Reflective Synopsis

Over the past seven weeks I have had the opportunity in this course to become familiar with numerous ICTs. Although I was slightly nervous about this at first, as I had quite little knowledge about using these technologies prior to the course, it has been a very enjoyable experience and has allowed me to become a lot more familiar with ICTs, which are becoming more and more prevalent in schools. Education, like everything else these days is adapting to the technological age that we live in. It has been suggested that today's learners can be put into two categories: digital 'natives' or digital 'immigrants' (Prensky, 2001). Digital natives are those who have been born into and grown up in this age of digital technology and have developed a specific language around this technology. Whereas digital immigrants are those who have been forced to adapt to the digital world, which can be difficult as they have not grown up with digital technology all around them (Prensky, 2001). For further reading on this topic, click here. With the majority of learners now coming through schools having grown up in this digital age, it is vital that teachers adapt to this technology and use it in learning to engage learners.

Digital technology has led to learning becoming a much more interactive experience. It allows students to be more self-directed in their learning and the classroom teacher becomes more of a facilitator of learning. This is quite a change compared to how learning occurred in the traditional classroom setting. We know that there are a number of different learning theories which exist; e-learning as it has become known enables students to control their own learning to an extent; therefore catering for different learning styles. One important factor which is vital to the success of e-learning is being able to use effective  pedagogies to teach with this technology. TPACK proposes a framework for educational technology by building on pedagogical content knowledge and extending this to the phenomenon of teachers integrating technology into their pedagogy (Mishra& Koehler, 2006).

This synopsis will focus on some of the technologies which I have been exposed to during this course. It will also consider the ethical and safety issues which must be considered when using online technologies.

Firstly, I would like to reflect on my experience participating in the mobile phones Wiki back in week 2. The activity involved contributing our thoughts concerning the use of mobile phones as a learning tool. The activity was scaffolded by using De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats to provide a structure to the ideas and thoughts that student's contributed to the Wiki. The activity showed the strength of a Wiki as a space for student collaboration. This is something that could prove very useful in schools for group work and assignments. However, a weakness of a Wiki is that anyone is able to go in and edit information. By the time I got to contributing my ideas to the Wiki, the page had become quite untidy and difficult to follow. This is something that needs to be considered when using Wikis. To view my blog posting regarding this activity click here.

Digital Technologies 1- Blogs

The group 1 tools included blogs, wikis and websites. I have chosen to focus on blogs. A blog is described as a "website usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video" (Fasso, 2013). However, as Downes (2004) explains, a blog can be used as much more than an online personal journal in the classroom. A blog could not only be used for students to enter reflections on their own learning; a useful activity in itself, but also as a place for teachers to post class-related resources including schedules, notifications, suggested readings and links to other online resources (Downes, 2004). Blogs allow for highly interactive learning. They allow students to gain a sense of ownership of their learning as only they are able to edit information on their page. However, they also allow for a lot of feedback from teachers and other students as people can go onto a page and provide comments on particular blog postings. This creates an environment where learners can work together in providing each other with feedback regarding their learning. Like any learning tool, blogs do have their negative points in that they can be quite time consuming and online safety concerns must be considered. This will be discussed later in this synopsis. A blog could definitely be a useful tool in HPE. It could be used for student reflection e.g. ask students to post about how they have performed in prac and theory lessons. It could also be a place where teachers could post videos and resources about all things PE which students could then access for assignments. To view my blog posting on blogs, click here.

Digital Technologies 2 - Digital Video

Group 2 tools included digital images, digital audio recording, podcasting and digital video. I have chosen to focus on digital video. Video can be used in a wide variety of possible uses in schools including communication, analysis and observation, and reflection (Kearney & Shuck, 2006). I believe that video is quite an exciting learning tool and that it would be highly engaging for students. It is something that can be used across most KLAs, however I think that it is very much suited to HPE. The main use that I see for digital video in PE is for analysis. As a teacher, you could record students performing a skill; a golf swing for example. Students are then able to observe and analyse their technique which can be used to help them improve their performance. Video could be slowed down and paused which would be ideal for a biomechanics unit. Another example of using video in HPE would be recording students playing a team sport such as touch football or volleyball and having students identify areas of the game where they could improve e.g. game tactics and strategies. Teachers need to ensure that video footage of students is used appropriately and for educational purposes only. To view a digital video which I have posted to my blog click here.

