ePals.

During my primary schooling years when I was in Year 7 we were learning about different cultures throughout the world, and our teacher, Miss Cornish, linked our classroom up with a classroom in America and each student in our class had an email pen pal and were required to send emails to them using the service online called ePals. During Technology each week we would exchange emails explaining to them what our life in Australia was like, and they would reply and describe to us what their life in America was like. I found this to be a very positive experience and for years kept in contact with my ePal and we sent each other presents that were unique/resembled our culture, for example, I sent my ePal a kangaroo bear and she sent me a bear that she designed herself in an American factory.

In my future role as a learning manager, I look forward to exploring this technology by implementing it within my classroom environment as I am sure that like myself, the students will find the experience engaging and worthwhile.

Twitter

Well.. recently from my friends I have been hearing about how great twitter is, therefore, I decided that I would finally check out what all the rave was about. After signing up to twitter and having a look around the site, I must say, I am not a great fan of the technology and definately prefer other social networking sites, such as, Facebook (Yes that's right, I am still addicted to Facebook). The main problem I had with twitter was that I did not find it to be user friendly. However, I will try and continue experimenting with the site and who knows I may actually come to like it.

In relation to using social networking sites within a classroom environment, I think that they could provide students with engaging learning experiences that are authentic, as they could be closely linked to the students real life experiences and be perceived as being valuable. However, I strongly feel that due to safety issues if I was to allow my students to use social networking websites throughout their learning journeys I would use other services such as the Learning Place chat, as it is almost guaranteed to be a safe environment for the students to explore.

Windows Movie Maker.

Well, I must say I am officially addicted to using Windows Movie Maker. Windows Movie Maker is a program which I find to be user friendly and very engaging. Therefore, I regularly spend my spare time making small videos based upon my hobbies, for example, my animals and favourite football team the Penrith Panthers.

Therefore, I decided that I would use Windows Movie Maker as the main resource throughout an assessment item that I have created for a year nine english class, as I feel that they would also find the program engaging, which would be beneficial as it would then lead to learning outcomes being achieved by all students. As I haven't previously used the program within the classroom environment, I look forward to implementing learning experiences which require students to use Windows Movie Maker, and I feel confident enough that they will be able to successfully use the program just like I did.

Reflective Synopsis.

A few weeks ago when I had started the Managing e.Learning course, I was excited about the learning journey that I was about to begin as I felt that I was going to enhance my knowledge in relation to various technologies. After finishing engaging with the courseware for the course, I must say I am pleased with the technologies that I have operated as I now feel more confident in designing and implementing learning experiences with my students that incorporate the use of ICT’s, as I now have a better understanding of how the use of technology helps to make learning effective (Central Queensland University, 2009).

In my current prac class the technologies that I would use the most with the year one students, most likely in a whole class experience are Digital Storytelling, ClassMarker, Google Earth, Voki, PowerPoint and YouTube as I feel that these technologies allow students to inquire, create, communicate and operate ICT’s and achieve outcomes associated with ICT’s being a cross-curriculum priority in the Essential Learning’s (Central Queensland University, 2009), (Queensland Studies Authority, 2007). I also feel that these technologies help to meet the needs of digital native students and the Learning Engagement Theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), (Prensky, 2001).

I would use the technologies mentioned above to enhance students learning in a teacher centred and student centred approach which would allow students to work collaboratively and individually during learning experiences, in order for them to develop an understanding of how to operate technologies and reflect upon their learning in an engaging manner. I strongly believe that the use of these technologies will make my teaching more efficient as the technologies themselves save time, such as, ClassMarker marks students quizzes for you. These technologies will also help my teaching to be effective as the students will be more likely to be engaged and want to participate in the learning experiences because technology is involved, which therefore leads to, less time being wasted trying to get students to behave and more time being spent on learning.

However, I strongly believe that in my future role as a learning manager I could incorporate each of the technologies covered in this course into my students learning experiences, throughout all grades in the primary school setting not just grade one. It is to be noted that when implementing learning experiences with my students which require them to use these technologies and the internet, I will always facilitate class discussions about netiquette and internet safety, as this will be beneficial for the students learning, safety and social development.

Personally, I really enjoyed this assessment task and feel that in the home environment I will use Picnik, Flickr, YouTube, PowerPoint, Podcasting and Wikipedia the most, as they are the technologies that I find engaging as they relate to my interests and hobbies, and can help me to design rich learning experiences for my practical experiences (Central Queensland University, 2009).

Throughout the journey of this course I worked collaboratively with my peers in order to understand the technologies covered in the courseware, along with, develop an understanding of how others will incorporate the covered technologies into their learning experiences with students. I feel that collaboration with peers is advantageous to enhancing your learning as it allows you to clarify confusions, for example, one of my peers was unsure if her referencing was correct, therefore, I commented on her blog by giving her a link to a referencing guide which I find useful as it has clear examples of how to reference. Collaboration with peers also allowed me to discuss the different frameworks and technologies associated with this course in a professional manner, and I think that this is important to do when you’re a student teacher as being able to have professional discussions is an attribute that we are going to need to have in our future roles. I also found that the collaboration with peers was useful in gaining feedback about how well I was progressing and understanding the technologies and pedagogy associated with this course Managing e.Learning.

Today in the 21st Century, technology is an every-changing facet within society, and new technologies are continually being developed. Therefore, I look forward to continuing to develop my operational skills and explore knowledge in relation to current and new technologies, in order to be able to successfully facilitate e.Learning within educational settings throughout my career as a Learning Manager.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Queensland Studies Authority. (2007). Information and communication technologies. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/learning/qcar_ccp_ict_yr3.pdf

Quizzes.

Due to insufficient access and time with my year one class, my students were unable to make their own quizzes. However, if there was time during the students Tuesday handwriting tasks I would have modelled to them how to develop a quiz question, and then allow them to create questions together as a class. I would implement this learning experience close to the end of the students Around the World unit, as this would allow them to reflect upon their prior knowledge learnt and develop a quiz question based upon the range of different groups of people that they had learnt about during the unit. After modelling to the students and guiding them to develop a question as a class, the students would then work in pairs to create their own quiz question based upon a certain group of people, and be required to record their question and multiple choice answers using a tape recorder.

After all pairs in the class had recorded their question, I would then use a data projector and show the students how to make a quiz using ClassMarker. I would then play back the students recordings in order to develop a quiz for the students to complete. During their technology lesson on a Friday morning where they have access to a class set of computers, each student would then be required to complete the multiple choice quiz online and print out their results at the end of the quiz. I think that this would be a good piece of formative assessment as it would help to identify which students comprehended the information about different groups of people during the unit throughout the term.

Dimension Two; Acquire and Integrate Knowledge from the Dimensions of Learning framework would be used throughout the learning experiences, in order to help students effectively learn. Listed below are the ways in which dimension two will be incorporated into the learning experiences (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

Dimension Two; Acquire and Integrate Knowledge.

