Week 5 - PowerPoint, Prezi and Glogster!

Week 5 brought with it Group 3 Digital Tools consisting of PowerPoint, Prezi and Glogster, all interactive presentation tools that can be used either by ourselves as teachers presenting content or as a medium for students use to themselves.

These three digital tools are all have huge potential for engaging and effective learning within the classroom environment, therefore all require substantial effort and time in preparation and scaffolding to ensure they are utilised correctly.

First up… Power Points

Being introduced to interactive Power Points this week has breathed fresh air into what is often described as ‘death by Power Point’. Having started my embedded professional learning I have seen firsthand that a large majority of teachers rely on PowerPoints to present their classes and I feel they are leaning on the edge of ‘death by PowerPoint’. By using all the benefits PowerPoint has to offer like embedding YouTube clips, audio clips, hyperlinking within the presentation to create a quiz or hyperlinking to an external document of interest, a more exciting and interactive PowerPoint can be used to deliver course content. I imagine revamping standard PowerPoints to present Geography lessons, loaded with relevant YouTube clips and interactive quizzes to cater for a variety of learners, instead of just plain facts and statistics on every slide. In conjunction with PowerPoints, I also feel it would be productive to mix it up with the other two tools (at least) Prezi’s and Glogsters, to keep the classroom fresh and stimulating. As PowerPoint is also extremely user friendly it is a great resource for students to use to present individual or group assessments.

Follow the link to my website to see my PowerPoint using iSpring http://educationtoolkit.weebly.com/ . iSpring was simple to install and use with it's toolbar of options, however I could not embed the final product in my blog or wiki (despite several attempts and YouTube searches), still not sure what I did wrong.

 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Can make interactive (who knew?) ·         User friendly ·         Free ·         Can update teachers slides and recycle for next year ·         Can embed video, audio, images, hyperlinks ·         Can be used by teachers to present or students to create and present	·         Be wary of ‘death by PowerPoint’ ·         Can limit flexibility in teaching practice ·         Can be time consuming to prepare	·         That they are widely used in most schools as a method of delivery ·         Need to download iSpring if want to publish interactive model

Next up…. Prezi

Prezi can be an amazing tool if used correctly (and if you have the patience). It does take a little extra time to set up, however can produce a real WOW factor presentation and would be a welcome change from PowerPoint af­­­ter PowerPoint. Prezi is best described as the PowerPoint of the 21^st century. It is more creative as it has more display options and has a smoother finish to the presentation itself. Video, audio and images can all be displayed like PowerPoint but the best effect Prezi has is probably the zoom in/ zoom out function which is created by placing all your info on a Prezi page and then outlining what you want to be the slides from that page. Another bonus is you can invite other people to edit the Prezi (only one at a time though), great for group work. The best tip is to YouTube how to create Prezi’s as it can get quite in depth and more than I have space for here. I could imagine presenting a new unit of work for either English or Geography, or even explaining assessments using a Prezi as it really is an attention grabbing tool and would be best utilised when delivering something important; could also easily be used by students to present assessment if they are becoming bored with PowerPoint. Below is a Group Prezi started by Kirsty Wales and edited by the group. I was responsible for the Secondary and VET sections.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Impact factor ·         Free ·         Group editing ·         Has templates to work from ·         Can embed images, audio, video, pdfs, hyperlinks. ·         Another alternative to PowerPoint	·         Very time consuming to create ·         Fiddley to begin with ·         Must have internet connection to use	·         Can present online ·         Always look at YouTube for further ideas

 

Finally…. Glogster!

Glogster is so interesting. I originally only considered it as an element within a lesson however after seeing Michael’s Glogster in class (which was amazing!) I can now see how it could be used to present an entire lesson. Glogster is essentially an interactive, online poster board or scrapbook page although what you can stick on it is not just text and images but hyperlinks, audio and video. The Glogster I prepared (see below) was relatively simple to do, however I imagine to create one as detailed and professional as Michael’s was for my own senior English and Geography classes, would take quite some preparation time. After spending time within these classes though I believe Glogsters would have the best impact on students as it is something they are not familiar with in school context at least, and are very visually appealing as they are formatted similarly to a teen magazine page. I’d also suggest that students would much prefer creating their own Glogster page rather than a PowerPoint and probably a Prezi as well.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         All content delivered from one page ·         Free ·         Interesting for students to either be presented with or to use themselves ·         Can embed images, audio, video and hyperlinks ·         Has a variety of templates	·         Can be time consuming	·         Can either present a specific concept or an entire lesson

Another week done and I can feel my teachers resources wallet getting heavier and my future lessons getting more entertaining and effective all thanks Group 3 Digital Tools, PowerPoints, Prezi’s and Glogsters.

Thanks for reading,

Nicole.

