Movie Maker

Hey Everyone!

OMG!!! WOW!!! I have just created my first movie using MovieMaker and it was so easy. I just took a few photos of my wonderful girl Rose, she is a beagle and a definite gem. Then I did a voice over and got the images to work in with it. Easy right?!? Have a look on my website http://nikkisinteractivewebpage.weebly.com/movie-maker.html

Pluses
- You could get students to do a summery of the weeks work using still pictures and their own interpretations of the material they have just done,
- up load it to a collaborative wiki page or a website they are using for the topic
- They are self learning by summarising the material, creating so they are having fun with it and there you go A+ students!!!

Minuses
- I can not think of a minus to creating movies on set tasks

Interesting
- Simple
- creative
- personalisation from students own views and opinions

Jarvinen et al (2012) found that students were about to demonstrate proficiency with making a movie related to scientific concept with very minimal previous knowledge on movie making. The study showed that each person developed a personal and meaningful attachment to the video as they used own experiences to communicate different concepts. There was a significant increase in grades between the year movie making was trialed to previous years, strongly indicating that students were acquiring a deeper knowledge of information by being actively involved in recommunicating concepts. I had a fun time creating this and students will too. This is definitely something I will be doing often and encouraging my students to do!!

Until next time,
Nikki

References
Jarvinen, MK Jarvinen, LZ Sheehan, DN, 2012, 'Application of Core Science Concepts Using Digital Video: A"Hands-On" Laptop Approach", Journal of Colege Science Teaching, vol. 41, no.6, pp. 16-24

Podcasting

Hello Everybody,

Just me again. After the new learning experience of creating my own digital audio recording I decided to take it up a step and create a podcast. Very similar to digital audio recordings for PMI analysis

Plus
- Hands-free
- portable
- informative
- can be engaging, depending on pedagogy strategies

Minus
- needs to have a strong pedagogy to enhance learning and keep learners interesting
- potential for lack of commitment to listening

Interesting
- able to communicate with students and people from all over the world using the interest
- accessed when required and repetitive listening opportunities

With podcasting you can download them and put them on mp3 players but it also reaches a larger community through publication on the podcasting site such as PodOmatic or itunes.

Until next time,
Nikki

Digital Audio Recording

Hello Everyone,

This week we had to create a Digital Audio Recording and upload it to the web. You can find mine on my website. There is clear advantages with using audio files in the classroom, here is a PMI analysis of Digital Audio Recording

Pluses
- convenient to record, on your mobile, on a portable audio device, on your computer or laptop
- relatively small file to upload to the internet
- can be listened to more then once and paused
- can be attached to movies and powerpoint presentations

Minuses
- lack of pedagogy with a lecture style format
- long audio files can become boring for students

Interesting
- able to communicate with students and people from all over the world using the interest
- accessed when required
- students could use digital audio to summarise the weeks work in class, creating self-learning through summarizing of information

I found that producing and uploading an audio file to the internet a very interesting and self learning experience. Cowden (2012) conducted a study on the use of audio files accompanied with a program called SLiCK that would significantly enhance a students learning that had mild cognitive disability. Audio files are an effective way to teach if a student has a disability that inhibits reading.

Until next time,
Nikki

References
Cowden, PA, 2012, ' Cognitive strategies for students with mild learning disabilities', Education, vol. 133, no. 1, pp. 151-154

Image resizing

Hello everyone,

yes I am back at it again :D This time we are doing multimedia and this particular blog is about image resizing. I did find that I had some trouble downloading the software, MobaPhoto, I seem to have downloaded a heap of advertisement downloads instead. In the end I hit the External Mirror 1 option, from there it was pretty easy. I managed to do a 6 batch resize in MobaPhoto in a matter of seconds, remembering to change options to "uploading online". The program changed the image sizes from about 3MB to 30kb, I've uploaded the photos on my blog so you can see the quality.

Strengths
- Use of image resizing to support great learning
- connecting faster to others around the world
- creating an environment which students can relate to, through their own photos
- shorter time to upload photos onto wiki pages or blogs
- displaying students work publicly for encouragement and praise
- the use of photos within presentations and on interactive whiteboards, engaging the students

Weaknesses
- legal safe and ethical requirements
+ getting pomission to use photos of children or photos of childrens work
+ who will have access to the photos
+ using photos within a proper context

Opportunities
- connecting faster to others around the world
- sharing with online penpals
- an effective way to engage students by bringing there own world into the classroom

Threats
- people are the biggest threat
- kids that alter images causing cyber bullying
- pedophiles accessing photos

There is a lot of advantages with using pictures in teaching, they say "a picture is worth a thousand words" and now with MobaPhoto, photos can be accessed and unloaded on the Internet faster.

Until next time my friends,
Nikki

This a pool table we were looking at buying

Meet Will, he will always hold a huge part of my partners heart

This is our little girl when she was only a puppy, doesn't she look sweet

Now that our little girl is bigger doesn't she just look like the devil is in her eyes :D

she is still a sweetie

This was my new friend... for a day

We went to Fiji in 2012, this was a secluded island we went to. You can walk around the island within 5 minutes :D Great trip

Creating a website reflection

Good morning!!!

I hope everyone has been sleeping well :D I got up bright an early this morning to tackle 'creating a website'. I remember back in school our teachers tried to get us to make one and I was no good at it. This experience created a negative memory for me so I have been less than reluctant in trying this one again. I thought that I would conduct a PMI analysis on my experience 'creating a website', to structurally voice what I believe the Pluses are, the Minuses are and what I found Interesting. Here is my websites address, for those who would like a look at it, just remember it is still very new.

