A dingle of a dongle

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Last week I had the arduous job of transferring an audio file recorded on my mobile phone somehow into something physical that I could hand in as a requirement for an assignment.

First thought? How on Earth do I do that?

Next..... Brainstorming!  Can I send the audio file to my teacher via SMS? NO. Can I email it as an attachment in an email? Yes. OK, so how do I do that?

Well, after many enquiries and with the help of a loyal family member, I ‘bluetoothed’ the audio file to a compatible Mac, and saved the file to my USB. Apparently my computer lacks Bluetooth technology, so I was informed that I needed to equip myself with a Bluetooth dongle. A Bluetooth dongle? WTF?....Surely a prank, part of a funny video show with a secret audience amusingly watching on as I naively ask the assistant at Officeworks where the dongles are kept? Well, apparently not, a dongle does indeed exist. So that of course is next on my list of things to do...

Next problem? Email of audio, not sufficient, must be a hard copy attached to written assignment! AARRGGHHH! Again, with the help of some technology savvy peers, download the file to a disc. Two discs and $5 later, still no audio burnt to disc. AARRRGGGHH once again! So after a quick side trip to Officeworks and with the help of a not so helpful assistant or perhaps an arse-istant, I had a copy of the audio on a disc with 50 more discs in hand as a pity purchase, and a smile on my face.

As this was quite a stressful and trying event, upon arriving home, I tried to burn the required audio to a disc myself ( I figured I had 50 spares, so no great drama if I ruined a few) After a few minutes of ‘what do I do-ness?’, and Voila! Success! At last....and all by myself!

What a little technology nut I am becoming, just don’t ask me to show you my dongle....

                                                                     

Life is sweeter when you're a Tweeter...

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Last week I was introduced to the social media forum that is Twitter. Like Gemma, I too have to succumbed to societal pressure and become a Tweeter. Reasons for this delay in conformity lie with privacy issues, time constraints, and being a loyal somewhat addicted member of other social networks such as Facebook.

The importance the Y generation place on the voyeuristic view regarding the happenings in their life is something that has swept over my generation X head. Maybe it’s because my updates appear mundane? The highlights of my life at the moment (atm) seem to be work, study, housework and going to the gym! Now, who wants to read about that? And do I really want anyone to recognise the humdrum that is my life???

Despite these uncertainties, in my week of tweeting, I have to admit I have become a fan. Purely for the reason I can now follow my favourite personalities and tweet straight at them, in the hope that they will acknowledge my presence and retweet or reply. Those of you that know me well know exactly who I am talking about too!!

I have used twitter on both an academic and personal level. I have tweeted ‘advertisements’ for my latest blog posts, read profiles and blogs of experienced teachers and found many  forums exploding with ideas, resources and information regarding not only the implementation of technology in the classroom, but teaching in general.

Keeping up-to-date with friends and families is made easier through Twitter. Gone are the days of long phone calls relaying the ins and outs of one’s lives. The 140 character updates keep it short, sweet and simple. Children of today must be familiar with these developments in technology. The ability to instruct students in such a matter further develops their fluency and comprehension in the rapid development of what is their educational environment.

So, follow me on Twitter.......I dare ya!

Do you speak digital?

Translation – do you have the understandings of a relatively new and ever-changing foreign language that is the digital language? Or are you of a NDSB? J

Well,  I am a member of the foremost mentioned, and similar to learning any other foreign language.... the older you are the harder the skills are to acquire. After perusing through fellow blogger Miss Kate’s post on podcasting in the classroom -  Blog, Pod, Vod? I happened to view the video so skilfully embedded in her post on Integrating podcasting into your classroom. This YouTube clip talks of the importance of adapting to the native speakers of the digital language. Colette Cassinelli  - the self-proclaimed ‘Technology Evangelist’, talks of the funs ways to demonstrate the understanding of course material via podcasting in the classroom due to today’s children having grown up immersed in technology, preferring to receive information via multiple multi-media sources.

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WebPages such as edtechlive or kidcast learning and teaching with podcasting is mentioned as a great teacher resource for ideas on integrating technology into the curriculum.

So, how can we as educators provide opportunities for them to be engaged in the learning process and offer them authentic learning experiences? The answer lies within technology -  podcasting, blogs, wikis and the like and more importantly... becoming fluent in the digital language.

Wish me luck!

Aloha!....have a wiki look

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Would anyone have ever thought the word ‘wiki’ is a Hawaiian word for quick? Certainly not me, although I am not fluent in Hawaiian (except for the odd word – Aloha, Lai, Luau and of course Mai Tai and Pina Colada), this was an interesting fact to start off my reading of Richardson's article – The Educator’s guide to the read/write web.

Due to the development of the web 2 in 2004(ish), the internet is no longer used just as a source of information. It is now a forum for prospective publishers and broadcasters with such forums as blogs, social networking and wikipedia. The ability to edit, restore or delete information in such online forums has enhanced the learning environment for the contemporary student significantly.