Model Strategy:
Use a think-aloud process to demonstrate a new skill or process.
During modelling to the students what a quiz is and how to make quiz questions, I will think aloud when demonstrating to the students how to develop a quiz question (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

Shape Strategy:
Point out common errors and pitfalls.
Common errors and pitfalls in relation to making quizzes and answering quiz questions will be discussed with the students during a classroom discussion (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

Internalise Strategy:
Help students set up a practice schedule.
As part of an extension activity students will be allowed to practice making quiz questions and answers online using ClassMarker (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

Reference List:
Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.

Digital Storytelling.

Prior to engaging with the courseware on Moodle, I had heard of the term digital storytelling (Central Queensland University, 2009), however, I had never really thought about what it meant. However, I now know that “digital storytelling is the combining of the ancient art of oral storytelling and the modern multimedia tools to deliver tales using images, sound, music, and voice” (Digital Storytelling Association, 2009).

In regard to my current prac class, I would not get the students to make their own individual digital story as I feel that the task would be to complex for them to complete. Therefore, if I was to incorporate digital storytelling into their learning experiences I would get the students to make a collaborated digital story as a whole class. For example, the students recently went on an excursion to Cooberrie Park, and a lot of photos were taken of the students interacting with the animals. Therefore, a digital story could be created by the students which allow them to reflect upon what they learnt from going on the excursion. When implementing learning experiences that require the students to create a digital story, I would follow the steps to making a good digital story which states that the story needs to be; “personal, begin with a story/script, concise, use readily-available source materials, include universal story elements and involve collaboration” (Digital Storytelling Association, 2009).

I feel that digital storytelling is closely linked to the Learning Engagement Theory as students are able to create digital stories that allow them to work in a collaborative context on a task that has an outside authentic focus and allows project-orientated learning to occur (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). For example, if I was to get the year ones to make a digital story they would be working in a collaborative context, as they would be required to work as part of a team with their peers in order to make decisions that are related to the making process of the digital story about their excursion. It also allows for students needs in relation to their multiple intelligences to be catered for, as they would all be involved in making the digital story. Students whose multiple intelligences consists of one of the following intelligences would find digital storytelling most engaging as they are able to use their preferred intelligence skills and interests whilst developing the digital story; linguistic, spatial, intrapersonal, interpersonal and musical (Birmingham City Council, 2009).

The learning design framework for ICT learning environments could be used in order to develop high quality learning experiences for students. I think that the three aspects of the framework; learning tasks, learning supports and learning resources, could successfully be used in relation to the design and implementation of digital storytelling learning experiences within a classroom learning environment, as it would help to ensure that the learning is effective and students achieve intended learning outcomes of the learning experience (Oliver, 1999).

In the next few weeks my prac class is going to the Dreamtime Centre as part of learning about Aboriginals. Therefore, I feel that it would be appropriate to embed indigenous perspectives into digital storytelling, as the class could create a digital story based upon the journey which Aboriginal elders have taken. Therefore, I hope to incorporate this technology, digital storytelling, into future learning experiences with the students whilst embedding indigenous perspectives. As the students are in year one and would be creating the digital story as a class with guidance from myself, I will still discuss with them issues in relation to internet safety as they will be using the internet at times during the creation process of the digital story, as it is quite easy for students to engage in dangerous practices online unintentionally (Central Queensland University, 2009).

Reference List:
Birmingham City Council. (2009). Multiple intelligences. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.
Digital Storytelling Association. (2009). Digital storytelling. Retrieved 19 August, 2009, from
http://www.lubbockisd.org/sfirenza/storytelling/

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Oliver, R. (1999). ICT learning design. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Blogs

Currently I am in a year one class for my practical experiences, and the students have a minimum amount of access to a class set of computers. Currently the students are working on a unit called Around the World, and this focuses on the ways in which different groups of people’s lives are different from ours, such as Native American Indians and Eskimo’s. As the students are only in year one, they don’t actually do a lot of writing as such, as they usually only practice letter shapes and have just started writing simple sentences.

Therefore, personally I would not design learning experiences which require the year one students to write an individual blog, as they are still at the stage where they can’t even log onto a computer by themselves. However, if I was to allow my students to create a blog a lot of modelling would occur prior to them actually blogging by themselves. During this modelling phase issues in regard to appropriate disclosure and safety in the public domain would be emphasised to the students regularly, as it would be quite easy for the students to break copyright laws and display personal information unintentionally (Central Queensland University, 2009).

In order for my year one students to develop an understanding of different technologies and explore blogs, I would be more inclined to explain to the students what a blog is, show them some blogs and then as a class create a blog based upon the student’s thoughts to each group of people from around the world, whilst continuing to incorporate discussions about appropriate disclosure and safety in the public domain. For example, each week on a Tuesday for the student’s handwriting task they are required to write at least one fact about the group of people that the class is focusing on for that week. After writing their fact, the students then reflect upon their writing task by sharing with their peers the fact which they wrote about, along with, their thoughts in relation to the focused group of people from around the world. Therefore, during the reflecting stage the students could choose a few facts that could be posted to their class blog, and their learning manager could post the facts and the student’s thoughts about the group of people to the class blog on behalf of the students.

Once the unit is finished, the students are inviting their parents into the classroom for an hour in the afternoon to show them the different things that they have created throughout the term. I think that a class blog would be a perfect piece of work that could be displayed throughout the classroom for parents and carers to read, as it would allow them to gain a better understanding of the learning journey that their child has taken.

However, due to insufficient time I have been unable to create a class blog with the students, therefore, I look forward to doing so in the future. If you have any other ideas of how blogs could be used with younger students, feel free to make a comment as I am interested in discovering ways in which blogs can be incorporated into their learning experiences.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Powerpoint Quiz.

The next topic on the Moodle site is Student-Centred technologies, and the first technology covered was PowerPoint Quizzes. PowerPoint Quizzes allow students to “design and develop rudimentary Quizzes using the hyper-linking capability” of the program of PowerPoint (Central Queensland University, 2009). Whilst engaging with the courseware I decided that I would edit the quick quiz that Debbie Wehmeier, Sheila Challacombe and I developed as part of our Ensuring Student Success PowerPoint presentation on the Year Two Diagnostic Net. Prior to knowing that buttons could be added to PowerPoint presentations to create quizzes, we just had the quiz questions displayed separately throughout the slides of the presentation. Therefore, I added buttons to the bottom of each slide so that the slides were hyperlinked and switch between each other. I was unable to add buttons for the answers of the quiz questions as the quiz was not being taken in a multiple choice manner. However, whilst adding the buttons to the bottom of the slide I did fiddle around and add answers with buttons just so that I could see whether or not I could figure that process out, and I am happy to say I was successful.

If you would like to see how the quiz has been edited by using buttons throughout the slideshow, you can do so by following the link below to my MediaFire account.

Year Two Diagnostic Net Quiz-
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=bdd4851035de116ad1014a7a667fa2b4adc057435123f8e25621d66e282a0ee8

Personally, I found the opportunity to make richer quizzes in PowerPoint engaging, and feel that they definitely improve the quality of a presentation, along with, test for audiences understanding of the information that has been delivered. However, within a classroom setting I feel that the quizzes which can be made on ClassMarker would be more beneficial for learning managers when students are completing summative assessment, in comparison to PowerPoint Quizzes, as ClassMarker saves a learning manager time by immediately marking the quiz for you. Therefore, I think that PowerPoint quizzes would be useful when students are required to involve their audience when giving their peers a presentation on a topic that they have researched.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

VoiceThread.

