Module 5 - Podcastings... Vodcasting... YouTubing... and more!!

What a fantastic Module!

Once again we are moving from the world of 'I can't, because I don't have' to a world of 'I can because I have access too..."

As the course continues the STK Breakfest Club continues to move forward and delve deeper into the wonderful world of Web2.0!

This module has definately given us mich to discuss... Podcasting, Vodcasting, Using YouTube and onther online video sharing networks as well as how we can use iTunes. St Kevin's teachers are active users of YouTube and have been incorporating this wonderful tool for some time now. We use th clips to help us develer content in a more 21st century way as well as as a tool to help us cater for students needs and diferentiate tasks. One example of this happened just last week to me in my Year 6 Religion class. We have been exploring the Bible over the last few weeks and in particular looking at significant people and stories in the Old Testement. The students were asked to select a person and story from a list given to the by myself. They had to read the passage, take notes and then create a speech. One of my students has ADHD as well as a few other special qualities (I am sure we all have a student who falls into this catergory) The student was unable to sit and read the passage let alone comprehend the story, know what was happening and take notes. So I found a few versions of the passage on YouTube. The student was able to sit at a laptop, with headphones and watch two clips that re-enacted the passage. The student was able to make some notes and focus on what was tkaing place in the story. When the student presented their speech they was able to explain the story, what had happened, who was involved and most importantly what we can learn from the story. I am certian that the student would not have produced this level of understanding if they had not had had access to the short videoclips.

Having access to tools like Youtube allows us to cater for a range of learners as well as present information in a new, exciting and interactive way. Antoher occasion that I used Youtube was when we were looking at Democracy last Term. We were discussing the term 'absolute power', something that in previous years has been hard for the students to understand. I found a few clips from Alice in Wonderland and add them into our unit of work. The students viewed the videos of the Queen of Hearts and then we discussed 'absolute power' and how the queen was demonstrating this. Straight away the students connected with the idea and concept. It was amzing to see the difference the videos made in their understanding and the discussions that followed.

Having the ability to use videoclips as teachers is a priceless tool.

One thing that did come up was COPYRIGHT! Many discussions have taken palce and continue to happen around the idea of copyright and Youtube. It is my understanding for the last Module and discussions I have had that Youtube is a creative commons video sharing site, so as long as you link the video or embed it where possible you are not breaking copyright.

As far as iTunes... we at St Kevins are still trying to figure out how to set up a network iTunes account that all teachers can access and use in order to roll out the use of iPods (that we do have) effectively! Any help with this or ideas would be great!

Happy Blogging!

YAY... HALF WAY!!

Cheers

Amanda

Module 4 - Flickr Me!

The Wonderful World of Flickr...

Flickr is the 'best online management and sharing application in the world' according to its website. This module sent us on a journey through the wonderful world of Flickr. I think more and more people are using Flickr as it provides us with a royalty free location to gather images as well as share images we have safely.

Flickr is becoming a very positive alternative for students to use when they are trying to locate images. For along time now most have just 'Googled' the subject and used Google Images. Having this alternative is allowing us as teachers the opportunity to teach our students about Copyright and Creative Commons. We are able to make them more aware of licencing, honoring peoples work and ultimately being postive global citizens in this interactive, collorative and online society.

What is Creative Commons?

The Internet and technology have transformed not only the way people learn but also how we as teachers gather and present learning to our students. With the introduction for this great new collaborative world comes access to many different resources that teachers and learners everywhere can access resources at the click of a button. For us in Eduction the words COPYRIGHT are continually restricting our use of a variety of these resources that the internet has avaliable to us.

That was until....CREATIVE COMMONS!

Creative commons opening up educational resources so that they are not only accessible, but adaptable, interoperable, and discoverable — helping us to realize the full benefits of digitally enabled education.

The Creative Commons Website has the following short descibitions to help people navigate around the differnet types of Creative Commons.

Briefly...

Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work - and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

The following short clip found at www.smartcopying.edu.au was a very creative and short introduction to the world of Creative Commons. This is a great tool to show students and staff as it explains what and how creative commons can be used in a more exciting way than just reading a bunch of journals or sheets of paper. Once again highlighting the power of WEb2.0 in the presentation of information. We actually watched this clip at our staff meeting yesterday!

Module 3 - Google Me Silly!

The STK Breakfast Club continues to explore new domains.

This week we entered the world of GOOGLE DOCS! I had heard about Google Docs and that they were being used in Education... but until now had no real idea what they were and how I could use them in my classroom or school setting.

Well.... My eyes have been opened!!

With the help of our great paper animation friend and Google Docs In Plain English I have now created, uploaded, shared and added to a variety of Google documents. THe possiblities are endless for the use of Google Doc's in education. When I first watched the two video's I thought up the following ideas for how they could be implemented in the classroom/school;

Classroom
- Joint construction of text, both with groups of students and as a whole class. You could begin a story and then share the document with all of the students and have them all actively editing and adding to the text similtaniously. As well as this you students can access the docuement anywhere there is an internet connection and as such can continue to work on there document out of school hours. In Module 2 I disucssed how I used a blog with Year 6 and how effective it was in gerneating communication and collaboration between the students. It brings us back to the notion of learning being anywhere, anytime and anyplace!
- Group assignments - allows students to work on projects and not come up with the excuse "but so and so has all the work and they are away"... I know you have all heard that one before.
- Allows for peer editing and conferencing - Like we saw on the second video students were able to publish their writing and then invite others to edit it. We do this all the time using the students books, why not change the platform and present peer editing in a new and excitign way?
- Class Newspaper or Journal


School
Reporting - WOW... one of the first things I thought of when I saw the Google Docs in Plain Engligh was the gathering and sorting of grades and comments for a range of students. At my school we teach a range of differnet students for different areas. For example: I Have my homeroom which I teach, Writing, Science and Technology, HSIE, PDH. I then teach a different group of students for Religion, a different group for Mathematics and a different group again for Reading. My homeroom also see's a specialist Music teacher and PE teahcer. As you can already tell it does get confusing and messy around the time we have to share grades and comments. Currently we have a system which works of an Excel Spreedsheet. People add in their grades and comments and then save. As you all know for experience, people make copies and we end up with a few different versions or someone adds in one version and not in antoher and then it gets deleted... and so on. The other problem with this is that only one person can be working on the document at a time... frustrating! This is definately an area we could be using Google Docs for. It would eliminate all of these issues and stress!! It would also mean that teachers could work on the document outside of school and if someone was sick or away they could still access the document and share their grades.
- We are currently working on our Straegic Managment Plan (As I am sure most of you are). We need to gather information in groups and report back on it. Google Doc's would assist in this greatly.
- Meeting Minutes
- Brainstorming for functions, events, fetes, masses etc.

I think the possibiolities are endless and I am super excited about Google Docs!!

Happy Goggling!

Amanda

Module 2 - It's a bloggy kinda day!

WOW! We did it! All members of the St Kevin's Breakfast Club have a BLOG!!

The linked videos continue to aid in developing a better understanding of the content. I love the Blog’s in Plain English and actually used this and the one on wiki’s last year with Year 6!

Module 2 was very interesting for me...

The use of blogs in the classroom generated a range of discussion between our group. Some members felt that they would be a great tool to use in the classroom, others thought the same but would restrict the use of blogs to only primary students and in particular Stage 3. They felt that there use would be limited in the lower grades and would not be an effective learning tool. Other's felt that whilst they were a great tool for us adults to play with, the introduction of a blog with their students would be more hassle then it was worth. As I mentioned it was interesting... It is my hope that by completing this module and course they will change their minds and see that if we step back and give the students the chance they will blow us away with what and how they can tackle the adventures and opportunities web2 offers.

I feel that this is the type of discussion that is taking place amongst many teachers in 2010. We find ourselves surrounded by, mesmerised and at times focused on the 'tool' and forget to think about the learning or ask why we are using it?