Digital Technologies 3 - Power point

Group 3 tools included power point presentations, Prezis and Glogsters. I have chosen to focus on power point. Out of all the technologies covered in this course, power point was probably the tool that I was most familiar with. I have had quite a bit of experience using power point presentations through high school and university. Power points can be used for both teaching and assessment purposes and a major plus for this form of presentation is the ability to insert video, audio, images and animations to add to a learning experience. I have created a simple presentation which can be viewed at my Weebly site. Power point is something which I have seen used in HPE lessons; a teacher is able to provide content on a topic as well as being able to provide visual features like video and images. Power points are also a great enhancement to oral presentations as they are very engaging for an audience when done well. They are easy to use and most students should be quite familiar with power point functions, so teachers shouldn't have to spend a lot of time showing students how to use the program. To view my blog posting on power point presentations, click here.

Digital Technologies 4 - Google Maps

Group 4 technologies included a wide range of tools such as Adobe Flash, Google Earth, Google Docx, online concept mapping and others. My favourite tool was Google Maps. I was impressed with the range of functions of Google Maps. Satellite images and street maps are available for almost any location as well as photos and videos taken in the area. Maps also provides information about weather, bicycling information, traffic and terrain. Maps can also determine the exact distance between two points, providing information on possible routes between the chosen locations and the expected time that it takes to get from one place to another. I have described a possible use of Google Maps for HPE in my blog posting on Google Maps. Like any other online technology, teachers need to ensure the appropriate use of a site like Google Maps by students. To check out the many features of Google Maps, click here.

A major consideration that schools and teachers need to be aware of is internet safety. Risks associated with web publishing include copyright and intellectual property infringements as well as protection of students from online threats (Education Queensland, 2012). This is outlined in the Information Sharing under Child Protection Act 1999 Procedure. Schools should come up with strict policies around web publishing to minimise such risks. This should include giving staff the skills to work safely online and any online work should always be monitored closely by staff. Guidelines regarding the publication of private information and photographs must also be adhered to. Schools should always seek written consent from parents if student details or photos are to be published online (Education Queensland, 2012). Basically, the rights and protection of students is paramount when conducting digital learning activities.

By engaging with such a wide range of digital technologies over the past seven weeks, my eyes have really been opened to the opportunities that digital learning presents to learners today. E-learning enables students to engage in learning anywhere, anytime; learning is no longer restricted to the classroom. Students these days are immersed in technology; their learning experiences should be no different. It is up to schools to adapt to the digital age that we live in to provide engaging learning experiences for today's students. As long as ethical and safety procedures are followed and teachers use strong digital pedagogy, the possibilities for the use of ICTs in education are endless.

References

Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUAUSE Review 39 (5), 14-26. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/educational-blogging.

Education Queensland. (2012). Information sharing under child protection Act 1999. Retrieved fromhttp://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/education/community/Pages/Information-Sharing-Under-Child-Protection-Act-1999.aspx.

Education Queensland. (2012). Risk management. Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/web/schools/riskman.html.

Fasso, W. (2013). Digital tool 1: blogs for learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED 20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115238.

Kearney, M. & Schuck, S. (2006). Spotlight on authentic learning: student developed digital video projects. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 22 (2), 189-208. Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet22/kearney1.html.

Mishra, P. & Koehler, M.J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record 108 (6), 1017-1054. Retrieved from http://site.aace.org/pubs/sigs/sig-Mishra-Koehler-TCR.pdf.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9 (5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf.

Week 5 Group 4 Tools- Google Maps

I had a look at a number of the group 4 tools but was especially interested in Google Maps. This impressive technology has a number of uses and could be used across various subjects. One function of Google Maps is that it can calculate the exact distance between two points as well as giving you a number of possible directions to get between the two points and it also estimates the time it would take to get to your destination. In a HPE and sport setting I can see Google Maps having some use. For example, if you were a fitness coach wanting to map out a road run for your football team during pre season training Google Maps is something that could help you do this by calculating distance and the approximate time this might take. Google Maps would also be especially useful for geography. Another thing is that Google Maps uses both satellite images and street maps which is good because it caters for people who will have varying uses for this tool.

