Reflection on my Flickr journey

Flickr is a safe and legal way to use 'other' people's photos. Combining Flickr and Flickr Creative Commons you and your learners are copying legally.

Once learners are shown how to link/embed images into their photostories, blogs and wikis etc there is no ending to how visual they can make their work.

Images/photos can be embedded in different sizes from original size, large, medium, small down to thumbnail and smaller 75x75 allowing images to fit into learners work. Learners are able to choose which size fits best.

Learners must always acknowledge the owner of the photo etc, learner managers must make sure learners know the rules.

Flickr is a great resource to obtain photos for a topic which otherwise you would not have images for.

However, using someone else's photos is not the same as using your own. This might take away the learners feeling of ownership of their work. Flickr has the facilities to use your own photos which would allow the learners' to take full ownership of their work when possible eg excursions, local area assignments etc.

Flickr - Digital Images On Line

Hi everyone, I can't seem to work out how to attach a Flickr photo to my blog as an image not a link. I would love some help, I'd be very thankful.

I will try linking the image. Ok, that worked except I go the whole page including the image from Flickr, I'll try again with this link to see if I can link the image only. No, it didn't work. I'll try again later off to uni now. I'll try the "technical help forum".

I feel confident that I will succeed this time, thank you to Debbie L.

The below photo of the Australian Opera House was retrieved from Flickr and taken by Edwin Lee, 2005.



Next Step with Flickr

Now I have to work out how to make photos smaller.


And smaller (thumbnail)


Photos of a particular topic can be added from Flickr using Creative Commons. Learners can use these photos in their presentations, photostories etc

eg Natural landmarks of Australia.
Photo 1 & 2 taken by Joanna Penn, 2007 of Uluru and the Devils Marbles and the last photo by Shellac, 2011 of Katherine Gorge, all in the Northern Territory.

Creative Commons

I have attached the same link as in the moodle activities for week 4 for quick reference. Creative Commons "supports sharing of materials online with specific author permission". Another link ?What is Creative Commons set out the rules very clearly.

I have attached earlier in my blog the link to Smartcopying but I will link it again here, they are the copyright guidlines.

Here's a link to Creative Commons for flickr.

Happy reading.

Mobile Learning Reflection Week 4

Mobile Learning Reflections Week 4 Readings

I have listed some of my favourite tools for mobile learning from the reading on moodle.

How portable are these devices, making ICT so easy to include in the classroom and outside the classroom and of course on excursions.

iPod Touch

Voice Memo – collaborative story building, one learner speaks records what they have said, next learner records the next part of the story. Great team work, sense of belonging to a group.
Type Drawing – create visual messages. Could be a response to an issue could be posted to class wiki or blog etc to be shared.
Google Maps
Pixter – used for collage and can add annotations through Comic Touch Life. Great for learners to create a poster of a topic they are learning about, could be created individually or in a group.
StoryKit – learners can create their own books whether fiction or non-fiction, investigations, excursions etc.
FlipIt – can create individual books.
Comic Touch – learners can insert images from a book they have read and add speech bubbles. Great for re-call, engagement, comprehension, once again for fiction, non-fiction and text books.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones can be used for photos, video and these can be added to the class wiki or blog for collaborative projects or used individually. A voice recorder is possible. Digital story telling, e-reader where learners can access full text. Learners can utilise the dictionary and calendar.

iPad

There are apps to make music.
Interactive e-books, learners can record their own voices reading a book or the learner manager to make the e-books more personalised and can also be a collaborative venture.
iPads have instant presentations using the keynote app. There are lots of photo editing apps. Presentations can belong to the learners using their own photos. Additionally there is the e-portfolio tool and the DrawingPad tool for further collaborative work or individual.
StoryBuddy is where learners can create their own stories to share with one another. Once again these could be linked to a topic they are learning or they could be as simple as their ‘dear diaries’ or a story about their holidays. The PhotoCard Lite creates postcards and could be used in the same way as StoryBuddy.
The Collaborative Whiteboards seem a great idea. Great for collaborative work, one writes on a iPad whiteboard and the text, visual comes up on all iPad whiteboards.
Google Earth is a fabulous tool to use to show learners parts of the world or their local area they are investigating, the topic becomes more real when they can actually see the places talked about.

The learners would have to be taught how to use all these tools to get the most out of them. These forms of mobile learning are compact, easy to carry and usually not as expensive as laptops. The main advantage is the portability of the devices.

