Prezi

Below is a Prezi I have created to show how the style of Prezi is different to other presentation tools.

Example Blog- Plant Growth

This is an example of a Blog page exploring the stages of plant growth. Students could document each phase and record like a diary entry (example show below). Identifying different stages of the growth cycle, photos, drawing and video presentations could be presented on the blog.

This is a prediction of what will occur during the growth of  the plant from seed to maturity.

                                                 Fig 1.

Image Sourced from: serbagunamarine.com

 Stage 1:
The seed\bean in which we aim to plant

Fig 2- Seed

Image Sourced from:www.questgarden.com

Days 1-10
This is the growth of the bean plant from seed to seedling over 10 days.

 

                                         Fig 3.Day 1-10

Image Sourced from: http://www.shutterstock.com

Days 11-30.
The stages of growth through this time are shown in the figure below.

 

Fig 4. Days 11-30 

Image Sourced from: samson.kean.edu

Days 30+ : Harvest Time

 

Fig 5. Days 30+

Image Sourced from: www.bhg.com

Time Elapsed growth cycle.

 

Video Sourced from www.youtube.com

Windows Movie Maker 2.6

The video below is created using Windows Movie Maker 2.6-Click here for the program.

This program is very user friendly, you can easily drag your images, audio or video files into the exact sequence you wish to have them in your movie. The effects are somewhat limited but are good enough for a beginner movie maker.

Below are 2 presentations I have made using Windows Movie Maker. The first is a slideshow of stills that students could make and present to show their understanding and knowledge of the growth cycle of a plant. Narratives could also be added to this. The second is just a bit of playing around, using still pictures, video and audio.

Information sourced from: http://www.communication4all.co.uk/

Podcasts:
Click Here to access a podcast which explores using technology in a classroom.

Voki

This is developed using Voki and recording from Audacity.

Digital Resizing

The use of the re-sizing tool
Below are some pictures that have been re-sized from approx, 60k to 7k per photo. By compressing these pictures, the speed of which uploads occur is greatly increased allowing for a greater amount of photos to be uploaded at a time. The smaller pictures also makes a webpage, blog or wiki much more user friendly as the rate of which the page opens is far greater, allowing better use with a smaller processors (i.e. mobile phones).

The images below are taken from the 2011 QLD Senior Oztag State Cup

 

Potential of Wikis and Blogs for teachers

Wiki:

Wiki's are an online space where students\teachers can edit and modify information they or others submit. This could be a very effective tool used to collaborate group discussion.
The potential positives and negatives are outlined in the PMI below.

Wiki PMI:

Positive	Minus	Implications\Interesting
- Images\video (extra info) can be added to make a point clear in different ways. -Could be great for homework (easy to take home) -Post new and updated information allowing users to update their information. - Great to keep track of what has been achieved	- Gives the chance for students to copy others without researching or problem solving by themselves. - Post un-edited information\comments -influenced by comments - Saving errors occur if used by multiple users at the same time. -Supports collaboration	- The use of extra imbedded information (i.e. videos, diagrams, pics) can assist the learners and help make a topic clearer. -Informal style of learning. -To use a wiki, the guests must be trusted.

 
 Blogs:
After doing a little research on Blog's, particularly on the following website http://www.onlineclasses.org/2010/12/08/100-seriously-cool-classroom-blogs-for-teaching-ideas-inspiration/, it has really opened my eyes to the opportunities they can create.
A great blog I found was from a teacher in Perth, who has a class Blog in which major activities are posted, this can give the students a lot of ownership over content and activities they completed, check it out http://thesmarties2.blogspot.com.au/. This is used more as a diary entry which is great to keep track of achievements throughout the year.

A particular example you could use a blog would be in a science setting. For example, the class could look at growing a plant, students could document, photograph, analyse, research, predict, draw stages of the plant and post up to date information of the growth. This could be done in small groups to compare to others.

Outside of learning, this could be used as a portal for teachers to interact and share information with parents, so parents can see what activities the children have been doing in class on a daily\weekly basis. Teachers could also share information, i.e. permission forms, upcoming events, volunteer schedules to name a few.

Blog PMI:

Positive	Minus	Implications\Interesting
-Pictures and other media can be embedded making for clearer learning          -Learner orientated           -Student can comment on topics                               -Showcase to greater audience (worldwide)                      -Independent learning  -No cost	-Comments are displayed without filter and have the possibility to be negatively aimed towards others users.                                  -It is not collaborative -Malfunctions can occur, such as internet connections (especially in more remote areas) during a lesson.	-Can share information outside of the classroom                              -Students work can be easily accessed. -Students can take pride in their work and show more people. -Reduces the amount of resources used (ie paper, pens, paint).  -New posts are ordered chronologically