Prior to engaging with the courseware on the Moodle site I had never heard of VoiceThread before, however, I am glad that I am aware of the service as I can see it being a beneficial learning tool within the classroom learning environment as it could be used by students in both a individual and collaborative manner. I followed the steps on the Moodle site in the Delivery Technologies topic and created an account, however, when I tried to add a picture or file it came up with a blank box (Central Queensland University, 2009). Therefore, I searched Google about the problem that I was having and found out that it is possibly due to my internet connection (VoiceThread, 2009).

As I was unable to upload my own files, I imported a picture from Flickr that had a creative commons agreement. The pictures which I imported from Flickr were of Australian animals, and I added comments to each picture which provides viewers with background information about the animal and a question which they have to answer, designed for a quick quiz learning experience. If I was to implement this with my year one class, I would ensure that they had previously learnt about each animal in order to determine whether or not learning retention had occurred. I also think that this program VoiceThread could be used in the upper primary environment in relation to the Learning Engagement Theory, as learning experiences could be designed which require students to use VoiceThread and align with the relate-create-donate process (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

If you would like to view my VoiceThread please follow the link below:
http://voicethread.com/?#u439132

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Ozjulian. (2009). Boxing kangaroos 2. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozjulian/163274570

Pedro_gtc. (2008). Platypus. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedroqtc/2182291335

Tambako the jaguar. (2009). Baby emu. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/3771380637

Veland, E. (2007). Cutest koala. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikveland/423038931

VoiceThread. (2009) VoiceThread forum. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://voicethread.com/help/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=445&page=1#Item_0

Using music on the Web.

Within classroom environments I have noticed that when music is incorporated into students’ learning experiences, their engagement level rises and they enjoy completing their tasks. Therefore, I feel that the majority of their learning would be effective and lead to learning retention occurring in future learning experiences when music is used to hook the majority of students into their tasks (Active Online Learning Team, 2000). After reading through the courseware in the Delivery Technologies topic, I was introduced to a service on the internet called Incompetech. Incompetech, is a form of royalty free music, and is pieces of music that you can legally download to your computer and use (Central Queensland University, 2009). Personally, I love music and listen to it on a daily basis, and it is interesting how my mood changes depending upon the music that I have listened to. Usually I listen to music that I have bought on a CD or by watching the film clip on YouTube, however, I look forward to spending more time browsing the Incompetech site in the future.

After briefly looking at the site I came across various pieces of music, and found one that would suit my prac experiences. I chose a piece of music called Thunderhead which is based upon Native American drumming that is reminiscent of thunder. The instruments used in the music are made up of rattles, shakers and drums, and the tempo picks up approximately half way through the piece of music (MacLeod, 2009).

I feel that this music could be incorporated into a learning experience with my year one students, as it is an appropriate resource to use as they are currently focusing on the lives of Native Americans. Therefore, the students could listen to the type of music which is similar to what the Native Americans produced and take on the role of a Native American and create their own music piece. As the piece of music that I downloaded is related to Thunder, the music could also be used throughout other learning experiences that focus on the weather and different seasons. However, this is just one example of how the music from Incompetech could be included within my teaching as there are a variety of activities that students could complete in relation to the music available on the site.

Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

MacLeod, K. (2009). Genre: world- thunderhead. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=World

File Storage.

MediaFire is a service on the internet that allows you to store files which you produce in a more publicly accessible manner, rather than, storing your files on “your school intranet or Learning Management System” (Central Queensland University, 2009).
I had never used MediaFire prior to this course, therefore, I followed the steps provided in the topic Delivery Technologies on the Moodle site (Central Queensland University, 2009), and added a test file onto the MediaFire site. The file which I added is a diagnostic worksheet which I created as part of my assessment item for the course Fundamental Structures of School Mathematics ∏, based upon the strand of measurement from the key learning area of Mathematics, for year nine students. If you would like to access the diagnostic worksheet, you can do so by following the link below:

Year Nine Diagnostic Worksheet- Measurement.
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=bdd4851035de116ad1014a7a667fa2b47aa4fd27b538dbfab8eada0a1ae8665a

I think that this technology of using MediaFire could be incorporated within the classroom environment, as students could use it as a back-up place for storing their files onto, as this would be useful for them in the future as they could access their files whenever and wherever they want provided they have access to the internet. MediaFire could also be used throughout learning experiences in a collaborative context as students could work with peers to create files and share them with their fellow peers by providing them with the URL to their files. This technology could also be used by teachers around the world as they could upload their resources for other teachers to use, and this would lead to students’ learning improving as richer resources would be available and implemented throughout learning environments.

The main advantage which I like about this program is the fact that it is user friendly and is efficient when uploading files. Personally, I also think that this program could be very advantageous to everybody who sends emails with attachments, as users can just send an email to their friends/colleagues with a link to their file, rather than, having to upload their attachment to the emailing service and face the problem of their file being to big for their emails attachments limit.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

SlideShare.

Prior to completing this course I had never heard of SlideShare, therefore, I engaged with the courseware and created an account with SlideShare (Central Queensland University, 2009). After creating an account I added a PowerPoint presentation that two of my fellow class members (Sheila Challacombe and Debbie Wehmeier) and I created as part of our assessment item for the course Ensuring Student Success, and the PowerPoint presentation is based upon the Year Two Diagnostic Net. If you would like to view the slideshow, you can do so below as I have embedded it into this post.

Year 2 Diagnostic Net

View more presentations from KrystalSSmith1990.

Unfortunately I do not have access to a microphone; therefore, I was unable to make a narration audio file for my PowerPoint presentation. However, after reading the step by step process on the Moodle website about how to make a narration audio file (Central Queensland University, 2009), and viewing the Slidecasting 101 presentation on SlideShare by Jonathan Boutelle (Boutelle, 2006), I believe that I would be able to successfully add a narration audio file to my presentation, and I look forward to testing it out in the future when I get access to a microphone.

I think that using SlideShare and adding a narration audio file to the uploaded presentation would be very engaging for students within their learning environment as their preferred learning styles can be catered for, which leads to an effective learning environment being created. Adding a narration audio file to presentations would also be beneficial for students’ learning as students would be enhancing their peers’ knowledge by delivering their presentations to their peers, along with, gaining feedback from their peers about their presentation. Therefore, I am going to keep this service in mind when designing learning experiences and look forward to incorporating the use of SlideShare within my students’ learning experiences in the future.

Reference List:
Boutelle, J. (2006). Slidecasting 101. Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
http://www.slideshare.net/jboutelle/slidecasting-101

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

WIKIPedia.

Well I must say that I use Wikipedia on a weekly basis as it is a resource which is efficient to use and contains a high level of educational content, and I absolutely love the site and would be lost without it. Not only do I use Wikipedia as a resource for finding out information to use within my learning experiences on my prac, I also use it for looking up information about my interests, such as, TV shows and music artists. Prior to engaging in the courseware of this course, I never really thought about what Wikipedia was, other than it being a website which contains large amounts of information about any topic you want to know about. However, I now know that Wikipedia is a form of a Wiki which is also an encyclopedia, hence the name Wikipedia (Central Queensland University, 2009).

