Week 11 Blog: Assessment and Database Design

This week in the lecture we discussed the online resource Pbworks. I was fascinated with this particular resource and wanted to learn more about it.

 

Upon visiting the web site I found this short video which gives you a basic lowdown of pb works and what it is and how you can use it. Pbworks is an online resource that allows you ‘Capture knowledge, share files and manage projects within a secure, reliable environment.’ (PBwiki.Inc, 2012)

The thing I love about Pbworks is that it is not only useful in the professional world but it can also be used effectively in the school environment. Pbworks encourages students-centered learning allowing young students to build web pages, embed images and video and post documents. It will allow me as a teacher to communicate with my students, hosting and sharing information between the students and the teacher. It also allows more distant learning to be interactive and collaborative which supports group work between students. (PBwiki.Inc, 2012)

Te Pbworks website also provides you with several case studies that were done based on educational users and what they thought of Pbworks which is a really interesting read for anyone who is interested in using Pbworks.

PB Works Case Studies

 

Database Design:

This week in our tutorial we were given a presentation on Database Design. I was fascinated by this particular subject and wanted to find out more about what it is and how I can use it. Upon researching on the internet I found this fantastic article put together by Microsoft which discusses database design and the different subjects that are involved in it.

Microsoft Office Database Design Basics

I found that this would be a great quick reference resource as a teacher as it also shows examples in reference to Microsoft’s Access which is a common program that would be used and taught in a classroom. (MicrosoftCorporation, 2012)

 

References:

MicrosoftCorporation. (2012). Database Design Basics. Retrieved May 18, 2012, from Microsoft Office: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/database-design-basics-HA001224247.aspx#_Toc270678227

PBwiki.Inc. (2012). PB Works Online Team Collaboration. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from PB Works: http://pbworks.com/

Technology in the workplace & Software Development and Programming

This week in our lecture we discussed different online resources that are useful to both teachers and students. One resource that stood out to me was the Power House Museum Website.

After visiting the site myself I found it to be a great resource for students with unlimited information on a variety of topics. One idea that I could use as a teacher would be to set as a case study assignment on a particular subject that the powerhouse offers. The website also offers an Education Program for teachers to check out what is happening in the current semester at the powerhouse. This is a fantastic resource as it enables teachers to organize excursion for their class as well as themselves as they powerhouse run sessions for teachers.

Click to take you to the Powerhouse Website

                Software Development and Programming 

This week in our tutorial we had a presentation of software development and Programming. Within the activity presented I was introduced to a new program called scratch.

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive story. It is an easy to use program that is free to download. This is great program that you could use with the younger students in years 7 and 8 to give them an idea of basically how softaware programming would work.

Click to go to the Scratch Website

References:

              LifelongKindergartenGroup. (2012). Haunted Scratch. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from Scratch: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/node/165  

              LifelongKindergartenGroup. (2012). Scratch. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/

              Powerhousemuseum. (2012). Education Programs. Retrieved April 2012, from Powerhouse Museum: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/education/  

People and Networking Systems

This week in the lecture we discussed how IT as a subject and job choice is becoming less and less popular within the female population. I decided to research why this might be and the IT industry is less appealing to women than it is to men. Upon doing this research I came across this study done in the US.  It gives a great overview of of why this may be and what could be done to encourage girls from a young age to get involved in the Information technology community as for most of the girls that do get involved they succeed and become very successful within the industry.

Link to the Article

Networking Systems 

This week in our tutorial we were given a presentation on networking systems. 

One aspect that I found really interesting was a video that was shown.

I found that although it was quite long you could easily show little snippets to your students as it was a great resource and explanation of networking systems that students would be able to understand.

Another resource that found would be useful as a teacher is the textbook Multimedia: Making it work by Tay Vaughan.  This textbook provides a great understanding of networking systems and how they work. This would be a great resource as a teacher if you would have to teach this subject.

References:

                 Ali, S. (Director). (2010). Ericson-The Dawn of the NET [Motion Picture].

                 Ramsey, N., & McCorduck, P. (2005, February 5). Where are the Women in Information Technology? Retrieved 2012, from Antiaborg: http://anitaborg.org/files/abi_wherearethewomen.pdf  

Software and Robotics & Automated Systems

This week in the lecture we discussed different ways of presenting a task to a class using the technologies and facilities that are available to us today and that are more importantly...free! One of the sites which interested me was Google sites. This is an easy to use site that would be easy enough to create a page for the students to follow for an assignment. Also, it is a great exercise for the students to make their own website that is quick, easy and is something they could relate to and enjoy, therefore making ICT a fun subject for students to interact with each other at the programs the internet has to offer.

Another great aspect about the site is it has a quick instruction video which the students could watch all together or individually over and over again until the grasp the idea of what they have to do. Over all a great resource in website building and design.

