Wednesday, August 19, 2009

reflective synopsis

Well this should be my last blog.

Although i have complained about doing this assignment, it has really taught about some tools that i had no idea about and extended my knowledge on tools that i had some knowledge about.

The tool that think that i will use the most in my personal life as well as encourage my students to use is Piknic. I love adjusting photos, and although to get really good tool i had to pay to use it ($5 for a month) i think that it is well worth it. I will try to encourage my students to use the computer before school and in lunch times, as well as taking advantage of the different oportunities that i have (at the school i am in they have interactive whiteboards in every class) and use these tools to their full potential.

I also loved the Video making tool, and the digital storytelling. I can see the children in my classes (no matter what age) enjoying creating a sotry about themselves, for their families and friends. To extend on the digital stories the children may be able to chose a topic for which they wish to learn more about (eg the earths core video in a previous blog) and create a documentary using images and drawings that they have found or completed themselves.

There was however one site that i was NOT impressed with and that was the MediaFile! As stated in a previous blog i was not impressed with the sexualised adds on the pages! However this aside i did see the beneifits of using an online tool that allows MY collegues to access large files.

I can see that these tool will assist students in extending their knowledge base and also encourage higher-order thinking ("Higher-order thinking requires students to manipulate information and ideas in ways that transform their meaning and implications" QSA, 2004)

I have enjoyed AND disliked doing this assignment.. i have enjoyed looking through different technologies and can see that it is something that you cant really be taught in a classroom, but sometimes i get a little distracted and i like being told "this is what you need to do for this part" but all in all it has been a fantastic time..

thanks for reading all my blogs..

beck


References
QSA . (2004) Higher Order Thinking. Retieved on August 6, 2009 from http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/html/pedagogies/intellect/int1a.html

Digital Storytelling

"Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music" (The University of Houston, 2008)

This is a perfect example of how a class could use digital storytelling


I think if i had of been taught like this as school i MAY have remembered things that i now struggle with.. how much fun can be had in our classes today.. as the saying goes.. "the world is at our finger tips" it is so true. all we have to do is log on to a computer search the internet and we can find SO much.

This form of learning engages the students in ways that i dont remember EVER being engaged, it is a fun yet, intriguing way of showing different information, and if the students are creating the digital stories IMAGINE the posibilities of learning.

This tool as got me excited, it can be used even with the younger grades (it may have to be a class project but they will enjoy seeing themselves on the computer screens just as much or more than the older children). And to think that you dont actually need to go out and purchase special programs you can use online ones AND ones that are already on your computer.. it is FANTASTIC!!!

i love it..

Beck

References
The University of Houston. (2008). The educational uses of digital story telling. Retrieved on August 13, 2009 from http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

Powerpoint Quiz.

Welcome again.. These thoughts are running low on wackyness.

Ok so i have gone and done a quiz.. Late last year i completed a SOSE subject and we created a webquest (as stated earlier in my blogs). Below is the link to be able to download this webquest. If you feel the need, see if you are able to complete the quiz (there really isnt any need to go further with it but feel free to look and see what me and my partner did).

Ok so the point of these quizes im guessing is to provide a question and then the students select an answer. For this to happen we as teachers must remember to remove the "on mouse click" tick so that the students dont just go through without answering the questions. I would have to agree with a number of my collegues about using ClassMaker instead of Powerpoint Quiz as a summative assessment piece, as Classmaker provides the answer the children selected where as Powerpoint Quiz allows the children to have multiple attempts at the questions and so is more of a formative assessment tool, a usefull formative tool at that.


As stated in previous blogs i also like fiddling with pp so getting to do the quiz and the slides for the one below was NOT a big deal, sure it took a LOT of time and energy but all in all i think that it looked effective and students would like to participate in a quiz that catches their eye (that is a draw back for Classmaker- it isn't very pretty).

well i hope that you have enjoyed reading this brief undate on Powerpoint Quizes.

BECK

Powerpoint quiz
http://www.mediafire.com/?mwkdmty4gzo