Images

I uploaded this image from Flickr in the "Creative Commons" section. I learned this week that if I use copyright free images I do not have to reference them.....what a great time saver! I will find this especially useful if I am searching for an image to use in the classroom on short notice.

I chose the Mona Lisa as a useful learning resource for my grade three class on EPL. Our unit this term is "Who put the Art in Artist?" and we are researching and writing a bibliography on some famous artists. I imagine using this image in a number of ways. Apart from the obvious being to accompany a bibliography of report, I have conjured up images of students using the image tools we played with in this week's tutorial to modify and "improve" the painting. We could experiment by dropping the children's photos in as Mona Lisa's face. This image could also be used as a model for students to recreate the pose and photograph themselves.

The opportunities for using images in the classroom are endless. As our unit this term is heavily Art based, I will benefit from using the images as inspiration and motivation for the student's own creativity.....the world is at their little fingertips....

I have chosen the following podcast to accompany my image. This is an audio podcast of an artist in Pennsylvania names Bonnie. Bonnie teaches people how to paint in the United States. The artist tells some inspirational stories of how people, who thought they could not paint, created beautiful and wonderful pieces of art purely by having a go and believing in themselves. An inspirational and relevant quality to expose every young artist to.

picture from www.flickr.com/search/monalisa

Fun with pics in eLearning

Resizing in eLearning

Podcast testing...testing...1,2,3

My Podcast http://s0173428.podomatic.com/ . Only a quick test one I created in my tutorial. I will borrow the equipment and make a more relevant one at home shortly.

PowerPoint...so much more than a slideshow

Well I thought I knew PowerPoint...it has become evident after today's tutorial that I was unaware of 99% of PowerPoint's capabilities. I feel as though I have a brand new tool to use in the classroom. Prior to today's lesson I honestly believed PowerPoint to be a tired, outdated program that had been well surpassed by more sophisticated and complex tools. I can now admit that I was unaware you could even embed a sound file using PowerPoint. After my "re-introduction" to PowerPoint today I have been searching for more information on this understated tool.

PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-centred learning environment. It has the capabilities to add a whole new dimension to learning allowing the learning manager to explain abstract concepts while catering for all learning styles.

The following link may prove useful to you if, like me, you felt underwhelmed by PowerPoint http://www.powerfulpoints.com.au/presentation_gallery.html

Websites

Look at how far I have come. Not only am I blogging for the first time ever but I have even created my own website! Weebly makes it really easy and the best part you ask?? It is free! Please follow the link to view my maiden website: http://tashagiovannoni.weebly.com/

To Wiki or not to Wiki

Blog vs Wiki

The open style of a wiki can be useful for group projects, while a blog may aid in brainstorming or generating discussion. I believe a combination of the two will enhance and extend the learning in my future classrooms. As a wiki can limit which users can login and edit the content, facilitator control can virtually be the same as a blog, where comments and posts can be pre-screened. The main difference becomes the layout and organisation of information. A wiki becomes a continually modifiable easy-access web page, while a blog's journalistic style organisers and dates content so readers can see the interchange of ideas related to that particular blog topic (a valuable tool in the classroom).

My first ever wiki can be viewed at http://tashagiovannoni.wikispaces.com/deBono

Choosing my Framework. And the winner is.......Productive Pedagogies!

Productive Pedagogies

With its four dimensions of "intellectual quality", "relevance", "social support", and "recognition of difference", Productive Pedagogies (PP) attends to both intellectual and social justice outcomes. Productive Pedagogy, developed by the Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study (QSRLS) research team, build upon a very large body of research into the production of socially equitable student learning outcomes. Learning activities that support this framework are those that promote higher-order thinking and substantive conversations.

Hello eLearning. Let the fun begin!

What a whirlwind...and nothing like I expected! I feel refreshed and energised knowing the endless possibilities that eLearning will bring to my future classrooms. This is real ... and it is happening now!

Bubbl.us / Concept maps - This is not only a tool that can be used successfully in all junctures within the classroom but a great tool that I will use in my planning as a learning manager. The ease and practicality that this tool provides will be a real advantage to me personally. Here is a concept map that I created with my initial thoughts and opinions on eLearning. It will be interesting to look back and reflect on this throughout my time in this course.

today5 - This has really made me rethink how I will approach my future planning as a learning manager and more specifically for my prac this term. Observing Wendy run our tutorial this week using today5 and the ease in which we followed (each at our own pace) was a real eye-opener. This is an exciting insight to how our classrooms can embrace ICTs.

Blogs - Although I have embedded blogs in my planning in the past (for university assignments) I have NEVER actually created or even written on one! I do not think I really understood what a valuable tool they are, until now. After reading and commenting on my peers' blogs I am beginning to realise how a deeper understanding of knowledge can be reached. I will continue to use class and individual blogs in my planning, but I will now build on this by incorporating peer feedback and teacher guidance.

I look forward to next week's tutorial to continue my eLearning journey!