Managing e-learning. Task synopsis.

Approaching e-learning I was apprehensively, inquisitive to say the least, I find I really want to become savvy with forms of technology offered, both in my professional, and day to day life, but feel frustrated obtaining knowledge toward them . Working through Moodle , in conjunction with the Managing e-Learning course has been very engaging and creating my blog was an easy step. From that point on, deciphering the learning tools requested was my new mission.

"It is fair to say that there are very few elearning experts and this is due to the continually, rapidly changing nature of technology’s and the new pedagogical approaches towards them being pursued across the world "(Aldred, 2009).

This quote humbled me as I read throughout the initial required fields of the Managing e-Learning course, as did the term “Digital immigrant”, having a background of a hands on professional (Chef), I desired to be, but felt very far from, a “Digital native”. Working through the task has broadened my ideas towards digital learning considerably. In fact, it’s a case of wanting to run before I can walk. Learning to use these tools to incorporate them with other strategies, to process, extend and refine knowledge will only promote greater learning outcomes and environments for me and students. The challenge is for educators to be able to implement these types of skills in real time, engaging them in team working, cognitive development, and critical thinking.

The use of ICT tools can encourage, assist, and move learning for students past the classroom walls, to connect with their peers around the world, as well as with experts in the fields they are studying. Access to these tools gives students an opportunity to experience learning in multiple ways, develop a public voice, and compare their own ideas with those of their peers (Stansbury, 2009). They cater to a wide learning style range and can encourage participation through engagement and interaction, knowledge and chance. Prensky (2005) explains in his article, “Engage Me or Enrage Me”, that’s student interactions with technology is extremely engaging outside of school, Students certainly don’t have short attention spans for their games, movies, music, or Internet surfing. More and more, they just don’t tolerate the old ways. There is no where to hide from this progress and at any rate it seems, one will never be on top of learning these technologies, rather it is better to keep up to date with their learning possibilities.

Siemens (2005) states "Learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing."

Working through the list of tools, I kept in mind which ones were being used or were available in my current learning environment. Apart from video, and access to the web for wikipedia and downloads, none of the technologies are being embraced. It seems technology may have jumped a generation (partly) in its rapid progression. Siemens (2005), states in his article on connectivism, that the “shrinking half life of knowledge” is causing such an influx of new knowledge that previous skills, or tools of knowledge, may be obsolete for today’s learners. One of the largest hurdles i can see, is integrating these applications into the learning environment, more often then not, department heads or seasoned professionals, haven’t any formal ICT training to begin with. Being a first year placement student learning these new instructional designs, I had to ask myself, where does all of this fit in?

Choosing tools that I could integrate into my learning plans became a challenge to me, especially with the limited on hand resources. Through the course, I have set up a blog with students, used as a reflective point for their practical classes. Siemens (2005) believes “the starting point of connectivism is the individual”. Using this tool I can incorporate, podcast's in line with the topic for examples of recipes and methods as well as video, using youtube to show other demonstrations for examples. I have imbedded powerpoint's on the blog with my own audio to talk through task topics with pictures to provide reference and encourage cognitive thinking with related quizzes. The theory of Constructivism implies that, learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000).

These are basic steps, but still more then was being incorporated into their previous learning environment. Having the knowledge to use these tools will enable me to create an environment where learners are intrigued to learn, using anything from simple web-based tools for individual tasks, collaborative learning environments, and social-networking for partaking in virtual worlds.

In conclusion, the time that I spent engaging information on some of these tools really reflected my knowledge towards e-learning. Perhaps in future if there were fewer tasks with more emphasis on pertinent knowledge within learning environments, students would be able to engage more of these tools in hands on situations, for greater learning possibilities. In saying that, I have taken a lot away from engaging in task one, I learnt a lot through my peers and their approach to topics, and applaud the scaffolding structure that is collaborative reflective blogging. In the future l endeavor to place myself in an environment that supports ICT learning. I will continue to use this blog for referencing these tools, but also to share ideas and possibilities in conjunction with elearning.