Image and video acknowledgements:

PowerPoint YouTube clip: Natural Resources - An animation on Australia's Natural Resources by Skwirkonline

PowerPoint Australia image: Map of Australia, http://www.international.travel-tours.com

All other PowerPoint images from clipart search engine

Prezi YouTube clip: Beyond Textbooks

All Prezi images from Prezi image search engine

Glogster YouTube clip: Urban World (Megacities - metropolis with Andrew Murr) by screenocean

Glogster Megalopolis image: Wheii.com World, http://www.wheii.com

Glogster settlements image: Settlements > characteristics of settlements, http://www.learningontheinternet.co.uk

Glogster farm image: Delano, Jack, photographer, http://www.encore-editions.com

Glogster UK map image: ASCCUE _ Our Research Centre, http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk

 

 

Week 4 - Using Images, Podcasts and Digital Videos in the classroom

What a week this one was! Week 4 saw us practice the group 2 of the digital tools; images, podcasts and digital videos. As always, I will be evaluating the technical aspects followed by the possible uses of these tools within my teaching environments (Secondary English and Geography), concluding with a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) table to consider the digital tools objectively.

First up… IMAGES!

With such a large portion of learners being visual learners, images play a vital role in delivering education. Taking an image is something a one year old can manage on an iPhone; however how that image is delivered through ICTs can have a huge impact on the ease and speed of the program. Resizing to alter the pixels used to display an image, is an effective way to use images in the classroom whilst minimising the time and storage it takes to present them.

I choose to resize a holiday snap from my holiday to Santorini in the Greek Islands last year as I thought this could be used with a Geography class (see below). I used Microsoft Office and clicked on resize and chose the smallest pixel predefined option (448 X 336 px) and it was ridiculously simple! Be sure to save the resized image under a separate name if you wish to keep a copy of your original.

 

I also checked out Flickr to see what images I could find for Santorini to support my own photo for a Geography class (photo below is what I found). Flickr has AMAZING photos but be sure to click on Creative Common option under advanced search so you are able to use the images. I found Flickr easy to sign up for and use and probably safe to say a better source than Google images. You are also provided with the option of saving the images in different sizes as well which is great if you are going to use on a website or blog.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Great for presenting to visual learners ·         Easy to use, especially after resizing ·         Students taking and using images in context assists in higher order thinking skills ·         Engaging ·         Endless uses from everyday classroom to end of year assessments and also for extracurricular activities	·         Time spent sourcing images ·         Students not taking ethical and safe images ·         Technology and storage space required	·         Have to acknowledge owner of image ·         Be sure to use images ethically and safely

Next… PODCASTS!

First, I trialled Voki. I am not the biggest fan of Voki’s, I think they are a little creepy but perhaps secondary students may think they are a cool way of introducing a subject or to provide little reminders (like for assignments). It was very simple to use and you have the option of typing what to say or recording an audio clip using your computers microphone which is great. See mine below…

Next I tried out PodOmatic, also a very easy tool if you use the basic options. Like Voki, after signing up, you use the microphone inbuilt in your computer and record your voice before you create the audio clip. I decided to trial making a podcast for an English poetry class homework assignment. The students need to listen to the podcast and then complete the assignment. I have linked it to my Wiki if you’d like to listen http://nikkiryanwiki.wikispaces.com/PodOmatic+Poetry+Activity , keep in mind it was my first time at using it. Once your podcast is recorded you need to assign it an image and then publish. There is the option to link published podcasts together which would be great for weekly homework assignments.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Ease of use ·         Free ·         Multiple Vokis to choose from with different voice and recording options	·         Creepy ·         Not sure  it is the most effective use of ICTs	·         Many other options other than Voki which may have more options

 

Finally….DIGITAL VIDEO!

I have used iMovie before in to produce a movie trailer for a group literature assessment. It has a lot of great features but it did take a while to get a hang of it, and it was terrifying at first! This time I decided to take a video on my iPhone and upload it to MovieMaker. Continuing on the theme of an English poetry class I decided to create a welcome video (see below) and trialled making one of those cool visual clips that are all over the internet, please be kind because mine is AVERAGE! But hopefully you get the idea and my skills will evolve with time. MovieMaker also has a lot of options, all I did was load audio over the whole clip considering as teachers we won’t have too much time to be focusing on a welcome message. As you will see I also referenced in my clip, a youtube clip (also below) which I imagine to be immensely helpful in both English and Geography if you can find the right clip to back up what you are trying to communicate.

