Embedded Task 2 - Blogs

Blogs

With my exploration of Google Blogger this week, I have discovered numerous technical features that I was previously unaware about. Blog posts appear in a reverse chronological order. This is a useful feature if you are regularly following someone’s blog to avoid scrolling down to the bottom of the page to read their newest entry. Blogs are generally single author writing, this is unless you share your log in details with someone else or if you are perhaps in a group and all contribute to the blog. There is the feature for other people to add comments to your blog on their thoughts and opinions which is a great option or providing feedback. The layout of your blog can be customized to an extent. There are a variety of templates to choose from that have colours and styles that can complement your blog's theme. You are also able to change the layout of your blog with your choice of heading layout and photo display and useful information. Blogs also allow you to embed various media into your posts, ranging from photos, images, videos and links to websites. The privacy settings involve numerous different features as who can comment on your blog and whether or not you view the comment before allowing it to be posted. There is also a Privacy Policy page that details all the information that Google Blogger can do with the details you provide them. I found Blogger a very user friendly website and was able to discover various features with relative ease. I also found that with no previous experience it only took a matter of minutes to navigate my way around the website and feel confident in what I was doing.

The use of blogs in my classroom would encourage various learning outcomes that support my digital pedagogy. I would predominately have my students use a blog in an assignment/assessment situation where they would record the process they went through in constructing their desired project. I would also have my students use blogs when designing projects where they could follow and collaborate with other students in their class but also other students in other schools where they could follow each others blogs about design elements, materials to be used and different construction processes. These activities will provide a solid supportive and collaborative mentality that the students can feel comfortable in expressing their own thoughts and opinions in.

A suggestion of how I would specifically use this in an assignment/assessment situation was made aware to me when reflecting on my last years prac. My students were completing an assignment where they were to design and construct an object only using used plastic bottles and where the item created must be able to be used as a functioning/useful object. In this situation, I would ask my students at the end of each week to write about the process that they had gone through that week in the development of their project. They would be able to record changes in their thoughts on design, links to YouTube videos of projects that have been completed by others and upload photos of different ideas and go through an analysis process until they had come up with their own ultimate design.

From a teachers perspective of using ICT for learning, this would give the availability to follow each students thought process and make comments along the way to help and guide them in their decision making process at any time and not just restricted to classroom lesson time. It would also provide a detailed account of the journey taken to achieve this desired outcome which is just as important as the execution and building of the object. The students would also learn from this form of ICT as they could follow each others blogs and make suggestions to their peers as well as receive prompt feedback from the teacher. They would also have the option of following blogs of others who were concerned about environmental issues and collaborate ideas with them.

Blogs provide a good example of how using ICT for learning can be implemented into the Manual Arts teaching discipline and this is definitely a good form of digital pedagogy. To support this, I have used the SAMR model to demonstrate how blogs can be beneficial in the classroom and value add to the learning of students.  

Week 3 Reflections on Blogs, Wiki's and Websites

BLOG

Having never heard the term blog before and therefor having no idea what one was, it was described to me as an online journal/diary which had the function for other people to read and comment on. Whilst this was a new concept to me, I was able to envisage how it worked and the benefits of its functions. Once I was past the initial 'signing up' process I found navigating my way around Blogger relatively easy and user friendly and was able to find the basic features and setup of it without to much trouble.

From my basic understanding this far, blogs have a specific layout with being in reverse chronological order (newest post being read first). This is a good feature if you regularly follow someones blog rather than scrolling all the way to the bottom in order to read their latest post. I have also found you can customise the layout/design of your blog with different colours, features and themes depending with what you are blogging about. my findings have also found that there are numerous forms of media that you can embed in your blog, such as videos, photos, pictures and also the availability to linking websites. Although blogs are single author , they allow for comments to be written by other people which is convenient for feedback. I also like the idea that you can follow someones blogs and keep up to date with their writing and thoughts.

