week 5

Today we are going to create our own movies on various sites

the first site is  Zimmer Twins www.zimmertwins.com

How to create one:

1.      Go to make a movie 

2.      Make from scratch

3.      Then you can just simply select the icons that suits what you want to create for your story, then press play

I can’t believe how simple this program is to use. It is something that I would use in my classroom and I believe that the student’s would be really engaged in this activity. It allows them to become their own movie creator. You could use this in any domain for example, in English to retell a story or make a narrative. It also a good way to cater to all students abilities as some may have trouble writing a story from scratch, yet this program lets you simply create one.

It can also be used to create episodes or incorporate it into your maths, science and even art.

www.dfilm.com

The idea with the program is to also create a movie, however unfortunately this is not suitable for primary school students as there are ‘x’ rated images and creations,  never the less it is a bit of fun anyway. Thanks Greg

1.       Select movie maker

2.       Click on the picture that says moviemaker v2

This is my creation:

http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
Build your wild self is a wonderful program that will allow you to create your own unusual character with your own unusual name. Once the students have created their character,  It can be printed and put around the classroom.

From this you can extend the students learning depending on the year level. With the parts of the animal that they have chosen, and they may have used 5, they need to go and research these animals.  This is not just ICT but also art and literacy.

http://www.sketchswap.com/  is a great website to do some simple (or extravagant sketches depending on how arty you are) however once you have drawn your sketch and selected swap, you are unsure of what is going to come back. Luckily this is what came back for me:

Story games www.storygames.com  is a fantastic program as you fill in the spaces with pictures: Also called a rebus. Although there is a lot of pressure in schools today to push literacy and numeracy but we seem to be forgetting that programs such as there’s are also encouraging their literacy skills. Students can work and their own pace and can have a final draft in an hour. Reluctant writers gain a quick success, which they may not always feel. 

If you save the document as a webpage and past in into word the pictures can animate.

Click on this website www.reasonablyclever.com

1.       select mini-mizers

2.       Then select classic kid’s safe mini-mizers.

3.       They students can then create their own Lego character.

This program is sure to capture the students with the latest Play station games coming out in Lego such as Indian Jones, batman and even Harry potter. If the students feel as though they can create their very own character, this program is sure to be a big hit!

Although this is a good program, I would use real Lego first and then for the early finishers or for some free time they can use this program.

Here is some additional site that the students can go on at their leisure. They do have to be explained and have had the opportunity to play around with first, however for early finishers there will always be something for them to do.

 www.xtranormal.com

http://myths.e2bn.org/about/accessibility.php

For those who are into the environment http://www.catchmentdetox.net.au/

Schools are becoming more and more environmentally conscious so this is a good site that is fairly involved. It can be used for up to 6 months so why would I use it?! It may not directly relate to everything however it is a good tool to aid/ assist learning.

http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/rollermache/ This is a good website to introduce animation because as it shows animations such as Shaun the sheep and Jane and the dragon which most of the students should be familiar with. However it should not be your only tool.

These types of programs are fabulous for students these days as they are immersed in technology. Hopefully by using these programs they will develop an appreciation for just how much work needs to be put in for just one character and even more so for a short animation.

Week 4

Today we began with a beautiful dreamtime story called Mermaid story (Dust Echoes) . There were no words just simple, soft music and it was the perfect was to start the lesson. It was about a man who goes walkabout and finds himself living with mermaids. He soon becomes lonely and wants to see his family. He must make a choice. He decides to go back to his family and that is the best choice. It is great for grade 5/6 and it will allow them to interpret the story to what they feel happened.

Our task today is to listen to a dreamtime story and using the ‘inspiration’ program, capture the key points and retell the story using images. This is clever way of doing an English retell and allows the students to use another method that will determine how they tell the story.

I really enjoyed this activity and I think that this is really important. If I have an interest and enjoyment then that will come through in my teaching and hopefully get the children enthused.

Counting M&M’s.

Using an M&M’s candy chart, there are many options for them. They can use mathematics by sorting the colours and counting and entering the data onto the chart. Due to food allergies that children may have you might have to resort to using fruit or vegetables such as peas or beans. From the chart they can then use Microsoft excel and place in a spreadsheet. However this does not mean that you can't use M&M’s. You just need to ensure that NO child is to eat them!.

I am ok with excel however having being shown again has just reiterated what I already know and refreshed my memory. Thanks Greg the activities that you have shown us today are things that I would never have thought of and are something that I think the students would really enjoy. It is different to their everyday routine and worksheets where I completely agree that they are not the best way for the students to learn. They need more stimulation and creation in their everyday education.

week 3

Design brief, the new design brief is set out as: Investigate/design, procedure....

The activity that we have to do in class today is to design a frog that jumps using ALL of the materials provided.

