Google Earth

What is Google Earth?

Google earth is a program that allows users to explore planet Earth focusing on any location that they want. Details such as cities, houses, mountains and bridges can be seen in 3D. The program is extremely easy to use, even people who aren’t computer literate can use this program comfortably. All you do is type in an address, suburb, city, country or even a mountain and it will instantly fly to the desired location. Once at the location you can simply click and drag the mouse curser around the map and explore the surroundings of the location. For example, I typed in Mount Everest and it flew to the location in an instant. Google earth has the ability to show Mt Everest and the surrounding mountains in 3D and in great detail. Depending on the population and popularity of a certain location will depend on the quality of the picture. Most of the land is covered in a reasonable rate however places such as Melbourne or Las Vegas are high resolution areas and will have a lot more detail than other less popular locations.
Google earth allows many layers to be turned on and off at the users choice. These layers include roads, 3D buildings and landmarks, street views, borders, traffic speed limits on certain roads, weather and picture galleries just to name a few of the features.

Theory and classroom uses for Google Earth

Google Earth makes links to Kearsley and Shneiderman’s (1999) Engagement Theory as this tool “provides rich, authentic and meaningful learning experiences”. Google Earth is an educational tool, as it makes learning real and authentic with multiple opportunities for learning.
Google earth is an easy tool to get lost in. One minute you can be exploring your local surroundings and the next minute you can be exploring the other side of the world making it an extremely useful tool for students to use to learn their surrounding environments. They can explore the streets of Paris, the many states of the USA or the coast lines of Thailand, the options are endless.

References

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 4th September 2009 http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Podcasting

What is Podcasting?

A podcast in its simplest form is ‘a series of digital media files, either audio or video, that is released episodically and downloaded (Wikipedia, 2009). These audio or video files can be downloaded through programs such as ITunes so that it can be listened to as an mp3/4 file, then transferred onto a portable mp3 player so the user can listen to the podcasts at any time that they wish. The distinct difference from an audio file and a podcast is that a podcast comes in parts. They can be a set amount of parts or an ongoing sequel that can be subscribed to and automatically downloaded and listened to at the user’s pleasure.

Theory and classroom uses for Podcasting

A podcast can be a helpful way for students to understand a certain topic. After browsing through the catagories on the itunes site under the Education heading and the sub heading of K-12 i found a podcast aimed towards children aged around 7-14 that was about the world news. This podcast allows younger people to keep updated with what is happening in the world as it is updated daily.

Teachers could upload a podcast to a site such as ITunes and ask the students to subscribe to it and then comment on what was said in the podcast. This way instead of giving out handouts or getting students to copy out homework questions they could all be given the link to the podcast, which allows students to access it at any time they want and listen to it multiple times.

When students create their own podcast to support a chosen project, Kearsley and Schneiderman (1999) states that because students get to define the nature of the project (even if they don't choose the topic), they have a sense of control over their learning which is absent in traditional classroom instruction.

Also students get to ‘Donate” as they have the opportunity to present their projects to an outside customer, whether that is parents, class mates or school etc. Kearsley and Schneiderman (1999) state that the authentic learning context of the project increases student motivation and satisfaction.

References

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 3rd September 2009 http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Wikipedia (2009), Podcasting, viewed 3rd September 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Video and YouTube

The following video was found on YouTube. It’s an educational rhyme about photosynthesis, explaining the scientific process that plants undertake to produce oxygen. Take a look....



What is YouTube?

YouTube is a web site that allows anyone to upload a video of whatever they want, or a video relevant to a particular topic for anyone that wants to view the video to watch it. Viewers also have the option of leaving a comment/feedback on each video. The site is easy to navigate around and its features are simple to use. You must first create an account to be able to upload and post comments about the videos however anyone can search and view the movies that are already posted.

Theory and classroom uses for YouTube

Videos are a very helpful tool for teachers to use in the classroom. It can make difficult tasks like dissecting a frog become easy just be watching a video of it. They can also make giving instruction to a large group of students faster and easier. The video can be viewed over and over allowing the teacher to move around the classroom and help students who need it. Students who are unable to make it to class due to living a long distance away or being too ill to attend can view videos posted on a shared video site such as youtube or teachertube of a class that they missed. Other students could view the video at any particular time that they want and as many times as they want. They can pause and rewind the movie so that they can fully experience what is happening in the video.

Teachers can download a posted video using a program called KeepVid. This program, once downloaded, would allow a teacher to download videos from websites such as Youube, TeacherTube and other websites that are similar. Once the video has been downloaded it can be then uploaded to a class website or kept on a shared folder on the school computer network for any student to access.

Using engaging video resources in the classroom relates directly to the major premise of Kearsley & Shneiderman’s (1999) Engagement Theory, being that students must be engaged in their course work in order for effective learning to occur.

References

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 3rd September 2009 http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

KeepVid. (2009), Free program used to download videos from you tube and other similar sites, viewed 3rd September 2009, http://keepvid.com

Quizzes - ClassMarker

What is ClassMarker?

ClassMarker is a free, easy to use, online quiz maker that marks your online tests and quizzes for you. It has been designed for use with -

• Business and training
Test candidates before they reach the interview. Send them a link and retrieve results instantly by email.
• Education
Conduct online exams in the classroom or at home, set practice tests and receive instant results.
• Recruitment
Test employees to assess their training needs.
• Distance learning and online courses
Roll out your tests locally or internationally and receive results instantly.
• Self study

Add practice quizzes and test yourself and your study group.