Karen Stephenson states: “Experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge. Since we cannot experience everything, other people’s experiences, and hence other people, become the surrogate for knowledge. ‘I store my knowledge in my friends’ is an axiom for collecting knowledge through collecting people” (Siemens, 2005).

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris


References:

Aldred, S. (2009) Course Introduction and Overview, Managing eLearning, Viewed at, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=579, Retrieved, on 18th August, 2009.

Driscoll, M. (2000). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Needham Heights, MA, Allyn & Bacon, Retrieved, August 4th, 2009, from, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.
Managing e-Learning course, Viewed at, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=134, on 10th August, 2009.

Moodle, Viewed at, http://docs.moodle.org/en/About_Moodle, on 10th August, 2009.

Podcast, Viewed at, http://podcast.com/, on 10th August, 2009.

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me - What today's learners demand. Retrieved 2nd August 2009, from, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Siemens, G. (2005), A Learning theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved August 3rd, 2009, from, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

Stansbury, M., (2009), as sighted at, http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=57910&page=1 , Retrieved on, 10th August, 2009.

Stevens, K., as sighted In, Siemens, G. (2005), A Learning theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved August 3rd, 2009, from, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

Wikipedia, Viewed at, http://www.wikipedia.org/, on 10th August, 2009.

Youtube, Viewed at, http://www.youtube.com/edu, on 10th August, 2009.

Slideshare/Slideboom

Yr9cookerycustardfinal

View more presentations or Upload your own.

This presentation is off a blog i have created for my year 9 students, although time consuming, it is my lack of knowledge towards these technologies that is slowing me down. Slideshare is a great tool for portraying information. Presentation's engage students, by using with examples of their own work they are intrigued to see how it turned out who's looked the best or if they even made the cut for the end presentation. Slideboom gave me the option to transfer my powerpoint effortlessly, the experience creating the powerpoint was simple, but i found Slideboom more user friendly compared to Slideshare.

I had problems with the audio when transferring my link to Slideshare, even using links like Format Factory i could not seem to work it out. I googled other Slideshare sites and worked my way into Slideboom, it offers 100 free presentations for trial use. This is great as you can trial new ideas, upload to the net for collaborative reflections of the presentation, and share it through blogs and social network sites. Although putting all the steps in place is a bit time consuming, clearly the end result is worth it. Thanks for reading,

shaun Morris.

Voicethreads.

Good day all,

Voice thread is a collaborative multimedia slide show, used to create digital storyboards. These are a engaging and interacting tool for learners to share and display information that can then be showcased and used as a discussion board around the world (Voicethread,2009). Teachers can upload files images, audio and video to the site to create customised learning experiences, perhaps tailored to specific need students.

Using Voicethread in conjunction with a class in another country, students could feel as though they are in a actual collaborative environment. Learners can incorporate their discussions towards the task and then onto social pages, for a wider scope again on topic discussion. For example, if delivering a practical cooking class i could record the lesson live using a web cam, a class in another state who were studding the theory of the method involved, could collaboratively comment on our progress. This creates cognitive learning through visual examples while providing engaged feedback for the prac students. This is key to affective instruction, for establishing positive perceptions for learning outcomes (Marzano, Pickering, 2006).

To find out more on Voicethreed follow this link, http://voicethread.com/share/409/.


Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris


Marzano, R, J., Pickering, D, J. (2006). Dimensions of learning: Teacher’s manual, Vic, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Voicethread, http://voicethread.com/share/409/">http://voicethread.com/share/409/, Retrieved, 12 August, 2009.

Using music on the web.

Hi all,

Turn your sound off while sifting through the animation web sites or watch a video clip in the same situation, you will only get half the point if any at all.

Using music with basically anything adds stimulation, in teaching, music can add stimulation towards a task or environment. Incorporated with other teaching skills or presentations (e.g slide share, video, web pages or even, cooking), music can set a mood, create motivation, but above all, it can create interest. Music off the web may be subject to copyright laws and infringements, these laws and regulation are put in place to protect the rights of artists and their written material.

