Avatars

Get a Voki now!

This is a great tool that could be used in the classroom to present information to students rather then hearing it from the teacher. It could be used to engage students as a variety of characters can be created to suit the topic or students interests. The Learning Manager could also create a voki to be a 'guest speaker' to the students and it could be used to support the learning or give new information.

The Big 6

The Big 6 framework was developed by researchers Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. The Big 6 helps students develop the skills and understandings they need to find, process, and use information effectively with a focus on process as well as content (Eisenberg, 2001). "Students use the Big6 Skills whenever they need information to solve a problem, make a decision, or complete a task" (Eisenberg, 2001). The Big 6 has six stages:

1. Task Definition

2. Information Seeking Strategies

3. Location and Access

4. Use of Information

5. Synthesis

6. Evaluation

The Big 6 skills can be considered essential life skills as they can be applied in all settings including home, work and school. The Big 6 approach ensures that ICT is used in all phases or stages of learning to maximise the outcomes for students. I believe that this would be an effective framework for integrating ICT into the classroom and I plan to use this framework in the future.

You Tube

Created in 2005, You Tube is a video sharing website that allows users to upload, share and view video content as well as music clips and movie clips. You Tube has the potential to play a positive role in the classroom if used appropriately. This can be done by teachers accessing YouTube clips prior to lessons to assess the content and ensure it is suitable. Although some videos must require an 18years+ log in to avoid adult content, there are still hundreds of clips that are not suitable for young children to watch that are made available in a general search. Using a You Tube video, along with good teaching, can encourage student participation, deeper thinking and greater interest.

Here is a video I found about healthy eating. This could be used to engage learners when doing a unit about healthy eating. Working in groups, students could then brainstorm to eventually create their own YouTube clip about healthy eating from what they have learnt. The video could also be used as a fun way to break up the lesson and allow for movement and to help regain focus which would positively support the students' comfort and order in the classroom (Marzano and Pickering, 1997).

14th August... Another note to consider....

I have been considering the use of YouTube in the class and I have just learnt about the program KeepVid which allows you to download the video prior to the lesson and then play them in the classroom or upload them to servers where the students can access them. This program would be particularly useful to ensure that students are not exposed to inappropriate content, advertisements or comments when streaming the YouTube clip live.

Windows Movie Maker

Here is a quick, short movie I made using Windows Movie Maker. I used video and still images that I captured on holiday while travelling India and combined it with text to create this presentation. This video could be used to show students how other countries are different to theirs and to promote discussion and thought about the diversity in our lives and our world. I felt that using text in this presentation encouraged deeper thinking and encouraged a line of thought that I wanted the students to consider.

This is a great program to use that is quick, easy and simple. It could be used as a tool for students to present their information or at the end of a unit to show their knowledge and understanding that they have developed. It also allows for audio to be recorded which would allow students to develop their oral skills. Movie Maker would also be useful for the teacher to use at the start of a topic to promote interest and discussion.

Digital Video

I never realised how versatile and useful digital videos can be when used in the classroom until our recent lecture and now I'm really looking forward to utilising some of these ideas. Digital videos can not only be made by using a video camera but also with still photographs and audio overlay. Kearney & Schuck (2004) suggest that digital video has a range of common usages in schools, in particular for communciation, observation and analysis, and reflection. These are all valuable traits for both the learner and the teacher.
There are many tools you can use to present your digital videos such as Windows Movie Maker and iMovie.

As I am an early childhood student I have listed a number of different ideas on how digital video could be used in the class:
- Life cycles: using still image shots to create the life cycle of an animal.
- Colours: creating coloured artwork and photographing it to create an e-book.
- Science: filming science experiements or concepts such as 'sink and float' and reviewing to discuss theories and ideas.
- Interviews on various topics.
- Minibeasts: Photographs, video, facts and images to create a 'research' video or 'documentary'.
- Fairytales: Narratives and plays.

I think there is just so much you could do with digital video, it's a fantastic tool.

Podcasts

A podcast is a series of audio files that are released episodically and downloaded. This tool is new to me as I was unaware of what a podcast was until I started this course. I searched a number of sites to explore what type of podcasts are out there and I pretty much found a podcast on anything and everything I could think of it. One interesting podcast I found provided "kids world news" and was particularly suited to upper primary students. Click here to listen. I thought this podcast could be used effectively in the classroom as part of a unit about 'our world today' as it provides relevant, update and accurate information to students.

Another podcast I found was here, which was an interview with a cartoonist and author. There was a number of different podcasts on this website that interviewed different writers, actors and artists that would appeal to primary school aged children. This type of podcast would be relevant to students interests and could be used to learn about interviews with students eventually creating their own series of podcast interviews. These particular podcasts could also be used to lead on to book or film reviews.

I think this would be a useful tool in the classroom, particarly for students with vision difficulties. It provides a different method of delivering content while enhancing students listening skills as well as their oral skills if they are creating their own. Being able to access a wide range of podcasts anywhere anytime creates a convenient tool to share information.

Using Images

The first image that I have uploaded is one that I took myself while travelling in India. I used MobaPhoto to resize my image which is a great free tool that allows you to edit images. I think this image would be a great to use in the classroom to start a topic and use as a hook or to support a topic. It could be used to discuss culture, our world, animals, transport, lifestyle and many more topics. The image is something that would be slightly unfamiliar to most students and I believe has the potential to spark interest and discussion amongst them. Uploading images can be very effective to share information and progress with parents and students of classroom work, achievements, sports days and other events like under 8's day. The main issue in doing so is obviously the privacy issue if they are being posted publicly to something like a webpage that anyone can view so teachers must ensure they get permission before doing so.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

The second image that I have used is one that I found on www.weblogcartoons.com. This site, like many others, allows their image to be used for personal use as long as you mention where you sourced it from. I think this image could be used as a starting point to discuss topics on technology or communication and students could even create their own cartoon style image after studying the topic. Using images is a great way to provide visual aids for all learners.