Integrating ICT into classrooms

Wow - I can't wait to use an interactive whiteboard! I joined up to Teacher's TV and watched the video on the Whiteboard Science Investigation.
http://www.teacherstv.com.au/
Students were testing newspaper, aluminium foil and bubblewrap to determine which is the best "thermal insulator". (Which kept their teacher's tea the hottest.) This activity seemed to incorporate everything we've been talking about for the last two months. It involved small groups then coming back together as a whole class to share results. It was hands-on and it allowed the students to take turns using technology.
As a follow-up I searched watched the YouTube clip about interactive whiteboards in the classroom. http://www.datacomit.com.au/products/whiteboards.php?gclid=CIOj6K_orJUCFRg6awodf2Q3kg

"students have no fear of technology"

Rather it is us teachers that have to embrace technology and keep up-to-date through professional development.

The other website that I looked at this week was George Lucas' Education Foundation - edutopia.
This website has lots of videos and activities based on the year level of students.

http://www.edutopia.org/
One thing I did not like about the information on this site, was that both teachers and students seemed obsessed with using technology for the future. It was all about getting into the right college or becoming a scientist or doctor. The focus was never simply on learning for the sake of learning or doing for the sake of doing. However, the videos I viewed were all from the U.S.A., so I'm hoping that in Australian classrooms kids are still encouraged to be kids for a little while longer.

In the workshop this week we made movies!

http://www.dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html
I think the dvolver site would be a great tool for students who perhaps lose interests in writing activities. This allows them to play with sounds and characters and results in a product that they can show off to their friends and relatives.




I also had a look at the games Greg recommended.
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/pook/flash/pook.html
This was a lovely game that could be taught in conjunction with learning about different cultures, factors that put poorer populations at risk, and what we as individuals can do to help.
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/progression/civics.html

I also played the maths game found at
http://www.sumdog.com/games/flow.action?game=racing
while i did not find this game particularly exciting, I think if students were playing against eachother it would add to the level of excitement.

Protection of students online and FUN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW14kz3TKug&feature=related

I think this week's lecture resonated with all of us. Especially in relation to the video showing the devastating consequences that cyberbullying can have.

Unfortunately cyberbullying is now a real issue for today's youth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQBurXQOeQ

Whilst as teachers we will be unable to monitor how our students use technology at home, we can ensure that we make our students aware of their responsibilities when using technology.
The cybersmart website has a lot of practical advice for children and parents about the benefits and many dangers to be aware of when using technology.
http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/

I graduated from high school in 1998, I don't consider it to be very long ago, but so much has changed! I didn't have a mobile phone, and while we had a computer at home we did not have the Internet. Some of our future students will have been exposed to these technologies since birth. Depending on which schools we are working in, the majority of students will be aware of how to text, how to instant message, how to email and and to surf the web. Just as I was taught "stranger danger", it will be my responsibility to make sure my students are aware of protecting their own and others security when online.

 In our workshop we briefly stepped away from technology and focused on design. Our mission was to create a frog that could jump using only
1. cardboard card
2. picture of a frog
3. rubber band
4. sticky tape
5. glue

We (the students) had to record our processes on a design brief that showed our
1. problem to be solved
2. how we investigated it
3. how we produced a solution
4. how we evaluated/assessed our result.

The class came up with several solutions and we learned a simple method of incorporating design and technology into our future classrooms, as will be required by VELS.
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/maps/maps_domain/design/level4.html

We spent the rest of the workshop devising games and thus gained another way of letting our students work with technology while introducing or revising material from other domains such as English or science.
www.quia.com/web
The above website allows teachers and students to create games and play eachothers. So the teacher could create a new spelling test game with different words each week and allow the students to play with it to familiarise themselves with the new vocabulary. By allowing students to invent their own games, it is making newly acquired information relevant and adding excitement and competition to learning.