I can see the use of blogs can be integrated into  my Manual Arts discipline. Obviously this subject is  divided into a practical component coupled with a theory element to support this. My initial idea would be to have students use a blog to record all their thoughts and ideas about an assignment they were working on and the process and steps they were taking to get there. Every week they could write any new thoughts and ideas that they had about their project and process and embed photos/pictures into it and link websites where they had found similar projects. This was originally done all manually with a portfolio that would be supplied with all their workings in however a blog would allow for more information to be stored and also allow for other students and the teacher to follow their process on the way and also make suggestions.

WIKI

I found creating my own Wiki considerably more difficult than my blog. I struggled to understand the concept of it, how and why I was creating users and where I would ever use something of this nature in my classroom. The wiki task last week (deBono's Hats theory) was a good starting point for me into seeing the benefits of this form of ICT and how it worked. However it was only after watching this weeks short video (on vimeo in Moodle) that I was really able to understood how Wiki worked and the benefits of using it (although it is still very unfamiliar to me as I would pick up a phone and call someone any day over emailing them haha)

I found navigating myself around my Wiki more difficult and found it not as user friendly as my blog. Whilst I found the basic features I don't believe there is as much to customise/personalise in this as there was in Blogger (Or this could simply be my lack of skill in navigating around Wiki).  Wiki offers a multi author facility where anyone can add/edit/delete information. This information can be in the form of text, pictures/images, videos and links to websites.

Wiki could be a useful activity to use in my class when doing group assignments/class assignments and where I need students to work collaboratively on the one activity. An example of this would be if the class were collaborating together on a class project and each person (or small group) were given things to do/research etc. They could then add their information on what was needed for the project, what items had been found, links to other pages on ideas etc (I got this idea from the camping trip wiki on moodle).

WEBSITES

Out of the three online spaces investigated this week, websites is the one I am most familiar with and knowledgeable about. I have previously been part of creating my own website for my business. Whilst I was not the person building the website I was a part of the layout, structure and editing of it.

I am unsure how I would use this in the classroom. My only thoughts are to have this as a 'go to' website for students when it came to assignments etc. As the teacher I could upload criteria sheets, task descriptions, referencing guides, manuals, explanation videos etc that the students could access whenever they needed to. This could also eliminate any excuses on students losing any required paperwork.

Embedded Task 1 - deBono's Six Thinking Hats

When working through the course material and readings for both this week and last week I was able to significantly gain a grasp on just how the use of ICT is important and can be beneficial for students to scaffold their learning. This has allowed me start analysing the theories surrounding the use of ICT in the classroom and forming thoughts on my own digital pedagogies that I will incorporate into my classroom as a pre-service and graduate teacher.

The Wiki activity I participated in allowed me to reflect on various frameworks that were introduced this week such as the SAMR Model and Blooms Cognitive Taxonomy. Blooms Cognitive Taxonomy specifically related to this Wiki activity and scaffolded students learning by allowing them to evaluate and analyse various perspectives on a controversial subject whilst needing to remain open minded with each hat that they metaphorically wore.  

This activity encapsulates numerous good productive pedagogies. Due to this, the design of this wiki activity would provide many positive outcomes for students by scaffolding various different learning styles. This style of activity allows the student to work independently by forming their own thoughts and ideas on the subject, but also collaboratively as responses are grouped together allowing perusal of other students perspectives. By the students being able to view their peers thoughts and opinions, this activity would also support some students who may not feel confident with their own answers and may otherwise not have participated in the activity. Whilst this has the potential to lead to some students simply copying other responses and not developing their own thoughts and ideas, I feel the benefits of this activity outweigh the potential negative. DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats activity also enabled the students to think creatively as they wore each different hat. This is a valuable tool for students to have as it allows them to think critically which will help facilitate a higher order thinking process. Wiki activities can also value add to students learning by allowing them to go into their initial response to the task and update their thoughts and ideas.

I believe that the use of wiki is a valuable ICT activity and promotes good digital pedagogy. I especially see the value and significance in using deBono’s Six Thinking Hats as an educational tool for students to use and can be altered to suit any topic or discussion.  

