RSS Feeds

Even though an RSS Aggregator was talked a lot about in the first few weeks of this assignment, I was still struggling to grasp the concept.

So I search around the internet to find out exactly what it was and how it could be applied and I found two examples staring right at me!! The first was on the desktop of my computer – a news feed from NBC. The second happened when I logged into my Blogger account – the ‘reading list’. Both of these are examples of RSS feeds.



RSS feeds are basically a list of the updated headlines to the websites that you have subscribed to (Wikipedia 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss). They save so much time by directly feeding you updates – instead of manually checking each website for changes. I have found it a lifesaver in this course!!

RSS feeds would be great if you had a class website that all students had subscribed to. It would mean that they can easily keep informed and up to date as they would know of any recent updates made to the site. Yet another amazing, time saving technology!

What does this mean for LMs?

So, what does all of this mean for Learning Managers? It means that there are so many opportunities to provide various, flexible and engaging activities inside and outside the classroom for our learners.

Due to the variety available, there is now no excuse to have bored students, who are not actively learning – and I have only just touched the tip of the huge range of e learning tools available to LM’s. There are so many more technologies out there that can be employed in a learning context – things such as Flickr, Webquests and Google Earth.

The reason why it is so important to employ these technologies is that engaging tasks are the key to students actually learning and retaining knowledge. Gone are the days of ‘chalk and talk’. Now it is all about discovery, interactive and discussion. It’s about deep understanding and these technologies make it easy to achieve.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a great, easy technology that can be used to engage students. It provides visual stimulus to learners which can make lessons fun and interactive.

I have used PowerPoint extensively in my classroom – following the lead of my lecturers at uni. Not only can it be used to summarise important information, it can also create interactive classroom quizzes, activities and ‘what if’ exercises. PowerPoint has the ability to provide a great range of stimulus to students such as graphs, cartoons, photos, videos, animation and audio. And not only can teachers use it but students can also.



With its endless uses, I have found that PowerPoint is a valuable, easy and versatile tool to employ in any classroom.

Bringing the Classroom to Life

Remember those boring movies and slideshows at school? Well not any more because video and animation has changed. They are now interactive, funny and engaging – not to mention informative and they are hitting a school near you!

Video and animation has always been used school. However, now more than ever, it has become a great way to get students engaged and involved in learning. It steps away from that ‘traditional’ mould and provides students with a stimulating learning experience.

Throughout my school life and university pracs, I have seen many teachers use these techniques themselves to explain boring or difficult topics. Video and animation can also help students to visualise concepts. When I was at school I used it in Science to understand how molecules formed, I used it in English to clarify Shakespeare and I used it in Economics to gain a better understanding of the global economy.

However, there is another use for video and animation – get the students to produce videos and animations themselves. As most students love a chance to get creative and do things a little differently, this strategy works wonders. I have seen kids who usually do little work become motivated and enthusiastic learners when they are allowed to produce a video or animation on a concept or for an assessment item.

Using video and animation in the classroom isn’t hard – however it can become time consuming as some students become obsessed with the fun task. But give the kids a break and let them be creative – both the teachers and students will be surprised at what an effective learning tool it is.

Podcasts - A Way to Become 'Time Smart'

Podcasts are a rapidly rising technology. A few years ago I was completely oblivious to this ‘podcasting’ technology, however now I treasure it.

Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded on to a computer and various other devices such as an iPod. This means is that almost anything can be recorded and downloaded from informative radio programs to lecture notes and transferred to ones computer or iPod.

The thing that makes this such a great e-learning tool is that anyone can record and download files. Teachers can record lectures, notes, concepts, chapters of textbooks – anything - and then the students can upload it onto their iPods to listen to whenever it’s convenient. It makes the learning experience more fun, convenient, and interactive for all students.

The use of an iPod means that it can be used almost anywhere – on the train, on the bus, in the car, when you’re checking your Facebook – appealing to the time saving and multi tasking attitude of the digital native.

Throughout my two years at uni I have realised just how useful this tool is. I have recorded notes on concepts for exams and listened to it constantly. I have used recorded lectures to listen to lectures that I have missed. I have listened to teleconferences when I’m in my car driving to work. By being able to listen to it when I’m doing other things, it means I am being more ‘time smart’.

Moodle and Blackboard - The Way of the Future

Until starting uni two years ago, I had no idea what Moodle or Blackboard even were. Now I can’t imagine doing uni with out them. Moodle and Blackboard are internet course management systems. They allow all parts of a university or school (eg. students, teachers, tutors and administration) to interact with each other.

Moodle and Blackboard put everything in one place – which I find very convenient. All resources are there, as well as links to additional information, discussion boards, notices and reminders.

Although it is primarily used in universities, there is now a growing trend to use it in schools. I just completed my prac in a school in Gympie which used Blackboard. Each subject the student was enrolled in was available online. It provided assessment items, homework, links for additional research, the weekly newsletter and anything else that traditionally was printed on paper and given to the student – now the students don’t have the excuse ‘But I don’t have that Miss’ or ‘I lost it’! After that experience, I think that all schools should have some sort of internet based course management system – it was user friendly, time efficient and allowed the students to take charge of their own learning.

Although it took me a while to get used to this new way of doing things, I now love it. It is a great way to keep your students informed and regularly communicating – it is now no big deal if a student is away as all of the resources are on the course Moodle or Blackboard site.

YouTube - Something for Anyone and Anything

YouTube (youtube.com) is the fastest growing video collaboration websites around. They have videos about everything. From ‘How To’ to just plain funny there is one for anything you can think of.

