About Me
- Tanya Kleidon
- I am currently studying Bachelor of Learning Management (Secondary / VET). My employment history includes, trainer and training coordinator for business, retail, hospitality, literacy and numeracy courses. I enjoy teaching and have decided to take the next step. On a personal note, my husband and 2 children are the reason why I strive to be the best I can be. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Commoncraft
Overview
Commoncraft creates videos in easy to understand language with most common topics covered. It is also worth a search in YouTube.
Strength
Easy to understand tutorials on potentially confusing topics including e-learning tools, finance, social issues and how to withstand an attack from zombies (Commoncraft).
Weakness
You have to pay to fully access some of the clips.
Opportunity
A great tool to explain topics to students that are hard to grasp. Also great for students with disabilities, if used in conjunction with a website student can revisit the videos multiple times if needed.
Threat
Only a few clips are available so you may need to create your own which would be time consuming (or you can get students to do it as a learning activity and use it for future classes).
Compatibility to learning style
Great for visual and auditory learners.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Commoncraft can be used for Constructivism or Social Constructivism, also searching and viewing clips can be a form of Connectivism.
Meaning to me
It is a good place to look for clips because they explain things in easy to understand concepts making it easier for students and teachers. Through getting students to create similar clips it also reinforces learning.
Online Collaboration / Web Conferencing / Vyew
Overview
Online Collaboration or Web Conferencing is a great tool, teachers and students can all be online at a designated time and communicate through headphones, webcam, typing questions and responses, or through adding and altering information on the pages provided.
The teacher can have slides prepared before the session for everyone to view and alter during the collaboration or conference. Sites that can use include Vyew.
Strength
Everyone can go online at the same time and participate in brainstorming and collaboration. You can make links with people from other countries and have them participate at the same time.
Weakness
Everyone needs to be available at the designated time. Some programs do not save or record the interactions of the session.
Opportunity
Even students that are sick (for example measles) can participate. Students can collaborate in their own groups at designated time to complete homework or assignments.
Threat
Care needs to be taken to ensure session is facilitated effectively or at the end of the session you may find that nothing has been achieved.
Compatibility to learning style
Good for visual, auditory, interpersonal and linguistic learning styles.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Online Collaboration is based on Social Constructivm.
Meaning to me
Online collaboration is a great tool to use for Secondary and Tertiary lessons. Students can interact with people from other schools or countries to create a better understanding of a subject.
Online Collaboration or Web Conferencing is a great tool, teachers and students can all be online at a designated time and communicate through headphones, webcam, typing questions and responses, or through adding and altering information on the pages provided.
The teacher can have slides prepared before the session for everyone to view and alter during the collaboration or conference. Sites that can use include Vyew.
Strength
Everyone can go online at the same time and participate in brainstorming and collaboration. You can make links with people from other countries and have them participate at the same time.
Weakness
Everyone needs to be available at the designated time. Some programs do not save or record the interactions of the session.
Opportunity
Even students that are sick (for example measles) can participate. Students can collaborate in their own groups at designated time to complete homework or assignments.
Threat
Care needs to be taken to ensure session is facilitated effectively or at the end of the session you may find that nothing has been achieved.
Compatibility to learning style
Good for visual, auditory, interpersonal and linguistic learning styles.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Online Collaboration is based on Social Constructivm.
Meaning to me
Online collaboration is a great tool to use for Secondary and Tertiary lessons. Students can interact with people from other schools or countries to create a better understanding of a subject.
Overview
Facebook is a social networking site that lets people put information about themselves and their interests into an online webpage. People can choose the level of accessibility, they can make it publicly available or only available to friends. As the video above shows it can be very useful in the classroom.
Strength
Easy to access and most students over 13 years of age have already used Facebook and have accounts. It can be used successfully for carefully planned classroom activities.
Weakness
Students need to be over 13 years old to hold a Facebook page. There have been stories in the past of students committing suicide because of what has been written about them on sites like Facebook, so extreme care needs to be taken to ensure no bullying is occurring (on the other side of this argument, teaching students how to use Facebook in a non threatening and safe manner may significantly reduce the chance of this happening).
