I value this tool as a great resource.
Recently I completed my first prac in a private p to 12 school. The students did not have access to YouTube, however the teachers did. I was given the opportunity to teach the English Communications class to year 12 students. They were all boys and so keeping them engaged was always going to be difficult. Their future assignment was to give a 5 minute 'how to' presentation.
So sticking with this theme I used YouTube to locate some video presentations that set good and bad examples. We explored presentations that focused on certain themes, such as the use of signs, voice volume, clarity of instructions, boring or engaging.
This was so much fun. I selected a YouTube video that explained 'how to do the moonwalk'. I chose this as the school formal was just around the corner and the video also focused on other parts of speech presentation that were important for the class to experience in order for them to acheive a good result.
I didn't attend the formal, however I did hear that the boys made a galant attempt at the moonwalk.
You can give it a go yourself by checking out the instructions on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EEynvjfljU
Have fun and let me know how you go.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Class Marker
This would be a great tool in the first weeks of school. It could be used to establish students current knowledge on a topic, establish learners needs, establish what the students hope to achieve.
It can be utilised as an information gathering tool.
It could also be utilised as an assessment tool.
I found this to be a very simple tool to use and easy to establish. It could be used for a variety of methods and cover a large number of classes and subjects.
This too will also save time (something we all need) as there is no need for the teacher spend lots of time and work on the set up. It will also negate the need for paper based tests, that can easily be misplaced by students and teachers. The quizzes can be taken at a suitable time, i.e lunchtime on the computer library or if the student is away for personal reasons they only need access to a computer and they are still progressing with the rest of the class.
Wonderful tool.
It can be utilised as an information gathering tool.
It could also be utilised as an assessment tool.
I found this to be a very simple tool to use and easy to establish. It could be used for a variety of methods and cover a large number of classes and subjects.
This too will also save time (something we all need) as there is no need for the teacher spend lots of time and work on the set up. It will also negate the need for paper based tests, that can easily be misplaced by students and teachers. The quizzes can be taken at a suitable time, i.e lunchtime on the computer library or if the student is away for personal reasons they only need access to a computer and they are still progressing with the rest of the class.
Wonderful tool.
Flickr
This was very easy to set up and download pics.
This could be a great place for students to store pics from a school events such as 'sports day', camp.
As an english teacher I would then have the students write stories with differing points of view according to the selected photo. Because we all know a picture tells a thousand words. But perhaps this could be an opportunity to see it through someone elses eyes by using their photos.
Another use would be to take a series of photos that pertained to one theme. Then I could have the students write a creative story using only the pics and their own imagination. This would be great as while they are using technology and being creative they will also learn the structure of a story, grammar, language selection, OMG the list is endless. How exciting.
This could be a great place for students to store pics from a school events such as 'sports day', camp.
As an english teacher I would then have the students write stories with differing points of view according to the selected photo. Because we all know a picture tells a thousand words. But perhaps this could be an opportunity to see it through someone elses eyes by using their photos.
Another use would be to take a series of photos that pertained to one theme. Then I could have the students write a creative story using only the pics and their own imagination. This would be great as while they are using technology and being creative they will also learn the structure of a story, grammar, language selection, OMG the list is endless. How exciting.
Video
Video is a great tool for giving students examples or instructions. I recently completed my first prac in a private school. I utilised youtube to give students good and bad examples of public speaking. These were easy to locate and gave the students very clear examples of what to do and what not to do. The school captain was in the class and he really found these examples to be extrememly helpful. You could really see the difference in his next speech at the school assembly.
As a P. E teacher I could also use video to tape students technique and then replay it for them in the classroom. This would help them to refine their technique in their chosen sport. It would also assist in identifying the muscles utilised during the activity. This could then be used during the anatomy or theory lessons.
As a P. E teacher I could also use video to tape students technique and then replay it for them in the classroom. This would help them to refine their technique in their chosen sport. It would also assist in identifying the muscles utilised during the activity. This could then be used during the anatomy or theory lessons.
Power Point
I really like power point. It is an oldie but a goodie.
It is a great way to present information and can transform a very boring topic into something interesting.
It can also be used as a research tool if you encourage students to use the power point as a tool to present their work. This allows the students to get very creative and therefore they own it. This is very important as once the students invest a piece of themselves they are more likely to engage with the technology and the information. Therefore increasing their knowledge base.
The website that was provided on the moodle site was very easy to follow. It was also very engaging and entertaining. Which set a very good example of our this very powerful tool could be utilised.
Overall I would recommend power point as both a learning and a teaching tool.
It is a great way to present information and can transform a very boring topic into something interesting.
It can also be used as a research tool if you encourage students to use the power point as a tool to present their work. This allows the students to get very creative and therefore they own it. This is very important as once the students invest a piece of themselves they are more likely to engage with the technology and the information. Therefore increasing their knowledge base.
The website that was provided on the moodle site was very easy to follow. It was also very engaging and entertaining. Which set a very good example of our this very powerful tool could be utilised.
Overall I would recommend power point as both a learning and a teaching tool.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Interactive Whiteboards
What an amazing tool. This technology has potential in any classroom. I know of a couple of schools here in Bundaberg that have these, unfortunately not all schools have them. This raises the issue of availability, consistency and equality for all students. technology is available to us as teachers we are limited in the resources that the schools can afford.
Voki Avatars Again
After discussing with a fellow student the ease of creating an avatar, we then discussed some of the uses. He suggested he could use it in the Manual Arts classroom as the safety inspector guy, who gives the students the safety tips. Great work
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