Module 5

Using Bubbl.us is a great way to get students thinking about different concepts and how one aspect of a concept is built on by more complex aspects. For younger students it might be at only basic or simpler levels of mind mapping. At more senior years it each layer of the mind map may incorporate the high levels of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy.

Another thought I had about the use of this Web 2.0 tool is that for the visual learners it might be an effective way of setting out what is covered in a syllabus. This might be done by the teacher at the beginning of a topic/unit and given to students as an overview of what will be covered in the topic/unit. Another way of using it may be that the students are given the task at the end of the topic/unit to create the mind map from the syllabus and to include from their learning any examples/page references or other cross references that are appropriate as a way of summarising and revising what they have learned. This could also be applied to sections of topics/units.

An advantage in using Bubbl.us as well is that it can be used by individuals or groups. Here is my first attempt at using Bubbl.us. This is a really basic mind map on the Four Seasons (it was blowing a gale outside at the time I was using Bubbl.us and this is what came to mind). It also shows how different concepts within a topic can also be colour-coded on the mind map.

Glogster EDU is also a really useful tool for evidence of student learning. I recall many a time when the boot of my car looked like a worked for a rolled cardboard manufacturer. It seemed that more often than not, students had to create a poster with information and magazine cut outs! These posters were usually just that ... information "copied" from an encyclopaedia or other reference book and picture cut out from papers and magazines or hand drawn by students who dare to do so!

Glogster EDU serves the same purpose but what is great about it is that it is using the media our students are most familiar with now .... digitial media. The added benefit of this is that students are able to put on their digital posters their own creations eg videos, audios, photos and images, as well as their own writing. Again, this is providing opportunity for some of the higher levels of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy to be attempted and achieved by students.

Prezi is a rather engaging tool for those who like to be creative in their presentations. While I played with this at a basic level I can see that the potential for its use is enormous. Added to the element of creativity is the advantage of these being kept online and being shared with others. This provides opportunity for collaborative learning.

Module 4

I played around with Animoto and enjoyed this. There are a number of ways in which podcasting and vodcasting can be used in the classroom.

Vodcasts would be particularly useful for students to be able to access while doing their homework or while they are working on assessment tasks at home. A video could be made with an explanation of how a problem might be solved in Maths, for example. Another example would be to have a video of the assessment task being explained in its various parts. A student could then access the part they require for the work the are doing at the given time.

Digital story telling is a great way to show off students' work. These videos could be used for Open Days or other times when there is showcasing of student work. They could also be used to celebrate the achievements of students outside the classroom. These might include the sports field, community service, liturgical life of the school, capturing memories for graduations, etc.

For teacher who are open to it, it may also be a way in which students can submit work in practical subject like art or timber, as a way of journalling the design process and work in progress.

Module 3

Using Google Docs has a great use in the classroom. One of the features that I like most is the way collaboration on a document can take place. More and more, we are finding that when students collaborate in their learning, the benefits to learning are far greater.

There are still a large number of students, particularly in Stage 6, who do not see these benefits. The competition for the marks or high ranks leads them to thinking that it is better to not share their work and their learning. I think that with the natural tendency towards the use of technology that our students have, we can use this to lead them into collaborative learning environments.

In my next round of Network Meetings I would really like to give the Google Forms a try as a way of the evaluation tool. This means that the participants will be able to do the evaluation in their own time and give it the time it needs, rather than it be the last thing done in a meeting and done in haste!

Module 2

This module has really moved me a bit from my safe zone. I have had a bit of a challenge/setback with some of the practical in this module. While it all seemed easy enough, there was a technical hitch I came face to face with that required some human help. Thanks to Mick Prest and a one to one session this afternoon, I am back on track with my blog!

When I set up the blog, I did this through the CENet login. Last night, I continued with the module tutorial, set up a Twitter Account for myself, tweeted a couple of friends and got onto the Q and A hashtag. All of this was fine and I realised some of the possibilities for the use of Twitter in the classroom. I then went to add a new post on my blog and the problem arose! I was unable to add a post as I could not get into it to edit. I could see the blog but the dashboard was not allowing me to edit.

Mick and I sat together today to work out what was going on. He discovered that last night I must have logged in through Google and had not gone through the CENet login. This made a difference in being able to edit my blog as when I logged in through Google, my username was marietta.taliana@ceosyd.catholic.edu.au. When logging in through CENet the username is marietta.taliana@syd.catholic.edu.au. While this may seem like only a minor thing, the difference is that with 'ceo' in the login, Blogger treated me as though I was a different person. This is why I couldn't edit .... I think! :-)

Blogging seems to be a great way to journal and get feedback - this would be great in the classroom! I like Twitter as well but just wish I had some more time to play with it!

I think I'm now ready to move on to Module 3!

Module 1

I found the information that was presented in the videos informative and very simple to follow. The Web 2.0 world does really open up a lot of opportunities for teaching our little (and big) digital natives!

Web 2.0 really does change how we teach but in particular, the way we source information and share information. As a visual learner, I found that the drawings and other diagrams really made it very clear that what is sometimes termed as Web 1.0 was really just a collection of electronic references. Web 2.0 is very different from that in that the information is shared and the contributions to sharing information by people is limitless.

I was pleased to hear in one of the videos that caution is needed when using some of the information on the internet. This is important for teachers to be aware of. No doubt, teachers are aware of this, however, I think we need to work harder in getting students to understand this and we need to teach them how to assess the reliability and validty of sources of information found on the world wide web!

My First Blog!

This is my first attempt at blogging! Yes! Have finally made an attempt. Seems to have worked. Wasn't difficult at all!

Here is a picture of what I think would be a really nice place to be.