The use of technology in todays
society is impacting learning in a significant ways (Sloan, De Nicolo, Kroeger, Low &
Melingakos, 2015). Images, audio and video are
a massive part of the lives of children today and it is fundamental their
education reflects this. Sloan, et. al., (2015) claim, this aspect of teaching is arguably the most
challenging part of today’s education. While ACARA (2013) advocate the importance
of developing foundational skills in computational thought processes, and
awareness of, and experiences with, digital systems, in the right ways from the early years. This
is why it is important teachers invest time in discovering innovative ways to
embrace digital learning tools. It enhances students’ experiences through
authentic learning and assists in achieving optimum comprehension of
declarative and procedural knowledge’s. This week, I investigate and analyse
the technical affordances of Flickr (image), Podomatic (podcasts) and WeVideo
(video), and their links to classroom practice.
Images, Using images in e-learning - Flickr:
Before now, to me Flickr was
something that I knew was cool but I hadn’t really had much to do with. Now I
know Flickr’s ‘cool’ reputation is only a smidge of what the site has to offer and
that Flickr is in fact a mesmerizing space, where the creative and talented connected
through photography and video and where the curious loose touch with reality as
they escape into the wide world of ‘one day, ill get there’. Flickr is almost best online photo management and sharing application in the world. They
aim to ease the photo sharing and organising process for their users while they
explore and draw inspiration from others. And it’s so simple. Honestly! All you
need is a name, an email address, and a phone number and you’re set to explore!
By, golly – its that easy now-adays. Check mine out, go on https://www.flickr.com/photos/135148225@N04/ . I uploaded a few images and wrote a bit about them. This was really
fun for me. I felt like I was giving the photo a voice and a reason. Flickr
excites me - the possibilities are marvelous.
Flickr has a lot to offer, here are
some technical aspects:
∆ Easy to navigate and navigate and follow. With a simple and clean layout, the site has
placed all search tabs along the top of the site.
∆ Simple steps when registering and logging in
∆ Free
∆ Password protected
∆ Windows XP SP3 or later
∆ High Definition images
∆ Tabs across the top of the site
∆ Allows user to like, comment, and share images
∆ ‘You’ tab encourages the use to personalize their account.
It links you to your recent activity (images that have previously been like,
commented on or shared by you), personal albums, groups that have been
connected to, and easy ways to organise.
∆ The groups function promotes discussion on photography and
prompts members to post specific photos e.g, ‘post your best motion photo’. It
also allows user to invite friend.
∆ Comment function enables links to be embedded. This
encourages connectivism as user explore beyond Flickr
∆ The ‘Explore’ tab suggests searches they the user may like
to explore. It also connects them to the Flickr blog. The blog posts random
photos from the Flickr gallery, related to a specific topic. Flickr invite
others to post photos relating to that topic on ‘gallery comment section’. The
comment takes photos only and text must be formatted using HTML code. Links are
encouraged to be embedded also.
∆ ‘Upload’ tab allows user to upload their own images. It
allows them to tag and write a comment about the image.
∆ ‘Search’ streamlines feed only presenting photos that
relate to the search
∆ Are able to tag,
limit access to, and post a short message about the images.
∆ Offers photos with creative commons – These photos are
free photos, it is fundamental educators and students use creative commons
photos, this provides an alternative to copyright and avoids legal implication.
There is a creative commons group where users can share free photos (I’ve
joined and it’s great!).
∆ Can invite friends from other social networks to
join.
∆ Up to a terabyte of free storage
Flickr can be used in many ways to
enhance a learning experience by promoting authentic learning and enhancing
engagement. When I really got thinking about and exploring all the ways Flickr
can be used in a teaching context, I couldn’t help but realize how lucky we are
to be educators of the 21st century. The possibilities are really
exciting, some of the technical affordances for Flickr in and early educational
setting (my major) are as follows:
∆ Use Flickr pictures as a stimulus tool. Children can
select an image which is of interest to them. This will promote the task in a
meaningful manner enhancing the overall experience for the learner.
∆ Creating a story board- Learners can make an album
dedicated to their story and arrange the images accordingly. They can then
leave a comment on all images and write the story.
∆ Team Flickr with Google earth and go on virtual
excursions. This is helpful especially when teaching history and geography.
