Happy podcasting!
Andrew
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Text innovation: How do you read to a...
Students have to identify the characteristics / traits of the various animals and identify the reason why it might be difficult to read a book to these animals.
Charlie's Snake Blog (apparently Charlie really love snakes) it is a good example of what a stage three child can achieve in writing their own blog, and would be suitable to show to students in Stage 3. Charlie talks about his own interests such as the fact that he likes to read in bed at night and also at school, he also shares his feelings on the blog such as the fact that he is very excited about dressing up to Halloween. This blog demonstrates to students that they can make their own blogs personal and discuss their specific likes and dislikes.
Climb High is a year three Canadian class blog. This blog is suitable for all primary ages as an example of what a class blog might look like, it contains posts highlighting the achievements of both individual students and the class as a whole. I like the way this post, posted only 3 days into the school year, highlights the early reading achievements of the children in the class - both describing their achievement in text and showing it in pictures. I'm sure the children in the class would have been very excited to see themselves on the internet, after only 3 days of school.
Receptions - Room 25 @ Willunga Primary is an Australian Kindergarten class blog. This blog also shows photographs from class and student achievements, but has a strong emphasis on communication with parents. I think this is an important role for a class blog - there is only so much you can put in a letter home to parents and
many teachers only have the occasional chance to speak to parents in person. This class blog demonstrates how it is possible to keep parents appraised of the class activities on a continuing basis. This role for the class blog is applicable across all the primary years.
Copyright consternation
Can I copy material from the internet for research?
Yes, as long as it is limited to a 'reasonable portion' of the material.
What constitutes research and fair use?
Meaning of “research” and “study”
In one case, the Court said that “research” and “study” in the Copyright Act have the same meaning as in the
Macquarie dictionary. Thus “research” means:
“diligent and systematic enquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover facts or
principles...”
and “study” includes:
“(1.) The application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge, as by reading, investigation, or
reflection; (2.) the cultivation of a particular branch of learning, science, or art:...(3.) a particular
course of effort to acquire knowledge...(5.) a thorough examination and analysis of a particular
subject...”
You do not need to be enrolled in a course – you could be researching or studying something for yourself.
Can students ( university or school ) use music in videos that they make?
Yes, students can use copyrighted music in videos that they make
Source:
Australian Copyright Council - INFORMATION SHEET G53v07 Research or study
Ideas from this week's readings
From a practical point of view I like the idea of having a class blog as a way to post assignments and class news, as well a way to communicate with students and their parents about significant class events. As well as being a useful tool, it also provides a platform through which class work can be shared with the wider school community, and even the world at large.
I liked the way Kim Pericles uses blogs at Belmore South Public School to engage her students in the curriculum. Through using class and individual blogs, such as the boys' Everything Football blog she gives students significant input into their learning, while still achieving desired outcomes such as the interpretation and dissemination of information (in this case, football results).
Another idea I liked was Todd Wright's use of a 'clock' in the classroom for each child. This 'clock' is used for pair work, at each 'hour' of the clock there is a the name of another person in the class, so that when he wants the children to do pair work, he simply says "eight o'clock" buddies, and everyone in the class instantly knows who their buddy is. This seems like a great way to save time which is often lost assigning pairs, and to counteract friends always working together.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
WebTools4u2use
WebTools4u2use is a Web 2.0 site designed for
It contains links to a multitude of websites across the web which can be used as tools in the classroom. One such helpful resource is YouTube AudioSwap - where artists have agreed to the use of their music on videos with attribution. "You get a cool soundtrack, the artists get attribution on your video, and everyone wins!"
The true value for me in this website is it's 'ideas' pages, which give practical applications for web2.0 tools, such as using Podcasting to create an audio tour, and using online drawing and mapping tools to graph data collected as part of a project.
"K-12 School library Media Specialists to learn a little more about web tools that can be used to improve and enhance school library media programs and services, to see examples of how they can be used, and to share success stories and creative ideas about how to use and integrate them."The philosophy of the website is that, just as we learn how to hold a pencil to form letters, use scissors to cut out shapes and use a ruler to measure using 'old' tools, so must we learn to use the 'new' tools of the digital age.
It contains links to a multitude of websites across the web which can be used as tools in the classroom. One such helpful resource is YouTube AudioSwap - where artists have agreed to the use of their music on videos with attribution. "You get a cool soundtrack, the artists get attribution on your video, and everyone wins!"
