Reflective Synopsis

e-Learning is a really broad subject that can be described as any electronic technology based tool or environment utilised for learning. It has a multitude of uses for children in the classrooms of today including simple playful educational applications, social networks communication, research engines and the option of learning to create spaces on the internet. In this synopsis I will discuss the main topics required when teaching with technology today such as safe, ethical and legal practices, collaborative learning and the importance of pedagogy. Simply put, pedagogy is the art of teaching children. 

When working with children there is a great responsibility within that role. To not impose ideals and beliefs onto them can sometimes be difficult, especially when we, as adults have grown up in a world that has this everywhere. The next step is to ensure the safety of every child, by understanding the legal and ethical guidelines are followed. Confirming “…the individual, student (or the parent / carer of the child if under 18) has given permission before using their copyright works unless the use of the works is permitted under a statutory education licence or copyright exception”. (The State of Queensland (Department of Education, 2012) Refer to the National Copyright Guidelines. And also the importance of presenting to students the effects of using the internet due to the publicity it has. 

Say for example my class has a wiki where all the students link their wikis, blogs etc. and the work supplied by or for the student that has the student’s contribution, personal information or photos in it, would require fist permission from their guardians to allow them to show their work in or on a public site or even within the school community. 

Social interaction has a great influence on learning “The range of skill that can be developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained alone” (Vygotsky. L, Culatta. R, 2013 ) 

What Vygotsky outlines feels true because the more we communicate in the society the more we accomplish. That can be extended within the classroom environment with the facilitator using scaffolding or a framework to guide the students as they collaborate with each other to come to a solution or complete an assessment, that way when a student becomes confused, they feel supported. This modals the society we live in today. 

As I haven’t had experience in a teaching environment I could use such technology as Google docs, Wikis, Prezi and podcast or videos to enhance this collaborative construction environment. By using the digital tools in this way the students contribute to a group understanding of the activity. “The biggest impact of ICT on learning outcomes is where you are working towards complex outcomes, such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation.”-Moodle The social constructivist modal recognises collaboration to have the best effect within a learning environment. 

Over the last six weeks of learning a range of digital tools the importance of effective pedagogy emerged as a recurring theme. And underlining that theme was the framework of TPACK. The basis of TPACK framework explains that to use different technologies in pedagogically sound ways to make learning of specific content effective. Due to the amount of information that is incorporated in the new Australian Curriculum is very heavy and the amount of knowledge that is required for teachers to transfer to students needs to be learnt quickly and effectively so the pressure of the work load does not build to high. 

”We have moved from a relatively slow pace of change to an exponential rate. The rate of technological change is estimated to double every decade.”  (Wishard, 2008) 

The world seemingly getting quicker and the future work force will need to understand and be able to communicate effectively within a global context. So the use of technologies are important in pedagogy, such as visiting online museums to view a specific topic or researching a place or trip with Google Earth/Maps for an assignment can be ways I would implement technology into the pedagogy so that the students gain a greater understanding of the world and develop higher order thinking skills.

In Conclusion when working with digital tools I found it is of greater benefit for the students outcome where the scaffolding is there to guide or to question the students and their results which contributes to a high level of thinking and gives them a greater understanding. The importance of incorporating e-Learning into the pedagogy is paramount due to the large effect technology has on the world we live in now and in the future. From the knowledge and understanding I have gained with in this course Managing e-Learning, I will forever be looking for opportunities to use digital technology tools in my classrooms.

Reference

The State of Queensland (Department of Education, T. a. (2012). Obtaining and managing student and individual consent. Retrieved from Policy and Procedure Register: http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/corp/commmark/Pages/Obtaining-and-managing-student-and-individual-consent.aspx

Vygotsky. L, Culatta. R. (2013 ). Instructional Design. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-development.html

Wishard, V. (2008). World Trends Research. Retrieved from http://www.worldtrendsresearch.com/major-trends.php

Reflection 5 Group 4 Digital tools

This week I was asked to view and trial some of the group four tools and inform on their productive use in a teaching environment.
This week there was a large range of optional tools to select from in group four.  Some of the options suggest an online document such as Google docs (similar to Word)  is a great collaborative group work tool cause it can be accessed by many computers at once, or it can be used by an individual to compile research.The vast range of virtual educational games and activities on EdHeads , Froguts and exploring museums like the Museum of Science are tools that incite creativity and inspiration in children to learn more about the world they live in like exploring the earth, taking a safari tour or viewing the house students live in via Google Maps/Earth is  Fun exercises to lighten the load, or to create an interactive learning environment for children also. Another idea from the digital tools is creating timeline of history and interesting people on Dipity. These are all great ways to interact with the technology world into the classroom and create an environment for children to advance their knowledge of the world and technology we live in and with today in our society. 
Here is a links to the group four tools I mentioned
Google Docs – http://www.google.com/drive/apps.html?usp=ad_search&gclid=CLGi2aClgLkCFahepgodxgYA2Q
Google Earth - http://www.google.com/intl/en/earth/index.html
Froguts - http://www.froguts.com/
Edheads - http://edheads.org
Museum of Science - http://www.mos.org/
Dipity - http://www.dipity.com/

Reflection 4 Group 3/4 Digital tools

This week I was asked to create some of the tools listed and display there productive use in a teaching environment.