Safety, legal and ethical guidelines would also need to be covered off with learners whenever they are using ICTs.

Group One - On-line Spaces - Wiki Reflection - PMI

My Wiki - PMI

Hi everyone, hope your e-learning investigating is going well. I have started my very own wiki and have learnt how to link images, and web addresses and more. Linking is very quick, I had a few tries and then got it right.

Plus

• Wikis are easy to set up, create and edit.
• Wikis are collaborative in creation and learning.
• Lower primary years would be able to create a wiki collaboratively, the learner manager would need to set up the wiki and assist learners with the use and editing of the wiki.
• Middle to upper primary would be able to create their own wikis with learner manager support if needed and then collaboratively learners can create a unit of work themselves and others to share.
• Wikis can be a 'expert jigsaw' when everyone is working together which leads to higher order thinking for individual learners.
• Wikis can be linked to a classroom website, they can be viewed by teachers, learners and parents.

Minus

• A wiki is a collaborative activity, some learners learn best working independently, so a wiki may not be the best e-learning tool for these learners.
• Information would be very easy to be deleted in a wiki, so learners would have to be very careful.
• Problems can arise when two or more learners are editing and saving the wiki at the same time. (See blog posting 20^th July).
• Learners have to be on-line to edit a wiki.

Interesting

Wiki questions should be scaffolded to enhance learners thinking.

·         A wiki is a constructivist, way of learning.

·         Learners are able to link and embed images, text and videos into their wiki to enhance visual creativity.  Learners need to told about copyright, ethics and safety when creating a wiki. (See blog entry 10th August "Basic Copyright Information Summarised"). Smartcopying is an informative site about copyright, Creative Commons is another site that informs the expectations when using other authors images, text and videos.

I wasn't sure what would happen if two people/students were editing a wiki page at the same time. When I was reflecting on the mobile phones wiki a message came on screen that mentioned that someone was also editing and I was worried what would happen. I have linked a great site I found while looking into this query of mine, lots of questions and what ifs about wiki.

I have cut and pasted from this website the section that answered my question. Retrieved from http://help.wikispaces.com/Teacher+Help

"Your students will be notified if someone else is editing the page at the same time. If there are no conflicts in the students' changes, both sets of edits will be seamlessly merged into the page. If the changes do conflict, the following will happen:

1.When the first user saves his changes, the second user will receive a notification of this and will be able to view the changes.
2.The second user can view the changes to remove the conflict if she chooses.
3.If there is still a conflict when the second user saves the page, she will be notified that she is about to overwrite the first user's changes. She will have the option to continue or cancel.

If either student's edits are incorrectly overwritten, they can find their work or revert to an earlier version of the page on the History tab. If you still have problems, email help@wikispaces.com ."
Next I'm off to my Weebly.

What if two students are editing a wiki at the same time?

I wasn't sure what would happen if two people/students were editing a wiki page at the same time. When I was reflecting on the mobile phones wiki a message came on screen that mentioned that someone was also editing and I was worried what would happen. I have linked a great site I found while looking into this query of mine, lots of questions and what ifs about wiki.

I have cut and pasted from this website the section that answered my question. Retrieved from http://help.wikispaces.com/Teacher+Help

"Your students will be notified if someone else is editing the page at the same time. If there are no conflicts in the students' changes, both sets of edits will be seamlessly merged into the page. If the changes do conflict, the following will happen:

1.When the first user saves his changes, the second user will receive a notification of this and will be able to view the changes.
2.The second user can view the changes to remove the conflict if she chooses.
3.If there is still a conflict when the second user saves the page, she will be notified that she is about to overwrite the first user's changes. She will have the option to continue or cancel.

If either student's edits are incorrectly overwritten, they can find their work or revert to an earlier version of the page on the History tab. If you still have problems, email help@wikispaces.com ."

Copyright

I have linked Smartcopying the copyright site that Jackie mentioned in class today in case anyone was not there.

A section within the Smartcopying document is directed at "students and copyright" I have linked it here for easy reference.

Mobiles in School - Wiki Reflection

Wow, what a response, so many individual thoughts and feelings about the topic.

Everyone was willing to share their thoughts on the topic. A collaborative mix of pros and cons. I found it interesting to see that most people overal had the same feelings. Technology is so amazing, to think that a piece of technology small enough to fit in your pocket can do the same as a regular computer (and more). Not too many years ago I remember my father bringing home his first computer, it was huge. I also remember his first mobile phone, it was the size of a large briefcase.

