enough to sow how much fun pupils will have!
Our post for the bear blog hasn't been added yet as it was the responsibility of somebody from the modern languages group however, although she volunteered for the job I think it would have been better if Kirsten or myself had done it as we have more emphasis on the blogging aspect of the project. This is about decision making and I feel that we did not anticipate as a group that blogs have less importance outside of our elective. I would like this not to be the case as I am finding blogging useful and although I can fall behind due to my laziness, I feel that I am learning as I write. I am coming to conclusions about the activities because of my reflections.
I think this is what separates the two blogs as this is my reflective blog which I can learn from and use in the future whereas the bear blog is used for communication and documentation. This shows me that blogs have many uses and I should be more focused on completing mine on time as I am the one who will benefit.
I think that my new found appreciation of blogging helps me to use the skill in my own practice as Ganley (2004) states that, 'when a teacher believes in what she's doing and is confident in her tools, well, it rubs off on even the most resistant of students. As reflective research teachers, we must continue to circle back and look at how what we do ties into our long-term educational goals.'
Richardson (2006) writes in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms that, 'If we want students to learn from blogs, we have to experience that learning firsthand,' and that, 'teachers should blog to show students that it is something of value and to model appropriate ways of doing it.'
I agree with this point as throughout this module I have gained a better insight into the obtacles learners will face during each task. This will help me overcome them myself and be able to teach them with confidence.
We are connected to Sharon's bear blog and posts are going up from our class and from our friends across the world. I think that the whole process has been engaging and would defiantly work in a classroom. The bear's adventures are exciting for the learners as they will be interested to see where their bear has been and will be able to take the bear sent to them on adventures of their own. Sharon's stories of the bear on the bike rove that pupils love this idea as they wanted to know exactly where it was and the excitement generated when a bear arrives in our input is enough to sow how much fun pupils will have!
Our post for the bear blog hasn't been added yet as it was the responsibility of somebody from the modern languages group however, although she volunteered for the job I think it would have been better if Kirsten or myself had done it as we have more emphasis on the blogging aspect of the project. This is about decision making and I feel that we did not anticipate as a group that blogs have less importance outside of our elective. I would like this not to be the case as I am finding blogging useful and although I can fall behind due to my laziness, I feel that I am learning as I write. I am coming to conclusions about the activities because of my reflections.
I think this is what separates the two blogs as this is my reflective blog which I can learn from and use in the future whereas the bear blog is used for communication and documentation. This shows me that blogs have many uses and I should be more focused on completing mine on time as I am the one who will benefit.
I think that my new found appreciation of blogging helps me to use the skill in my own practice as Ganley (2004) states that, 'when a teacher believes in what she's doing and is confident in her tools, well, it rubs off on even the most resistant of students. As reflective research teachers, we must continue to circle back and look at how what we do ties into our long-term educational goals.'
Richardson (2006) writes in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms that, 'If we want students to learn from blogs, we have to experience that learning firsthand,' and that, 'teachers should blog to show students that it is something of value and to model appropriate ways of doing it.'
I agree with this point as throughout this module I have gained a better insight into the obtacles learners will face during each task. This will help me overcome them myself and be able to teach them with confidence.
My New iPad :D
This week is my turn to explore the iPad, having had it for four days now I can safely say that I am addicted! There was an app which had already been downloaded called Virtuoso which is a touch keyboard style application. This is obviously useful for music and reminds me of a point Sharon mentioned about an app for a scientific calculator. The money it would cost for a calculator for every pupil would not need to be spent as it would not need to be spent on keyboards. It is one of the many apps which is included in the price of the iPad itself. I found it more engaging than a regular keyboard as it is a novelty to begin with, I started teaching myself new songs and testing out chords for songs I already knew. I felt a sense of achievement when I could play the songs and realised that what I had just seen as messing about was actually learning. There is an emphasis on playing for learning across the nursery modules which Erika and Brenda are teaching us, however this type of play could be spread throughout the whole school and expanded. From this app I found another called Music Drawing Lite which allows you to place a note on a scale and play it. Introducing the notes on a scale could be built upon with this app as pupils can practice through playing on this app. I would use this in my own practice by refreshing knowledge of musical notes including visual reminders on the interactive whiteboard, then I would write the notes of a popular song out in letters. The pupils would have to fill these notes in on the app and play the song. This will involve them matching the notes in letter form to the notes on a scale. I would then let them create their own piece of music which the app enables them to save creating a sense of ownership of the song.