Signing up to ClassMarker is free or you can pay a fee depending on how you want to use your online test. Class based testing (free) is what I used and this would allow my students to register under my account and log in to complete the test (ClassMarker, 2009). When creating a quiz you can choose different types of questions to use for example: multiple choice, multiple response, true/false, free text or punctuation (ClassMarker, 2009). The aspect I really found interesting in Class Marker was that you can add pictures and videos to the questions.

Theory and classroom uses for ClassMarker

I think ClassMarker would be a good way to provide students with a fun and engaging quiz. It could be used before you start teaching the students a new topic to gauge prior knowledge or it could be used on completion to determine what students have learnt.

The Learning Design Framework (2003), needs three key elements to create the most effective learning experience for all students. These three elements are tasks learners are required to do, resources that support the learner to conduct the task and support mechanisms that exist from the teacher implementing it (Oliver, 1999). Online quizzes provide students with all of these aspects.

Have a go of my Australian Animal Quiz, just click on the link below.
http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=43fb23393074fe14d68bb188cfa7fe5c

Referenes

ClassMarker. (2009), Free Quiz Maker for online Testing, viewed 3rd September 2009, <http://www.classmarker.com/>

Oliver, R. (1999), Exploring strategies for on-line teaching and learning. Distance Education.

Image Manipulation and Picnik

These days’ images can be taken in many forms and file sizes. This results in the need for a software program which can reduce the file size and make alterations to images. For this course I experimented with Picnik to solve such problems.

Picnik was relatively easy to use and it didn’t take me long before I got the hang of how to add effects to photos. In my opinion it is just takes a lot of time and mucking around with all the effects before deciding what features and effects best suit particular photos.

What is Picnik?

Picnik is a photo editing site that allows you to chop, change and add effects to photos however it is not able to store them. Therefore it needs to be used in conjunction with pages such as facebook, myspace, picasa web albums, flickr, yahoo image search or you could also upload photos from a computers database to be edited. Many of Picnik's basic photo editing tools are free to use, however Picnik Premium includes additional photo editing features and is offered for a monthly, 6-month, or annual subscription cost.

Theory and classroom uses for Picnik

Picnik could be used in the classroom for anything that requires an image, in particular if the image has defects or similar and requires editing. Such projects could include brochures, business cards, posters or reports. Students using this program will have the opportunity to demonstrate and showcase their creative ability with ICTs. This relates directly to the second principle of the engagement theory framework – the Create Principle ( Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Picnik is definitely one program you could have a lot of fun with and I encourage you all to explore this site for yourself.

References

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 3rd September 2009
<http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm>

Flickr

I had never heard of Flickr before this course. In order to upload my photos i had to sign up for a free account which was quick and easy. This allowed me to upload and store my own photos as well as letting me have access to other users photos.
Here are a two that i liked which were captured by Dale Allman.

What is Flickr?

Flickr is an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community platform. Put simply Flickr is a service for uploading and sharing your photos but one of the key elements is that photos can be shared with the public, specific friends or just kept secret (Brown, 2006). In addition to being a popular website for users to share personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers as a photo repository.

Theory and classroom uses for Flickr

Teachers Network (2009) recommends that if you are going to use Flickr in the classroom that you make a class account. This makes it easier for students and teachers to access whilst also giving the options of keeping your work private. This will alleviate parental concerns (Teachers Network, 2009).
I can see many activities in the classroom where Flickr could be used, one of these being as a photo album to store class photos. Photos from classroom activities as well as excursions could be uploaded for student and parent viewing. Since the photo would always be a readily accessible resource they could be used for many classroom activities, such as a student/class journal where they describe what is happening and being learnt in each photo. These readily available resources fit in with the Learning Design Construct (AUTC, 2003). Oliver (1999) states, that creating a supportive learning environment for students requires 3 elements in the learning design:

1. Tasks that learners are required to do.
2. Resources that support learners to conduct the task.

3. Support mechanisms that exist from a teacher implementing it.

(Cited in AUTC, 2003)

References

AUTC. (2003), Learning Design, viewed 3rd September 2009, <http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm>

Brown, M. (2006), Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth, Wiley Publishing Inc, Indianapolis.

Oliver, R. (1999), Exploring strategies for on-line teaching and learning. Distance Education.

Teachers Network (2009), Using Flickr.com in the Classroom, viewed 3rd September 2009 <http://www.teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/nychelp/technology/flickr.htm>

Interactive Whiteboards

An Interactive Whiteboard or IWB is a digital device capable of interacting with a computer and projecting images on a screen. This device is used for visual presentation in classrooms, workgroups and business meetings. An interactive whiteboard needs to be connected to a computer which generates the actual images or data which is then projected to the board. Most interactive whiteboards have keyboard and mouse functionalities, but some models are capable of whiteboarding functions like character recognition so notes can be written or recorded on the physical board itself.

http://www.tech-faq.com/interactive-whiteboard.shtml)

I have been lucky enough to be placed in a classroom which used this technology. I found it to be very engaging and interactive for all students as there is such a large range of learning activities that can be performed on the IWB. However, I do believe that it all depends on the teacher and how well they use this resource in their classroom.