Wikipedia is an interesting tool for students and educators alike. Whilst frowned upon in some institutions as a tool, it is considered to be overly accurate.
For students, wikipedia is a good resource to quickly refer to to find out or check on a particular piece of information.
In mathematics this could mean finding a explanation of how to do a solution slightly different (and perhaps slightly more understandable for the student) than what their teacher may have shown them. It can also be a better reference than a textbook or assist a parent in helping their child if they are unsure on the method themselves.
Further than that, it is possible for students to contribute to the information on wikipedia themselves.
Has anyone else actually posted on Wikipedia before?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Webquests
The first webquest I opened was the Freedom Fighter or Terrorist webquest. This was a very interesting way of depicting information. Once again this is a resource that has many possibilities. One of the major advantages is the ability for students to access this outside of conventional class hours. The information could be rendered in such a way to appeal to many types of learners, particularly the visual and the introvert learners.
The use of webcasts would change the face of the classroom greatly. A classroom wouldn't necessarily become a quiet place, more likely a hub of busy discussion and chatter. The teacher would become a moderator, a person who assists when students become stuck or unsure. A person to answer questions and steer students in the right direction if they get lost. This approach would be a large turn away from chalk and talk but at the same time, hold similar attributes. The large difference is the medium the students are engaging in. The computer, the webcast is a medium that appeals to today's students, as opposed to the board and chalk of yesteryear.
A large implication I foresee for the webcast is time. It would take a large amount of initial time to create the webcast which may only cover a week or two's worth of curriculum. Many hours would be taken to complete the full webcast document. The second issue is availability of subject matter. For a plan to completely change over to webcasts would required a great amount of resources that could be accessed and manipulated quickly and easily. They would also need to be able to access the resources at times when the computer system might fail.
These implications don't make it impossible to suggest, nor should it make the idea obsolete, instead it just means there needs to be a contingency plan. Overall, the webcast would need to cover almost an entire set of subject matter to be a viable alternative.
The use of webcasts would change the face of the classroom greatly. A classroom wouldn't necessarily become a quiet place, more likely a hub of busy discussion and chatter. The teacher would become a moderator, a person who assists when students become stuck or unsure. A person to answer questions and steer students in the right direction if they get lost. This approach would be a large turn away from chalk and talk but at the same time, hold similar attributes. The large difference is the medium the students are engaging in. The computer, the webcast is a medium that appeals to today's students, as opposed to the board and chalk of yesteryear.
A large implication I foresee for the webcast is time. It would take a large amount of initial time to create the webcast which may only cover a week or two's worth of curriculum. Many hours would be taken to complete the full webcast document. The second issue is availability of subject matter. For a plan to completely change over to webcasts would required a great amount of resources that could be accessed and manipulated quickly and easily. They would also need to be able to access the resources at times when the computer system might fail.
These implications don't make it impossible to suggest, nor should it make the idea obsolete, instead it just means there needs to be a contingency plan. Overall, the webcast would need to cover almost an entire set of subject matter to be a viable alternative.
Google Earth
Tonight I have re-opened Google earth for the first time in a long time. I had never used the street view function on google earth before so this was a new experience for me. I was surprised at some of the photos and how good of a view it gave. This was interesting to get down and look at some locations I had never seen before such as a street in New York. For students this is an invaluable tool for experiencing areas around the world. Whilst I may not have as much use for it in mathematics, there could still be creative lessons such as when we are studying trigonometry where we could research things like the Roman and Egyptian structures that were based heavily on these theorems.
In physics we could also research areas of the world of geometric and physics significance. If I was to ever teach a junior social science class Google earth would be a gold mine of opportunities.
In physics we could also research areas of the world of geometric and physics significance. If I was to ever teach a junior social science class Google earth would be a gold mine of opportunities.
Podcasts
Podcasts offer a world of possibilities for teachers and students alike. Firstly and foremostly they tap into the technology that students love most. Mp3 players/ipods/phones. All of these devices are capable of playing podcasts and the majority of students would have access to one of these.
