Bog Synopsis

The tools we have investigated are only some of what is available for use in a classroom or learning situation. All of these tools and more would be valuable in different situations to help engage the students and be beneficial for their learning. I have investigated using some of these tools within my own disciplines of business and manual arts. The tools that I feel would be of most use, but not limited to, would be YouTube, Google Earth, Wiki’s and Power Point presentations. Texts such as McInerney and McInerney (2006) and Snowman et al. (2009) discuss the use of technology to engage your students and to extend and refine their knowledge by utilising resources other than just textbooks.

YouTube can be utilised in a number of ways within the learning experience of the students within a manual arts or engineering class. It can be utilised as a tool to display the various practices involved in iron ore mining and metal production or show a tour of a vehicle manufacturing plant such as Ford’s Rouge plant. The ability for the students to see these practices and tours is something that would not be possible without the aid of technology. Also by seeing these video’s students are able to visualise, where the material they are using comes from, and the number of processes it has gone through, before they use it. The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” (Frederick R Barnard) is definitely true when you compare the engagement shown by students when just a text is utilised within a lesson or you combine or split a lesson between text and video or YouTube.

Combined with YouTube, Google Earth is another tool that can be utilised by the same class. The class could view a video clip from the Pilbara iron ore mining area and then go to Google Earth, and locate the area and view it from the satellite imagery. The students, could then be asked, to give distances to various smelters and the directions to get there from the mines. The same combination could be utilised with the tour of the ford plant. In a business class, the ability to utilise Google Earth would come into travel costing, where students can define a travel destination and calculate the number of kilometres by road to that destination from a given point. With this information and further research into fuel costs and vehicle consumption rates, the amount of money to be spent, on fuel and other expenses, could be calculated. This scenario could be presented to the students as if they were the manager of a company and they had to explore the most cost effective way, to send a company representative, to a business conference. Incorporated with the information on fuel and expenses could be a comparison to other forms of travel apart from a car.

After the representative of the company in the previous scenario had reached the conference the students could be challenged with designing a power point presentation to be shown at the conference. The students can make the presentation to promote the company or product the company my produce and want to advertise. The various ways power points can be designed allows the students a wide range of options to develop a fantastic presentation. The use of photo’s, animations, movies as well as static slides could be incorporated into one power point presentation.

The use of the audiovisual tools can also be of benefit to students with learning impairments and can cater for their individual learning styles and needs. The use of audio to transfer the requirements of an assignment task or any other form of written communication can be a way for students with reading impairments to both receive information and transmit information to others. The audio can be recorded by the teacher to pod cast or audio file, which can be accessed through a class Wiki site. The student can then place a reply to this onto a flash stick with a media file for the teacher to assess. The use of the videos, photo’s and animations can be beneficial for the visual learners to absorb the required information effectively. This acceptance to use various delivery media and techniques is shown in McInerney and McInerney (2006) and Snowman et al. (2009) as a way of engaging students who may be at risk of not participating in tasks due to their inability to effectively comprehend what is required.

Another tool I have looked at using within my unit delivery for an assignment is a teleconference between my class and a manufacturer of a product we are investigating for the unit. This teleconference would be used to allow the live interaction between the students and the representative for the company. The reason for the teleconference is due to the distance the manufacturer is away from the learning centre and the cost that would be incurred if an industry visit were organised. Another fact is the ability for the students to relate the unit to real life situations and receive the required information directly from the manufacturer. The students are also able to see the importance of making contacts, within real life situations, with industry representatives. With this contact they are able to utilise it to receive required information and make further contact to reciave clarification, rather than just compiling facts from the internet.
As I stated at the start of this entry there are numerous tools available for use throughout a learning experience. The way in which these tools are utilised is to be explored and decided, as I go through my course to be a teacher and once I enter the teaching field with qualifications, on what has worked, what has not and what may work if used in a different way. This exploring process will not stop as the technology expands it will continue as new tools become available so that the students are able to relate to the technologies that are involved in the work environment and the learning environment.



Appendix A: Posted replies

References:

McInerney, D., & McInerney, V. (2006). Educational psychology: Constructing learning (4th ed.) Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education
Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Barlett, B., Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Milton, QLD, Australia: John Wiley & Sons

Responsibilities

The different tools and ideas and material I have used and viewed on the Internet all have different usage laws. There are piracy laws and copyright that effect the ability to use other peoples material. Whenever someone uses material which is not their own then it is always a good practice to make sure no such laws are being broken.

