Powerful PowerPoint

PowerPoint and I are old friends!!!

If you saw my last post about Prezi you may have thought I had a new bestie.  But really, I think for content delivery in particular I will remain loyal. Setting up slides is very easy and there are background themes that make your slides a little more interesting to look at. Text is entered in text boxes which is helpful when you are animating your slides. It allows you to keep each talking point separate.  You can embed YouTube videos directly into your presentation to play automatically or when clicked.

Thanks, to this weeks explorations I have seen that PowerPoint has adapted a few things to keep pace with all these new competitors. I learned that I could record a video of a presentation, record narration and sound on each slide and even present online. 

Below I have embedded a presentation I used on my last prac.  I didn't spend any time on getting the timing of the slides right but it illustrates the gist of the lesson. I do find that when I view the video it is a bit glitchy in the transitions which is not ideal.




One thing I really like about PowerPoint is that it helps to keep me on track! I always put reminders in for myself to check for learning throughout the lessons and to be explicit in my instructions.  These are two areas that I feel are important for good pedagogy.

It is not limited to just typing words either.  You can see that my presentation was not necessarily pretty (I had to throw it together in one sitting).  But it was very focussed on the actual students in the class and allowed for key learning concepts to be illustrated with graphics, drawings and font differentiation.

Incidentally, the students upcoming assessment item was to create an infographic.  They could pick a program of their choice and there are many to choose from.  However, I created mine straight there in PowerPoint.  What I liked about this lesson is that the kids were really engaged with it because it was about them.  When I asked them what drew their eye in the infographic I had kids pointing out every little thing (with hands up and waiting their turns of course) just to get their turn to speak.

Was PowerPoint the hero that day?  Probably not, but did it contribute? Yep!

Prezi-tations

Firstly, I'd like to share my experience of SAMR creeping it's way into my learning over many years in this Prezi...




I could have written all of that in text.  It's possible that the only person who would actually take the time to read a whole paragraph is the marker. It's possible that some people would read the first couple of slides on the Prezi above and then skip through quickly to the end (this is me sometimes). It's possible that some people would like to do both! OR neither...

Ideally, in the classroom context content would be delivered in many ways to reach all learners and this may include a Prezi.  Prezi could also be used by students to present their work. I have not spent enough time on Prezi to know what features and tricks it has to make a more effective presentation but it is something I plan to do more of in future.

In my Prezi above I mention a digital artefact.  When viewing others work in that subject many had used this platform.  If I'm honest, I scoffed, thinking it was just an unnecessary embellishment!  However, I found Prezi to be extremely easy to use.  I feel that my artefact could have been even better if had I used this.

Sometimes Bec doesn't know best!

Videos... Consuming, Creating and Learning

As a mature aged student, I have experience of video consumption and creation for educational purposes.

As a consumer, I have been so  much more engaged on Moodle accessing a variety of media types to learn and understand concepts.  My favourite bits are the YouTube clips.  I like that I can watch some of them at 1.5 speed as I am so time poor!!!

In the last couple of years I carried out a university subject (Performing Arts for Educators) that required us to record videos of us storytelling, dancing and singing... how embarrassing!  I learnt a lot about video editing (I used Windows Moviemaker) and enjoyed working on the products.  One learning outcome was to be ABLE to speak dramatically.  This is not something that can be assessed on paper.  If you can ignore excessive cheesiness feel free to have a laugh at my finished product below.



My children have used iMovie on their iPads for creating schoolwork. My niece interviewed me on camera for an assignment on the weekend.  It is clear that video is filtering its way into classrooms.

Podcasting - Discovery of a new and exciting teaching tool!

I was excited to stumble across podcasts as a teaching tool...  The only experience I'd had so far with podcasts was that I could catch up on my favourite radio station segments!  I had never considered using one as a teacher.

But check this out!!  I'm going to talk about some of the value of using a podcast in a classroom... below... in my first ever podcast!

Record music with Vocaroo >>

It is easy to see ways to utilise podcasting in an ICT savvy classroom. One thing to keep in mind is that podcasts need to be linked specifically to intended learning outcomes to avoid becoming "little more than ‘bells and whistles’" (Dobozy et.al., 2007, p. 19).

Following is an idea on how to use this ICT tool in my content teaching area, business:

Images and Visuals to Enrich Learning

I plan to use images and visual representations when in my future classrooms.  Mateer, Ghent, Porter & Purdom (2017) summarise that learning, accessing and recalling concepts is easier when concepts are presented visually as well as verbally.

I will refer to my earlier Geography (urbanisation lesson) to demonstrate how the use of visuals enriched my delivery of key concepts.  After conducting a survey of the students I drew three snapshot drawings of how a hypothetical city would evolve over time (shown below). This allowed the students to see as well as hear the changes that I was trying to explain.

