My Final Culminating Statement

(image thanks to this flickrer)

My understanding and appreciation towards integrating learning technologies in the classroom has developed and progressed immensely over this semester. As I look back on past blogs and remember the incredible things that were demonstrated and taught, I can honestly say that this subject has considerably changed how I view myself as a pre-service teacher.

I have amazed myself at what I have learnt and produced over this semester, such as making my own podcast, digital stories, and blogs. I will not waste what I have learnt this semester, as I will continue to immerse myself in learning teaching technologies and document it in the form of an e-portfolio. Mason et al (2004) define e-portfolios as ‘self-selected multimedia presentation of student work that offers a rich and textured view of a student's learning and development’. Not only will it be something to be shown to future employers, but it will be a great sense of pride and accomplishment for myself.

During my Prac at Botany Public School, I was fortunate enough to incorporate learning technologies in the classroom, in the form using the interactive whiteboard (see blog post ‘Time to Teach’ and 'Second Week at Botany Public') It was during this experience that I realized how important constructionist learning was (see blog post ‘Children Constructing their own Learning’). Papert and Harel (1991) describe constructionism in its’ simplest form as “the idea of learning-by-making”. I discovered that greater and more enriched learning took place when students actually constructed and built their own learning, rather than me simply trying to ‘instruct’ them through it using the interactive whiteboard.

In the last half of this semester during tutorials, we began looking at ethical issues, such as cyber-safety and cyber-bullying. This is such a serious issue, and we as pre-service teachers need to be aware of the negative implications of integrating technology into our classrooms. (see blogpost ‘Fighting a lost battle?’) Sharples et al (2008) state that schools have a role in educating children how to use the internet safely and responsibly, and I believe that as technology advances, this role is to become much more important. After all, what is the point in teaching using technology, when students are placed at risk?

This subject has both enlightened me, and inspired me to incorporate learning technologies in the classroom, in a constructivist approach. I aim for my classroom, no matter what the technological divide, to have a balance in using traditional and technological teaching methods, but more importantly, to engage students in a myriad of opportunities to create, construct and build their own learning.

References:

Mason, R., Pegler, C.,& Weller, M. (2004). E-portfolios: an assessment tool for online courses [electronic version]. British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol 35 No 6.

Sharples, M., Graber, R., Harrison, C., & Logan, K. (2008). E-Safety and Web 2.0. Retrieved on June 14, 2010 from the UTS Online Website: https://online.uts.edu.au/courses/1/012233/content/_584164_1/web2_esafety.pdf?bsession=39913759&bsession_str=session_id=39913759,user_id_pk1=244235,user_id_sos_id_pk2=1,one_time_token=
Papert, S., & Harel I. (1991). Situating Contructionism. Retrieved April 22, 2010 from the Papert Website: http://www.papert.org/articles/SituatingConstructionism.html.

The New Days.

fighting a lost battle?

image from this flickrer

Article: E-safety and Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 technologies for learning at Key Stages 3 and 4
Mike Sharples, Rebecca Graber, Colin Harrison and Kit Logan

Wow, just when you think teaching/learning technologies and Web2.0 tools are amazing, the darker side rears its ugly head. Cyber-safety and cyber-bullying are INCREDIBLY important topics, ones that ABSOLUTELY MUST be thoroughly explained to students. This excerpt from the article above highlights the role a teacher must play in keeping children away from danger:

Schools can have a role in educating children to use the new internet safely and responsibly. Teachers can help children to appreciate when they cross the line from normal and acceptable Web 2.0 activity, which may include posting some personal details online, to abnormal and risky behaviour. Currently, most children are prevented from engaging in any social activity on the web at school. While this may remove the immediate danger to children and protect the school or local authority against lawsuits, it may also store up further problems for society at large. Now that most children have home access, safe behaviours are essential, but a strongly protected online environment at school may not provide the opportunity to learn these.

