Final Reflection

This course has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities out there in technology for the class room. I was familiar with some of the tools and use them a lot so i guess this course reaffirmed a range of these tools for me. Am quite comfotable with drive and google docs and enjoyed learning a few extra features of these. Did not know picasa was apart of the google family and found this activity really interesting and will look to be using this tool instead of drop box which currently use. The editing features along with file organising is what separates it from drop box.

Social media for me is something which am still a little sceptical on in regards to student use, definitely need to do a little more research on this and see some good examples of use in the classroom. 

RSS feeds are a tool which am really excited about pursuing further and implementing for next year. Have bookmarked a number of sites which were in that module and will be looking at them in more detail throughout the holidays to find relevant ones for my kla. I like the idea of students coming into class heading straight onto the feeds and starting an open ended discussion on the topic, a really effective strategy.

The set up of the course was very user friendly with clear instructions and expectations. There was such a variety of tools from different categories and I loved how there was multiple options for us to look at before concentrating on the one we thought was most applicable. Was hands on throughout every module and i have bookmarked so many useful sites which i endeavour to further look at in the future. The video tutorials were a great way to introduce the tool and explains it in the simplest possible way, look forward to sharing these with my colleagues.

I commented on Matthew Goughs blog in module 2 which was on blogging as well as others.
http://mattgough86.blogspot.com.au/

Overall have thoroughly enjoyed the course and have walked away with so many resources which i look forward to looking into more over the christmas break. Im a big believer in student centred, interactive classroom strategies and this course has showed me many tools which will facilitate this.

Thank you for all the tools, ideas and resources given throughout this module, a real worth while experience and one which will benefit my teaching in the future.

Module 10

Wikis:
Our department have a couple of units set up on wikis where it becomes very student directed and the teacher becomes the facilitator. There are a variety of activities on the wiki page and then students need to individually set up there own page on the site. Worked well for a couple of years but there are some editing and privacy issues. Students had the ability to see everyone's page which is great but the temptation to then copy other students work is far too easy. Since this we have moved over to google doc type activites to eliminate this. What i did love about the wikis though was the discussion tab. We had our students posting at least 3 times on particular topics and then commenting on other students ideas throughout the unit.
Google sites is not something i have gone with yet, I attempted to set up a page for my senior students last year but have not got it to a point where am happy to share just yet. Definitely has the potential for again a sharing and communication tool both with students and teachers. Once the set up is all done then it can become better as the years progress and more resources are added.
Both are tools which in this day and age are an effective way to collaborate and share ideas amongst classes, especially for seniors in the lead up to HSC where off on study break.

Module 9

Social Networking:

Facebook obviously is the worlds most known social networking site used by just about everyone. Although a required age limit is needed most students are using it from a younger age. 

Have not thought about nor seen many educational uses for facebook, i guess for senior students it could be used for an educational forum perhaps for a HSC class. 

More of a personal use for me and one which needs to be used with caution and professional judgement. This I believe is one of the biggest challenges today for both staff and students. We really need to be teaching our stuents the power of social sites and the issue around privacy etc. A lot do not have the right settings with photo sharing and it is quite alarming. They need to be educated on the vulnerability once photos statements etc are put onto the internet.

I constantly get email updates from scootle in regards to resources etc. Must admit i tend to discard them rather then taking the time to research a little more. Once taking the time to log in and surf the site a little more ive certainly changed my way of thinking. It can be extremely useful in regards to file sharing and communication with other professionals which is probably the most useful tool. 

There is a number of resources for teachers and is categorised well which makes finding info really easy.

As mentioned in earlier blog have used twitter for a long time now but only for a personal use and endevour to look at further ways for an educational sense. I do follow a couple of educational and technological professionals so i guess i do use it educationally in some way.

Linkedin is something which I have not utilised, have received a lot of emails in regards to people addidng me to their network but it is not something which i have pursued. 

Module 8

RSS Feeds:
I have these set up on my phone using HTC Blink Feeds. I get all the latest updates from my calendar, twitter account and latest news and sport information.

RSS feeds are basically home delivered news as it happens without having to go searching. There is no quicker way to find out all the latest info no matter where you are.

I like how feedly is again connected with google as majority of my working apps are, throughout this course have continually grown my google apps list which professionally will be very beneficial.

If you take the time to set up your RSS feeds correctly then your browsing experience can be enhanced.

For me in regards to the classroom may find it a little difficult with PDHPE as our units generally are short. Perhaps for road safety, drugs or mental health where we often have 10 week units it would be worth while looking into these avenues. Students could at the start of every lesson see if any new feeds are available which could spark discussion at the start of each lesson. Once you do it a couple of times it then becomes a ritual for the class and something to look forward to.

Module 7

Delicious:

Bookmarking has considerably become more important as the internet continually gets older as there is just so much info out there.

Haven't used delicious before but was aware of what it was all about as have seen some clips on it. I guess i never really bothered trialling it as I use Chrome as my browser and this does the same thing. I am able to sign in to my chrome account and all my bookmarks come up no matter what device i use.

Very much like the networking feature though which i dont think chrome allows. Maybe not for me as such but the availability of this for students would be beneficial i believe. When collaborative tasks are in place this could be very powerful with students being able to follow each other and continue to work on the task at any time, as would have access to all the groups research. 

Module 6

Picasa:

Have never used Picasa before have generally used drop box for photo sharing in the past. Had a play around with it and am a big fan how it coincides with google so for compatibility it certainly helps when dealing with docs or wanting to share etc. 

Very user friendly and the ability to store all in one place is a big plus. The organisation of files is something which i am a fan of with the ability to search. The editing features are definitely what sets it apart from drop box which i am used to so certainly look forward to further playing around with this app.

The ease of sharing is something which students would appreciate especially in regards to group work. Hopefully students will learn the importance of file sharing and checking what they are actually putting up onto the web.

Module 5

Presentations:

Have not used Bubbl.us in the classroom before but am aware of the App. Still looking at how to implement the App. For me I will be looking to the group research tasks where brainstorming is necessary and everyone can have access to this. The accessibility is where it sets its apart from other mind map type programs and is a big positive. I like how you can record your thoughts on the run and have them stored securely and accessed anywhere. 

We have a few units of work at our school which are wiki based filled with activities. Prezi and glogster are two activities which have already implemented for a couple of years now. Prezi I am a big fan of as i like the idea of having a blank canvas to create how you like. Definitely takes time to get students away from powerpoint though as its all they know. The lack of music being able to be embedded was a drawback for me.

Below is a link to an example of part of an assessment my students completed this year using prezi.

https://prezi.com/rk3cdrrjbdd4/leisure-patterns-of-young-people/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Glogster I have gone away from this year as had some account issues with a number of students, i guess that is the biggest issue with having to rely on students to have accounts for all these tools. 

Was an informative and creative way though to showcase information.