Reflective Synopsis

Exploring and analysing the wide range of Web 2.0 technologies has been exhilarating, challenging, frustrating and eye-opening. The first challenge to overcome was my prior dismissal of these technologies as not being relevant to me. I had to stop thinking subjectively about these tools and analyse them objectively - to see how an "immigrant" can make learning and meaning making engaging to the multiple learning styles of the "native" (Prensky, 2004).

In my Portal Task classrooms, I have not encountered many of these technologies, let alone seen them implemented. My challenge will be in finding ways to introduce opportunities for my learners to experience the wonders of their local and global communities.

This course has taken me and my e-learning peers into the ether, where we have established connections, networks and a community of practice (Wenger, nd) as we demonstrate how and what we have learned, encourage each other in making meaning, as well as finding assistance and resources as we continue our e-learning journeys. I know that I have found the blogs of my fellow e-learners invaluable in providing me with my own "light-bulb" moments (Amanda and Stuart for their etymological insights (aggregator and avatar) and upper primary revelations about ClassMarker, Andrew for an invaluable suggestion of how to use podcasts for professional development, and Kira for a sensational way on using Flickr in a lesson on weather). While "lurking" has an odious connotation, I know that my journey has been enhanced by reading the trials, tribulations, joys and wonders of my fellow learners. In turn, I have received food for thought from peers and other visitors.

Using different frameworks as a basis for examining and analysing the different tools helped my own higher order thinking. What was important for me, was to find ways that they could be used to engage students in meaningful learning experiences where knowledge becomes understanding, not just the "CTRL-C, CTRL-V" means of gathering information. (March, 2002-2006).

The main frameworks that I applied in my examination of these technologies were Kearsley and Shneiderman's Engagement Theory (1999) and Oliver's Learning Design Sequence (1999). Throughout my journey, I also used other lenses to look through. These being:

• A constructivist lens. How do students create their own understandings - by themselves, through scaffolded experiences, working with their peers, informal or formal learning experiences. (McInerney & McInerney, 2006)
  
• A Multiple Intelligence lens. Having profiled my students at the beginning of the year, I was well aware of their MI strengths and weaknesses. I undertook my own test and discovered that I needed to work on my weaknesses to fulfil their strengths.

Another challenge that I faced was being in an Early Childhood environment. Some technologies I embraced more whole-heartedly as I could see practical applications in my current classroom. Prep students have a wide range of visual literacies and comprehension of symbols, yet their reading and writing skills presented me with challenges on how to implement some of the technologies - in particular ClassMarker. In saying that, I remain open to its potential.

It was with the visual, auditory and interactive technologies - these being Powerpoint, YouTube and music - that I connected with. I discovered ways that I could engage the Prep students in creating blogs for a purpose and I became intrigued with the possibilities of global classrooms. Security implications were also at the forefront in my examination of these technologies. In examining global classrooms, I saw practical examples of avatars being used to protect the children's images.

VoiceThread is a technology that I would use regularly in an Early Childhood environment. I already use Photostory, but there are far more student centred collaborative applications with VoiceThread. As well as being used for telling stories, excursion recounts, it would be a great tool to use for stories on positional language where students could create concrete examples of abstract concepts.

Another technology that I can see practical applications for in my future classroom is that of e-portfolios. E-folios are becoming an important way of documenting learning journeys. In our increasingly transitory world, they become a powerful portable tool for students to demonstrate their learning as they travel from school to school, state to state, country to country.

So, now what? What are the future implications for me as an ICT user and Learning Manager. By participating in this course I am working towards gaining my ICT certificate, an advantage when I become employed as it will demonstrate that I am "up to the challenge of contemporary learning and teaching from day one". (Education Queensland, 2009). Through my engagement with the course, I have now signed up for RSS feeds from educational sites, I will actively search for professional blogs, and I have discovered the potential of podcasts for my professional development. I am now part of an ICT learners community of practice. I will remain open and objective to new technologies and embrace them, and I now have frameworks with which to examine the technologies and my designed learning experiences.

Bring on the future . . .

References:
Education Queensland (2009) Smart Classrooms. Tertiary Education Students. Downloaded August, 2009 from http://education.qld.gov.au/smartclassrooms/pdframework/users/tertiary-student.html

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Downloaded 5 July 2009 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

March, T (2002-2006) The 7 Red Flags. Downloaded from http://bestwebquests.com/tips/red_flags.asp

McInerney, D & McInerney V (2006) Educational Psychology. Constructing Learning. (Edition 4) Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

Oliver, R. Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education. (1999) Vol 20 (2) p 240- 254.