While on prac, and during my work at a before/after school centre, I witness verbal and physical forms of bullying every day. It saddens me to think that once more and more technology is introduced into our schools, cyber-bullying will become much more apparent. I believe that it is absolutely vital to teach our children social skills and how to interact fairly in group work/play situations - THEN and only then, introduce technology into the picture. If our children grow up to be anti-social beings, ones that have no idea how to cooperate fairly in teams, then what is the point of adding another thing that teachers must fight against - tackle the underlying issue first.

But then again, are we really fighting a battle that has already been lost? Many children nowadays have severe anti-social qualities, and alot have computers in their bedrooms. If we do all we can as teachers to educate about online safety and cyber bullying, is that enough? I think parents more so than teachers need to first be educated about the risks of allowing their children to surf the net unsupervised.

Martine, in her blog, provides a checklist of information that parents/and additionally teachers can use when discussing and implementing internet safety:

- keep the computer in a family room, NOT in a bedroom
- understand parenting controls on your internet browser and how to block websites and emails - find softwares that can be used to help protect your child
- dont allow your child to submit personal information on line without your permission
- encourage them to show you and tell you about anything that makes them uncomfortable when surfing the internet
- familiarise yourself and talk to your child about who they contact on-line

For more information, the article linked above provides statistics and easy to read information about these issues. All in all, a very thought provoking issue!

Content+Pedagogy+Technology

image from tpck.org

Sadly, it was our last Professional Experience 3 tutorial last Monday. One of the first things our lecturer gave us to do, was to fill in a 'TPACK' survey. Now, what exactly is TPACK?

TPACK is: 'Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge'. It attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge.

Although I believe I respond well to visual imagery, and consider myself a visual learner, I absolutely can't stand diagrams like the one above! Especially with all that jargon! Anyway, I do get the point, and agree that is important for teachers to combine their knowledge about children, their knowledge about the content of work and their knowledge about technology. This brings about well rounded learning, and so all teachers and pre-service teachers should consider this diagram when planning to teach with technology.

UPDATE: take a look at my lovely friend Vanessa's vodcast about Tpack!

Papert's Opinion.

thanks to this flickrer for the big blue apple lego.

Seymour Papert is the inventor of the Logo Computer Language the first and most important effort to give children control over new technology. He has written many articles regarding the issue of the importance of technology in schools. In his article, "Technology in schools: To support the system or render it obsolete", Papert comments on the idea of whether schools can simply 'introduce' technology into their classrooms, or whether schools need to 'change completely' to accommodate for true technology-enhanced learning. He states:

"And as long as schools confine the technology to simply improving what they are doing rather than really changing the system, nothing very significant will happen".

Sorry Seymour, I disagree.
Maybe I am just being put off by everyones need to introduce every little bit of technology into schools, but really - no, I don't think changing the entire system is necessary! Sure, technology is advancing at a rapid rate, but honestly, children do not need to have it thrown in their faces every second of the day. For example, I really don't like the idea of people wanting to introduce the iPad to read stories. JUST GET A REAL BOOK!

I understand and appreciate Papert's viewpoint, and although I am not against technology in schools, I truely believe there needs to be a balance. Too much technology can be over stimulating, resulting in student misbehaviour, or simply a lack of physical activity.

When I become a practicing teacher, of course, I will definately use and appreciate technology in my classroom. But I will make sure there is a balance. All in all, in my opinion, technology should be used to 'improve' the current system, not to 'change' it completely.

catching up on some blogs.

images by morgan
(my prac classroom)

The issue of advancing technology and the question of whether to include it all in the classroom, is difficult for me to respond to. Like alot of other people, I was fortunate enough to have a smartboard in my prac classroom. But did it add to learning? I am not quite sure. Of course, it was great fun to use, but was it purely novelty? I have been reading Liam's blog, and he asks:

"...are smart boards enhancing learning or detracting from? Are they drawing the classes’ attention away from the lesson at hand with loud noises, distracting behaviours and an incessant need to break the ‘keep your hands to yourself’ rule. Are smart boards the new class clown?"