As well as using the music apps, I downloaded games purely for the novelty of having the iPad, I though I may as well enjoy it!
I have become addicted to Bakery Story and Restaurant Story where you build a cafe/restaurant serve customers. The apps have a similar format to Farmville which has never attracted me before however these games were more appealing. At first I thought they were simply something to play but after reading Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use by Susan Brooks-Young (2010) I realised that it could be more educational than I first thought.
According to Brooks-Young, 'Besides being highly engaging, imaginary worlds provide environments where students can learn to make sense of the real world as well. Increasing numbers of educators are experimenting with using virtual worlds to engage students in a wide range of learning activities.'
I agree with this point as I found the game engaging to the point of addiction!
Brooks-Young expands her point by stating that, 'students who could directly manipulate objects in animations learned better using a variety of problem-solving measures. Virtual worlds make it possible for educators to create environments where students can learn by manipulating objects in the environment to test hypotheses and see "what if?"'
This is very true of these particular apps as the progression of the virtual world is dependant on the actions of the user. Deciding what to cook, how much money to spend on furniture, how long the food will take etc are all decisions the user needs to make to move up levels and have a successful virtual business.
The Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
By experiencing the setting up and running of a business, I can collaborate in making choices relating to the different roles and responsibilities and have evaluated its success.
As well as using the music apps, I downloaded games purely for the novelty of having the iPad, I though I may as well enjoy it!
I have become addicted to Bakery Story and Restaurant Story where you build a cafe/restaurant serve customers. The apps have a similar format to Farmville which has never attracted me before however these games were more appealing. At first I thought they were simply something to play but after reading Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use by Susan Brooks-Young (2010) I realised that it could be more educational than I first thought.
According to Brooks-Young, 'Besides being highly engaging, imaginary worlds provide environments where students can learn to make sense of the real world as well. Increasing numbers of educators are experimenting with using virtual worlds to engage students in a wide range of learning activities.'
I agree with this point as I found the game engaging to the point of addiction!
Brooks-Young expands her point by stating that, 'students who could directly manipulate objects in animations learned better using a variety of problem-solving measures. Virtual worlds make it possible for educators to create environments where students can learn by manipulating objects in the environment to test hypotheses and see "what if?"'
This is very true of these particular apps as the progression of the virtual world is dependant on the actions of the user. Deciding what to cook, how much money to spend on furniture, how long the food will take etc are all decisions the user needs to make to move up levels and have a successful virtual business.
The Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
By experiencing the setting up and running of a business, I can collaborate in making choices relating to the different roles and responsibilities and have evaluated its success.
relates to this sort of game. Pupils experience a taste of enterprising which can relate to projects within the classroom and school.
Animation!
Here is the video animation me and Kirsten made during a previous input.
As I have stated before, the patience it takes to make the video is very important. I find that this patience is sometimes lost on me as I personally prefer instant results however I do feel that looking back at my experience and the end product of it is very enjoyable and I feel that I have not only learned to be more patient but I have reflected on ho I would use this in my own teaching. I think that some people would respond to this activity the same way I did whereas others would appreciate the experience. Paying close attention to detail is a process certain people enjoy. Knowing whether a class would enjoy this comes with knowing the pupils. If I were to use this in education I would set the time frame for the activity at a rate which would suit my own class. We completed the animation in just a few hours as we were only testing and learning the processes ourselves. teaching this to children could become a mini topic which splits each aspect of the task up so completion of smaller tasks could be achievements in themselves. This could be expanded to blogging as each activity could be documented and blogged about e.g. taking pictures of plasticine characters, practicing with the Digital Blue camera technology and the final movies as well as taking pictures of the children during the process. Pupils could also reflect in the blog about how they found the activity. This would help them reflect on their own learning experience by self-assessing and inform the teacher's practice.