Opportunity
As shown in the above video there are huge opportunities with Facebook including using it for history and literature subjects. Facebook could also be used for subjects including Home Economics with students having to take photos of creations and uploading them to their Facebook page.
Threat
Cyber-bullying and trying to get schools to see the opportunities of using Facebook in the classroom.
Compatibility to learning styles
Great for Visual, Interpersonal and Linguistic learning styles but due to the nature of Facebook that most students have used it or will use it in their life time it is a skill needed by all students.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Facebook is based on Social Constructivm.
Meaning to me
Facebook is an interesting program that could be utilised in schools but has had some negative press with students committing suicide due to bullying. Students need to understand the skills to use it effectively, how to use it safely, to block unwanted content and not include information that can cause problems now and later in life.
Burying our heads in the sand and pretending that there is no bullying will not fix the problem, educators are far better off teaching the skills to use programs safely early and giving students coping skills that help to guard against depression and suicide.
Overview
Twitter is a social networking tool where people can create and send small messages similar to a text message to a group of people. The messages can be open to public viewing or can be restricted to an identified group of people. Twitter is becoming more popular due to celebrities using it to keep fans informed about what they are doing.
Strength
Multiple recipients can receive the same message in a very easy manner at a lower cost. A copy of the messages sent can be included automatically on a webpage so students can look at the at a later stage.
Weakness
Like any notification system if someone has their phone turned off they will not get the message.
Opportunity
Twitter can be used in classroom context through sending messages to inform students what is happening, when tests are happening and for sending reminders. Teachers can also use it for a challenge activity, where all students receive the message and see how long it takes for them to find the answer.
Threat
Some schools frown upon students using mobile phones in the school grounds.
Compatibility to learning styles
Great for visual and interpersonal learning styles, but due to the flexibility it would benefit most styles.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Twitter can be used in a multiple of ways that use different learning theories, examples include
- Teachers sending students reward tweets (messages from Twitter) would be a form of Behaviourism.
- Due to its real life context it can be used for Situated Cognition.
Twitter would be a useful tool in schools. I have never used Twitter, so now I know what it is, which is a huge benefit in itself. Students need to learn how to interact in society when they have completed school so it is important for them to at least know the basics of different tools, the benefit is that they would leave school with at least an awareness of what Twitter is and how to use it.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
YouTube
Sourced from YouTube 15 December 2010
Overview
YouTube is a website that individuals, businesses and organisations post their created videos on. People can access the website, view the clips and also have the option to embed the videos into their blogs and websites. The copyright information collected previously states that if you embed a video you do not need to get permission because you are actually viewing the information from the original site. But authorship should be recognised if not recognised in the video clip, I have included a link to the original YouTube page as well.
Strength
Teachers and students can use videos other people have created to gain information or to demonstrate their view point on a subject. Videos are very easy to embed.
Weakness
Care must be taken to ensure that the sound and other items in the YouTube that you use has been appropriately dealt with by the original author or you are also in breach of copyright if you post it on your site. Also care must be taken to ensure that the images and sound or music is appropriate for the students (sometimes the clip is available with no sound).
Opportunity
Great way to view information for your class. The class could also create a video to upload to YouTube, and see the comments other people make about their presentation.
Threat
Copyright, time management and ensuring confidential or inappropriate information is not included when it is viewed or created and uploaded is vitally important.
Compatibility to learning style
Great for a variety of learning styles, it can be adapted to suit most students.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
YouTube can be used in a multiple of ways that use different learning theories, examples include
- Creating a YouTube can be used for Constructivism or Social Constructivism.
- Searching and viewing YouTube can be a form of Connectivism.
Meaning to me
YouTube is a great source of information, and for mini tutorials to help with subjects. Care must be taken to ensure that information is appropriate, and some teachers have said to me that YouTube is blocked in most schools so teachers would need to select the videos they want students to see and embed them into a website or find an alternative means of saving the video.
Music
Overview
Music is an important part of learning, some students need to hear music to identify with a subject. There are different sites available online to help teachers and students upload music into presentations, they include Freeplay Music and itunes. To be able to upload into documents ensure that you choose the correct format (MP3 seems to work well).
Strength
Using music helps some students fully connect with the subject, and it makes learning more enjoyable.