As I am required to develop a Brain Gym activity for my year one students to complete during my prac visit next week, I decided to search Wikipedia and enhance my current knowledge about what Brain Gym actually is, in order to hopefully find resources to support my teaching. I found a number of useful resources by searching the term Brain Gym on Wikipedia, such as, a clear definition of what it is, how it is implemented within classrooms, why it is implemented within classrooms, exercises, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with the program (Wikipedia, 2009).

In order to take advantage of using Wikipedia, I would design learning experiences for my students which required them to search Wikipedia about a certain topic inside the classroom environment. Students could then extend their knowledge learnt in class by continuing to research their topic outside of the classroom environment if they have the facilities in their home environment. As my current prac class is year one, I wouldn’t get the students to directly use Wikipedia as the language used on the site would be too hard for them to understand, therefore, I would search Wikipedia myself and rephrase the language used in order to suit the students’ learning levels. However, I would definitely encourage the direct use of Wikipedia as a student resource in the upper primary area for gaining information, as the majority of students’ learning would be enhanced, as they would be able to comprehend the information displayed which would then lead to effective learning occurring (Central Queensland University, 2009).

It is to be noted that at times some of the information on Wikipedia is unreliable and incorrect, however, the majority of the time the information is correct and students should be required to combine numerous resources when researching information in order to determine whether or not the information displayed is reliable and correct.

I look forward to discussing with my peers their thoughts on Wikipedia, as I am curious to know if they find the online encyclopedia as useful as what I do.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Wikipedia. (2009). Brain gym. Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Gym

WebQuests.

A WebQuest is “an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet” (Dodge, 1995). Prior to engaging with the courseware of this course Managing e.Learning, I was familiar with what a WebQuest was as I was required to make one last year during the Sustainable Communities (S.O.S.E) course. As part of our second assessment task for that course we were required to work with a peer (Sheila Challacombe) to create a WebQuest based upon a sustainability topic. Our WebQuest was based around Water Conservation, and if you would like to view my WebQuest you can do so by clicking the following link.

Water Conservation WebQuest:
http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/webquest.asp?id=908

There was one main disadvantage which I found when creating the Water Conservation WebQuest, and that was the issue of time as I did find it quite time consuming as you were required to extensively research information about a topic, rephrase the information and then create the WebQuest using the free program on WebQuest Direct, whilst keeping in mind that the pages needed to be appealing to the students. Therefore, I feel that teachers would also experience the same disadvantage of time when designing WebQuests to use within their classroom. As it does take a bit of time to create a WebQuest, a fair amount of curriculum, therefore, outcomes from the Essential Learning’s, would need to be covered in the WebQuest in order to make the WebQuest which you have designed a “time effective alternative to traditional methods” (Central Queensland University, 2009). For example, if you made a WebQuest and it only covered a very small amount of the curriculum and took a while to complete, it would be more beneficial for teachers to stick to traditional methods of teaching as more outcomes of the curriculum could be achieved in the same time frame.

In regard to how classrooms might operate compared to a more ‘traditional approach’, by using a WebQuest ICT’s are incorporated into an engaging learning experience for students which consists of students completing an authentic task in order to enhance their learning, rather than, working in a ‘traditional approach’ by enhancing their learning in tasks which do not incorporate the use of ICT’S and are therefore most likely unengaging for the students (Central Queensland University, 2009). In my future role as a learning manager, if I feel that I do not have enough time to create my own WebQuest from scratch, in order to incorporate the use of ICT’s into learning experiences by using WebQuests I will consider using one of the many WebQuests available to use on the internet which have been made by other people.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Dodge, B. (1995). Some thoughts about WebQuests. Retrieved August 16, 2009, from
http://tommarch.com/writings/wq_power.php

Google Earth

Google Earth is a wonderful learning tool that I am familiar with using, and regularly use within my classroom environment during practical experiences. Google Earth contains a large amount of educational content as it allows students to discover for themselves places throughout the world, along with, extend their knowledge about the natural world, in particular, about maps, the weather, traffic, streets, buildings, terrain and roads (Google Earth, 2009).

I usually use Google Earth throughout activities based upon achieving outcomes in the key learning areas of Science and S.O.S.E, although I strongly believe that Google Earth could be used throughout most of the key learning areas. I think that older students, such as, upper primary and secondary students would find the program more useful than year one students as they are capable of understanding the technical terms used throughout the information displayed. However, authentic learning experiences for all year levels could definitely be created, for example, year one students could take on the role of being an explorer and mark their journey which they are going to take around the world, where as, year five students could compare the weather and traffic in different places.

Reference List:
Google Earth. (2009). Google earth. Retrieved August 14, 2009, from
http://earth.google.com/thanks.html

Podcasting

Podcasts are audio media files which are uploaded onto a podcasting server, such as, iTunes, which can be downloaded and replayed on technology sources, for example, computers and MP3/4 players (Central Queensland University, 2009). Prior to engaging with the courseware for this course I was aware of what Podcasts were as I regularly listen to them on my iPod. Although I do listen to Podcasts which are just audio files, recently I have also been watching video files and assumed that they were still called podcasts; however, I now know that they are called VodCasts.

Podcasts are media which can be used in a delivery or student centered manner within the classroom environment in order to create an effective learning environment for students. In a learning environment Podcasts are considered to be a ICT and ICT’s are a cross curriculum priority throughout all Education Queensland schools, therefore, it is essential that a range of ICT’s are used in various ways throughout the learning environment in order to help keep students engaged. When designing learning experiences that incorporate the use of ICT’s by using Podcasts, although many students have access to MP3/4 players, it is important to keep in mind that some students may not have access to this resource.

Kearsley and Shneiderman believe that engagement by students in their task is essential when wanting learning to be effective, and I strongly agree with their opinion. The Engagement Theory is a framework which was developed by Kearsley and Shneiderman based upon the Relate-Create-Donate process, and I think that this process could effectively be used within learning environments by students making their own educational podcast which they could share with their peers (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

It would be fair to say that the majority of the students within school classrooms today are digital natives, as according to Prensky a digital native is a person who is “born into and grow up enveloped by digital technology and therefore develop a specific language and syntax around the technology” (Central Queensland University, 2009) & (Prensky, 2001). Therefore, as the majority of students are natives to technology and become engaged in their task when working with technology sources, Podcasts would be a useful tool for a teacher to use as a students learning would be enhanced, and there are a range of Podcasts readily available for teachers to use which contain educational content that can easily be linked to students’ real life experiences and units of work.

In the learning design topic, Uncle Ernie’s Holistic approach was also covered and it is a framework that has been designed to help learning managers embed Indigenous Perspectives throughout their learning experiences (Grant, 1998). Personally, I have observed a low level of Indigenous Perspectives embedded throughout learning experiences during my practical experiences, and I think that this holistic approach is a framework which I will use during my future learning experiences. As mentioned throughout the approach, the Aboriginal culture is more about oral information, rather than, written information (Grant, 1998). Therefore, I believe that Podcasts and VodCasts would be perfect to be used when incorporating Indigenous Perspectives throughout learning experiences as it would help learners' knowledge to be enhanced as Indigenous people from a range of different settings throughout Australia could orally explain their information, and it could be delivered to students through the use of Podcasts.