Prensky, M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Downloaded July 2009 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

The Learning Design Construct. Downloaded July 2009 from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Wenger, E (nd) Communities of practice. A brief introduction Downloaded August 2009 from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Voicing over . . .

I first found out about VoiceThread from K-3 Teacher Resources, of which I am a member. Until recently I used to receive monthly newsletters - now I have signed up for RSS feeds and I am constantly being updated about new resources. They provided a link to a VoiceThread that demonstrated how it could work in a classroom. At the time I thought that it would be a wonderful resource to use in the classroom - creating class online books, or retelling excursions were two ideas that came to mind.

VoiceThread itself provides ideas on how it could be used, and there is also educational blog that provides information on ways that VoiceThread can be used (for a variety of ages and year levels).

From reading the blogs of my fellow e-learners, this is a tool that they all seem to be most engaged by (and I agree). As an e-learning technology it provides a higher level of engagement and interactivity than a Powerpoint demonstration. It allows all the voices of a group to be heard (whilst providing anonymity in the form of Doppel Me avatars that can be uploaded).

A learning activity that I instigated in my Prep Class was Humphrey the class bear. Students would take him home and write about what they do with Humphrey at their house. It was a great success - however, having examined all these wonderful tools, a blog could have been created detailing his adventures, or even a VoiceThread. I created a "teaser" for what could be done and added to as an ongoing project.

Music to my ears.

Incompetech is a great site for Royalty-Free music - such a range of styles for any mood or situation. I was successful in downloading some World music. My next problem was how to upload it to my blog. I know that Kerri has a great MixPod on her blog, and I wondered if I could create my own playlist. Unfortunately, I am still waiting on my confirmation email so that I can set up my account.

Not being one to give up easily, I looked at the blogs of my e-learning peers to see what they had achieved. Andrew's blog used a tool called Box.net to share his music. Yet another free sharing technology! I quickly set up an account and uploaded my royalty-free selections.


How can I use music in the classroom to engage my students? Knowing that I do not have a strong musical "smart" does not mean that I should not cater to the students that do. Background music, song, movement and dance are all ways that music can be used. In an early childhood classroom, music is an essential element. Nursery rhymes, repetitive songs all help with literacy. Movement and dance all help with gross and fine motor skills.

Music (and movement) can be a way to warm students up, and alternatively can be used as a calming activity (with meditation after lunch breaks, drawing to music). Music can be used to signal transitions - pack up time, lunch breaks. Background music can be used during quiet learning periods (independent reading, creative writing). Music can also create an awareness of culture.

A growing appreciation of copyright has made me realise what a wonderful resource a royalty-free site can be. I can use it for the classroom, as well as university presentations - remembering to give credit where credit is due.

Virtual Filing Cabinets.

I cannot believe the amount of free sharing and storage devices there are - and I have the feeling that I have only scratched the surface.
I now know about and use:
Google docs - free document sharing/storage
You Tube/Teacher tube - free video sharing
Slideshare - free sharing and storage for powerpoints, audio files, documents, pdfs
Box.net - free music sharing and storage
Mahara - open source e-portfolio with storage facilities
Flickr - free photo storage and sharing
podcasts - free audio and videos
Mediafire - unlimited uploads, downloads and 100mb per file.

I have read comments in other blogs about how assignments can be lost due to a computer glitch or crash (yep, had that one happen), had a USB stick that didn't work on the uni computer (yep - that one has happened also), different versions of powerpoint that are not compatible, a USB is left at home on the day of presentation, or lost completely!

Fortunately (or otherwise) there are no more excuses for not handing in our homework! There are other means of storing and sharing our precious things. How easy will it be to carry our work around with us and keep it filed for future reference or updating. My home computer has extra hubs and hard drives and I'm losing track of how many "sticks" I own. Thank goodness for Media Fire! I will be able to keep everything that is currently in a myriad of places in one easily accessed site. What a joy!

In the spirit of sharing, I have uploaded an observation matrix that I have been using for EPL2. It is a 2 page document, and has been set out in an A3 format, so that I can include more information. Not every item is filled in each visit, and sometimes I may change the focus of one of the cells. When printing, reduce it to A4. I hope you find it useful.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mznnmojjdjw

A quest for knowledge.

WebQuests. I previously had them in the same category as IWBs. I had heard of them, I knew that they existed, but I had never seen one. So, I set out on a quest of my own - my own crusade for the Grail (enlightenment).