Students can create online, reflective, interactive portfolios of their work to be shared on an international scale. Students can comment on and interact with academics, authors and other like-minded professionals to further their knowledge and gain a more thorough basket of knowledge-  straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. This, as Richardson notes “gives students opportunities for important metacognition reflection on their own learning”.

The read/write web has become a place where students of disparate backgrounds can build connections and learn collaboratively with both mentors and experts.

Richardson poses the question “how should we rethink the concept of literacy now that students can instantly become not only readers and writers, but also editors and collaborators?” Great question I say! To adapt to this new method of assimilation of knowledge, and rely less on traditional curriculum delivery methods, it is imperative that we as prospective teachers continue to ‘upgrade’ and ‘download’ our skills in technology. If we cannot be one step ahead of these children, at least we can aim to be on the same level of cognition to them when it comes to the rapidly changing world of technology.

Wish me luck!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No......it’s an Aviary!

This week in class we were introduced to the technology of creating audio files. The aim of the lesson was to create a podcast.  Mac’s Garageband was my first experience with such technology, and boy have I had some fun with it.
Whilst dabbling with audio technology I discovered the many features of such an interactive program,after much confusion I have nutted out my first podcast.


You can select your gender, background music and blend your recorded audio with the tracks selected, enhance your voice and edit the many stammers and stutters that frequent the recording. A limitation of this in class was, due to the nature of the classroom, muffled background noise appeared on the track, even with the added security of personal earphones to help block out noise.


I love the idea of podcasting in and for the classroom. Being able to podcast lessons for student review or even more so using this medium as a tool to enhance the literacy skills of students is such a fabulous resource. Windows friendly versions like audacity and aviary are equally as good as garageband, and for those non-mac friendly users like myself, make it accessible to all.


I am excited to announce that I have uploaded my very first podcast regarding the rapper of a resource  – teachertube,  to not only this blog but my twitter  account also. Check it out!


Just incase you haven't had enough of my rantings, you can follow me on twitter too! 

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MP3 technology.....the perfect pedagogy!

Upon reading Sprague and Pixley’s article on Podcasts in Education , I am pleased to
report that my level of knowledge regarding podcasting has at least tripled!
First and foremost, who would have ever thought the acronym RSS, would stand
for something as basic as Really Simple Syndication?
The authors’ simple yet thorough explanation of creating a
podcast has further fuelled my intelligence regarding the topic of this audio
medium in the classroom. Such technology applied in contemporary classrooms
further enhances the learning experience for students creating an educational
environment conducive to creating the intrinsic motivation necessary for
learning.


Podcasts can be audio, video, text and any other media that
can be played on the computer or downloaded to an mp3 player. Creating podcasts
teaches students to do research, to communicate successfully, to speak
effectively, and to grab an audience’s interest with sound selling” (Selingo, 2006).


The benefits of podcasting include sense of ownership and
pride for the student; it extends the school day, which is extremely beneficial
to those not paying particular attention in class!; It enables material to be
reviewed at any time, and provides a meaningful and challenging learning
environment.


I particularly enjoy the idea of using pop-culture music in an
effort to reinforce skills in areas such as English. Removing nouns, adjectives
and the like in the lyrics of such songs and asking the students to then fill
in the blanks is an activity I intend to utilise in my classroom.


Wow! Combining education with a hip hop song, what a
fabulous notion! You know my mum always said... “Oh Belinda.....if only you
could learn your schoolwork like you learn the words to songs”.

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Well guess what mum? Now I can!

Oh Miss Kate....I relate!

Sourced from:teachersspace

In response to Miss Kate's memoirs on the digital divide and meaningful learning,  I relate with her thoughts and feelings regarding the use of previously unknown technology... grabbing it by the preverbial and diving in the deep end with it! Kate's intention not to employ technology as a substitute teacher in class is also my intention as a prospective teacher.  Using it to help students thrive in an environment equiped to develop their skills and creativity is the aim of the game . All this whilst on a personal journey to conquer and close the gap created in our (as teachers) technological education!
Another point that rings true for me is employing help from the 'experts' of the classroom (this being our students of course!). Not only will this assist in teacher learning and understanding, but also cements the childs ability to explain and teach something they are experienced with to a grown up! Hence, further developing and enhancing their self-esteem and intrinsic motivation....




Well said Miss Kate...I congratulate!


 Wish us luck!

Technology....a testing time?

Jonassen’s ‘Meaningful Learning with Technology’ had me cheering along the sidelines with his educated views on the usefulness of tests as an outlet for learning and retaining knowledge in the students of today. In my schooling days of yesteryear (the 80s), it appeared setting an examination was a favoured and malicious approach to assess the intelligence of the occasionally disruptive and inattentive children of the class ;-). The shear uttering of the word ‘test’ had us trembling in our finely polished Clarks shoes.

Jonassen asserts that: ‘tasks that require intentional, active, constructive, cooperative, and authentic learning processes will result in more meaningful learning’, this is consequently a more committed way of assessing a students’ knowledge, proven today with the introduction of technology as a tool in aiding meaningful learning and assist in assessment in the classroom.

When learners learn by doing; in groups; in a real-world context and where discussion and reflection is permissible to concrete their newly acquired knowledge, meaningful learning has occurred. ‘They think and learn more because they are fulfilling an intention’. I can’t emphasise enough to you how permission to work collaboratively in groups and talk in class (albeit content related) would have furthered my interest and knowledge in my education and therefore embellished my grades and desire to learn.

As an adult learner, this methodology rings true, as I find that by articulating new founded knowledge with my fellow peers, enhances not only my understanding of the topic but my overall knowledge of a subject.

So, put the pencils and paper down fellow student teachers! It’s time for a technology take over! Let’s assess meaningful learning in a meaningful manner.....

Wish me luck....

Figure1.1 Characteristics of Meaningful Learning

Reference: Jonassen, D., et al. 2008, Meaningful Learning with Technology, 3rd edn, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pp.1-12.

Mmmmm Delicious

So, apparently I am living in the dark ages! It appears that my ‘favourites’ panel on my laptop (or is that now an outdated word?) which, btw (by the way) I only discovered its purpose and usefulness last year, has now been overtaken by WebPages such as delicious.

Now, me being the budding chef that I am thought I may have been subscribing, filing or downloading an array of scrumptious new recipes ideas from ‘Delicious’ magazine...(excitement overload). However upon the realisation of its purpose, my initial dismay was overcome with amazement at such an ingenious system of retaining records that are accessible online, not only from your PC. This was, I thought, an issue with the ‘bookmarking’ or ‘favouriting’ tabs of yesteryear.

Being able to categorise, share and link favoured websites to the online community is not only a useful resource in the world of teaching but in everyday life. The ease and accessibility of locating such resources in this manner with their relevance and popularity displayed, further enhances and simplifies the research experience (and we all know what a joy that can be at times). The option of retaining privacy for those ‘unsharable’ websites (yes, you know the ones) is an added bonus. Where do these technological innovators come up with all these ideas and notions for making life so easy??

 I leave you now to import my favourites to delicious and perhaps I will come across a few delicious favourites along the way...

Wish me luck!

Source   http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaachsieh/3596050002/ 

Reading 1: Computer as a paintbrush

Well, upon completion of this week’s reading I have a new knowledge of little computer/robot device thingys known as 'crickets'. I can't help but picture in my mind the small bouncy creature type of cricket as I talk about these innovative little technological advanced devices, but I assume this is the reason they are named so, being so small and bouncy....but do they chirp like a cricket too? Or are they regarded as pests? I am sure to the technologically disadvantaged teachers or teachers in training they must be, but I am one who plans on learning how these little things can be employed in the classroom to assist in creative and innovative learning. At least, that is the plan anyhow!
The reading has opened my mind in regards to the development of creativity, expression and design in regards to children's learning. In the example given of the bird feeder it goes to show how something, anything that has gained the interest of the child is viewed upon as an activity in interest and/or leisure, and not 'homework' or 'learning', which for some if not many would be more of a chore. Yet Jenny, in this case managed to make use of scientific concepts in a meaningful and motivating context, to acquire the desired outcome for her invention of her bird feeder, enabling her to learn concepts that would have been difficult for her to learn in the past. This route to learning can only prove beneficial to not only the student but teacher alike.
I look forward to welcoming these little crickets into my teaching resources...wish me luck!!!
Belinda

Hi....my name is!

Hi, my name is Belinda. This is my second year at University.

I completed my HSC in 1993 and at the time had a desire to work and travel rather than study for another four to six years, hence the decision to enroll in University at the ripe old age of 35.  

This decision was not made lightly; life as I knew it no longer exists and I have had to alter many aspects of both my professional life as well as my personal life to make this transition. However, this has been the greatest decision of my life thus far, and I believe that I am on my way to becoming a person who truly loves and is passionate about their career.

I work as a nanny when I am not at Uni and have done for the past seventeen years. I have looked after children between the ages of newborn and 16. Recently I attended a 21^st of one of them, who was only 7 years old when I began looking after her. Needless to say I went home and drowned my sorrows that evening as I felt so very old after attending the event!

I anticipate that learning the technologies of today in this subject will increase my confidence and knowledge of the rapidly changing world of technology. Computers were not introduced to me educationally until Year 9, with word processing being the only ‘task’ we could perform, so, I class myself as ‘Technologically Challenged’, and believe that this subject will quash any disadvantages and unfamiliarity that I may have acquired along the way. (At least I hope).

 I understand that a concerted effort is necessary on my behalf to conform to this technology fuelled era, especially in regards to my teaching, and I am committed to giving it my best shot!

Belinda