                Robotics and Automated Systems 

This week in tutorial we were given a presentation about robotics and automated systems. I was interested in the robotics and decided to research further into the subject. I found through researching on the internet a website I found this site ARAA (Australian Robotics & Automated Association). This is fantastic resource for teachers and students. It provides information on robotics as well as links for students to different competitions they can get involved in. This is a great resource to show students who are particularly interested in robotics.

Link to ARAA Website

References:

Google (Director). (2009). Introduction to Google Sites [Motion Picture].

Roberts, J. (2012, February 2). About us. Retrieved April 2012, from Australian Robotics & Automation Association: http://www.araa.asn.au/

Past, Current and Emerging technologies and Artificial Intelligence, simulation and modelling – The Horizon Report

This week in the lecture we discussed the Horizon Report. The Horizon Report is a research report that was established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the next 5 years in education around the world. Within the 2012 issue it includes technologies such as mobile apps, Tablet computing, game based learning and gesture based computing.  This is a great resource as technology teachers to keep up to date with these new emerging technologies that will hopefully be introduced into the classroom within the next 5 years.

Link to NMC Website

Artificial Intelligence, Simulation and Modelling 

This week in our tutorial we were given a presentation of AI, Simulation and modeling. One part of the activity that stood out for me was 2 simulation games that were given just as an extra activity. I found these to be a fantastic representation of simulation proving a fun activity for the students  and also showing them the different kind of games they could produce through simulation. 

Link to Helicopter Simulation Game

Link to DrivingSimulator Game

References:

Consortium, T. N. (N/A). The Horizon Report. Retrieved April 2012, from NMC: http://www.nmc.org/

Hammerback, A., & Edin, N. (2005). Helicopter Games. Retrieved March 2012, from Learn 4 Good: http://www.learn4good.com/games/simulation/bump_copter_2.htm  

Kobayashi, K. (2012). 2D Drving Simulator. Retrieved March 2012, from Geo Quake: http://geoquake.jp/en/webgame/DrivingSimulator/  

Piracy & Digital Media

In this week’s lecture we talked about several different Issues that arise in IST. One that I really wanted to focus on was Piracy especially in adolescents. I found an article that states that fewer than 1 in 10 teenagers believe that music piracy is morally wrong.
                             
                              1 in 10 Teenagers believe that music Piracy is morally wrong

I found this to be an astonishing statistic and want to highlight that music piracy is morally wrong. I found this article to be an excellent teaching resource if not shown to the students it would be an eye opener for them. Discussing an issue like this would be a good lesson to almost try to convince the students why it is wrong and try to change their mind about Piracy whether it is music, TV or movies.

This week i decided to write about the lesson that we experienced this week and the different techniques and strategies that they used that i found to be effective.

Within this week’s tutorial we participated in another class that was based on Digital Media. I found this lesson to be taught quite well. The presentation included several video s that would be very useful within a class room. One of the YouTube clips was about the Disney movie tangled and how digital media is used within the creation of the movies.

This is a great example that could be shown to a class that they will enjoy and relate to as they would have probably seen the movie.

One other aspect that was great about this lesson was the activity of where we needed to make a short 30 second video using apple imovie. One thing that I felt could have been done better was maybe a little bit more instruction on how to use imovie as I personally have never used it. A way to improve this could possibly have the students watch a short you tube video such as this one so as they can bet the basics and go back to video to check or watch and learn again.

The teaching methods that were used included presenting the information about digital media, introducing the activity and then leaving the students to their own work. I found this to be very effective however more instruction on how to use the program would have just made the lesson slightly better than it already was.

I found that the activity was really fun and exciting and something that the students could work on together and work collaboratively. This was a quick and easy activity that it getting the students to play around with imovie and learn about the program whilst having fun doing it.

References:

Animation, D. (Director). (2012). A Tangled World: Creating the look [Motion Picture]. Retrieved From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awlBswjJC-g

Group, B. (2009, April 26). Fewer than 1 in 10 teenagers believe that music piracy in morally wrong. Retrieved March  2012, from Barna: http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/139-fewer-than-1-in-10-teenagers-believe-that-music-piracy-is-morally-wrong

Poult, K. (Director). (2011). iMovie in under five minutes [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J79_0h3ozS0&feature=related

Hardeware & Multimedia and Authoring Software

This week in the lecture we discussed Hardware. I understood it myself however I wasn’t too sure how I would teaching to my students. I therefore gathered some teaching resources for Hardware. One site I found was a computer Quiz of Hardware,

                                               Link to Computer Hardware Activity

I found this to be a great resource just a quick quiz you could give the students to refresh or find out what they know. I also found another website that would be great as a teaching resource giving you the basics about hardware and the topics within hardware.

