E-Learning…what a journey it has been. I have really enjoyed this course, and definitely learned a lot more than I thought I was going to. I honestly thought of myself as a person who was well versed in the big world of computers and internet, only to find out that really, I am a digital immigrant! I found this interesting to learn about myself, I am 33 years old, and I sometimes feel like I am right in the middle of being a digital native and immigrant. I was in my late teens when computers and internet were really getting going, and I feel that I have learned a lot and can converse quite well in the digital world; I know all the right things to say and the correct acronyms to use when having a chat online. However, I never looked at it as a fact that I did not grow up with this language. I quickly learnt that children today are growing up speaking this language, and they expect us, as adults and teachers, to be able to communicate in this way with them (see blog entry “My journey so far..”). As you will see in my blogging, I am very quickly learning how effective and necessary ICT’s are in today’s classrooms.
I am predominantly and ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and that is how I look at the difference between myself and learners today (I am not currently in a teaching position). I honestly, never thought that using technology and computers in classrooms was a great way to learn, I guess I was a bit old school, but wow…was I wrong. Just through this course I have learnt about so many websites and applications that can and will be useful in my future of teaching ESL, the VOKI for example. I think this a fantastic application and can have so many uses when teaching ESL, students would be able to create these to send to their friends or teacher, using their own recorded voices or typing in some text that has possibly been pre written in class for this specific purpose. I can see it now, how much fun students can have with this.
I also found the use of WIKI quite fascinating. I think that I as an ESL teacher, I would possibly use this more than the students, but I can see that if you were teaching an older ESL class whose English skills were more advanced, how they could use this (see blog entry “Using WIKI”). PowerPoint was another skill that I thought I was great at, but once again, I learnt that there is so much more that can be done with PowerPoint (see blog entry Using PowerPoint). As an ESL teacher, I would not use it frequently in class, but now knowing the different applications you can apply to make it more interesting I think that I would try and use PowerPoint more often, depending on the age and skill level of the class though. Younger students do not respond enthusiastically to PowerPoint (but now I can add animations and sound) maybe.
Interactive whiteboards are fantastic…I have used one briefly (see blog entry “Interactive Whiteboards”) and I think their uses are endless. There are websites that you can visit and obtain different programs and games for students to play on the whiteboard, so much fun. I can guarantee that the use of interactive whiteboards in and ESL classroom would be an instant hit. Children that are learning ESL can very easily get bored and frustrated, but the use of the whiteboard, and the students being able to get up and participate, is fantastic. I really hope that one day I get to use one in an ESL classroom.
All the other topics and my thoughts on uses in the classroom can be viewed on my blog; they are short to the point entries that relate to how I felt about using these applications.
As for the course, at first I was a bit overwhelmed, but the further I got into the course, the more I learned and the more fun I had. Everything that I looked at, I found could be used in the ESL classroom. I have definitely bookmarked these sites for future reference and have been sharing them with my friends. I was not looking forward to the blogging, but that turned out to be a lot of fun. I was only a follower of 4 blogs, as that is all I think I could handle to start with. I tried to comment on all of the different blogs. My comments can be found at the following blogs and the title of the blog (I will only name a few)
http://clairegoodman.blogspot.com - Thailand, File Storage, Quiz and I commented on her pics in VoiceThread.
http://troygill77.blogspot.com - My first blog, Introduction to Flynn, Flickr, Classmarker, YouTube.
http://suddenlybananas.blogspot.com - Voki (I think maybe she left the course, not many blogs)
http://rett66-3ps.blogspot.com - My first avatar, Img 0265
I certainly tried to make an effort to keep up with the blogs and post a comment, having said that, I was highly disappointed that I never received one comment on any of my blogs, so I am not even sure if anybody ever read them. I can tell you that is a bit disheartening, but I am just hoping that people read them, just did not comment.
Overall, I have found this course to be particularly useful and fun. I definitely have a better perspective on the use of ICT in the classroom and out of the classroom. I think that there are so many options for teachers as well to share their information with other teachers. I am excited to see how much further technology will go in the future and also very excited about using all of the fun new technologies in my classroom in the future.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Voice Thread
Oh how I loved this website. I think it is absolutely amazing what you can do with this website. I have put a couple of pictures on there from when I was living in Thailand. They were taken at the Chiang Mai zoo, and these guys are building a mono rail type system around the zoo, and this is how they build their scaffolding. It is crazy, they use no harnesses and trust me...it looks very unstable, but it seems to work for them. They use this to do all sorts of jobs in Thailand, it is just the way it is done.