These questions NEED to be asked. In my class, smartboards were definately distracting. I constantly needed to reinforce 'no hands on the smartboard screen or touching the smartboard pen" etc. It became frustrating. But then again, there were times where it was just so much fun, the kids loved it, and wanted to be involved. Do you think though, that in a few years, this novelty will wear out?

I'm not sure about bringing EVERY little bit of technology into our schools. I really don't think it is necessary to have Ipods, Ipads, and Iphones in the classroom! Seriously, there needs to be a balance. Maybe I'm just getting a little sick of all this technology!

found: an excellent interactive guided reading website!

Everyone, meet Roy.
This tale tells the story of a unique zebra who has lost his herd! Help Roy find his herd!

This website, is both beautiful and actually laugh out loud funny. I sat one night, flicking through the interactive pages of this story, laughing at the witty jokes and illustrations.

This is ultimately a 'guided reading' activity site for Early Stage 1 - Stage 1. It contains a 9 part adventure series based around Roy the Singing Zebra. The site also contains lesson plans, online activities and games for students, songs and many printables! It even documents how to adjust your lesson if you do not have a smart-board!

Go and take a look at the lovely website here.

the great divide.

this image, from leah, is slightly irrelevant at the moment.
but i thought her blog was awesome about giving thanks all the time. and also, sometimes i don't want to post a flickr picture of a computer.
so maybe, sometime soon, this image/text can become relevant.

Last Monday we had a great tutorial with Glynis Jones, discussing the 'Gender Divide'.
It was a really informative, theory based tutorial which actually was great and different from the usual hands-on activities that we are used to. I find it good to sometimes not look at a computer screen and just listen to someone speak.

We talked about ICT issues such as:
> the technology divide
> the international divide
> the economical divide
> the gender divide
> the teacher skill set divide
> the access and connectivity divide

In future tutorials we will be discussing topics such as:
> pedagody and inquiry-based learning
> games in education - are they educational?
> the anti-technology movement
> the standards movement (NSW Institute of Teaching)
> special needs and assistive technologies
> plagerism (All My Own Work)
> social networking

Not sure really what to comment on right now, it was a slight case of information overload, so maybe I will make some more insightful comments after next tutorial. I should get reading on some literature!

So completely overwhelmed!

gorgeous image by catherine campbell

Wow, ok.
HUGE BREATH IN! Times are about to get tough!
(With assessments that is!)

Now that prac has finished, it seems that we have a huge amount of work to be completed, and right now it seems so daunting to me!

First up, Mathematics Workstations this Monday.
Then Research in Learning poster presentation.
Then a Maths Exam.
Then the Digital Story and End of Semester Statement.
Then another Research in Learning assignment.

Anyway, I'll just need to plan my time wisely.
(which I am usually terrible at!)

Second Week at Botany Public.

our collaborative class portrait!

Another big week at Botany Public School!
It was extremely busy, due to the controversial NAPLAN tests, but very fun as well!

Tuesday: PDHPE lesson focusing on the heart/pulse, with skipping in the afternoon.
(This lesson was CRAZY, due to being held straight after NAPLAN tests, but essentially it worked out okay.)

Wednesday: Read 'The Magic School Bus - Inside the Human Body', Drama games, and introduction lesson for 'Picasso Portraits'.
(Again, being held after NAPLAN triggers problems such as restlesness. Kids loved the drama games such as 'working machine' and 'hula-hoop circle'. They also loved the Magic School Bus book, and they actually learnt quite alot from it! The introductory lesson for the 'Picasso Portraits' was half failure, half success - if that makes sense! We only had 30 minutes, and the slideshow I prepared for the smartboard proved too exciting for them, sending them into a talking frenzy.)