Positive	Negative	Interesting
·         Could be used across a wide range of key learning area's ·         Wide range of functions ·         Flexible in its use- eg. uses satellite images but can be converted to street maps depending on what it is being used for	·         I don't see how it could be used for assessment purposes-may be more useful for one off lessons ·         Need to monitor students in making sure they use it appropriately	·         Could be used as a navigator-giving distances and times between places

Google Maps is undoubtedly a great piece of technology; the challenge for us as teachers is how it fits into the curriculum and when and why we would use it in the classroom.

Cheers
Lachlan

WEEK 5 'PREZI

This week I have also had a look at Prezi's. A Prezi is a free online presentation tool. It is in some ways similar to Powerpoint, however I don't feel that it offers the same level of interactivity and I would probably prefer to use Powerpoint over this form of presentation. Prezi allows users to choose from a wide range of templates. All of the information is located on a single slide which is made up of different sections which you can zoom in on as required. Like Powerpoint, you are able to insert images and videos etc. One advantage that the zooming presentation of a Prezi has over Powerpoint is that you can enter more detail. Powerpoints are more suited to short dot points, whereas with Prezi you can zoom in on information so adding more detail is not a problem. I have created my own Prezi below, outlining the positives, negatives and interesting points on this form of presentation.

Week 5 Reflection on Powerpoints

This week I have taken a look at Powerpoint presentations. Powerpoint is something that I have had a lot of experience with having used it all the way through school and university. Therefore, I am quite comfortable using the program and am aware of what it can be used for. In my experience, power points have been used as a way to present information in a more interactive and exciting way rather than in an essay or more traditional format. Teachers and lecturers are these days using power point as an assessment task as it allows them to 'see more' from their students. Powerpoint allows students to use images, videos and sounds to add to the content of an assignment; something which they can not do in an essay or report. This can also work the other way, with teachers and lecturers frequently presenting lessons with Powerpoint presentations as they can use these to engage their learners more. Below is a chart showing what I believe to be the main positives, negatives and interesting points on Powerpoint presentations.

Positive	Negative	Interesting
·         Powerpoint can be very engaging and interactive when used efficiently ·         Ability to insert images, sounds and embed videos into a presentation ·         Very easy program to use, can be used by primary school students right through to university level ·         Excellent format for assessment tasks	·         Not a great tool for large chunks of detailed information- better for simple, short dot points of info	·         Ability to use animations makes for exciting presentations

One thing I had not done done before in a powerpoint was hyperlinking between slides. However, after having a play around this week I can see that this could be very useful in the future. Hyperlinking allows you to skip straight to a slide if you are looking for a specific bit of information in a presentation.  I have created a simple presentation on energy systems in the human body and have utilised hyperlinks in this presentation. You can find my powerpoint on my website by clicking here

Week 4 Digital Video

This week I have also created a short movie using images from my rugby grand final a couple of years ago.  I found it easiest to upload the video to Youtube first then embed it into this post. Here it is !!




Video is definitely a great tool for learning. It can be used in a number of different ways including for communication, observation and analysis and reflection (Fasso, 2013). I remember using video analysis in Year 12 HPE a few years ago. The sport for the particular term was golf and for one of our assignments the teacher took video footage of each student completing a golf swing. We were then able to slow down and pause footage and for the assignment we had to describe the biomechanics and technical flaws in our swing. This sort of analysis is something that can only be acheived by using video and I think this is particularly useful in a subject like HPE. Video is very engaging and exciting for students and could be used from primary school right through to Year 12 students. One thing that teachers would need to be aware of is privacy of students and parental permission would need to be obtained especially if videos are to be shown to a large audience or uploaded onto the Internet.

Windows Movie Maker is a good program for creating videos as it allows you to use a variety of animations and visual effects. In my video I used only still images but you can also add video recordings and voice over. I actually enjoyed myself using Movie Maker, it was quite easy to use and I feel that it could be of great value to our learners.

References
Fasso, W. (2013). Digital Tool 2: Digital Video. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses EDED 20491 ICTs for Learning Design. http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115360

Week 4 Resizing and uploading a photo

This week I have experimented with a software called Mobaphoto, a handy tool which enables you to resize photos to an appropriate size for uploading onto a website, blog etc. The image which I have resized below is a photo of my family with the original size of the photo being 4000 x 3000p. Using the Mobaphto software I have resized the photo to a more appropriate size of 640 x 480p.

All of us have come across websites at some stage where massive images take forever to load. It is very frustrating. By resizing images with something such as Mobaphto this can be easily avoided. Images can be a very useful learning tool so it is important that we use them appropriately. Teachers can use images to engage students' thinking, influence feelings, support skill development and also to support critical thinking (Fasso, 2013).