Years ago i jumped out of a perfectly good plane for a birthday, being recorded the whole time. Music was added to the footage and the finished product today still sends shivers down my spine, but, if i watch it without the sound on, it seems to be less exhilarating. We naturally associate music with feelings, today's learners walk around with earphones hanging out of their shirts, music is part of their everyday story board. Art Costa (2001) explains through the habit of mind, Gathering data through all senses, that, learners whose sensory pathways are open, alert, and acute absorb more information from the environment then those whose pathways are immune and oblivious to sensory stimuli.

Music could be used to stimulate and engage learning in vision impaired students, practical classes, through stimulus and response. By repeatedly pairing certain music (e.g classical) with a certain learning environment, students associate the music with the class's learning and behavioral expectation's (Mclnerney, Mclnerney, 2006).

To view copyright and infringement laws, follow this link, http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris.


Costa, L.,Kallick, B.(2001), Describing 16 Habits Of Mind, Retrieved, 10th August, 2009, From, http://www.habits-of-mind.net/whatare.htm


Mclnerney, D. M, & Mclnerney, V. (2006). Educational psychology constructing learning. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearsons Education Australia

Animations and Simulations

Hello blogger,

I'm going to focus on BrainPOP, as i found it very easy to use and quite diverse.

BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that supports educators and engages students. Uniquely suited for 21st-century learning, all products are fully compatible with interactive whiteboards, learner response systems, projectors, Macs, and PCs. There is no downloading, installation, or special hardware required to use the applications (BrainPOP, 2009).
As in video games, animations and simulations encourage engagement with visual stimulation towards tasks. I watched a free link on BrainPOP on William Shakespeare, it outlined his story with prompted answers at points where the creators assumed students might be getting bored. This is a great way of redirecting to the learning, as they recapped what had been said by associating new information with what student might find relevant. BraiPoP gives examples of, and for, different learning styles through interactive learning tools e.g information on ADHD. The way the content is set out is engaging and the drawings are quite simple, but to the point. Activity's may be outlined first, by two characters "Tim and Moby", this will help learners engage, active learners retain understanding through engagement (index of learning style, 2009).

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

BrainPOP(2009), Viewed at,http://www.brainpop.com/, On the, 9th August, 2009.

Felder,R.,M.,Soloman,B.,A., Index of Learning Styles, Accessed, 28th July,2009 at
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

File Storage ie; MediaFire.

Hello there,

MediaFire is a free tool to organise and store files. It can be acccesed anywhere via the net or you can import to embed files to a wide varity of network sites.

This tool allows you to store or access, information relating to topic tasks and associated materials. Media fire is 100% free and can support simultanious up and down loading( podfeed, 2007). Used as basically a hard drive where files can be managed externally, this tool lets you store, manage and access your information anywhere anytime. It is a secure system with options of privacy towards a wide variet of storage uses, photo, literature, PowerPoint's and videos.

Marc Siemens(2004) states that many of the processes previously handled by learning theories (especially in cognitive information processing) can now be off-loaded to, or supported by, technology. Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed).

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

Podfeed, Mediafire.com, retrieved 20th August, 2009, from, http://www.podfeed.net/episode/QuickTips+016+-+MediaFire.com/794285

Siemens, G. (2004), A Learning theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved, August 8th, 2009, from
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

WikiPedia

Hello out there,

A great tool to get a wide amount of information, though in abundance, information can not be seen as fact as anyone can apply information towards topics.

I explored the Secondary Education portal and linked through to Professional and Vocational studies, hoping to find portals for Home Economics or perhaps Catering and Hospitality. I must admit, i had to search through many links but i came across a WikiPedia school for hospitality related management, http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/School:Hospitality_Management. The o-line school is a large organizational structure which can contain various departments and divisions, it does not contain any learning resources, but can contain projects for developing learning resources.

With so much chance for information on many levels, this tool can be used as a platform for students to store relevant information. Learners have to source the information, then find the facts within that information. Once this has been accomplished students can then comment on their findings in relation to the task. This scaffolding affect encourages learners towards greater understanding of the topics related and factual content. This development applies to Sternberg's theory of Triarchic Intelligences (Mclnerney, Mclnerney, 2006), to create a wider collaborative learning environment through optimising opportunities.

Thanks,

Shaun Morris

Mclnerney,D.,M., Mclnerney,V.(2006), Educational Psychology, Constructing Learning, Frenchs Forest, Nsw, Pearson Education Australia.

The School of Hospitality Management, Viewed at, http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/School:Hospitality_Management, 8th August, 2009, from http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page.

Web Quest,

Hello blogger,

I can see the relevance of using this tool for linking information in a organised manner, webquest provides great opportunities for collaborative learning towards tasks. This tool allows learners to construct their own path for learning through simple interactive pages. This will also encourage students who don't have access to computers at home to build confidence towards technologies. Piaget believes that children construct their own tools for understanding and discovering the world (Mclnerney, Mclnerney, 2006).

There are many base templates available on the net for Webquest, they are worth looking into for specific class topics, this link provides some good examples, http://www.teachersfirst.com/webquest.htm

Web Quest programs are well structured for understanding and portraying learnt knowledge. Linking this program to my limited experiences in class is difficult, as it is based around learners having continual access to computers. If their is not more then one computer to the class (in my case), the learning manager would have to organise a system or roster for access to the computer, or relocate some lessons to the library for greater opportunities for research combining literature with web access.

Seems time consuming in this circumstance, thanks for reading.

Shaun Morris

Mclnerney,D.,M., Mclnerney,V.(2006), Educational Psychology, Constructing Learning, Frenchs Forest, Nsw, Pearson Education Australia.

Webquest, TeacherFirst, Retrieved, 20 August, 2009, from,http://www.teachersfirst.com/webquest.htm

Google Earth

Good day all,

Well, this tool really does bring the world to your doorstep. The interaction possibilities are extensive as students engage in anything from finding their own house in the next suburb, to that of someone else on another continent.

With possibilities of different views of terrain and even an option for flight simulation , it is engaging for all age groups. Google Earth is great to use as a collaborative activity, Geography comes to mind as a subject that would really benefit from interacting with google earth, you can scan any location of interest giving a visual display of where the topic is focusing. Orienteering could be done on-line and used in projects for referencing points, like a "Greatest Race" style of bookmarking your progress.

The Engagement theory is based upon the ideas of Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999,) Relate-Create-Donate, implying that learning activities should be done in groups working towards a goal that effects someone outside of the learning outcome. The difference between engagement and interactivity reflects the shift in thinking about computers in education as communication tools rather than some form of media delivery devices.

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris


Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B., (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved 6th August, 2009, fromhttp://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Pod casting

Hello blogger,


I was recently shown the immense possibilities of available information through iTunes U, the apparent "new world library". iTunes U is one of the largest and fastest-growing sources of free educational content, with more than 200,000 lectures, presentations, videos, readings, and pod casts made available from all over the world (iTunes u,2009).

Students are downloading music while they are in their seat in your class, this tool puts the learning into their hands and own interests. Students can go to iTunes, select iTunes U, find the courses and pod casts they want or are told to find, and download them to their PCs, mobiles or iPods through the iTunes Store. Students can watch someone in America make the same custard, cake or bread they are in their own school kitchen. Teachers can podcast their lesson when finished for revision or even set tasks around differences in content to example.

I looked into the food side of things, by going into podcast in the iTunes u option, i then selected video podcast, then food, and this gave me many options to choose from. I chose Epicurious as i had used it previously and was able to down load up to 160 individual cooking demonstration and interviews with celebrity chefs. With the popularity of Master Chef on television, i find the students are more engaged with what they are learning and have a greater interest in cooking then perhaps in years gone by. This tool will only extend this interest and more then likely encourage it further.

Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential, which must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world”. This definition encompasses many of the attributes commonly associated with behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism – namely, learning as a lasting changed state (emotional, mental, physiological (i.e. skills)) brought about as a result of experiences and interactions with content or other people (Siemens, 2004).

