Saturday, November 20, 2010

Course Reflection

Well here I am at the end the Web 2.0 couse and I'm feeling quite pleased with myself!! I must admit that when I first heard about the course I was a little nervous as I'm not a techno person by nature. However I have really found the course to be a great experience as it has really opened my eyes to what is available on the Web and I have discovered so many great educational tools that students would love. I have commented on the following blog http://easyasabc-anna.blogspot.com/2010/09/module-5.html#comments
I think the ilearn model really sums up how we want our students to learn. The key message being that we need to focus on how our individual students learn best and then we need to equip them with the skills needed to learn, so that they can make positive and valuable contributions to 21st century learning communities. Technology (and Web 2.0)  is one of the tools that helps us help our students achieve their goals.
Blooms Digital Taxonomy allows teachers to relate thinking skills to relevant use of technology. It would be extremely useful in planning as it integrates aspects of technology with the relevant thinking skills which provides teachers with many ways to cater for different learning styles and needs and to challenge students to think differently. At our school teachers use Blooms in their differentiated programs so the digital adaptation would really broaden their use of Blooms and provide new ideas for learning activities. I think Second Life would relate to 'applying' as students need to show an understanding of a process and task and then need to apply this. It would also fit with "creating" as they invent and explore. Flickr fits with  "applying" (uploading and sharing images) and mind mapping is relevant to "understanding."
Overall I think that the Web 2.0 course has given me a starting point to exploring the tools that are available for our students. Exploring each of the modules has enabled me to become familiar with so many new aspects of technology and also made me realise how important it is for us to keep up to date as teachers, so that we can engage our students. Technology is integral to our students way of lives so we need to use it as a way of engaging our students so that they will be motivated, challenged and involved.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Module10

Well, here I am having just finished Module 10 and I guess this image sums up how I'm feeling at the moment!! This module has given me an insight into wikis and nings which are a great way of communicating with others, particularly when there is a group of people trying to organise and co-ordinate information. I was already aware of wikis but I really only had  a basic understanding of them. The video really helped me to understand how they worked and how easy they are to use. I think it would be great to have a class wiki as all students can contribute to it. Nings on the other hand were really quite new to me as I had not previously used them. Basically they allow people to share common ideas and interests. In terms of education I think nings are probably a tool that I would use rather than the students.
I think that Web 2.0 will definitely assist in improving student learning outcomes. The use of technology is so integral to our students lives and as a result any experience or exposure to new tools can only enhance their experience. Using the Web 2.0 tools really allows students to be creative, to be engaged and involved. There are just so many possibilities and opportunities for them. Firstly in their learning about the various tools they are becoming more knowledgeable about technology and secondly they are then able to apply this knowledge by actively using these tools in various KLA's. I think that the students of this generation will be more open to learning if technology is involved.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Module 9

This module has been really interesting as I have really discovered some new things. I think Scootle is a fantastic resource for classroom teachers with so many great ideas for student learning. Basically it provides a wide range of digital curriculum resources including images, audio files, movie clips and interactive learning objects. The user guide and FAQs are excellent for first time users to gain an insight into this resource making it very user friendly and accessible. I was quite impressed with Scootle and think its a great online resource.
The social networking component of this module was also really interesting. Although I don't personally use Facebook etc my own children love it as a way of keeping in contact with friends. I think that our children and students need to be aware of the negative aspects of using these social networking sites so that they use them safely and appropriately. That way their experience will be enjoyable and responsible. I can understand why the younger generation love these sites as they make connecting with people so much faster and easier and more enjoyable. After watching the videos about Second Life (which is a 3D virtual world) I could see that it may be relevant to use in certain subject areas but I see it as being more suitable for high school students.