I found Mobaphoto very easy to use; it took me no more than a few minutes to download the program and resize my photos. It was very straight forward to use. I like the fact that the program doesn't automatically replace the high quality original photo and also you can save Mobaphoto onto a USB, allowing you to resize photos even if you aren't using your own personal computer!

References
Fasso, W. (2013). Digital tool 4: Images. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED 20491 ICTs for Learning Design. http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=115358

Week 3 Reflection on Websites

This week I have created a website. It was actually a lot easier than I expected! A link to my site can be found here.

I believe that websites can be used effectively in schools. A website is static in that only the creator of the site can make changes to the site. This is in some ways an advantage over other tools such as Wikis. Websites allow you to put up a whole heap of information without the risk of someone changing it. Some examples of functions of a website include:

• A teacher could put up an entire unit of work on a site which students can then access
• Links to other online resources
• For an assessment task you could get students to create a website instead of writing an essay or other form of assessment
• It is easy to embed images and videos etc.
• Easy to organise information across several pages

The following PMI analyses the main positives and negatives of websites

Positive	Minus	Interesting
·         Nobody else is able to edit your page ·         Easy to navigate and organise information effectively ·         Ability to link to other online resources ·         Ability to embed video, audio, images. ·         Possible to create an online unit of work which students could access	·         Could be time consuming ·         Not as interactive as other ICT's such as Wikis or blogs ·         Not as much feedback from students ·         Anybody can access your page	·         Students could develop their own websites for projects etc.

Websites provide a great opportunity for our learners to express themselves. In the future, I can see students developing websites for assessment rather than more traditional styles of assessment such as essays and reports. In this day and age of technology, I think that websites are much more relevant for our learners. This course is definitely helping me to develop such skills which I can hopefully implement in the future!

Week 3 Reflection on 'Wikis'

This week as part of the Learning Engagement for the course I have created a Wiki. A Wiki is an online space where users and guests can edit, modify, add and remove information with intuitive editing tools (Fasso, 2013). A Wiki is therefore not a secure page that only the creator of the page can edit. Anyone who accesses the page can edit anything on the page. As you can imagine, this could lead to a lot of problems in an education setting if students do not follow appropriate online rules and etiquette. Although, any changes can be undone, it is still an annoyance for those who wish to use a Wiki properly. I think that Wikis are a good way to organise information. For example, in a HPE class you may ask the class; "What are the most important physical aspects in a game of touch football eg. speed, endurance, power. ?? By using a Wiki for this task, students are able to contribute their own ideas to one space used by the entire class. Students are able to develop new ideas by using information which has been provided by other students, therefore I think that Wikis would be most useful for a group project or assignment. The video which I have embedded below is an example of how one teacher has used wikis in her classroom...





The following PMI table shows the positives and negatives of using a Wiki for learning purposes.

Positive	Minus	Interesting
·         Encourages learner-based learning ·         Allows students to get ideas from their peers ·         When used properly, allows for information to be very well organised ·         Ideal for group work and assignments ·         Allows all students in the class to contribute ideas	·         Anyone can edit information on a page ·         Could cause problems if not used appropriately ·         Can become messy if not set out well	·         Teacher plays the role of 'facilitator' in learning

It is important when setting up a Wiki that as a teacher, you remember that it will be your students, not you who use the page. Therefore you must ensure to set up the page to be user friendly. In Week 2 I enjoyed using the mobile phones wiki, however the information on this page was all over the place and quite difficult to use at times. As a teacher, you would also want to ensure that you establish to your students the expectations of them using a Wiki and set out what is appropriate online behaviour. I definitely think that Wikis do have a place in the 21st century classroom as they encourage learners to think for themselves and allow students a place where they can gain a lot of great information from their peers.

References

Fasso, W. (2013). Digital tool 2: Wikis for Collaborative Learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/407928/mod_page/content/8/wikis.html

Week 3 Reflection on 'Blogs'

Hi everybody. Hope you are all continuing to develop new skills when it comes to using ICT's!
This week we have been asked to reflect on our learning about blogs. As with any ICT, blogs have both positives and negatives. I have decided to use a PMI to investigate both the positives and negatives of blog pages in learning and also things which I think are interesting about blogs.