Thursday: 'The Singing Hat' book review, and 'Mr Picasso Head' collaborative class portrait and planning individual portraits.
(The students liked the book, and payed attention throughout. The concept of a book review as a structured text was maybe out of their reach for that afternoon though! I uploaded the book review proforma sheet onto the smartboard and wrote ideas directly on it, which was awesome! But even though I said for students NOT to copy what was on the board but to use it to jog their memory (as I had written in bullet points) they still did copy. SO ANNOYING! I wish they had the initiative to think for themselves! haha, maybe I need to teach them that first! But, the 'Mr Picasso Head' collaborative portraits lesson went so well! Maybe my best lesson to date! I had the site opened on the smartboard, and used it as an aide to further reflect and explain abstract art. I chose well behaved students to 'add' to our group portrait, and they LOVED it! Then, as we had time, we 'planned' our own portraits, using abstract elements. What was annoying however, was that my co-operating teacher decided to leave the room during the lesson for some reason, and she didn't get to see what the children did.)

Friday: Social maths games (3D objects, Chance/Data, Addition/Subtraction), and 'Cup Rocket' science lesson.
(Social maths games were fun. First was a game of 'BUZZ OFF'. I love tricking the children, they think they are playing but they are actually learning! We had different stations, focusing on what they had learnt throughout last week, in order to revise and remember, and apply. They worked individually, or in pairs/threes, and I gave them different 'challenges'. The science lesson went REALLY well! I was so surprised! We looked at 'force' and 'energy transference' through the experiment of a paper cup rocket. I got the experiment from a book titled 'Science toys and crafts - Years 3-6' by Barbara J. Fagenbaum. It is an excellent source of fun and interactive experiments.)

The week was stressful and busy, yet exciting and rewarding. I am really happy I was able to witness the structure of the NAPLAN tests aswell. Overall, I think it was a successful week.
Just two more prac days to go!

found: an awesome kids book review website.

I have just stumbled upon a FANTASTIC kids book review blog. Simply named 'Kid's Book Review', it provides a detailed look at some of the wonderful picturebooks/short-stories/novels/chapter-books available nowadays.

I am a die-hard book lover. I ADORE opening a lesson, or introducing a topic with a book. But these days, seeing there are just so many books around, how are we as teachers able to choose appropriate and engaging books for our lessons/reading groups/students?

This blog provides an easy way for teachers to find books related to other KLA's and other literacy topics. Additionally, it also provides lesson plans and extra resources!

Time to Teach.

(scanned image)

Pheewww!
What a week! I have just finished my first week of Prac at Botany Public School on a darling little year 3 class. I had so much fun, but boy, it was hard work!

My co-operating teacher, Kim Briggs, is fantastic. So helpful and encouraging, she has let me find my feet in her classroom.

Wednesday was my first real teaching day, and since they are doing the COGS unit of 'Growth and Change', I decided to present a lesson on the skeletal system. It went really well, the children were engaged and enthusiastic about the activity (naming bones, pretending we have no bones, making their own skeleton poster).

Thursday, I presented an 'interactive tangram lesson' on their newly installed Smartboard. I first read a story (Grandfather Tang's Story) which focused on Tangrams - which they loved! Then I explained what Tangrams were, their history and had this site up on the smartboard behind me: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/area/tangram.html
They loved getting up and having a go at 'rotating' and 'flipping' the shapes to make the different animals and objects.

On Friday I presented a 'social maths' lesson, which basically allows the children to have 'free play' but with mathematic activities. I didn't explain things well in this lesson, so everyone was a bit confused. But I brought everyone back on the floor and re-explained everything, so everyone understood at the end. There were 4 'stations' of activities:
1) Interactive Tangrams
2) Ruler/Cube game
3) Geometric shape building
4) 3D Shape building
The essence of 'social maths' is for the teacher to allow children to discover mathematical concepts for themselves. I just walked around while they were playing and asked them open-ended questions about the games they were playing.

Overall, it was a great week. The school is so supportive of young teachers and prac students, so we are all made to feel welcome. Also, the school places emphasis on implementing technology, and I was so impressed to see that all teachers had MacBooks in their rooms, along with their own smartboards, and the library had about 30 large MacBooks. Really great resources!

Next week I plan to do lessons on:
- the circulatory system
- portraits in cubist style (using Mr Picasso Head)
- book review on Tohby Riddle's 'The Singing Hat' to encourage a more defined vocab
- more maths games
- a interactive science experiment (any ideas anyone! I have NO idea about science!)

mathematics in everyday life.

(image is from a screenshot I took)

I found a great interactive resource which revolves around the use of mathematics in everyday activities. It is called 'Cyberchase', and essentially contains videos and interactive games that reinforce concepts such as AREA, PERIMETRE, SPACE, TIME, MEASUREMENT, GRAPHING ect. Additionally, it has a 'Parent/Teacher' section, which gives free lesson plans and information. Ideally, this site is suited for primary aged students. I intend to use this on Prac after a lesson about TANGRAMS.

a meaningful learning visual critique.

Here is Vanessa and my 'meaningful learning' visual critique. Hope you enjoy it!

Selah.

{Selah - 'to pause and reflect'.}

We have just had another superb tutorial, with everyone giving their presentations and introducing us to a bunch of fantastic resources that promote 'meaningful learning'. To record our attendance at the session we needed to post a thread on the discussion board relating to our two favourite resources and a little commentary on the issue of 'evaluation'. Additionally, we needed to post a link to our 'Delicious' social-bookmarking site. Here is what I wrote:

After hearing so many wonderful presentations this afternoon, I have decided that I like the look of the StoryBird Website, and the FossWeb site. The StoryBird website is very sweet, and basically allows students to write and draw their own 'online story' for them to export and share with family/friends. It also is free, which is such a major benefit. The FossWebsite is a science based website that has really fun and interactive games for students to learn about science based content such as 'Solids and Liquids'.

The process of evaluation, for me, is actually quite tricky. There are so many aspects to consider when analysing a type of software/hardware, such as:
- how does it promote meaningful learning?
- how can teachers use this in the classroom with it being beneficial?
- can students 'construct' anything out of these soft-wares to make their learning more in-depth?
(These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself)
Additionally, you must weigh up the positives and negatives, and relate them to studies/research and readings! Despite the lengthy process, evaluations must be done in order for us as pre-service teachers to sort the meaningful learning technologies from the dodgy ones. I would like to find out how other people evaluate resources, so that if I have missed out on something, I can learn how to better evaluate and analyse.

It is also interesting to note what other sites my fellow bloggers found interesting. Hannah raised some interesting points on what whether sites that are interactive, are automatically promoting meaningful learning. Additionally, Martine (whose blog you may not be able to access, only if you are included in UTSonline) finds the iPhone Basic Maths Deluxe application really innovative and educational. It is always good to be looking at what other students find interesting, as they may introduce you to an amazing resource that you would never have found on your own.

Now, I'm off to prepare my 'Mid-Semester Statement'!

*image thanks to Shirshir Naik, who posts his art on the 'StoryBird' website.

Digital Video

'Digital Video Goes To School'
Hoffenberg, H., & Handler, M. (2001). Digital video goes to school. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(2), 10-15.

Ok, to be honest, I just skimmed this article. But I picked up on some really great information and tips on how digital video promotes meaningful learning and examples of how to use it in the classroom. Here we go with some quotes:

"In the process of creating a video, students are practicing many of the following skills:
- the technical skills involved in making and editing a video
- visual literacy skills
- the higher-level thinking skills of analysing and synthesising the information they want to present as they come up with a point of focus their work and as they decide what details to include in their videos"

Some formats that digital video can take include:
- video newscasts
- documentaries
- infomercials
- video clips for websites or multimedia presentations

"Video is a natural fit when you want to capture:
- emotion
- heritage or culture
- memorable experiences
- change over time
- a process
- a phenomenon in nature"

Well, there it is. I think the idea of digital video in the classroom is quite amazing. I am constantly learning more about this medium through this course, and am excited to incorporate what I have learnt on my prac in two weeks! Keep the learning coming!

