Reflective Synopsis

The following reflective synopsis discusses a number of digital tools that I see beneficial for my teaching area LOTE (Japanese). In this course there were many ICT tools studied and experimented with but in this synopsis only an amount of these will be conversed in detail. This synopsis will explore such tools as PowerPoint, Prezi, Wiki, Websites, Learning Objects and Animations, Videos and Slideshare while relating them to various learning theories and styles. To support this synopsis there will be references to ‘Naomi89’s’ “My Professional Blog”.

E-Learning can be described as “Learning that is facilitated by the use of digital tools and content. Typically, it involves some form of interactivity, which may include online interaction between the learner and their teacher or peers.” (Ministry of Economic Development, 2006). With the world becoming more and more technology based, it is important that our students not only understand this but have experience in using digital tools that may be essential for their future; digital tools that will lead towards them becoming lifelong learners.

The Big Six framework allows for Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis and Evaluation steps that help to solve a problem or assess a situation and what results best suit. Without knowing it, in just about all problematic situations, this type of framework is used to come to a decision. Refer to Appendices 1 for more information about the steps used in the Big Six framework and Appendices 2 is a comment referring to a blog posted by Kadee Clelland (“The Big6 is well…Big”, 2010) featuring a YouTube clip discussing how the Big Six framework is used in everyday life.

The steps taken to find suitable digital tools for the area of LOTE, more specifically Japanese, were based on the Big Six framework in a way that a large number of digital tools were accessed, information was researched about these tools, the uses that other professionals have had for them were taken into account, the tools were then further researched before being evaluated in the sense of experimented with and tied in with their intended purpose. Using this framework, the following paragraphs will represent a number of digital tools deemed appropriate for usage in a Japanese classroom.

As suggested in Appendices 3, Prezi is a digital tool that would provide a great deal of pedagogical usage in a Japanese classroom situation. Prezi allows for not only a way of presenting information in terms of theoretical information but also presenting information where interaction can be included. The zooming in, as shown in the link to the Prezi page in Appendices 3, allows for questions to be asked in one frame of the presentation then answers to be shown in another. This sort of presenting allows for the use of Behaviourism and Cognitivism based ICTs such as quizzes, online tutoring systems, and sorting, organising and grouping activities. Having said this however, using Prezi as an educational tool wouldn’t necessarily allow for the use of Constructivism and Connectism ideas which involve responding to stimuli and research/interview activities respectively.

As stated at Prezi.com, Prezi’s are different to PowerPoints and other presentation software that relies on slides because unlike these softwares, all the information put into the Prezi presentation is actually written on the one page. This means that having a missing slide or a slide in the wrong order, with Prezi, are no longer going to be a problem. Prezi’s are similar to Interactive PowerPoint presentations in the way that they can include questions and answers within their information. However, unlike PowerPoint presentations, with Prezi you don’t need to worry about trying to cover up the answer or clicking the following slide to get the answer to the question asked. Prezi allows that you simply type the answer smaller so that in the question frame, the answer cannot be read, then once it is time, one click of the mouse will zoom into the smaller writing to make it large enough to be read. This would be appropriate for not only question/answer responses but also in terms of Japanese focus language or characters, as suggested in Appendices 3 and the comment attached to it.

Prezi’s also offer the chance for students to consolidate and refine information as there many usages include forming timeline and concept map –like presentations. The use of the zooming effect allows for the product to be seem as a whole and then each part focused on for further explanation and understanding.

Prezi, like many digital tools of its type, allows for visual learning styles to be the focus or verbal learning styles to have a visual aspect as well. For example, a Prezi presentation can be accompanied by the creators speech or explanations as to the information offered via the digital tool. When students are either independently viewing a Prezi or creating a Prezi, the control that they have as to the length of time on each frame or the interpretation of each ‘zoom frame’ allows for the kinaesthetic learning styles to be accounted for.

Referring to Appendices 4 and 5, videos are another type of digital tool that are believed to be relative to teaching and learning Japanese (LOTE) in the classroom. Videos, in most forms, are a way of linking together most of the learning styles in one tool type. To further explain, the use of videos allows for visual, verbal and aural learning styles to be accounted for, while also allowing students to control the presentation themselves by means of rewinding to view or listen to information more than once. This then fulfils one of the strategies suggested in Marzano and Pickering’s Dimensions of Learning (1997) which relates to catering for all students’ learning styles and individuality.

As mentioned in Appendices 4, YouTube videos are a way of not only allowing students, in the Japanese context, a way to access and gain information about Japan in general but also about the culture and lifestyle of the different country. The YouTube video attached to this appendices shows that this type of research can be used in not only the way of gaining information relevant to a particular topic (etc) but also as a means of reward that also contains educational purposes, which have been explained in Appendices 4.