During the animation process I feel that the pupils would be working towards the Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways.
I feel that I have enhanced my skills in this area as well as practicing the skills involved in the Curriculum for Excellence outcome;
Using appropriate software, I can work individually or collaboratively to design and implement a game, animation or other application.
Collaborative Task
In the most recent input Sharon assigned us a collaborative task in which we were to create a video in which we were to make a video using Animoto.
Our group created a Wordle using words from a collaborative wiki.
I liked the idea of a space where each person could input ideas at the same time. This would defiantly work in the classroom as it could be used in the same way as mind-mapping. Instead of calling out answers with the teacher recording, the document could be shown on the interactive whiteboard whilst pupils are typing in ideas. This benefits pupils who may not want to answer in class.
We also needed to use Zamzar to convert our picture files into JPEG format. We've used Zamzar before when converting music files for our animations and I think it a very valuable website for teachers as before I wouldn't have known how to do this and may have had to use another resource or no resource at all.
The collaborative document could be useful for homework as it could be accessed from home computers.
Another good use for a document like this is for pupils questions. If pupils are finding an certain aspect of an activity difficult then it could highlight to the teacher that something specific was not properly explained during the introduction of their lesson. Instead of the teacher finding that the pupils are struggling by helping several pupils individually the teacher could see quickly that a task may be causing confusion or difficulty.
The collaborative document is similar to Poll4 which allows pupils to vote or comment on a particular question. This may or may not be anonymous which allows the same benefits for quiet pupils.
Our group created a Wordle using words from a collaborative wiki.
I liked the idea of a space where each person could input ideas at the same time. This would defiantly work in the classroom as it could be used in the same way as mind-mapping. Instead of calling out answers with the teacher recording, the document could be shown on the interactive whiteboard whilst pupils are typing in ideas. This benefits pupils who may not want to answer in class.
We also needed to use Zamzar to convert our picture files into JPEG format. We've used Zamzar before when converting music files for our animations and I think it a very valuable website for teachers as before I wouldn't have known how to do this and may have had to use another resource or no resource at all.
The collaborative document could be useful for homework as it could be accessed from home computers.
Another good use for a document like this is for pupils questions. If pupils are finding an certain aspect of an activity difficult then it could highlight to the teacher that something specific was not properly explained during the introduction of their lesson. Instead of the teacher finding that the pupils are struggling by helping several pupils individually the teacher could see quickly that a task may be causing confusion or difficulty.
The collaborative document is similar to Poll4 which allows pupils to vote or comment on a particular question. This may or may not be anonymous which allows the same benefits for quiet pupils.
Thursday 17 February 2011
Blabberize
Sharon set us a task during the workshop today to use blabberize to make a talking picture. I used my avatar and found it worked well and think using pictures with more than one face in them would be even more effective. I used a quick sound clip from the Dance-ejay programme for my example.
http://blabberize.com/
http://blabberize.com/
Monday 31 January 2011
Voices of the World February Task
February’s task – create five animated characters using www.voki.com and record the following text based on a Valentine’s poem.
Voki 1 – Roses are red
Voki 2 – Violets are blue
Voki 3 – Sugar is sweet
Voki 4 – And so are you
Voki 5 – I Love you
Listen to the vokis below to hear the poem in different languages.
Make a short PowerPoint about Valentine's Day.
I Love You
Wednesday 26 January 2011
ICT Input 3 - Animation :(
As our groups, and therefore topic for our wiki, changed during the last input we decided to use the theme of healthy eating.
Because of this, our animation was based on health.
In my first blog I spoke about animation and how much I despise it! I don't have the patience for the constant clicking and I'm not really great at the art involved in making the models!
