Collaborative Learning

Within this elective we have been asked to work collaboratively in groups. I have been rather lucky with the groups I have been in as i feel that we worked well together as a team. If problems arose within our group they were resolved very quickly (there were no conflicts of character but problems with software). Compared with other groups in the elective, we were very lucky to have group members who pulled their weight and did not leave the work to everyone else. Within the group we played to everyone's strengths and if members of the group were unable to do things due to personal reasons, others stepped in without complaining to pick up the slack. We all had individual accountability, which Johnston and Johnston believe is the third basic element of cooperative learning

Collaborative learning is very beneficial to children. The strengths of using collaborative learning within the primary classroom are:

• Higher achievement and greater productivity are obtained.
• More caring, supportive and committed relationships are formed.
• Greater psychological health, social competence and self esteem.

Johnston and Johnston (1989)

When using collaborative learning I feel that the skills that go with it need to be taught to the children as they can not be expected to be in place when using it for the first time. These should be taught gradually and should be introduced in manageable chunks.

Collaborative learning should be used appropriately and not used for every lesson. Although it is very beneficial children can become bored with it if it is implemented too often and that can mean the loss of its benefits.

However I feel that the use of collaborative learning is of great benefit within the primary classroom.

Windows Movie Maker - A new perspective

After another input on Windows Movie Maker, I feel that I may feel a bit more confident using it as it was finally explained to me properly. Using a series of powerpoints shown in the class, it was broken down step by step. I know see that Windows Movie Maker that would be a useful tool to use within a primary classroom. using this application would only be suitable to use with a primary 6 or primary 7 class as the skills need to be taught to the children and more complex audio files need to be created on another application called Audacity. There are a lot of processes involved with Movie Maker and to avoid frustration and inability to understand how to use the product, upper primary is the place to use it. It can also be used to edit the animated movies by importing the file and following the steps on how to edit the digital movie.
It would take a series of lessoms to teach the skills of using Movie Maker in manageable chunks to make the most effective use of this tool. The use of this tool ties into curriculum for excellence I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.TCH 1-04a / TCH 2-04a.
As with creating digital animations there are few issues when creating a digital movie:

• Delegation of tasks - some may do more than others and some may put in minimal effort.
• When the movie is being edited only one person can do this at a time. The other members of the group will have to have other related tasks while this is being done so that the work is not left to one person.
• If the pupils are not told how to save their work properly on this application then all the editing that has been done is lost and the whole lot has to be redone.

Overall I now feel more confident with using Windows Movie Maker and now feel that it might be of more benefit to use within the classroom than I orginally thought.

Digital Animation

Digital animation is a great idea for the primary classroom. From the examples we saw it really helps to bring class projects to life in a meaningful and relevant way for the children. It allows parents to see what their children have been doing in school and how their knowledge and understanding of topics has increased.



There is a lot of hard work and time to be put into making a digital animation but it is very worth while because the end product can not only be used as an assessment tool but what is created can be shared with a wider audience. This is a tool that will provide children with a great sense of satisfaction and achievement.
I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts.
TCH 1-04a / TCH 2-04a

When using this software there is some negative factors that equate into using it within a classroom setting:

• The skills of digital animation have to be taught and can not just be expected to be there from day one.
• The person who is taking all the frame shots may become bored or distracted and miss shots or take them at the wrong time.
• Children need to know that their film is not going to be perfect or look professional to avoid disappointment with the end result.
• Making the frames can be very time consuming and may need to be taken several times.
• If the children make the film too long without saving sections of it and then a mistake is made it can be very hard to correct the mistake and then all the footage may need to be reshot.
• If more than one lesson is required the models must be stored in a safe place otherwise they may be destroyed by other pupils who do not know that they are to be used again.

I feel that even though there are some negatives the positve benefits far outweigh these. This is definately a tool that i would use within the primary classroom. With the way society is turning to the application of ICT skills in our working community, as teachers we should be teaching the skills needed to make sure that our children are equiped to face the worl of work once they have completed their education.

This is the animation that we made.

Games based learning day one

What a great lecture! We have been looking at games based learning and it is very exciting. It has been shown that games based learning not only stimulate our pupils, but they also provide a learning opportunity. Karl Royle (2009) states in his blog that "The observed and anecdotally claimed skills developed by computer gaming engagement go beyond the more commonly stated attributes such as hand to eye coordination to include: spatial navigation; resource management; team working and communication; literacy development; and a range of problem solving skills and metacognition through reflective practice. They also promote the learning potential of individuals in that they are: non discriminatory (if you have access an access point you can play); allow players/users to gain kudos and status within the game regardless of external constructions of identity (a ‘bad’ speller at school could be a champion player of FIFA 09); and are personalised at the point of use, (where everyone’s game is different whilst remaining similar) and can lead to deep and broad learning chain experiences." I really like the point that he makes about games being non discriminatory. This helps children to realise that they can join in no matter what and if they have access to the game there is nothing that says that they are not allowed to join in. It is important that children know that they will not be denied access for a silly reason. Schools need learning that is deep, motivational and authentic and games based learning supplies just this.



We have been looking at Guitar Hero, Nintento DS's, CyberBike and WiiMusic. There has not been enough time to look at them all but i have had a chance to play Guitar Hero and the Cyberbike. Was not too keen on the Cyberbike as it was quite difficult to use, but this may have been due to the fact it was brand new and had never been used before. I found that the cycling mechanism was stiff and that it was very jerky to use. This will probably ease out with more use. Also my feel kept slipping off the pedals and for me this was frustrating as i could not keep up a steady rhythm. Any suggestions on how to make this less of a problem? This may be utilised within a classroom to help with physical exercise and also new games may be created that can support this technology to adapt the bike into perhaps problem solving activities that require the participant to exert physical effort.



My favourite out of the two games i looked at today was Guitar Hero.



I thought this would be really good to use for a context as it would provide stimulation and could open up many cross curricular links, such as design technology (designing and creating their own musical instrument), modern languages (creating a tour of another country e.g. Germany or France), mathematics (sourcing prices for hotels during a tour in different countries), music (creating and playing material for the band). The list of possible activities to do with Guitar Hero is endless. I think that this would be more suitable for middle or upper stages as it requires hand eye coordination. For the early stages I wouldn't use this as it can prove difficult for these young children to do both the key pressing and stumming at the same time, and the follow up activites could be simplified but best results would be achieved by children further up in the school. Guitar Hero can be used as both a context and a skill but it is mainly a context. (possible extensions outlined earlier). When setting this context up it would have to be done as a whole class because small groups would distact the rest of the class and this context is good for collaboration. Guitar Hero would link into CfE because it promotes challenge and enjoyment and encourages our pupils to become successful learners through promoting a motivating and relevant stimulus.

Editing digital movies

On mondays lecture with Collette Grigor we were coverting the audio from the films on our iphones and then using Windows Movie Maker to edit the footage. There were several problems with converting the audio files and I was not shown how to do this and feel that I would be able to do this with a class. Since there was many problems with this process, I would not feel confident using this with a class as I feel that I do not have the sufficient knowledge to even know where to begin using it. I feel that since I do not know how to do this, the pupils within a class would have even more trouble as it was not an easy task. If i had been shown how to use this, then maybe I would be able to use this within a class.
We then went on to edit our movies on Windows Movie Maker. This was equally challenging as we were still not given the proper instruction. I am not sure if this would be valuable in a classroom as I would not know where to begin with it.

Digital Movie Making - Wikispaces

In this input we were creating a wikispace related to our digital movies. As we were having a problem with converting our audio files from the iphones, we started creating our wikispaces pages. We were given the link to the website and told that we had to create a page that related to our digital movie. Since our video was on first aid we created a page which gave information and advice on the topics featured on our video. Each memeber of the group was to create their own page and be responsible for creating and editing the content. Since i had been responsible for creating the section on bleeding, i was to create a page on our wikispace about this. Our wikispace was called basic-first-aid and covered astma, bleeding, burns, calling 999 and the recovery position. We tried to make our wikispace quite attractive by adding pictures and I am still looking to put a video on the correct way to apply a bandage. I feel that this page is education and all the work that we have put in is very educational and is a good help for anyone who needs first aid advice.
I feel that this would be of benefit to children within the primary classroom as it is a collaborative task that can also be used as a means of assessment. Since individaul people are responsible for their own page, it means that it can show how much people are contributing to the work that is done. The end product can be presented to a world wide audience and this means that parents have access to what their children have been doing within the class and can see the end product. I feel that this would be a very good tool to use within the classroom and I know the children would enjoy presenting their collaborative topic work this way.

Monday week 4 - creativity day.

