Friday 16 December 2011

If E-learning is good. Should teachers use E-learning?


If E-learning is good. Should teachers use E-learning?
With the development of technology, it can be difficult to keep up with and adapt to our personal life and career progress. Teachers have a particularly important role that is flow the technology and put it into the classroom as learning tools and teacher's teaching tool.Children can accept it and learn it better than many adults, and they can really use it in the future life.For this reason, combined with technology in the classroom is a great way to improve the learning interest of the child.

There are many ways teachers can use technology in classroom and many teachers have done this before. Some schools use interactive intelligence board instead of traditional board in their classrooms.In many schools, the computer and network is  connected, the teachers can teach by using computer, students and teachers can communicate to each other by this way. This is E-Learn.E-Learning is online learning or network studying, students study through the PC online, through the network to learn.This is a new way of learning.This way of learning can not be without network learning resources, online learning community, network technology platform and the online learning environment.Today’s students will not just know technologies of the future -- in many cases, they will drive them. They must learn the skills of the future, not necessarily the skills of today. (Evans, 2006)

We are only just beginning to understand the opportunities for teaching and learning in the networked environment of the new Internet-connected. What makes e-learning implementation challenging is that students asking teachers, because when the teachers are students they have never been taught about this. They will work in an environment in which they have never been learners and may have had few first-hand experiences. However, there is no history and extensive knowledge to draw on the basis, teachers will not have the opportunity to touch the technologies. They will have a chance to look at what it means to be a teacher and how to use technologies in teaching (Campbell, 2001)

As course made available by e-learning make the most out of enhanced interactive features with the inclusion of message forums, charts and even video conferencing, the software and the necessary expertise required to consolidate these tools escalates exponentially. This therefore implies that for all with the exception of the simplest e-learning, it would not be advisable to establish solutions from zero, not unless there is a dire need for customized solutions that are notably absent from the purchasing desk. Sewing together an e-learning platform with the incorporation of outstanding components generates dynamism to tailor the tools to everyone’s satisfaction.

Wikis is also the indispensable and significant technique in the classroom teaching. What are the wikis and other social software may mean to business are needed to be taught by educators, they are not only as a phenomenon, but also as a technique. (Evans, 2006) The material of wikis can be allowed to read to anyone and everyone has a voice to be able to contribute information on the wikis that offers the opportunity to corporate with students from other schools. Furthermore, wikis are available to use both at school and home that allows teachers to track the participation of schools and teachers are also able to learn from student’s postings. Every thing has two-sided, wikis also have some weaknesses and threats, which are at a same time, only a single person can be editing the page and any other person cannot using it. On wikis, any one can add, delete or change the material. It means the information available to students on the web is not reliable and credible that needs to be monitored. The most important prerequisite of above is that wikis requires some skills and practice, because if you do not know how to use it, you will lose information. Introduce wikis to the classroom, the innovative uses of collaborative software tools can be arranged to students by educators.

Moviemaker is a good teaching tool for educators that play vivid and interest pictures and attractive sound that can attract the attention of students and the enthusiasm of the students turn into class. Moviemaker is a video production tool and it is easy to learn the use method. It is fully convenient for person, who can create, edit and share their home movies made by a personal computer at any place. Through a simple drag and drop, carefully selected the screen, and then add some effects, music and narration, home movies shape. Then you can share with your friend, families and anyone you want via web, e-mail, personal computers or CD, or DVD. You can also save the movies to the video on the camera in television or play on. Otherwise, actually moviemaker is very hard to learn and use it. You need to spend quite a lot time on it, if you want to make the movie good. All of above, we can know that, educators teaching through technique methods are intelligent and critical. Teaching using technique makes students collaborative with others and innovative thinking. Collaborative creativity promises to be a critical skill in upcoming years and the advantages of technique skills are much more than the disadvantages’.
Using technology in classroom is becoming more widespread.In my schoolthey use computer to make learning more interactive.Teachers have a particularly important role that is flow the technology and put it into the classroom as learning tools and teacher's teaching tool.Children can accept it and learn it better than many adults, and they can really use it in the future life.

