BubbleShare: Share photos – Play some Online Games.

Sources http://www.cabrillo.edu/~nstucker/images/zits.gif> & www.cartoonstock.com

While most of my previous blogs may have seamed like rants that schools need be ‘modern’ and to try and keep up with the times and I just  found a video on teacher-tube that looks at the same issue. Shift-happens totally blew me away, it  really makes you think about why we need to teach problem solving and creativity not just content, skills and simple processes. Some of the ideas proposed are amazing, consider the implications of teaching students for jobs that don’t yet exist.   Think about the importance of the web and social networking sites if that many million children are already using my space and billions of Google enquiries are made every year.   This is just enormous evidence of the changes that are already happening.  The video claimed a weeks worth of the times newspaper contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century, it makes being a future teacher sound both daunting and very exciting. With that much information out there it becomes more important to know how to find it, use it and how to share it.  More than anything this should get you thinking…..

Download Video: Posted by alexsavage at TeacherTube.com.

 I have just read Ten Web 2.0 Things You Can Do In Ten Minutes to Be a More Successful E-learning Professional, perhaps I’m a little behind because I’m not sure I will be able to get through the list in 10 minutes. However the idea is simple, e-learning is not just a subject for students, it’s a subject for teachers. Teachers must keep abreast of new technologies and must make an effort to try and incorporate these technologies into their classroom. Of course this will only seam natural if you incorporate them in you life. So what’s my new challenge you ask?  Read item 4 on the list that’s going to be my first challenge, then I’ll keep it up from there! Post a comment back and commit to one of these challenges for yourself!

It probably isn’t news to any educator that students are using the internet more than books today to do their research and for help with their homework. However this form of literacy requires new skills. “You have to teach how to identify source bias, and balance that with other sources – teach how information fits in a larger construct,” says Jacqueline Hess of the Academy for Educational Development in Washington. Teaching children to have a critical eye and helping them to understand what is content and what is advertising are very important lessons. Teaching children to identify bias and be critical readers will help them in all mediums. It is also important to teach children that the internet does not replace books and help students understand the merits of both. A recent study of sources used in 500 random selected student’s assignments found a measly 27% were considered reliable sources of information. The internet puts a wealth of information at students’ fingertips, the trick for teachers is navigating their students through this sea of information that their students are probably more comfortable with than them. There are also many skills that the teacher must learn for themselves, including recognising and dealing with plagiarism. Source: Colhoun, A. (2000, April 25). But I found it on the Internet. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0425/p16s1.html

I just read Hayley’s post on smart-board and I have to admit it does seams a very dived and topical discussion. While on my first prac I was lucky enough to have a smart-board and a teacher who was keen to make use of all they had to offer. On prac I was shown how to use all the tools and to make the most of this fantastic resource in the classroom. One of my first lesson has a very interactive smart-board presentation on grid references, I found the students were more engaged than had I done the same lesson on the chalkboard or using worksheets, it also was a real confidence booster for me as the lesson was well planned and easy to deliver. As a student teacher it was slightly overwhelming as I spent a lot of time learning from the students as they corrected me on how to use the smart-board. 

I really liked how it was conducive to whole class discussions and allowed the teacher to prepare the lesson from home and then just download it straight to the board.  All perspective teachers should download the free note-ware software and have a play, it’s easy to pick up and once you start thinking you realise the possibilities are completely endless!

Since my post A podcast on Podcasts I have started listening to podcasts more. I have been using them as simple, professional development. I wanted to share what I have gotten out of listening to podcasts.

While on prac I was so nervous about my horrible grammar that I began listening to Grammar Girl pod-casts. Listening to grammar can be difficult but I found it caters for my personal learning style better as I am more of  a verbal learner.  I have found them an interesting way to develop myself and to learn grammar rules and exceptions. I would not normally just sit down and read a grammar book, but with podcasts I can easily find 5 minutes to listen. I have also found some classroom management and e-learning podcasts that I will have to link up later.

While I believe students could get the most out of creating their own pod-casts. Creating podcasts is a pointless activity unless students have heard or seen other podcasts. Find topics that interest students or that are relevant to what they are learning. This can be a very fun activity and something students may want to pursue in their own time if they are given the tools and the skills to do so.

So far most of my blogs have been about the possibilities and opportunities in ICT.  However I just read Cathie’s blog Are Children safe using online blogs?  And it made me think about the negatives of using the internet and especially the safety issues.  In my earlier blog “Blogging possibilities”   I mentioned students could use blogs as a journal, teachers need to be careful that students understand that this is in a reflective manner on their learning or if it is a journal that they do not identify themselves or their family and be careful about giving out too much information. It is obvious that this is a very important subject that students need to learn about.  Internet safety and manners should be a compulsory part of the primary curriculum.  I found a website I liked about internet safety for children called nettys world and cybersmart kids online, as a teacher i think it would be important to dedicate several lessons to issues of internet saftey.

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Websites are often used in education or by students but are often judged on little more than the aesthetic aspects, others are  designed purely as sources of information.  Jose Gomez Galan, in Design of Educational Web Pages warns that many are based on the behaviourist model of teaching and often very pre-programmed and do not allow for creative thought process.  He recommends considering three basic points when assessing the educational value of a webpage

• Accessibility-simple designs which are esay to  which leads to a logical and easy access to the

contents);

• Range of sources and languages
• Level of student interactivity

Overall clever, interactive websites can provide a strong basis for motivating and enriching learning but everyone should be aware of educational pages that are little more than great graphics and bright colours. 

I have just read Hayley’s very insightful post on the benefits of students using blogs. She explained that students could use blogs to publish their work and express their thoughts and feelings. Blogs can also be thought of as the 21st century answer to the journal and could be a valuable way of students to learn computer and literacy  skills and to express their thoughts and opinions. Blogging can be a valuable way for all students to think creatively and can help students reach a global audience and develop a greater sense of pride and recognition in all area of school. 

I then listened to a podcast from edna education which talked about how educators and adults can use blogs. While there was a huge variety of reasons for this it seems  most educators are using blogs to connect and devleop a sense of community, share ideas, support each other & to voice opinions.