The social media revolution

This gives a great explanation of why we need to keep up-to-date with technology!

My fourth tool

Bubbl.us
Lastly, the tool I have chosen from Group Four Technologies is bubbl.us. Since I have discovered this tool, I have made a concept map for narrative writing to add to my Wiki, and also used it in my English presentation to help explain the Four Resource model by Freebody and Luke. Every year level uses brainstorming activities, they are a great way to help students research a topic or break down a process. The good old way of brainstorming is to use butcher's paper; bubbl.us is the technological version of butcher's paper and pen.

Strengths:

• It is easy to use.
• The layout of the site is simple and maps can be constructed quickly.
• It promotes concept mapping.
• It makes brainstorming more visually attractive.
• It can be used to collaborate ideas with a whole class on an interactive whiteboard, or for students to use individually.
• It can be uploaded to a class Wiki or Website for students to refer to.
• It could be used in any year level.

Weaknesses:

• It can look very plain and busy.
• You can't use images, which would be good in lower grades.

Opportunities:

• I am a big supporter of brainstorming, both whole class, small group and individual.
• This encourages collaboration of ideas.
• Students can use a concept map as a guide for their learning
• It encourages students to plan
• As Marzano et al. emphasise by having students use graphic organisers they are able to better acquire and integrate declarative knowledge.

Threats:

• Students need to understand how a concept map is used to help organise information
• For whole class brainstorming all students should be encouraged to contribute ideas.

My third tool

VideoPad Video Editor
I found this great tool from a fellow student who suggested I google Photostory. I did, and this is what I found VideoPad.  My experience with presentation tools have previously extended to PowerPoint and MovieMaker which I have used to present uni assignments with. Most of the tricks I have learnt on PowerPoint have been shown to me by other, more experienced students, usually the younger ones. I believe PowerPoint has so much more potential than most users realise, and I was excited to learn more of its tricks in the Group 3 technologies. I plan on experimenting making my own 'Choose your own adventure story' to use in class. I didn't mind Prezi, and found it easy to use, I made one advertisement to get a feel of how it could be used by students in the classroom. Although, I have to admit I have spent most of my time enthralled with VideoPad Video Editor. Let me show you why,  go to my Wiki to view my videos. Also see my podcast made on VideoPad also. I never thought that I would be a producer of my own Youtube videos, and was surprised at how easy the process was.

VideoPad
Strengths:

• You can upload images or videos, or record yourself using the computers camera.
• You can add audio files (music, voice recording, or sounds) to your storyboard.
• You can narrate your story.
• You can add effects.
• It is set up clearly and easy to navigate
• It has a link to publish your work straight to Youtube, Facebook or Twitter.

Weaknesses:

• You need to have your own images and audio to upload.
• You need to have a computer that has a camera and a microphone.
• You have to publish your work on Youtube before you can embed it into your Blog or Wiki. This may incur privacy and copyright issues when you publish students work, or images of students.
• It can be time consuming. Trust me I spent all day using it.

Opportunities:

• Students could publish their stories, make news reports, advertisements and so on. Gone are the days of the cardboard projects, VideoPad is a great way for students to present their work with a touch of creativity.
• Teachers could make podcasts, similar to the ones used on the moodle site, and embed them into a class Website or Wiki to help scaffold students learning.
• Students can publish plays and drama assignments.
• Teachers could make a storyboard to display students' pictures or photos of their artwork and add music to it to play for the students or family and others.
• Likewise, teachers could make a storyboard with photos of the students, for example on sportsday. These storyboards can be published and uploaded to a class Blog that the students' families can access to see what they are doing at school.

Threats:

• As a teacher you would have to know your rights and responsibilities when publishing students' work and photos of students.

My second tool

Vokis
I had a lot of fun with this tool and believe it has a lot of potential to be used in learning contexts.

Strengths:

• It is engaging, it's fun, it's cute.
• The site is easy to navigate. I had Prep students making their own Vokis on the interactive whiteboard using the pen to scroll down and click on their selections.
• Vokis can be embedded into Blogs, Websites and Wikis.
• Students can add their own touch to their character.
• Backgrounds can be uploaded, as I did for my Voki Vicki, I uploaded a picture of inside my Prep class.
• Audio can be added through typing it in, a microphone or by adding a audio file. Nice to have a choice.
• It gives teachers a different and exciting way of presenting information which engages students both visually and aurally.
• Students can practice their oral language skills and enhance their confidence by recording their voices on to a Voki.
• The Voki sight is not blocked in schools by Education Queensland.

Weaknesses:

• I remember people had trouble embedding the Voki into their Powerpoints and Prezis, I have not yet tried this.
• I have had my own troubles trying to record the voice of my Voki with a microphone, it seems to work well with some computers and not work with others.
• On some computers the Voki takes forever to load up on the screen.
• I had some trouble embedding the link into my website, as when I first published my Voki they gave me a link which I copied and it worked well, but when I went to retrieve the link again it was not the same and my Voki had the sites background with it. See my first page of my weebly. This could just be me, but I did find these points (adding the voice and linking), not always smooth sailing and sometimes was dependent on what computer I was using.
• What the students say on their Voki may have to be monitored, to ensure that they are sensible and do not use bad language.
• They don't have every kind of character in their range.