 

 

  

  

Plus	Minus	Interesting
·         Engaging ·         Can be used in pedagogy practices to delivery content ·         Students can create digital videos for assessments which develop higher order thinking skills ·         Can embed in powerpoints, Prezis , blogs, websites, etc. ·         Caters to both visual and audio learners	·         Time consuming to make ·         Some software options cost money ·         Need to have technology available ·         Students may not use the tool in an ethical and safe way	·         Need to consider ethical and safety issues ·         Many different softwares available

 

 I had a lot of fun playing with these Group 2 digital tools, and think yet again I have gained some valuable resources to use in my own classrooms in the near future.

Thanks for reading,

Nicole.

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Image, video and audio acknowledgements:

Santorini: Flickr images by Archigeek (Adam Gimpet), http://www.flickr.com/

Sunset on Podcast: Spectacular photography of sunsets, Designzzz, http://www.designzzz.com/photography-sunsets /

Youtube clip: Measuring poetry by Luka K, http://youtu.be/be/tmayC2AdkNw

Music on clip: Hey Ho (You're My Sweetheart) by Rob Vegas

Week 3 – Using blogs, wikis and websites in the classroom

Week 3 – Using blogs, wikis and websites in the classroom

Week 3 sees the introducing of the first group of digital; tools, blogs, wikis and websites.

After I reflect on each tool, I will examine each tool separately using PMI (plus, minus, interesting) as scaffolding to ensure I think critically on the possible uses of tool within the classroom environment. Check out my ideas using by taking a look at my slides using Slide Share http://www.slideshare.net/.

First up, BLOGS…

Blog from NicoleJRyan
 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
v  A chance for students to use higher order thinking skills v  Can use images, links, videos to create individual learning v  Can cater to all learning styles through blogs v  Teacher can monitor blogs for students understanding of the subject v  Highlights areas that need to be worked on as a class v  Information can be stored for students to access at any time v  Blogs can be accessed from any device connected to internet v  Creates a social online learning environment v  Catering to 21st century learner and preparing them for lifelong learning	v  Depends on how involved the students are on their own blog to measure the success v  Online safety and monitoring the use of blogs v  Logistics of computer access both at school and at home v  Students and/or teachers lack of ICTs skills may be lacking which would affect the process v  Students not using the blog as it is intended	v  How different Blogger and Word Press are v  Limited only by the student or teachers imagination v  The quality of the pluses appear too far outweigh the minuses v  Could be used as a whole group reflective activity or utilised for struggling individuals

 

Next up WIKIs…
after the reading the slides below, check out my wiki http://rainforesttoreef10.wikispaces.com/ 

Wikispaces from NicoleJRyan

 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
v  A chance for students to use higher order thinking skills v  Collaborative learning v  Can use images, links, videos to create individual learning v  Learning can happen both in and out of the classroom v  Teacher can monitor Wikis for students understanding of the subject v  Highlights areas that need to be worked on as a class v  Information can be stored for students to access at any time v  Wikis can be accessed from any device connected to internet v  Catering to 21st century learner and preparing them for lifelong learning	v  The ability to edit other people’s work may lead to unproductive and irresponsible behaviour v  Only one student to edit Wiki at one time v  Logistics of computer access both at school and at home v  Students and/or teachers lack of ICTs skills may be lacking which would affect the process	v  Best used for specific one off topics or activities v  Limited only by the student or teachers imagination v  The quality of the pluses appear too far outweigh the minuses

Finally Websites,

Websites from NicoleJRyan
 

Plus	Minus	Interesting
v  A chance for teaching flipped learning (see you tube clip in my post Week 2 - reflecting on  using Wiki's and DeBono's thinking hats) v  Can use images, links, videos to cater to different learners v  Learning can happen both in and out of the classroom v  Information can be stored for students to access at any time v  Wikis can be accessed from any device connected to internet v  Catering to 21st century learner and preparing them for lifelong learning	v  Learners cannot contribute to the website therefor creating a technological textbook of sorts v  Logistics of computer access both at school and at home v  Students and/or teachers lack of ICTs skills may be lacking which would affect the process v  Can take a lot of time to set up an effective website	v  Best used to deliver information that does not need to be questioned by learnt as fact v  Limited only by the student or teachers imagination v  The quality of the pluses appear too far outweigh the minuses

A lot to take in I know! So many practical ways this group of Web Tools can be utilised in the classroom all with very similar pluses, minuses and interesting, however each should be applied in different learning situations. I believe that these three tools are going to play a large role in teaching to 21^st century learners so even if we are a little daunted at times it is important to press on for the greater good of effective and engaging teaching!

 

Thanks for reading,

Nicole.

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Image Acknowledgement:

Diver: pin girl diving on pintrest, http://www.picstopin.com

Blog quote: how to find your authentic blog voice, http://www.littlecottagebiglife.com

Innovations ahead: innovation ahead sign royality free, http://www.dreamstime.com

Grow quote: advanced technology investment co., http://www.facebook.com