It is important to remember that one of the main benefits from listening to a Podcast in comparison to a person visiting the classroom and speaking, is that if you miss a part or would like to refresh your knowledge at a later date you can do so, as you can replay the podcast as many times as you like, therefore, learning is effective.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Grant, E. (1998). My Land My Tracks: A framework for the holistic approach to indigenous studies. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/uncle-ernies-framework.pdf

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

YouTube.

YouTube was the next part which I covered in the Digital Technologies topic, and I must say that prior to this course I was familiar with using YouTube and I absolutely love it! The thing that I love most about YouTube is the fact that is has basically anything you want on it, readily available for you to use whenever and wherever you want. Although YouTube does contain a lot of unsuitable classroom material, it does contain a large amount of educational content which is of a high quality. Therefore, in order to ensure that students are viewing appropriate material you do have the option to upload your desired video onto your class website, or use the free service on the internet called KeepVid as these options ensure that the students are watching the material that you have selected (Central Queensland University, 2009).

After exploring both YouTube and a similar website called TeacherTube (Central Queensland University, 2009), I have decided that I prefer to use YouTube as I am familiar with it and find it easier to find educational material to meet my learning experiences’ intended learning outcomes. However, I look forward to exploring TeacherTube in a greater depth in the future as I am sure that I will find material on there that is useful for my classroom environment to suit a range of my learning experiences.

In order to incorporate ICT’s into my mathematics lesson during prac next week, I have decided to use a video off of YouTube. Lately during mathematics it has been noticed that the students have been unengaged when completing their work as they usually just complete a worksheet. As the students will be focusing on 2D and 3D shapes I am going to use an educational song off of YouTube as the hook of the learning experience during the introduction, as I know that the students respond well and usually immediately become engaged with their task when music is involved. I particularly like the video which I have chosen as it allows the students to see various 2D and 3D shapes which are related to their real life experiences, and because students are challenged in the video by being asked to look around their environment and count the different shapes which they can see. I have embedded the video which I am going to use into this post, and you can access it by clicking below:

Shapes from ‘Classroom’- DVD for children to learn basic concepts (ClassRoomContents, 2008).



Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

ClassRoomContents. (2008). Shapes from ‘Classroom’- DVD for children to learn basic concepts. Retrieved August 14, 2009, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm_mb0HTv-o&feature=related

ClassMarker.

Prior to this course I had never heard of ClassMarker, however, after making my account with the service I must say that it is a tool that I will definitely use within my future classroom environment. ClassMarker allows you to develop your own quizzes for your class and allows each student to complete the quiz, and it will automatically mark their quiz for you and give you the results. Personally, I think that this is a brilliant tool as it would not only be engaging for our digital native students as they are being assessed using technology (Prensky, 2001), rather than, using a paper and pen, but it is also efficient to use and saves time for teachers, as they would no longer have to individually mark each students quiz.

Although younger students do not complete many quizzes, I think that ClassMarker would be great for older students as their teacher could develop a quiz on the website and use it as part of their student’s formative assessment, as students could test their knowledge which they have learnt and find out the areas which they need to further revise in order to enhance their learning (Central Queensland University, 2009).

I have created a trial quiz for my list of students based upon my unit of work Australian Animals in Captivity which was previously uploaded onto my Mahara account. If you would like to take my quiz you can do so by clicking the following link.

http://www.classmarker.com/quiz/?test_id=58079

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Picnik.

WOW! That was my immediate reaction to the services offered on Picnik; it is just what I have been looking for. This site is amazing, as it allows you to manipulate your images in a number of different ways for free. Prior to part-taking in this course I had never heard of Picnik, therefore, I followed the steps on the Moodle website and created an account (Central Queensland University, 2009).

After creating my account I uploaded the above picture of my dog Bonnie onto the website. After fiddling around with the features offered to manipulate your images on the site, I decided to crop my picture, along with, add text to it, and change the exposure and colour of the image. One of the main changes which I like the most about the manipulated image is that it looks like my dog is boogying in the sunset. Below you can see how I manipulated my picture, the results are amazing!

As the Picnik website does not store your images for you, I chose the option to store my manipulated image to my Flickr site. I think that this Picnik program could be used in association with the Flickr website within school settings, as students could manipulate their images and reflect upon the before and after look of their image on their Flickr account, along with, collaborate with their peers by providing them with feedback about their manipulated images. I strongly believed that the services provided on Picnik and Flickr could be useful in the learning environment when implementing learning experiences based upon the learning engagement theory, as there are unlimited opportunities for students to be provided with tasks that are delivered in a collaborative context, that are project-orientated and contain an outside authentic focus (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Flickr.

Sumatran Tiger...
Originally uploaded by abdhakamabdah...On 3 Months Break

“Flickr is an online repository for images” (Central Queensland University, 2009), therefore, I consider Flickr as being an online photo album. I think that Flickr is a wonderful tool which could be utilised well for a range of educational purposes as it is a program which is quick and easy to use and maintain as the site quickly uploads a number of your photos and allows you to sort them into whatever order you desire. The main advantage of using a program like Flickr is that the way in which the program is used can be modified to suit all year levels and key learning areas, for example, younger students could upload photos into folders based upon each key learning area which they are studying, where as, older students could use the program in association with other tools, such as, blogs.

This program is also advantageous for learning managers, as it is well known that when students go on excursions a large amount of photos are usually taken and never to be seen again due to time restraints and storing issues involved with viewing the pictures, therefore, this site would be perfect for storing photo’s from students learning experiences as they can be accessed quickly and easily simply by logging onto the internet.

Within learning environments at times it can be hard to get students to reflect upon their learning experiences, however, I think that it would be easy to engage students in reflecting upon their learning by using Flickr as a tool as students could reflect upon their learning journey by writing comments about their pictures displayed on the site.

When I graduated from primary school each student in my class received a cd with a range of pictures on from our class’s learning experiences throughout our schooling years. Half of my friends who were in my class at school have lost their graduation cd and often comment upon how they wish they still had their cd so that they could look back and reminisce about their learning journey. Therefore, I think that Flickr would be an excellent tool to use for occasions like graduations as it allows whole class’s learning journeys to be stored in the one place and be accessed from anywhere in the world for many years to come.

During my experience with Flickr I came across the above picture of a Sumatran Tiger from a National Zoo in Malaysia (Abdhakamabdah, 2007), and it got me thinking of how else this program could be used within learning environments, and I think that Flickr would be particularly useful and engaging if students were learning about Explorers in one of their units, as the program could allow the students to take on the role of an explorer and explore the entire world from their school in a matter of minutes by looking at these spectacular pictures found on the site.

Reference List:
Abdhakamabdah. (2007). Sumatran tiger. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abdhakamabdah/487984685/

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

PowerPoint.