Opportunities:

• Vokis can be used as a multimodal resource to engage students in their learning.
• Students can create Voki personalities to share their work in a fun and engaging way.
• Vokis can be used by younger students to practice the skill of navigating their way around the computer screen.
• Vokis can help improve students oral language skills.

Threats:

• The availability and speed of the internet may restrict teachers from using the Voki site in a lesson.
• If technology lets you down, or maybe your not skilled enough, you may run into trouble like I did, recording the voices on to the Voki. Reminder: when using technology ALWAYS have a back-up plan, just in case. 

The Chosen Four

This was a hard decision chosing which ICT's I will focus on for my synopsis. In the Group 1 technologies I have been very impressed with the Blog, Wiki and Weebly capabilities. I can picture using all three of these to support learning in the classroom. Although,  since I need to chose one I have decided to reflect more deeply on Weebly. I have had a lot of fun constructing my own Weebly and this is what I have found.

Weebly.com
Strengths:

• Not being very tech-savvy, I found this tool very east to navigate. Its tool bar was very self-explanatory
• It is free.
• It had a lot of available images to upload and use for free. This is helpful as you don't need to find images elsewhere.
• I was able to upload You tube videos easily into the Weebly
• The website can be set up to be navigated easily therefore, well scaffolded for learning
• You can add links to other websites
• Only the teacher can contribute content. Unlike a Wiki students cannot add or edit work.
• Teachers can pre-organise their lesson on a website. They can have all the images or websites they wish to use in a lesson already linked and ready to go in the weebly.

Weaknesses:

• Only the teacher can contribute content. It is not a collaborative learning tool, although links to a Wiki can be added.
• The website I made was not allowed by Education Queensland when I tried to show it at school. Therefore, you need to ensure you can use it at your school before spending time creating it.
• The availability of computers in the classroom for students to access the website.

Opportunities:

• Teachers can scaffold the website so that students can work individually or in groups to complete an activity.
• Teachers can link a class Wiki to the Weebly as I have done, and instruct students to follow the link and add their information, ideas and opinions.
• Teachers can add links to other sites that they know are appropriate, safe and ethical for the students to find information or research topics on. This way you know that the students are not wasting time aimlessly googling or searching for inappropriate sites.
• Students work can be uploaded to a weebly to share with the class, parents and others.
• Students could make their own weebly for a class project.

Threats:

• Internet speed and availability can hamper relying on it for a lesson.
• Different computers take longer to link and upload Youtubes.
• Must ensure you always acknowledge things that you upload.
• Must ensure images or Youtubes used in your weebly are appropriate for students. For example, did you know that children in Primary School are not allowed to view PG films. It is important to always know the legal, safe and ethical guidelines for using ICT's in the classroom. This site, by the Queensland Government outline the teachers responsibilities when constructing a website and offers suggestions that will comply with Education Queensland regulations.

How to establish legal, safe and ethical guidelines for e-learning

Once again, thanks to my learning buddies I have learnt a great way to ensure students are aware of the legal, safe, and ethical guidelines while engaging with ICT's in the classroom. After joining Mark Hodges's Manual Arts Forum, I saw that he had a page set up displaying the netiquette rules of using the sight. This I thought was a very good idea, as just like you would do in the classroom, before learning online takes place the teacher should firstly discuss with the students and establish the rules and responsibilities of using ICTs for learning purposes. By including the students in setting the rules and consequences, it is more likely that they will take them seriously. I have dedicated one page on my Wiki to display these rules as a permanent reminder; as a teacher I would also display them on a wall next to the computers in the classroom. 

My new bag of tricks

Well haven't I been having fun. I have been busy adding to my Wiki, please go and check it out, I am quite proud of myself. I have discovered a great tool called VideoPad Video Editor, which I got from googling photostory after a 4th year student suggested I had a look. I love this program, its applications are pretty self explanatory and I have been able to create some great sample videos which indicate different creative ways you could use it to publish student's work. I used MovieMaker last year for my Art assignment, and I feel like Video pad has a lot more to offer. You can tape your own movie with audio, add audio to a movie you make or upload it. After making my Movies I was keen to upload them to my Blog; the program has a link for you to upload it straight to your Youtube account, so I joined Youtube and am now the Producer of three movies. I found this tool very easy to use, so either I am getting better with using technology or the programs are just getting simplier.
Secondly, as you will see on my Wiki, I have been experimenting with bubbl.us mind mapping. Once again I was surprised at how easy this program is to use. I could actually picture using this tool up on the interactive whiteboard in front of the classroom whilst the students contribute ideas to it (ie. like the narrative one I have made). It is a great way to encourage planning and collaborate ideas, that the students can see and refer to when working individually in the future.