Throughout my schooling I have encountered YouTube numerous amounts of times. And throughout my prac teaching I have used YouTube numerous amounts of times. This goes to show just how popular it is.

I have found it to be a great way to reward and engage my students. It can also help to give another perspective on some topics and clarify others. It really can be applied for almost anything.

The 'Mysterious' Wiki

Like me, I’m sure that many of you had or have no idea what a wiki is. I searched for hours trying to grasp and understanding of this ‘mysterious’ wiki and finally I think I have got it!!

Think of Wikipedia. We all know that everyone can add and edit the information on any on the pages without any concrete guidelines. However, experts in the ‘community’ can come onto the page and challenge the information that has been provided. Basically, a wiki is a database of information around a specific topic in which a community has a collaborative approach of adding and removing information.

Although it all might seem a little vague still, I can see numerous applications of this in the classroom. For example – say the class has a semester around World War I. The teacher can set up a wiki for the students to post up any ‘interesting’ information or websites that they have found. All students can access this and collaboratively analyse the information. Instead on each person doing a whole heap of research – the class can work together.

Once I thought about it, I realised just how valuable this tool could be. It provides a sense of community and teamwork and makes sure that all students are on the right track. It minimises the amount of searching for information that students sometimes see as endless and frustrating and provides an opportunity for students to communicate freely.

Blogs - A Great E-Learning Tool

Blogs (web logs) are another tool that can be used to help make the learning environment more stimulating for digital natives. What you are looking at now is a blog – a way to post text, photos, videos and web links to the public.

When creating my blog on blogger.com I found it an easy form of technology to create and use and would definitely consider using it in my classroom in the future to help manage my classroom and engage my students.

Blogs are a great way to keep communication lines open within a class. By posting notices, homework, work content, reminders, discussions and revision questions on a class blog, it is easy for students to keep up to date and informed, as well as post any concerns that they have and communicate with other students and the teacher.

Blogs could also be used as a form of assessment – much like this course. I think many students would like the opportunity to show off their web skills and creativity and would jump at the chance to create their own blog as a form of assessment – a change from the routine essay or report.

Amazing Avatars

Despite being a digital native, avatars were quite a new form of technology for me. I had heard of them but I had never used them.

Avatars are usually models that represent real humans in the digital world. They can come in many forms such as humans, animals and anything in between. They can be programmed to say and do whatever the user intends.

After some research and playing around on Voki (www.voki.com – a site to create speaking avatars), I found that avatars could have numerous useful applications in the classroom – and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to create one. They can be used in conjunction with other technologies such as blogs, Moodle/Blackboard and PowerPoint to interact with students around different topics. Other applications include using them as reminders, revisions or to reiterate homework tasks. Below is Emma, an avatar I created to tell my students about their homework tasks.


Get a Voki now!



I think the use of avatars in a learning context is a great way to provide some variety in to the classroom. They are fun and break up the usual routine of some classroom tasks. They are also a great communication tool for both students and teachers and appeal to both visual and audio learners.

Engaging the Digital Native

So how can we ‘engage’ these so called ‘digital natives’? The answer may be simpler than it seems.

Dales Cone shows that some of the most effective ways of keeping students engaged is to have see and do things (eg. field trips, demonstrations, visual symbols, direct and purposeful use/experience) – ICTs can greatly help this. Dale is not the only one to identify this approach to learning. Marzano and Pickering (1997), Snowman et. al (2009) and McInerney and McInerney (2006) all agree that ‘active learning’ is the key to keeping students on track and interested as well as minimise disruptive behaviours. I more than agree with this approach.

Throughout my pracs I have employed this technique and used a variety of technologies (eg. interactive websites, powerpoints, you tube) in my classroom. I was surprised at how effective they were at keeping my students engaged and on task. Even as a student at high school I remember how great and interesting it was when teachers incorporated the technology that we used everyday into a lesson – it made a significant difference to my understanding of many concepts. A lot of the time I was learning but didn’t actually know it.

From my experience as a prac teacher and a student, the key to teaching digital natives is to incorporate ICTs into the classroom. You also must realise that learning is not restricted to the traditional classroom. Use what they are familiar with. Use what they use everyday. Use what they enjoy. Use ICTs to engage. But always remember to be creative.

References

Marzano, R & Pickering, D (1997). Dimensions of Learning: Teacher’s Manual. Aurora: McREL.

McInerney, D & McInerney, V (2006). Educational Psychology: Constructing Learning. (4th Edition). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia .

Snowman, J, Dobozy, E, Scevak, J, Bryer, F & Bartlet, B (2009). Psychology Applied to Teaching. Milton: John Wiley and Sons Australia.

Digital Natives

In today’s society, a major player is the ‘digital native’. These are those people who have grown up with the evolution of technology – like me and those younger. We are familiar with the constant stimulus of the internet, social networking, mobile phones, mp3s etc. We multitask by using each and every available technology all at once. However, although many people think we are lucky to grow up with such variety of technology at our fingertips, there can be many downsides. One of which is how easy it is to become bored.

This issue of ‘boredom’ is huge in a schooling context. At home we are watching TV, texting, listening to music, searching the net AND talking on MSN, Facebook, Twitter. At school, we are expected to listen, read and write – and usually in the boring old traditional ways (chalk and talk). We are not stimulated. We are not using the technology that we have grown up with and constantly use. We are not actively learning. We are bored.