Having a play with Voki

I've just had a play with making a Voki having been inspired by one of my colleagues - have a go - it's very straight forward!

Get a Voki now!

What's the answer please or, is it a rhetorical question?

There's no doubting it - I love Web 2.0 and the potential it holds for learning....... small glitch however......... what about related cyber-safety issues? A colleague just blogged about coming across a blog that was incredibly distasteful. She had found herself there simply by clicking onto the words 'next blog' at the top of her own blog. She was shocked at what she saw and horrified at the possibility that this situation could so easily have occured within a classroom environment.

Of course, students are going to navigate around whatever tools/ sites we open up to them for exploring but, how do we (in fact, can we) give guarantees to parents and carers that their children won't be exposed to incredibly unsavoury content? "Oops, little Johnny Smith clicked onto that x rated content by mistake" just isn't going to wash (and, nor should it).

Of course, we need to teach students about cyber-safety issues - in my colleague's case, she is aware that she could have then clicked the 'report abuse' button. Equally, a student could be taught to do the same - but what about the possible harm viewing such images may cause? In this case they were disturbing enough for my colleague, an adult - but, what about a child? Once on screen, 'the damage is done' so to speak.

So I ask you all...... what's the answer please or, is it a rhetorical question?

Glogster EDU

I was just reading a colleague's blog regarding his experience of exploring Glogster EDU and thought I'd post a slide show (see below) that outlines what it's all about. It's a fabulous tool for fostering higher order thinking skills as outlined in Andrew Churches' article Blooms Taxonomy Blooms Digitally. Go on ....... give it a go ........ it's loads of fun!

Glogster EDU Education 2.0

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Glogster EDU Education 2.0

View more presentations from glogster.

Food for thought.......

I just finished watching the following clip 'A Brave New World-Wide-Web' which Helen highlighted on her Rampantred Weblog. It provides 'food for thought' as it highlights the perceived differences between teachers that do and, those that do not, integrate technology into their pedagogical practices. A question worth considering is 'where are you at the moment in your journey through A Brave New World-Wide-Web?' - personally, I'm just at the beginning.....

PS: You may need to be a bit of a speed reader to keep up with the pace that the text appears on screen!

Elephants in Ngorongoro Crater

Elephants in Ngorongoro Crater
Originally uploaded by geoftheref

Gentle giants of the Savannah - not the least bit worried about the integration of Web 2.0 tools into pedagogical practice - what a life!

I had written in my Module 10 post that I would keep this blog going and thought I would start by outlining how the little school I work at is approaching and implementing our learnings from this course.

I have to say that we have been very blessed to have the support of a wonderfully talented CEO adviser, Scott, who is really helping to generate enthusiasm amongst the staff that are participating in this course. Just in the past couple of weeks, Scott has facilitated several sessions with both teachers and students on podcasting which has allowed students from Years 1-6 to create their own podcasts on content they have been covering this term in class.

For many teachers, integrating technology can prove daunting. We worry about things going wrong - and fair enough. We worry about not being an expert on all those fabulous Web 2.0 tools out there that just keep increasing in number at such a fast rate. If that's not enough, there's the latest press that poses questions such as "Can a teacher be a good teacher without using technology" and "Are teachers who are not integrating technology doing their job?" - see David Warlick's blog 2c worth. When this isn't an area you're feeling really confident in it can all get a little overwhelming and it's easy to put it in the 'too hard basket'. Personally, I don't believe that answers to these questions are black and white. What's important is having staff who are willing to 'get their hands dirty' and explore some of the available technology. That's just one of the great things about the staff at the school I work at - they're always so prepared to give things a go and, usually, with a magnificent sense of good humour!

Next week at our staff meeting we'll be working together to match the latest International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) profiles by student age group to the Web 2.0 tools we have available to us. Then we'll be looking to see where each fits in with a digital version of Bloom's Taxonomy. The aim of the exercise is to create a starting point for integrating technology into our current school scope and sequence. Of course, this will remain a dynamic exercise as our knowledge and understanding of technology keeps evolving.