Voice Thread

Voice thread is definitely a different spin on things it seems to be a forum set up around an image where you can actually leave verbal comments rather than just written. A way of incorporating that into learning would be to have a number of different images set up that relate to the topic or task and have students leave their comments. This would be a good way to engage students or have an assignment set up.

The Web and Music

A big thing I have noticed is the number of younger generation that have an Ipod or some other mass storage device with music on it walking around the streets. The ability to download music (at a price) off of the Internet is definitely more convenient for most people than going to a music store. Back ground music can add flare to an assignment that may include a visual display such as a PPT or Slide show as long as no copyright is broken.

File storage

Their seem to be a great number of various file storage sites on the Internet. Each having it's own spiel on the advantages of choosing that one over another. The ability to store files in a system that is not clogging up your own storage space is great but there is usually still a cost for being able to do this.

Web Quest

Unreal what a way to have an assignment given. This is an exciting way to have students engage with their learning. To have the option these days to research via the world wide web is fantastic compared to spending hours on end finding information in books when I attended high school you can now spend the same amount of time on the Internet and increase the compiled data by many times. The ability to set out the assignments on different media is amazing as getting handed paper hand over fist becomes boring and disengaging after a while.

Quizzes in learning

Quizzes are an invaluable tool to gain feedback on a students understanding of a subject or assignment. The layout of a quiz does not need to be done on boring old paper. We are involved in an e-learning course that is asking us to utilise technology in learning. Imagine how the students would engage in a quiz if it was conducted on a medium they use everyday as a part of their life this can be by messaging on mobiles or create it as a podcast they can download and submit answers back via a forum platform.

Animations and Simulations

Edheads is a good example of where animations and interaction with simulations is a valuable learning tool. The idea that children are able to visualise the effects of the actions in an animation is valuable.

Flickr

Having looked through Flickr for some photo's to go along with an assignment theme, I have found it to be a seemingly never ending supply of ideas for different displays of photos'. The problem is choosing from the amount of photos' on offer the few that are the best.

Websites

Setting up a website is something I have always wondered about as to the ease or difficulty of it. I have seen some good examples of site design and some that seem to be pretty plain. I have a business of my own and have wondered if I should make a site for advertising but have never tried it. The use of a site in a learning site is pretty common these days as they have sites to display their various learning opportunities for prospective students. Within these sites student work is able to be displayed to show various class projects.

Youtube and the use of Video

YouTube is a tool I have viewed many times as it definitely has some interesting videos showing things from 4wd techniques to farming practices. Since starting my uni degree I have found videos like the ones where the young students have made the instructional video for how to embed a voki to my blog. This is an excellent way to include ICT's into learning and constructively engaging students.

Interactive Whiteboards

The good people at SMART Technologies manufactured the first interactive whiteboard in 1991. Since then educators have utilised the tool to engage students by utilising digital resources and still being able to interact with the students effectively (Interactive whiteboards and learning, white paper,2006). The technology is definitely beneficial, but is dependent upon its availability at the learning site.

Learning Management Systems

LMS are what we currently interact with to complete are daily uni tasks as in Blackboard. The use of a LMS is to have all the information required by your students on a particular task stored at a single point and they can view this information and course resources as well as interact with forums to clarify tasks with the teacher. The style of LMS whether it be an open system (Moodle) or proprietary (Blackboard) is dependent upon who is implementing the courses or what system a learning site already uses.

E-Portfolios

Hey, what a way to store various documents and information that you compile. The use of a single point of storage which is able to be accessed from different locations is invaluable. The ability to have documents and files stored and accessed without the need for actual hard copies to be produced is not only environmentally friendly but also a way not to have to lumber around big piles of documents for meetings where all you need is a laptop and maybe access to a projector and a whiteboard. With the amount of information I myself have relating to my trade CPD is enough to fill a filing cabinet in it's self, let alone what I am compiling while doing my teaching degree.

RSS

Alright so the RSS symbol I have seen on various websites is more use than just a nice piece of art, it can actually be useful. The Google Reader that I have subscribed to is just one of a number of readers where the latest updates of your favorite sites can accumulate for you to access in a single site. OK so where does this fit into the field of teaching. The time it takes for students to research over a number of different sites would be a major factor, if the students did initial research and set up a reader and syndicated sites, then further lessons would be much more organised with students navigating to their reader first and then choosing from there what sites have the information they require.

Picnik

The photo on top is the picnik version of the photo below. With a bit of creativity you can utilise the tool for a number of different ways, eg: art assignments or assignment covers.