The true value for me in this website is it's 'ideas' pages, which give practical applications for web2.0 tools, such as using Podcasting to create an audio tour, and using online drawing and mapping tools to graph data collected as part of a project.
Digital and Critical Literacies - Pacific NorthWest Tree Octopus
The Pacific North West Tree Octopus website is a hoax website. It is written as an authoritative source, yet its premise (that there is a type of octopus that lives in trees) is fanciful; it is a resource designed to teach children critical evaluation of digital resources.
In a study with year 7 students, the vast majority of students reported that this website was a reliable resource, highlighting the need for the explicit teaching of critical literacy skills in the digital domain. Researchers argue that reading on the Internet is different to reading print as it involves a different set of evaluative skills, and that the interactive and visually stimulating nature of websites can overwhelm the critical eye of an untrained student.
In order to evaluate websites, it is suggested that students ask a number of critical questions:
Teachers need to teach that not everything on the Internet is true. In the US, teachers are not currently getting the training they need to teach children how to use the Internet effectively, resources are instead going in to targeted teaching of specific applications (eg. Powerpoint).
Approaches to digital literacy vary around the world. In the US there are currently no assessments which test children on their Internet reading and writing skills, whereas iIn Finland, teachers get 5 paid weeks off for teacher training and integration of ICT into the curriculum. England does assess ICT skills: student ability to present and communicate information.
In a study with year 7 students, the vast majority of students reported that this website was a reliable resource, highlighting the need for the explicit teaching of critical literacy skills in the digital domain. Researchers argue that reading on the Internet is different to reading print as it involves a different set of evaluative skills, and that the interactive and visually stimulating nature of websites can overwhelm the critical eye of an untrained student.
In order to evaluate websites, it is suggested that students ask a number of critical questions:
- How was this text constructed?
- What are it’s underlying values?
- What conventions does it use?
- Who is the intended audience
- Who owns the website and who benefits from it?
Teachers need to teach that not everything on the Internet is true. In the US, teachers are not currently getting the training they need to teach children how to use the Internet effectively, resources are instead going in to targeted teaching of specific applications (eg. Powerpoint).
Approaches to digital literacy vary around the world. In the US there are currently no assessments which test children on their Internet reading and writing skills, whereas iIn Finland, teachers get 5 paid weeks off for teacher training and integration of ICT into the curriculum. England does assess ICT skills: student ability to present and communicate information.
So what is this fancy term 'new literacies'?
New literacies: a definition
In defining ‘new literacies’ it is helpful to start with what is meant by ‘old’ or ‘conventional’ literacies: that is, the ability to read and write printed text on a page. This definition however is quite narrow, so it helps our understanding if we broaden the definition to include the understanding of how to interpret the underlying meanings of text, ‘reading between the lines’ if you like. With this broader definition of ‘literacy’, we can tackle what is meant by the term in the digital age.
In this ‘digital age’ McDougall (2007) asserts that “ ‘Reading’ and ‘writing’ are no longer just about understanding the written word but also about negotiating a wide range of complex electronic and visual texts with which we interact in our daily lives. ” Such ‘texts’ (in their ‘new’ definition) are often visually-driven and may include Youtube videos, advertisements (both print and moving image) and visual art.
Therefore, I believe ‘new literacies’ can be defined as: posessing the skills and ability to understanding and interpret multimedia-based ‘texts’ containing a highly visual component.
References
McDougall, J. (2007). Engaging the visual generation : some Queensland teachers come to terms with changing literacies. Screen Education(46), 130-137
In defining ‘new literacies’ it is helpful to start with what is meant by ‘old’ or ‘conventional’ literacies: that is, the ability to read and write printed text on a page. This definition however is quite narrow, so it helps our understanding if we broaden the definition to include the understanding of how to interpret the underlying meanings of text, ‘reading between the lines’ if you like. With this broader definition of ‘literacy’, we can tackle what is meant by the term in the digital age.
In this ‘digital age’ McDougall (2007) asserts that “ ‘Reading’ and ‘writing’ are no longer just about understanding the written word but also about negotiating a wide range of complex electronic and visual texts with which we interact in our daily lives. ” Such ‘texts’ (in their ‘new’ definition) are often visually-driven and may include Youtube videos, advertisements (both print and moving image) and visual art.
Therefore, I believe ‘new literacies’ can be defined as: posessing the skills and ability to understanding and interpret multimedia-based ‘texts’ containing a highly visual component.
References
McDougall, J. (2007). Engaging the visual generation : some Queensland teachers come to terms with changing literacies. Screen Education(46), 130-137
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