Those are: · Small portion of sticky tape

· frog picture

· piece of cardboard

· scissors

this is an excellent activity to get students thinking and creating. By having to complete a design brief it is moving towards higher order thinking skills and justify what they have created the ‘frog’ the in that particular way. It also allows for some healthy competition and encourages students to keep trying if it doesn't work the first time.

After much deliberation in our group we finally created a frog that jumps using all materials.

When having a look at how my peers had gone about creating the frog, it was interesting to see how many different designs can be created just with the same few materials. For those who finish early can always use larger pieces of card and design again.

Creating a game:

www.quia.com/web

Register for the 30 day free trial.

User name: alwiley10Create a Quiz.

Today it is a multiple choice quiz. If you would like to complete my quiz on animals go to http://www.quia.com/quiz/2513861.html

The next activity we have the choice of creating out own :) I have decided to do jumbled words.
These shorts of activities are a good way to increase student’s ability to spell and their literacy skills.

Week 2

Using MS Publisher:

First select 'Brochure' as this is the task that we are wanting to complete today.

The task is to create a holiday brochure. This is an easy task for me as I have always wanted to go to Egypt to marvel in the ancient architecture.

(Remember to allow at least 2 weeks for the children to complete this task as they should not spend too long in front of a computer.)

I was having some trouble using the program at first, however once you get the hang of it, it is simple to use. I found that when adding text to the brochure, the background remained white. After deliberations I realised that the text box was not necessary.

For the purpose of this task we made a brochure however it can have other benificial uses. If the students dont want to make a brochure on a travel destination, they can create a procudural text on something that is of interest to them.

I used the print screen function that we used last week in order to place my brochure into my blog.

Interview tips:

Being given tips on what to do and what not to do when applying for jobs was very helpful. Thanks Greg :) Even though some of the ideas were absured, they can be made!! There was alot however that I did not realise such as being given the quesitons that the panel will ask you. Write like mad and dont panic. During the interview take a breath and look down at my notes. Thats why they have given it to me.

Handy tip: once asked the quesiton, take a breath and start off slowly. If you then think you are rambling, ask if i have sufficiently as the quesiton. There is no harm in doing so. Also if you feel that you failed to mention a key point to a quesiton, at the end when they ask if there is anything to add, SAY IT! A little insight goes a long way and something I am going to need.

E-portfolio:

it is very important to have an E-portfolio as it will be a part of my interview and application process. it is a good idea to take photos of students and/or students work to demonstrate how my lessons reflect in the students work through their creativity and design.

Ensure when in the interview process, always leave your e-portfolio as although the may not have time to look at in on the spot, they will look at it and it will be the difference of getting or missing out on the job oopportunity.

Creating an E-portfolio on publisher:

This process is simple as publisher is easy to use. The hard part is entering the right information to show my skills and attributes for the interview panel.

This is just a sample of an E-portfolio that needs to be perfected :)

Week 1

So today I learnt how to create my very own blog! A place for me to place all my thoughts about about this subject, what I have learnt and what I think can be useful in the future.

I need to remember that Google has a tendency to forget who people are. Lets hope that doesn't happen to me... so save, save, save into a word document!!!! Lets just hope that when I use this with a class of 25 students google doesn't forget them all. What a disaster that would be. However Greg did make a good point today that homework is not always necessary, yet a blog would be a good alternative. They can just write a reflection for themselves on what they have learnt and it can be there for them to look on in the future.

I can be at times computer illiterate. Thankfully using 'Print screen' to altering images in paint is something I remember from completing IT in year 9, otherwise I may have been a little lost. It is a handy tool to know and I will make sure this is something that my students know how to use.

Using Inspiration 8 IE is very new to me. It is a shame that when you buy on disc you only have the rights to that one program. If a school wants to use it, the will need to accommodate that into their budget which for some schools may not be a high priority.

With the program you can create a concept map or a mind map. There are so many different characters and options for you to chose that is can suit any curriculum at any age level. I had so much fun playing around with all of the different features of this program that I felt like a kid again. I found this program very easy to use and I just found out that this program can be explored in PowerPoint so I think I need to look into that further.

Another benefit of mind mapping and concept maps that students create is that their work can be printed out and placed around the room for everyone to see.

Something that I did not like about the program was the 'link' function. I found it hard to control where I wanted to arrows to lead to. What i do like about the program is that you can save the document into a word document using the transfer function. This is a good way for the student to take their work home and show their parents. What they have written in the text box is not lost as this will also appear in the document.




Although my image is basic, it was good for me to have a play around and test what worked and what didn't so that when I use this with my classroom I am aware of the flaws.

Having a walk around and looking at what others have done, I am impressed with how creative you can become.