I can see the endless possibilities for using this in the classroom. I can see having assignments where you are required to put images online, and then have small group discussion about that image. Due to the fact that you can participate in a variety of ways, makes it possible for anyone with Internet access and computer, to participate. Even out of the classroom, this is an amazing website to use with your friends, to discuss images or files that you find interesting. Students could even put their work up there for their friends to comment on and give much needed feedback. For me, I am thinking how to use it in the ESL classroom. This could be fantastic for speaking exercises, making sure everyone had access to be able to record their thoughts, being able to practice their English and for their classmates to listen. I can't wait until I get to use this application in class.
I really hope that you get to look at these pictures and add your comments. I would love to hear what other people think of these photos. Here is the link-:
http://voicethread.com/share/585408/
Till next time....
I can see the endless possibilities for using this in the classroom. I can see having assignments where you are required to put images online, and then have small group discussion about that image. Due to the fact that you can participate in a variety of ways, makes it possible for anyone with Internet access and computer, to participate. Even out of the classroom, this is an amazing website to use with your friends, to discuss images or files that you find interesting. Students could even put their work up there for their friends to comment on and give much needed feedback. For me, I am thinking how to use it in the ESL classroom. This could be fantastic for speaking exercises, making sure everyone had access to be able to record their thoughts, being able to practice their English and for their classmates to listen. I can't wait until I get to use this application in class.
I really hope that you get to look at these pictures and add your comments. I would love to hear what other people think of these photos. Here is the link-:
http://voicethread.com/share/585408/
Till next time....
Music on the Web
Wow...I had no idea there was so much royalty free music on the Web. I must admit that I have been guilty of downloading the occasional song from not so legit sites. I did not know this was available.
Being an ESL teacher, I have used songs and music very frequently in my teaching. I usually use my own songs that I have acquired throughout my career. For this task, I downloaded a Christmas song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" which I would definitely use when teaching. I think it is wonderful to introduce different cultures to Western Christmas songs, generally they have their own version so it is great to have them listen and learn the English version.
I think music is a huge part in learning, not only for ESL but in general. There are endless applications for music of all genres and cultures. I will be using this site a lot more when looking for songs to use in my classes.
Till next time.....
Being an ESL teacher, I have used songs and music very frequently in my teaching. I usually use my own songs that I have acquired throughout my career. For this task, I downloaded a Christmas song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" which I would definitely use when teaching. I think it is wonderful to introduce different cultures to Western Christmas songs, generally they have their own version so it is great to have them listen and learn the English version.
I think music is a huge part in learning, not only for ESL but in general. There are endless applications for music of all genres and cultures. I will be using this site a lot more when looking for songs to use in my classes.
Till next time.....
File Sharing
I think that this website is a very good tool for sharing files of any sort with friends or family. Also, if you have resources that you wish to share with fellow teachers, this is a fantastic way to go about it. When I was teaching overseas, I was constantly searching the internet for resources to use, if I had had access to something like this, it would have been great. For example, if you had a lot of resources that you had created for classes, you can share them here with other ESL teachers, or even non ESL teachers. Hopefully, after some time you would have a nice data base of users that were all uploading and sharing their files for you to look at. I think that I will definitely keep this website in mind when I create resources. I am going to upload what I have now and invite my friends to use these files as they see fit. I think it is great and I hope that it can be useful to other teachers.
Here is the link to the one file that I have uploaded at this point.
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=1ac909ca47f0e77d1f8e0fff488e27e03a3cc174c51982f45621d66e282a0ee8
Till next time....
Here is the link to the one file that I have uploaded at this point.
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=1ac909ca47f0e77d1f8e0fff488e27e03a3cc174c51982f45621d66e282a0ee8
Till next time....
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Google Earth
I have used Google Earth quite a bit. When I was living overseas, I had a lot of friends that were from all over the world, we used to use Google Earth to have a look at where each other lived. I love Google Earth, in some places you can so close and see even the cars parked in the driveway.
I think Google Earth is a great tool for teaching, especially teaching students about the world and the world map. You can incorporate it with other lessons on world history, having the students locate it on Google Earth and then comparing that to a traditional map, showing them the difference in perspective. I am constantly amazed with technology and the advancements it is making.
Till next time...