I am beginning to enjoy wikis, however I am very worried about deleting things or editing someone's work without knowing so I am very careful.

I think students' working collaboratively on a wiki is very useful. Wikis can involve as many students as the task requires. It requires patience from students who are more ICT literate. Wikis can encourage students to help each other with their learning and ICT skills because the students are all working toward a common goal - the completion of a task.

Learner managers have to support group work and supply options for solving group problems when they occur.

Group 1 - On-line Spaces - Blog Reflection

A blog is easy to set up and use. Learner managers would have to assist the younger primary years, however middle primary and up would find a blog easy to use.  A blog can be as creative as the individual learner would like it to be.

A blog is an on-line space and usually has a single author; however other learners can connect and collaboratively contribute to the blog by posting comments. Learners when creating a blog have a sense of ownership which in itself can contribute to learning.  Learners need to develop strategies to be self motivating to explore the vast amount of information available to them on the World Wide Web, analysis the information and incorporate this new knowledge into the blog in the form of text, video and/or images.  Learners can use their own photos and videos created in class, taken during an excursion or during investigations. Blogs are an on-line space that learners can create, edit and individually design a journey of learning, eg time line for history a sequenced science investigation. Blogs can be visual and express an individual’s creativity. Blogs allow learners to link and embed other authors’ text, images, videos and ‘gadgets’.

They can create their own ‘textbook’ which can be viewed by their peers to extend their knowledge, assessed by their teachers at assessment time and a blog can inform parents and caregivers about their child’s progress.

Blog - PMI (Plus, minus and interesting)

I have found the experience alot of fun. At first I was a little worried as I mentioned in my first entry, however I now can see why people get “addicted”.

I have being using my blog as a learning file, to store new ICT skills and tools I have explored.

I have also found that I have gone back into earlier entries and added new information or changed information because my thoughts have changed due to more research.

Plus                                                                                                                              

Blogs are sequenced entries. Learners can use a blog to show sequence of an activity, for example a timeline of events (history), investigation and the steps taken to the end result (science). The learner manager with their learners’ can discuss questions to be answered to help scaffold the blog.

Blogs require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily created and maintained.

Blogs can be worked on anytime, anywhere with a internet-enabled computer.

Blogs are very easy to use and edit and are flexible in design and can be change easily.

Blogs do not limit creativity, learners can be as creative as they like. Learners can personalise their blog and enhance the feeling of ownership.

Blogs usually have a single author which can give learners ownership of their journeys of discovery in which ever subject area they are investigating or reflecting on.

A blog gives opportunities for learners to read and write. Some students may participate more in class when given the opportunity to create a blog.

Blogs are interactive because anyone viewing the blog can comment, which then includes a form of collaborative learning and discussion enhancing deeper thinking. (See comment of danger below).

Minus                                                                                                                               

The minus side of a blog is that it usually would not be a collaborative activity like a wiki. It would suit some learners but it would mainly be a solo journey of learning.

A blog requires you to be on-line when creating, editing and viewing.

DANGER – anyone can comment on your blog, learners of all ages need to be taught the dangers of blogging. They need to be reminded more than once. (However, Learner Managers, parents and carers can view the blogs).

Interesting                                                                                                                       

I have had some help to attach/link some tools, however now that I have done it a few times it will get easier. I like being able to attach visual tools; scribble maps, photostory and prezi, all of which can be integrated into learning experiences for learners. I would like to be able to use “Missy the science dog” to engage my learners with missions of investigations. (My Voki of Missy the science dog is on the right hand side of my blog).

Did you know, as stated by Pingdom (2010) 152 million blogs are on the internet. (Retrieved from

 http://royal.pingdom.com).

Scribble Map

I had a try at Scribble Maps is was quite easy, the icons were easy to understand and to embed the map in my blog was easy - the instructions were there on the Scribble Map site. If you put your cursor on the map you can move it around.

Learners could use this type of tool in SOSE. Middle to upper primary.

