My experience with ICT on my first practicum was very different to the experiences on my second practicum. My first mentor teacher was the ICT co-ordinator at the school so he was very comfortable with using ICT in his classroom. On my first day at the school the interactive whiteboard broke and was not fixed for the four weeks that I was there. Therefore I was limited in what I could show the students as a class and what I could do with in my focus group teaching. The classroom had four computers which the students used to type up stories and for mathletics. However in their free time the students also used the computers to make claymation films and websites such as build your wild self. The students absolutely loved build your wild self and it provided great entertainment during wet day timetables. It was fantastic to see this website firing their imaginations. My mentor teacher must have shown the students how to make short claymation films earlier in the year prior to my visit.
My second mentor teacher was not as comfortable with ICT and it was reflected in her teaching. The students on my second practicum used the four computers in the classroom to type up their narrative stories, to research different information and to do online testing that the school required them to undertake as part of a university study. The highlight of the students’ ICT use was the interactive whiteboard which they used to create stories using Aboriginal symbols and to draw aerial pictures of the Yarra River. These could have been really rich tasks if they were integrated with literacy but it felt as though they were not done to their full potential.
However towards the end of my second practicum the students were given a design brief on bridges. The students had to base their bridge design on a Melbourne bridge and then decide what materials they were going to make the bridge out of to ensure it could hold at least 1 kilo in weight. The design brief stated the bridge was not to be more than 50cms long. The students conducted research about Melbourne's bridges before designing their own bridge and sourcing the materials to build it. This reminded me of the jumping frog design brief we had completed in one of our workshops. The students really enjoyed the bridge task and it really sparked their creativity as they began to work out what materials they could use. The students were told they were not allowed to buy any special things to build their bridges. Instead they had to think of things already in the classroom or things they could easily bring from home to build their bridges. It was so interesting to see what each pair of students came up with, no two bridges were remotely similar. Some of the materials the students chose to use included straws, toilet rolls, icy pole sticks and play doh. A couple of students even used clay that they had bought in from their holiday farms.
In today's workshop we covered quite a few websites. I was really interested in the animation sites we looked at such as Dvolver and Zimmer Twins because it gave me the opportunity to build the layers of my own animation. Websites such as Zimmer Twins also gives students to experience how animation is layered. Zimmer Twins would be easy for the students to use and this website could easily be added to a WebQuest. Zimmer Twins gives students the opportunity to type in their own text and work in teams to write and design a movie. Zimmer Twins could integrate any subjects such as ICT, maths and literacy.
We also looked at xtranormal which students could have great fun playing around with and making movies. The students could then also send the clips they make to their friends.
Build Your Wild Self is a website that my students on my first practicum loved. They would happily spend all of their lunch times on wet days creating characters on this site. While you could let students design whatever character they wanted you could then also turn it into a learning activity by asking them to go and research 5 facts about the animals that they'd chosen to use on their character. Alternatively you could set the students the task of listing what characteristics their character had to have. Students could also create characters, print them off and put them in a pile. They could then cut them into thirds to create different characters. The students could then write stories about these weird and wonderful creatures that they've created. Websites like this make it really easy to fire students' imaginations which is what we need to be doing in our classrooms.
Sketch Swap is a great way to practice your drawing skills on the computer however it is not appropriate to use in the classroom because you can't be sure what kind of image the site will generate and return to you. To get around this problem you could have students draw their own pictures and email or post them to pen pals that you've set up for them. This way they're still swapping sketches but you know the sketches they receive in return will be appropriate.
Story Games was a website that has good example of rebus writing. I think it's a really creative way to get students reading and writing. It would be a good website for students to see what rebus writing is and then they could make their own stories using this technique.
Catchment Detox is a site that is all about the environment. It involves information and a game where students step up their catchment ares and have to carefully maintain it. If the students do not maintain it it begins to go downhill and they can see the consequences. I think being able to see the ramifications visually through a game is a great way for students to understand the topic. This site could easily be incorporated into a WebQuest.
On the Reasonably Clever website students can create lego characters which they can then print off and write stories about. This is an easy way to integrate ICT, art and literacy. But you could also give students real lego and get them to create characters that way. By giving students real lego, real paints and materials to work with you're getting them involved.
We also looked at the Roller Mache website which is a guide to animation and has great videos showing how artists actually make animations. The website has activities for students and takes them through the process of 'inspire, plan, create.' Greg pointed out there are also the extras sections on DVDs such as Toy Story that you can show to students to show them the process of animation.