Wish us luck!

Now that Web 2.0 is over!

Now that I've finished the Web 2.0 course it's time to focus on The Ashes. Enjoy your taunt Barmy Army while you can..... because it will be Australia singing the victory song! (see You Tube clip).

Module 10

I am thrilled to have almost made my way through the Web 2.0 course (I just have to add some comments to the Web 2.0 wiki). I have enjoyed participating in this course enormously and would like to thank the team of incredibly talented educators for designing such an engaging learning experience. I cannot begin to understand how you have managed to make Web 2.0 so understandable - this must have truly been a labour of love. I hope you will consider designing other courses as Web 2.0 e-Learning tools continue to evolve.

Exploring the Wetpaint wiki site was great. I was very interested to learn about COPPA - ie. websites that are collecting information from children under the age of 13 must comply with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). I also learned that, if setting up a Wetpaint wiki for educational purposes, you are able to ban advertising pop-ups from appearing on your wiki which is great. I will be setting up a Wiki for my Kindergarten class for next term that will hopefully provide parents with a better insight as to the learning that takes place in the classroom - hopefully they will feel comfortable enough to share some of their comments on the wiki.

Looking at Bloom's Taxonomy and how it connects to Web 2.0 was very interesting. The link to Andrew Church's article clearing married each taxonomy to a variety of e-Learning tools and applications that exist as part of Web 2.0. Where would I place Second Life, flikr and mind mapping in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy?

Very simplistically, using Second Life involves evaluating - hypothesising, detecting, reviewing, commenting. Using flikr involves applying - sharing, editing, uploading, categorising. Using mind mapping involves analysing - organising, structuring, linking. However, I'd have to say that the connection between Bloom's Taxonomy and Web 2.0 depends on the learning goals planned by the teacher. For example, while I've linked mind mapping to one of Bloom's higher order forms of thinking (analysing), simply navigating your way around the application requires the ability of remembering how it works - the lowest form of thinking as detailed by Bloom. I guess the bottom line, from an educator's point of view, is ensuring that Web 2.0 e-Learning tools are integrated into the curriculum meaningfully - in a way that helps students develop their higher order thinking skills.

Even though this is a reflection on Module 10, I intend to return to this blog and hopefully share some of the experiences I have when actually implementing what I've learned from this course.

Until then - take care - Cara

Module 9

Hi there - this module has taken me on a tour of many different and exciting things.

Firstly, there's Scootle. What a fantastic repository of resources. I've created my first 'learning path' (ES1 Literacy learning objects) and have managed to share it as a school learning path. My next step will be to set up PINs for all the Kindergarten students at school and then I'll start working on integrating Scootle as part of the literacy and mathematics group work we do in Kindergarten.

Secondly, it was a jump to social networking sites. I've actually had Facebook and Twitter accounts for a little while now so I am somewhat familiar with them. I joined these networks after watching a documentary on the ABC Four Corners program about bullying. One of the stories featured involved a one young man who tragically ended his own life. A Melbourne couple were being interviewed about their son and his involvement with social networking sites on the Internet and his use of mobile phone technology. The couple were well educated, involved and caring parents. They described their relationship with their son as being close and loving. They assumed that being home in his bedroom, their son was safe and sound. What they were unaware of was how involved their son was with technologically based social networking and the pitfalls that were befalling him. Unbeknown to them, their son was exposed to bullying via the Internet and on his mobile phone from friends he had had a falling out with. The upshot was that the young man felt so overwhelmed with the situation he found himself in that he jumped off the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne. This happened only in February of this year and here was this amazingly brave couple sharing their story in order to help educate parents about the importance of being aware of what their children are doing on the Internet - especially in relation to social networks. With children of my own I decided to make myself familiar with social networking in order to be aware of some of the problems they may encounter - I thank that couple for their bravery in sharing their story as I'm sure many other parents do. I've decided that banning access to such sites is not the answer. Spending time helping your children, or the children that you teach, navigate these sites is the way to go. "Ignorance is bliss", as they say does not apply here, rather I would go with the saying "being forewarned is being forearmed" - it's all about empowering children.

