Virtual Classes?

I came across an article from The Australian website entitled Lecturer Learns to Sort Out Virtual Classes(September 2008) which I found to be an unique idea regarding the future of education. The article is not about the learning of ICT content, but using ICT as a medium to teach as students could ‘attend’ a lecture without physically being in the room.

At the University of Wollongong, Professor Farzad Safaei believes that current online learning for university students is one-dimensional as interaction only occurs through chat rooms. His plan for the future is to  “simulate a classroom environment where students can be ’seated’ and listening to their  lectures as if they were in a physical classroom……All that is required is an internet connection, webcam and speakers….A lecturer would be able to launch their presentation slides in the virtual environment and the entire class would be able to watch and hear the lesson as if it was being conducted in a classroom.”

Personally I think it would be interesting to see if this method of teaching would be a success, however it also makes me wonder if it is taking technology too far and although we live in a technological age, not everyone has access to a computer at home. If you would like to read the article in full, click on the following link: Lecturer Learns to Sort Out Virtual Classes.

 

 

Presentation 6: Simulation and Modeling

Example we created using Microsoft PowerPoint

This week was my turn to present and as you can see, my partner and I were given the task of exploring Simulation and Modeling! It was hard to begin at first because we had to understand what this application was before we could design a task for it. We discovered that they are interactive, digital resources that serve an educational purpose. Both are designed to help students learn about different facts, skills or processes but in different ways. Simulations are more about entering a virtual environment or time period, where as models mostly display the information and facts and are similar to an explanation.

After searching through many online simulations and models (some which are free to utilise and others which are not) we decided that our task would be to create the life cycle of an animal using Microsoft PowerPoint. Click here to see the animated slide that we created: Life Cycle of a Butterfly. This is an example of creating a model and this task could be implemented over a series of lessons and linked to English and Science & Technology.

Through our research we found that the most useful websites to access simulations and model were ‘The Learning Federation’ http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/ and ‘Shambles’ http://www.shambles.net/. These provided databases of several great digital resources that are diverse and fun. To learn more about this topic, click on the page entitled ‘Task B- Part C: Research into an ICT Application.’

Presentation 5: Authoring and Multimedia

Example of editing options on iMovie

This week we learnt about the variety of multimedia we can use. The group presented a clever way of getting students experimenting with all different types of media in the one project, and this was the task we were given. Using ‘iMovie’, we were to create a procedure about brushing our teeth, using different images, animations, text and audio. I found this to be a challenging task because there are so many options available as to what you can do in this program and we had to learn about all the different functions. While time consuming, I think that students would really enjoy doing this because they can make it their own and its an alternative to the usual methods in which text types can be taught.

While useful, programs such as iMovie represent a challenge for us as teachers because they are new ways of displaying material and new lessons for the classroom in regard to ICT. In future I  believe there will be even more programs available that we will have to experiment with in order to take full advantage of what they can offer our students. I think that this is part of our professional development.

Throughout this unit my vocabulary in regard to technology has increased and this presentation helped to clarify yet another term I was not familiar with in a technological sense. The word ‘authoring’ refers to those programs that allow you to create and design such as ‘iWeb.’ I think it is important that we teach the correct terminology to students so they become accustomed to using the words.

 

Presentation 4: Hands On Data

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet

This week was about hands on data. I learnt that data can be represented in two forms which were: spreadsheets (used to sort, list and represent information) and databases (location where information is stored and retrieved). I have never used Microsoft Excel before so it was good to see how its works and be introduced to certain functions, such as the ‘Autosum’ option, and I found that using spreadsheets are an efficient way to display data because the information can be transferred straight into a graph, which is what we did in the task. The activity involved creating a shopping list on a budget for a class party. We referred to the database provided by the presenters to compile our list using a spreadsheet and then represent it as a graph. This was a good activity because it showed how teachers can get students to learn different skills and produce a  good amount of work from simple and clearly displayed information. The choice of graph was also important because it had to represent the data appropriately.

Like previous groups, the presenters modelled good teaching practice by having a work sample displayed on their website. This helped us during the task to see what they wanted us to do and possible methods of setting it out.

I have found that these presentations over the past few weeks have begun to advance my knowledge of using ICT and broaden my perspective of teaching with it. I am beginning to feel more confident to experiment with different programs/functions that I do not normally use and know that I can create simple activities if resources are not available or appropriate.

Presentation 3: E-Books

My eBook page created using Microsoft PowerPoint

This week was all about e-books! We learnt that they are literature in electronic/digital form. The task we were assigned was to create an e-book page about transport, which would then be collated with the rest of the pages made by the tutorial group (click here to see the example of what we created: eBook Transport Page). The result was a complete book constructed by different people which would be a good activity for students. I was surprised to see that the process of creating this book could be achieved using ‘Power Point’ which shows its versatility. I would definitely like to try this project one day in the classroom as I think it would be a motivating and fun activity and the website created by this group will be a useful teacher resource detailing how to do it.

 

The group also created a reviewed list of links with examples of pre-made e-books to use in the classroom. I think these are a great idea because they allow students to read literature in a new setting and one that may appeal to them more because of the interactive nature involved. They also displayed an example of an e-book they had made which shows that teachers can experiment with making their own ICT resources to suit a particular unit of work.

 

Presentation 2: Going Online

The Week 2 presenters informed the tutorial group about using the internet. The task we were given was to design our own webpage using the information that was provided. Before doing this activity I was unaware of any programs that would allow you to do this, so it was helpful that we were introduced to ‘NVU’ which is a free downloadable website creating software. I found it really easy to use as the options to create the page were displayed clearly and it was similar to creating any other digital document. The group also showed a brief lesson sequence which detailed how we can set up a small unit of work around getting students to create their own website in the classroom.

Another element of the presentation I liked was that the group modelled an example of what they wanted us to do. As a teacher I believe this is a simple yet crucial strategy that should always be adopted because it makes it clear to the students what you want them to achieve as well as setting the standard of work.

Lastly I learnt about child centred search engines, such as Yahooligans,  which are protected search engines that lets students use the internet safely by only allowing appropriate material to be seen. I did not know that these existed and think they will be helpful when the teacher has to moniter children using the computers.

Presentation 1: Digital Documents

This week we watched and participated in the first tutorial presentation on Digital Documents.

I learnt that a digital document is any document that is saved on a computer.  I also learnt how to use certain shortcuts on the keyboard which was helpful as they are time efficient and because I am new to using Mac computers, for e.g. since being introduced to the Flickr program I have been exploring what it can do, however, while I was attempting to upload a photo to my blog site it did not work. This was because it saved as ’spaceball.gif’ which is not compatible but the group showed us ways of working around it on a Mac computer. In addition to this, I now feel more confident in turning a file into a PDF since we were shown certain websites that allowed us to do it. These were: www.pdfonline.com and www.cutepdf.com.

In regard to what I learnt about teaching processes, the group demonstrated great classroom practice for teaching ICT i.e. having a balance of giving formal instruction and letting us explore websites and experiment with different functions on Microsoft Word on our own. This strategy will foster autonomy in students as it allows them to be supported while still learning for themselves.

This presentation, as well as tutorials, has begun to change my perspective as it has lead me to believe that while many processes on a computer sound difficult, they are just like learning any other skill i.e. they involve time, guidance and practice. I think it is helpful for teachers that there so many websites out there that help us to engage with and learn about technology e.g. the various PDF websites or photo editing programs. I am hoping that by the end of this unit I will have a library of sites to refer to for my teaching.