Today during or lecture I have been looking at project: i can read. This project looks at the ways in which ipods can improve student literacy. It takes the ipod and uses it in a way which stimulates our generation of digital natives who are used to using more interactive and accessing information instantly. Since looking at studies that have shown that if children cannot read fluently by a certain stage within their education they are never really able to catch up, project i can read have created activities which target fluency, sight word vocabulary and comprehension. I find the fact that children can record themselves reading and when playing it back to themselves, rate themselves a great idea as they get a taste of what it is like when they read. This lets them see what factors of their reading they need to improve on.
The sight reading projects that are available are great because they let the children practice and improve their sight reading through activities that can increase in challenge. Sight reading is something that some children struggle with and this would be a great way to motivate the children to improve their learning using technology that they associate with fun.
I feel that this has great potential within the primary classroom as it has great intrinsic motivation purposes. I feel that this would be able to be used all throughout the primary school, especially in the early stages and in the upper stages for those who are stuggling with their literacy. I defintalety see the potential of this idea as it provides a fun outlet to get chidren into reading and trying to improve the technical aspects of it. As some children are steering away from books altogether in their home lives, this would be a great idea to recapture their interest in reading. I would love to test of this within a classroom and i am quite excited about the impact it could have within the primary classoom.

Have just been looking at storybird and i personally don't like it. I don't like the fact that all the pictures that i would like to start a storybird with do not have linking pictures and cannot get a story to flow this way. I feel that this aspect makes it of little point within the primary classroom. If anyone has any suggestions that will improve storybird for me please let me know.



At the very beginning of the lecture we were introduced to voice band for the iphone. It has a simple interface which would be easy for all children to use. It would not for use with nursery or early years, more suitable for upper stages, due to the knowledge needed to put the whole thing together. You do not need to know chords or be able to play the instruments and it seems very easy to use. This would be of benefit to all children as you do not need to know technical aspects of music or be able to read music. The app allows you to add in lead guitar, bass guitar and drums as well as vocals. When playing drums you can vary the way in which they are played by varying the volume of your voice to allow you to play the high hat, snare, etc. Children in primary 6 or 7 would love to use this particular app as it would appeal to their creative sides and could be used within a context related to creating a band in the classroom. This could lead on to the group creating their own band, constructing models of instruments. It is a great jumping off point for many ideas and potential lessons. Really like this app as it gives creativity to the children and makes some music lessons more interactive and has a product at the end which can be shared with an audience (parents and world wide audience).

The iPad Vs the iPhone

Just been having a discussion on the iPad. We have had a look at the advantages of using this new piece of technology within an educational setting. There are many advantages but there are also disadvantages to using this within a classroom.

Advantages

• the screen size is a lot larger than that of the iphone making it easier for children to view.
• the images within the iPad are very symbolic which will make it easier for younger children to use. This is potentially easier than using computers or laptops with them as they do not have to spend ages looking for the right application or programme.
• It is a good size to use at desks within the classroom as it should not completely take up all the desk space.
• There is access to wi-fi internet and 3G Internet.
• It comes with built in speakers and microphone meaning that these do not have to be externally attached.
• Word processing is available.
• Through the iBooks application children are able to view books and store them without the need for storage space within the classroom.
• The iPad is relatively thin so it is not too bulky to holding or storing.

Disadvantages

• At the moment the iPad is quite expensive and most schools would not be able to afford any or many.
• It is very similar to a laptop which prompts the question why bother?
• There is only 10 hours of battery life which means that it would need to be recharged everyday if it was being used in the classroom. This leads to the idea of where do you charge all the iPads at the same time as this would take up rather a lot of sockets within the classroom.
• There is no camera and if one was needed or wanted to be used, it would have to be connected externally.
• Its does not have flash and this means that vokis and other applications would not be able to be used.
• There is an additional expense for the keyboard attachment and if the children were using the word processing the iPad would need to be laid flat. This would strain the eyes and the neck and is not good for the health of the children that would be using it.

At the moment I am swayed more towards the iPhone as i really like how it is hand held and easy to store within a pocket or a bag. It is a lot more transportable and would be good for use outside the classroom e.g. on a school trip. The iPad has a few more good applications but i'm sure that these will become available for the iPhone in the future. I feel that when I am more familiar with the iPad and have maybe had a chance to explore its potential for myself, it may change my opinion. So far i am in favour of the iPhone.

Learning how to blog properly and apples new software.... the iPad

Apple has introduced their latest piece of software... the iPad. I'm on the fence about this latest release. It seems a good idea but it looks too bulky and takes away from the idea of handheld learning that we have been looking at within our lectures. If we want technology to be any place, any time, anywhere, then why do we need it to be so big! It would be hard to transport easily and personally I think it would take up too much valuable space. I think i would need to find out more about the applications and the potential that it has within an educational setting. I would also need to have a little play with it to really make up my mind lol.