Thursday 15 December 2011

SWOT analysis of using Museumbox


Museum Box would work wonderfully in the language arts classroom.  As stated on the Museum Box site, Museum Box “provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box.”     This is a video of how this technological site can be used in the classroom.  I’m sure you can imagine how it could also work for Science, Social Studies, Health and other classes.

SWOT analysis of using Google Earth

I remember when I was at school you needed an imagination. My geography teacher, for example, used explain concepts, ideas and places to us in a way that I didn’t really get. I’m a visual learner, I need to see things. That’s why I love Google Earth so much. It’s a great tool for teaching in almost any subject, as we’re going to find out below. Read on to find out how you can (virtually) fly across the earth, find the distance between two places to the nearest centimetre, and zoom in on important places in History!
SWOT Analysis
Strengths - Easy to use, can incorporate sound, vision, video; students can use collaboratively or individually; will appeal to range of learning styles: able to interact with history in a format that is engaging

Weaknesses - Teachers need to be across the application in order to effectively teach it

Opportunities - Increase engagement using a medium that students are familiar with; teachers can create stimulating lessons that are relevant to students.

Threats - Because connection problems, downloading issues, policing software and other difficulties can cause road blocks when implementing a lesson in the technology based classroom, teachers sometimes shy away from using it simply because of lack of time

Dipity transforms the mundane history lesson into something that students can connect with.  This brings me to the interesting article from earlier in this course, Prensky's 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants'.  If we want to 'engage' students and not 'enrage' them, we need to rethink our pedagogy, and Dipity provides a platform to present a history in todays 'native' language.

SWOT analysis of using Google Docs

Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor that enables you to create, store, share, and collaborate on documents with your science and math students. You can even import any existing document from Word and Simple Text. You can work from anywhere and with any computer platform to access your documents

Considering the versatility of Google Docs, there are many ingenious ways teachers use this free online program with students. Here are just a few:
•Promote group collaboration and creativity by having your students record their group projects together in a single doc.
•Encourage collaborative presentation skills by asking your students to work together on a shared presentation and then present it to the class.
•Students track and organize project data in a single spreadsheet, accessible to any group collaborator at any time.
•Students create a math word problem solving exercise.
•Embed their documents in a class wiki, blog, or LiveBinder for student use in projects or assignments


http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/2010/09/24/20-google-doc-templates-for-use-in-science-and-math-classrooms/

Wednesday 14 December 2011

SWOT analysis of using Prezi

SWOT analysis of using Moviemaker


Movie Maker is a video production tools, easy to learn, use it to make movies for fun. You can on a personal computer to create, edit and share their home movies made​​. Through simple drag and drop, carefully screening the screen, and then add some effects, music and narration, home movies on the shape of. Then you can via Web, e-mail, personal computers or CD, or DVD, with friends and family to share .You can also save the movie to the video on the camera in television or play on.In fact, it is very diffcult to learn and use it. If you want to make the movie good ,you need to spend much time on it.

Sunday 11 December 2011

SWOT analysis of using Podcasts



Podcast have potential use not only as a tool for learning but also as a tool to help students. If a podcast is made as a new concept is taught and this is then made available to students, they can review the new concept in their own time. This could be used in a number of ways:
 Students with disabilities may want to review what was said in class.
  Studentswho are ill and not able to come to class can review the lessons.
  Students in remote areas can follow a class as long as they have some form of communication.
  Sport students often need to be away from classrooms can keep up to date while they are away participating in their sport.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

SWOT analysis of using Flickr



Flickr is not just an online storing site for your photos. Flickr also is an amazing resource for creative commons images from OTHERS that are at your fingertips and always ready to use in the classroom with, for and by the students. While some students don’t pretend that  use Flickr to its full potential ,they have created a little universe for their photos that allow them to quickly upload, access, sort, organize, AND (the most important part for me) use these images in MANY different venues and applications.

http://www.wikiswot.com/SWOT/4_/flickr.html

SWOT analysis of using Weebly

Strengths:


·    Not everyone can change
·    A large number of tools are available
·    The site is free
·    Students learn how to use the internet



Weaknesses :


·    Spend too much time
·    Too many tools to use
Opportunity:


·     Students have the opportunity to learn the internet and computers
·     Students have the opportunity to own the site
·     Students can gain an understanding how to use an array of tools
·     Students have the opportunity to share information
·



