Above is a still image of the introduction to a LAMS Task on Antarctica that Claire and I created for a stage three class. This LAMS Task covers the whole 6-8 week long HSIE Case Study on the continent Antarctica. In this learning unit students are enabled to speak via chat rooms to scientist and other locals who live in Antarctica to ask them any questions that may have arisen within the unit. Students also participate in discussion and more creative activities online to explore the unit. By conducting this unit online, students participate in an almost virtual online type of excursion without even having to leave the classroom.

All resources and programs used within this unit can be found on the internet for free so that no one school can be disadvantaged. The 6-8 week long program has been split up into 8 half hour blocks that can be easily fit into any schools computer room timetable.

The one greatest thing we learnt from this task was that it was very achieveable by teachers to produce a task such as this, and we therefore also believe that something even on this scale can be produced by students in a constructivist classroom.

In a commentry on Digital Stories in the Classroom the writer states that ‘like all tools, it takes some practice and thought to use effectively’. The writer goes on to quote Van Deurse by stating ‘A good Digital Story, comes from a strong question and a powerful narrative. Before students even touch a computer they need to have given significant time and thinking to what their story is about. It is very easy to become distracted by all the visual options. It is important that the music, pictures and video serve to enhance a well written personal narrative’.

Below is an example of a digital story that I have created in class. The question I try to answer is slightly personal being ‘Why do I want to be a Primary School Teacher?’. Have a look and let me know what you think about it.  

 To view the video please click HERE- edublogs and I are having difficulty with uploading.

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.

Evaluating a Website

This is my first ever attempt at making my own podcast. In this podcast, I speak of my “Great Passion”.

Making a podcast was not as hard as what I thought it would be. It was actually really enjoyable to make. I created mine through the program Garageband. As I was using a Mac computer, the microphone was built into the computer itself. So this made the process of making a podcast that much easier.

I was able to test out various background sounds and jingles to add to the podcast to make it a bit more interesting. The whole process of writing, making and playing back a podcast was very simple and very effective. As a future teacher, I do think it is possible that the use of podcasting and the listening to podcasts can be incorporated into everyday lessons.

Now as for my great passion, it is something I have had since I was really young. If I try for a moment to mix my passion itself and podcasting, I think a really good recipe can be formed. Through podcasts a student can be reached from anywhere across the world, they can be taught life lessons and can interact with other students. Therefore I think it is possible for students within Western Sydney to be taught of their worth and to be shown there is more to life through podcasting (this being one of many tools). With saying this, I also believe that if these students have more acess to this growing technological world, they may be inspired to be more than they think hey can achieve.

It’s worth a try…

In my very first class Ihad the opportunity to try out and experiment with the program photo booth. In this program a student can take a picture of themselves (either using the inbuilt camera which most macs have, or a web cam) and then edit it through the various effects that they have. These effects can ultimately distort images giving them a warped end result. Effects include mirroring, a fish-eyed look, swirling the image and also making a student look as if they are in a cartoon. Students are only limited by their creativity. This program is very simple to use. So simple that I believe students in Kindergarten can use it. Most children now days can use cameras and have basic computer skills so a good end result is quite achievable. These effects can ultimately distort images giving a warped end result. Above is an example of an image I created within class. It was really fun to use, and most of the photos I took were really funny. A teacher can most definately base an art lesson around this program. Hope you like it.