Thirdly, it was a trip into Second Life - a 3D virtual world where you can travel back in time to the Middle Ages or any other place you can think of. The applications of this technology are possibly greater for secondary education, although I could see our upper primary students effectively engaging with it - particularly the students who are currently using Google Earth to take them back to Ancient Rome as part of the Gifted & Talented Program at school. Second Life could provide them with a more detailed virtual world to travel through. As far as infant students go, Second Life reminds me of a virtual world called Club Penguin which I know my children have had a great time exploring (and me too if truth be told). Like most e-Learning tools, application is only limited by a teacher's imagination!

I am looking forward to exploring the last module of the course now - take care - Cara

Module 8

You can see that I've been busy tonight working through the Web 2.0 course - it really is addictive!

Google Reader is a great way of keeping up to date with the latest information from your favourite sites. So far I have subscribed to some of the blogs created by teachers from the Web 2.0 course. As I become more familiar with things in cyberspace I'm sure my list of subscriptions will grow rapidly - the number of RSS feeds on my i-Google page have already!

I can see that RSS feeds could be integrated into any learning experience. For example, students could include RSS feeds onto their blog or wiki sites that relate to the content they are studying - eg RSS feeds from the Bureau of Meterology if learning about weather or from NASA if learning about space. It's just a matter of ensuring relevance to the content. Personally, I love being kept up to date with the latest cricket results from across the world and with the Ashes about to be contested, that's important!

Take care - Cara

Module 7

Hi there - I have really enjoyed exploring Delicious. I had heard the term before but didn't know what it was all about. I think it's great for two reasons.

Firstly, it was only the other day that I went to look up a site I thought I had bookmarked at school when I realised that, while I had in fact bookmarked it, I had not done so on the PC I was working on! Frustrated, I then added it to MyInternet page as a bookmark. Easy enough to do but, not all my bookmarks are school related - eg Facebook, twitter etc...Delicious offers a way of bookmarking all your favourite sites.

Secondly, I frequently use the Search Properties function available on MyInternet, however, I often find the searching process itself quite frustrating and somewhat clunky! Delicious takes this function to the next level, allowing you to link with other users and their bookmarks - a fabulous way of sharing fantastic sites.

Enjoy using Delicious - I did!

Take care - Cara

Module 6

Hi there - I just keep enjoying this course and am constantly marveling at how straight forward using most of the e-Learning tools are. I think that with whatever e-Learning tool you're looking at using, the best approach is to just 'go for it' - yes, just keep pressing those buttons! What's the worst thing that could happen? Well, you might delete something you didn't mean to and all that would mean is that you'd have to start from the beginning - haven't we all be in that situation before.

The most appealing facet of the Web 2.0 course so far, apart from getting to play with heaps of fun things, is the confidence I'm gaining in being able to form an opinion about the educational value of many of these e-Learning tools. I accept that my opinions will change over time - but that too, I think, is a positive thing. Feeling confident enough to evaluate something is in itself empowering. I'm also realising that you don't have to be a brilliant technician of all e-Learning tools - you just have to be willing to attempt to navigate your way around a tool, be prepared to ask for some help, accept that you'll make mistakes and, seek and share knowledge.

Now onto bubbl.us - mind mapping is a valuable tool for students as a means of synthesising information and ordering knowledge and understanding across all key learning areas of the curriculum. In some aspects, I found the process of creating the mind map a little restrictive but that probably has more to do with my limited knowledge of the tool itself. I'm keen to check out what other similar tools are available.

