seventh

Previously I had always associated excel spreadsheets with boredom. Today, however, when I used it for something useful, I found it quite interesting. The markbook and mailmerge we looked at in the lecture could be very helpful in the future for record keeping and writing reports. I still don't really understand it all that well, and I am sure there are many more things that one can do with spreadsheets that I am not capable of, but in terms of tabulating student results and recording marks, I found it quite useful. I was able to calculate totals, averages, percentages and grades quickly and simply, when I worked out what I was doing. It would possibly have been useful to have had a list of the relevant codes/equations and what they actually meant, rather than trying to figure it out on my own, but by the end of the lecture I had achieved something totally usable. I had never seen the mailmerge feature in word before, so that was a pleasant surprise and if I use excel to create markbooks, then report writing becomes quite simple.

sixth

Educational comics are pretty awesome. They can be used for a huge range of purposes, both for the teacher and the students. Procedures, event recounts, and narratives are just a few of the ways in which educational comics could be used in the classroom. In trying comics out I made a recipe procedure using Comic Life2 software. One great thing about this program is that it has a wide range of templates and formatting already available. This means anyone (including me!) could make a comic. However the software itself was a bit glitchy at times and this does detract from its effectiveness. If I was going to use comics in the classroom, I would have to spend more time myself working out the ins and outs of the program so that I was an efficient user and could then teach the class. Without proper instruction, the kids may easily become confused or distracted, which may result in the whole exercise being a waste of time. Its definitely something I would consider using but I'd have to try it out for myself a bit more first.

Fifth

Today we made multimedia presentations. Basically mine was a PowerPoint presentation with images and hyperlinks and text and things, based on the Lorax by Dr Seuss. I'm pretty familiar with PowerPoint, having used it for many different presentations in the past, however I did learn a few things. The reason why multimedia presentations work well, is that they use animation, images, sound etc for emotional impact. I have seen many presentations where these things are added just because they can be, but don't really have much real purpose. However, when used well it can be really effective. One pet hate with PowerPoint presentations that I have seen in the past is clutteredness. Often a slide is overloaded with text or images or diagrams or a combination of these. Each slide should be short, to the point and then can be elaborated on during the presentation of the slides. Anyway, I think multimedia presentations done well could be really effective in the classroom, although can be quite time consuming to make. I guess if you were teaching the same year level and topics for a few years, you could gradually build up a resource base. They are pretty easy to make, pretty fun and exciting to use, but can take time to make. Would I use them? Possibly if I get the time.

fourth

This is a blog and I am writing a blog about blogs. A little bit weird. In actual fact this blog post is about an article I read called "7 things you should know about Blogs" by Educause Learning Initiative. Although the article is titled "7 things you should know..." there were three things about blogs that stood out to me: reflection, sharing and community. Blogs, which are pretty much online journals, allow bloggers to reflect on topics and share their ideas with the world. Unlike a normal personal journal, blogs allow people to comment on and engage with the blogs of others. Online communities of like-minded people are created, giving the opportunity for people to discuss their ideas openly and engage with others from around the globe. In a classroom reflection, sharing and community are all essential elements, therefore making blogs a useful tool in fostering these. Students, teachers, staff and even parents can learn from and share with each other as schools are engaging more and more with blogging. Despite some downsides, blogging could be an interesting way to engage students in reflecting, sharing and discussing ideas with one another.

Third

Today we learnt about podcasts. We looked at different podcasts that were already out there on the net, and we attempted to make our own. I can see many educational benefits for podcasts in schools, although at this stage I am unsure that I would ever use them, or make them in my classroom context.
Benefits or uses I see include:

• Recording lessons- This might be helpful, especially in secondary schools, if a student is sick or away and misses important content. Also, for students who happen to live in remote areas (such as on stations) lessons in podcast form could be really helpful, allowing them to hear lessons from the teacher even though they are not present in person.
• PD- As a teacher, it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest research and educational thinking. Listening to podcasts from other educators and researchers may provide teachers with an opportunity to engage with professional development, especially those in rural or regional areas.
• Stories- Sometimes at the end of the day, when its been a long day, you might just want students to sit and listen to a story. Some podcasts available are just people reading allowed or telling stories. However, perhaps in this scenario, a youtube clip with pictures might be more useful as it engages students both aurally and visually.

I'm sure there are many other benefits as well. I might perhaps use a podcast myself although I think I would be unlikely to really take the time to make my own. Anyway, that's just a bit about how podcasts might be useful for educators. 

second

Wiki's and ePortfolio's. Certainly learning lots today. I had heard of wiki's before (wikipedia, wikileaks etc) but had never really understood what 'wiki' meant or what one was. Apparently the word wiki comes from a Hawaiian word, Wiki-Wiki, which means fast, or something like that. More importantly a wiki is website that  can be easily updated by average folks like me. You don't need to be a brainiac who can write HTML code. That's exciting stuff. The educational opportunities that creating and using wiki's provide are immense. Collaborative student projects, collaboration with other educators, even collaboration with different schools in different countries! Anyone can update content, anyone can share ideas. It could be something that I explore further when I have a class of my own.
Onto the second topic, ePortfolios. When we were asked to make one I thought it would be really hard. In actual fact, Mahara was pretty easy to use. Nothing hugely exciting in it yet but as this subject progresses it will be interesting to see what shape it takes. Not sure yet if I would use ePortfolio's or not unless I was made to but as I learn more we will see.
Bye for now.

First

First week back at uni, first Tech and Computers lecture, first ever blog. That's a lot of firsts! For those of you who happen upon this blog, hello and welcome. This will be a place where I reflect on learning, new discoveries, lecture content and a bunch of other stuff related to computers. If you're brave enough to join me, hooray!
Generally I would classify myself as not very tech savvy. However, I've come to realise that this is a relative term. Compared to some folks (including my ICT teacher brother) I am a technology rookie. On the other hand, compared with my grandparents I am technology genius. The point is though that we live in a technological age and like it or not, computers are an integral part of the way in which our society functions. THE COMPUTERS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!! Ok so maybe that was a little dramatic, but they have definitely infiltrated the system. Computers are everywhere. As a pre-service teacher, it is important that I engage with the issues surrounding the use of ICT in the classroom so that I am able to use computers and technology wisely and effectively and help teach students to do the same. Even if I'm not an expert.
In today's lecture we spent some time looking at researching information on the web. I was quite intrigued by a website dedicated to informing the public  about 'tree octopuses'. As a frequent internet user, I was quickly able to spot that the 'tree octopus' was a hoax and that the information presented was not factual. As we discussed the website, it was pointed out that the skills I used to deduce this are not skills natural to students, and many of them may not pick up on the hoax. Perhaps its because children are more trusting, but perhaps a more accurate reason is that the skills I used were learned skills. As a teacher, it is my job to teach children to think critically about information they are given, and teach them the skills necessary to be effective ICT users. This is something that I will need to keep in the forefront of my mind as this subject progresses.
I am expecting the subject Technology and Computers in Education will be one where I learn lots and have my horizons expanded in terms of the possibilities that ICT presents for educators and for students. Let's hope and pray I'll become a better teacher because of it.