Nat’s Blog

2nd-competency-test

After taking the IT competency test for the2nd time at the end of 13 weeks, there is a noticeable difference in my IT ability and knowledge. In the first competency test I took I scored 44 whereas the 2nd time my test score had risen up to 64 out of a possible 75 marks.

Some specific areas showed great improvements where as other programs I already had a pretty good understanding of. A major change which will greatly benefit me as a teacher is the fact that I now understand what it means to be a constructive teacher and methods I can use to incorporate this into my teaching style. By being a constructive teacher through the use of I.T, I would allow my students to take control of their own learning.

Other significant improvements which I noticed is m experience with Graphic Organizers such as Inspiration and Problem based learning such as web quests. I had not heard of either of these terms or programs before and am now aware of how to use these to benefit the learning of students and to move towards a more constructive classroom environment.

The final portfolio item (photo story) provided me with experience in creating multimedia projects and introduced me to some relevant programs which could be used in the classroom.

Overall, throughout the 13 weeks of ICT, I have refreshed my knowledge of many computer skills and programs as well as being introduced to some great activities and programs which would assist me in becoming an effective ICT teacher.

However, my reflecting on my 2nd competency test, it appears that there are still a few areas which I could improve on such as making digital videos. While I am capable of editing still photos, I have no experience in editing footage taken from a video camera. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to focus a bit more on spreadsheets and learn some more complex formulas in order to create effective and easy to use spreadsheets that would assist me in the classroom as a teacher.

Throughout the course, I have broadened by knowledge of ICT and am now able to utilize a wider range of programs and activities that would be beneficial in classroom situations as a teacher. My learning in this unit will be able to assist me in my future career as a teacher in many ways. I now have a wider knowledge of more computer programs and activities and am aware of their functions. I now feel confident in teaching and assisting others in using such programs and am more capable of using these programs in a manner which would be effective and beneficial to the learning of my students. My new found knowledge on constructivism and what it means to be a constructive teacher will assist me in making my classroom more hands on, enjoyable and a greater learning environment. By understanding programs such as inspiration and activities such as web quests I will be able to provide my students with a wide range of IT activities to enhance their learning and provide a variety of learning styles for different cognitive abilities.

I feel that I am now better equipped to be a more effective teacher in terms of using technology and providing students with various opportunities and learning styles throughout their schooling.

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This week our tutor didn’t show up so i had fun exploring the program for myself as i wont be present at next week tutorial either. I downloaded the program at home and went through it step by step to make my photo. Photo Story 3 is pretty self explanatory and straight forward as it was set up in steps. First i uploaded the pictures. I then added words to the slides followed by custom animations and slide transitions. To make the background music for my photo story i cropped a variety of songs (by Matchbox 20) and edited and put them together using Nero Wave editor. I faded the songs in and out so the transition between each song was more smooth.

For my photo story i used a recent trip to the hunter valley which i went with my boyfriend, 5 of his mates and 3 of their girlfriends. We stayed in an amazing house called Quambatook house which was on a large property with a swimming pool, pool table, 4 bathrooms, 6 bedrooms, 2 spa baths, an x-box, playstation 2 and all the latest Dvd’s to keep us entertained. We stayed there fore 3 days and during that time ate too much, drank too much and took way too many photos. On the evening of the 2nd day we were heading to the Matchbox 20 concert which was at Tempus Two Winery. Before heading off we decided to have a photo shoot in the backyard which is where most of my photos come from. Despite a bit of rain, we put on our ponchos and had an awesome time at the concert with our wine and cheese, eventually bribing the security guards with $20 to let us into the V.I.P area.

I chose to use this weekend away for my photo story because i had an awesome time and it’s something i will always remember. Enjoy!!!

My Photo Story

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This week was both easy and challenging. I found it difficult to understand what sort of information we were supposed to present and how to present it. However, constructing the actual powerpoint was quite straight forward as I already have a pretty good understanding of the functions of powerpoint as i use it at home and used it often during school. I am able to do things such as changing the background, text, adding sound, pictures, hyperlinks, videos and effects. I tried to make it visually appealing as well as having simple information on each slide to teach about the Animal Kingdom and discuss the technology i could use to assist in teaching students.

PowerPoint

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Over the past two weeks i have worked on my inspiration mind map. At first i was confused about whether to do online games or something which i could use for educational purposes. In the end i decided to create a mind map based on the animal kingdom, separating animals into vertebrates and invertebrates and then further groups such as mammals. Within the mind map i included links to internet sites which go into greater detail about each animal group. Also, i included some links to sites which may help with revision. These include a quiz which tests that students are aware of what group animals are categorised into and why, a drop and drag quiz putting animals into their appropriate group and an online virtual game where students can interact with each other in an animal kingdom theme. These will assist children to revise what they have learnt and will create hands on learning which they can control at their own pace.

 During the process, i realised just how relevant and useful Inspiration is for both students and teachers. It allows students and teachersto brainstorm topics and ideas and can even be used for teachers to help plan lessons. It allows an easy way to demonstrate with both pictures, text and hyperlinks and is a great visual aid for students to make connections when learning about a specific topic. The program is interesting, fun, colourful, educational and interactive making Inspiration and Kidspirationprograms which would definately be useful in a teaching career.

The Animal Kingdom- Information

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 Excel Grade Book

For this portfolio i had to think back to year 11 when i learnt about Excel for I.T. despite doing well in this subject i had absoultely no memory of how to use different formulas in excel such as the IF function. LUCKILY, i had kept my text book which i dug out to help me.

