Tuesday, July 7, 2009

New Course, New Understandings, New Concepts and ICT's

ICT's are the real world. They are all around us in every facet of life and living.
I for one and very excited to learn about these new technologies.

Today we looked at blogs and although this is not my first encounter with blogging it is my first journey shared on blogger.com. (For anyone who wants to check out my VERY OLD blog go to -http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=34727934) I have realised that blogging is a very useful tool that anyone can use for any purpose. Weather it simply for a personal diary that no one can access, a place for writing down scholarly articles that will be picked apart, or for keeping in touch with family or friends overseas; blogging is a fantastic tool. Blogging can be successfully used in the classroom in many ways from assessing student learning to enhancing student learning. Through this course I am looking forward to leaning the vast variety of ways that I can use blogging within my own classroom.

We also looked at reader and delicious, both sites I have never heard of before but can see how they can be used to enhance student learning. Reader is a site connected to Google that allows people to collaborate, share and work together. Delicious on the other hand is a site where individuals can 'bookmark' certain sites and tag them so that others can access the sites also. Delicious is a fantastic websites that can be used by learning managers on a day to day basis. It can house unlimited resources (sites) that a learning manager and their students can access at any time. These sites can then also be shared with fellow teachers so that collaboration can occur.

I have just entered into this amazing journey of ICT's and I am looking forward to learning all that I can. The rule to success is simple...DON'T GIVE UP.

My Curious Dangerous Mind

References:

  • Blooms (2007)
  • Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education 20(2), p.240-254
  • Ten Principles to Active Learning (http://www.idecorp.com/teacher/documents/dowling_002.pdf)
  • Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved August 4, 2009. from: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
  • McInerney, D., & McInerney, V. (2002). Educational psychology: Constructing learning. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education.
  • Marzano, R. J, & Pickering, D. J. (1997). Dimensions of Learning: Teachers Manual. Aurora, Colorado, United States of America: Mid-continent Educational Laboratory.
  • The State of Queensland (Department of Education). (2002). Productive Pedagogies: Classroom reflection manual. Retrieved July 8, 2009, from: http://education.qld.gov.au/public_media/reports curriculum-framework/productive-pedagogies/

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Hey Leticha, yeah i agree with you about blogs being a useful tool when enhancing and assessing learning.

    I also think that this form of ICT can be very effective in reflecting on what students have learnt or even in assessment if the students were required to create a reflection.

    What other ways do you think blogging could be used for assessment pieces??

    Also i feel that in this course we are going to be exposed to various programs that do different things from a glance, but when extensively analysed, complete similar tasks. I believe after being shown these, our job will be to decide on what we think is best and would use. This would be based on aesthetics, usability, problems occurred and amount of peers using the program.

    But yes, overall this journey we have embarked upon in the ICT world will be amazing and we must not give up if we come across something that is challenging.

    To Dare Is To Do

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  3. Hello Dean,

    Yeah I agree it will be based upon our ability to analyse and use certain sites which will help us in deciding which sites will be the most effecive to use within our own classrooms.

    As for blogging it would be a great way for students to reflect on their learning. Therefore a great way to check if the students are learning, what needs to be revisited and assessing their ability and work. I could also be used for student to post their drafts of work, post questions to the teacher, and colaborate with other students from the confort of their own home.

    I think as we repsond to each others post and start to think more deeply about how these tools can be used, there will be a vast variety of way and techniques it can be used. Everyday more and more and more ideas will start to flow and we will be able to see how each person would use this within their own classroom. Which if I like the ides shared I will most definetly be stealing.

    Thanks for reading
    My Curious Dangerous Mind

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  4. Hello,
    I am in agreeance with the advantages of blogs especially as they can provide a place where creativity can be expressed in a comfortable place as mentioned, by those who don't dare express creative ideas due to fear of ridicule or shyness or whatever in the classroom. Blogs are very much electronic collaborative learning.

    Leethal

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  5. Blogging definitely has possibilities in the world of teaching. An advantage with the push for cross curricular education within Ed Queensland, teaching staff and students have the opportunity to communicate from various perspectives ie Sose versus English on the subject of Arson

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  6. Hello,

    Yes definetly!! As the two of you I am seeing you the many advantages and uses for blogging within the classroom and school environment.

    Thanks
    My Curious Dangerous Mind

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  7. Hi Leticha,

    Yes I do agree with you that blogging is a useful tool for teacher and students to communicate with each other and also for teachers to be able to track how their students are travelling with any assessment piece that is set up on a blogging website.

    Cheers,
    Juls

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  8. Hi Tish,

    I think your blog touched on many important aspects of incorperating ICT's within the classroom. I liked your thoughts on how delicious allows teachers to collaborate - this was something I had not thought and that will surely have a positive impacts on students.

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