Google Earth

Google earth as a digital story telling tool! I love it! I had never thought of it in this context before viewing Joe Woods presentation. Here is are some further great ideas I came across for using it in the classroom.
Image courtesy http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Technology/images/google-earth.jpg

Teacher Tube Resource

I have been considering working on a unit in HPE focusing on building self-esteem and optimism in students. Below is a link to a clip from Teacher Tube to use in one of the learning experiences. It contains some famous faces as role models and I would hope the students find it inspiring and motivating.

Manipilating files

Having problems loading the online file altering program Picnik today, I instead experimented with Adobe photoshop which I had installed on my computer already. I would recommend it as a tool for adapting image files for the web or print.
I think that it is essential to have a handle on some type of file altering technology due to the ever present concern of file size in the digital environment. Incorporating images into your pedagogy is useful in order to stimulate your students and add a richer level to content.
Here is an image I played around with, then reduced it to 75dpi resolution which is suitable for web and only takes up a small 68k in file space.

Visual Communication

As they say a picture speaks a thousand words. Having discovered the wealth of images in the online photo sharing system Flickr I am excited about the potential. Importantly, copyright issues are covered and images can be used freely for education purposes. There are literally millions of photos, many of very high quality. The system is well organised for easy management of your own images plus an effective search engine for searching within categories of other files.

Image courtesy Flickr

The power of powerpoint

This week we have been guided through some information on powerpoint. I can see how it is an essential tool for any teacher. However, in my professional life prior to this course I have not had the need to use this program and as such this was somewhat of an introduction.

I have created the following slides for a primary lesson in HPE. I have tried to include moving text, graphics and sound into my presentation to cater for student individual differences and align with engagement theory. I have also incorporated a real life task for the assessment in following the Relate, Create, Donate approach.

The end result is fine but I can see there is much room for improvement. I tended to rely on stock options within the program package would like to learn how to embed custom animation, external video and sound files. I aim to spend more time getting acquainted with this program and learn how to put together a really entertaining show that enhances my learning objectives.
image courtesy: mmadams90.wordpress.com

Using Avatars

Get a Voki now!


This is the avatar I created in Voki. What a great tool for introducing a lesson or theme to students.

The avatars are fun to create and provide an interesting hook for engaging students from the start.

Due to the simplicity of the process, students could be guided to create their own avatars also.

ICT a student-centric approach

Appropriate use of ICT's has the ability to reform traditional education practices into a student-centric model.

Technology based media compels the students to be involved and to make meanings between the classroom activities and the real world.

In this way pupils are engaging in 'Direct Purposeful Experience' which as Dale's Cone shows, is the most effective learning method.

How lucky we new teachers are to be coming into this profession at such an exciting time! The possibilities in the classroom are awesome.