At this point I was using substitution as I was projecting the images onto a whiteboard with PowerPoint rather than handing out a sheet with the image to them.

WIKI + SAMR = MISP (More Interesting Student Products)

I applied the SAMR model to improve one of my lessons that I carried out on my first practicum to see how it might look.  This would have been an insane amount of work for just this one or two lesson project.  However, with consummate users of ICT it is definitely a possibility and would allow for wide differentiation within the class...

Reflection on a Geography (Urbanisation)  Lesson to Implement SAMR Model
What I Did Previously	Substitution	Augmentation	Modification	Redefinition
Took a survey of Students’ family structures, sporting interests and dwelling type in past, present and future scenarios.	I create a Survey Monkey to collect class statistic which the students carry out	Students access the survey to get results independently	Students create their own survey monkey to question peers in their for class	Students create their own survey monkey to question their own network of people
I asked the questions out loud and wrote totals on the board which I photographed for later tabulation	A student representative collates the results on laptop	All Students collect the data individually on a program of their choice
I hand sketched a hypothetical city that represented the classroom statistics and showed it changing on PowerPoint			Student’s create snapshot views (graphs, drawings or animation) of the changing city and share them on the class WIKI	Students do a time-lapse drawing of changes that have occurred in their local area and share it with the participants of the survey on YouTube and embed it in the class Wiki.

What the WIKI!!!

Oh boy!  I am having some trouble with my WIKI!

I absolutely LOVED the plain English video from the course so much that I have embedded it here in my blog so I have easy access to it when I am a teacher...



Video: Courtesy of Common Craft

After watching this video I was excited about the idea of creating an interesting WIKI that I could get some collaborators on. When I got a great idea and whipped it up with ease eventually, I sent it to colleagues for a test run.

Blogs!!! Whaddya Reckon?

I have been trying to get my head around "blogs" for AGES!  I have always wondered what the difference between a blog and website was.  I finally get it!  Oversimplifying, the main difference is that a blog contains (usually) one authors thoughts, opinions or content that visitors can comment on.

I've never been keen on keeping a blog but in the words of Matt Mullenweg "the word blog has gone from... personal journals... to a more interesting website". Listen to his thoughts below...

Video: Courtesy of dotblog

As you can see, I am now expertly, confidently, authoring my very own blog. And it looks amazing (sarcasm just does not translate on a blog)!

I can see the value in having a classroom blog.  I picture me writing a post after a lesson to reiterate, restate or show in another way key points and ask for student input to what they viewed as the most interesting, confusing, conflicting or boring parts of the lesson.  Also a space to seek clarification if they need.  I think that gives students who may like to learn more or revise content an extra place to do so.

The Nature of Digital Pedagogy

It was great to read about Bloom's taxonomy this week as my mentor teacher from last year had mentioned it to me on a few occasions. I recognise how important a knowledge of this framework will be going forward for teaching. Without previously knowing the theory, it surprised me that I could link it to my previous experiences.

I always find it a little amusing to read the theory behind something that I have believed and applied to my own life when raising children.  It gives me a glowing feeling that "I was right" all these years! Haha.  I have always urged my children to think deeply and problem solve. I have set educational experiences up for them to encourage this.   

The SAMR model I find exciting.  But also daunting!  I found it helpful to view the SAMR model with Bloom's Taxonomy together (See Kathy Schrock) .  Lining up Bloom's Taxonomy with the SAMR in this way makes me feel more confident at being able to integrate transformation into my pedagogical framework. 

I think a standout idea that makes me feel just a little more confident in having my students achieving transformation is that their products are "previously inconceivable".  When I was in school we were some of the first students to begin to present information on a program like PowerPoint.  At the time, this was "previously inconceivable".  With the amount of new apps and access to collaborative web spaces, there is always going to be new ways to garner a transformative product.... Hopefully!

My Experience of Pedagogy

Below is a reflection of my experience with different pedagogical strategies.  At the moment, I have strengths in creating real-world contexts for learning content. I am also able to create activities and assessments that allow me to extrapolate students' responses to determine their understanding levels.  I definitely need to spend more time developing pedagogy that leaves room for higher order thinking.  I will also need to leave space for student's to direct their own learning.

