Pop it in the Blender!

 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to run a second technology lesson with my practicum class. This time round it was introducing photo editing using ImageBlender. The software is designed specifically for educational use and is a great stepping-stone into more advance programs like Photoshop. After providing a basic run down of the program, I allowed the students to freely explore the effects and tools available and use pre-selected images as a canvas for them to create. The class found that there are unlimited possibilities for visual learning and classroom technology projects just as ImageBlender claim and they had fun and it was easy for them to edit images and create new art. The students also saved their work that allowed them to return to their creations at a later date… you could say I had my own constructionist lesson, how exciting!

On a side note, I can recommend to have images pre-selected for the students to use as a foundation. I discovered that if you allowed the children to look through hundreds of images then it would take forever for them to make their minds up… Now I am not saying that choice is a bad thing, on the contrary I think it is great but for a quick lesson having a starting point is vital. The concept of using others images could be a stepping-stone to creative commons resources too.

I look forward to seeing what they have produced using their digital paintbrushes, the creations looked promising from the first lesson.


Images Attributed to Flickrcc:

Image: 'technicolor dreamcoat'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83156837@N00/2679249623

Image: 'wallpaper - The ISLAND'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42352950@N07/4452367725

Email Me, Email You!

So my very first technology lesson went off without a hitch or a hacker! My prac students were all very engaged into what emails are and the different ways in which we can use this wonderful tool for connection. Unfortunately the lesson fell on un-allocated computer time so I had to last minute change the lesson and run the lesson on the IWB that was not what I had planned for... this is the life of a teacher I am quickly discovering. However, having the 'experts' jump up and show the rest of the class what they knew was really encouraging and let me tell you, even the students who shy away from these things were jumping at the chance to show their skills.

Practice makes perfect. When we did have time in the computer lab I had the class compose an email, attach a file and send it to their parents. This was not only for the students to go through the motions of sending an email themselves but to notify their parents that they are now online. The student had to have permission to use emails and other online activity.so this was a good opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone. Accompanying the parents’ permission was a policy or contact that the students needed to sign to agree upon appropriate use of computers, Internet and cybersaftey. I was surprised of the extent of prior knowledge the students had when it came to computers and emailing in particular. Some had nothing, others had been emailing since they we knee high to a grasshopper and these students were a challenge when it came to listening. I explicitly gave instructions as to what the email would contain, the layout and before sending it my CT or myself would proof read it. I wasn't sure how to work with my 'experts' in this scenario, some left their listening ears at the door and did their own thing which was ok, just as long as they followed the instructions to notify their parents, some did not and got flustered when I asked them to go back complete what was asked of them, others were more than willing to help others, “GREAT!” I thought only to realise that they were doing the work for the beginners that didn't advance their skills...

A revelation of the lessons on emailing was that the majority didn't know what domain names were and why we had to put the @place.com.au after our names, they could not fathom the idea, if not the amount of other would have the same name as them. Also with passwords and security reasons for the accounts, which was an eye-opener to them and a reminder to me, that prior knowledge people hold are so vast and for me not to make assumptions... lesson learnt!

Thank you Flickrcc for the imagery!

Image: 'Interopérabilité @ J&Bisc family'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11445550@N00/2456767724

My first day!

As a student teacher I have been allocated a lovely class of 25, yr5 students. My cooperating teacher is a self-confessed stranger when it comes to technology and integrating it into her class. When asked what I would like to teach out of the possible topics, I was excited to see that emailing was one of these options and I quickly volunteered to my CT’s relief as she fears the digital unknown. I was however, very impressed to find out that last term the students were introduced to Blogging but this was guided by one of the more techno familiar teachers. Teaching the students about the wonderful world of the web and its uses is alone very exciting, but I can see my self coming to the aid of my CT and am very happy to share and help her in anyway I can, in order to promote the possibilities I have discovered whilst in my Professional Experience class.

I am lucky to have an IWB in the class and will be using it as much as I can, as I have been told that my techno timid teacher has only used it a few times. My class shares 5 PCs with the adjoining yr5 class and has an allocated 1hr on Fridays in the computer lab. So I will be making the most of my resources and building upon prior knowledge of the students (and my CT) so that the unfamiliar becomes familiar. So as I sit here finding new e-resources for my lessons, I get butterflies of excitement in my tummy just thinking how much I can integrate technology into my yr5 lessons (whilst on prac) as well as what my own future classes!

Thanks Flickrcc for the Image: 'Sunset over Pearl Qatar.'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8264376@N03/2199471245

Trial & Error...

I would like to tell you the tale of my digital storytelling experience with Vuvox...

Vuvox has three different options to create your digital story express, collage, and studio. I chose collage for my first endeavor.