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

Driscoll, M. (2000). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Needham Heights, MA, Allyn & Bacon, Retrieved, August 4th, 2009, from, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

iTunes U, Viewed on the, 2nd August 2009, at, http://www.apple.com/education/guidedtours/itunesu.html

Siemens, G. (2004), A Learning theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved, August 4th, 2009, from
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

http://www.epicurious.com/, Retrieved, August 4th, 2009.

U-Tube.

Hello hello,

U-Tube is just awesome when you consider the amount of information portrayed in its content. I initially went looking for Home Economic related videos to integrate into a blog i have set up for students.

With not much luck i checked out teacher-tube and was not overly impressed with it content to that topic. I tried again on U-Tube this time narrowing my search to cooking demonstrations and videos. This proved to be excellent for the sort of basic recipes i was looking for, plenty of home and house wife cooking as well as some professional standard examples.

Using U-Tube links such as this one i have embedded, allows students to engage with more then my demonstration and the theory literature that is provided for learning before they actively get to attempt it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3i_BvLO4c.

In this example, Creme Anglaise, i used a link on the classes web page for them to visit after the demonstration for revision and simple questions and prompts regarding the steps of the recipe. Their interaction encourages cognitive learning before they even take part in designated practical cookery tasks.

Using the blog as a server i can upload other links to cooking web pages such as http://www.epicurious.com/ or www.taste.com.au/ for the learners to compare recipes and methods. Siemens (2004) believes we need to teach by drawing information outside of our primary knowledge. The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill.

So, in conclusion, as long as you scan the content of the video before hand for any elicit material, U-Tube can play a very intricate part in supplying and also reinstating importance of task information.

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

Siemens, G. (2004), A Learning theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved August 3rd, 2009, from
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.

http://www.epicurious.com/, Retrieved Augaut 3rd, 2009.

http://teachertube.com/videoList.php?pg=featuredvideolist, Viewed August 3rd, 2009.

http://www.taste.com.au/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3i BvLO4c. Viewed August 3rd, 2009.

Quizzes on-line!

Hello all,

My first taste of on-line quizzes were trial tests in semester one, having done a few more since then, i have even integrated them into a educational blogs for my own students. Yeah eLearning!! On-line quizzes provide many obvious advantages to teachers. There self marking and the option of obtaining statistics relating to test results save valuable time. They may choose to make immediate feedback to groups or individuals sitting tests on-line or direct them to related revision questions before hand. Information and results are stored immediately into files for future reference, again saving on organisation time.

I personally think it is a very strong argument to have a lot of assessment in the format of on-line quizzes, as it will enhance the e-learning potential of the learner. Students can access assessment results immediatly, and information can be stored for future reference or revision. Teachers as well as students can quickly and efficiently sort through assessment result relating to topics and different classes. Marc Prensky (2005) believes today’s kids are challenging us, their educators, to engage them at their level, even with the old stuff, the stuff we all claim is so important, that is, the“curriculum.”

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me - What today's learners demand. Retrieved 2nd August 2009, from, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Image Manipulation

Greetings,

This is a great tool to use in conjunction with say Google Picasa, Flickr or really any hardware supporting digital photo images. A Image Manipulation website i use frequently is Picnik, it enables you to easily upload photos and play with them in many different ways. Depending on the time you want to spend playing with your shot, there are options for all levels of enthusiast.

Students can incorporate pictures into presentations and manipulate them as they please. Allowing students to develop through their own creativity towards a task can create interest, it lets them develop their own identity. Prensky(2005) believes all students are expecting to be engaged, in their lives outside of school they have friends, games and technologies that supply the engagement, they want to create their own identity.

I think Picnik is a good example of a Image Manipulator. It is fun and relatively easy to use, you can upload shots off many networks, and has easy linkages allowing the export of photographic content to other ICT's. What studentS create in class can then be posted or reviewed by peers or parents in their social networks, providing a sense of ownership towards their creation.

