I've just had a look at the Incompetech website that has a range of royalty-free music. I think music has a significant place in the classroom. For example, in terms of teaching instruction, it can be used to create a mood about a topic or it can be used to calm/settle/relax very active children. It can also be used to motivate, inspire, and focus kids. I also think students can use music a lot more in their projects/presentations, in powerpoint, to add power to an argument, evoke emotion in a play scene, but also as a form of expression. Students could also choose a piece of their favourite music and analyse the messages within them. Most people like music of some form or another and it isn't hard to see how powerful it can be.
I am an advocate for music in the classroom as I think it can enhance our teaching and motivate kids to learn, but I don't believe music should be chosen randomly. I am just not sure about copyright issues for other music (not royalty-free), or whether this is not an issue if it is being used for educational purposes.
I had a look at this website that has a lot of information about how music promotes learning and how we can use it. As a suggestion, if students are learning about ANZAC Day, why not have them listen to "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and have them analyse the lyrics for meaning. Similarly, many modern songs can be used to spark discussion about political issues such as with Pink's "Dear Mr President" or about self-esteem such as with Christina Aguilera's "I am Beautiful". Students would be more actively engaged if they were able to bring in meaningful song choices on their i-pods, then have them downloaded for others to listen and interpret the lyrics. Personally, I think music is underutilised in classrooms and it just takes a little creativity to incorporate more of it.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wikipedia - A wealth of knowledge
Wikipedia, what a phenomenon! An encyclopaedia at your finger tips. As I don't have a particular subject, I just found myself wandering around, putting in different topics, just to see what would come up. What is great about this resource is that you can probably type in any subject you want and it will be there, right at your fingertips but it also has links to elaborate on particular topics, people, events as well as other resources. For example, if you search "History of Australia", it covers numerous topics from: Aboriginal Australians, WW II, Federation, Convicts, politics etc, but it provides links to elaborate on these particular topics within Wikipedia. It also provides links to the Australian portal which has links to the portals of different states/territories.
Providing students with weblinks to wikipedia would be a great startng point for students who are required to conduct research for a topic because it provides quick and easy access to the background knowledge of a subject. And it can be accessed at home or at school.
I also think it would be great (in an ideal world) that if a topic was being discussed and students' pose questions that teachers cannot answer, that the student who posed the question could get straight onto wikipedia and find an answer. It would show that we as teachers value student inquiry, it would add value to the topic and the transfer of information would be smooth, kept in context and without delay. If we could do this, then students may be more motivated to pose questions to expand their knowledge and understanding. We are also encouraging students to be responsible for their learning.
It would also demonstrate to students that teachers do not have all the answers and that learning is a collaborative process. We are not the 'gate keepers' of knowledge but managers of the learning experience as suggested by Smith, Lynch & Mienczakowski (2003, p. 4).
Outside of the school setting, students could be more proactive in their learning as we have armed them with a tool for the easy acquisition of information rather than using a search engine and this tool can be used beyond school.
Reference:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Mienczakowski, J. (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) and education capability": Why we do not prepare teachers anymore. Change: Transformations in Education, (6)(2): 23-37.
Providing students with weblinks to wikipedia would be a great startng point for students who are required to conduct research for a topic because it provides quick and easy access to the background knowledge of a subject. And it can be accessed at home or at school.
I also think it would be great (in an ideal world) that if a topic was being discussed and students' pose questions that teachers cannot answer, that the student who posed the question could get straight onto wikipedia and find an answer. It would show that we as teachers value student inquiry, it would add value to the topic and the transfer of information would be smooth, kept in context and without delay. If we could do this, then students may be more motivated to pose questions to expand their knowledge and understanding. We are also encouraging students to be responsible for their learning.
It would also demonstrate to students that teachers do not have all the answers and that learning is a collaborative process. We are not the 'gate keepers' of knowledge but managers of the learning experience as suggested by Smith, Lynch & Mienczakowski (2003, p. 4).
Outside of the school setting, students could be more proactive in their learning as we have armed them with a tool for the easy acquisition of information rather than using a search engine and this tool can be used beyond school.
Reference:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Mienczakowski, J. (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) and education capability": Why we do not prepare teachers anymore. Change: Transformations in Education, (6)(2): 23-37.
The World At Our Fingertips?
I have been playing around with Google Earth and my first thoughts were, what's the big deal? I can see my house using Google Maps. And the images aren't up to date anyway. For some reason I thought the images were live via satellite and then (after telling my family about it) I had my Father ring up and tell me his house isn't even built yet in Google Earth. Feeling a little foolish, I endeavoured to go back and explore a little further to see what the big deal was. I also had a look at Joe Wood's Blog to try to learn more. Well, all I did was get overwhelmed.
One thing I did get from Joe Wood's Blog was using Google Maps to create your own tour. I thought this would be great for students, pinpointing/marking places they have been and entering information about those places. They might even be able to mark places that they would like to visit and explain why. Or on a topic on weather, they could map out where cyclones have hit Australia in the last 5 years and enter in statistics, or use it to trace the tracks of explorers.
Back in Google Earth, I was checking out the 'layers' down the side but I couldn't get it to do a great deal. I also had a look at Mars, the Moon and the Sky options but didn't know quite what to do once I got there. I just kept clicking on little markers, but in the end, I got bored. I'd type in specific searches, for example, the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, but very little seemed to come up. If I was lucky, there might be some info attached to it, an image or a video maybe. I found it exceptionally difficult to navigate around and probably need to spend some time on the tutorials as clearly (from one tutorial I had a look at for 3D buildings) there is a lot more to Google Earth than my superficial exploration. I have the "Tip" option at startup to give some quick clues as well!! And I also found this little snippet from Google for Educators that briefly summarises how we could use it and I think there are also a number of 'plug-ins' that are not automatically available when you first sign up that would probably improve my Google Earth experience. However, this exploration will be at a later date when I have time to casually look through it.
So, in terms of using in classrooms, I am not sure as yet. Yes, in the 'layers', there appears to be lots of things to look at (global awareness, oceans, buildings, terrain) all of which students could learn from, but until I become more familiar with it, it isn't going to enhance my pedagogical practices or student learning outcomes. I'd find it easier doing a simple Google search.
One thing I did get from Joe Wood's Blog was using Google Maps to create your own tour. I thought this would be great for students, pinpointing/marking places they have been and entering information about those places. They might even be able to mark places that they would like to visit and explain why. Or on a topic on weather, they could map out where cyclones have hit Australia in the last 5 years and enter in statistics, or use it to trace the tracks of explorers.
Back in Google Earth, I was checking out the 'layers' down the side but I couldn't get it to do a great deal. I also had a look at Mars, the Moon and the Sky options but didn't know quite what to do once I got there. I just kept clicking on little markers, but in the end, I got bored. I'd type in specific searches, for example, the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, but very little seemed to come up. If I was lucky, there might be some info attached to it, an image or a video maybe. I found it exceptionally difficult to navigate around and probably need to spend some time on the tutorials as clearly (from one tutorial I had a look at for 3D buildings) there is a lot more to Google Earth than my superficial exploration. I have the "Tip" option at startup to give some quick clues as well!! And I also found this little snippet from Google for Educators that briefly summarises how we could use it and I think there are also a number of 'plug-ins' that are not automatically available when you first sign up that would probably improve my Google Earth experience. However, this exploration will be at a later date when I have time to casually look through it.
So, in terms of using in classrooms, I am not sure as yet. Yes, in the 'layers', there appears to be lots of things to look at (global awareness, oceans, buildings, terrain) all of which students could learn from, but until I become more familiar with it, it isn't going to enhance my pedagogical practices or student learning outcomes. I'd find it easier doing a simple Google search.
Friday, April 2, 2010
U-Tube again
I have another example of using U-tube to enhance pedagogical practices. I chose a clip to introduce the topic of the arrival of the first fleet. The clip can be used to generate thought and discussion as well as lead into what will be covered in the topic, assessment/projects etc.
Here is the video:
Here is the video:
U-Tube - Oh the Possibilities!!!
Now, even though I am behind the 8 ball when it comes to technology, I have heard of u-tube (and, yes, this was even before the course believe it or not!),but I didn't explore it. Of course, the extent of its possibilities is yet to be realised but I have seen its benefits time and time again while in this course (for example, instructions on how to embed powerpoint into a blog, or even to explain simple concepts such as blogs and RSS feeds). U-tube has enhanced my learning and I feel it is a very powerful tool, particularly because video clips are so readily available and in any topic imaginable. I also like U-tube because sometimes a short video (like a picture) can paint a thousand words. I just need to be mindful that I am using it to enhance my learning design and not just because I can. .So, with that in mind.......
I decided to use a U-tube clip on origami. I decided that I was teaching my students about the art of paper folding, but what I realised, is that it can be a little hard to see what I am doing when I am demonstrating the technique of making a crane. U-tube provides a clear tutorial that all can see and the advantage is that I can pause and go back on the clip if students are having trouble. In the same topic, U-tube also shows more challenging designs in origami that I may have trouble showing (or even doing), but students may like to try. In effect, I would use U-tube to compliment and enhance my pedagogy so that it is more effective.
Here is my clip:
I decided to use a U-tube clip on origami. I decided that I was teaching my students about the art of paper folding, but what I realised, is that it can be a little hard to see what I am doing when I am demonstrating the technique of making a crane. U-tube provides a clear tutorial that all can see and the advantage is that I can pause and go back on the clip if students are having trouble. In the same topic, U-tube also shows more challenging designs in origami that I may have trouble showing (or even doing), but students may like to try. In effect, I would use U-tube to compliment and enhance my pedagogy so that it is more effective.
Here is my clip:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
