ETEC 565: Keisha's ePortfolio

Why did you choose this particular tools?

After exploring at least ten (10) storytelling tools, I chose “PhotoPeach” to create my story. PhotoPeach is a dynamic web 2.0 application that allows you to create slideshows with pictures, text and music combined. I choose this tool mainly because of its ease of use since you can create a rich slideshow in very little time (within minutes). I was amazed to see how fast I was able to create the slideshow for my story. In addition the quality of the end product is superb. This tool helped me to show how technology (a smart phone) has helped us to communicate, work, play and keep current with information on the go.

How did the tool impact the manner in which you told your story (perhaps in a way that is different had you just used text or related the story using your voice)?

PhotoPeach helped me to present information on the iPhone in an engaging form which is inline with the ISTE/NETS (2008) which advocate that students should be provided opportunities to engage in technology supported activities that enhance their learning experiences. Robins (2005) asserts that an engaging, multimedia-rich digital story can serve as an anticipatory set or hook to capture the attention of students and increasing their interest in exploring new ideas. The rich graphics in the slideshow will better able capture students’ interest and attention, make abstract content more understandable and thus engage students in the learning process which will result into deeper learning.

How might you use such tools in your own teaching to produce materials for students?

This tool is a useful tool since I can use it to create slideshows which can be used to move students from concrete facts/ concepts to very abstract concepts utilising images and sequencing. For example, it can be used to show incremental parts of an idea/equipment then show how they amalgamate to perform a complex operation.

PhotoPeach is also an excellent resource for collaborative group work. It has a quiz facility which allows you to create an interactive slideshow with multiple choice items on slides. Students can answer questions in class individually or in groups.

Since a slideshow can be quickly and easily created, PhotoPeach is a great tool to use for review at the end of the class.

What kind of impact would you expect to see in your students in terms of motivation, creativity, or any other characteristics?

I hope to see positive changes in students after introducing my story in the lesson since today’s learners are drawn to technology and most students also love to work on computers. I therefore expect students to be highly motivated to learn and also improved levels of participation whenever this application is used. In addition, the use of pictures and graphics should also boost students’ creativity and enable them to express their thoughts in ways they might not be able to do otherwise.

References:

National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Robins, B. (2005). The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Retrieved from http://digitalliteracyintheclassroom.pbworks.com/f/Educ-Uses-DS.pdf

Both wikis and thread discussions extend the classroom beyond its current limits and boundaries. They are visible to all users and provide students with opportunities to collaborate and elaborate on topics in an asynchronous manner. In threaded discussions, participants access discussion forum, post messages, and reply to the messages of others.  However a wiki takes it a step further since students have the opportunity to add to, change, and even delete someone else’s contribution. In other words, wikis allow for collaborative editing.

A challenge that may arise from using wikis is the possibility of ending up with a “mess” because everyone is putting in data  and many times no one stops to edit and delete information no longer necessary or accurate or updated when changed.

This course can be considered as one of the best MET courses I have taken so far because I am exposed to various learning technologies that I can use in my teaching and learning environments. Incorporating these technologies will enhance my students’ learning and provide opportunities for them be more engaged, active learners.

I am very happy about being introduced to the ISTE/NETS framework.  These guidelines will help me as an educator to better integrate learning technologies in this digital age.

I find WIMBA quite interesting.  This technology is totally new to new.  I am already planning to use it in my classes next semester.  I could use it to introduce new lessons or even problem based concepts.  My students are always thrilled when lessons are taught with new technologies.

This course has helped me to reflect on myself as an educator and make goals to continually improve my delivery to ensure that my students receive quality instructions that meets their needs.

Digital Age Teaching Professionals

It my hope to become highly skilled in course development and delivery using technology, integration of technology in the curriculum, cognition and technology-based instruction. After perusing the contents of this course, ETEC 565a, I realise that it will equip me with some of the necessary hands-on knowledge and skills to realise my goal since it seems that I will obtain high quality experience in the use of new instructional resources and digital media required for learning in this digital age.

Presently, I engage my students in activities that utilise tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcast on a regular basis. Students find these tools intriguing and like using them in their learning experiences. I believe this course will provide me with the opportunity to better able respond to the versatile individual differences in students by introducing more diverse media, tools, and methods in the teaching and learning experience. It will also help me as an educator to prepare for a technology-rich future and keep up with change by adopting effective strategies that infuse lessons with appropriate technologies.

I am really looking forward to learning about all the digital tools that will be introduced in the course, but more specifically Moodle so that I can use its features to extend my classroom time and provide opportunities for students to interact, contribute ideas and collaborate.

I appreciate the knowledge I gained from reading the NETS in module one. I believe all educators today should follow the standards put forth since they will help us to deliver course contents more effectively and grow professionally in this increasingly digital age. I particularly like the standard which speaks to the professional growth and leadership of educators since I personally believe that teachers should be engaged in continuous research and development in an attempt to continuously implement new technologies, media and methods in classrooms practices to enhance student learning in this digital age.