Strategy	Focus questions	When have I experienced this in the past?	How have I used this strategy as a teacher?
Deep knowledge and higher order thinking	Are higher-order thinking and critical analysis occurring?	I am experiencing higher order thinking and critical analysis now, more than ever, in this education degree.	I have not had a lot of opportunity for this as yet
	Does the lesson sequence cover operational fields in any depth, detail or level of specificity?	I am finding that the sequencing in this unit is not what I am used to.  While there is depth and detail, I am used to a more straightforward assessment type and have allowed the different assessment to throw me "off my game"!	The sequence of my lesson plans are all very deliberate in their sequence delivering more depth and detail according to the level of learning so far accomplished
	Do the work and response of the students provide evidence of depth of understanding of concepts or ideas?	It is great to be able to see the responses of other students. It allows me to make value judgements on how we are all understanding the same concepts slightly differently	Some student's responses to my activities on prac showed considerably more depth of understanding than others.
Collaborative and social learning	Does classroom talk break out of the initiation/response/evaluation pattern and lead to sustained dialogue between students, and between teachers and students?	I have found that in class discussions it is often the same students who speak up.  I believe there needs to be awareness surrounding this that ensures an equitable discussion between all participants	On my first prac I utilised a number of different strategies (group work, brainstorming, paired discussion) for collaborative work between students and myself with some encouraging success.
Knowledge as complex and linked to interests and experience	Are students critiquing and second-guessing texts, ideas and knowledge?	This has only been on my radar since becoming a mature aged student.  I am so much more aware that opinions can very much be un-informed or inherited.	I mainly apply this to my own school aged children.  For example, when reading text I help them read between the lines and consider illustrations when deriving authors intentions.
	Does the lesson sequence range across diverse fields, disciplines and paradigms?	I experienced this in senior mathematics in a share trading activity. It incorporated sourcing information, carrying out calculations and an introduction to investment in a real life situation.	I was teaching a year 8 Geography class but my activities included processes and ideas from other subject areas such as art and maths.
	Is there an attempt to connect with students’ background knowledge?	I lived out of home in my last 3 years of secondary schooling.  Sometimes my experience did not match other students and this was not always considered	One of my activities was to survey the students.  This was a great way for them to share something about their lives with their peers and give context to the overall activity
Problems that are real and relevant to students	Do the lesson sequence and the assigned work have any resemblance or connection to real-life contexts?	The share trading maths assessment was very real life as was the learning about compound interest.	My activity was around changes to urban areas.  I framed it around their specific circumstances first and then applied this knowledge to wider geographical areas.
	Is there a focus on identifying and solving intellectual and/or real-world problems?	As a university student I have definitely found this but a  secondary student, not so much.	Students were made aware of real world problems (e.g.. Slums in cities) and explored the future of cities.
Student direction	Do students have any say in the pace, direction or outcomes of the lesson sequence?	I am a distance student and find managing my own pace individually of extreme benefit to my learning.	In my lessons so far, there was not a lot of student input but I anticipate this will change once I have my own class
Explicit quality performance criteria	Are the criteria for judging student performance made explicit?	Definitely in Uni and from what I recall, in Secondary as well.	I saw this on Prac with explanation of assessment criteria
Cultural knowledges	Are diverse cultural knowledges brought into play?	Minimally in my early and secondary schooling.	I did not witness this on prac but I certainly see it in my children's school by way of celebratory murals, signs on doors displaying different languages and messages of respect between cultures
Active citizenship	Are attempts made to foster active citizenship?	I found this more in Primary and Secondary schooling by way of leadership positions such as school or house captains and being part of team sports etc.	I witnessed this both on prac and my children's school with leadership rules, belonging to sports houses and a buddy system.

Being a learner in EDSE12024

As a learner in this unit, my challenges are getting my bearings.  I don't lack confidence in achieving successful outcomes, but I find myself flailing to work out exactly how I will!

I recognise that I like to have a traditional type subject where there is specific content, delivered plainly (read then answer questions etc.) then have one 50% Assignment and a 50% test!

However, through other units so far I have discovered that I always feel overwhelmed at the beginning of each semester.

I utilise an Excel Spreadsheet (screenshot below) that lists each subjects' assessments and allows me to always know at a glance where I'm at with what is upcoming (including days that are lost due to my kids' school holidays and appointments etc.).

It starts to look better once each red assessment item gets changed to green as each item gets submitted.

I aim to keep to this method for this unit and just allow myself enough time to move through the coursework to be prepared for the assessments.

My present values and beliefs about ICT in the classroom

My approach to teaching and learning is that it is very much an individual process. What works for one student does not necessarily work for others.

It is for this reason that I believe I will need to adapt my early beliefs about content delivery being from "teacher to student" to "collaborating with students on their learning". I think I will need to deliberately focus on differentiating my delivery to suit all learners. I believe that ICT can assist with this process.

I am willing to let go of who my learners learn from. This will result in a lot more time evaluating validity of sources and teaching the students how to identify quality sources.

In my early studies I have found myself comfortably questioning where my beliefs have come from. Were they mine or did I simply inherit them and not notice? For this reason I am not emotional when challenged on my beliefs so far this unit.

