Using 'Wordle'

I really enjoyed using this site. It was fun, quick and easy. How fantastic would it be for creating 'word walls' in a classroom? Alternatively, students could construct their own works, utilising specific words. These might be subject specific words such as 'new' words at the start of a science unit, for which the students must come to know and make meaning for. This would be useful as a tool for developing vocabulary as students would have their own custom made record for reference.

Another application may be as a 'response' to a particular piece of literature or art or song or even an event. Students may be asked to reflect on this and then respond by listing all the words that this reflection evokes. As a personal response to stimuli, the changes students can make to individualise their word art (layout, font, colour) allow students a degree of creativity which may enhance their work. I have created a piece of word art using words that may suit a unit on biodiversity. See it here.

References

"Cognitive surplus"? (Shirky, 2010)

Is this an example of the cognitive surplus, of which Shirky (2010) was referring to; in action? I first saw this advertisement when it aired on commercial television on August 6, (Hiroshima Day) this year. View the advertisement 'A Million Pleas to free the world of nuclear weapons' here.

When I sourced the ad on the Internet I found this school site in Victoria. View student responses to this advertisement here. This is a powerful ad and its potential to engage students around the world, in orchestrating nuclear disarmament, is inspiring. It reflects the ability of information communication technologies (ICT)to provide an 'instant' public platform for students in order to give them 'a voice' in the 'online community'.

References

Hawkesdale P12...A Global Techno College. (2010). Million pleas: Campaign to free our world of nuclear weapons. Retrieved August 19, 2010 from http://hawkesdale.globalstudent.org.au/2010/08/05/million-pleas-campaign-to-free-our-world-of-nuclear-weapons/

millionpleas. (2010, August 10). A million pleas to free the world of nuclear weapons[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxOq9p6USew

TED. (2010, June). Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world.html

Blogging

Recently I researched visual literacy for another subject. Whilst researching the book 'Woolvs in the Sitee' written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Anne Spudvilas, I came across this blog. I like the opportunity that this type of blog allows students (and in this case, largely teachers) to interact and share their interpretation of matter in order to make meaning. View the blog here.




References

An Identity of One's Own. (2006, August 4). Woolvs in the sitee[Web log message]. Retrieved from http://myownidentity.blogspot.com/2006/08/woolvs-in-sitee.html




"A blog is a page on the Internet, a way to publish on the Web" (Heskett, 2009, p. 3). People communicate using blogs for a myriad of reasons. One could keep a blog as a personal reflective journal, or as an 'opinion page' with a running commentary on current social issues. Still others use it as a collaborative tool, such as the blog above for 'Woolvs in the Sitee'. However, as a collaborative tool it does have its limitations. One can post a comment to a blog, but cannot manipulate the information in any way.

Here is my attempt at keeping a reflective journal on exploring ICTs. I am totally out of my comfort zone and really have no wish to be 'published'! However, I shall do my best to engage with the technology and see what potentially amazing tools I can discover!

Heskett, T. (2009). Blogging in the classroom. Westminister, CA: Teacher Created Resources Inc.

"Digital Immigrant" (Prensky, 2001)

It seems there is some hope for me. I do not print emails before reading them (and in fact very rarely at all - only if it is of great significance, will I keep a 'hard copy'). I don't print work to edit it and I don't phone to see if my emails have arrived (Prensky, 2001). I do however print online journal articles for in depth reading and contemplation; but only after scanning for relevance and credibility. I still write first drafts on paper before typing into the computer. Then I can edit on screen. I worry that my own lack of engagement with ICT will be detrimental to the students in my classroom. Will I be the Learning Manager who in Prensky's (2005) words "enrages" her students with her inability to connect with them and their prior experience?

I happened to see a story on Nicholas Carr on ABC News recently. He was talking about his new book titled 'The Shallows'. It was very interesting! View an interview of Nicholas Carr on YouTube here.

Whilst searching for this story online I came across this article on ABC's 'The Drum' online. View the article 'This is Web 2.0, and it's changing our world' here.

This article referred me to Clay Shirky's talk 'How cognitive surplus will change the world'. View that talk here. These are somewhat conflicting views and I am looking forward to reading (yes, a book with pages) Nicholas Carr's book when I can next indulge in reading for pleasure. In the meantime I shall be 'clicking' away on Moodle...

References

ABC News. (2010, June 1). The conversation: Is the web rotting your brain?[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS_FwVI7Si4

Colvin, M. (2010). This is web 2.0, and it's changing our world. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/07/2946631.htm

TED. (2010, June). Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world.html

Learning Styles Cartoon

Image retrieved from http://www.mnispi.org/cartoon/2001/images/Learning%20Styles_gif.jpg

My Learning Style

Image courtesy of learning-styles-online.com

My learning style profile was not any surprise to me. I have done this test previously but even before that had realised that my preferred learning style is verbal. I love words! I love reading and writing and my preferred subjects at school were English and modern history and economics. Even in primary school I loved words. I loved looking at words and analysing word roots and learning about prefixes and suffixes in order to extend words and make meaning of new words. Being a verbal learner probably explains my learning success at school in the 70s and 80s when (most) classrooms were predominately teacher-centred. I was interested and listened and could understand the information in the format that it was presented. I enjoyed writing and was able to provide written evidence of my understanding of that information.

I also know that my least preferred learning style is visual. Although I love art and enjoy both participating in it and viewing it, I am not an overtly visual person. I don't particularly like graphic organisers (gasp) and would actually prefer to read the information and 'decode' the information for myself. I can read graphs and maps fine (perhaps because I am a logical learner to a degree?) but that is definitely not how I would choose to have learning material delivered. I am fairly sure that a large proportion of learners are predominately visual, so I am careful to acknowledge this in the classroom and to consider visual learners when planning lessons. Visual learners can be accommodated by providing visual aids and models for key information within a lesson. This may be in the form of diagrams or graphic organisers, which may help visual learners to more readily understand a process or internalise a concept. This link provide examples of how spelling activities can be adapted to cater for multiple intelligences in the classroom. Click here.

My graph also displays an equal preference for physical, solitary and social learning. This also makes perfect sense to me. When I am trying to 'think' something out, I will go for a walk, mow the lawn or tackle chores. I complete these whilst vigorously analysing and reviewing the current problem in my head (although I have been known to talk to myself on occasion too!).

I am a reflective learner. I do analyse and reflect on previous events and learning. I also enjoy being able to 'bounce' ideas off other people (learners) and compare understandings and clarify meaning by this method. Although I am capable of completing work as an external student (because I enjoy reading), I miss the opportunity of social learning. Yes, I know...I can still achieve this through contributing to forums and email among other information communication technologies (ICT). The problem with that is that I am a 'digital migrant' (Prensky, 2001)

References

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Teacher Education. (2007, December 1). Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://educ-reality.com/howard-gardners-multiple-intelligences/

Webquest - 'Biodiversity in Our Backyard' (SOSE)

I enjoyed viewing Eva's webquest and wondered if I could upload mine. I made my webquest (SOSE Curriculum & Pedagogy) for an assignment last year. Initially this concept filled me with fear as well! The idea of plotting the learning journey in order to achieve learning outcomes was appealing. It was the medium in which I was to construct the task which left me filled with dread. However, like most things in life, I soon discovered that reality was not nearly as scary as my imagination and once I actually started I thoroughly enjoyed the task and willingly spent considerable time on it.

View 'Biodiversity in Our Backyard'here.

Webquests engage students in the Dimension 4: Use Knowledge Meaningfully, process of investigation or inquiry (Marzano & Pickering, 2006, p. 191). The task involve an authentic purpose and require students to solve a problem or take some sort of action.