I've enjoyed checking out Glogster and again can see the educational value of integrating such a tool into learning experiences. Integrating this into a Stage 3 unit on government could be interesting - students could use Glogster to create a poster of themselves running for Parliament or, perhaps a poster highlighting the effects of global warming. I think this tool, in itself, provides that 'open-endedness' we are always attempting to plan for - you are limited only by your imagination. I particularly enjoyed viewing one of the recommended glogs, 'Decision Decisions - A Trip to Europe' in which pairs of young children make recommendations for traveling to various parts of Europe. Once again, however, I am concerned with the privacy issues of students. Could sharing videos of our students (irrespective of the educational value of the learning experience) be inadvertently exposing them to the perils of cyberspace? I don't think it's satisfactory to say "Well, we haven't had any problems so far". I know that, as a mother, I have always ticked the 'no' box on the form that asks me whether I give permission for my children's images to be used as deemed appropriate on Internet applications. Surely this must present logistical problems for teachers trying to create something similar to what I've viewed on Glogster. Am I worried about nothing? I'd love to know what you think.

Here's a link to my first glog - not sure if it's worth sharing but here it is anyway.

Until next time - take care - Cara

Module 5

Wow! Exploring podcasts and vodcasts has been the most exciting part of this course so far (and that's saying something).

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to attend another Inner West Sydney school staff meeting this afternoon which was facilitated by a specialist presenter. Get this - in one hour (and I promise you it wasn't a minute longer) my colleague and I created our first podcast.

Neither of us would profess to be Mac users and we had never seen the Garage Band application before. We made a short podcast about mermaids. In that one hour we learned what podcasts/ vodcasts are, how to add photos, record voices and select and add a music track. We both commented afterwards that we would have struggled had we not had the hands on experience. I was so inspired that when I got home I borrowed my husband's i-Book (that's obviously a secondary school perk - Kevin 07 you've forgotten us primary teachers) and made another podcast about my dog 'Miss Molly' (my mind was not capable of higher thinking tonight).

The applications for the classroom are endless. Working in a single stream school, neither myself nor my colleague have Stage partners so we had decided earlier in the year that we would work together as often as we could. With that in mind, we have worked hard on fostering a Buddy Mentoring relationship between our Early Stage 1 and Stage 3 students. Our first project will be creating a podcast that will be viewed by the parents of these students at our respective class assemblies. The Stage 3 students will plan the project - they will be responsible for taking 'buddy' photos, writing scripts, recording voices and selecting and adding accompanying music.

Secondly, our fabulously talented Stage 3 teacher, Angela, is working on an i-learning project that will be based on the HSIE unit - Democracy. She will be working collaboratively with Stage 3 teachers from two other single stream schools in programming this unit which will include a podcasting component.

The facilitator today suggested that simple podcasts could be used as assessment tools to record student learnings. In this context I will use them to pre-assess Kindergarten students' knowledge regarding the text types I'll be covering next term - from a Language Features of Text Types (LFTT) point of view.

Additionally, Kindergarten will be exploring an integrated unit of work about 'Farms' next term so I'll plan to create a class information book about everything we learn together - the children can illustrate the book using a program such as 'Paint' and I'll scan their work for inclusion in the book.

Probably the project I'm looking forward to the most will be working with Stage 3 to create 'progress journals', if you like, about each of the processes involved in creating some of the artwork they will be exhibiting in our Art Show next term.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! All I have to do now is work out how to actually save the podcast I made tonight and install i-Tunes on our school network.

Have fun pod/vodcasting! Until next time - take care - Cara

Ladybird, ladybird....

Ladybird red-green-blue
Originally uploaded by nutmeg66

Here's the gorgeous photo that caught my eye in the Flickr gallery - it's called "Ladybird red-green-blue" - enjoy!

Module 4

Hi there - I've been navigating my way around Flickr - at first glance it appears to be a cross between a photo repository and a social network!

Uploading personal photos was very straight forward - as was creating different albums. While I can see Flickr as a means of sharing photos with friends etc.. I don't see that it offers anything more than Facebook does from that point of view. (Following this blog I'll upload a gorgeous photo from the Flickr gallery of a ladybird that caught my eye).

I can certainly see that Flickr would be very handy to use if working with others involved in creating a joint project - eg collecting old school photos for a school reunion etc....

While I realise that Flickr does come with a variety of privacy settings, I would still be concerned about uploading photos of any of my students for educational purposes (maybe that's just my paranoia). I would love to hear others' thoughts on this issue.

