Hi there! Welcome to my blog, which is based around what I have learnt from our Learning Technologies class in the Grad Dip (Primary) at La Trobe University.
At the top of my blog you will find my most recent posts, from here you are able to navigate back all the way to July 2010 - feels like a long time ago!
I thought I was pretty good with computers, however having done this unit I would say that my knowledge of what can be done with the web and ICT in the classroom has expanded significantly!
My favourite discoveries include DVolver movie maker and Inspiration...actually Quia is pretty cool too! I also really like the ideas of making animations, where students can develop characters, the plot, stage setting and film their story - with the satisfaction of seeing all their hard work come together at the end! The beauty of animation is that they can make characters out of almost anything! This incorporates, art, literacy, group work, planning and subject content. It is also good to know that if a school is not lucky enough to have a video camera, they can still make animations using PowerPoint. I believe teachers must be flexible and think outside of the square to make the most of ICT in the classroom.
I believe that ICT can really make learning more interesting for students while giving them invaluable skills to help them in an ever-changing world, where technology advances seem to be made every minute! ICT can also enhance creativity in students in many ways, whether visually, musically or otherwise and help them communicate ideas.
Throughout this course I have learnt that internet safety is of the utmost importance for students and that they must learn to use ICT tools responsibly. Likewise, it is important not to publish any unauthorised photos of students on the net and to protect their identity.
While not all schools may have a lot of computers, it is important to utilise whatever ICT tools are available, and to help students learn about ICT tools to help them express themselves in literacy, creativity and many other areas.
Without further ado, let's get moving into what we have covered in the unit...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
ICT for Story Writing
ICT can help students in many ways with story writing and communicating ideas. Forget asking students to simply type out their stories (BORING!!!!) One interesting way for students (who may not feel confident in literacy) to write a story is to make a Rebus Story.
Rebus story writing involves writing a story and inserting pictures of things which symbolise the words - for example, for the word 'see' - they put in a picture of some eyes. Or instead of writing the word 'horse' they put in a picture of a horse. Students learn to find pictures using clip art or google images and upload the file in the correct position.
To see an example of a Rebus Story click here.
When students are learning to write it is important for them to feel confident and through writing Rebus Stories, this is a way to give them success early on for story writing.
Ziptales is a huge site and is great for writing, games and making things. There are clips describing how to make things, for example Tiny Teddies, Make and Do machine. It is possible to get a free trial for 14 days however schools would need to pay to subscribe to this site if they wanted to use it.
Other ideas for writing using IT could be to use only a story heading and then get a student to write for 10 minutes, then get them to swap with a friend and read what they have written and then continue the story on, then swap again. The student would then return to their original chair and read the completed story. This is great for creative writing and helps students venture away from 'safe writing'.
In order to improve spelling and punctuation, teachers could read a passage of writing to students who must type what they have heard with the monitor turned off. This is excellent as it reveals to students how much they may rely on the computer spell checker.
Rebus story writing involves writing a story and inserting pictures of things which symbolise the words - for example, for the word 'see' - they put in a picture of some eyes. Or instead of writing the word 'horse' they put in a picture of a horse. Students learn to find pictures using clip art or google images and upload the file in the correct position.
To see an example of a Rebus Story click here.
When students are learning to write it is important for them to feel confident and through writing Rebus Stories, this is a way to give them success early on for story writing.
Ziptales is a huge site and is great for writing, games and making things. There are clips describing how to make things, for example Tiny Teddies, Make and Do machine. It is possible to get a free trial for 14 days however schools would need to pay to subscribe to this site if they wanted to use it.
Other ideas for writing using IT could be to use only a story heading and then get a student to write for 10 minutes, then get them to swap with a friend and read what they have written and then continue the story on, then swap again. The student would then return to their original chair and read the completed story. This is great for creative writing and helps students venture away from 'safe writing'.
In order to improve spelling and punctuation, teachers could read a passage of writing to students who must type what they have heard with the monitor turned off. This is excellent as it reveals to students how much they may rely on the computer spell checker.
Reasonably Clever Website - Mini-Mizer
On the 'Reasonably Clever' website, students can create their own lego person. Here they are able to manipulate the appearance of the lego man/woman. This could be a great activity for getting students to create characters for a story. It also encourages creativity and may be good for students who are not very strong at drawing or painting. One must be careful when accessing these sites as there are lego sites on the web which are of an adult nature. Another idea for using a lego character could be if you printed it off in colour and then used it in an animation.
XtraNormal Movies
On the 'XtraNormal Movie' website students are able to create their own animation movies. This is great as the learning activities could encompass drafting the script and making up some characters and then transferring this to making the movie animation. This is excellent as students must hone their ICT skills and think about body gestures - in a way it is like they are directing a movie. This would be a great activity for students who are kinaesthetic learners - they are not specifically bound to paper and pencil.
Build Your Wild Self!
On the Build your Wild Self website students can design a 'Wild Self' character. This is excellent for literacy following reading the book 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Students could make up their own stories involving their characters and the characters could be developed from their own stories or vice versa. This is great for encouraging creativity in students who may not be typically good at art.
RollerMache!
RollerMache is a website by the ABC which was designed for kids living outside of metropolitan areas. It offers children the opportunity to learn how to make animations, flip books and other cool things - and also provides a safe place to showcase their work. This site is also great for digital literacy and story telling.
Zimmer Twins!
The Zimmer Twins website is great for making short animated movies. I believe this site could be great for dealing with students with behaviour difficulties. Perhaps if a student was misbehaving and not communicating with staff, they could get the student to write what they were thinking or their interpretation of events into the speech bubbles. This site could also be used for communicating ideas, for example if there is going to be a school musical the characters in the clip could discuss the musical and encourage viewers to attend - this clip could then be emailed to teachers to show in their classrooms.
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