I have finally learned how to blog properly.. well almost. Still need a lot of practice as I am rather new to this. Learned how to add links to webpages into the blog, this will help to make it more interesting for others to use. We were also looking at how to add in videos to help make what we have been talking about within our blogs more interactive and be able to be explored. I now know how to put the embedded code into the blog to show the related video to the point i had been making. Blogs are supposed to be interesting and visually appealing. I am glad i have learned how to do this as I thought my blogs have looked a little bit boring and i would not have even looked at it if I was someone else. I need to explore more of the settings and options available to me and not be scared about breaking the page or deleting all my information. Hopefully I can now make my blog more visually appealing and more inviting for people to come and read.
Piratepad was being used within the lecture today but we found out that the maximum limit of people is 16 and i could not enter the pad to contribute to the group discussion. There is also a version of the software called Primarypad. The main section of the pad would be good for using for brainstorming at the beginning of a lesson or a new class project. It seems to be a good tool for collaborative purposes and can be kept as a permanent record of work which can be used for assessment purposes.
Will post a new comment on the educational values of blogging.

Filiming our first aid advice videa

We have almost finished our filming for our digital movie making assignment (I forgot the bandages so we couldn't completely film the bleeding scene...whoops). We did the filming of the scenes on an iphone. It was fun to make the film even though i could not participate fully as i had hurt my back. It did not take as long as we had anticipated even though we did quite a bit of filming and some had to be shot more than once due to laughter. We didn't really have scripts as such but we had researched our scene information and made sure that we had our notes and first aid books to hand.
I am looking forward to shooting the final piece of the bleeding scene and editing the footage to get a great end product.

Introduction to iphones and lifecasting

In today's lecture we were introduced to the iphone and 4 people were allowed to take one away to use for a week. I was one of these lucky people, but more about that later.
In our groups we were shown an application for the iphone called Lifecasting which can be downloaded at the app store. We were shown how to use this software and shown ideas of how to use within the primary classroom, we also introduced to the idea that these could be used within a nursery setting. Within the primary classroom there are many uses for this software. We were shown how to utalise this tool when children are making projects or collaborative work. The children are able to take pictures of the project in its various stages and not just the finished product. Lifecasting then allows for the children to record audio for each picture. The end product is then a slide show with the children talking about/ explaining the process of their work. I think this is a fantastic idea because it is a great visual way to present not only the product but the process. This can then be shared with others in the school or with parents to show what the children have been doing. It gives children ownership over their work and is a great way to record for assessment.
I was suprised to find that this could be used within the nursery as i was unsure of how it could be used. I was pleased to find that it was a great way to show what a child had been doing and learning that day. The child was then able to record audio and explain the pictures that had been taken. Instead of the nursery teacher or early years officer writing down what the child had done that day it makes it more personal and child centred.
As mentioned earlier I was one of the lucky people who recieved an iphone for the week. I was very excited as i am extremely keen to learn all about the educational potential that this piece of technology has. After looking at Lifecasting in the lecture I wanted to find out what other educational tools could be found. I am going to enjoy my time exploring this piece of technology.

day one of digital movie making

Loving digital movie making already. This is a fantasic tool to use within the primary classroom. It could be used to present new information to the children or used as a form of assessment to see what they have learned from a topic. I feel that it is a very versatile tool to have and i am sure i will be using it when i have my very own class. I can see that within a classroom it may be hard to let all the children make movies at exactly the same time as lack of equiptment may lead to possible problems and conflicts. It is something that has to be rotated between pupils to maximise its potential.
Our digital movie will be on basic first aid instructions for children and what they should do in situations with burns, cuts and grazes, asthma and how to correctly call 999. We have the basic ideas in place and have to begin filming next week. I can't wait for my time on camera...not! I'm not embarrassed its just i don't take good pictures lol.
I feel that this assignment that we have been given is a great one and i am genuinely looking forward to being taught more about digital movie making and can't wait to start the filming next monday. I'm ready for my close up.......lol

Ist day of ICT elective

Today was a really good introduction to the elective. i am really looking forward to learning how to do digital movie making as i feel that this would be a really useful skill to use when teaching.
Today we looked at delicious again. We had previously looked at it before in ICT and created accounts. To be honest i have not really used it as it was put to the back of my mind during placement. i feel that there may be potential to use this within a school setting but as to how i am not completely sure at this point in the elective. When i learn more about how to utilise this tool i'm sure i will be able to come up with ideas on how to use it within the classroom.
We also looked at wallwisher and i instantly took a liking to it. It was bright and colourful and loved the fact that you could "post a sticky". I feel that children would love to use this and it would be great for a collaborative tool.
ICT has a bright looking future and it is only going to improve from here on out. I think that it is going to be utalised more and more within classrooms because of its potential motivation skills and accessibilty to all.
Still needing to look at wallwisher in a google search but i will post my findings when i have the time.
Looking forward to doing more of this elective and all the fun it's going to bring.