Week 13- Reflection
So this is the final week of the semester. Gosh it has gone so fast.
As this weeks workshop was a catch up lesson, I thought i would just do a reflection of all I have learnt throughout this course.
When i first started this course I did not hold many skills when it came to computers. Most of the tasks I completed over this semester I struggled with however ,i got through them in the end. This course had taught me sooo much. I now know how to use many different programs such as photo-story, inspiration, powerpoint, excel…the list goes on. Everything that I have learnt about will only benefit my teaching skills and the way I prepare lessons. Over the next few years I will endevour to use many of these new programs in lesson plans.
Thanks Mark for everything this semester. I have really enjoyed your classes!!! 
Week 11 and 12- Photo Story 3
This week we learnt all about Microsoft Photo Story 3. Slideshows can be created using your own personal digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. The photo story can then be viewed on the TV and computer. Although I have never used the program before I found it quite easy to work with. It’s a simple program that has an effective end result.
I will definitely use this program when teaching. It could be used for many subjects and would be great motivation for students.
This is my portfolio item number 8 photostory1
Week 10- Presentation Graphics
Using presentation software in the classroom can be an effective tool for teaching. It is a way for the teacher to express, communicate and show their ideas through the use of new technologies. In today’s world new programs are enabling teachers to support these ideas. Software such as presentation tools are used to support this process. Software, such as PowerPoint and Kids Pix, are designed to help people get their message across to others in a graphically appealing way. These presentation programs can be used for both the teacher and the student in many ways including:
* Presentations such as lectures and tutorials
* Parent teacher nights
* Classroom handouts
* Staff meetings
* Students made presentations
*oral reports
*Group projects
* Debates
This week I had a go at creating my own PowerPoint presentation. To be honest I think I have used this program once in my life. So this week was challenging although also fun. I found that PowerPoint is rather easy to use and can be made to suit the information you are presenting. I choose the topic of Interactive White Boards and tried my best to create a visually appealing presentation. Please note that there are no sounds on my presentation as I felt they were not necessary.
This week’s workshop has once again enabled me to learn about another program that I will definitely use in upcoming lesson plans or assignments.
Portfolio Item 7- PowerPoint Presentation: interactive-white-boards.ppt
Week 9- Visual Communication Tools
This week we learnt all about the program ‘Inspiration’ and how useful it can be as a teaching aid. Inspiration is a popular graphic organizing tool that is beginning to become quite popular for the both the teacher and student. As I am currently doing the Birth to 12 years course I also had a look into ‘Kinspiration’ which is for younger children (k to 5). Many concepts and functions of the two programs are quite similar and both are extremely easy to use.
Before this weeks lesson I had never heard of the program. I was a bit weary of how it would work at first. However as the lesson progressed I could see just how easy the program is to use. Brainstorms are easy to create with the use of captions and links. The electronic concept-maps are easier to create, manipulate and interact with compared to paper versions. ‘Inspiration’ is very inexpensive and can be adapted to meet the needs and requirements of the students. For my portfolio item this week I decided to choose the topic Interactive White Boards and how they can influence the learning environment.
Overall I found this week’s lesson very interesting. I have once again learnt how to use a new program which I will endeavor to use when teaching. I believe this program will benefit not only the teacher but also the student’s in many ways.
This is my portfolio number 6:inspiration-interactive-whiteboards.doc
Week 8- Spreadsheets
Todays lesson was very interesting and rather annoying. I spent most of the lesson trying to catch up on the homework i had not done yet. Once i had finished this i found it quite difficult to complete simple charts. I have never really experimented with this tool before and found it quite challanging the first time around. Once i had done a few charts i felt more confident in creating them and will definately use them in future assignment and lesson plans. By using graphs and charts the infomation can be clearly read and reviewed. By using excel all maths based questions can be simply solved by different formulas. You can use these formulas for a number of different things for example SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, TOTAl ect.
Once i played around with the different tools available it was quite easy to create charts and graphs from the infomation you provided. This workshop had enabled me to have a better understanding of excel and how to use the tools it provides. Over all i beleive these two workshops and the class spread sheet i created have helped me understand the concept of spread sheets and how they can be implented into the classroom. As i teacher i will definately use this program for a variety of end uses.
This is portfolio item number 5:excel-classroom-workseet.xls
Week 7- Spreadsheets
This week i learnt all about electronic spreadsheets. They are a fantastic way for teachers and students to manage, manipulate and analyse data. In most instances, spreadsheets for example excel are used to manage numerical data, but they however can also be used effectively with text.
The lesson was quite interesting as i learnt the basics of how to do mathermatical sums and equations using the help of formulas. At the beginning of the lesson some students told the class where they had come accross excel before. Some examples were lists of children, graphs, tables, prices of food at the canteen…I once again however, hadnt had the chance to experiment with the program. I found that excel was very easy to use and is an effective way to store infomation.
In this weeks study guide it explains some examples of when the teacher may use this program. Examples include:
* Grade books and recording marks
* School class expense budget
* Creating socio-grams for tracking
* Creating class seating charts
* Class lists
* Designing spelling lists
Excel can also be used by students to help them with assignments, doing a personal budget, creating charts and patterns. Hopefully in next weeks lesson we learn some more formulas and learn how to create a graph or even a pie chart.
Week 6- Desktop Publishing
I had lots of fun this week in the workshop learning how to use Publisher. I have Mac computers at home, none of which have Microsoft Publisher. Usually to make posters, letters, cards, brochures, newsletters, calendars and business cards i simply use Word. I had no idea that Publisher makes the job a lot more enjoyable and easy. The tool bars down the side of the page made the task very straightforward. This is my Autobiography laurens-autobiography-task-4.
I played around with all the different fonts and colours and I had fun looking at the different backgrounds that were available. In the end I choose a basic but colourful background. The photos I chose were taken by myself and therefore did not need referencing. I will definitely use Microsoft Publisher when I become a teacher and look forward to putting together some interesting and creative projects with the help of this program.
When i first started this subject i felt a bit out of my league to be honest, i really didnt have some of the skills and experience many of the others had. However, as this course goes on i feel more confident in many areas. I am looking foward to nexts weeks item of excel as i havent really used this program very much. Hopefully i will be able to broaden my skills in this areas too.
Week 5- Web Quests…Managing the Web
During the week I did an assignment on Fairy Tales for Presentation Skills in Early Childhood. Although this is not related to this unit i felt that the skills i have been learning in this subject helped me with this assignment research. I used a wide variety of search engines that we learnt about last week. I also used the ERIC database which was very useful in finiding similar related articles.
To be completely honest before this weeks workshop I had no idea of what a Web Quest was let alone how it could be used effectively in a classroom. I am so glad that we touched on this subject because I have learnt that Web Quests can be such an important part of introducing the web and related activities into lessons.
I found out there are thousands of Web Quest’s, some of which can and will be used in lesson plans. Each Web Quest is set out so it is easy to understand; usually pages are set out with the following six headings:
- Introduction
- Task
- Process (clear steps)
- Resources
- Evaluation
- Conclusion
Each page also provides a teachers page, which is fantastic! The page provides information for the teacher, for example logistical and timing issues, equipment needed and the resources required. This is an excellent tool and I will definitely use this page in the future. With the help of this page I will be able to prepare for each lesson effectively and incorporate different resources in each lesson.
Web Quests are suitable for most types of learning situations and scenarios. Overall, I found that most Web Quests are very valuable and can be very useful. Web Quests are an interactive way for both students and teacher to learn.
Evaluation of Two Web Quests:
I found that both Web Quests I evaluated followed the correct guidelines. They each had an Introduction, Task, Process, Resources and an evaluation. However, both pages received quite different marks. The better web quest of the two I thought was the ‘Shocking Sharks’ as it displayed a better layout and was more interesting and thought provoking than the ‘Australian Animals’ Web Quest.
First of all I will look at ‘Shocking Sharks’ and how I believe it holds some excellent characteristics of a Web Quest. Firstly, it was very easy to navigate through. All the headings and information was clear so students will not be confused about where one section ends and the other finishes. This Web Quest page was visually appealing with a blue background and pictures of sharks throughout the site. I believe it is essential that a good web quest page should have students wanting to look at it and this site clearly does this. The font was easy to read and all heading where in red which meant that it stood out from the background. The overall appearance of the site was fun, motivating and appealing.
The aim of this particular web quest was the make a commercial for sea world in order to attract more business. This is an interesting group activity (4-5 students per group) which, requires each individual in the group to gather information and join it all together to present the add to the class. This site does encourage students to rewrite information in their own words and not just mirror the page.
This web page is also effective in the way that it deals with a problem and the children have to find a solution which, is too encourage more people to come and visit the sharks. This will enable the students to develop their problem solving skills, which is an essential life lesson. The criteria was clearly displayed and written so children could understand the different aspects. One of the only things I could criticize this page for is that there are many links for the students to read through in a short amount of time. There were also two broken links. Overall however, ‘ Shocking Sharks’ displayed many aspects of an excellent web quest and therefore would be an excellent resource when teaching students about Sharks.
The second web quest I evaluated was ‘Australian Animals’ by Diana Mentzer. This site displayed a few excellent qualities of Web Quests but I felt it was not as superior as the ‘Sharks’ page.
At first glance the page appears quite boring. The light yellow background is not attention grabbing and does not draw the viewers attention. There is also little graphics. By adding some simple images it would make the site much more appealing to young students. There was no dot points or colourful headings, which all could have made the overall site more interesting and easy to follow. Four links did not work, while the other links were quite dull, with dense information. While the information was correct and related to the topic, the question did not really apply to student’s interests. By simply filling out a table students are not challenged. There is no creative aspect to the subject and children will find it easier to mirror what is said on each link.
This said however, there were a few ‘good’ points. All text on the main page was limited and easy to understand. This is essential, as many children will get bored and distracted if too much information is read. The question that was posed on the site for students to answer was clear and easy to understand. The question was broad and enabled students to choose their own animals that interested them. The activity could be completed with a small class, small group activity, individualized activity for homebound and absent students or extra credit.
Overall ‘Australian Animals’ did display some aspects of an excellent Web Quest however, it seemed to display more negative aspects. This site however, did hold some important information and with some simple work done to the page it could become an excellent teaching resource.
shocking-sharks-web-quest.docx
australian-animals-web-quest.docx
Week 4- Word Processing
During the week i read the Week 4 study guide on word processing. It was very interesting to read. Allthough I knew most of the infomation already there was some infomation that made more sense when reading it. I am looking foward to becoming a teacher and being able to use word in newsletters, worsheets, hyperlinked documents, lesson plans and permission slips. I learnt about hyperlinked documents which are built-in-links to websites. This tool will be very useful when I design worksheets where students can find answers to questions by simpy clicking on the links to websites. There are three different types of UDL’s being A URL hyperink (where a website address is pasted into a document), A text hyperlink (where a URL is hidden behind a word) and A graphic hyperlink (URL is hidden behind a picture).
Follow this link to view Portfolio Item 2- Web searching and document production
Portfolio Task Number 2
I found that this task was fascinating. By timing the searches you could clearly see which search engine was the quickest and which search engine would bring up the most results. I had never been to the website Dogpile so I will definitely use this in my next research assignment.
Week 3- Understanding the Web
I found this weeks worshop very interesting. I had never heard of the ‘whiteboard’ so it was interesting to see how this new technology works and how it can be applied to most classroom situations. Throughout the week i read over the study guide and I learnt a few new things. It was also really interesting to read about the background of the WWW (world wide web). I also had little knowledge of what a URL was. To be honest i had no idea of what au stood for! It may sound silly but i had just never put two and two together. I also took a look at some of the jargon that was mentioned on the guide. Some of the definitions confused me a little however i feel i will learn more as the unit progresses. During the week i also had a look at the website AllaVista- which i learnt was a search engine that you can access audio files and video files. Over all I felt that the worshop was very beneficial and the study guides are helping my computer skills progress.