Podcasts could be used to revise information before exams. Video could be added so as students can watch an example of working (for mathematics and physics). These would be convenient for students as they could watch or listen to them anytime, on the way to or from work/school/home.
Listening could be on a new subject, revision or extra content. This extra content could be optional for students who wanted to extend their knowledge beyond the requirements of the subject.
Once again, this ties in with today's students being digitally native and taking advantage of the fact.
Another use for the podcasts could be for preintroduciton to the next lessons content. Preperation for the next class could be listening to a ten minute podcast provoking thoughts, interest and prompting questions to be asked for the next lesson.
These are far from all the uses for podcasts, however they are many of the purposes that I would use them for within my digital age classroom.
Reference:
Marc Prensky (2001), Unknown, Viewed 16th December 2009, http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Podcasts could be used to revise information before exams. Video could be added so as students can watch an example of working (for mathematics and physics). These would be convenient for students as they could watch or listen to them anytime, on the way to or from work/school/home.
Listening could be on a new subject, revision or extra content. This extra content could be optional for students who wanted to extend their knowledge beyond the requirements of the subject.
Once again, this ties in with today's students being digitally native and taking advantage of the fact.
Another use for the podcasts could be for preintroduciton to the next lessons content. Preperation for the next class could be listening to a ten minute podcast provoking thoughts, interest and prompting questions to be asked for the next lesson.
These are far from all the uses for podcasts, however they are many of the purposes that I would use them for within my digital age classroom.
Reference:
Marc Prensky (2001), Unknown, Viewed 16th December 2009, http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Youtube
The VIDEO I found on youtube ties in with Physics that I would teach in grade 11.
In a cartoonish fun way this video explains several laws of physics and gives demonstrations of their application. This could be a good introductory icebreaker for the lesson or used to reiterate content that has just been covered within the class. After the video has been played a class discussion could be entered to discuss the meaning of the content. Students would be able to write notes and bounce ideas off their peers, steering the lesson away from chalk and talk.
In a cartoonish fun way this video explains several laws of physics and gives demonstrations of their application. This could be a good introductory icebreaker for the lesson or used to reiterate content that has just been covered within the class. After the video has been played a class discussion could be entered to discuss the meaning of the content. Students would be able to write notes and bounce ideas off their peers, steering the lesson away from chalk and talk.
Online Quiz
Here is the URL for my online quiz, its short I know, but just testing the waters really
http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=0dc2e0fe8a8cd7bd45cd34836d8cc5b4
At present, I have been unable to upload it to my e.portfolio as I have not been able to access the page to sign up.
I asked several of my friends to attempt the quiz to test it out, and had a look at it myself.
This was a relatively simple task to complete, I could see this as being a useful tool for short testing for students, revision or even homework tasks.
I feel that the short answer part would not be as useful for mathematics, however in physics this would be acceptionally useful
http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=0dc2e0fe8a8cd7bd45cd34836d8cc5b4
At present, I have been unable to upload it to my e.portfolio as I have not been able to access the page to sign up.
I asked several of my friends to attempt the quiz to test it out, and had a look at it myself.
This was a relatively simple task to complete, I could see this as being a useful tool for short testing for students, revision or even homework tasks.
I feel that the short answer part would not be as useful for mathematics, however in physics this would be acceptionally useful
Picnik
I had a quick fiddle with this photo that was standard issue on the Picnik website, I cropped it, I also tried the resize, but decided to leave it as it is. I modified the exposure and the sharpness and this is what I came up with. It reminded me of what you see in movies just before the area is engulfed by a nuclear explosion. I realise this is a bit of a morbid photo when put in that context, at the same time I liked the way the effect worked so I thought I would post it anyway. This site was pretty simple to use and I feel it is something a student would have no trouble using either with a small amount of tutoring. This site could provide a good alternative for students/educators who need to upload images for projects and class tasks.
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