I must say that when I was scrolling through the Delivery Technologies topic on the Moodle website and came to the part which focused on PowerPoint presentations (Central Queensland University, 2009), I was relieved and starting to think that maybe there is a little bit of a Digital Native side to me as I am quite familiar with making and using PowerPoint’s (Prensky, 2001). The main reason why I am familiar with the program is, particularly during secondary school, our assignments required us to have a visual aide when giving presentations to our class. Therefore, PowerPoint’s were usually my choice of a visual aide as they were engaging to my class members and easy to make. When thinking back to when I first started creating PowerPoint presentations for school assignments, I must say that I wasn’t actually taught how to use the program by my teacher, and basically taught myself by mucking around with the user friendly functions.

When making presentations, I prefer to start mine from scratch rather than use a template provided in the program, as I feel that it gives the presentation more of a personal touch and can be designed to suit the particular educational outcomes of the learning experience. Although PowerPoint has been around for years, it is still effectively used within classroom environments by our digital native students today (Prensky, 2001), and I think that the fact that students still find the program engaging shows just how valuable the program can be when using it in the learning environment. One of the main advantages of using a PowerPoint Presentation within the classroom environment, is the fact that the presentation can be designed in order to incorporate all students preferred learning styles; either visual, auditory or kinaesthetic. Therefore, PowerPoint’s help to create an effective learning environment as the learning experience can be of a direct and purposeful nature for students (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).

On the Moodle website I undertook the PowerPoint in the classroom tutorial based upon PowerPoint presentations (ACT360 Media Ltd, 2009), and although I am fairly familiar with the program I found that the tutorial was worthwhile as it allowed me to refresh my prior knowledge learnt about the program, and update my terminology in regard to the programs features. I must say that I usually only make basic PowerPoint presentations by using colourful writing, clip art and slide transitions to engage my audience, and I have always found inserting video clips to be a challenge. However, since undertaking this tutorial I was enabled to overcome my challenge and successfully insert a video clip into a presentation.

Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

ACT360 Media Ltd. (2009). PowerPoint in the classroom. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.actden.com/pp/

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Voki's.

Voki’s were the next part of the digital technologies topic which I covered, and I must admit I would have to say I think I am simply just a digital immigrant (Prensky, 2001) as I had never heard of a Voki before, along with, as previously mentioned a RSS aggregator, Wiki and e.Portfolio (Central Queensland University, 2009).

As my students in my prac class are very interested in learning about Animals and the world in general, as part of their assessment they are required to build an animal enclosure for an animal to live in, therefore, I have decided to create a Voki avatar which has an educational use to it as it is informing the students of a task which they need to complete, whilst engaging the students by telling them the purpose of making an enclosure and who it is going to be made for.

Below is my avatar which I have made in relation to the students current unit Animal Homes:


Get a Voki now!



In relation to educational rationales, the Department of Education and Training states that;
“learning in the Technology key learning area is often structured around 'design challenges'. These provide students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations to which they can respond. Students often tackle design challenges in collaborative teams, working together to design and develop a wide range of viable solutions using materials, information and systems” (Department of Education and Training, 2009).

I strongly believe that by using Voki’s as a learning tool within the classroom environment supports the Department of Education and Training’s aim of providing students with real life and lifelike problem solving situations, along with working in a collaborative manner. Therefore, in regard to the conceptual frameworks from the learning design module I think that it would be fair to say that Voki’s are linked to the Learning Engagement theory as students can be provided with the opportunity to learn in a collaborative context whilst completing a project orientated task which has an outside focus (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), along with, learning retention occurring as students are required to use their prior knowledge learnt in order to complete their Voki and build upon their prior knowledge (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).

Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Department of Education and Training. (2009). Curriculum: learning and teaching assessment- technology. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/area/technology/index.html

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

e.Portfolio.

I found that the process of setting up an e.Portfolio was quite easy, and although I am not familiar with using the Mahara site it appears to be very user friendly and I have gained valuable information from the Mahara videos provided on the Moodle website (Central Queensland University, 2009). I am happy to say that I was able to successfully make my profile on Mahara, along with, create a view which at the moment only has a Technology Unit of work in it which I created in the course Technology Curriculum and Pedagogy last term. I have only put this unit of work up so far as I am currently using the Australian Animals in Captivity View and folder of files as a test run, and look forward to updating my e.Portfolio and adding more of my work to it throughout the journey of this course, in particular for Assessment Task Two.

I think that e.Portfolio’s offer users an incredible opportunity to store all of their work in the one place, which can be accessed wherever and whenever they want during their life, for example, a person could create and use the portfolio as a resource throughout their career by showing their portfolio of work at interviews when applying for a job. The use of using Mahara’s e.Portfolio service can be linked to the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999) as it is an authentic task and learning in a collaborative context is provided as networking with people from around the world when creating views on your portfolio is optional, along with, commenting on discussion boards based upon a certain topic.

Within a school learning environment I think that e.Portfolio’s would be a useful tool to be used by students as it would be seen as an authentic task by them as it relates to their real life experiences as it could be used to help get them a job in the future. It would also be beneficial in the classroom environment as it would be engaging for students when delivered in a student centered manner.

I also think that it would be a useful tool for a learning manager to use as it would allow the learning manager to interact with learning managers worldwide, and rather reinvent the wheel when teaching learning managers could share their ideas and resources in order to help ensure that all students are provided with the opportunity to learn in an effective learning environment, as their learning would be enhanced through the range of resources being shared on the website.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm

Wiki's.

As I was not familiar with creating a Wiki, I decided to follow the step by step instructions on the Moodle website and create a Wiki using WetPaint. To be honest I thought that a Wiki was simply just the very detailed information which you get off of Wikipedia when wanting to find out about something. However, after engaging with the course content I now knew that a Wiki is a tool on the internet which is “produced by software on a server that can be located anywhere in the world and provide Web publishing opportunities that can be individual or collaborative” (Central Queensland University, 2009).

Therefore, I created an account with WetPaint and I decided to treat my Wiki as if it was my own individual website which I would you use to share my information with others worldwide in order to help them with their teaching and learning. Although I am treating it as my individual site, at times it will become a collaborative site as people will have the opportunity to edit the information which I have provided them with in order to suit their situation. Currently my Wiki is in the process of being completed and has part of a Technology unit on it which focuses upon Australian Animals in Captivity, a unit which I designed for a Year One class earlier on during the year. If you would like to check out my Wiki you can access it by clicking the following link, and remember feel free to use and edit the information that is on there.

My Wiki: http://ausanimalsincaptivity.wetpaint.com/

Wiki’s are definitely a learning tool which allow users to work collaboratively with many diverse people, and are similar to RSS aggregators as they can also be used to deliver learning experiences to students based upon the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). For example, students could be focusing on a certain topic and create a Wiki where they interact with their peers from a range of schools and as a group develop a PMI or K-W-L chart so that they can reflect upon their current learning in order to enhance their future learning (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

In my future role as a learning manager I think that using Wiki’s will be useful for not only my students by also for myself, as I am interested in engaging more with the website and checking out other people’s Wiki’s as I believe it will be an effective learning process as I already feel engaged when using the tool. I am pretty sure that I will find plenty of information on there which will be useful to use within my classroom environment, which in turn, will be beneficial in helping to create an effective learning environment for all of my students.