Bloom's Taxonomy

 Bloom (1956)  proposed that learning fitted into one of three psychological domains:

Ø  the Cognitive domain – processing information, knowledge and mental skills

Ø  the Affective domain – Attitudes and feelings  

Ø  the Psychomotor domain – manipulative, manual or physical skills

In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl, revised Bloom's Taxonomy

Each of the categories or taxonomic elements has a number of key verbs associated with it
Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS)

Ø  Remembering - Recognising, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding

Ø  Understanding - Interpreting, Summarising, inferring, paraphrasing, classifying, comparing, explaining, exemplifying

Ø  Applying - Implementing, carrying out, using, executing

Ø  Analysing - Comparing, organising, deconstructing, Attributing, outlining, finding, structuring, integrating

Ø  Evaluating - Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, Experimenting, judging, testing, Detecting, Monitoring

Ø  Creating - designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing, devising, making

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

This revised taxonomy does not take into account the emerging use of Information and Communication Technologies.

Blooms as a learning process.

Before we can understand a concept we have to remember it
Before we can apply the concept we must understand it
Before we analyse it we must be able to apply it
Before we can evaluate its impact we must have analysed it
Before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analysed, and evaluated.

Information retrieved from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+-+Introduction

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Summary Map and to view video with Andrew Churches click here.

Group 3 Technologies - Presentation Tools - PREZI - Reflection

Please click on Prezi if you would like to have a look at my second attempt at a Prezi. A very basic Prezi but I'm proud of it.

I can not wait to try another Prezi and make it really exciting with pictures and Youtube links etc. I really thought it was going to be alot harder. If I can do it anyone can.

The Prezi tool would be great for upper primary with a guiding Learner Manager, together they would be able to make some incredible Prezi's.

Prezi's are not linear like PowerPoint. Learners who learn best with simple clear straightforward sequenced presentations may prefer PowerPoint. However, Prezi can make you feel like you are actually travelling on a journey as the presentation moves around the screen taking you with it.  A Prezi is engaging due to the movement and the ability to display minute details. A Prezi feels a little spontaneous as as a viewer you do not know where you are going next and you wait in anticipation.

As a creator of a Prezi one thing to consider is how much movement you incorporate into your presentation, sometimes to much movement and viewers feel they are on a rollcoaster.

A Prezi may take a little longer to learn than PowerPoint for some learners. However if the learners follow the instructions and guidance from their learner manager creation of a basic Prezi is not too hard.  As a learner becomes more confident in their abilities in creating a Prezi the design opportunities are endless.

A Prezi needs to be viewed on-line which may not be possible all the time. This has to be taken into consideration when lesson planning for a Teacher's Prezi and the location of the learnes when they want to present their Prezi to others.
Thank you for your help Jackie, the HTML is needed to link.

Photo Story - it's finally here

Thank you Debbie L. for helping me link a quick Photo Story.  I have tried so many times over the last 24 hours to link this example of Photo Story.  The one thing I was doing wrong was not saving it as a 320x240. I have included a link to Photo Story, on how to create one, this link also includes the information on 320x240 (whatever that is), if you follow the instructions it is very easy. 

I think Photo Story is a great tool, especially now that I know how to link it. Typing text, adding music is easy. It is great because it is really easy (trust me it is), the step by step instructions are easy to follow.  Students can take photos of investigations, inventions from first draft to the final piece (science), a drama (The Arts), SOSE explorations and history. They can take photos of group work, showing hands on real life learning.  The students can then timeline the photos and present a Photo Story presentation sharing knowledge with the whole class.

Photo Story can be a little bit different from a PowerPoint. The photos used in this Photo Story are ones I took while I was creating my Visual Art piece for last years elective.

Photostory - image technology

An example of Photostory,  an image technology.  The link does not work, I have not been able to work out how to attach my photostory.Becoming a running problem, first my Prezi and now the photostory.I Will keep trying.

 A work in progress of continual learning.

My first Prezi

Today I tried to make a Prezi, this is my first attempt (I have included the Prezi down the right hand side of my blog).  I look forward to having the time to really work out how everything works with texts and visual pictures. You can create your own at www. prezi.com
                A little while later...............I can not attached my Prezi, I'll keep trying.
                                  I had the Prezi attached and then I lost it.

Fodey

WOW, I love it.  I would need to learn how to slow the text down so learners would have a chance to read all the words - the text in my flower picture moves too quickly.  The learners could learn how to make their own, even in collaborative groups. Love it!

Wordle

 I had a go at some simple word clouds. Very visual, could be used for spelling words each week - instead using Spelling City the learners could type in their spelling words a number of times helping them to learn them and the result would be a visual personal poster for the week's spelling words.  If studing the states of Australia the L/M could make a poster for the classroom.  Perhaps even a way of displaying a food chain for science, producers could be entered once until the final consumer level entered many times to show the flow of energy. In English learners may be asked to write as many descriptive words (adjectives) about something, for example the beach, how does it make them feel etc

The below examples I just wrote in words to do with a topic, the first E-Learning, 2nd numbers 1 to 10, 3rd states of Australia and finally Science words. They were very quick to create and with more time could be made to be quite engaging and visual for the classroom.

Word Clouds could be used by all Primary years when shown how.

   

Elluminate Live/web conferencing

As many of you know Global Science held an "Elluminate Live" session today, an online tutorial.  After following the instructions to connect, which were quite straight forward the session went really well.  There were symbols, for example of a hand open, which when you clicked on it the lecturer heading the Elluminate knew you wanted to ask a question.  The question could then be asked by typing text or pressing the speaker symbol allowing to you speak and everyone attending could hear you.  There was even a whiteboard where we could add text.

I found the experience fun and interactive.  Collaboratively we covered questions relating to assessment. Questions I hadn't thought of were answered and extended my understanding.  Overall it was a success for most due to the smiling face symbol posted beside students' names at the end of the session.

If you are interested to read more about Elluminate Live/web conferencing click here.

This online web conferencing tool could be used if students are working collaboratively in groups and need to discuss things over the weekend etc, therefore for upper primary into high school. They would need to be shown how to use this web conferencing tool in school first.

TPACK Reflection

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge - TPACK.

Interesting discussion site.

From CQUniversity FAHE11001    "TPACK informs your learning design decisions about the content that you will be introducing to students, and how to select appropriate technologies for learning that is facilitated using sound pedagogical design".

"Knowing how to use technology in pedagogically sounds ways for the learning of specific content is the basis of the TPACK framework".

How can the use of ICT tools enhance and assist learners to learn?. How do learners learn through the use of ICT's? "when planning lessons using ICT tools teachers must nominate content, make decisions about appropriate technologies that can transform learning, and pedagogies that support the best possible learning". (CQUniversity FAHE11001)




Image retrieved from http://randysresources.wikispaces.com/TPACK

According to Mishra and Koehler (2006. p. 1025) “the framework emphasizes the connections, interactions, affordances and constraints between and among content, pedagogy, and technology. In this model, knowledge about content (C), pedagogy (P) and technology (T) is central for developing good teaching. However rather than treating these as separate bodies of knowledge, this model additionally emphasizes the complex interplay of these three bodies of knowledge".

Reflection on Learning Theories - Cognitive Constructivism

Expert jigsaw strategy.

I have experienced the advantages of an "expert jigsaw" since reading all other student's wiki's and blogs on this weeks readings.  It is an efficient way to collaboratively read large amounts of texts. Having more than one person read or view the same theories allows different points of views to be expressed and different levels of understanding.  These understandings have also been documented in the wikis at different levels of depth allowing all students to gain new knowledge.

All learners have different learning styles and different speeds at which they work to complete activities. This form of reading and presenting back (via wiki) has proven to be enjoyable and effective by myself who has very little ICT confidence. However, I believe face to face presenting in the classroom has many advantages, especially for more hands on learners, visual learners and especially verbal learners who understand new information best through written and spoken words.

Finally the PMI (plus, minus and interesting) strategy used during the readings was found to be useful to help summarise the facts into thought columns.  To way up advantages and disadvantages of particular theories. The PMI provoked discussion and deeper thinking and understanding when in point form with my wiki partner.

I believe greater coverage of all topics using wiki as a "expert jigsaw" was gained.

This activity included a combination of behaviourist, constructivist and connectivist learning theories.

A quote to think about "Constructivism assumes that learners are not empty vessels to be filled with knowledge. Instead, learners are actively attempting to create meaning". Full article.

Any comments?

PMI

 see both sides of an argument

 view things from a different point of view

 think broadly about an issue

 suspend judgement
 make informed decisions

 work as individuals, in pairs or as members of a group.
How can I do it?

 This strategy can be used within a range of classroom activities such as analysing texts or examining issues.
Notes above retrieved from http://www.wettropics.gov.au/

Edward de Bono's six thinking caps.

Image retrieved from http://www.mindwerx.com/mind-tools/people/edward-de-bono

Plus/Minus/Interesting (PMI) is a lateral and creative thinking strategy used in de Bono's

CoRT Thinking Program.  Edward de Bono six thinking hats.