Bees, Picasso & BamNana

Thanks to this flickrer!

I am constantly astounded by the amount of interactive resources freely available on the Internet! It is such a fantastic place to find great teaching resources, tools and ideas! BUT - as many good sites as there are, there are probably double the amount of dodgy sites. This is why it is great to collaborate with our fellow student teachers and exchange interactive and student-centred learning sites. I have been looking at a few websites today, focussing on different KLAs.

English - 'The Spelling Bee Game'.
This is great for older kids, namely Stage 3. Students first choose a character and then participate in a 'virtual' Spelling Bee. Children listen to the word, and have the option of hearing the definition and how it can be used in a sentence before typing it out. It is in the form of 'drill & practice', whereby if the students get the answer right, they move on to another word, but if they spell it incorrectly, they are either out, or have to try again. This site is both engaging and fun, and has the potential to be a great 'smartboard' resource!

Visual Arts - 'Mr Picasso Head'.
I am a visual arts lover. Sometimes I think that I will only teach the children Art - who needs to be a good speller anyway! Just kidding! But I wish that Primary Schools found time to practice more Art with students. This site is fantastic for teaching specifically on the attributes of Cubism and could be used as an introduction for studying Pablo Picasso. Students are able to 'drag & drop' Cubist elements to create and arrange a 'Picasso-style' portait. Again, I believe this site is better suited for Stage 3 children, but then again, who knows! I guess you could try it out on younger kids, and see what happens! The only downfall I believe, is that there is no background information or theory behind what Cubism is and who Picasso was. Despite this however, it is a fantastic creative website!

PDHPE - 'Dole Superkids BAM-NANA Game".
This whole website is great for teaching on the subject of Nutrition and Fitness. It is highly informative and interactive. This particular 'BAM-NANA game revolves around a 'Banana-man' trying to defeat his arch enemy 'Saturated Fat' by catching 5 fruits and vegetables while dodging all foods containing saturated fat. Children use the arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate the 'Banana-man' around the game and to catch the foods being thrown from the sides. It is actually quite fun, and requires undivided attention. I feel younger kids (Stage 1 & 2) would really enjoy this game, and learn some nutritional facts in the process!

Building Sandcastles

Thanks to this flickrer!

Who knew that when you were a child, playing by the seashore and hoping to dig to China, that you were infact LEARNING. But now, reading this article, it all makes sense.

Idit Harel claims that "children learn best when they are in the active roles of designer and constructor, like the kids building the sand castle on the beach". I personally agree and support this notion. I remember back to the 'simple and innocent' times where I played aimlessly with my brother on the white Bondi Beach sands, creating masterpieces like the image above. (Ok, well maybe not as good!). But I remember trying to make tunnels and bridges through the sand, and becoming frustrated when the sand would collapse around me. I soon realised that I needed to have a strong support or foundation for the bridge to actually hold up. When I realised this, after many trials and errors - I perfected the art of sand bridge making! And I guess to this day, I still can make a pretty good sand bridge!

But back to the point - this 'constructionist' approach to learning is pretty accurate. I really believe learning becomes more personal/emotional/and meaningful when the child discovers something on their own, through their own 'construction', or perhaps even 'deconstruction'.

The article futher reflects on how we as educators can use technology to support this kind of 'sandcastle learning'. Harel states that "the Net...offers a wide-open learning environment in which children can explore the world, express themselves, save their creations, revise and refine them over time and exchange ideas in ways that were simply not possible in the past. But it is not the technologies themselves that are so important; rather, what is important are the ways that we use the technologies and think about them."
YES! This is the point of it all! We shouldn't introduce children to technology just for the sake of it, we should present technologies that sustain and encourage constructionist or 'sandcastle' learning!

