Digital images

Images in the manual arts classroom can be a very powerful tool. By showing students a number of images then asking them to analyse, interpret and evaluate the images will invoke higher levels thinking. In the design phase of the manual arts project, images can help students analyse and evaluate four of the seven elements of design: points, lines, shape, forms, colours, tones and textures.

Not only can students view and analyse digital images to provoke higher order thinking in the classroom. Students also have the ability to create their own images using a digital camera. In the classroom students are able to take photos of their project at different stages, at the conclusion of the project the students are then able to create a power point presentation or a digital video which can be a component of their assessment.

According to JISC, (2010) digital images can be used in the classroom in the following ways:
• To inspire discussion of a topic, looking at multiple aspects and contexts.
• To enforce and extend language and common terms of the object being discussed, using subject-specific terminology.
• To categorise within a subject discipline and potentially build reference collections for student project work and research.
• To teach diagnosis and treatment.
• To lead onto extension exercise tasks, e.g. research and source other images of that topic.
• To stimulate students writing a story/poem about that image - enhancing creative and language skills.
• To encourage team work and foster collaboration and the sharing of learning experience.
• To encourage students to become independent learners.
• To encourage critical thinking skills (e.g. describing a photograph from many different viewpoints)
• To illustrate case studies (e.g. where text may prove to be slightly ambiguous an image can define points)
• To enhance visual communication skills (e.g. decoding the message from a photograph)
• To help identify emotions and mood (e.g. from documentary evidence)
• To document an event and analyse practice (JISC, 2010)

References

JISC Digital Media. (2010). Practical Ways to Use Digital Images in Teaching and Learning. Retrieved 28 November 2010 from: http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/advice/practical-ways-to-use-digital-images-in-teaching-and-learning/

Multiple intelligence

Above are my results after taking the multiple intelligence test. (No surprises there)

Digital video

Above was my first attempt at producing a digital movies, this was for my art class.

The use of digital movies in the manual arts classroom can be of great benefit in many ways.Students can take digital photos and movies of their project at different stages and produce a video clip at the end of the project as part of their assessment. This will give students opportunities for higher level thinking when producing their own digital video clips. This would also be useful when conducting safety lessons, the teacher or students can take a digital video of students working in the workshop and then construct a video clip and analyse any safety concerns or hazards from the clip.

Powerpoint

Powerpoint is the new and improved version of the good old Over Head Projector (OHP) which replaced the blackboard. During my school days the blackboard was the tool which teachers used to display all information. When I started my career as a fire fighter all lessons were displayed on the OHP. I thought this was fantastic and a big leap forward in technology. Later on in my fire fighting career I became a trainer and taught all my lessons using powerpoint presentations.

I find that powerpoint presentations are my favourite of all the ICT tools, this tool not only allows you to display written text but the ability to imbed digital images, movies, graphics, animation, and figures. I find by using these in the presentation helps keeps students engaged especially visual learners like myself. The other advantage of using powerpoint is the ability to print out the lessons before you have delivered it. I found this of great benefit when attending university lectures, as I would print out the whole lecture before attending with the remarks columns next to the slides and make my own notes next to the printed slides.

The only negative I can find and it is a big one is people tend to put too much text onto the one slide, this then becomes death by powerpoint. I have attend many of these types of lectures (manly in the fire service) and find myself starting to fall asleep or day dreaming.

Below are advantages and disadvantages when using power point in the classroom according to Teachnology (2010).

What's Good About PowerPoint?
1. PowerPoint is fun to watch and fun to make.
2. Used correctly, PowerPoint can accommodate all learners' needs.
3. It has a spell-check function! Something our black boards and overheads lack.
4. It motivates students when used in moderation.
5. It motivates staff.
6. PowerPoint allows you to reflect on your lesson and correct any needed changes. Finally, you can create the perfect lesson!
7. Imagine to be able to print out what you did in class for students that were absent. Better yet, turn the accountability on to students and post your presentations on-line.
8. PowerPoint is not hard to learn. Our technology staff rates it a "B+" for ease of use. It should take about one hour to learn the basics.

What's Bad About PowerPoint?
1. Content can sometimes take a back seat to flash. Watch-out for triple "P."
2. Computers crash, networks go down, viruses can plague computers! Always have a back-up plan!
3. Overuse can bore learners and diminish PowerPoint's effectiveness.
4. Classrooms need large monitors or projectors to display presentations. Make sure your technology plan furnishes this. With simple TV-out cards or VGA-TV converters, this can be easily accomplished.
5. A successful presentation can take several hours to develop. (Teachnology, 2010).

References
Teachnology. (2010). What’s good about power point? Retrieved 10thNovember 2010 from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/powerpoint/

Concept maps

Concept maps were developed in 1972 in the course of Novak’s research program at Cornell where he sought to follow and understand changes in children’s knowledge of science (Novak & Musonda, 1991).

Concept maps are graphical tools used for organizing and representing knowledge. The concept maps are used in a manner to represent associations between images words and ideas in a structured form. These maps start with a key idea, word or phrase which are associated to another and linked back to the original word or idea.
Concept maps are constructed to reflect organization of the declarative memory system, they facilitate sense-making and meaningful learning on the part of individuals who make concept maps and those who use them.

The use of concept maps is ideal for the design phase of projects in the manual arts classrooms. This gives the students a focal point in this phase which can be quite difficult of some. Once the focal point has been established, ideas can flow quickly, be built on and shared by others.

Above is a concept map i have constructed using the bubblus web site.

Blogs

Blogs are becoming an important part of modern classroom learning. Blogs can be used by students to communicate with other students from different schools around the world on a common subject matter. They are able to comment on each other’s work and keep a record of the conversations for future reference. This can then become a one stop shop where all their information can be kept and stored for quick retrieval. Not only can the blogs be used to communicate with other students but also outside agents e.g. In the manual arts classroom students can establish blogs with outside experts to discuss design and manufacturing ideas on their projects and follow recommendations made by the experts.

Blogs are not only bound by text, but images, sounds and movies can be added to advance students interaction in the classroom. This type of learning can be of great benefit for students who are visual and auditory learners.

Teachers are able to follow and monitor student progress and conversations with each other and keep a sense of order. As April James discussed in her blog titled “Blogs in the classroom” teachers are able to monitor issues such as plagiarism and cyber-bullying. If the blogs are not monitored cyber-bullying could become a real problem and distract from the learning it was intended for. http://aprilljames.blogspot.com

I believe Blogs in the classroom are a modern adaption of the school of the air, where students from remote areas would conduct classes via two way radio with their teacher. Blog are a great tool to be used in the classroom to engage students, however if not monitored a number of negative issues could arise and divert from the learning intended.

Managing E- Learning

Managing E- Learning


The reason for establishing this blog is to research, interpret and analyse numerous different ICT that can be used in the classroom to enhance students learning. Each week I will be discussing a new ICT tool, I will be talking about the pros and cons for each and how they can be used in the classroom to engage and aid students learning.