Threats:


·     Students could waste time playing games
·     Internet not working
·     Students spend much time in order to create a high quality weebly
·     Students could become reliant on letting others produce work, and will not think for themselves.


http://jadenebird.blogspot.com/2010/08/weebly-swot.html

SWOT analysis of using Blogs

Due to their ease of use, free availability and appeal to authors and readers alike, blogs are now one of the most common types of website found on the Internet. This accessibility and the reflective nature of blog authoring means that they are appropriate to many learning and teaching applications, particularly in higher education. As a result, the University of Leeds now hosts a system (Elgg) which can be used by staff and students to create personal and community blogs that can be shared with others.


SWOT analysis of using Wikis

Strengths :
• anyone can be  allowed to read
• Information can be shared
• Allows teachers to track  the participation of students
• Available to use both at school and home



Weaknesses:

• Only one person can be editing the page at one time
• Editing requires some practice because if you don’t save you can lose information
• Anyone can add and delete information

 

Opportunities :

• Offers the opportunity to collaborate with students from other schools
• Teachers are also able to learn from students postings
• Teachers are able to upload activities for students to complete online
• It’s a way for all students to be able to contribute information
• Great for teacher collaboration
Threats:
• Anyone is able to change or edit
• Information available to students on the web needs to be monitored


Collaborative creativity promises to be a key business skill in upcomingyears. Educational institutions can offer immense value to their students by familiarizing them with the simple technologies that make collaborative networks possible. Today’s students will not only manage business innovations of the future, but in many cases will drive them. Rather than being limited to today’s skills, students must learn the skills of the future. Educators need to teach what wikis and other social software may mean to business, not just as a phenomenon, but also as a skill (Evans, 2006). By incorporating wikis into the classroom, educators can better prepare students to make innovative uses of collaborative software tools.


http://whitneys11001.blogspot.com/2011/07/swot-analysis-for-use-of-wikis-in.html

DeBono's thinking hats

It is a simple, effective technique that helps teachers become more productive. Teachers and their students can learn how to separate from thinking into six distinct categories. Each category is identified with its own colored metaphorical "thinking hat." By mentally wearing and switching "hats,"studentscan easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting.

After students learn the skills behind the Six Thinking Hats® system they'll:

Hold critical meetings without emotions or egos making bad decisions
Avoid the easy but mediocre decisions by knowing how to dig deeper
Increase productivity and even more important -- be more effective
Make creative solutions the norm
Maximize and organize each person's thoughts and ideas
Get to the right solution quickly and with a shared vision

The Six Thinking Hats (or modes)

There are six metaphorical hats and the thinker can put on or take off one of these hats to indicate the type of thinking being used. This putting on and taking off is essential. The hats must never be used to categorize individuals, even though their behavior may seem to invite this. When done in group, everybody wear the same hat at the same time.
 White Hat thinking
This covers facts, figures, information needs and gaps. "I think we need some white hat thinking at this point..." means Let's drop the arguments and proposals, and look at the data base."
 Red Hat thinking
This covers intuition, feelings and emotions. The red hat allows the thinker to put forward an intuition without any ned to justify it. "Putting on my red hat, I think this is a terrible proposal." Ususally feelings and intuition can only be introduced into a discussion if they are supported by logic. Usually the feeling is genuine but the logic is spurious.The red hat gives full permission to a thinker to put forward his or her feelings on the subject at the moment.
 Black Hat thinking
This is the hat of judgment and caution. It is a most valuable hat. It is not in any sense an inferior or negative hat. The rior or negative hat. The black hat is used to point out why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the available experience, the system in use, or the policy that is being followed. The black hat must always be logical.
 Yellow Hat thinking
This is the logical positive. Why something will work and why it will offer benefits. It can be used in looking forward to the results of some proposed action, but can also be used to find something of value in what has already happened.
 Green Hat thinking
This is the hat of creativity, alternatives, proposals, what is interesting, provocations and changes.
 Blue Hat thinking
This is the overview or process control hat. It looks not at the subject itself but at the 'thinking' about the subject. "Putting on my blue hat, I feel we should do some more green hat thinking at this point." In technical terms, the blue hat is concerned with meta-cogniti
http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm