Final Blog

For my final post I am reflecting on what I have understood about the iLearn model and Blooms Digital Taxonomy. Having been working in the catholic education system for nearly a year now I have come up against both of these elements before. When I began at Southern Cross back in January of this year both were referred to in early meetings and as I have been writing my programs over this year I have referred to both models many times. As I have been advocating in some of my previous blog posts, students need to be taught how to effectively and appropriately utilise the technology and ways of learning that Web 2.0 tools offer and the iLearn model offers a good way of going about this. As stated on the video this model is excellent for Web 2.0 type work but also for all learning in the digital age. The iLearn skills described will be skills that will assist students for life. Blooms Digital Taxonomy is very relevant for my subjects particularly, in moving students from merely remembering into the area of creating. As someone who learns very much by "doing" myself I am an advocate of creating in order to understand better. I can teach the theory behind great film production until the cows come home but it is often not until a students puts themselves behind the lens of a camera or assumes the role of director do they begin to understand what it is all about. Also, as a teacher working for a vocational college we are very much about the doing and I like the way that Blooms stresses this, I also like the verbs at each stage as practical examples of demonstrating each step. Again, as someone who needs to know how things translate into real life practice (like many of my students!) this is a good way to consider this model.

Module 10

I have been using Wiki's as an educational tool for a while, having set up Wikispace pages for all of my students at my previous school. I primarily used these as a way for students to upload their media / design work in progress and for myself and other students to comment on their work. This was to be a way for them to understand the practices involved in receiving feedback and how to use and reply to that feedback. This was quite a successful practice and I am looking into how I can use this again effectively in my current role at Southern Cross. The only potential issue with using this kind of open forum with students is to do with appropriateness of comments and the maturity levels of some students. However, with teaching the pupils online etiquette up front and putting procedures in place for those that use the forum in the wrong spirit this can largely be avoided. The Ning and Classroom 2.0 sites take some of the ideas of previous modules a bit further in the creation of social network sites for teachers wishing to utilise web 2.0 tools. I found these to be very US centric in nature but can see the benefit in having a support network or additional resources to call on in taking ones work in this area to the next step. In answer to one of the questions posed at the end of the module I have been reflecting on "How can Web 2.0 assist in improving learning outcomes for all students?". I think that as Web 2.0 techniques and tools engage students using technologies and practices that are common to them (and become increasingly more so) this can improve learning outcomes through increased engagement with the work in hand. Through teaching active involvement with the web and the myriad of information out there we are preparing students to think more deeply about what they are learning. The use of tools such as wikis and blogs also aid in this fashion by making students more reflective learners. I think with greater reflection by the actual students we can improve the learning outcomes for all. I also believe that Web 2.0 techniques and tools prepare students for todays (and tomorrows) world of total connectivity. This leads to improved learning outcomes in general, not just task specific ones as we are honing a number of skills - social, technological, research skills, use of English etc etc.

Module 9

I had been introduced to Scootle earlier in the year and at the time thought it was a great resource though seem to have forgotten about it! I have been pleased to get reacquainted thanks to this module. I have spent some time today finding some excellent interactive resources to use with my students. The learning path is a good feature for both sharing with other teachers but also to set up students on so that they all undertake the same activity. At Southern Cross we have the My PLS system which does a similar job so I am not sure as to whether I will actually use this but can definitely see why one would. I find the whole Second Life concept to be slightly freaky, I think I am more of a "real" world kind of a man! I can see the educational benefits that were outlined well in the two videos though wonder whether the pull of an alternate reality "game" at the students fingertips may lead to a whole lot of going off task. I think it would capture some students imaginations really well (the type of students who may prefer to live in their own head or take part in other alternate realm type games) though I wonder whether others would take to it so well. I might investigate it more - the jury is out! The stuff on social network sites is very timely given that I went to see the film of the same name this very week. Facebook and Twitter are obviously now global phenomenons and the generation of students that we are teaching will accept this type of communication as second nature. As a pom living in Australia this type of site is excellent for keeping in touch with friends and family in the UK but as outlined on the CEO site one needs to be careful with this type of online presence - especially as far as students are concerned. I am a big advocate of training in the etiquette and dangers around such sites for children and teenagers. As far as Twitter is concerned I can see the value but so far it is not for me, similar to Facebook status updates I find that it can often fall into the "I am currently doing the washing up" category - good on you, thanks for sharing it with the world! Maybe that is just my cynicism coming through....anyway, all food for thought....

Module 8

I have been pleased by how easy Google Reader has been to set up and manage! I liked the way that the Web 2.0 blogs that I am following automatically became added to the list and this acted as an easy way for me to quickly access and read other peoples comments. I also subscribed to a few of my favourite sites very easily. I have been getting weekly email updates from some of these sites but can see the benefit of an RSS feed which I can check myself at any time. I like the way that the updates are very current, this is particularly good for news sites. In terms of an educational context the share feature is good for sharing whole or just part of websites which may be of interest or use to students or fellow colleagues. In teaching media (a subject which changes daily) I will consider getting my students to subscribe to the RSS feeds of particular sites and then start each lesson with 5 or 10 minutes of checking the feeds. I could then call upon each student to tell the rest of the class or a partner of something noteworthy that they found out. This would teach the value of accessing the most up to date information and also keep them abreast of any new developments. Lastly, in signing up to the Google Reader help channel it forced me to finally open my own You Tube account, something as a media teacher I should have done ages ago!

Module 7

I can see the benefits of using Delicious quite clearly. As our school got broken into a couple of days ago and some teachers laptops were stolen they may not have lost valuable bookmarks had they kept them stored using this program. However, beyond the benefit of using the site as a mere back up tool I can see the value in using it for the sharing of resources - particularly useful for teachers within the same faculty or teaching the same subject at different sites. It could also be used as an educational tool if as a teacher you wanted all students to be regularly using the same sites for a module. Through commenting on a colleagues blog at the end of this module (Cathy Ryan, Module 6) it caused me to reflect that one of the key learnings to be had from undertaking this course is the instantaneous and democratic nature of the tools that we are learning to use. It is maybe where the true power of this new technology lies!

Module 6

I like the use of digital mind mapping as mind mapping is something that I do a lot of in the classroom on the whiteboard. Bubbl.us is relatively quick and effective and so could be used for this purpose although I am not sure about the functionality of this program and might investigate other options online. I was particularly impressed with Glogster and in teaching Visual Design (a subject concerned very much with aesthetics and the presentation of creative ideas) I can see lots of immediate uses for this. For example it is an excellent way for students to create mood boards - so much so that I am going to use it in my next assessment task! I like the way that it is easy to add video and sound, this can bring ideas to life much more quickly than through the standard poster or powerpoint slide. As much of the templates provided are very teenage in feel I think that the students will take to this program well. It seems a good fit for both the age range and subjects that I teach.

Module 5

As a long term user of itunes I have been subscribing to both podcasts and vodcasts for a while now. However, this has been for personal interest and I have not really used them much in the classroom. Looking around some of the other sites on this module I have begun to see the educational value in using podcasts and have also found some good resources (which I previously didn't know existed) that I will be able to use with my students. I am also excited by using itunes U and plan to build up to the stage of creating my own podcasts / vodcasts. I think they are something that the students will also very much enjoy creating and could be a great way to engage them in their learning more. I have been using YouTube for a while and whilst I understand that in some schools there is an issue with giving students access to the site (due to the potential for distraction and access to inappropriate material) I find it to be a valuable resource. Especially as outside of school many students spend more time on YouTube than with "traditional" media forms.