∆ Create digital learning portfolios where children can
reflect on their experiences via comment. Peers are then able to enter their
zone of proximal development as they collaborate through the comment function,
build on their knowledge and clear up any misconceptions.
∆ Learners are able to use Flickr to add a multimodal aspect
to presentations and other assignments. The search function make it easy to
find a relevant image.
∆ Critical analysis of images as the learner breaks down the
photo and studies various parts to create a relevant story line etc- this
encourages higher order thinking skills
∆ Use Flickr in science by creating classified albums of
various groups species or create a photo story of a food chain or life cycle.
∆ Using Flickr to teach online literacies i.e., comment,
search, share, embed links etc.
∆ ‘Getting to know you’ activity (Thinking of Flickr in
relation to SAMR)
à Substitute – Use Flickr as a substitute for ‘Class Tree’.
Have children upload photo of them and their interests on to Flickr.
à Augment – Have Children create a ‘This is me’ Album, and
have them upload multiple images of them and their family , their interests and
their journey so far. Have students share comments on peers photo.
à Modification – Have students link, and discuss
similarities and differences in their photos, journey and interest through
comments on each others posts with the ‘group’ setting.
à Redefinition – Have group accessible by other cohorts in
the school, nationally and internationally and encourage discussion about
interest, and diversity.
Podcasting and Digital Audio - Podomatic
Podomatic… I think it was harder for
me than it was supposed to be. Using podomatic for the first time was
frustrating, and it was the also the first time in this course where I found my
self talking abruptly to my computer as I was so upset the darn thing wasn’t
working! I found I was especially frustated as I was following the technical
manual and I watch the instructions video on moodle. And then there it was, a
feeling of satisfying achievement. My podcast was successful, and I even worked
out how to add the video. (Just off the record, it turns out I was just
impatient and it was loading). That fist pump into the air was a great feeling,
almost made the hours of frustration worth it. So take a look, http://brydieblackburn.podomatic.com.
On here is a mixture of audio files and videos, also a few mistakes as I posted
a few of the same thing (a lot of the same thing, but hey I’m learning). Now
that I have the hang of it, I think podomatic is a great learning tool for recording
audio. Podomatic allows users to search, create and share podcast on any subject
they see fit. It also offers a minislide function that allows users to upload a
photo slideshow that can be set to an audio track. I can definitely see the
tool being used in my future classroom.
Podomatic has a lot to offer, here
are some technical features:
∆ Easy enough to navigate once the user is reasonably
familiar.
∆ Password protected
∆ Two versions, free basic version and pro, elaborated
version offering 2GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth (measure of the rate of data transfer).
∆ Signing up is quick and easy.
∆ Are able to create a personal profile with individual
episodes, able to follow peers, and create individualized playlists
∆ When making the podcast podomatic gives you step-by-step
instructions guiding the user through the creation
∆ Encourages users to comment on others work through the
prompting question ‘what do you think?’.
∆ Simple to publish with share and embed option with the
podcast’s URL explicitly provided. Also provided option to share with friends
on various social media platforms
∆ Able to share and discover music, able to search by genre
and able to download for free.
∆ Able to mark podcast and minicast with relevant tags.
Additionally Podomatic also provides search options to streamline hunt for
relevant/ specific podcasts. User is also able to assign their podcast a
category, i.e. Arts, science, education etc.
∆ No quality control in the podcasts, this means some
podcast may provide misguided, false and/or inappropriate information. Be sure
to listen to the full length of the podcast before using a published one as
learning tool etc.
Podomatic can be used in many ways to
enhance educational experiences. It’s a great way to engage students into
reading and speaking literacy, while at the same time promoting success in
online literacies, an essential development area for the 21st
century. The process of reflecting on Podomatic really pointed out to me that
this learning tool is more useful than I originally thought, some of the
technical affordances for the learning tool are as follows:
∆ Great for assessing children on reading and speaking
competencies, especially when marking after assessment (good reference).
∆ Have students tell their story audio. This is great for
children who don’t like writing but have the capabilities to construct a story
using the correct features.
∆ Have students interview others, pair this with video embed
relative photo, i.e learn about other countries by having students interview
other who are from that country or recently travelled there.
∆ Record discussion between groups
∆ Extend students by having them provide instructions or
tips on how to begin task.
∆ Transfer notes taken from an excursion or lesson to audio.
∆ Educator recapping lesson for students to refer to later.
