I have engaged in several different eLearning technologies and I have selected the following four to deliver my synopsis, they are: wiki, digital video, Prezi and Dipity. These tools engaged my attention the most and I enjoyed using my imagination to create the programs. I will be teaching in HPE and Biology in secondary schools.
Group 1 Technology - WIKI
The main feature of a wiki is that it is an online writing space where users and guests can edit, modify, add and remove information (CQUniversity, 2011). The wiki becomes the central place for students to document, organise and discuss material and form their own opinions at their leisure (within due dates), even absent students can still contribute from home. I found that a Wiki could be very useful in the classroom to promote discussion and lateral thinking amongst the class. Please view my wiki here Drugs in Sport. The basis of my learning design is to have the students use De Bono's Hats as a thinking tool for group discussion and also individual thinking. The wiki would be restricted to class members only and documents can be edited or formatted but nothing is to be deleted. Students may insert video links or digital images to assist in their learning. Wikis and blogs are owned by your students. They can add content and therefore ideas. (CQUniversity, 2011). Please view the SWOT Analysis here
Group 2 Technology – DIGITAL VIDEO
Many young people use mobiles and the internet to connect and communicate with their peers and be entertained (ACMA, 2009). You do not have to step outside to see what our youth are doing today, we only have to log onto facebook or youtube to see the endless videos that have been created and uploaded. Using iMovie from Apple Mac I created an example of a research video. My idea was to use real footage from a cyclone I experienced and compare that to hurricanes in the USA. Although the final video does not fully portray my learning idea it does however, indicate the potential of using digital video to present a research assignment. My mock digital video presentation could have included still photos, uploads of external footage, further use of my own footage (on how to prepare, supplies required etc), and had a narrative voice over. An assignment such as this could be designed to help students work independently and collaborate for their presentation. In a science course students could find footage of Hurricane Katrina and compare with our own cyclones in Australia. They could research and document the following:
1. Compare different categories
2. How do they name cyclones/hurricanes
3. Differences between cyclones / hurricanes
4. Noted cyclones / hurricanes
5. What does the future hold for cyclones / hurricanes
6. What preparation is required
7. What supplies and stocks are required
Provided the students are authentically focused on the task I feel that presenting any research using digital video allows the students to work collaboratively, provokes higher order thinking and creative thinking through the use of the ICT.
PMI on Digital Video
PLUS
· Unlimited range of video available on web using applications such as youtube
· Encourages collaboration
· With students already familiar with youtube and video on mobile phones it makes sense to include this in teaching.
· Has in built tutorials for students beginning to students wanting to improve their skills
· Very engaging and fun to use
· Stimulates creativity
· Encourages connectivism and constructivism
· Caters for the cognitivist learner
· Can embed photographs, audio and videos
· It can be shared online using YouTube or posted to Facebook
MINUS
· Not all students will have access to iMovie or Moviemaker or digital video equipment
· If the school supplies the equipment there is a possibility of breakages
· Not all students will have the equipment to produce a digital video
· Time consuming
· Copyright issues on using other people’s material
INTERESTINGS
· Any subject can be used to create a movie
· Time management skills can improve because building the video can be a distraction for time wasting
Group 3 Technology – PREZI
About Prezi –
“Presentations have not evolved much in the 50 years since the slide was invented, but Prezi is changing that. Prezi lets you bring your ideas into one space and see how they relate, helping you and your audience connect. Zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to see details — a bit like web-based maps that have changed how we navigate through map books.”
Source http://prezi.com/about/
From overhead projectors or powerpoint presentations we now have Prezi. Prezi is a concept that is parallel with technology today and engaging the learner is much easier than using the old overhead projector. A Prezi’s blank page allows the user to add words or sentences as well as animations, embed videos or a podcast, and digital images to create a show of learning points.
A Prezi can support a digital video presentation, or a speech. Please refer to my prezi here.