Probably the most appealing thing about Flickr for me from an educational viewpoint is the fact that you can check out the copyright status of the photos you're interested in - something that's not so easy when using the Google images search function on the Internet. Photos submitted on Flickr come with Creative Commons licensing details - available simply through performing an advanced search.

For now though I'll-

• stick with Facebook to share my photos
• use Google image searches to gather photos for educational purposes (although I will check in with Flickr depending on the nature of what I'm using photos for)
• continue downloading my personal photos onto my laptop

Take care until my next post - Cara

Making comic strips

Having looked through some of the teacher blogs on the Web 2.0 wiki I was very interested in the comic maker website (toondoo) mentioned by Sue. She has made her own comic strip about her exercise regime which I thought was great. I decided to have a go myself and found that it was pretty straight forward and I can imagine that making comic strips would capture the interest of many students. Mine (called I Love Technology) is not nearly as funny as Sue's but I guess it's all about having a go.

Try it yourself! http://www.toondoo.com/

One word of warning though - when I first looked at the site and read some of the comics that had been made public there was one comic that included some expletives so you just need to be vigilant when using the site with students.

Module 3

Exploring Google docs has been great - although I don't think there's enough hours in the day to do so as extensively as I would like to.

Creating documents is straight forward so long as you have knowledge of similar applications. My intention as I progress through the Web 2.0 course is to try and implement any newly acquired knowledge straight away - even if it may be a little tokenistic. We have an Art Show coming up in Term 3 that requires a number of teachers to work collaboratively in the planning stage. Using Google docs will be a wonderful way for those teachers to share and contribute to our planning document.

In terms of the classroom, Google docs provides students with the opportunity to work in groups both in and out of the classroom environment. Additionally, students (particularly in secondary school) could use this application as a means of gaining teacher feedback as they progress through an essay or project task. Google docs could also be used as a form of peer marking - with students commenting on other students' work in a constructive manner.

I see Google docs as more than a shared repository for various documents. Most importantly from a classroom perspective, it seems to me that Google docs could be integrated into learning experiences with the view to foster teamwork among the group - where each student's contribution is both necessary to complete the set task and valued by all members within the group. I'm looking forward to exploring Google docs in more detail.

Now it's onto Module 4! Until my next blog - take care - Cara

Module 2

Hi there -

I've really enjoyed Module 2 and learning about blogging. The actual mechanics of setting up a blog are very straight forward. I do, however, have some questions/ concerns about student privacy issues. I'm also struggling a little to come up with some applications for them in a Kindergarten classroom other than to use them as a form of information transmission between school and parents/ carers.

Having viewed many of the blog examples detailed on the suggested viewing list as part of this module, most include photos of students and associated learning experiences that have been documented by the class teacher. One site detailed a message that stated that due to the infiltration of unwanted SPAM the site had to be closed. I'm very keen to know how to get around this (if there is a way). I'll seek some clarification regarding my questions/ concerns on the Web 2.0 CEO teachers wiki and intend to set up a blog for parent access for Term 3.

Until my next post - take care - Cara

Introduction and learnings from Module 1

Hi there -

My name is Cara and I'm a primary school teacher in Sydney participating in the Web 2.0 online course for CEO teachers. I registered for the course as I realise the importance of integrating technology into the curriculum and I'd like to work towards broadening my understanding and skills in this area - specifically in relation to Web 2.0. It's also a great opportunity to share this learning experience with my colleagues. We'll be able to support each other as we go through the course.

I found the recommended videos in Module 1 to be very informative. My understanding of the many tools available to teachers (eg blogs, wikis...) prior to viewing the videos was very 'piecemeal'. I feel a lot more confident that I have a more cohesive understanding of how these technologies could work together in creating meaningful learning experiences for students.

I've really enjoyed customising my iGoogle page and navigating my way around the Wetpaint wiki (although I have to admit that I have lost my way more than once!). My goal now is to challenge myself to extend my use of technology in the classroom to include what I'll be learning about during this course.

Until my next blog - take care -Cara