'The Lace of Life'

One of the guys, Liam, in our class made this awesome digital story. One day, I'm telling myself, I will be able to make something this good! (Hopefully soon, before the due date!)

Finally!

Finally this uploaded! Wow, that took forever!
Today in our tutorial, we focused again on creating our own digital stories. Although my one is slightly dodgy, with all the effects (or lack of them), its still an effort! I created it on iMovie, a program that I first used today, so I'm a bit proud of myself! I don't have a Mac at home, so I will have to use Windows Movie Maker (which, by the way, I downloaded!), which I find actually a lot easier to use than iMovie. All in all, its just a practice run until I create my actual digital learning story.

seven things.

'Seven things you should know about Digital Storytelling', is a really wonderful article. It gives examples, definitions, the benefits/negatives and the significance of digital storytelling and what part it can play in the classroom.

I have been trying to compose my own 'practice' digital story, however my computer doesn't seem to have any movie making component. Unfortunately I do not own a Mac, so I can't use iMovie right now, but I thought Windows had 'Movie Maker'? Strange. Anyway, I will have to keep searching for one. If anyone knows of any that I can download or something, please let me know!

{image by paper whistle}

Digital Storytelling.

In our tutorials, our class has been studying the benefits of Digital Storytelling. I have been so inspired by this medium, and cannot wait to discover more about it, so that hopefully one day I will be confident enough to use this in my own classroom! Basically, digital storytelling is the practice of using computer based tools (a combination of video/sound/images) to tell a story.

Over the long Easter weekend, I went to my church's Art Exchange festival, where they showcased people's artworks based on the concepts of resurrection, life, love, peace, salvation etc. During the church service, they played one man's video (or digital story) that was amazingly creative. It has further inspired me to not only use this medium, but to use it well.

SOMETIMES - Tim Nagle from Tim Nagle on Vimeo.

Digital Storytelling Finds Its Place in the Classroom
by Tom Banaszewski
- this online article is great for a simple yet thorough explaination of what digital stories are and how to effectively implement them into the classroom. The article includes step by step procedures on how to use iMovie, and how to incorporate voice, sounds, images and short video clips. The author concludes by stating:
"It's vital to note, of course, that the technology was always secondary to the storytelling. Scanning photographsand hand-drawn images into the computer, using a digital camcorder, importing music, recording voices, and composing and editing their stories using Apple's iMovie program comprised a technological process that enabled students to develop and share a clear, structured, effective story. Technology's place in the classroom has always challenged teachers to maximize their time and resources while proving its worth. The Place Project demonstrated how technology can be instrumental in the perennial student struggle to find voice, confidence, and structure in their writing."

Discovering New Technologies in the Classroom

Hello! My name is Morgan, and I am currently learning about new technologies in my Professional Experience 3 tutorial. My experience with technology, computer-based, is of a medium level, in that I feel competent using basic programs such as Word/PowerPoint/Publisher and web-based software. I am experimenting with Photoshop at home, however it is hard not knowing what is actually available and how to implement it without instruction from someone who knows exactly how to use it. I am not terrified of technology, but it is slightly intimidating trying a program you haven't used before. Overall, I am more excited rather than nervous to learn more about Information Technologies this year, as I plan to implement this knowledge in the classroom and make my lessons extra fun!

A new chapter.

At the beginning of this year, I began my second year of a Bachelor of Primary Education at UTS in Sydney. For this semester in Professional Exp 3, we are focusing on using different forms of technology in the classroom. One of our assignments is to blog about our experiences of experimenting technology and media (such as digital stories, blogs, wikis, podcasting, interactive whiteboards etc). At first, all the class began to blog on our university website, however now I feel that I want a space more to myself. So, I will be posting everything onto this blog, the same as I had last year.
I hope you enjoy!