Video

A FINE EXAMPLE OF THE TECHNOLOGY AGE
This clip shows how technology has definitely been embraced :-)

Did You Know 4.0
xplanevisualthinking. (2009, Sept 14). Did you know 4.0 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8&feature=related

Podcasting

Podcasting is rapidly growing in popularity. So what is a podcast?
It is a form of transporting audio directly from the internet to portable media players such as iPods.

Podcast in early childhood learning
 Students reading a story (Germano, 2008)
 Interviews (Shelley, n.d.)
 Allows students to share learning experiences (Department of Education: Western Australia, 2010)
 Promotes the use of technology – 21st century learning (Department of Education: Western Australia, 2010)

DEMONSTRATION OF THE USE OF PODCASTING IN EARLY YEARS
Here is an MP3 that I found of children recording their names and stating what the first letter of their name is……

Check out this site and download the MP3: http://blogs.scholastic.com/early_childhood_teacher/2008/09/podcasting.html
a_my_name_is_book_scholastic.mp3 (Germano, 2008)

Activity:
What do you see?
Image from: (Lyons, 2010 – Personal Communication)

Types of Questions asked

1. Is this photo 2D or 3D?
2. How does this photo make you feel?
3. What colour, shape and texture do you see?
4. What is the photo showing?
5. What can you see?

Listen to the podcast Number 1 below.

1. http://blackdog.net/midi/bark.wav
Sound from: (Find Sounds, n.d.)

What was it a sound of?
Can you see this animal in the photo?

This could be repeated with different sounds to stimulate thinking and imagination.


References
Find Sounds. (n.d.). Find sounds. Retrieved from http://www.findsounds.com/types.html
Department of Education: Western Australia. (2010). Podcasts in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/
Germano, C. (2008). Christina’s classroom. Retrieved from http://blogs.scholastic.com/early_childhood_teacher/2008/09/podcasting.html
Shelly, N. (n.d.). Podcasting in the classroom. Retrieved from http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~nshelley/

Moodle

“The design and development of Moodle is guided by a social constructionist pedagogy” (Moodle, 2009).

Using Moodle in the Classroom – VERY INTERESTING
This clip really emphases how teachers are heading in the direction of fully utilising technology to its full potential in the classroom. The possible usage for this program is amazing. There are also many benefits for parents which is something that I was not aware of.
I highly recommend watching this video …..



Advantages from the student perspective (my opinion)
- support available from teachers and peers
- everything at your finger tips available at all times
- access to resources from anywhere that has a computer
- easy to use, good layout
- collaborative work

Advantages from a teacher perspective (my opinion)
- student work can be monitored closely
- a variety of engagement methods and resources can be used eg: wiki, text, video etc
- can be customized and used in a variety of settings

Can it be used for all students and courses? (my opinion)
- this form of learning does not suit all learning styles
- not appropriate for early years learners as what this program is designed to do is not at their level


References
Moodle. (2009). About moodle. Retrieved from http://docs.moodle.org
stevenputt. (2007, Oct 29). Moodle in the classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9XfwBzt1mY

PowerPoint

Advantages of PowerPoint
- Ability to incorporate and use of a variety of resources eg: photos, images, videos, students work, sounds
- Caters for different learning styles
- Interactive engagement
- Can customise presentations based on the audience level
- Can be used in collaborative learning and therefore promotes peer sharing
- The uses of PowerPoint are only limited by your imagination
- Create diagrams
- You are able to reuse content
- The slide themes allows you to create consistency
- Easy to use layout and editing method
- Can add pages in desired place at any time
- Looks professional and eye-catching
- Promotes literacy
- Able to make 3D effects
Ref: (Stover, n.d.), (Baruch College, n.d.), (Andrew, 2009), (Jones, 2009)

Challenges of PowerPoint
- The risk of overuse of words or images on individual slides
- You are not able provide a lot of detail
- Can be time consuming to develop a successful presentation
Ref: (Goessl, n.d.), (Hasan, 2010)

PowerPoint in Early Years Learning
- Children within this age bracket benefit greatly from visuals & interactivity

Although the analysis above shows that the advantages of PowerPoint greatly outweigh the challenges, I believe that there is room for debate. This presentation that I created in PowerPoint was quite different to the normal slide arrangement that I construct in this program. I found it very challenging even though I was following step by step instructions. In saying this I consequently feel that this is significant drawback for the operation of this tool. It was incredibly time consuming to create what looks like a very basic (nothing fancy) presentation. I do note however that this comes back to my own knowledge and skill level about this program and that I am now aware that it requires development. Although I do believe PowerPoint has many advantages....for this type of presentation though…..not so much.

My PowerPoint presentation is found in this Wiki.
http://michelleuni.wikispaces.com/

References
Andrew, T. (2009) Teach students alternative uses for powerpoint. Retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/teach-students-alternative-uses-for-powerpoint-a104886
Baruch College. (n.d.). PowerPoint: Advantages and potential pitfalls. Retrieved from http://media.baruch.cuny.edu/faculty/jbelland/powerpoint/tips.htm
Goessl, L. (n.d.). Pros and cons of using microsoft powerpoint presentations. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/976269-pros-and-cons-of-using-microsoft-powerpoint-presentations
Hasan. (2010). Steps for creating a professional powerpoint presentation in less time. Retrieved from http://www.articlealley.com/article_1367805_15.html
Jones, J. (2009). Advantages of microsoft powerpoint. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_5806083_advantages-microsoft-powerpoint.html
Stover, E. (n.d.). What are the benefits of using powerpoint and slide presentations in the classroom? Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5008796_using-powerpoint-slide-presentations-classroom.html

Learning Framework

BLOOMS TAXONOMY

Image from: www.greameeyre.com

HistoryThis framework was developed by Dr Benjamin Bloom in 1956 (businessball.com, n.d.)

Theory
3 Domains Present within Bloom’s Taxonomy
1. COGNITIVE DOMAIN = critical thinking and knowledge
2. AFFECTIVE DOMAIN = attitudes and emotions
3. PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN = manipulation (Smith, 2010)

Blooms Taxonomy outlines significant phases in the learning process. This framework works well in Learning Experience Plans by starting with the fundamentals prior to moving to complex thinking and learning concepts (Smith, 2010).

Higer Order ThinkingEvaluation
Synthesis
Analysis Lower Order Thinking
Application
Comprehension
Knowledge

Image from: www.techlearning.com

Image from: http://www.uwsp.edu/

The framework was revised to reflect current teaching and learning in the 21st Century.

 

References

businessball.com. (n.d.). Bloom’s taxonomy learning domain. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/bloomstaxonomyoflearningdomains.htm

Blooms and technology integration. http://www.slideshare.net/amwms1/blooms-and-technology-integration 
Smith, S. (2010). What is bloom’s taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-blooms-taxonomy.htm

Weebly

The link below is to a Webquest that I created in Weebly for a previous SOSE assignment

http://localhistory.weebly.com/index.html

This is a direct quote from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
“Although learning now occurs in online environments the principles around safe, secure and stimulating environments remain unchanged. When responding or supporting teachers or students in online spaces schools are advised to “take the technology out” of the issues and focus on the behaviours and expectations they would expect within any physical learning environment.”

“Regardless of whether they are online or offline, the safe and responsible use of digital technologies is always directly related to the values and behaviours of the students and teachers (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2010).”

References
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2010). Learning online support. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/elearningsupportservices/www/support/default.htm

Wiki

Below you will find a link to go to my wiki site.

Inside there are details about wikis vs blogs
- the similarities
- the differences
- the learning benefits &
- how wikis are being used in the classroom

http://shelluni.wikispaces.com/