Voki

Hi All, I have added the voki on the right, pretty cool to do. The opportunities are endless with what you can do. The amazing thing is, to remember how to embed the script I did a google search and found a number of instructional videos' which have been compiled by school students in what looks like a primary school and sounds like N.Z. Pretty cool way to incorporate ict's into a class by allowing the students to do instructional videos' and at the same time learn all about the tools. Maybe an idea to look at within our own classes.

Google Mapping

View Uni in a larger map

Using Google Earth

Alright, google earth, so there is more uses than just plotting my fishing points and planning my travel trips. One use would be for engineering students to view the various mines to explain where raw resources come from to produce different metals such as Mt Isa for lead and the iron ore mines in the whyalla region. The students will be able to visually see the the start of the process to produce the metals they use for projects.

Hots and Lots

Look at the powerpoint on the following site.
education.unisa.edu.au/.../EDUC1066%20Week%208%20lecture.ppt

Dr Wing Au & Dr Alan Barnes
School of Education

Wordle

I have had a look and play with wordle and found it a tool that can become useful as a graphic organiser for students to internalise knowledge they have learnt. Here is the link to a quick wordle I completed on my view of what Uni has meant to me so far.
http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/1027786/Uni_to_me

Feeds

This is my feed address.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/cQFL

Trial Video

This is just a sample video of what we can do with moviemaker.

Group Podcast

A link for the group podcast.

Podcasting

The lesson today is about podcasting and vodcasting for students to use as a tool for their school work. Podcasting from my view (up until this point) was just another way people could catch up on radio programmes that they had missed. As I said up until this point. This will be continued shortly.

O.K now to continue where i finished. I am still no great expert on pod casting but have found a great information video (Lee Lefever's, Common craft) on another of our teaching tools Youtube. The video explained the tools you require and the fact the podcast is a recording of a show that is uploaded to the web so people can download it to a device such as an Ipod to play it at a time they are able to listen or watch it. The recordings can be TV shows or radio programs.

Wiki's in Learning

I believe using a wiki is another amasing tool which, has potential to become a common form of teaching for the students coming through schools, which can combine teaching with technology. The ability to transfer teaching materials via wiki's is a very useful way to allow the students to expand thier knowledge of technology and allow imagination to be combined within their work. The ability for others to add to a students wiki can be an important form of peer learning with the added benefits of being able to access it all via the click of a mouse button rather than hours of research and study.

Cheers for now

Power Point

Well having some limited experience with power point it is a tool which has far ranging uses. Within my disciplins it may be usefull as a means of tool identification for the junior years participating in the manual arts area. It may also be used for assignments within business studies. Overall it is a tool able to be used for a number of purposes.

Till next time

My Type is ESTJ
Extraverted
Sensing
Thinking
Judging
Strength of the preferences %
22
38
38
56


Qualitative analysis of your type formula You are:
slightly expressed extravert
moderately expressed sensing personality
moderately expressed thinking personality
moderately expressed judging personality11-->


Bruce Willis, George W. Bush, Vespasian, Colin Powell, Martha Gellhorn (war correspondent), Lyndon B. Johnson


