my-blog

Task 3b

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:18:17 +0100

Final task, wow , it's hard to believe that I have made it this far. Enrolling in this unit has been the best decision I have made to help further my learning in all areas. I have not only learnt to be more confident with my own technology and use it more efficiently, but I have also developed an awareness of fantastic useful resources that have helped me in my other university units and will continue to assist me throughout my career. Some resources like Geogebra that I have used for understanding mathematical concepts and social resources like You tube and Facebook are sites and tools that I would not have been exposed to if it wasn't for this unit. Actually until this Unit I never went on these sites as I thought that is where all the computer viruses come from, so I have certainly come along way . Using the unit discussion board and Skype chat sessions has also changed my ideas on learning strategies as well, I was always inclined to work by myself as I was worried that I wasn't on the right track or had the wrong answer, but this unit has shown me that much more can be achieved by communicating and sometimes your strengths and comments maybe just what someone else was needing. The Meaningful Learning with Technology text has been great to reinforce topics that we have been learning about , to go back and have a quiet read and reflect on ideas such as the concept maps and ideas to think about is great for learners like me to take time to absorb the information and make it concrete in my mind.

Authentic Learning 9 Assessment .Retrieved 21/05/2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjzER-FDByE&list=UUsf3yY2GYN82H_Jcq3_3ehQ&index=1&feature=plcp
I have uploaded this video of Jan Herrington's authentic learning assessment as I know it will be helpful to look back on in the future when assigning authentic tasks...

CONCEPT MAPS

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:27:56 +0100

At the last few lectures for my maths unit EDN1110 the lecturer has been using concept maps to guide us through the lesson, what we hope to achieve and expect as well as the links between the ideas that we have been learning. I have not worked with these before , well the slightly more primitive version of it brain storming map I have. I found the structure of it really useful and helpful and felt by seeing the relationship of the ideas up in front of you a lot easier to understand the objectives. I was surprised to read in Meaningful Learning with Technology that our brains follow the same relationship by storing and linking on further information to make our own concept maps. These will be a great tool in the classroom to be used as either individual idea mapping or as a class.

Wiki

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:34 +0100

Using the allocated wiki space for our authentic task resource presentation has been filled with the same learning process as Yola presented, lots of trial and error. For the group interaction it has been great, to be able to all access the site and jointly work together to complete the task has been a great experience. I have really enjoyed that you can all be involved in your own time to add to the progress. The downside like any technology is that it is not always reliable and problems do occur. Our group has experienced issues with deleted items, unintended writing format changes and delays in wiki participation but these issues have all been addressed with the help of regular study sessions via face to face, skype, texts or phone calls between our group members. I have never used a wiki space before and think it is a fantastic tool for classroom group work. The EDN113 discussion forum has been really helpful with minor queries that our group could not resolve on its own as has the EDN113 skype group chat sessions. Being a student participating in an authentic learning task EDN113 and then designing an authentic learning task for others has been a real concrete journey of grasping the concept of authentic learning.

images retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/images/academic-CM079001901.aspx#pg:8|

Task 3a

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:59:06 +0100

Task 3a is a group task where the groups are to design an authentic learning environment to share with teachers. I was lucky enough to have been placed with 3 other external students that are already part of our study group, for me this has been an extra bonus as I am still growing with the use of technology so to have that face to face contact and time to sit and discuss issues is still what I need to help me understand. The topic we have chosen is healthy eating, as we are all mothers and Education assistants we are aware of the bad nutrition trends that our children are faced with. After our first brainstorm of the topic and how we thought the lessons should be planned we divided up the task into separate areas, my first task was to find the resources for the children to help them plan the production of their research,either in the form of a play, song or poem. This was really interesting but extremely time consuming, I wanted to find ideas to stimulate our target year 7 age and that took some researching as lots was not appropriate. I found Youtube a great social resource, lots of fun videos and clips, and this healthy food rap song was a example on what I thought the children could relate to.This site Poetry for kids also had easy to follow ideas on many different poem structures. I can see how this task is helping to build up our own resources for teaching as I have come across many that I will definitely use as I further my career. It also helps to make understanding clearer of just what authentic learning is and how to approach it , we need to guide not instruct...Using Skype has been an excellent add to my communication technologies it is becoming as easy to work with as being on the phone. I also had a good look through different strands on the Australian Curriculum site and the Learning Federation, these are great to get a feel for just what topics come under what strand.. .

This video is a great example of using technology to enhance learning in the classroom .