                                              Link to Hardware Teaching Resource

This week it was my turn to be the student. Another 2 groups presented their overview and lessons this week. I found the topic to be very dry however the way in which the group presented it was interesting and captivating.

Teaching strategies that the group used were not done on the internet or laptop which is a good resources to have as not everything needs to be taught on the computer. One aspect I did like was the group started out their lesson with a little crossword puzzle. This was simple yet a good way to motivate the students and get them into a working mood. The cross word was created using a website called Eclipse Crossword.

                                                                  Link to Eclipse Crossword.com

 This is a free service that allows you to create any crossword you like.

Another aspect that the other group used was group work. The tables were separated into 3 groups and as a group we all had to agree on the answers to the work sheet. The answers were then discussed as a whole and the activity was done on the smart board.

I found this to be an effect way of teaching as not everyone likes to complete work alone. Students like to discuss their answers with others to get the best answer. This group also talked about Gardener and his 7 multiple intelligences.

I found this to be a good link as to explaining the different intelligences.

                                                             Link to Inelligences Website

Overall this was a successful lesson and will be a good resource for an activity that does not have to be completed entirely on the computer.

References:

clipse, G. (2012). Welcom to Eclipse Crosswords. Retrieved March 20th, 2012, from Eclipse Crossword: http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/  

Design, H. W. (n/a). The Seven types of Intelligence. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from Professor Lamp: http://www.professorlamp.com/ed/TAG/7_Intelligences.html  

Khanna, S. (n/a). Computer Hardware. Retrieved march 20, 2012, from Pitara: http://www.pitara.com/activities/quiz/online.asp?qname=computer

Welch, C. (n/a). Computer Connections: Lesson 1 0 Outer Hardware. Retrieved March 20, 2012, from Kaboose: http://parenting.kaboose.com/education-and-learning/learning-resources/comp_les1.html

Ipads in Education & The Internet & Website Development

This week in the lecture we discussed Ipads and how they are slowly replacing textbooks in the classroom. I found this to be an interesting subject as by replacing the textbook with an electronic copy is probably more convenient for the student. They no longer have to carry around heavy textbooks, they will never forget it as it is always with them; it is creating a more sustainable environment no using so much paper to print the text book and saving some children’s back from back problems. I found this article which talks about teaching the Ipad way. I found it to be very interesting as they talk about how Ipads will change the classroom, how convenient they are and how more and more publishers are turning their books in to eBooks to be uploaded to the Ipad. I found this to be helpful and relevant to my teaching career and what the future brings.

                                                Link to Article: Teaching the Ipad way

This Week I had my group presentation of the Subject ‘The internet and Website Development’. We were to give an overview of our subject and then teach a lesson to the class based on a topic within the option topic.

We decided to teach the class about the World Wide Web creating an activity were the students had to view a homepage of 3 different websites and answer a question sheet. I found this activity to be very successful In that the response that was given was that it was quite a fun lesson. I was interesting teaching the lesson to my fellow classmates as it was very different to a normal school environment. I found that the Prezi that we made was effective as it was not just a normal Power point presentation.

A back up plan that we had in case the computers or internet wasn’t working was that we have screen shotted the home page and printed it onto the back of the worksheet. This was very handy as we had sent the students an email via the intranet but the intra net was down. The students could simply turn the page over and use the screen shot. I feel that this kind of back up would almost be necessary within in a school setting because it is almost always were someone might have a problem getting onto the internet.

After the class had finished the activity we went through the answers just randomly asking students what answers they got. One point that my tutor mention was that we could have placed the different websites up on the smart board as the students were talking about them. This was because not everyone had the same one so when we were talking about a website they didn’t have everyone could not contribute as they could not view the website.

Overall the lesson was a great learning experience and fantastic resource builder.

References:

Glance, D. (2012, January 24). Teaching the Ipad way. Retrieved March 2012, from Technology Spectator: http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/education/teaching-ipad-way
Titus, A. (Director). (2009). How the Internet Works in 5 Minutes [Motion Picture]. Retrieved From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_LPdttKXPc&feature=BFa&list=PLDA2D657B13B7DF85&lf=results_video

The Design Process & a Rubric

During this weeks lectures we discussed the design process and the different essential stages that are within it.  Because this Is such an important stage I decided to go into depth as to different ways it could be explained to my students. I found this website which would be a great teacher resource that could be used to explain the different steps of the design process. I found it to be detailed and explained every step with examples.

                                                  Link to: Steps in The Design Process

During this week’s tutorial we discussed different marking techniques. One of the techniques that stood out to me was Rubrics. I found this to be an important subject in which I wanted to gain a better understanding of.