Thanks for reading,

Shaun Morris

REFERENCES:

Picnik. (2009), Retrieved on 2nd August, 2009, from http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome.

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me - What today's learners demand. Retrieved 2nd August, from, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf

Flickr..

Hello all,

I love photography and this sight is great for storing, managing and sharing your shots. I generally have used Picasa3 or Picnik for my photo albums and repairs as they has great tools for manipulation and touch ups, but i was very impressed with the choices available within Flickr. Upload to share photos with anybody and take part in discussions on topics, hardware or locations relevant to the photos. If using it to store files or family photos there is a link provided for privacy to keep the un-wanteds out.

Like Picasa or Picnik, you can manipulate shots to suit your style, this is great with students of any age as they are making the rules. Lerner's construct their own learning tools, through downloading photos from around the world that are relevant to the topic being studied or creating story boards, perhaps used with other ICT's ( Slideboom, Voicethread) to further interaction.

Here is a link to a web page, teaching with Flickr, it provides other links to further customise photos, and hints on some uses -http://teachingwithflickr.wikispaces.com/.

Piaget (Mclnerney, Mclnerney, 2006) states within his theory of constructivism, that knowledge is primarily constructed from our own actions in the process of regulating our interactions with the world.

Thanks for you time,

Shaun Morris

Mclnerney,D.,M., Mclnerney,V.(2006), Educational Psychology, Constructing Learning, Frenchs Forest, Nsw, Pearson Education Australia.

Wikispaces, teachingwithFlickr, Retrieved on 2nd August 2009, from, http://teachingwithflickr.wikispaces.com/

Static Websites

Hello bloggers,

A static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. They are normally attached to relevant information towards it own, only they express a specific point of view or points of interest set by the sites owner. Although the website owner may make updates periodically, it is a manual process to edit the text and content and may require basic website design skills and software (Wikepedia, 2009).

In summary, visitors are not able to control what information they receive via a static website, and must instead settle for whatever content the website owner has decided to offer at that time on that subject. This may be of use to students as it could possibly outline the specifics of the websites topic or related information, remembering though, it is a point of view or the beliefs of that sites owning body.

Businesses or people with a topic of interest may create a Static Website to use as a brochure for showcasing purposes, i found an interesting link talking on the pros and cons of Blog v Static Websites http://www.growyourwritingbusiness.com/?p=224, it explains how and why people would use such a thing.

Thanks,

Shaun Morris

Wikepedia, Static Websites, Retrieved, 27th July, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_web_page.

Video and learning.

Hey guys,

When i think of video in my schooling i think of the "Round the Twist" t.v series and the half an hour we got to do nothing... Were we engaged? Most definitely, because it was something of interest.

Educational video has been, and still is a central resource for instruction, i can still remember word for word the credits for "Round the Twist". Video presents visual and audio presentation simultaneously, making it easier to reach students who learn through different learning styles. Their is growing research supporting the pedagogical significance to video as a tool in the classroom(Cruse, 2007). Video can be used as a reflective tool, if i strole around practical cooking classes i can record students work ereas to show later on, through class discussion, where they could have been more organised.

Have you ever, ever felt like this..

Thanks,

Shaun Morris

Cruse, E. (2007). Using educational video in the classroom: Theory, research and practice. Wynnewood, PA: Library Video Company. Available:http://www.libraryvideo.com/articles/article26.asp

Interactive WhiteBoards

Hello all,
Interactive WhiteBoards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional white boards or flip charts. They provide ways to show students anything which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others).

The boards give students the opportunity to interact and engage in their learning environment, in a sense the same way we used to on a blackboard, only with a the wealth of information the Internet supplies as apposed to a text book. Students need to be engaged in what they are learning to achieve positive learning outcomes, these boards allow direct involvement and interaction, Vygostsky's theories of guided discovery emphasise the importance of this in learners acquiring understanding (Mclnerney, Mclnerney, 2006).

In any case, the person holding the textbook had to have the knowledge to deliver it, the same way current teachers need to be able to deliver it through learnt technologies. this is a great link to see these being used

,