Fodey.com

Fodey.com is a great website that has completely accessible, free of charge multimedia tools.

These multimedia tools can be a useful engaging tool in the classroom.

For eg. introducing new topics, sending across class messages

There are a select amount of different fodeys, all carrying a unique feature whether it be a still image or a moving image i.e. a GIF file

Vokis

Today I also created this voki, these are really fun ICT's to work with, they are free and really easy to create. I have made a simple one above, but they can be used for many different things. You can record your own voice and add to one of these little guys, mine being a talking hot dog. Or you can simply write text and it will say what has been written, like I have done with my hot dog above. Voki's come in many different characters, voice tones. These web tools can be used very effectively in the classroom to grab learners attention, and then they listen what the voki has to say. Children will find vokis very fun and amusing.

Please follow my blog by listening to my hot dog voki talk.

Good day blogger

My new Weebly webpage

Today, I have created a 'Weebly'. A Weebly is a free webpage that offers many possibilities for different uses.

One thing I have found great about using weebly is the process of creating your page is very simple and straightforward. It is all set out ready to go, I have embedded images from my own computer, and an interesting thing I have found is that you can edit your pictures once they have been uploaded. So if you want to keep your main image file saved as is, you can still edit and change colours, crop, resize etc inside the weebly.

I have created my weebly into a photographic folio type of format. Weebly's are so fun to play around with and it is awesome having your own webpage, it really is about the closest thing to a website without having to pay hundreds of dollars.

There are some elements of weebly where it will ask you to pay a annual fee, but this is for Weebly pro, on weebly pro features on the website are widened, such as uploading your own videos from your computer without going through a video sharing website like youtube or vimeo.

Weebly's can be used in the classroom making sure there is no explicit material that children cannot access (Monitored and created by the teacher). They would be great to use with assignments and mini projects because all the information needed for that specific assignment can be there on the weebly page, easily accessible. A child would also be able to create their own weebly to even perhaps use as their assignment. Weebly's are a fun easy webtool to use, and are great for sharing information and to gain information from. A great teaching and learning tool provided on the internet.

This is my weebly that I have created today.

http://tomfowler.weebly.com/

My First Word Cloud

This is my first word cloud using 'wordle.com'

I have had trouble uploading and getting a larger image size of my wordle, when I copy and paste the wordle embed code it is highlighted purple and I cannot write on my blog without there being a large area highlighted. I have found a way to get past the highlighting of my writing and image but to make my wordle a larger size I am puzzled as to how I can do this.

Other than the troubles I'm currently having, wordle is a smart and very fun tool to use. Wordle is a web based program that creates 'word clouds' such as my very own above. Copy and paste any text, into the wordle form and it will show you your own word cloud. I have used the text I have written so far in my spelling journal for Competence In English. Using wordle is an effective teaching and learning tool that can be used for many different types of texts. The word cloud shows the words that are used the most in a bigger font, this can help to show the writer overuse of a specific word and it can also show the topic of the text by the words in the word cloud.

Word clouds could be used in the classroom to show how many of the same words are used in a text or to collaborate with creative thinking and be used for activities to improve spelling or learning meanings of new words.

I strongly feel wordle is a great site for learning development through these word clouds, they will be used again in my blog and in the future as a primary school teacher.

The Use Of Wikispaces

Wiki's

In a PMI

Plus

• Wikispaces are a great place to express yourself
• People can give helpful and interesting feedback
• Like a forum (Many opinions shared)
• Great tool for learning, interaction between students and schoolwork
• Text can be edited by followers of your own wiki
• Embed tools are widely available (Eg. Youtube, vimeo, photobucket, saved images)
• Wikis are free of charge, no payments made to create your very own web page
• Can be privatised in settings
• Only one follower can edit the wiki at any one time
• Great tool for teaching in classroom (Private)

Minus

• Because Wikis can be edited, information or parts can be deleted from your page
• Not private (Unless privatised in settings)
• If many followers are commenting or editing information on the wiki, it can become very confusing and disorderly
• People can access your ideas, information and files
• Any content can be uploaded, making it unsafe for children

Interesting

• There are many interesting things wikis can be used for
• Wikis are becoming a widely used tool around the world for gathering and sharing information
• Others can share opinions about your information
• Used by teachers and students (Never heard of a wiki when I was attending primary school and high school)
• Works in a great way of learning from other peoples knowledge and previous experiences

When my wikispace was first created, I was very confused as to how it worked and the capabilities it could achieve. Since reading short tutorials on the Wikispaces site I have found that wikis are a truly wonderful web tool, they can be used for endless possibilities but are an interesting and fun place to learn.

Since using wikispaces, my knowledge and thoughts on ICT's have broadened. Wikis are much similar to a blog like the one I am reflecting in now. Although wikis can be edited by members or followers who decide they are interested or like the wiki page. This feature of a wiki works well, because followers of the wiki can add information and give feedback on posts, this is a efficient way of learning. Giving information and receiving feedback on that information is a good way to broaden your ideas on a specific topic. You can add pictures, embed your own videos or youtube/vimeo videos, music players, and many other interesting web tools. Wikis can and are being used in classrooms worldwide to teach and incorporate ICT's. An example of wikis being used in the classroom to teach children could quite possibly be to have the students each create a PMI on a specific topic, inside the wiki page. They can then discuss and edit in their own opinions using creative thinking.

Wikis will most definitely be a webtool used throughout my university and teaching years.

Here is a great video we watched in this week's lecture about the use of wiki spaces

Enjoy

TPACK

In E-Learning we have been learning about TPACK and what it means

Technological (ICTS)

Pedagogical (How and what of teaching)

Content Knowledge (Subject, discipline, knowledge)

My own understanding of TPACK, is that digital technologies are a vital part in the process of learning and teaching. For children to learn to incorporate ICT's into their learning, We as future teachers must be able to teach efficient strategies so that the students we teach can learn using these ICT's. I thought my competence in ICT's and network tools before commencing university were up to date, Ialso thought I was quite knowledgeable in this area. Boy was I wrong, I feel as if i've been dropped into a whole new world of technologies. There are literally thousands of web tools I have come across, that I had never seen before in my life. It is very crazy out there in the world wide web. TPACK is knowing these tools, how to use them, how to incorporate them into everyday teaching and learning for myself and my students.

Example: A Word Cloud (Not my own) I will create a wordcloud tonight to demonstrate the use of such ICT's

The use of mobile phones in the classroom

The use of mobile phones being allowed in the classroom is a very questionable topic, it raises many different points of view.

Being able to apply De' Bono's six thinking hats raised many ideas and issues surrounding mobile phones in the classroom. De' Bono's hats is an excellent tool to brainstorm ideas around a topic, it worked well with the wiki because you could see what everyone had to say and then comment on or agree with their specific ideas.

The six thinking hats are applied in classroom's still to this day, my young sister uses them in high school to gain ideas to review in argumentative essays.

I believe they are a great brainstorming tool and a good activity to get students thinking from a different perspective on the topic. When I am teaching in the classroom I will apply De Bono's six thinking hats when there are problems to be solved, when different views of thinking are needed and to gain opinions surrounding a specific topic in the classroom.

The use of the hats in the wiki provided a perfect example of how and why this tool works so well, especially in groups of people thinking, it provides more ideas and issues that surround one specific topic than one person could possibly brainstorm on their own.

Trying to get off to a good start.....

Pressures slowly built up over the first weekend of being at university, spent the weekend spearfishing and lazing around, going to have to do alot of study tonight and through this next week. For all who are stuck in Competence in English, i suggest printing off a copy of Grammar at a glance workbook located at the top of the page on your Moodle site. It gives a good overview and recount of many aspects of grammar that have not been looked over for many years , for the some of us.

PS.

Feel free to browse my other blog 'Thomas Fowler Photography'. I havent added to it in quite some time but it is there just to let you know :)

First Week Of University

I've taken on study at Central Queensland University (CQU). I am completing a degree in Bachelor Of Primary Education. The outcome of completion will result in me getting a job as a primary school teacher.

I had a great two weeks in Bali with one of my mates, we did a lot of surfing and a lot of diving/spearfishing.

Getting back from overseas on the first day of Uni was a bit of a frenzy, rushing around getting things ready.

So far everything is fairly daunting, already having assessment due for all of my course subjects, I'm going to really have to change my lifestyle big time to adjust with the new changes in my life (studying). I have cut back on work but I am still going to attempt to make a good income whilst at university.

Most of my lectures I have attended I've been quite confused as to what to start on first or just where to start really, unfamiliar words are being spoken more than often, I guess I will understand soon and warm to it a little.

I haven't blogged in quite some time but will slowly get back in to the hang of doing so.

Other than that, goodnight blogger.

- Tom