Appendices 5 states that movie programs, such as Windows Movie Maker, “would be useful for the purposes of Japanese if the students were demonstrating a Japanese custom (etc.) and explaining what they were doing” (Naomi Morris, 2010) as they allow for not only motion videos or pictures but also sound attachments. This could also be a chance for the younger Japanese-studying students to create a video about Australia for Japanese students to view.

The Slideshare program explored in Appendices 6 allows students to then use the videos, PowerPoints or documents created and post them onto a site that is accessible for international users and therefore give the students a chance to present their knowledge to an audience. As suggested in Appendices 6, this tool allows for presentations that may be created for assignment purposes to be then further used in a realistic circumstance (a real life purpose). This sort of approach relates to Kearsley and Shneiderman’s theory that for students to be engaged in ICT’s, they need to be real-world, authentic problem scenarios. Turning a task into a project that has the result as said above allows for the ICT’s usage to become that of a real-world, authentic scenario.

Blogs, like Slideshare, allow for the posting of movies and images where other people have access to them. Appendices 7 discusses the definition of a blog and the writer’s opinion about blogs and their uses. As a reflection tool, blogs would be effective for students’ use in the Japanese classroom and would incorporate Constructivism (with the inclusion of personalised learning, social interaction and the use of modelling and collaboration (Vygotsky)) and Connectism (with idea of using research to obtain answers from other people (based on Siemens’ theory)).

The bottom of Appendices 7 contains a PMI evaluation of blogging in schools. Siemens’ theory about using blogs to obtain information from and transfer information to others indicates that blogging in schools would be an appropriate task for students to be involved in. However as the PMI states, there are many reasons as to why blogging may not be thought of as ideal for students to use in school situations.

Some other tools that may be used in a school situation have been compared to blogs in Appendices 8. The tools discussed in Appendices 8, including blogs, allow for students to transform information into their own words to represent their own understanding and then interact with others, via comments, about their opinions which then encourages them to develop new understanding. This type of evaluation of others’ work also becomes a chance for students to interact with others in a way that is going to enhance their higher-order thinking skills and, as Marzano and Pickering (1997) suggest, engage them in learning and encourage them to have the right habits of mind and attitudes and perceptions towards learning.

Unlike blogs, wikis and websites normally consist more of scholar writing than journaling. These two digital tools, as well as blogs, require students to understand their uses and purposes, and therefore these ICTs can be used to transform, facilitate, support and enhance learning regardless of the content. For example, a simple journal or observation about something the students have done in class or on the holidays, using a site such as blogger.com, can be transformed into a blog that allows for other people to give their opinion or share their own experiences about. In turn, these opinions and shared experiences are then able to enhance the students’ learning and support what they have already learnt.

In conclusion, as stated at the start of this synopsis, the world is becoming more and more technology based, however as authors such as Margaryan and Littlejohn (2008) and Thrupp (2009) suggest “Not all students are digitally active. And of those who are, relatively few are involved in meaningful learning activities using ICT.” (CQUni, 2010). Having ICT as integral to learning rather than just integrated into learning then encourages students, whether they are digital natives (born into digital technology) or digital immigrants (forced to adapt to technology) (Prensky, 2001), to be confident in their use of technologies which will be essential in forming their future, improving their higher-order thinking skills and making them lifelong learners.

The tools discussed in the above synopsis reflections are just a small number of tools that allow students to access and gain information, consolidate and refine information, transform information to develop new understanding, and present knowledge to an audience. These tools also have been deemed appropriate, using the Big 6 framework, for usage in an educational situation. They also support many different types of learning styles that the students may have as well as different types of learning theories that the teachers, schools or parents may have.







Appendices 1
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/big-6.html

Appendices 2
http://kadeeclelland.blogspot.com/2010/08/big6-is-wellbig.html
Naomi89 said...
What a great YouTube clip Kadee. How do you think the Big 6 compares to the Learning Engagement Theory and which would you think students would be more likely to understand and demonstrate easily?
As this clip shows, I think that in our everyday life, when making decisions about something, we are including the steps of the Big 6 framework, most of the time without even realising it.
Informative post. Thanks!
Naomi
August 23, 2010 4:28 PM

Appendices 3
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/07/week-3-prezi-page.html

Appendices 4
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/youtube-japanese-game-show.html

Appendices 5
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-5-videos.html

Appendices 6
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/slideshare.html

Appendices 7
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/07/week-1-blogs.html

Appendices 8
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/07/week-2-wikis-blogs-and-websites.html


Comments on Blogs
1.
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/07/week-2-wikis-blogs-and-websites.html#comments
Miss C said...
Some interesting thoughts here. I am interested to know what purposes in particular you could see each of these web 2.0 tools being used for in the classroom? And which tools of the three do you think is most useful?
July 23, 2010 3:57 AM

Naomi89 said...
Hi Miss C,
I believe that in the Japanese classroom any of the three web tools mentioned above could be used for students to write reflections about knowledge that they have learnt about Japan/the Japanese culture. Or as areas to write information about Australia in order to inform Japanese students about Australia.
Students could also use these tools as research items to find out their own information about Japan and the culture.
I think that in cases of research, websites may be of more use but in cases of reflections, blogs would be more useful for the students.
Thank you for your comment.
Naomi
August 25, 2010 5:29 AM

2.
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-4-images.html#comments
Wendy S. said...
Hi Naomi, the other interesting thing about students taking their own photos is that it helps build the knowledge base. By taking their own photos or images, it is a personal thing and they are using this image (which has some significance to them) to further develop their knowledge. Using the image to scaffold learning. I think this is a better idea than using images from the internet, but I realise that it is not always easy and appropriate to find the right photo either. I enjoyed your post.
August 4, 2010 5:02 PM

Naomi89 said...
Thanks for that Wendy, and I totally agree with you in both cases. It is often hard to allow students to take their own photos especially when some school only have access to one or two cameras and therefore the photo taking process may take a couple of weeks at the least! Thanks for your thoughts.
August 5, 2010 3:01 PM
3.
http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-7-maps-and-globes.html#comments
Kym Ryan said...
Naomi,
I was aware Google Earth promoted multidisciplinary teaching and learning across various key learning areas such as; SOSE, Mathematics and English. Thank you for pointing out that students can also benefit from Google Earth involving other KLAs such as LOTE and Science. Isn't Google earth a great digital tool for students to learn about other areas of the world?
August 23, 2010 4:11 AM

Naomi89 said...
Hi Kym,
Yes Google Earth is a great digital tool that has many uses for many different areas in education, as well as in real life situations. I believe that tools such as Google Earth or Google Maps not only allow students to explore different structures but also to relate things to real life and the real world.
August 23, 2010 4:50 PM

4.
http://sarah-managinge-learning.blogspot.com/2010/08/podcast.html
Naomi89 said...
Hi Sarah,
You have some very interesting points in this blog. After reading through it, I was thinking about what happens to those students who, say, break their leg and end up in bed or hospital for a length of time. Would it be an idea for the teacher to podcast some of the main lessons and discussion that that student was missing as a way to keep the student up-to-date without having them try to work things out on their own? Often when something happens that causes students to be absent, the students come back after it feeling very far behind and often requiring a lot more attention than the rest of the class just so they can be at the same level as their classmates.
It occured to me due to the fact that I know the Uni podcasts and recordings of lectures aided me in keeping up-to-date when I was absent for a period of almost 6 weeks early last term.
Enjoyed reading your blog.
August 5, 2010 3:44 PM

5.
http://szerymanagingelearning.blogspot.com/2010/08/digital-video-heres-one-i-prepared.html#comments

Naomi89 said...
Hi Cameron,
Some great points here. Are you hinting that students could make their own youtube or video clips or simply use already created ons as a source of their learning?
I personally think that, depending on the age of the learners, creating a video clip would be beneficial in students' own learning and would give the students a sense of purpose for the task if it was then published on somewhere like YouTube.
What do you mean by catering for different learning styles in the sense of tutorial videos? What is the difference between them and face to face lessons, in your opinion?
Regards,
Naomi
August 18, 2010 8:32 PM

Cameron Szery said…
Hey Naomi,
Sorry the post may have been a bit misleading, it wasn’t quite complete. In my opinion face to face teaching and interaction is far more personal and interactive than learning from a video, although a high quality video may have the potential to be an effective learning tool. One of the reasons I have focused on the video aspect is because within my area Industrial Technology and Design, there is a large amount of practical work which requires demonstration and videos can effectively give visual demonstration. One of the factors that an instructional video can consolidate is correct technique. Learners are able to examine a professional using tools or equipment in a manner that is particularly efficient which allows them to possibly implement this within their own work. This could be related back to learning style to a certain extent because every individual has a preferred method of implementing technique and processes that work best for them. A video would give them a possible alternate to the techniques that I would habitually demonstrate which may not be quite suited to the learner. I don’t quite know whether I would have students create a YouTube video as such but I do think that developing the tool as a progressive portfolio may be plausible. In relation to learning styles though, I think that they can provide imagery and visual demonstration along with complementary dialogue, music and captions which makes them a good edition for further catering for diversity among learners.
August 19, 2010 6:08 PM

6.
http://kadeeclelland.blogspot.com/2010/07/powerpoint-vs-prezi.html

Naomi89 said...
Hi Kadee,
Some great thoughts here. I think that with Prezi, although there are some animation choices, these animations can be simply and don't require as much time usage (or 'fiddling around'), I believe. So that is definatly a plus for Prezi.
Just my thoughts,
Naomi
August 1, 2010 11:05 AM

References

Chittleborough, G., Jobling, W., Hubber, P., & Calnin, G. (2007). The use of Web 2.0 Technologies to promote higher order thinking skills. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/08pap/chi08664.pdf

Clelland, K. (2010). The Big6 is well…Big. Retrieved from http://kadeeclelland.blogspot.com/2010/08/big6-is-wellbig.html

CQUniversity. (2010). FAHE11001_2102: Active Learning, Learning Diversity and the Theory. Retrieved from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91792

CQUniversity. (2010). FAHE11001_2102: Effective e.Learning design. Retrieved from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91796

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., (1997). Dimensions of learning: Teachers manual. Aurora, Colorado, United States of America: McREL (Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory).

Ministry of Economic Development. (2006). Digital Strategy 2.0. Retrieved from www.digitalstrategy.govt.nz/Resources/Glossary-of-Key-Terms/

Morris, N. (2010). Week 5- Videos. Retrieved from http://gemiah89.blogspot.com/2010/08/week-5-videos.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On The Horizon .Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Prezi Inc (2010). Should You Move Beyond Slide? Retrieved from http://prezi.com/hgjm18z36h75/why-should-you-move-beyond-slides/

Slideshare

Slideshare is a digital tool that allows for the upload of videos, PowerPoints and documents. After exploring this tool I found it fairly easy to upload documents and set up a profile on the site.
The following link is for my slideshare page.

I think that a site like this could be useful when it comes to Japanese. The reason that I say this is because Japanese students could use this site to post up documents, presentations and videos about Australia and link with students in Japan who can post information on their pages about Japan. This could be used as a means to communicate with Japanese students without the restrictions of one type of presentation (eg. a PowerPoint Presentation or a document).

Week 7- Maps and Globes

Google Earth and Google Maps are used to show students many different structures in the world. I believe that these types of ICTs are helpful not only for science or sose where students are looking at earthly structures but also for subjects like Japanese that require students to learn about a different country.

Students could spend time using these ICT programs to research about the country and it's structures and monuments. This would be helpful for them to understand using not only descriptions but real pictures.

Week 6- Learning Objects and Animations

Animations and Simulations allow for students to participate in activities that may be too difficult to do or not possible to do in real life. This could be used for activities where due to funding reasons, the students are unable to complete the activity (in many cases science).

In my line of studying, these sorts of e-learning activities can be used to explore the virtual world of Japan and interact with Japanese culture. The following link is for a Japanese website that is used in classrooms to allow students to do as mentioned above.

I really believe that these types of ICTs are very useful in the classroom for students to not only hear about different cultural activities or places but more like experience them.

Week 5- Videos

Using Windows Movie Maker, I recently attempted to create my own movie. Because I do not have any videos recorded anywhere, I did this using photos. (I have not attached it to this blog as it discloses personal information). I found that the process of uploading the photos to the program and then creating a movie order where well explained and easy to understand, however there seemed to be a lot of processes involved in making the movie more detailed than just a slideshow of pictures.

Having said this, I believe that this program would be suitable for older primary school students as long as there was a length of time focused on the finer details of the program.

Movie making would be a digital tool that would be beneficial for students when they are wanting to present certain information (mostly video footage or photos) in a form different from a slideshow. I believe that Windows Movie Maker can present photos in a simpler way than that of, for example, PowerPoint, as it only involves uploading photos and then dragging them into order, rather than copying and pasting and resizing and creating a new slide (etc.).

I also believe that Movie Makers allow for students to easily attach audio recordings to visual pictures, especially if they are working with a video recording. This would be useful for the purposes of Japanese if the students were demonstrating a Japanese custom (etc.) and explaining what they were doing.

Using Movie Makers would still require the use of a camera or video camera in the classroom but allows for a different, possibly simpler, way of displaying the images or video recording.

Week 4- Podcasts

In my opinion, podcasts are simply an audio recording that has been published online. Like an RSS feed, which allows you to subscribe to certain texts (like blogs or websites), podcasts allow you to subscribe to an audio recording (for example, an itunes podcast) and every new episode that appears will be automatically downloaded to where the listener wants them.

Podcasting, according to http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=91805 can be used for:

"1. Self-Guided Walking Tours- Informational content.

2. Music- Band promotional clips and interviews.

3. Talk Shows- Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries.

4. Training- Instructional information materials.

5. Story- Story telling for children or the visually-impaired."


Other ideas that I thought could be useful for podcasts are for students with subjects like science where they need to take note of what happens during an experiment. Rather than quickly scribbling down notes, the students could record their observations so that they also can refer to them later.

Another idea is that teachers may be able to use podcasts to record any major discussions or session if they know that a student is going to be absent for an amount of time which will involve a lot of catch up work.

Earlier in the year I was absent from Uni, due to health reasons, for approximately 6 weeks. Without the podcasts and video recordings of many of the classes I would not have been able to keep up-to-date with the activities, tasks and assignments.

In the Japanese classroom, the teacher could use podcasts as weekly listening activities or even the listening exams at the end of the term. This will enable them to play the recording as many times as needed with all pronounciation the same each time. Often when reading out a passage more than once (or even without practice), mistakes might be made by the reader which in turn confuses the listener. Having a recording would ensure that this didn't happen because the teacher can make sure, before the day, that the recording is accurate and easily able to be interpreted.

I have not yet been able to create my own podcast, due to site problem, but will continue to try with the website so that I can test how simple or difficult podcasts are to create. This will help me conclude as to whether they would be practical for school students to use.

Youtube- Japanese Game Show

Because I am studying to be a Japanese teacher, this is the sort of Youtube videos that I could use in my classroom. At my prac this term, this Youtube video was used at the end of the lesson as not only a reward and time-filler but also for educational purposes. As you would have noticed, the video has mainly Japanese speaking and writing. This fact allows for students to listen to the speaking and try to interpret any words that they do already know, as well as look for familiar characters in the on-screen text.

When this video was originally shown to a grade 7 class, the students used their prior knowledge of Japanese entertaining, Japanese language (both writing and listening), as well as visual hints (for example, the contestants reactions, facial expression, and voice tonation) to establish the purpose of the show. Therefore this video went from being their reward to being something they were able to learn from. This was proved by the new language (words of encouragement mainly) that they were repeating after the video had been watched.

Especially in Japanese classes, Youtube videos can often be beneficial in demonstrating a process to the students or informing them about a particular topic. In the Japanese context, videos can be used to show students, for example, the true layout of a Japanese house or school, or traditional Japanese cultural activities or festivals, or in the case of the above video, they can be used as exposure to Japanese language.

YouTube. (2008). Japanese Game Show- Rope Swing. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFDKj4UWXYw

Voki 1

Week 4- Images

In my opinion, teaching with images is a sufficient way to not only allow students to fully understand, using visual views, but also enables visual learners to obtain the same understanding as those learners who may be kinaesthetic or auditory learners.

Often when students are asked to attach an image to a project firstly finding an image takes students a large amount of time, and secondly actually attaching the image often is difficult.

As found at the moodle page, there are many different types of images that have different uses. I, myself, as a 21 year old who considers herself competent with computers, did not know which type of image was designed for what usage and therefore I believe that without a large amount of knowledge on this, having students accessively use images as a way of learning may result in many complications.

Having said this, I have worked at a school in a situation where students used cameras to take their own pictures for an assignment which were then uploaded, by the teacher, to a folder where students then could access them. I believe that this not only allows students to personalise their work but also be able to design their project to imply the exact point that they are trying to make.

All in all the use of images as a digital tool may be beneficial as long as the processes that students will need to go through have been well thought out and explained by the teacher.

The Big 6

1. Task Definition
1.1 Define the information problem
1.2 Identify information needed

2. Information Seeking Strategies
2.1 Determine all possible sources
2.2 Select the best sources

3. Location and Access
3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
3.2 Find information within sources

4. Use of Information
4.1 Engage (eg. read, hear, view, touch)
4.2 Extract relevant information

5. Synthesis
5.1 Organise from multiple sources
5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)
6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

http://www.big6.com/2001/11/19/a-big6%E2%84%A2-skills-overview/

Learning Engagement Theory

• Links to constructivism.
• Emphasis on collaboration with peers and a community of learners.
• Focused on experimental and self-directed learning.
• Involves- creating, problem solving, reasoning, decision making and evaluation.
• Meaningful learning experiences and tasks.

RELATE - CREATE - DONATE

1. Occur in group context
2. Are project-based
3. Have an authentic focus

Relate

1. Communication, planning, management, and social skills

Create

2. Define the project, focus on application of ideas to specific content.

Donate

3. Make a useful contribution.