Weakness
Care needs to be taken to ensure copyright is not breached.
Opportunity
Music can be included in websites, wikis, movies, and slideshows.
Threat
Care needs to be taken to ensure that the music is in some way relevant to the subject or the instructional intent will be lost.
Compatibility to learning styles
Using music helps the musical learning styles, and makes learning more enjoyable.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Music can be used as a reward for Behaviourism.
Meaning to me
Music is great therapy and a great tool to use in the classroom to assist in learning.
Music is an important part of learning, some students need to hear music to identify with a subject. There are different sites available online to help teachers and students upload music into presentations, they include Freeplay Music and itunes. To be able to upload into documents ensure that you choose the correct format (MP3 seems to work well).
Strength
Using music helps some students fully connect with the subject, and it makes learning more enjoyable.
Weakness
Care needs to be taken to ensure copyright is not breached.
Opportunity
Music can be included in websites, wikis, movies, and slideshows.
Threat
Care needs to be taken to ensure that the music is in some way relevant to the subject or the instructional intent will be lost.
Compatibility to learning styles
Using music helps the musical learning styles, and makes learning more enjoyable.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Music can be used as a reward for Behaviourism.
Meaning to me
Music is great therapy and a great tool to use in the classroom to assist in learning.
Digital Storytelling / Windows Movie Maker
Overview
Digital Storytelling is using the age old skill of creating stories but through utilising current technology. So instead of having stories only in books or through verbal recounting, teachers and students can now create stories through using a "variety of available multimedia tools, including graphics, audio, video animation, and Web publishing" (NSW Department of Education NSW Country Areas Program, 2010). It is in effect creating a movie or multimedia presentation to convey a story.
Windows Movie Maker is a great tool for Digital Storytelling, you can add pictures, music, webcam and other items to create a movie.
Strength
Storytelling is a means of combining literature and multimedia. Windows Movie Maker is reasonably easy to use and has lots of features including being able to time the introduction of different features and how the slides enter the feature.
Weakness
Time consuming, scaffolding and mentoring will be needed for some students, but when learned it is a skill that can transfer to other programs they will use later in life.
Opportunity
Great for English, History or any subject that students can create or narrate a story.
Threat
Time consuming and definite scaffolding needed to ensure satisfactory outcomes are achieved.
Compatibility to learning styles
Great for visual, interpersonal, musical and linguistic learners, but would suit most styles.
Meaning to me
A great tool to use in the classroom, it can be used in place of oral presentations for students that feel uncomfortable with public speaking. Some features are similar to Power Point, but Movie Maker is more dedicated to creating a movie than a slide presentation.
I am going to need more practice with this because it has been trying to upload / process for about 4 hours now.
Digital Storytelling is using the age old skill of creating stories but through utilising current technology. So instead of having stories only in books or through verbal recounting, teachers and students can now create stories through using a "variety of available multimedia tools, including graphics, audio, video animation, and Web publishing" (NSW Department of Education NSW Country Areas Program, 2010). It is in effect creating a movie or multimedia presentation to convey a story.
Windows Movie Maker is a great tool for Digital Storytelling, you can add pictures, music, webcam and other items to create a movie.
Strength
Storytelling is a means of combining literature and multimedia. Windows Movie Maker is reasonably easy to use and has lots of features including being able to time the introduction of different features and how the slides enter the feature.
Weakness
Time consuming, scaffolding and mentoring will be needed for some students, but when learned it is a skill that can transfer to other programs they will use later in life.
Opportunity
Great for English, History or any subject that students can create or narrate a story.
Threat
Time consuming and definite scaffolding needed to ensure satisfactory outcomes are achieved.
Compatibility to learning styles
Great for visual, interpersonal, musical and linguistic learners, but would suit most styles.
What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Meaning to me
A great tool to use in the classroom, it can be used in place of oral presentations for students that feel uncomfortable with public speaking. Some features are similar to Power Point, but Movie Maker is more dedicated to creating a movie than a slide presentation.
I am going to need more practice with this because it has been trying to upload / process for about 4 hours now.
NSW Department of Education NSW Country Areas Program. (2010). Digital Storytelling. Retrieved 15 December, 2010, from http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/digital_storytelling/digital_storytelling.htm
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