Final Reflection

Grab a Graphic from pYzam.com

Thank you for a fantastic course. I have really enjoyed it and I have learnt so much.
I know I will use web 2.0 tools in the classroom.

Merry Christmas!

Module 10

Web 2.0 and Blooms Taxonomy
1. Knowledge
I see using Web 2.0 tools such as Flickr, Google Reader, Delicious, itunes as a way of researching and listing information. Like surfing/googling the net,they are a way of finding and storing information.
2.Understanding
Web 2.0 tools such as twittering, blog journaling and subscribing as a way of paraphrasing, categorizing and summarizing information.
3.Applying
Sharing and editing information on blogs, wikis, facebook, scootle and google docs
4.Analyzing
Using Learning pathways on Scootle, uploading and downloading videos/music from youtube, teachertube and itunes. Attribute listing/ tagging information on Delicious.Mind mapping using Bubbl.us would also fall within this level of taxonomy.
5.Evaluating
Experimenting using Glogster, Second Life critiquing on blogs and wikis and collaborative activities on Scootle.
6.Creating
Designing using Second Life, Glogster, making imovies, podcasts and vodcasts.Creating own wikis and blogs.

Module 9

Scootle
Learning Paths
I have used scootle for the last 12 months in my classroom and it has been invaluable. I have a kindergarten class and now they regularly log on using their pins in Mathematics, English, Science and Tech and HSIE. Scootle has enhanced my differentiated curriculum because learning paths can be created for each child according to their individual needs. The paths I do create I also email and share with my grade partners.
Regularly each term I set up several learning paths on the class page for the children to do at home. I download information about the learning paths I have created in PDF form and share it with parents, so they can see the benefits of each learning object and encourage the children to participate.

Collaborative Group activities
This is a new feature of Scootle which I cannot wait to use. This looks almost like a mini wiki where students can create their own profiles/avatars and add their own information/comments. The teacher can also monitor group input.

Like all web.2 technology I see ALL the benefits of using scootle with regard to the above ilearn model;

* communication and collaboration skills
* questioning skills
* reflective skills
* creative thinking skills
* critical thinking skills
* multimodal literacy skills

Module 8

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

What do I need to do to read an RSS Feed? RSS Feed Readers and News Aggregators
Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use.

A variety of RSS Readers are available for different platforms. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows - integrates with Outlook). There are also a number of web-based feed readers available. My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader are popular web-based feed readers.

I must admit I have not used RSS feeds much because I do not regularly search the web and most educational websites I use, do not have them. However, I do see the value if you are a regular blogger and for busy teachers such as ourselves, this would save a lot of time.
Google Reader was very easy to use and I have set up a couple of feeds. When I get more time and am able to regularly search the web, RSS feeds will be really valuable.

Module 7

Social bookmarking with delicious is a great tool. It allows you to;

* Keep links to your favourite articles, blogs, music, restaurant reviews, and more on Delicious and access them from any computer on the web.

* Share favourites with friends, family, and colleagues.

* Discover new things that others have found.

* Organisie your bookmarks through tagging them with keywords.

This has huge benefits in a large school such as ours, especially when you do not have access to the same computer.
We are presently trying to organize our favourite websites for each grade which the staff are going to present at the end of the year. So many website links are changing each year and of course teachers also change grade. What a great way to advise staff not only on how to save their favourite websites but to share these links with their grade partners. The use of tags also allows staff to store/share links by subjects, which enables easy access when teachers are programming. So much for hard copies and folders! If we want to encourage busy teachers to integrate ICT daily into the classroom, this is a fantastic tool to have.

Module 6

Bubbl.us is absolutely fantastic especially with regard to concept mapping and organizing a unit of work e.g. HSIE and Science. Bubbl.us is also great for doing differentiation i.e Williams model, especially when pretesting for older students. I can also see the value of using Bubbl.us when brainstorming what younger students know in the classroom.It is very user friendly and a great resource. This Glog was great fun to make and I can't wait to use Glogster in the classroom. This would be a great assessment tool e.g as a post test at the end of a unit. It could also be an option students could use to review or respond to a book etc. They could also upload their posters to their blogs (like I did) for other students to comment on. It allows the students to reflect on their learning and at the same time be creative and have fun! It would be suitable to use across all curriculum areas as shown by the examples e.g Science, HSIE, English.
I am already starting to set up my edu accounts for my classroom. Also after watching the video I did not find creating a Glog difficult and I am sure the children will manage it.

Module 5

The Three Little Pigs



I am already very familiar with using digital story telling in my classroom e.g. MACs - Keynote, Garage Band, iMovie. Unfortunately I can't upload any of the student's productions because of privacy issues. However, digital story telling is great to give meaning to the children's writing/drawings and most importantly an audience.It was good to revise the difference between Podcasts (audio) and Vodcasts (video).
The advantages of Pod/Vodcasts are that you can watch them anytime you want and you are not restricted to program time e.g TV.There is no longer a dependence on traditional media and they are easy to make. You can also use subscriptions through itunes to update and download your favourite podcasts automatically. I have uploaded a couple of cute videos you might like to watch!