March (2003) describes a WebQuest as "a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students' investigations"

What I have found on my quest is that a true WebQuest is the best example that demonstrates the richness of learning with ICTs:

• It is social constructivism in action - WebQuests contain scaffolded activities and collaborative group projects where students actively learn with each other.
• It is student centred learning. March (1998) states that WebQuests bridge the gap between direct instruction and student centred learning.
• Having an authentic task and using open ended questions require students to problem solve and demonstrate their thinking and how they have made meaning
• It is Engagement Theory as students, in groups, take on roles to solve problems in an authentic motivating task which connects learners to the real world
• WebQuests demonstrate the Learning Design Sequence (Oliver, 1999) in that web activities are provided for students to investigate and problem solve. The web resources provide articles, references, different points of view and interactivity - all the while having collaborative peer and teacher support.

How could I use this in my Early Childhood classroom? I went in search of a WebQuest that I could either use, or adapt to a specific topic. In my first year, my Year 2 students had to do a powerpoint presentation on animals before a visit to Australia Zoo. If they had done the WebQuest below (it would have been changed to be about animals at Australia Zoo), how much more meaningful could their learning have been?

There has been a break out at the zoo!

In setting up a WebQuest there are a number of criteria to make it far more than just a "treasure hunt" for information. There is a new set of the three R's to consider - is it real, rich and relevant. While setting them up will take time and effort (but then again, when doesn't good planning take up time?) if set up properly, what a great learning tool they will be!

My Quest goes on . . .

References:
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Downloaded 5 July 2009 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

March, T (1998) The WebQuest Design Process. Downloaded August, 2009 from http://www.tommarch.com/writings/wq_design.php

March, T (2003) What WebQuests Are (Really). Downloaded August, 2009 from http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp

Oliver, R. Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education. (1999) Vol 20 (2) p 240- 254.

The Learning Design Construct. Downloaded July 2009 from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

I can see my house from here!

I remember when I first heard about Google Earth, all I did was look at places that I had lived and travelled to as well as famous landmarks and places that I had yet to visit (Great Wall of China, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo). I then promptly forgot all about it again . . . . until now.

Google Earth (GE) 5.0 is available and capable of so many things - travelling back in time, under the sea and to the moon. How on earth (pardon the pun) was I going to be able to find out how to use this? Having my eyes opened to the wonders of blogs, I actively started looking for them and found one that provided me with information and basics on how to use Google Earth. GE itself also provides video tutorials on how to understand all the features (for version 4 and above).

Google Earth and Lit Trips were mentioned in a tutorial, though I do seem to remember reading a blog where it stated that this cannot be accessed in EQ schools (please correct me if I am mistaken). Then there are the benefits of using Google Earth for mapping activities. Google for Educators also provides information on how GE can be used in the classroom. (see my Slideshare Sidebar). Also, on my learning journey I found a video on how GE can be used in conjunction with IWBs.


It will be up to me to find ways to engage my learners with activities incorporating this tool, so that students can make meaning and learn through formal and informal learning experiences.

References:
Google Earth in the Classroom. Downloaded August 2009 from http://www.google.com/educators/all_grades.html

Cast away . . .

Podcasts to me are very similar to the little RSS button - I had heard about them and wondered about them, but was never curious enough to do anything about finding out about them. I also thought that they could only be used in ipods - how wrong have I been about it all. While I may have actively ignored this technology as not being interesting to me - what about the natives? How can I used this in the classroom? As Siemens (2004) states "learning may reside in non-human appliances".

After going to iTunes and having a look around, I realised that there is so much available in audio and video format that I had disregarded by not considering this a worthwhile technology. So, how can I use it?

Waugh (2007) gives examples of how this could be used in the class, some ideas being:

• Previous books that have been read
• Recorded lessons (that students may have missed due to absence, or may need replaying to consolidate content)
• Connecting to other schools (locally or globally) via their podcasts
• Special guest or expert interviews
• Digital stories
• News bulletins

What I also did not realise is that podcasts can be enhanced with images, texts and hyperlinks. One podcast that I listened to was even complemented by a Slideshare presentation. I found a free downloadable manual that I will have to examine in detail if I am to use this tool.

In searching for some information about podcasts and how they could be used, I found the Scholastic site, which has a list of their top ten podcasts that are available for different year levels.

I realise that I have much to experience and learn about podcasts, and this technology is one that fits within the relate-create-donate framework of Engagement Theory, as in the example of Podkids.

References:
Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999) Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Downloaded 5 July 2009 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Siemens, G (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Downloaded August, 2009 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.html

Waugh, D (2007) An Updated article about Podcasting in Education. Downloaded August 2009 from http://213.232.94.135/ipodined/news.php?item.91