I think Google Earth is a great tool for teaching, especially teaching students about the world and the world map. You can incorporate it with other lessons on world history, having the students locate it on Google Earth and then comparing that to a traditional map, showing them the difference in perspective. I am constantly amazed with technology and the advancements it is making.
Till next time...
Using Podcasts
I really like podcast. I have been using them for quite sometime just for personal use. I think that as far as an education tool, they are fantastic, especially in this generation of students that are all digital natives. I can hazard a guess and say that just about all children have some sort of music device, whether it is an Ipod, a mobile phone or some other MP3 player. Using Podcast to deliver instructions to students or friends or just for your own personal learning is a fantastic, easy and fun way to learn. I have personally been trying to learn a language, you subscribe and each day (depending on your subscription) you get a little bit more of your lessons. It is fantastic. There are so many ways in which Podcast can be used, as I have stated before, I am primarily an ESL teacher, and the use of podcast for some of these lessons is great. If your have students that need a little extra help, or maybe they missed a lesson, they can use the podcast to help them improve.
You could either assign the students to look up their own, or put it onto a WIKI website where you, as the teacher, has chosen specific podcast for students to listen too. I think the possibilities are endless.
Till next time.....
You could either assign the students to look up their own, or put it onto a WIKI website where you, as the teacher, has chosen specific podcast for students to listen too. I think the possibilities are endless.
Till next time.....
Using Videos
My main focus of Teaching is ESL (English as a Second Language), that is why I have chosen a video that relates to learning English and pronunciation. I think that using YouTube or TeacherTube is a fantastic way to give students homework or extra practice in English pronunciation. I certainly found that pronunciation is definitely an issue when people are trying to learn English.
There are so many ways that these videos can be used. In class...at home, with a friend or just set as a homework assignment for the students. I can certainly see how videos can be used in any sort of class setting though. There is so much content out there on the WWW, that you can learn, watch or listen to just about anything you want.
This video is something I found that would definitely be an advantage for older students that are at a more advanced level of English.
Till next time...
There are so many ways that these videos can be used. In class...at home, with a friend or just set as a homework assignment for the students. I can certainly see how videos can be used in any sort of class setting though. There is so much content out there on the WWW, that you can learn, watch or listen to just about anything you want.
This video is something I found that would definitely be an advantage for older students that are at a more advanced level of English.
Till next time...
I figured it out....
Sometimes it takes me a bit longer to figure these things out. I finally figured out how to get the URL....
http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=c48e9283637a066768bf1ca55ff501bc
If I had only waited to post....I would have got it. Oh well, at least I figured it out. Hope you enjoy the the test.
http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=c48e9283637a066768bf1ca55ff501bc
If I had only waited to post....I would have got it. Oh well, at least I figured it out. Hope you enjoy the the test.
Creating a Test
Well, at the present moment I am not teaching and do not have a class to try this out on, but I did create a test, just to play around with the site. I had a lot of fun, trying to find questions and answers that could be fun and interesting to put in a test. I had no idea how to put the URL on here, but you can find my test by going to the ClassMarker website and putting in the search engine "General Knowledge" and my test is called "Testing the Test". It is just a series of True/False questions and two punctuation questions, as I said, I was just playing around to see how it all worked.
I really did find this site quite useful. I have created lots of tests when I was teaching overseas, and I can say if I had known about this site it would have made making my test so much easier. I notice with the upgrade that you can add in the correct answers in the True/False section. I really would have like this, because I then could have explained what the answer was. For example, there is one question there "Adam's Ale is a kind of beer." Well the answer to that is False...it is water, I think it is great to be able to add the correct answer in there.
I will definitely use this website in the future, I think it is a very easy way to create a test for students.
Till next time...
I really did find this site quite useful. I have created lots of tests when I was teaching overseas, and I can say if I had known about this site it would have made making my test so much easier. I notice with the upgrade that you can add in the correct answers in the True/False section. I really would have like this, because I then could have explained what the answer was. For example, there is one question there "Adam's Ale is a kind of beer." Well the answer to that is False...it is water, I think it is great to be able to add the correct answer in there.
I will definitely use this website in the future, I think it is a very easy way to create a test for students.
Till next time...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Some of my Thai students dressed in traditional outfits.
I was having fun playing with Picnik, I found that you can do this and many other forms of collage. This is one I put together of some of my students from Thailand dressed in some traditional Thai outfits. The camera I used was able to select just the colour of the outfits while having the rest in black and white, which I think has a very cool effect.