I constructed a spread sheet with 26 students and recorded their marks over key subjects in their term 2 results. I formulated their average scores over each subject and noted whether they will recieve a certificate or a ribbon based on their test results.

Finally, i constructed a graph showing each students average test mark so it is visually clear which students are achieving higher than others.

By doing this activity, it made me remember the sorts of functions and formulas i had practiced in year 11 and made me realise how usefull Excel is for classroom use and recording student data.

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So this post is all about ME…cos thats what an autobiography was. Just click on the thumbnail below if you wanna know more about me!

I’ve been using microsoft publisher since i was about 7 to make birthday cards and to do assignments on so i had a pretty good understanding of how to work it. The only problem i had was deciding what sort of information would be considered as interesting because i generally hate describing and talking about myself and think i sound like an idiot so hopefully its not as boring as i think it is.

 Since i already knew most aspects of publisher, i looked at another program called Arcsoft Photoimpression 3 which is a photo editing program which came with my webcam. It also came with Videoimpression which im yet to install.

The program isnt as advanced as Photoshop but allows for some different effects.

Similarly, i can edit photos using cropping, retouching, adding text, enhancing, adding effects and layering. The program also allows me to recreate the image by using frames and edges, the cookie cutter, making calendars, greeting cards, or photo fun (e.g. putting someones face on a predesigned body or scenario). As i love photography and editing photos, i had a lot of fun experimenting with this program. Some examples of work are below using cookie cutter, photo fun and frames/ edges.

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WEBQUEST #1- ARTQUEST

(http://teacherweb.com/IN/PNC/ArtWebQuest/)

Evaluation Rubric

 The task requires a group of four students (sculpture selector, renaissance researcher, modern art masterpieces and Indiana art investigator) to collaborate a collection of works for an exhibition. Each role allows students to explore different aspects of art and learn through feedback of fellow team members.

It is aesthetically presented as it uses relevant, colourful images as hyperlinks, assisting students to make connections to certain concepts which they are researching. The text is big and colourful and brief so that students remain focussed and interested on the task, as it is aimed for years 3-5 students. The navigation is also easily understood with many links to recommended sites to find information on their specialised role. Links are highly relevant with only 3-5 links listed to ensure that students are not overwhelmed with too much information from various sources.

The colours, layout and ease of site navigation assists in motivating students to learn more and get the most out of their research. While the task as whole as well as individual tasks are clearly explained in number points and steps, the introduction could include a bit more information on the background of the task and possible considerations.

The cognitive level of the task is quite high as the task is engaging and requires students to work together and synthesise their ideas to create a whole.

Finally, the evaluation provides a list of what teachers will be looking for within each presentation as well as rubric cube for the teacher to ensure each WebQuest is fairly evaluated and a set standard of marking criteria is maintained.

WEBQUEST #2 – SHOPPING SPREE

(http://216.101.58.17/ms/lnelson/Shopping%20Webquest/1Shopping%20Home.htm)

Evaluation Rubric 2

This Web quest is aimed at students from years 6-8 to assist with mathematics skills. It requires planning and organising money and spending with students having different roles to create a final PowerPoint presentation and individual report.

The site is attractive with a maths grid for the background, coloured fonts, headings and subheadings, animated images and tables to organise information. Furthermore, navigation of the page is easy to follow with obvious and relative links and hyperlinks.

As intended for an older age group, colours and pictures are not so widely used, but interesting concepts and ideas are used to motivate students and achieve a higher level of interest.

Again, the introduction could be more detailed about what background knowledge will be built upon, but it gives students an idea of what maths and money issues they will be dealing with.

The steps of the task are well set, numbered and easy to follow. Difficult maths steps and equations include links to Word documents to assist students to set out their work and calculations clearly and effectively.

The process also requires students to explore different aspects of the task with varying roles to ensure each student has a fair contribution and the task is completed effectively. These responsibilities and decisions must then be discussed as a group to come up with the best presentation.

The resources aren’t so straightforward this is aimed at an older age group and allows individual input and research ideas. However, some resources are set out in easy to read tables with a list of charities as well as links to recommended stores to purchase items and search engines if students wish to extend their research project.

As a more complex web quest, the evaluation rubric allows teachers to evaluate each aspect of the project as well as overall group work. This enables students to reflect on their own achievements, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses.

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This week, I further explored the concept of WebQuests whilst completing portfolio item 3. While I learnt the basic idea and concept of WebQuests last week, the portfolio item enabled me to evaluate and determine which would be most beneficial for students within the classroom and how they support constructivist learning, actively engaging the children in their own group research tasks.
To help me further understand constructivist learning and teaching and how it can be incorporated into ICT as well as normal class activities I researched the characteristics of constructivism.
After my research, I gathered the following points regarding constructivist learning:

• Teachers should create real world environments that employ the context in which learning is relevant

• Provide multiple representations and perspectives on content

• Goals and objectives should be negotiated not imposed

• Evaluation should serve as a self analysis tool

• Learning should be internally controlled and mediated by learners

• Teachers should encourage the use of various modes of representation

• Encourage students to construct knowledge rather than reproduce it

  Ultimately, WebQuests are a great example of constructivist learning with students working cooperatively, using different sources to present new information in an interesting way where they are in control of what they research and their methods of presentation.
   “Intelligence organizes the world by organizing itself”- Piaget

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For my portfolio item 2 i chose an old cartoon to research, Gumby. I chose Gumby as i knew there would be a wide range of websites available with varying information and loading speeds to assist in my evaluation of various search engines (Mamma, Ask and Google).

Gumby Web Search

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