Me and Kirsten were the only people in the group and we worked well together, however we were both getting frustrated with the clicking and moving of the animation. The background was constantly moving and when we watched it back our hands were still in the shot! We re-shot a lot of the video and when we were finally finished, I didn't feel much achievement as there was only around 20 seconds of video!!
I think this could be used with a class but over a longer period of time and with more pupils in a group. I think if this was spread out into a project for pupils they would enjoy it as they would invest time and have a strong sense of ownership on the final product.
I took Sharon's advice to keep it simple but with my lack of patience for this activity I spent the three hours frustrated!!
Because of this, our animation was based on health.
In my first blog I spoke about animation and how much I despise it! I don't have the patience for the constant clicking and I'm not really great at the art involved in making the models!
Me and Kirsten were the only people in the group and we worked well together, however we were both getting frustrated with the clicking and moving of the animation. The background was constantly moving and when we watched it back our hands were still in the shot! We re-shot a lot of the video and when we were finally finished, I didn't feel much achievement as there was only around 20 seconds of video!!
I think this could be used with a class but over a longer period of time and with more pupils in a group. I think if this was spread out into a project for pupils they would enjoy it as they would invest time and have a strong sense of ownership on the final product.
I took Sharon's advice to keep it simple but with my lack of patience for this activity I spent the three hours frustrated!!
ICT Input 2
In the second ICT input Sharon introduced us to a range of tools to enhance learning in ICT.
The groups I had previously spoken about in my first blog had now been changed so none of the absent members were no longer in my group. This was positive as we could engage in a whole group discussion and work well together. However it had a negative effect due to the fact we were starting from scratch and had to think of new ideas for a topic for the wiki and movie and had less time to think about our bear character. Because of this we had to meet up in outside the workshop to organise our resources for this aspect of our group work. I already feel that this group works better because we were all present and active in the communication. Since the input we have e-mailed to organise our bear story and met up to take pictures.
We were told about communities of practice and explored our own understanding of this by word association. I was interested in what Sharon had told us about Belbin's theory of roles.
We each had to decide and discuss with a partner which role we feel we take. I feel that I fall under the people/feelings category especially the team worker and resource/investigator roles. I think I have parts of each role as different situations may bring on different reactions and a good teacher must take on board each aspect to teach different children.
In our group I feel there must be somebody who falls under the Doing/Acting role as there needs to be an active facilitator to motivate the group properly. Sharon commented that when directing ICT in schools and making links with others she needed to take this role as she wanted to keep the connections working.
It is apparent Sharon has done this in the organisation of the module as well as in schools as she has set up links with student teachers in other countries to share our bears with.
We were introduced to voices of the world which is a useful tool to connect children from different countries and cultures. We looked at the song 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' sung in different languages. This links to our modern languages collaboration and is a good way of teaching language without being rigid. On the wiki page for voices of the world there is a mention of eTwinning. As I had never heard of this concept before, I explored the link and found that it is a way of making connections with teacher throughout Europe! This is an excellent idea as it is an easy way of finding like minded professionals. Also I had no idea where Sharon found schools/universities to connect with before now!
We were shown the SlideShare program to enable us to show PowerPoints over the internet. To test the program out I made a tester slideshow;
The groups I had previously spoken about in my first blog had now been changed so none of the absent members were no longer in my group. This was positive as we could engage in a whole group discussion and work well together. However it had a negative effect due to the fact we were starting from scratch and had to think of new ideas for a topic for the wiki and movie and had less time to think about our bear character. Because of this we had to meet up in outside the workshop to organise our resources for this aspect of our group work. I already feel that this group works better because we were all present and active in the communication. Since the input we have e-mailed to organise our bear story and met up to take pictures.
We were told about communities of practice and explored our own understanding of this by word association. I was interested in what Sharon had told us about Belbin's theory of roles.
We each had to decide and discuss with a partner which role we feel we take. I feel that I fall under the people/feelings category especially the team worker and resource/investigator roles. I think I have parts of each role as different situations may bring on different reactions and a good teacher must take on board each aspect to teach different children.
In our group I feel there must be somebody who falls under the Doing/Acting role as there needs to be an active facilitator to motivate the group properly. Sharon commented that when directing ICT in schools and making links with others she needed to take this role as she wanted to keep the connections working.
It is apparent Sharon has done this in the organisation of the module as well as in schools as she has set up links with student teachers in other countries to share our bears with.
We were introduced to voices of the world which is a useful tool to connect children from different countries and cultures. We looked at the song 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' sung in different languages. This links to our modern languages collaboration and is a good way of teaching language without being rigid. On the wiki page for voices of the world there is a mention of eTwinning. As I had never heard of this concept before, I explored the link and found that it is a way of making connections with teacher throughout Europe! This is an excellent idea as it is an easy way of finding like minded professionals. Also I had no idea where Sharon found schools/universities to connect with before now!
We were shown the SlideShare program to enable us to show PowerPoints over the internet. To test the program out I made a tester slideshow;
Slideshare ppt
View more presentations from mandy9251.
Another tool we were shown was One True Media for making montages using pictures and music. I tested this out with a picture of me and the introduction to my favourite song!!
We also learned about Mixbook for making virtual books. I think this would be very helpful in a nursery and throughout the school and it's very interactive during story time as pupils could turn the pages. I intended to test out the program like I did with SlideShare and One True Media but the website would not respond!
We used a voting website called Poll4.com to decide as a class whether we would use one bear per class or per group. I liked this website as it let you answer any question using a code. This could be used for homework as well as voting as long as pupils remembered to put their name alongside the answer!
Taking into account the comments on my previous blogs from Collette and Sharon, I labelled my blogs and checked the spellings before publishing. I wrote instructions for adding Vokis to a blog which was very difficult because of the aspect of adding pictures but I figured out through trial and error how to crop save and upload into a post.
Another tool we were shown was One True Media for making montages using pictures and music. I tested this out with a picture of me and the introduction to my favourite song!!
We also learned about Mixbook for making virtual books. I think this would be very helpful in a nursery and throughout the school and it's very interactive during story time as pupils could turn the pages. I intended to test out the program like I did with SlideShare and One True Media but the website would not respond!
We used a voting website called Poll4.com to decide as a class whether we would use one bear per class or per group. I liked this website as it let you answer any question using a code. This could be used for homework as well as voting as long as pupils remembered to put their name alongside the answer!
Taking into account the comments on my previous blogs from Collette and Sharon, I labelled my blogs and checked the spellings before publishing. I wrote instructions for adding Vokis to a blog which was very difficult because of the aspect of adding pictures but I figured out through trial and error how to crop save and upload into a post.
How to add a Voki to your blog
After a previous blog about trying to add a Voki to my blog, Sharon suggested I write instructions about this for others.
First go to http://www.voki.com/
Next, create an account by filling in the box in the top right corner.
After you have set up an account, log in and you will be taken to the home page.
Along the top of the page there is a button which says 'Create'.
A Voki will appear on the page with 'Customize your character' buttons next to it.
Change your character's appearance and give it a voice by using these buttons.
When you have finished creating the Voki, click 'Publish'.
Name your Voki in the box provided and press 'Save'.
Once the Voki is saved, there will be a box containing a HTML code under the title 'For Most Sites Use This Code'.
Highlight and copy this code. Go to your blog homepage. In the top right corner next to the 'New Post' button, there is a 'Design' button.
Click the 'Design' button and you will be taken to a page with a layout of your blog.
At the right hand side of the page above the boxes 'Followers', 'Blog Archive' and, 'About Me' there is a button which says 'Add Gadget' Click this button.
A box will then pop up with options, scroll down until you find the button for 'HTML/Javascript'.
When you click this another box will appear. In this box, name your Voki and paste the HTML code into the 'content' box.
Press save and view blog!
Thursday 20 January 2011
Building on my learning
Today Sharon showed us how to upload a video onto my blog rather than just uploading the link.
I'm testing this skill by uploading the YouTube video I posted the link to yesterday.
I'm testing this skill by uploading the YouTube video I posted the link to yesterday.
Wednesday 19 January 2011
My Voki
Whilst being shown examples of post-grad blogs in our first workshop, I saw one of them had uploaded a Voki onto their page. Taking Collette's advice to protect my identity I decided I wanted a Voki version of myself for my own blog.
During the time setting up my blog I made a Voki and tried pasting the HTML code into various areas on the blog. Each time it failed to upload so I used the internet to find instructions.
There I found a link to a YouTube viedo posted by school children about how to add my Voki! This was a great help and proof that ICT in schools can work very well!
Here is the link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssGHaNX3O4g
During the time setting up my blog I made a Voki and tried pasting the HTML code into various areas on the blog. Each time it failed to upload so I used the internet to find instructions.
There I found a link to a YouTube viedo posted by school children about how to add my Voki! This was a great help and proof that ICT in schools can work very well!
Here is the link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssGHaNX3O4g
Introduction to ICT (2CM8)
I chose ICT as my elective as I enjoyed the previous inputs, especially the games based learning and movie making. I'm looking forward to trying out these aspects of the module.
In the first workshop of the ICT elective, our class was given an overview of the activities we will be participating in this semester.
We made wikis and began our blogs. I have experience of wikis from the modern languages input last year and will hopefully further my knowledge of them as the module goes on.
Blogging is something I've never done before so I'm interested in the new experience and predict that from this experience I will learn the benefits blogging can have within the classroom.
We teamed up with the modern languages elective class and formed our working groups in which we will be movie making. Our group has 2 modern language students and 3 students from ICT. I'm glad that the numbers turned out this way as I'm keen to edit the movies we'll be making but feel that I don't have a full enough understanding to take on the ICT aspect on my own.
During the workshop Collette spoke about the negative relationships of some of the groups from other years. This has made me wary of the fact that I don't know two of the members of my group and haven't met them yet as they were both absent. I hope our group can work together well, it seems to be working so far as we started thinking of ideas for our movie together.
Combining modern languages and ICT has complicated the task as our group has French and German students so the topic must include both. Thinking of a topic which can include all five of us and cultural aspects of France and Germany was hard. We came up with 'Paris to Berlin' and had rough ideas of what to include in the video but will need a lot more input for perfection!
I'm looking forward to the Strictly Come Movies as it's an example of active learning and also sounds fun. I think that the Smartboard and Promethean training will help me use these resources to their full ability in a classroom and the bear journey is a great activity!
I think over the module I will struggle with the animation as last year I lost patience with the endless clicking!
In the first workshop of the ICT elective, our class was given an overview of the activities we will be participating in this semester.
We made wikis and began our blogs. I have experience of wikis from the modern languages input last year and will hopefully further my knowledge of them as the module goes on.
Blogging is something I've never done before so I'm interested in the new experience and predict that from this experience I will learn the benefits blogging can have within the classroom.
We teamed up with the modern languages elective class and formed our working groups in which we will be movie making. Our group has 2 modern language students and 3 students from ICT. I'm glad that the numbers turned out this way as I'm keen to edit the movies we'll be making but feel that I don't have a full enough understanding to take on the ICT aspect on my own.
During the workshop Collette spoke about the negative relationships of some of the groups from other years. This has made me wary of the fact that I don't know two of the members of my group and haven't met them yet as they were both absent. I hope our group can work together well, it seems to be working so far as we started thinking of ideas for our movie together.
Combining modern languages and ICT has complicated the task as our group has French and German students so the topic must include both. Thinking of a topic which can include all five of us and cultural aspects of France and Germany was hard. We came up with 'Paris to Berlin' and had rough ideas of what to include in the video but will need a lot more input for perfection!
I'm looking forward to the Strictly Come Movies as it's an example of active learning and also sounds fun. I think that the Smartboard and Promethean training will help me use these resources to their full ability in a classroom and the bear journey is a great activity!
I think over the module I will struggle with the animation as last year I lost patience with the endless clicking!
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