Plus

• Allows creativity, through website design and content
• The page is 'Owned' by one person or a small group of people
• Can not be changed by outside people
• Self learning through creativity and research

Minus

• If a student was unable to get their head around creating a website, can create negative emotions and reduce learning

Interesting

• That anyone can make a website
• That it is easier now then when I remember it from school
• It allows self-direction and self-expression

I have attached the very helpful video clip from YouTube with instruction on how to make your own website from Weebly. I hope you have learned something from my experience and have a go at making a website yourself, they are actually quiet fun.

Until next time,
Nikki

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBknOSR0CA&noredirect=1

Creating a wiki reflection

Hey hey,

this particular topic is requiring us as teachers to look outside the box, learn new and innovating ways to interact with the students that are interesting and instructive. We had to create a wiki page and I have developed a PMI (Plus, Minus and Interesting) analysis on my creation of a wiki page.
 

Plus

·         A private communications area

·         Multiple people can interact with each other

·         Joint contribution to information students and teachers working together

·         Creates a safer environment then a blog

 

Minus

·         Reliability on the internet to conduct a class

·         Confusing when you haven’t done this before

 

Interesting

·         Learning something new

·         How to create an interactive page that encourages learning

I found this particular exercise to be quiet difficult since I have never done something like this before. I can understand the benefits associated with the use of such technology within the classroom, but it will have to take a little time to get my head around it properly.

Until next time,
Nikki

A reflection on blogs

Hello everyone,
back again :D

Today I need to create a reflection on the use of blogs within my teaching context, which are Science and Marine Science.

I will be using a SWOT analysis:

Strengths

• Creates self learning through research of online information available
• Provides the students a chance to connect with other students, by viewing other students blog sites
• Blogs are conversation based through a location (online) that helps encourage students to learn

Weaknesses

• would have to be monitored carefully for inappropriate content and comments
• its could create cyber bullying through comments or emails about the design and content of a students blog
• assessment structure - commenting on every post is time consuming

Opportunities

• allows the chance for students to become creative, through blog design and content
• allows students to draw inspiration and content from the web through 'Linking' material
• allows students to learn from each other

Threats

• anyone can read the blog and comment, making the blog potentially unsafe

Overall the use of blogs within the classroom seems like a good interactive and self learning exercise, in which students can draw information from each other as much as from the web.

This is something I will definitively try in my class room,
until next time, Nikki

Collaborative wiki

Hello Everyone,

This week we had to participate in a mobile phone wiki, which included the learning tool of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. This strategy allowed a group of people to communicate about a particular topic through a series of questions.

The topic was on the use of mobile phones being used within the classroom as an effective ICT learning tool. The wiki site provided an easy way to communicate with people from other parts of Australia. The use of the wiki page integrated with de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats enabled each person to have their own views and opinions within the same set of questions. I personally found this activity constructive and cognitive, it was easily set out to allow distinct opinions and views which helped me understand where each person’s thought pattern was heading. We were able to connect on a subject and expand on each other’s opinions and views, allowing each of us a chance to teach and learn. This learning strategy is definitely something I’d like to try in my classes.

Talk soon,

Nikki

Productive Pedagogy

Hi All,

Today we are learning about Productive Pedagogy, which is the art of teaching in such a way that the student retains the knowledge taught to them.

We had to complete a simple exercise about the teaching sequence for tying shoelaces and where each step fits in with Cognitive learning type found within Bloom's Taxonomy.

The following picture is my example on teaching someone how to tie their shoelaces

Figure: A short learning sequence for shoelaces using Productive Pedagogy.

From completing this exercise I became aware that teaching isn't as simple as 'Put on Shoes and tie the laces', it actually required me to break-down into simple instruction each step for tying up shoelaces. This has helped me put into prospective the detail I will have to think about when I start teaching a class from the Australian Curriculum.

Until next time,
Nikki

Learning and Teaching

Hello again,

Said I was going to be back soon :)

After completing the Learning Styles test I became more familiar with the type of learner I am. I am slightly more of an Active learner than a reflective learner, I'm slightly more of a Sensing learner than an intuitive learner, I am a high visual learner rather than a verbal learner and I am both a Sequential and Global learner.

Following on from the Learning Styles test, completing a Multiple Intelligence test found that I have multiple intelligences from Kinaesthetic, Linguistic, Logical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Visual/Spatial and Naturalistic. Finding out that I have multiple intelligences has made me aware that I can interact and sympathises with a larger group of people and students.

By knowing how I learn and in what intelligences I excel allows me to better understand others points of view. In relation to Prensky's theory of 'engage or enrage' for technology within schools, I strongly believe this to be the case in Secondary students. They have grown up in a world where technology is everything and if you as a teacher are unable to engage in something that allows you to connect with the student; this forms an extra boundary to overcome when you are trying to teach children. Engage in technology as it will continue to grow as will our students if we allow ourselves to teach with technology, not against it.

Until next time my friends,
Nikki

References
Prensky, M, 2005, ‘Engage Me or Enrage Me’, EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 60-64.

My first post

Hello Everyone,

I have never had a blog before and this is a brand new experience for me. I have created this one as a requirement to my Uni course for ICT and will dedicate this blog site to my learning of becoming a teacher.

You will be hearing from me soon,
Nikki