[ENFP] [INFP] [ENFJ] [INFJ] [ESTJ] [ISTJ] [ESFJ] [ISFJ][ENTP] [INTP] [ENTJ] [INTJ] [ESTP] [ISTP] [ESFP] [ISFP]
Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging by Joe Butt
Profile: ESTJRevision: 3.0Date of Revision: 26 Feb 2005
Every right-minded man has a philosophy of life, whether he knows it or not. Hidden away in his mind are certain governing principles, whether he formulates them in words or not, which govern his life. Surely his ideal ought to be to contribute all that he can, however little it may be, whether of money or service, to human progress.--John D. Rockefeller, Random Reminiscences of Men and Events
ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. Being extraverted, their focus involves organization of people, which translates into supervision. While ENTJs enjoy organizing and mobilizing people according to their own theories and tactically based agendas, ESTJs are content to enforce "the rules," often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority.
ESTJs are joiners. They seek out like-minded companions in clubs, civic groups, churches and other service organizations. The need for belonging is woven into the fiber of SJs. The family likewise is a central focus for ESTJs, and attendance at such events as weddings, funerals and family reunions is obligatory.
Tradition is important to the ESTJ. Holidays, birthdays and other annual celebrations are remembered and observed often religiously by this type. The ESTJ is inclined to seek out his roots, to trace the family heritage back to honored ancestors both for a sense of family respectability and for a sense of security and belonging.
Service, the tangible expression of responsibility, is another key focus for ESTJs. They love to provide and to receive good service. The ESTJ merchant who provides dependable service has done much to enhance her self image.
ESTJs have an acute sense for orthodoxy. Much of their evaluation of persons and activities reflects their strong sense of what is "normal" and what isn't. ESTJ humor is frequently centered around something or someone being off center or behaving abnormally.
ESTJs promote the work ethic. Power, position and prestige should be worked for and earned. Laziness is rarely viewed with ambivalence nor benevolence by this type.
Some men can make decisions and some cannot. Some men fret and delay under criticism. I used to have a saying1 that applies here, and I note that some people have picked it up. --Harry S. Truman, Mr. Citizen 1"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
The ESTJ is outspoken, a person of principles, which are readily expressed. The ESTJ is not afraid to stand up for what she believes is right even in the face of overwhelming odds. ESTJs are able to make the tough calls.
Occupations attracting ESTJs include teaching, coaching, banking, political office, and management at all levels.
Functional Analysis:
Extraverted Thinking
ESTJs are very good at making impersonal decisions quickly, and standing by those decisions. They live in their Extraverted Thinking functioning, thus, their prime directive is in discovering that which is true and logical in the events of the real world. Circumstances calling for product invite the ESTJ to supervise or direct other individuals toward production and productivity. Extraverts are attracted to the "object," the external things and people in observable reality. This bent translates into a natural interest in goods and material objects.
Introverted Sensing
The secondary Introverted Sensing is like that of the ISTJ, but not as strong. Si provides practical form and concept data to the Te head, however, form is not the overriding principle, especially if Thinking has already decided. In times of need, ESTJs are tempted to overlook even necessary information if its absence impedes closure. Secondary sensing sometimes translates into interest in sports. The persistence of primary Thinking gives many ESTJs a desire for discipline and regimen which can be beneficial in skills development in the arena.
Extraverted iNtuition
As the ESTJ matures, and as situations arise which call for suspension of criticism, Extraverted iNtuition is allowed to play. Under the leadership of the Te function, iNtuition gravitates toward the discovery of broad categories which at worst amount to stereotypes. Those ESTJs who hone their Ne abilities may find success in academia. (I've encountered ESTJs whose Ne overshadows the auxiliary Si function--for whatever reason--to the extent that there is an appearance of NT radical geekism.)
Introverted Feeling
This function may rarely be expressed. ESTJs who have cultivated, or have been blessed with, a "natural indirect expression of good will by inference," have great prospects of developing genuine friendships (as opposed to ESTJs who merely act out the behavior of Extraverted Feeling). Such a weak, introverted function is best observed in facial expression, eye contact, body language, and verbally only by implication.
Famous ESTJs:
Simon Peter (Christ's disciple)John Heywood (c.1497-c.1580, collector of English colloquialisms)
U.S. Presidents:
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
William Henry "Tippecanoe" Harrison
Franklin Pierce
Grover Cleveland
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
George W. Bush
Carrie NationElliot NessJohn D. RockefellerBette DavisRobert A. Taft (U.S. senator, son of Pres. Wm. H. Taft)Sam Walton, owner and founder of WalMart storesBarbara StanwyckRev. Billy Graham Dale Bumpers (U.S. Senator, D-Arkansas)Phil Fulmer, head football coach of the U. Tenn VolsPat Head Summit, head basketball coach of the Lady VolsBill Frist, M.D. (U.S. Senate Majority Leader)
Fictional:
Lucy (Charles Schultz's Peanuts character)Mrs. Harbottle (Herriott, All Creatures Great and Small)Mrs. Rachel Lynde (Anne of Green Gables)The Mayor (The Music Man)
Copyright © 1996-2007 by Joe Butt
Type Relationships for ESTJs:

Learning Style

These are the results of your inventory. The scores are out of 20 for each style. A score of 20 indicates you use that style often.
Style Scores
Visual
10
Social
11
Physical
5
Aural
7
Verbal
4
Solitary
11
Logical
6

First ever blog

As I was not available or even in Bundy for lesson 1 I am on the catch up mission. Today's technology is a far cry from when I was completing High School and is daunting to use for first timers. To navigate through the various resources available for today's students to use as learning tools and communication is incredible and to see the ways it can all be put to use is amazing. Today's students are disadvantaged if they are unable to access the technology as it is a major part of the working environment these days. To find ways of using this technology to engage the student and get the best performance from them will be a challenge which I hope to achieve.