Reference List:

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.

RSS Aggregator

Prior to engaging with the courseware of this course Managing e.Learning, I had never heard of the term RSS Aggregator and had no idea as to what one was. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication and allows you to monitor other Blogs or Websites that have an RSS Feed" (Central Queensland University, 2009). As I had previously created a Gmail account in order to sign up to this blogging service BlogSpot, I decided that I would use Google Reader as my RSS Aggregator as part of Assessment One for this course as I would be able to use my Gmail account to access the service.

Although I had signed up to Google Reader and had found out what RSS standed for, I was still a little bit unsure of what exactly and RSS aggregator does, therefore, I watched the YouTube clip by Lee LeFever called RSS in plain English, and LeFever gave a very clear and concise definition of what the purpose of having an RSS aggregator is. After watching the clip and now knowing that an RSS aggregator acts as your home base on the internet and the information which you regularly follow such as news and blogs comes to you, rather than, you having to check each individual blog and news site that you follow, I strongly believed that an RSS aggregator would be a beneficial tool for me as I could see it saving myself time when using the internet and it allowed me to enhance my knowledge in relation to technology.

After checking out the Google Reader website in more detail, I figured out how to add a subscription, therefore, I copied and pasted the URL’s of my course colleagues into the site so that their blog posts would appear in my feed ready for me to monitor. So far I have found seven of my peers and have added them successfully to my aggregator, and over the journey of this course I hope to add more of them to my blog.

In regard to school learning environments, I think that the use of RSS aggregators and blogs would be beneficial for students, as it would allow them to receive feedback from their peers and teacher, along with, interact in a collaborative manner with students from a range of schools including their own, for example, if a student was required to keep a blog as part of an assessment for one of their key learning areas, their teacher could ask a colleague from another school if they would like to join their class in the process of creating and monitoring blogs. Therefore, RSS aggregator’s could be used to support the Relate-Create-Donate process of the Learning Engagement theory (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999), as the option of learning in a collaborative context is provided to students whilst ensuring that their experiences when networking on the internet is of a positive and safe manner.

Reference List:

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

LeFever, L. (2009). Video: RSS in plain English. Retrieved July 30, 2009, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Effective e.Learning Design

Effective e.Learning is the next topic which I have covered as part of the courseware for Managing e.Learning. The first part of the topic discusses how 21st Century learners are engaged by e.Learning, and according to Waterhouse 2005, “At a very basic level e-learning is using information communication technologies (ICTs) to engage, enhance and extend learning in flexible and innovative ways, now and in the future” (Central Queensland University, 2009).

In relation to e.Learning, in 2001 Prensky suggested that learners can be identified as either a digital native or digital immigrant. To an extent I would have to agree with Prensky’s generalisation about digital natives vs. immigrants as today’s students are natives to digital technology when compared to past students, including myself (Prensky, 2001). For example, for prac this year I am in a year one class and the students are making their own PowerPoint presentations, where as, when I was in primary school my class and I weren’t able to make PowerPoint presentations until we were in year five which was in the year 2000. Therefore, even though I am only nineteen years of age I feel that at times I can be considered as being a native to digital technology when compared to older generations such as my parents as when I was in year five they didn’t know how to make PowerPoint presentations, where as, when compared to current primary school students I could be considered as being a digital immigrant. I think that if digital immigrants are provided with appropriate training and resources they could quickly become natives to digital technology. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager, I want to be perceived by my students as being a native to digital technology as this will help to enhance the students learning as students would be more engaged in their task as we would share some of the same interests and real life experiences.

The internet can play a large role in a student’s e.Learning journey, the issue of Internet Safety definitely arises when implementing learning experiences to students as it is quite easy for students to unintentionally expose themselves to sexually explicit, pornographic, violent and hateful material. For example, at times when entering websites that you think are appropriate for use within school learning environments images of a pornographic nature are displayed in pop ups (Central Queensland University, 2009).

Cyber bullying and physical dangers are also associated with using the internet, in particular, the risk of students meeting a person online who they do not know and arranging to meet them in person. As we all know from media reports people who have met up with a person who they met online can result in very dangerous situations. When I was still in secondary school three years ago, Education Queensland had a system put into place that everything that a student did on the internet was monitored and access to inappropriate sites would be blocked immediately when a student clicked on the link to view the site. However, even though many sites were blocked as they weren’t seen as being educational, for example, msn. In regard to instant messaging there were ways of getting around the blocked site and gaining access to msn, such as, by logging into your account through websites like Meebo. Although communicating through social networking websites with others on the internet can be quite dangerous, I think that it does need to be done by students as it will help to enhance their learning. Therefore, I think that learning managers should encourage their students to use safe communication sites such as chat rooms on the Learning Place, as the students are guaranteed to be associating with other school children.

I agree with the department restricting students internet access, however, at times I felt that the amount of sites which were blocked restricted my learning within my classroom environment, for example, when surfing Google for information for a research assignment half of the sites that you would click onto to have a look at were blocked. Therefore, to use the information from the sites we were required to access the site outside of school hours on our home computer or at the local internet café.

Therefore, access and equity is another issue involved in relation to e.Learning. There are four main groups of students associated with the access and equity issue of e.Learning; students with a disability, from an Indigenous background, cultural and linguistic diversity and their gender (Blackmore, Hardcastle, Bamblett & Owens, 2003).

As a result, in order for the use of ICT’s to be advantageous to all learners, it is essential for changes to be made when using ICT’s in the learning environment in order to make learning effective. The main change which I think needs to be made is that if the schools/learning managers require their students to use ICTs throughout their schooling years, the school should receive funding from the government which ensures that ALL students have access to using these resources outside of their school environment, for example, if a year seven student is required to make a PowerPoint presentation for their assignment, they should be given access outside of schools hours to a computer in order to complete the assignment. Students could receive access to a computer through a lending scheme with the school where the student borrows out a laptop for the night. If a lending scheme is unable to be implemented, the school should have their computer laboratory open for a period of time after school so that the students whose families do not own a computer have an equal chance to completing their assignment and learning, regardless of how diverse they are. For example, I know that when I was at school some of the students in my class did not have a computer in their home environment, and even though we were given a limited amount of time during our school day to complete our assignment in the computer room, we were still required to finish the assignment outside of school hours. Therefore, the students without computers in their home tended to become disengaged in their task, had a negative experience when working with ICT’s and did not reach their full learning potential.

Uncle Ernie’s Holistic Framework was also covered in this topic and I think that a better understanding of Indigenous culture and perspectives in all Australian students could be achieved by adopting Uncle Ernie’s framework or one similar to his within school learning environments, as it caters to students preferred learning styles whilst embedding Indigenous perspectives into their learning experiences (Grant, 1998). I believe that e.Learning could facilitate Ernie’s Holistic approach by setting up a site which has Aboriginal elders filmed discussing the six processes- land, language, culture, time, place and relationships in relation to Indigenous people, as their culture is based upon oral information rather than written information (Grant, 1998). Therefore, students from various schools could be added into a live chatroom and could discuss with the elder and other peers their thoughts and understanding of the six processes and information which has been delivered by the Indigenous speaker.

Reference list:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Blackmore, J., Hardcastle, L., Bamblett, E., & Owens, J. (2003). Effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance learning for disadvantaged school students. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D63F92A3-6931-464F-9970-D599BE3E390E/4520/ICTreport.pdf

Grant, E. (1998). My Land My Tracks: A framework for the holistic approach to indigenous studies. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/docs/uncle-ernies-framework.pdf

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 23, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Active Learning and Learning Diversity.

Prior to participating in this Managing E-Learning course I had never heard of the conceptual framework; the Engagement Theory. The Engagement Theory supports technology-based teaching and learning within classroom environments, in order to ensure that students are meaningfully engaged in their learning experiences, completing authentic tasks and interacting with their peers, which in turn, creates an effective learning environment. In relation to the students learning activities, the theory suggests that the following three components are evident (also known as the Relate-Create-Donate process);
- Collaborative context,
- Project-orientated learning, and,
- Outside authentic focus.

After attending practical visits in schools for the past two years, I have witnessed many learning experiences, some of these experiences the students were engaged and in others they were disengaged, and it is particularly obvious that half the battle of getting students to achieve learning outcomes is getting them to be engaged in their task, for example, there is currently a student in my prac class who finds it hard to concentrate when doing book work such as handwriting or mathematics. However, the minute that you use positive re-enforcement and tell the student that if they do their math’s work they can have five minutes free time on the computer, they do their work straight away as they find technology engaging. Therefore, I believe that the Engagement Theory is a framework which I will implement within my classroom during my future role as a learning manager as it is well known that the students of today thrive on being able to use technology. It will not only improve my students chances of achieving learning outcomes, but it will also allow them to individually develop the skills required to be used in everyday life, such as, working as part of a team, communicating, problem solving and decision making (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

Also in relation to the topic of Active Learning I looked at learning effectiveness and learning retention. Dale’s Cone which was developed in the 1960’s displays the least-most effective methods of learning, and shows that information delivered though verbal methods is the least effective way of learning, where as, hands-on experiences are most effective. Although this study was conducted forty-nine years ago, I think that the majority of students today still find hands-on learning experiences most effective as they find them authentic and engaging. Learning retention is when students can use their prior knowledge learnt and apply it to new situations and continue learning by building on their prior knowledge in order to develop new perspectives. It is believed that learning retention occurs throughout concrete-activity based experiences due to the input, process, output method (Active Learning Online Team, 2000).

The next part of this topic covered learning styles and personality, and after completing the learning style questionnaire developed by Felder I determined that I am more of a reflective, sensing, visual and sequential learner. I wasn’t really surprised with these results as far back as I can remember during my time at school I preferred to think about things to myself first prior to trying them, I am engaged when learning about facts and links to the real world, remember information best when it has been delivered in picture form and gain a better understanding of information in linear steps (Felder & Soloman, 2005). I also completed the personality quiz which focused on the four criterions Extraversion and Introversion, Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling and Judging and Perceiving. The result which I received was ESFJ which means I am an Extravert, with a sensing, feeling and judging personality, and I would have to agree with these results also as I understand and believe information received from the external world, make decisions based upon my emotions and am usually very organised and act according to my plan (Human metrics, 2009).

In regard to Multiple intelligences which is the next part of the Active Learning and Learning diversity topic, Howard Gardner “noticed that learners had a variety of abilities in different areas for which contemporary learning theory could not account” (Central Queensland University, 2009). In relation to Multiple Intelligences, during my weekly day visits in a primary school it is definitely evident that there are a variety of learning styles which need to be catered for. After completing the multiple intelligences test I determined that I am mostly Interpersonal and Intrapersonal, and the least intelligence which I have is Naturalistic (Birmingham City Council, 2009). I also took the emotional intelligence quiz and found out that I have below average emotional intelligence (Ivillage Limited, 2009).

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is based upon the approach that the main need in order for humans to survive is physiological, therefore, food, water and shelter etc. It is believed that physiological needs must be met prior to being able to achieve the needs of safety, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Maslow believes that learning environments in schools provide students with the opportunity to achieve the majority of the needs mentioned above; however, some schools do not see that caring communities is of great importance for the students. In my current role as a student teacher and future role as a learning manager I feel that I will be able to help create caring communities for my students by using various strategies from the Dimensions of Learning framework(Kunc, 1992) & (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).

The learning theory was also apart of this topic and I was familiar with the terms Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and Connectivism as I had previously learnt about them in Learning Management 3 last term. Therefore, I found this part of the topic extremely useful as I feel that it helps you understand the learning processes which occurs when teaching students and I was able to refresh my prior knowledge learnt as I regularly get confused with Constructivism and Behaviourism (Central Queensland University, 2009).

Reference List:
Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Why use active learning? Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Birmingham City Council. (2009). Multiple intelligences. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm

Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

Felder, R., & Soloman B. (2005). Index of learning styles. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html


Human metrics. (2009). Jung typology test. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jungtype.htm


Ivillage Limited. (2009). Test your emotional intelligence (EQ). Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_work/tests/eqtest.htm

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: a framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm

Kunc, N. (1992). The need to belong: rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved July 16, 2009, from
http://www.normemma.com/armaslow.htm

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D. (1997). Dimensions of Learning. Colorado: McREL.

Netiquette

After engaging in the Introduction and Overview topic of the course three weeks ago, I was working my way through the topic and read that “it is important that you freshen up on your Netiquette” (Central Queensland University, 2009). My immediate reaction was; What is netiquette?, as I had never heard of the term before in my life. Therefore, I continued reading the information in the topic and found out that netiquette is the “term which is used for describing the rules for electronic communication” (Central Queensland University, 2009).

After reading this definition, I just assumed that the rules for electronic communication were the service agreement and privacy statement which you click accept to when signing up to a new service on the internet, such as, a myspace account. Therefore, I decided that I would keep working through the topic and take the Netiquette Quiz, Level 1 (The New York Times Company, 2009) and I was quite surprised with my results as I received a mark of 70%.

Once I had completed the quiz and read some of the discussions which were occurring on the moodle forums, I realised that I do actually understand some aspects of netiquette, for example, I regularly write BRB to my friends when leaving a conversation that I am having with them on msn and apologize to them when I have accidently written in all capital letters. Where I learnt these practices, I am unsure of and I probably just picked them up off of other internet users during conversations with them. I think that the rules of electronic communication are actually quite unclear with users of the internet, as not all people believe that typing a message in capitals means that they are yelling. Having mixed beliefs makes it very hard to determine whether or not people are taking offence to the way in which you are communicating with them on the internet. Therefore, maybe there should be a Netiquette rule book which could be developed and required to be read prior to participating in electronic communication, particularly in the school environment, as this would help to minimise netiquette confusion, and help to ensure that the students of today are brought up using netiquette in their technology savvy environments.

Krystal.

Reference List:
Central Queensland University (CQU). (2009). FAHE11001- Managing E-Learning: Moodle site. Rockhampton, QLD, Australia: Scot Aldred.

The New York Times Company. (2009). Netiquette quiz level 1. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/netiquetteonlineculture/l/blnquiz2005.htm