Picnik

Another photo that I created using picnik, this is of Amali when she was about 4 weeks old, asleep on the couch.
I adjusted the shadows and colour, as well as giving it a 'soft' effect and changing the border and background colour. I like how you can put text on the photos, there are many to choose from, but even more if you upgrade the account.

Watermellon Fiend

Watermellon Fiend
Originally uploaded by chenoa b

I had a play around with this picture in Flickr, mainly cropping it and adjusting the colours and highlights. Jordan's hair sure does look red in this photo! I was changing Amali's nappy and came back into the lounge room and he had taken the entire watermelon from the fridge and was ploughing into it!
I have just realised that I have blogged flickr and picnik around the wrong way - however, I think that I like the picnik layout better. It seems less busy and crowded, even though they seem to use the same system. I am not quite sure how that works though!

Pretty as a Picnik

I thoroughly enjoyed playing around with the Picnik site. The tools are simple and easy to use, especially the way that the program shows you what it is doing with your photo as you manipulate it. My class is doing a unit on natural disasters, so I chose a photo that had a large, long crack line in it, possibly from an earthquake.
To use this program in class, I could ask them to find a photo of a natural disaster, manipulate it, put it in the Polaroid frame like the one to the left, and produce an information report on what happened in the photo.
The students could be enrolled as geologists who then need to present their findings to their peers.
This type of task could cross many KLA's, including Art, English, ICT's and Science.

WebQuest Questathon!

I have had the chance to make two webquests in my short time at uni, and even though they are not aswonderful as the pro's, I am extremely proud of them. The time and effort that goes into creating one of these is huge.
However, when compared to a unit of work that HOC's and teachers design - is it really that much more work? Personally, I do not think so. The beginning of the 'old' way of devising a unit of work is fairly much the same as designing a webquest - outcomes, focus question, research, activities that meet the outcomes, designing worksheets and then delivering the unit. All but one part of this is similar - the engagement. We know that we now educate digital natives who are computer savvy, but that doesn't mean they are instantly engaged because there are computers involved.
Webquests need to engage the students from the word GO, so that they are focused and determined to get through the quest, to most importantly of all - the authentic destination. Allowing students to go out on the world wide web - even with the safety restrictions of the school intranet - is dangerous in itself. This type of 'webquest' is not a true webquest at all. Teachers need to find and research sites, then provide searching activities through questions and tasks that engage the student in higher order thinking. This is the type of thinking that out students need to do, thinking that enables them to look outside the square and deepen their knowledge of topics. True webquests do this.
I believe that the time and effort that go into creating these are worth every minute. Plus - they're always there for next year.....

Earthquake Powerpoint

When thinking about PowerPoint, one usually thinks about slide after slide after slide. It doesn't have to be that way!! Using PowerPoint in the classroom is an excellent way to use technology, that is as simple as you want it to be, or as complex as you want it to be. PowerPoint provides a way to deliver content that is not a worksheet or hand written notes on the blackboard. Students can take notes from it, watch it, listen to it and enjoy it!
In a recent PowerPoint presentation that I used in the classroom, I embedded hyperlinks to almost every page, to make it more like a mini webquest for the students. I added sound for the first time - a large 'BOOM' at the beginning (the unit is on earthquakes), to 'wake' the students up - and it worked - they were hooked.
One of the students' assessment pieces for this unit is to create their own PowerPoint on a natural disaster of their choice. Since they were not too familiar with PowerPoint, I modeled one for them, using animation entrances and exits as well. This allowed for their "learning to take place in an authentic context" (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999, p.1), which deepened their knowledge on the subject.
One of the other students enrolled in this course gave me the wonderful idea of allowing the students to work through PowerPoint by themselves, with a small amount of instruction from the learning manager. I had never thought to use this application in this way, and I can't wait to try it out on my students.
I have also just inserted a windows movie maker file into a PowerPoint for the first time, which I am extremely proud of and happy with the result. I feel that PowerPoint is an excellent tool for students to view as a delivery method, and to learn and create for their assignments. Its versatility and simplicity makes it an easy choice for me.

References:

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 17, 2009, from

http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

More Avatars

Hi All,
Here is a link to another blog site that I have created some avatars for, using the SitePal characters.
http://nationalninenews.blogspot.com/
These are for our Ensuring Student Success presentation, in relation to the NAPLAN testing system.
Chenoa
Update: This site has been closed due to the SitePal 15 day trial ending.

WIKIs

I now have an understanding of what a WIKI is, but I am still confused as to what to really use it for in the classroom. I find WIKI's busy and confusing, with too many tabs and options, like a large overcoat with too many pockets. Personally, I find using Google Docs much easier and user friendly. The one difference that I can see is that you can upload personal effects like pictures and videos to a WIKI.
However, in saying this, they fit into the Engagement Theory perfectly as they are "providing an authentic setting for learning" (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). WIKI's are a magnet for collaborative learning, with many people having access to it and contributing to it. "A Wiki is a powerful tool for constructivist learning environments because it facilitates collaboration" (Notari, 2006).
They are, naturally, project based, and can then be used to create a project on top of their natural function. An example of this could be a class trip to Parliament House. In the lead up to the trip, the teacher could put information and links there for both parents and students, even a 'what to bring' list. During the trip, photos and videos could be taken and then uploaded as a way of showing parents and reflecting on the trip. In the aftermath of the trip, students could be asked to write a report on Parliament House and place it there, again as a way to show parents and the wider community.
However, there is one part in all of this that bothers me - internet safety. A WIKI is exactly that - a tool that anyone can access to create data, and change that same data. I would be worried that cyber bullying could occur through WIKI's, and there are also the ethical considerations as well. I like the ease and privacy of Google Docs, so I am sticking to it.

References:
- Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999), The Engagement Theory. Retrieved July 13, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
- Notari, M. (2007). How to use a Wiki in education. Retrieved July 27, 2009, from
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1149453.1149479