I completed an E-Learning project last year with Year 6. We designed and made short films and used a blog to communicate our ideas and continue the discussions groups were having outside of school time. E-Learning promotes learning anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I saw this first hand and witnessed the great impact blogs can have on developing student communication and collaboration. Even amongst the weakest of students. Changing the platform and presentation of the work made a huge impact. Some students who were not strong writers, where able to touch type and express their understanding of the concepts covered much better than when I had previously asked them to hand write responses. Other students who did not have the ‘biggest’ voice in person were able to be verbal online and have their opinion heard. Once we had set up how to use the blog safely the students became the knowledge creators! We used the blog as a tool for students to discuss their major projects (making a short film) as well as a way to communicate and show parents what Year 6 were up to.

I feel that the E-learning focus is trying to shift this thinking and move away from the 'tool' and make us think about the successes we and our students can feel from the introduction of more interactive and student directed learning which is aided by web2.0 tools

The breakfast club continues to have fun exploring the world of Web2.0~

Module 1 - The Adventure Begins!

My name is Amanda and I am a Stage 3 teacher at St Kevin's Primary School Eastwood.

I am, together with 12 other adventurous teachers from St Kevin’s embarking on the wonderful Web2.0 journey! We are all very excited about the different things we will discover and learn along the way. I am not only participating in the course but also wear the hat of ’Captain Facilitator'. This gives me the opportunity to experience the journey from two points of view :)

CAPTIAN FACILITATOR

As the facilitator I am aware of the varying abilities we have in our group. Like in any of our classrooms we have those that are experts, those that know a little and those that know not so much at all :) The best thing is that all members of our group are super keen and excited to enter, what some of them feel is a ‘whole new world’. My aim is for everyone feel they can have a go and work at their own pace, without feeling lost! I especially want those who are not digital natives to feel supported and valued!

We plan to meet once a week - Thursday mornings, for 'Breakfast Club' and begin each module together. I will demonstrate how to complete the 'tricky' parts and then give them time to work through the module. This seems to be working for both Module 1 and Module 2. The group successfully created iGoogle accounts and their own blogs!! YAY!!! I felt at times I needed to split myself into three or four versions but at the end of it we all got there! Working through this as a group I feel is removing possible frustration that people might feel if they completed it on their own.

Preparing module notes for each participant helped them work through the first two modules. They were handed out at the beginning of the meeting and broke down what was required to complete the module we were covering. This meant that once we had completed the 'tricky' parts they were able to finish the module in their own time and at their own pace. One other thing I found helpful was giving them little 'notes' in their pigeon holes about parts they needed to complete before we meet e.g. watching any YouTube videos before the breakfast club. This meant that when we came together as a group we would have a short chat over breakfast about the videos and then get straight into it!

The breakfast club is working very well. We have the support of our wonderful principal who has enabled us to cater for the meetings. Each week one member of the group provides breakfast... YUM! So far we have enjoyed fresh fruit and yogurt, cereal, toast, muffins and hot cakes with berries!! I am certain that this energises our minds and prepares our bodies for the adventures of the morning!


In summary - Web2.0 @ St Kevin's Primary
- Breakfast club once a week with yummies provided
- Web2.0 booklets handed out for each participant to keep all notes, passwords and module information together.
- Module preparation tasks handed out before meetings - example: watch videos, explore website
- Module notes handed out each meeting to help assist participants
- Fun is being had by all.... so far!

My Experience

Module One
- One thing that I love about the internet is that there is always something new or a new way to explain something that we might have heard of before. I found the video’s on Web2.0 very interesting and insightful. The main message I feel comes through all of them is that the internet has changed. It has gone from a being a single platform where we would gather information to a multi tiered interactive and collaborative platform that enables the creation and expansion of knowledge in a shared environment. It has moved from the two dimensional to the three dimensional. The impact this has on us as teachers is huge. For some it is exciting and others terrifying... One thing is for sure; we cannot avoid it or hide from it. We need to embark on the web2.0 journey together with each other and our students. I am EXCITED!