A Rubric is “A scoring tool that lists criteria for a piece of work.” (Centre) It is a method for teachers to let their students know exactly what they have to do to get the top marks and how detailed they have to be. The reason why we use rubric is:

1.       “They are a powerful tool for both teaching  and assessment

2.       “Rubrics Monitor and improve student performance by making your expectation” (Centre) clear and showing them how to meet expectations.” (Centre)

Rubrics can also reduce significantly the amount of time that I have to spend marking each individual assignment as the students can self and peer asses their work several times before I even see it.

A Rubric is set out in a table in order of importance and ranking when it comes to marking! Being the most important and 5 being the least. A Rubric must have clear language that can be understood by the students as it is a learning tool for them and aspects need to be clearly defined.

It is becoming more convenient for teachers when creating a Rubric as sites such as Rubu Star which are readily available for my use.

    
                                                                Link to: Rubi Star Website

References

Centre, T. a. (n.d.). Creating and using Rubrics for Student Assignments. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from Teaching and learning Centre: http://tlc.ucalgary.ca/resources/library/itbl/rubrics-for-student-assignments/rubrics-for-student-assignments.pdf
Ryan, V. (2012). Design Process. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from Technology Students: http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/despro1.htm

Creative Commons

This week in tutorial we explored a variety of websites that were useful for me as a teacher. One of these was Creative commons. I decided to find out more about this website by researching and writing my blog.

Creative commons is a worldwide organisation that is non profitable. It provides free licences and tools that ‘Copyright owners can use’ to allow others to share, reuse and remix different material and is all legal. (Commons, 2012) Creative commons supports copyright owners to allow other access to their material by sharing and allowing access.

                                             Link to: Creative Commons Website

This benefits of Creative commons as a resources for me as a teacher is that it will be useful for when I am presenting material to the class whether it be a video  or picture, I can be sure that I am not breaching an copyright issues which may also be school policy. Within Creative commons you can search for any particular subject in websites such as Google and Google Images, Flickr, YouTube, Jamendo and Open Clip Art Library. For a lot of students the way they learn best is through visually learning and seeing what they are learning. Through the use of video or images this is made possible. Creative Commons allows you to find images, Video or music without the hassle of worrying about Copyright Issues.

I feel that this would be a fantastic resource for me to use as a teacher as Textiles and Food are visual subjects it is important to not only listen and read but to see.

References:

Commons, C. (2012). About. Retrieved March 1st, 2012, from Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org.au/about  

Ethics & Morals

For my first entry I have decided to focus on the Ethical and Moral definitions when it comes to the internet, computers and teaching in a classroom.

To be Ethical, it is to be “in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice.” (Dictionary.com) It is to be honourable, honest and virtuous. When in relation to the internet it is sometimes questionable as to what is right and what is wrong. To be moral is to know the difference between right and wrong and to know what the right thing to do is. When we are sheltered behind a computer screen, what is right and wrong starts to become unclear for some. The article “The internet and the death of ethics” (O'Reilly, 2010) by Dennis O’Reilly discusses when is it too far when images or videos are put on the internet to humiliate a human in a personal moment or embarrassing moment and exploits them making them a victim of bullying and humiliation.  Plagiarism is a huge issue as people pass off someone else’s work as their own without giving them any mention. This then questions what the right thing to do is and outlines just how easy it is to do the wrong thing and cheat.

                                      Link to Article: The Internet and the death of Ethics

The computer Ethics institute has devised a list of the Ten Commandments of computer ethics. These commandments “Entreat computer users to treat each other with consideration and respect.” (O'Reilly, 2010)

From the YouTube video “Internet Ethics and Young People” (Video, 2011) it can also be seen that people do not always do or say the right things when they are hidden behind the computer screen. People express their emotions before they think about what they are writing and once it is written it is very hard to take back. The things people write may not be true and are therefore not being morally or ethically correct. The video talks about bullying and being bullied over something someone blogged. The issue here is that no one knows if it is actually true. This can become an issue especially in schools were students are talking through their computer instead of face to face and a whole new generation of bullying and miss use of the internet has started. As a teacher of computers it is important for me to encourage the Ten Commandments of computer ethics and encourage students to abide by these and use the internet and their computer responsibly and ethically.

References:

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Ethical. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethical

O'Reilly, D. (2010, October 12). The internet and the death of ethics. Cnet .

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13880_3-20018998-68.html

Video, C. (2011, May 9). Internet Ethics and Young People. Australia. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqK_AxYg4Mg

Introduction...

I have decided to write this blog in order to build my E-portfolio for my professional practice using ICT in the classroom. It will provide and important inside into certain topics and significant issues. The purpose of this blog is to gain a collection of valuable research to help me throughout my professional career as a Teacher. It is also evidence for accreditation of professional knowledge, practice and commitment for the NSW institute of teachers.