PMI analysis of Prezi
Plus · More interactive than powerpoint · Less complicated than mind maps · Animation can make learning, recalling, defining and reviewing of subjects and words fun. · Global collaborations · Can upload images, documents, podcasts and video for presentations · Students can create and use them | Minus · If minimal effort has been put in to create the Prezi then you risk not capturing their attention and losing your audience · Time and commitment is required to make full use of a Prezi · If edited too quickly it can make you feel dizzy |
Interesting · The capacity of Prezi is endless and to utilize its full potential would be exciting · Inspiration can be found at the following website. The following link that shows 16 Interesting Ways to use Prezi in the Classroom http://www.ideastoinspire.co.uk/prezi.htm | |
Group 4 Technology – DIPITY
Dipity was fun and is the easiest and user-friendly tool I have used to date. As stated on Dipity.com (n.d), Dipity's mission is to take the most useful information on the Internet and organize it by time. By providing digital timeline technology, Dipity allows users to gather real-time sources from social media, traditional search services and RSS to aggregate them in a single, easy to use, fun to navigate interface. I found building the timeline very interactive and invoked an interest in the subject matter and found recalling information easier. I can see how Dipity would be excellent for students to undergo their own research and develop exciting, interactive but, informative presentations and assignments. It is the 40th anniversary since man landed on the moon and Dipity allows students to follow the “Apollo Timeline” which shows key events from the first landing. The information is stored along the timeline as images, videos, hyperlinks, and written explanations.
Dipity is about the instance of making an unexpected and exciting discovery while researching a topic.
1. The act of sharing eye-opening information with others in an easy to follow, chronological order.
2. The occurrence of sagaciously following a trail of digital breadcrumbs until that special "eureka" moment.
Sourced from http://www.dipity.com/about).
Dipity is suited to most type of learners including those who learn well with chronological order, visually, auditory and kinesthetically.
Group 4 Technologies - A Y-Chart analysis of Dipity
Looks like
• A visually interactive program. You can embed videos, blogs, external links and works with flickr.
• You can give the reader the option to view timeline as a list, flipbook or map.
• Further information can be seen when you click on a specific date or image.
• Information is sorted in how, when and why these events happened
Sounds like
• Audio is available to listen to interviews and actual sounds from the space launch.
• Students can recorded their own voices for narration purposes
Feels like
• A tool to use for a presentations or as a study guide and for research
• Students would be engaged by the limitless options available to build their own timeline
• Students can work on Dipity independently but also collaborate with others
SAFE, LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
As a teacher I will be required to have an understanding of the safe, legal and ethical practices required for Queensland State Schools, to avoid copyright infringements. To protect myself, and the students from both copyright and unsafe Internet practices I need to consult with my school on their policies and guidelines, then seek other information at reputable sites such as Education Queensland.
Online resources: http://education.qld.gov.au/strategic/eppr/legal/lgspr001/
In conclusion, I intend to use these tools within the secondary curriculum. The digital tools will enhance learning because the kids today are already familiar with using various ICT’s to communicate and entertain. My experience using the above ICT’s has shown transformed and enhanced my learning and I have every confidence that my students will experience the same.
The aim of applying the engagement theory is to provide students with an opportunity to work in collaboration with real life online programs. I hope this development will prepare the students for the work force and the general obligations of life. The major premise is that students must be engaged in their course work in order for effective learning to occur. The theory posits three primary means to accomplish engagement: (1) an emphasis on collaborative efforts (2) project-based assignments, and (3) non-academic focus. It is suggested that these three models result in learning that is creative, meaningful, and authentic (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1999). As a teacher I feel we need to mirror what technology kids are already engaging in outside of school.
REFERENCES
About Dipity. (n.d). You don't know Dipity. Retrieved from http://www.dipity.com/about
Prezi. (2011). About Prezi. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/about/
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). (2009). What are students doing online (Cybersmart). Australian Government: Author. Retrieved from www.cybersmart.gov.au/.../ACMA_studentprofile_middlesecondary.ashx.
CQUniversity. (2011). Readings: Group 1 Technologies. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=163846
Kearsley, G., & Schneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: a framework for technology based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