∆ Class radio shows, children collaborate in pairs or groups
and host a reflective radio show about the classes week. This also promote
development of social skills
∆ Record various jingles to prompt children into routine,
i.e certain jingle for group rotation, silent working, children to the carpet.
∆ Effective way to provide instructions to students for
homework (in relation to the SAMR model):
à Substitution- Substitute homework instruction sheet for
instructions provided via audio podcast
à Augmentation- Use playlist to categorize podcasts by
subjects
à Modification- Provide homework via audio and have children
and parents their comment questions.
à Redefinition- Have children respond to instructions with a
reflection of their own homework tasks in their own podcasts. Children can then
connect with each other, assisting peers by answering questions. This also
builds online confidences and literacy, encourages higher order thinking as
they critically reflect and promotes speaking confidence.
Digital Video - WeVideo
Wevideo.. wow! That was fun! I had
such a good time playing with different sound effects, theme tunes, images,
video and text! Take a look, you’ll probably have a laugh https://www.wevideo.com/hub#editor/-1
. To be honest though, I don’t think I’m the most techno savvy person out,
however I am enjoying the challenge. This was, like the Podomatic, a smidge
harder for me than I think it would have been for my neighbor. And I’m glad I
persevered because the achievement was fulfilling. Thank god for the technical
manual and other directional videos online (I believe these are a must in
nearly all IT situations). Like the other two digital tools this week I can see
WeVideo as a very effective learning tool.
WeVideo has a lot to offer, here are some
technical features:
∆ The site is easy to navigate and if the user is stuck it
has a HELP button to the side.
∆ Site has multiple versions including a free version, free
version allows user to email and share video via social media however user will
need to pay should they wish to download the video.
∆ Simple steps to follow when making video
∆ Can add multimodal aspects to video such as, text, music,
voice recording.
∆ Special effects can be added like entry and exit
transitional features, theme tune.
∆ User can upload both video, image and audio file from own
documents.
∆ Allows the user to
create albums
∆ Password protected
∆ Specifically structured education (k-12) packs (these need
to be subscribed to).
∆ Each video publish is protected by privacy settings.
∆ Smooth publishing journey with a mere click of a button.
Site provides a code for embedding video into blogs ect.
∆ Can make the pages run a diverse time, ie a video page may
run for 10sec however the next page may be a photo and only need to run for 3.
WeVideo is a great way to promote
student centered learning. It will be an effective way to teach and learn. To
me, the creative process of the video construction is far more beneficial to
the students then the product itself. It is clear opportunities for children to
move in and out of the various higher order thinking skills will arise as they
collaborate, critically analysis, synthesize, and reflect while they are
researching, building, reviewing, and producing high quality work. WeVideo is a
fun way learners can demonstrate master understanding of various concepts. Some of the technical affordances for this
learning tool are as follows:
∆ Have children interview and record themselves
∆ Have children embed demonstration of science experiments
into presentations
∆ Present documentaries and other education footage in class
∆ Children collaborate and write, interpret, direct, film,
narrate and create a story line
∆ Great for public speaking assessment. Have students record
themselves focusing on stance, pitch tone etc. Have them record drafts and use
these to reflect. This will also help student feel a sense of success as they
see themselves improve.
∆ As free account has limitation of storage, children have
to resize photos to be able to fit all of the required content into a certain
time frame
∆ Have students create an advertisement for their blog and
have them embed this into their blog.
∆ Story board (in relation to the SAMR model):
à Substitution – Substitute a physical corkboard, story
board for a video of photos sequenced in the appropriate manner with the story
written using the add text option.
à Augmentation- Use the video to make the story board and
have student record the story over the photos using audio
à Modification – Have the students publish their video and
embed it into a blog where they reflect on the process.
à Redefinition- Have students collaborate and record or
photograph themselves acting out the storyboard have them narrate and create
the video from start to finish.
I also made a video in iMovie https://vimeo.com/135658427.
It was fun. It’s awesome to be able to construct something that feels so
professional.
Reference:
Australian
Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2013). Literacy. Retrieved
from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/digital-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
Sloan. K., De Nicolo., Kroeger, D., Low. J., & Melingakos. T. (2015). Learning and Leading with Technology, Reimagining learning in a participatory culture. Retrieved from: http://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/6955/LTT%20reimagining%20learning%20in%20a%20participatory%20culture%20for%20upload%20to%20site.pdf
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