This would definitely be useful for students doing assignments or PowerPoint presentation to add and edit photos that can enhance their presentation. I had not heard of Picnik before, I had only ever used Photoshop or Photobucket...which are very similar. I enjoyed using this program, there are a lot of fun features available.
Now that I have learnt more about PowerPoint, I think this is something that I would definitely use to improve my presentations, and being able to use my photos is a bonus.
Till next time....
This would definitely be useful for students doing assignments or PowerPoint presentation to add and edit photos that can enhance their presentation. I had not heard of Picnik before, I had only ever used Photoshop or Photobucket...which are very similar. I enjoyed using this program, there are a lot of fun features available.
Now that I have learnt more about PowerPoint, I think this is something that I would definitely use to improve my presentations, and being able to use my photos is a bonus.
Till next time....
This is sooooo cute...
OK....sorry about that, after the first attempt, I thought I was doing something wrong. Then I figured out how to add my blog, so on the second try I got it!! Now I am starting to see how fun this can be.
I can see how this would be useful in classrooms, you can share specific images with all of your students, or students can share them with each other. There is certainly a variety of images, and I think that possibly there is more (or different) than on google itself, as you have people that have added their own images that may not be on google.
I love this picture of the cats, they are gorgeous. I am glad that I have finally figured this out.
Till next time.....
I can see how this would be useful in classrooms, you can share specific images with all of your students, or students can share them with each other. There is certainly a variety of images, and I think that possibly there is more (or different) than on google itself, as you have people that have added their own images that may not be on google.
I love this picture of the cats, they are gorgeous. I am glad that I have finally figured this out.
Till next time.....
Flickr: Your Photostream
Flickr: Your Photostream
Well this is my first attempt at uploading an image from Flickr to my blog. I am hoping this works, if so then I will try with uploading an image that is not mine. fingers crossed...LOL
Well this is my first attempt at uploading an image from Flickr to my blog. I am hoping this works, if so then I will try with uploading an image that is not mine. fingers crossed...LOL
Interactive Whiteboards
Well I have had the pleasure of using (very briefly)an interactive whiteboard, and I can honestly say that I was amazed. I was using it with Prep, and it was an absolutely fabulous way to have the students interact with the lesson. The students responded so well, and they stayed interested and engrossed in an otherwise boring lesson. Only having had a very brief encounter with interactive whiteboards, I had no idea that so much could be done with them. Being able to save lessons to give to students who were absent is a fantastic idea, probably not so much with younger students, I can see how it would be very beneficial to High School or Adult students, so as they do not miss out on a potentially important lesson.
I think that the use of built in maps is fantastic, being able to teach continents, countries, oceans...wow that is amazing. I have experience teaching overseas, and this would be an amazing tool to use with students to make them aware of the world map. These are just some of the other ways that I found out that the interactive whiteboard can be used -:
* Brainstorming
* Take notes onto PowerPoint presentations
* Reinforce skills by using on-line interactive web sites
* Creating a project calendar
* Teach editing skills using editing marks
* Use in the 6 trait writing process
* Use highlighter tool to highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
* Use it with Kidspiration or Inspiration
* Teaching students how to navigate the Internet
* Illustrate and write a book as a class. Use the record feature to narrate the text. (This is one of my favourites, I think this is amazing and would love to try it out.)
* Use the Interwrite software to create lessons in advance at home or at school.
Overall, I think that the interactive whiteboard has so much potential. I was told by a teacher that there are smaller versions of the interactive whiteboard that can be used, meaning that each student can have one on their desk just like a notepad, how cool is that. I believe they are expensive, but I am sure that in the future, that is way school will be going. I am looking forward to using this in the future.
Till next time....
I think that the use of built in maps is fantastic, being able to teach continents, countries, oceans...wow that is amazing. I have experience teaching overseas, and this would be an amazing tool to use with students to make them aware of the world map. These are just some of the other ways that I found out that the interactive whiteboard can be used -:
* Brainstorming
* Take notes onto PowerPoint presentations
* Reinforce skills by using on-line interactive web sites
* Creating a project calendar
* Teach editing skills using editing marks
* Use in the 6 trait writing process
* Use highlighter tool to highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
* Use it with Kidspiration or Inspiration
* Teaching students how to navigate the Internet
* Illustrate and write a book as a class. Use the record feature to narrate the text. (This is one of my favourites, I think this is amazing and would love to try it out.)
* Use the Interwrite software to create lessons in advance at home or at school.