Week 2 Reflection

Blooms Taxonomy, SAMR Model and Digital Pedagogy

I had never heard of Blooms Taxonomy or the SAMR Model before so these were both new ideas/concepts for me to familiarise myself with this week which has been somewhat overwhelming, as well as the relation to them and digital pedagogies. After working through the activities and reading  I felt the SAMR Model would be an excellent starting point for any teacher (pre-service of graduate) to use in deciding when it is appropriate to use digital technologies in their classroom to enhance the learning of their students. This is certainly something that I will be using in my workshop to enhance my students learning experience with the use of ICT or indeed whether the use of ICT is appropriate for the task. With not knowing a great deal about ICT and never really using it for learning before, it would be easy for me to fall into the ‘Substitution’ category by trying too hard to implement it in my lessons and therefor Blooms taxonomy would also support me in this issue. Hopefully with the use of both Blooms Taxonomy and SAMR Model I would be able to create activities that utilized ICT to the greatest potential in the classroom.

Week 2 - Pedagogy Table

PEDAGOGY	WHAT DOES IT ‘’LOOK LIKE’’ IN PRACTICE	WHAT DOES IT NOT LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE
Facilitating deep knowledge through higher order thinking	Dr Judy Willis discusses how Higher Order thinking in the brain can be achieved by teaching students the way in how to process information and to come to a conclusion themselves. In practice it is important for the student to develop the tools to critically think about a situation and gather knowledge to be able to work out scenarios etc	Although important for some test/exam situations, simply being able to recite and recall facts does not allow for high order thinking.
Facilitating collaborative learning in which conversations are important	Group activities and group/classroom discussions all support collaborative learning. In my experience, students find this learning fun and can bounce ideas off each other and can feel more comfortable in suggesting ideas.	Collaborative learning still needs to be managed by teachers to ensure that all students are treated fairly and equally within the group.
Supporting students in knowing how they learn best	Students are all diverse and learn in different ways and therefore cannot all be taught and educated in the same way/using the same method. Some students are visual learners, some students learn best through rote learning and some students learn through a variety of methods. Therefore a good teacher will have a variety of ways to teach their students and will be flexible in their teaching method to best support their students learning. This is not only about the teaching of individual students but about the difference in generations and is especially true with Generation Z and the extent to which Gen Z learns through/with ICT and the large role it plays in their everyday lives.	Although this was the case in a traditional classroom, it is no longer appropriate for the teacher to simply stand at the front of a class and deliver information to their students. Rote learning has its place in a classroom, but is no longer considered to be the best method of teaching and cannot be used for all students.
Planning learning that is problem-based, and situated in real life contexts	Students need to relate to what they are learning for them to be engaged and interested in it. It is also important that when educating students they are not simply taught the facts but the application so they can then use this information in a variety of contexts. Dr Judy Willis explains this in further detail in her YouTube Video in Week 1 titled ‘The Science of Learning’. It is also important for students to be given problem –based questions and scenarios to think about as to represent real life issues. This is supported in Blooms Taxonomy in analysis, synthesis and evaluation.	Whilst learning needs to relate to real life, you  need to ensure that it is age appropriate for the students and something that they have an interest in.
Is relevant to students, and connects to their background knowledge	If the student is not connected to what they are learning and does not find the information relevant then their brain will go into boredom mode (which is the same as when the brain goes into stress) and the student simply will not retain any information.	Whist it is important for learning to connect to the students background knowledge, due to the large diversity of students in classrooms, this will need to be managed as to not have everyone always working by themselves and not being able to collaborate with other students.
Supports learning that is owned, controlled and managed by students themselves	It is imperative for students to always participate in learning. If students do not participate then they do not retain any information that is being presented. As mentioned by Dr Judy Willis, the use of a personal whiteboard for the students to write on and display answers on is a great idea. This way the student is managing their own learning without the fear of making mistakes.	Guidance must always be given by the teacher as although own learning is valuable for students, this could be misused and result in students falling behind or not learning what is required.
Is socially supportive, engaging, and values cultural knowledge	There is a growing population of culturally diverse students in today’s classrooms as well as students from different socio-economic backgrounds (as demonstrated in Sparks and Honeys slide show in week 1). It is therefore extremely important that the teacher is inclusive in all of their teaching practices and utilizes these opportunities. To not only support the diversity in the classroom but also to help educate the other students	Although as a teacher you do not make ‘exceptions’ for culturally diverse students you must still give all students the same opportunities to learn and follow an inclusive practice. A teacher who allows students form other countries to not participate in activities in not supporting cultural knowledge
Is supportive of the development of active citizenship, and strong group identity.	By educating students about the local community, you can focus projects/assignments on these issues. This would lead to the students having a sense of belonging in the community and feel like their help has been worthwhile and they have an identity to be proud of. This also allows students to be creative in their ideas and execution of the task. Students developing a sense of citizenship and group identity can also be done internally in the school by having class leaders and special jobs for different students	Projects need to be appropriate for students and everyone should participate equally otherwise the feeling of group identity will be lost.