Procedural Writing Nutella Sandwich, Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk0GsuWdbm4

Screen Shots

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:53:59 +0100

Arranging my cover page for Task 2 has been filled with trial and error, the approach I had planned didn't work. The screen shots I had saved in word wouldn't upload to my website. At a regular study session I have with other external students we all shared our ideas and attempts at the problem. Eventually we put the problem up on LMS and after 30mins we had a helpful reply. By saving our screen shots to "paint' , they can be uploaded on to our sites. At this stage of my studies I am finding the support and sharing of my study group and the discussions on LMS priceless. I don't think these problems would be bearable without this interaction. I have also learnt to use Skype from the assistance of my study partners.This is an example of my screen shots.

Endnote

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:10:00 +0100

So far using Endnote has been a slow process. I have watched the " How to do" video on the companion site but it is much easier watched than done. I have created a library, been able to insert my citations and automatically added my bibliography so I must be doing something right, although I still feel there must be an easier way to add the information other than manually. This is my next personal challenge to seek out the solution to master Endnote....

Research Technologies Task 2

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:46:36 +0100

Using Technology to Improve mathematics in the Classroom is the topic I chose to complete Task 2 Researching Technologies. I chose this topic as it is an area that I find now and found as a child challenging. The idea of using devices such as Ipods/Ipads, visual & digital technologies and mathematical software for tutoring and encouraging students I find exciting. I really believe using these resources will help to engage a lot more children. I was amazed doing the actual research of finding different references on my topic at just how many tools and sites there are available to find information eg, databases, library sites, Google scholar, Yahoo and You tube are some of the sites I used. I really tried to find a different source for every reference I looked for to expand my knowledge. I was impressed with You tube, I have never been on that site and I saw lots of videos with great educational ideas.

Social Resource Task 1b

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:29:56 +0100

Task 1b using a social resource to create a social occasion has been a wonderful journey for me, slowly progressing from someone who was afraid to click on a child's game in fear of subjecting my computer to a virus to now being a semi-confident explorer of sites.I chose punchbowl.com as my resource, it is a site that helps to organise and plan events, I had no idea resources like this were available. This site covers everything from designing invitations, decorations, entertainment and caterers. Supplying you with prompts and ideas to create your own event. I found punchbowl very easy to use and it had lots of great ideas. While I enjoyed planning my event I was aware of the learning that was happening. Along with my technical skills that are developing this task opened lots of doors for interactive growth. I have found myself continuously engaged with other students either online, in person or on the phone discussing ideas, sharing advice and welcoming criticism and all before peer review. I was quite apprehensive waiting for my review to come back but was thrilled with the advice I received. Ideas like changing font colour for easier reading and more visual images that I hadn't considered were all put into action. I can really see the benefits of authentic learning it helps you to develop your skills alongside your cognitive learning..

Interactive learning

Helpful hints..

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:34:08 +0100

I have been really struggling with the minor functions of computers, what takes me an hour to do, for someone with a bit of knowledge takes 30seconds. This has really put a damper on my learning as I always prepare for the worst before starting anything. Well I have been brave and have been asking for help ,I had a wonderful buddy session where a friend ( another student) helped me through the computer to show me where certain functions were and what they did. She showed me how to edit my power point on google docs , inserting text, lines and arrows , changing font and size and colours. I didn't know how these tools worked, I had not been happy with my work but did not know how to go about changing it.This session has made me more confident to explore the tools my computer has without being so afraid. I haven't applied myself to using the discussion board as I have felt that I have nothing to offer other people in this unit but after this session with my friend I can see the benefits of the interaction ,with your peers and maybe by me asking a basic 'HOW DOES THIS WORK"question I might be able to help someone else that is in the same position. I am also really enjoying the "Things to think about" section of the Meaningful Learning with Technology book, it gives me the chance to view situations from a teachers perspective, running through some hypothetical problems that may arise. These little scenarios may just help me through a sticky situation one day .

Week four

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:38:27 +0100

This resource task has really expanded my learning of technology, not only am I developing hands on skills but I am actually starting to understand how valuable the internet is for resources. I have created my invitations on my resource site which was fun and I have learnt a few different techniques on the computer. First I learnt how to screen capture and save to power point, I had listened to the "how to" clips on the companion site and followed the instructions, I was successful. It turned out better than I thought as I had planned on writing a large text on "how to create your own event" and now I had something visual as well. I also learnt to use google docs for embedding my presentation. This meant I needed to upload my power point to google docs.com and then from there upload and embed on my website. This actually was quite a struggle as a certain button they kept referring to I couldn't find on my page, but by being persistent and by searching different links within google docs.com I was able to find more information on the directions and managed to accomplish the upload. This site is also good for spreadsheets and other presentations. I am finding it a lot easier to manoeuvre my way around my site too, editing things much more easily.