What is its purpose?

PMI helps students learn to:

Coming Soon

THOUGHTS ON:-       activities designed to be behaviourist? Constructivist? Connectivist?  -  do they support individuals with different learning needs?

Notes from Cognitive Constructivist Theories

Cognitive constructivism

Notes from Cognitive Constructivist Theories: http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/cognitiv.htm

Definition

Cognitive Constructivism is "about how the individual learner understands things, in terms of developmental stages and learning styles".

Cognitive Constructivism is based on the work of Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget.

Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes that humans cannot be "given" information which they immediately understand and use. Instead, humans must "construct" their own knowledge. They build their knowledge through experience. Experiences enable them to create mental models in their heads. These schemas are changed, enlarged, and made more sophisticated through two complimentary processes; assimilation and accommodation.

PMI

Plus

• Teacher role to provide a rich environment for the spontaneous exploration of the learner.
• A classroom filled with interesting things to explore encourages learners to become active constructors of their own knowledge (their own schemas).
• Direct experience, making errors, and looking for solutions are vital for the assimilation and accommodation of information.
• How information is presented is important.
• Information given as a tool for problem solving.
• Learners need to interact with the world around them in a meaningful way - engage in meaningful activities.
• The learning environments are designed to provoke the kinds of thoughful engagement that helps students develop effective thinking skills and attitudes that contribute to effective problem solving and critical thinking.
• Learners must be given opportunities to construct knowledge through their own experinences. They cannot be told by their teacher.
• Less emphasis on direct teaching of specific skills and MORE emphasis on learrning in a meaningful context.

Minus

• Cognitive constructivists describe the mind in terms of the individual, restricting it's domain to the individual's head, approached learning and knowing from the perspective of the individual.

Interesting

• Much of the educational software created in the 1970s and 1980s was based on behavioral princples, much of the new multimedia educational software is based on constructivist classroom.
• Technology provides essential tools with which to accomplish the goals of a constructivist classroom. HOW?
• Learning and teaching activities should be designed around an "anchor" which is often a story, adventure, or situation that includes a problem or issue to be dealt with that is of interest to the learners.
• Instructional materials should include rich resources learners can explore as they try to decide how to solve a problem (eg. interactive videodisc programs). http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/ai.htm
• Microworld, learners "enter" a self contained computer based environment ot learn. Since learners construct their own reality, they need multiple representations, or views, of a concept or issue. http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/microw.htm
• A microworld is described as a case study supported by a computer simulation to solve a problem.
• Information Banks are sources of information, traditional examples include textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries etc. Information Banks expand the amount of information accessible and shorten the access paths. http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/infobank.htm Information Banks; electronic books, the internet, electronic encyclopedia.
• Symbol Pads are traditionally notebooks and blackboards. The symbol pads used in technology are mostly standard word processing programs. Examples; Story Books Weaver Deluxe, PostCards, Crayola Art Studio 2. http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/symbolp.htm
• Construction Kits/Simulations http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/conkits.htm
• The constructivist classroom activities are hands-on and involve building on the work of others. Problem solving is often done within cooperative groups, and the tasks are meaningful to the lives of the learners. This is the context of a whole language classroom - combining known knowledge to new information - Piagetian jargon - meaning learners are given opportunities to assimilate and accommodate. The most fundamental principle of the whole language approach is that written language is learned the way oral language is. Whole language approachtend to emphasise writing about what the learner already knows and can explain verbally. http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/whole.htm

Interesting read Phonics vs. Whole Language Which is Better? http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/features/reading/phonics.shtml

Since reading the course profile and assessments for E-Learning I have felt rather worried. Today’s lecture has confirmed to me that there are a lot of people feeling the same way.  I thought that I may be one of the few students who are not up to date with ICT.  I have had no experience with face-book which I think shows my experience with ICT.

So many types of ICT were mentioned today; fodey, prensky, , instant chat, ebay, voki, ebooks, ipads, myspace, twitter, Navman, skype, wiki, hyperlink, wordle, the list goes on.

I carried out the Multiple Intelligence test and found out I was Linguistic, Intrapersonal , Naturalistic and Logical “smart” which I found a little interesting as I have always found mathematics a challenge.  In case you want to do the test the following link will take you there.

I would like to share with you that the above link is my first hyperlink.  Thank you Jackie for telling me how to do it today.

WOW! I've started a Blog. OK where to now?