PowerPoint presentations, the original way to display a presentation, but there is more as I found out this week. You can create a multiple choice test for an interesting revision exercise, or maybe create an unique adventure story where the reader choses the path throughout the chapters. You can add pictures, videos and or sounds to make the experience more exiting.
Next we have Prezi, it has been referred to as PowerPoint on uppers, and this slide show presentation tool has a unique way of zooming into the slides within its presentation body, hiding key points until the time to show them. It is a great way to tell a story or present a series or activities or events or maybe even display a series of future opportunities available to the audience. The use of pictures, videos and or sounds also makes the experience more exiting.Glogster is basically an online scrapbook page where the author can present with information, links, pictures, sounds and or videos to make documentaries, present a procedure or an imaginative expression. Teachers or students could use this tool to present information or tell a story, for communication of messages, experiments or activities for future and past tense or simply to link visitors to a large range of student Glogs. Its other possibility is a reflection tool to allow students to reflect on their own learning and experiences.

Group 4 the options suggest an online group collaboration page such as Google docx, or exploring the world or house students live in via Google Maps/Earth fun exercises to lighten the load or creating timeline of history and interesting people on Dipity. These are all great ways to iteract the technology world into the classroom Here is a links to my online space that contains some of tools
Website: http://primary2013.webs.com/

Reflection 3 (Group Two Digital tools)

This week I was asked to create one of each of these tools and display them so that it is evident that I can productively use them in a teaching environment.

The first is Images, they present allot (A Picture says one thousand words...) they really do. How much information can you get out of a picture or possible scenarios? The possibilities are endless; they are great lesson/conversation starters. It allows the students to relax and become focused without forcing them. They can be very informative and Sequential, Say for following Instructions. Also they can be a way of reflecting on what has been done or memories shared throughout the year/’s.
Podcasts (Sound recordings) are a great communication tool. Say for follow an individual or a group, in one way or another. They can be used as a guided learning process, by an instructional sound to either create or learn something. You could also flip that and allow students to create podcasts as assessments, it provides a completely different way of assessing and it allows students to understand how they can use the developing technologies
Digital Video has a larger range of usages due to the fact it combines the audio and Imagery to create a moving picture. You can use video to make documentaries, historic films, present a procedure or an imaginative expression. In schools, Teachers or students could use this technology for communication of information, messages or an expression of ideas. It is also used for observation and analysis, to encourage students' to observe environments or experiments. Its other possibility is a reflection tool to allow students to reflect on their own learning and experiences.

Here is a links to my online space that contains my use of these tools
Website: http://primary2013.webs.com/

Reflection 2 (Group One Digital Tools)

This week I created a Website and a Wiki to add together with my blog makes three Digital Technology Design Tools. I am learning about them so I can in some way use these tools within my Teaching pedagogy, (Teaching style)

What are My Views? What do I know? This is what I have found
Wiki's are a great collaborative tool, they are basically a piece of butchers paper online. They can be viewed, edited and contributed by anyone, they can be used for group work or as a display of information someone has researched. The only down side is that only one participant can save at a time, so if two people were editing only one will save. Whereas blogs are a great communication tool, they are basically an online journal; they can be used to follow an individual or a group, in one way or another. For example, if a student was going on a field trip to Canberra for a week it could be used to document the trip for the parents to follow the progress, and or it can be assessed. Websites are more professional in the sense it displays an overall view, you can add videos, graphics and/or sounds, you can direct flow by adding links to other sites, wikis or blogs, you could also add a blog to the website. It could be a great tool to keep parents informed on what the class is doing during the weeks or terms.

Here are some links to my online spaces I created.

Wiki Space: http://primary2013.wikispaces.com/home

Website: http://primary2013.webs.com/

Reflection 1 (Activity DeBonosHats)

This week we had an activity to participate in a Wiki, It had one question“Do Mobile Devises Have a Place in Today’s Classrooms?”, it also had a scaffold/structure in place called De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats, which challenged us to take different views on the question.

The Activities Question, I believe firstly implies a self appointed answer that is then taken and developed from the knowledge and experience of the student which is a learning theory based in Behaviorism, Then it expands to the Connectivism, with the Scaffolding of the activity the use of De Bono's Hats calls for a higher level of thinking and research, it asks students to delve into self motivated learning. The Wiki used Aligns with the Social Constructivism approach by viewing other students work and the variety in which they answered the question invigorates the ideas and helps build toward the overall purpose of the activity. This is a great tool that can be used for collaborative group work and/or assessments as a teacher, or alternatively it could be used for parent teacher communications.

Hi to all you users

Hi to all you users reading this
This E-learning course looks like it will be an awesome experience.
Learning how to creating stuff on the internet.

Ps. I had an amazing walk to the beach this morning
and here is a picture of the log I sat on for the sun rise