Overall, I think that the interactive whiteboard has so much potential. I was told by a teacher that there are smaller versions of the interactive whiteboard that can be used, meaning that each student can have one on their desk just like a notepad, how cool is that. I believe they are expensive, but I am sure that in the future, that is way school will be going. I am looking forward to using this in the future.
Till next time....
Using Powerpoint
I enjoyed working through the tutorial for PowerPoint. I have done many PowerPoint in my life, but I only ever did a very basic presentation. I had no idea some of the things that can be done with PowerPoint. I especially liked the tool where you could time your presentation, I often just used a stopwatch, which is OK, but being able to do through the PowerPoint itself was so much easier.
I also found the animation and sound feature amazing. I have only ever used just still pictures either from my collection or from clip art, I had no idea that you could add animation and sounds. I did not have a class to prepare for at this time, but I did play around with creating a PowerPoint just so I could practice. I had a lot of fun and was able to include many of the aspects that I had never used before.
I think that PowerPoint is a great way to present a lesson to a class, and now having found out these cool things that can be used, I am sure that my future PowerPoint's will be much more effective and fun. I look forward to preparing one for a future lesson.
Till next time....
I also found the animation and sound feature amazing. I have only ever used just still pictures either from my collection or from clip art, I had no idea that you could add animation and sounds. I did not have a class to prepare for at this time, but I did play around with creating a PowerPoint just so I could practice. I had a lot of fun and was able to include many of the aspects that I had never used before.
I think that PowerPoint is a great way to present a lesson to a class, and now having found out these cool things that can be used, I am sure that my future PowerPoint's will be much more effective and fun. I look forward to preparing one for a future lesson.
Till next time....
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Setting up RSS Aggregator
Wow...I did it! I set up the RSS Aggregator and I did it. It thought it was going to be hard and confusing, but once I started I realized just how easy it was. It makes following blogs so much easier. I had only started following a couple of blogs because I could not deal with any more than that, was getting confused. Now that I have set up this in Google reader, I think I will subscribe to few more blogs. I found the video on course website to be very useful. It made sense and made setting this up a lot easier. I now just have to remember to log in and check it out.
I think that using this technology for learners is great. Your students can learn how to save time and be alerted when there is something new for them to look at, whether it be news, updates or just keeping track of their friends or lecturers comments.
My goal now is to follow some more blogs and be sure to log in on a regular basis. I have tried to make a small comment on each blog I am following.
Till next time...(which will be power point)
I think that using this technology for learners is great. Your students can learn how to save time and be alerted when there is something new for them to look at, whether it be news, updates or just keeping track of their friends or lecturers comments.
My goal now is to follow some more blogs and be sure to log in on a regular basis. I have tried to make a small comment on each blog I am following.
Till next time...(which will be power point)
Using WIKI
Well, I am slowly making my way through all the content on this course. I really enjoyed the WIKI, and I love the concept of this program. I know that when I was doing group work last term that this would have been amazing to use!! We had a few group assignments to do and I was in 3 different groups. I live in a small town that was an hour away from the Uni, so to meet and discuss ideas was not always useful, so you can imagine the amount of emails that were involved. I think I ended up with about 150 emails back and forth with all my different groups...gosh, I was getting confused. Wiki would have been so great to know about and use, I can see how we could have used this to put our ideas and who needed to do what...and then being able to edit this when your task was done. I love it!!!
I think that using Wiki in a teaching setting would be perfect, especially group assignments. I think that I will definitely use this in my future teachings and also just on a general basis to complete projects or tasks with friends and family. I have already introduced my friends to this, they love it too. They think I am so smart LOL...and very tech savvy...ahhh if only they knew. At this point though, I have not use for Wiki, so I have only been able to play around with it, I am hoping to have uses for it in the future.
Till next time....
I think that using Wiki in a teaching setting would be perfect, especially group assignments. I think that I will definitely use this in my future teachings and also just on a general basis to complete projects or tasks with friends and family. I have already introduced my friends to this, they love it too. They think I am so smart LOL...and very tech savvy...ahhh if only they knew. At this point though, I have not use for Wiki, so I have only been able to play around with it, I am hoping to have uses for it in the future.
Till next time....
Having fun with VOKI!!!
I had so much fun playing with this VOKI tool. I used it to send to my friends, who loved it a lot. I think that this is a fantastic teaching tool. I did however, wonder how you can make it longer?? Still working on that one.
Till next time..
Get a Voki now!
Till next time..
Get a Voki now!
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