 

Positive	Minus	Interesting
·         Blogs have the potential to reach a very wide audience of learners. ·         You are able to receive instant feedback via others commenting on a post. ·         As teachers, we can create links to other online resources which our students can then use. ·         It is ‘your’ blog. You are in control of what is posted.	·         Blogs are more time consuming than other methods. ·         Anybody can see what you post; people from outside your class can access information you may not want them to.	·         I think it encourages greater communication between a teacher and a student. ·         Blogging is now embedded in the curriculum

 

It is clear to me that blogs will play a pretty major role in children's learning in the coming years. Blogs encourage learner-centred learning and teachers are going to play an important role in facilitating this learning.

Cheers
Lachlan

WEEK 2 REFLECTION

This week we were required to participate in a Wiki regarding the use of mobile phones as an educational tool in schools. De Bono's six thinking hats were used as a framework for this discussion. In this post I will analyse the learning that was facilitated in this activity, connecting this to the learning theories which I discussed in my Week 1 post.

I think that this forum was most reflective of the Social Constructivism learning theory. Constructivists believe, "learners construct their own reality or at least interpret it based upon their perceptions of experiences, so an individual's knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events."
                                                                                                (Jonasson, 1991, cited in Mergel, 1998)

The ideas of this theory were clearly present in this activty. There were a number of differing opinions on the issue of using mobile phones in classroom. This is a result of each students' past experiences with mobile phones in schools and their own perceptions of the usefulness of mobile phones as a learning tool. Some people may have had very positive experiences while others may not have, therefore resulting in a wide range of responses.

This Wiki was very interactive in nature, a key characteristic of Social Constructivism. In this theory, learning is believed to be founded upon social interaction within a learning community. This was seen clearly in the Wiki activity. By interacting in the discussion, students may have gained new knowledge from fellow students which they would never have gained otherwise. For this reason, I feel that the mobile phones Wiki was a very useful learning experience.

I think that the knowledge that we can draw on from our fellow peers is very important and Wikis are a great forum in which this can occur. The only real negative I can see with a Wiki is that anyone can go in and edit a post which could lead to problems if not used appropriately. However, I still think the knowledge that can be gained outweighs any such negative. Wikis are a very interactive way of learning which is important in this day and age. The way in which this Wiki was set out was very organised (eg. section for the black hat, section for the red hat etc.). This made finding the information that you were looking for quite easy instead of having a whole heap of information all i one place.

I enjoyed this activity as I had never even heard of a Wiki before this course, let alone actually participate in one. I have enjoyed expanding my knowledge of ICT's again this week and would feel comfortable to use a Wiki again in the future.

References

Mergel, B. (1998). Instructional Design and Learning Theory. Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm#The%20Basics%20of%20Behaviorism

Week 1 Reflection - LEARNING THEORIES

The focus of this week was to introduce us to a number of different learning theories. Understanding how learner's learn is quite an important facet of teaching. Four learning theories were covered in the reading: Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Social Constructivism and Connectivism.

Behaviourism

 Sometimes referred to as 'objectivism', the behaviourism learning theory has its roots in behavioural psychology. Learning is characterised by an observable change in behaviour. In this theory, students learn through practice, positive reinforcement and re-shaping what they have learned through the process. This is useful for low-level content, processes and routine skill development.

Cognitivism

Cognitivists explain mental processes in terms of a three-stage model.

1. Sensory Memory: Information is first accessed through the senses, where a 'sensory register' filters the massive amount of information received and transfers most important information to the working memory.

2. The Working Memory then organises information for long term storage. About seven pieces of information can be stored at once and will remain in the working memory for about twenty seconds

3. Information can then be transferred to the long term memory for future use. However, information can be sent back from the long term memory to the working memory as situations arise.

Social Constructivism

Social constructivists argue that social interaction has a major impact on learning; learning is founded upon interactions with a learning community or expert community. They argue that learners can move beyond what they already know with the support of others to construct new knowledge. The support of a teacher and the use of modelling and scaffolding plays an important part in this learning theory.

Connectivism

Proposed by George Siemens as the 'learning theory for the digital age'. Siemens states that it is no longer possible to know everything but rather to know how and where to find relevant information. Knowing where to find information when we need it is more important than actually having that knowledge in our minds.


I found the activities for week 1 to be quite interesting. I think having an understanding of different learning theories and thinking about how students actually learn is important for us as teachers. I look forward to posting more blogs in the upcoming weeks and becoming more confident in my use of ICT's.