I have some experience with ICT in classrooms from my first prac. I learnt of Kahoot and it's uses, one school for accessing student data and have witnessed and utilised YouTube videos in content delivery.

My children are also in 1:1 iPad classes at their school and I have learnt some about many different apps. My working knowledge of most of them is minimal.My journey into ICT in classrooms is in it's beginning stages. However, at this early stage I do believe that it will be an important tool in my future classroom.

The Contemporary Teacher and ICT

Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

Professional teachers recognise that students' ICT use may influence their social and intellectual development.  They affect and may enhance their engagement and learning with the use of digital resources and tools.  They are able to match teaching strategies, digital resources and adaptive and assistive technologies  with students' diverse learning needs and backgrounds to support participation and learning.

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

As a proficient ICT user, the mother of  three ICT using children and the wife of a selective ICT abstainer I have access to a small sample group of ICT users that potentially have characteristics of my future students.  For example, I have found that while my three children have access to the same educational, entertainment and social media apps, they each have preferences for which ones they use and experience success with. My husband, on the other hand abstains from all social media. Being in this situation helps me to understand that ICT interactions are an individual experience and as a teacher I will need to be mindful of this.  To improve my score, I would need to broaden my knowledge on what digital resources and tools are available and discover whom they may be most suited to.

Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

Professional teachers know how to select and utilise digital resources to complement teaching strategies in curriculum content areas. They can devise learning sequences and lesson plans to enable, support, enhance and accelerate deep learning in literacy and numeracy, enabling deeper engagement with curriculum and supporting a range of approaches to learning.

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

As a second year education student I have much to learn about the curriculum content and the ways to teach it.  I have life experience and prior learning in both of my teaching areas, however, I am not necessarily familiar with the digital resources and tools that are currently specific to these areas.  I would need to do more research on what is available and how to utilise it to complement traditional teaching methods.

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

Source: http://unearthedcomics.com/

Professionals use digital resources and tools to aid students' develop curiosity, set educational goals, manage their learning and choose and assess their own learning.  They recognise that digital resources and tools can deepen learning in relation to real world scenarios and authentic problems with creative and innovative thinking and collaboration. They utilise digital resources and tools to support students' discovery and use of information  including their communication of this information accounting for individual's needs and backgrounds.

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

I have selected the cartoon above in jest.  I think it illustrates the belief that you can only engage students through devices. I score myself higher in this category due to the fact that I am a very quick learner when it comes to using new digital tools and resources. This means that I will confidently be able to approach the use of ICT and evaluate strengths and weaknesses for use in effective teaching. It will be the clever use of devices and other ICT that will enrich the learning experiences of my students.

Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environment

Professional teachers are able to manage student access, select and sequence digital resources, encourage responsible social interactions, manage risks and utilise digital resources and tools safely, legally and ethically.  They have awareness surrounding cyber safety practices, respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Source: https://clipartfox.com/

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

As a parent, I am all over this aspect of ICT use in minors.  As a student/future teacher/mother I am consummate at using ICT legally, respectfully and safely and ensuring that my children do too.  I recognise that this will be an area of much consideration, monitoring and guidance when it comes to my students.

Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report and report on student learning

Professional teachers utilise digital resources and tools to assess work in a variety of ways and manage, analyse and record data for informing practice.  They employ the use of ICT when providing feedback and reporting to both students and families. 

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

I have been on the receiving end of this kind if ICT as a parent.  As an employee and team member I know the benefits of utilising ICT in this field.  I will obviously need time to familiarise myself with specific procedures relating to future workplaces.

Standard 6: Engage in professional learning

Professional teachers set ICT goals according to the National Professional Standards for Teachers.  They evaluate and reflect on the use and development of digital tools and resources and collaborate in online learning communities at many levels.

Source: http://unearthedcomics.com/

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

While I am no where near needing a visit to my local lemonade stand there is a lot more I would need to learn and practice before feeling ready to participate knowledgeable in online learning communities.  I do feel able to set goals in relation to professional development in the realm of ICT.

Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

Professional teachers focus on cyber safety when teaching.  They communicate effectively when using ICT while maintaining privacy and conducting themselves ethically.  They create and seize opportunities for collaborative communication in online communities and forums.

My Current Score:

(totally unprepared) 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 (totally ready)

I feel I am already able to engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.  I do however recognise that I will be exposed to many unfamiliar scenarios with unfamiliar people in my career.  I will need to be careful when it comes to topics I feel passionate about so that I don't become argumentative! 

References:

Australian Council for Computers in Education. (n.d.). Graduate Teacher Standards - ICT Elaborations Retrieved from http://acce.edu.au/national-professional-standards-teachers-ict-elaborations-graduate-teachers

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (n.d.). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/information-and-communication-technology-capability/introduction/key-ideas