Week Five - Learning Tools Three

Wow, this week has been an excellent and personally rewarding learning experience. I have now seen the other wonderful and interactive side of PowerPoint, been impressed with Prezi and tackled Glogster. Most importantly, from gaining further knowledge and expertise into these digital tools, I have been able to identify the advantages in implementing these into a primary school classroom. These tools can provide all contemporary learners with an individual access to the learning of content through preferred and individualistic learning styles. It is important to note that although these implements are a fantastic resource in which teachers use in order to engage and to communicate content through, the benefits in which students reap through the utilisation of these programs is imperative to expressing their ability to comprehend.

PowerPoint

Throughout my high school experience PowerPoint was a program in which was employed in accompanying many oral presentations. Even in my ICT/business class PowerPoint was always associated with having a ‘support’ role in conveying content, message or theme. Therefore it is important that this representation is not taken literally and the tool is explored by both teachers and students. PowerPoint is a whole lot more then it seems it facilitates the use of ‘text, linking and interactivity, audio, video and images’ (Fasso, W. 2013). By combining some or all of these resources a powerful multimedia implement can be created. This therefore enables the students and the teacher to communicate and interpret knowledge and content in a form in which each party understands. This is critical as teachers face a technological literate generation of young learners and, challenges in ways of engaging them.

Teachers can benefit by using PowerPoint as it;

• Engages students – essential for the learning process to begin
• It is linear and is consequently ideal for sequential leaners
• Provides the opportunity to cater for individual’s specific learning styles, this therefore increases comprehension of content
• Use of multimedia reiterates, strengthens or provides a different view point on spoken content. This provides the student with the ability to practice high order thinking skills as they decipher meaning
• Interactive activities can be completed individually or collaboratively in a up to date approach

PowerPoint is beneficial to students because;

• It is simplistic in design – easy to use
• Students use it to support their own work through use of multimedia
• They gain the attributes of inventive, creative and thoughtful
• This learning is personalised to each individual and allows for deeper understanding

   

To see examples of interactive powerpoints follow this link to my Wiki.

Prezi

This tool is cool! It is defiantly the answer to a tired and hard to see PowerPoint slide. It is the definition of interactive and allows the audience to gain a ‘global perspective’ (Fasso, W. 2013) on the content in which is being taught. It allows the creator to firstly present the bigger picture and then allows them to zoom in as much as they like in order to interpret finer particulars. It would be useful as an aid to teach all year levels of primary students. However, only higher levels of primary schools students should use this tool as it requires an understanding and application of technology skills in order to create an effect presentation. Students that have the ability to create a presentation with Prezi have the opportunity to sophistically explain and support themselves in a multilayered format. The main ideas, content and knowledge can be basically displayed so that minimal confusion occurs. Than for further understanding and comprehension Prezi allows the creator to zoom in on key and specific points, images and pictures. Once the student is done with this specific detail they are able to zoom out so that the main idea becomes the main focus once again. Click here to create your own Prezi.

This is a very simple Prezi in which I have created about the Solar System. Whilst in the Prezi presentation, click on the small picture of the planets next to their names for a closer view. 

 

Glogster

This Website would be very applicable to primary students as it was very simple and easy to use. Students are able to display information and knowledge in a fun, bright and interactive form. The contemporary learner is able to access their learning/information space wherever they are and allows them to receive feedback from friends and experts (teachers). This therefore creates a space where learning can occur due to a scaffolding of activities from the teacher in order to keep the student in line with particular learning outcomes but, allows the student to personalise their own learning experience. By doing this they are able to apply and relate to real life situations in which aids in their comprehension of the taught content and allows other students to benefit from other individuals prior knowledge. Below is an example of a Glogster in which I have created and it is about healthy eating choices.

If the Gloster example is not prompt in uploading, please right click on it and choose the option of Encoding than Wester European (windows).  

Google Maps / Education

This fantastic website/search engine allows students and teachers to readily access visual information from all parts of the world. Students are able to explore beyond their wildest imaginations looking at Earth, the Moon, Mars and even into the depths of the ocean! Google maps offer students (and teachers) the ability to explore without even leaving your chair. It provides a fun and engaging opportunity to create and maintain understandings of geography concepts ‘map reading, location and distance measurement’ (Google, 2013). Students are able to implement this tool into learning in order to support an understanding of content by creating and completing various tasks. Some of these can include the students;

• Collaborating in order to create maps
• Identifying where they are going before leaving on a school trip
• Detecting places that you are both familiar and unfamiliar with in your local community

Google Earth on the other hand permits the students to interact and explore the world! It can be incorporated by the teacher when teaching content in subjects such as history, science, space science, math and geography. It is important to note that these animated websites offer massive advantages over print based text as it allows students to have a greater understanding of these places in which it is simply impossible to visit. Additionally, it suits the contemporary learner as they are able to access this information wherever they are. These simulations or real life visual aids require students to participate in ‘complex interactions and abstract concepts’ which will in turn create higher order thinking skills (Fasso, W 2013). I have created a quick Google My Map in which pin points a few places in which I have been and my route to university.

View Monique's Map in a larger map

References

Fasso, W (2012). EDED20491 - ICT's for Learning Design: Study Guide. Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity, Australia.

Google. (2013). Google Maps/Education. Retrieved from: https://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&authuser=0