We also looked at Dvolver Movie Maker. This is not appropriate for children but it's a good tool for getting your head around animation. There's music, backgrounds, text boxes which are all fun to play around with but the nature of the characters are not suitable for children. It would be fantastic if there was a version aimed at children though.
Today we looked at Dust Echoes on the ABC website. This was a fantastic site which played Aboriginal dreamtime stories. I think it's a fantastic medium to get students looking at Aboriginal stories and showing them the stories in a way that they will understand. It also lends itself to activities such as creating a story board like the one I've created below and then asking the students to write the story themselves. You could make the activities as easy or difficult as you wanted depending on the age of your students. The site also provides a glossary of Aboriginal words which is a great way of helping the students to understand the terms being used and to learn more about the Aboriginal culture.
We also looked at graphs in excel today and discussed activities that we could use in the classroom. Excel is a thinking tool that lends itself to integrating domains such as maths, ICT, literacy. You could ask students to graph something like the different colour cars they count driving past the school, write a paragraph to explain their findings, print their graph and present the two pieces together. I haven't used excel for years so I refreshed my skills and picked up a few new tips such as how to colour code each bar on the graph and how to add in images to enhance the quality of my work. These skills are something you would have to cover step by step with the students, possibly on numerous occassions but they're valuable skills.
Now days a lot of children have allergies so you wouldn't have to use chocolate M & M's, you could easily use counters or colour bits of paper and divide them among the students rather than using food.
This week we began by designing a frog that jumps with the materials provided. We were given a piece of cardboard, sticky tape, a picture of a frog and a rubber band. Greg highlighted that we were doing this task to show us that technology does not always just have to be about computers. We were also given a design brief to fill out, which the students would be able to write all over and jot down all their ideas before producing a final copy of the brief. This helps the students to structure their ideas, answers and to think their process through.
This exercise was a good task because it gets students working in groups and thinking about how best to utilise their materials. Older students could also look at push and pullies in this task, while all students could think about the different properties and functions of the materials as well as the proper language such as the potential engery of the materials. This task also gives students the opportunity to get involved and encourages the students who are scared of failing and will hold back to also get involved.
We decided to fold our cardboard into thirds and wrap the rubber band around one section to re-enforce the fold. We then used the sticky tape to attach the picture of the frog. We found this was successful because our frog jumped quite well. This activity could be extended for students that finish early by providing different cardboards for the students to experiment with. Using a design brief is something that we could possibly integrate into our webquest.
Next we looked at Quia and designed a quiz. I think this is a really valuable resource because it is creative and fun for students to create and to play. It would also benefit students' spelling.
I think these games and activities would be extremely useful in the classroom and will definately look to use them in my future classroom. Greg pointed out students could send their games to their parents for them to play which I think is a great suggestion and alternative to always sending work home.
Today we looked at Microsoft Publisher. I thought this was extremely useful and I think I will definately put this in my toolbox to use it in my classroom. I think making brochures is something the students would really enjoy and is such a great, creative activity. Publisher also has other features that would be useful such as having the students create menus and catalogues.
We also spoke about our e-portfolios which I think is hugely beneficial. It seems overwhelming at this stage but I'm sure it will become easier as I get my head around it more. Publisher will also be handy when it comes time to create my e-portfolio and resume.
Hearing Greg talk about the interview process was extremely valuable. Greg mentioned that the panel will sit you down and give you time to quickly review the questions which I didn't know and made me a bit relieved. I'm sure I'll still be extremely nervous in any interviews but it was a relief to know I'll have a few minutes to think about answers rather than be on the spot in front of the panel.
Week one and I've created my first blog. I'm slowly finding my way around the website, though I think it might take me a while to get used to it. Greg showed us how to take a picture of the screen and insert images into our blogs which I think will be very useful. I still need to play around with this process though to be more confident with it.
We also went through inspiration which I really enjoyed. I think this is something I would definately try and use in my future classroom because I think it's far more engaging for students than creating concept or mind maps with pens and paper. I also think it would be great for younger students who would love the graphics and colour. Yet, it would also be beneficial for older students who could use the more complicated processes available on inspiration. Creating hyperlinks might be something I look at using in my wiki assignment. I like the idea that students can transfer their work into word and print it. I will need to use inspiration a bit more to cement it in my memory and be more comfortable with it. Intially I found it difficult to insert images into this blog but I think with practise and time I will be more confident with the programs and the blog.
At this early stage I prefer doing concept maps rather than mind maps on inspiration. Though this might be because I have spent more of today's workshop trialing concept maps rather than mind maps.
