My Personal Learning Space!

This image was retrieved from: http://informationarchitects.jp/webtrends2007/

 I came across an article entitled WILD ABOUT WIKIS by David Jakes and in this article Jakes explores the social software of wikis. Jakes states that ‘wikis enable anyone and everyone to create content online using easily understandable tools’. Jakes also states that the most famous wiki is wikipedia.

Jakes answers a number of questions about wikis, these being:

1. How do wikis work?
2. What are the educational benefits of wikis?
3. Are they free?
4. What wiki tools are available?
5. How much support is reuired to maintain a wiki?
6. What are potential concerns about using wikis?

For someone like myself who has no real experience with using and even making wikis, this article is quite interesting and informative as it outlines the various issues for and against their use. As this article leans more towards their use in the Primary Classroom, Jakes has mentioned quite a few “facts” that should be noted. One being that wikis provide students with the opportunity for “colaborative construction”, however he also mentions that teachers should pay careful attention in group work to ensure that the whole group is contributing and not just one. A positive to the use of wikis would be their forums. Students can raise issues and talk with students outside of their school (and even their Country) discussing and researching various topics.

Claire and I created this comic using the MAC program Comic Life. In this comic, Claire and I express what we believe are some of our views on E-Learning in the classroom.

I have posted this comic for two reasons. The first being that I wanted to show anyone who reads this what are some of my beliefs on E-Learning, and the second is to show you a very effective but simple way of expressing information that students can use within the classroom. The program Comic Life is very easy to use, and is a creative way for students to publish their work and address specific issues. It is also a good tool for teachers to use if they want to offload a lot of information onto students. By using Comic Life, students may be more engaged and find more enjoyment from those mundane tasks.

Download Video: Posted by khokanson at TeacherTube.com.

What an inspiring video. It’s hard to see the importance of e-learning in the classroom from time to time as learning is still relevant without technology. However I found this video to outline a truth in which I haven’t really thought about. Todays students will seeing a very different world to what I saw only ten or so years ago. Their future will see many more things than what I will see. Therefore as teachers we need to prepare students for this future which changes so often and so quickly, that we do not even know what we are preparing them for. Hence, we need to equip students with all that we can so that they are prepared for each and every opportunity, each and every job, each and evey problem and each and every outcome. Sean quotes the video by stating: “As teachers we will be preparing students for a technological world which is rapidly changing. We are preparing students for jobs which do not exist, using technologies which have not yet been developed.”

 Now that I have caught your attention with this clever title, I would like to introduce you to the THREE X’s. For those who do not know what they are, the three X’s stand for: eXploring, eXpressing, and eXchanging ideas by using new digital media. This concept has been explored by Idit Harel which can be found at Skills for the Millennium. These three X’s act as learning tools in this “technological driven world”.

I found this article to be quite interesting as not only does it explain what each concept means and how it is applicable, it also gives various activities and games where students can test out these skills. For example, for the term eXploring, Harel explains children’s natural abilty and desire to explore. He then goes on to state how the internet itself can become an open space for students to eXplore and discover. A link to ROMP is then attached which teachers can log onto for students to use. In this site students eXplore a “wide range of sites linked to specific researched words’.

I found this to be a very interesting read with an abundance of useful resources that can be used within the classroom. The three X’s are clever tools which can be used in both technology and non-technology activities (technology meaning computers and the like).

Image retrieved from: http://www.christmastree.org/youtube.jpg

This posting refers to the article entitled ‘Breaking the YouTube blockade’ by Jamie McKenzie.
Check it out as it has some really good information on the legalistic side to using YOUTUBE in the classroom.

In this journal article, the author looks at both the pros and cons to using YOUTUBE within the classroom. Most schools tend to block the use of YOUTUBE on school systems, as it slows down the network and may provide easy access to “objectional material”. However, if a teacher were to download specific videos and vodcasts prior to lessons, not only will the burden on the schools network improve, so will the monitoring of explicit material improve. By using YOUTUBE and TEACHERTUBE students can be immersed in technology and be introduced to a world of information and opinions held by other people which are being delivered in creative ways. Once this world has been introduced to students, teaching may move on to students creating their own vodcasts and publishing them onto blogs or even onto the school website.

Image taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mundoo/313716925/

In a podcast with Micth Resnick entitled ‘creative play’, the host states that imaginative play at a young age is essential. This podcast looks at toys as a form of technology and using these “toys” as a way of delivering information. Kids are enabled to experiment, create and explore through playing with toys. There are no “blue prints or rules” when playing, except there may be guidelines such as having a theme to their play. Resnick however looks at the use of Lego and other craft with technology in which students themselves can create and build. An example given is a birthday cake that when you blow out the candles which have sensors, the cake plays the music for HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

The way this could then be used within the classroom, would be by having specific time where students may be able to build and construct with toys, along with craft materials. If possible students may even be able to include some forms of technology… these may be lights, sound sensors and sound makers. By enabling creative play, students with shorter attention spans due to lack of interest are more interested and enthusiastic about learning. Therefore technology such as this may not be for each and every student, for each and every classroom, however some students may benefit from this along with learning how to be creative thinkers.

This online commentary found on YouTube, entitled ‘Telling a New Story’ gives illustrations of how social software such as blogs can be used with even the youngest students in primary classrooms. I found this short clip to be very inspiring!

This commentary outlines various ways in which technology can be practical within the classroom, As many things that can be done on a computer can also be done with pencil and paper. Some of these examples include the publishing of work. When students are ready to publish a piece of work, they will do so over a blog. Their audience is wider and they have people around the world commenting and giving feedback on their work.

I found this concept alone quite interesting as I tend to question the use of technology in the primary classroom at times. The school itself also uses blogs as a way of informing parents about what their students are learning along with the various events that may be occurring within the classroom. And this particular class is a year one class! I find this all very fascinating, and this commentary has inspired me to use technology within the classroom when I was fairly sceptical before at the beginning of this class.