Module 5

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Digital Storytelling

While I enjoyed this module, it seemed to take quite a while to get through it all. It explored a range of practical technology tools including:

Podcasts

The definition which was provided clearly explained what Podcasts are and how the term "Podcast"came about. Podcasts are Portable (you can listen to them on your computer or transer them to a portable audio/video device, e.g. iPOD, iPhone, MP3 player) and On-Demand (because you can listen to/watch them when you want and where you want). The file is sent to you over the Internet, in the way a broadCAST comes to you over the radio or TV airwaves. The 'Podcasting in Plain English' video raised an interesting point about podcasts:

We no longer have to depend on traditional medium to communicate.

Everyone can now have a voice that shows their true colours.

'Podcasts in the Classroom' emphasised that podcasting is handsfree, portable, informative and engaging. It is participatory, interactive and great for group dynamics. It also allows students to become "minor celebrities" and to take more responsibility for their online work. This link thoroughly explained how to access, subscribe to and create podcasts. It also discussed the educational value of podcasts and gave some great examples of how to use them in the classroom environment, e.g. students created audio tour style podcasts about artworks in a gallery.

Vodcasts or Vidcasts
These are simply podcasts that contain video content. The terms "vodcast" and "vidcast" are derived from the combination of the words "video" and "podcast". I am a very visual learner, so personally, I generally prefer these to podcasts. I actually found it quite difficult to listen to the above podcast without any corresponding visuals. At other times, however, such as when driving or cleaning the house, a podcast is a fantastic option!

iTunes

iTunes is a digital media application used for playing and organising digital music and video files. I am quite familiar with this application and use it quite regularly outside of work. (I have downloaded a very substantial music library! I have also used iTunes from time to time to download electronic books, TV shows and movies). However, it is not really an application I have used at work as we currently don't have a school account or system in place for downloading and using files from this application. It is something we have been discussing and will hopefully find a solution for in the near future.

Video Sites

I have used the You Tube video site quite a lot within the classroom. I have found it to be an excellent, informative and highly engaging technology tool among students. It is something that I would like to use and integrate more in my lessons though. For example in Religion, I have been used the Animated Children's Bible videos. It helps to bring the stories to life, put them into context and make them easier for students to understand. I recently used the following video in a Year 5 lesson about God's new covenant with the Israelites. The video also gave great background about Moses and the enslavement and freedom of the Israelites in Egypt- all in less than 7minutes!

A downside to the You Tube website is that it often takes quite a significant amount of time to find the video that is "just right" for your particular teaching need. There is often also quite a substantial amount of inappropriate material for students that pops up during searches. For these reasons, I always conduct searches and select the desired video when planning for my lessons, i.e. when students are not present! Other sites listed in this module such as Teachers TV, School Tube and Teachers Tube may help to eliminate some of these issues.

Phew! A mammoth blog! I hope I haven't bored you to tears! I almost forgot to mention our breakfast today-a scrumptious array of croissants, muffins, fresh fruit, yoghurt (delicious, but 100% fat free of course!), muesli and fruit toast. Thanks for looking after us, nana!

Module 4

Let's Get the Flickr Party Started!
I am familiar with the Flickr website and have enjoyed using it both personally and at work with my students in the past. However, I have only used Flickr to search for photos which have been uploaded and publically shared on the website. This module introduced me to the other uses of Flickr, including:

• uploading your own photos onto the website,


• sharing your photos with others (either with the general public (everyone) or privately with selected people or groups (e.g. family and friends)


• creating a range of items using your photos, e.g. cards, calendars, photo books, canvases
  

I took the Flickr Tour to discover more about how to do the above, and then had a go at uploading and sharing my photos. I also had a look at the other fun and creative things you can do with your photos.

Within the classroom, students could be invited to view a range of school related photos, e.g. of a school assembly, excursion, classroom activity, work sample/artwork. Students could also upload and share their own photos, provided that the content is appropriate and that they have permission of people in the photo (if any) to upload the particular photo(s). To begin with at least, it may be best for students to only share their photos privately with other students or teachers. If students do not have a Flickr account set up, there is the possibility of using a guest pass to access and view uploaded photos.

An Important Note About Copyright

The Flickr website may contain photos and images that are copyright (C). Flickr states that it respects the intellectual property of others and asks users of the website to do the same. In order to use copyright items, you need to obtain permission first.

What are Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation that aims to make it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, in line with copyright legislation. Creative Commons (CC) are items, e.g. photos, songs, where permission for use has already been granted. However, some CCs have certain restrictions, e.g. if used you must include the author's name. Please check restrictions attached to the CC licence before using it.

The following website allows you to search for Creative Commons:

http://www.searchcreativecommons.org/

Some other websites containing Creative Commons are:

www.geograph.org.uk/ (images)

http://openphoto.net/ (images)

http://www.freeplaymusic.com/ (music/sounds)

http://www.ccmixter.org/ (music/sounds)

http://www.opsound.com/ (music/sounds)

http://www.magnatune.com/ (music/sounds)

By the way, for breakfast today, I decided to whip up some fruitspelt sourdough, along with fresh strawberries, and a dried fruit and nut mix.

Module 3

This module was a fantastic introduction to Google docs! I learnt so much...

So, to begin with, what is Google Docs?
* Google docs provides a new "home" for documents. Instead of attaching documents to emails (often to numerous emails) , it allows us to instead attach email addresses to a single document.

* Google documents converts offline documents (spreadsheets or presentations) into online versions which are much easier to access, view, edit, manage etc, especially when a few people are involved in the process.

* It enables you to avoid sending numerous emails (with attachments) back and forth. Also, with Google docs, since there's only one document, there's never confusion about updates or versions.

How could Google docs be used in the classroom?
* At schools, Google docs allows all students to particpate in one assignment at the same time. This is great for online peer editing and reviews. It also allows students to become publishers on a worldwide level, which generally also raises the level of their work.

* For example, in my classroom we have been working on a group script writing project. It was difficult for all group members to contribute to and edit their script, both at school and at home. Many students also had trouble keeping track of the most current version of their work and where it was saved. Google docs would have made this project much more collaborative as well as a lot easier to manage.

* This concept could be extended to so many student learning experiences, such as joint construction and editing of various texts, preparation of assembly items, online discussions and debates etc. There are so many opportunities!

How could it be used by staff?
* I think there are endless uses for Google docs among staff members. For example, we could collaboratively write teaching programs with our colleagues online. We could even discuss a range of other issues and topics online and cut down significantly on our face-to-face meeting time!

Now, let's put it into practice!

* After viewing some tutorials on the Atomic Learning website I took the plunge and created and shared my first document on Google docs. I decided to start an online book and movie review of 'Eat, Pray, Love' with a few of my colleagues. I have included a link to the movie trailer below. It looks great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZzmqHJ0gPU

I was also invited to collaborate on a friend's document about breakfast preferences for our Breakfast Club. In case you haven't noticed, we really enjoy our food here! We feasted on crumpets and cheese and bacon rolls this morning...yum! It's my turn to whip up some magic in the kitchen next week. Hmmmm... I wonder what it will be...Perhaps I should carry out a survey...I could share it on Google docs!