The free multimedia site allows anyone to create interactive stories from their photos, videos, text and audio clips. My first was pretty basic, only editing the images however will develop my Vuvox skills using the extra editing options. The editing features include;

•  Image Cut-out and Masking tools

•  Layer positioning and Compositing

•  Interactive 'Hot-spots', providing links to media, text or other websites

•  Ability to add rich media details and Text and Soundtrack

The collage function enables you to publish, embed, and syndicate into websites, blogs and social networking sites to share your creation... to a wider audience. There is a function to adjust privacy settings if you don't want to share. I did have some troubles with aligning the audio and visual. I found that you should avoid running the mouse over the control bar (at the bottom) whilst playing. A lot of trial and error...

All in all I enjoyed the time creating my first Vuvox story, it was created when asked who was an inspiration in my life… I hope you enjoy my first (of hopefully many) digital stories.

As a pre-service teacher, I look forward to utilizing digital stories in the classroom.

E-Learning Resource Extravaganza!!!

This week we held a 'mini expo' conference to share all the great e-learning resources that are available to us as teachers, to help us navigate through the maze of e-resources...

The conference was designed to entice the participants to look up our online reviews however, a lot of what was shared in the conference fulfilled my queries about the programs available and felt that there was no need to go and look up the reviews as the reasons why the resources are (or aren’t) meaningful was already shared…

Some of the programs or websites that I think looked promising to use in the classroom are:

Abracadabra             

SignPost Maths         

smART Kids          

Operation Neptune

Wonderful Words

Mendel’s Magic Maths Market

Mathletics

Reading Eggs

A plus to most of these programs available are that they are free. It is debatable on how meaningful the learning experience is when using some of them but I think that the programs are headed in the right direction...

All in all it was a good experience to get us pre-service teachers in analyzing the meaningfulness of programs and sharing our findings. As well as looking at teaching approaches that allow students to be in control of learning and us teachers…’the guides on the side’!!!

Thank you to all those involved in our mini conference...

and Flickrcc for the imagery.

Neverending story' 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24183489@N00/252757784

Once Upon a Digital Time....

In a digital land not so far away...after all these readings about digital storytelling it made me think, the pen may be mightier than the sword but is the computer is mightier than the pen? I believe when it comes to these short, but expressive mediums for expression that are known as digital story telling technology truly is mightier. They also portrays that pictures ARE truly stronger than words and allows for creativity... Thus, as I make my way down the path of life long learning, I have found this medium which has emerged as an engaging and thought invoking experience (not without it hurdles, which have been successfully conquered). I feel that my experience will be replicated and continued in myself and all the storytellers that are my students. These multimedia sonnets, as Daniel Meadows refers to them as, really allows for exploration of ideas, the unknown and share our findings with not only our peers but with our vast audience over the net.

I really enjoyed reading ‘Making History Come Alive’ and was excited to think of the endless possibilities for this medium in my classroom. It enables students from any age, or ability to think deeply and expand upon and articulate their understandings. Able to integrate across the curriculum, digital story activities provide are the ultimate meaningful learning experience… that would make Jonassen a very happy man.

And so the digital story, the student and the meaningfulness of learning, all lived happily ever after…


                                                       ~The End~

Thanks to...

Daniel Meadows. Photobus. Retrieved from http://www.photobus.co.uk/

Jonassen, D., et al. 2008, Meaningful Learning with Technology, 3rd edn, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pp.1-12. Retrieved from; https://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/lobj-journal-bb_bb60/blog/012233/_530552_1/Home?cmd=GetImage&systemId=Jonassen08__0.pdf

Levin, H. (2003). Making history come alive: Students interview Holocaust survivors and publish their stories. Learning and Leading with Technology 31(3), 22-27.. Retrieved from the Learning & Leading with Technology website; http://www.usq.edu.au/course/material/edu5472/resources/files/ll31322.pdf

And Flickrcc for the images, thanks again...

Image: 'Bussana vecchia' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29635150@N00/2320388358

Image: 'I Want to Live' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86603835@N00/36362014

Wonderful World of the Web... 2.0

Little did I realize that the internet had evolved right in front of my eyes from read only to a read/write function… it wasn’t only until my eyes were opened in our tutorial that I know realize that our options as teachers are boundless…   

We need to rethink our roles as teachers and as Richardson suggests, break free from the traditional teaching pedagogies and jump into the e-resources that await us… Not only do children read and write now but also they are editors and collaborators… Students can create, collaborate, publish, and make connections with the wide audience of our online community. The inevitability of technology in the classroom is real and as teachers we need to ‘download’ a new methodologies to teaching, but how? ‘Let’s Google it’!!

Attributes

Will Richardson (2006). The Educator's Guide to the Read/Write Web. Retrieved on the 15th April 2011.

Notinwords. Web 2.0. Retrieved on the 1st April 2011.