Week 1 Reflection

Being a Generation X and having worked in the building industry from a very young age, technology has never been a part of my life or learning so far. Until starting this degree I had never sat in front of a computer to do any 'work' and had only used a computer for ebay and the like.  I therefore can be quickly overwhelmed with any form of technology and the extent to which it now has a place in the lives of students both in and outside the classroom.

As Sparks and Honey demonstrate in their slideshow 'Meet Generation Z: Forget Everything You Learned About Millennials'',  Generation Z are very different from all previous generations before them, they are the generation of technology and use technology as part of their everyday learning and life. This is one of the most important aspects for teachers to realise when educating Generation Z students.Teachers need to know and understand how to use technology effectively and to enhance the students learning experience.  Although technology has had its many benefits for this current generation, teachers also express the negative implications that technology has had such as short attention spans and the students lack of effort in their work.

Dr Judy Willis's YouTube clip The Science of Learning discusses how the brain works when students go into boredom mode. This information on how the brain functions is vital for teachers to understand when educating their students, as even some small changes in pedagogy such as changing their whiteboard pen colour and using signals/gestures can have a profound effect on the students ability to learn. These small but effective changes focuses the students attention, creates curiosity in the classroom environment and can allow the student to participate more freely. Another interesting point that Dr Willis points out is that it is of far greater importance to teach students application and to give them the tools for learning rather than the just the facts.

The TED talk given by Sir Ken Robinson in 2006, 'Do Schools kill creativity', made a powerful statement that creativity is just as important in literacy in education. He also goes on to mention about how subjects worldwide are seen to be considered more important than others with 'The Arts' always being at the bottom. I particularly like his Picasso Quote 'We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it'. Being a teacher that utilises creativity as part of their pedagogy will ultimately have more engaged and participating students who are willing to learn.

The Eduptopia YouTube video 'An Introduction into Technology Integration', whilst only short still delivers some valuable messages about how although learning without technology is fine, if technology can improve your learning then it should be utilised. This is a message which I feel is very important for teachers to understand, as some teachers are from a generation where technology was not commonly used in teaching and therefore this would make it very easy to fail to see the benefits that using technology in teaching achieves with today's students.

The use of digital technology in the Manual Arts discipline is more commonly used than what people may realise and definitely that of a traditional workshop/classroom environment and when I was at school. Although it has always been considered a very hands on and skill related subject area, the use of technologies plays a very large part in any classroom and I will endeavor to have it play a large part in any of my classrooms. This will range from YouTube clips that will show, promote and demonstrate ideas and methods, CAD and graphic programs for students to draw diagrams and plans of their item to be constructed and obviously any internet research that will be done as well (just to name a few).

Although ICT and digital technologies is not my strong point I very much look forward to learning about them and ways to integrate them into the classroom of today and use them to help my students learning and experiance.

Who am I?

Hi,

My name is Brett, I have recently turned 43 and just starting my 2nd year studying at CQU. I was born in England and emigrated to Australia just over 12 years ago where I bought acreage on the Sunshine Coast. I love the farm lifestyle with being outdoors and creating a beautiful home and property for my family.

I am a carpenter/ licensed builder but decided for a life change a couple of years ago so this is my first time studying at uni so all of this is very new to me. I'm not a fan of technology (at any level) so I am having some major concerns and worries about how I will go with a course focusing on e-learning and everything digital. Until this course I had never even heard of a 'blog' and indeed what it was.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone