Group 2 Tools: Digital Media

Digital Media - Where would I be without it? Probably watching TV...

In today’s life we are constantly surrounded by and involved in digital media – such as digital images, digital audio and digital video. Even the good old TV has gone digital, with the analogue signal to be switched off by 2013! I will be writing about some of the tools which can be used to view, create and edit different types of digital media.

Digital Video
Digital videos are very easy to create, edit and share. They can either be created using a digital video recorder, iphone or digital camera. However, this isn't the only way to create a digital video.
Digital videos can also be created using programs such as Windows Movie Maker. This program allows you to make videos from scratch or edit those which you have recorded. It's is fairly easy to use and quite self explanatory, as long as you have some basic computer skills to start with. Here’s an example of a video I created as part of my Art assignment back in Term 1, last year.



Digital videos can also be shared on sites such as youtube, granted that you have a decent internet connection speed and a gmail account (which is free). As you have probably worked out, the video above was uploaded to YouTube so that I could share it with you.

Pod Casts
Pod casts are digital video or audio files which can be downloaded over the internet. A lot of content can now be downloaded in the form of pod casts such as radio shows, educational programs and news.


Pod Casts were made popular by the iPod, which allowed users to download Pod Casts and listen to them on the go.

Podcasts can be a great addition to the classroom, providing another resource for learning. If a class has access to iPods or iPod touches students could listen to a pod cast if they finish their work early. They could also be used as part of a group rotation, or the whole class could listen to an excerpt of a podcast. There are loads of educational podcasts on topics from language to science..

Pod casts are also not limited to the professionals or those with a decent budget. Pod Casts can easily be created using a range of programs, such as Podmatic. This could be used for students to create a podcast as part of an assignment, or a teacher could create their own podcast to accompany students’ home work.

Digital Images
With the price of digital cameras constantly dropping, people have more and more access to them. This allows every day people to take pictures of memorable events to share with their friends and family. We no longer have to take our film to get developed. We can share them for free online through a wide variety of means. We can e-mail our pictures, add them to social media sites (such as facebook) or share them on sites such as flickr. Facebook is my favourite way of sharing my photos (and stalking old friends). However, this isn’t practical for school as facebook is not available to students under 13 – and it goes against school policy to add students on facebook!

In conclusion Digital Media is readily available today – So why not take advantage of it in the classroom???

Digital Tools Group 1: Wikis

Check out my amazing wiki - http://jonnyandhisipod.wikispaces.com/

PMI chart on the use of Wikis in the classroom:

PMI – Wikis in the classroom
Plus	Minus	Interesting
Engaging Encourages collaborative learning Builds ICT skills Reflects needs of Australian Curriculum Progress can be tracked by the teacher Hints and tips can be given as students work	Some group members may not be as involved in the wiki space as others Information on the wiki can easily be deleted by other parties (or other students) Although it is retrievable, this may become annoying. Not all students may have easy access to the required technology at home Time management Not all students may be confident with using ICT Students can easily plagiarise Parents may not be comfortable letting their students on the internet without supervision	If the teacher is away the wiki space is still accessible by the students. The use of the internet raises a lot of issues such as child protection, what the students access etc.

Wikis - Gotta love em.

Mobile Phones in the Classroom

This week I took part in an activity which involved using De Bono's 6 thinking hats to discuss different points of view relating to the use of mobile phones and mobile technology in the classroom. For this activity I focused on the blue hat, or the process.

I believe we have to face the fact that mobile phones and mobile technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in today's society - students are going to have more and more access as the technology becomes cheaper and easier to get hold of. I think that the logical approach is to take steps to integrate the technology into our classrooms and make the most of it. We should ensure that we use to technology to keep students engaged in order to better their learning, rather than have them trying to secretly use their phones while their teacher isn't looking.

For example iPod touches are increasingly becoming a common resouce in the classroom. I have seen them used in a few different classrooms - where a class may have their own set of 6 or a year group may have a set which rotates around the classrooms. Students love to use them, demonstrating that they are very engaged in the activities. I believe they are an excellent addition to the classroom - so long as they are used correctly (I will talk more about iPods Touches another time).

On another point - to discuss the use of mobile technology in the classroom I used a wiki with a group of peers. A wiki is an online document which can be edited my multiple users, working collaboratively. This very much reflects Vygotsky's theory of Social Constructivism - where meaning and understanding is build up through a group of people working collaboratively to build on their overall knowledge.

I believe wiki's could be a great way for students in a classroom to work together - however it requires well thought out planning from the teacher to ensure it runs smoothly.

For example a large class may be split into groups of 5, each with their own wiki to create. To ensure that every students contributions can be monitored, each student could be assigned a colour to write in. This way the teacher can make sure that no students are slacking off and relying on their group to carry them through. The layout of the wiki may also be set out by the teacher, before the students start, to ensure that they understand the directions of the task.

iPod Touch Update

Well I have a few complaints about the app CellSpin - CellSpin is an app from iTunes designed for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. It is designed to allow you to easily update blogs from your portable device, without having to go through all the trouble of opening up your blog and signing in etc..

It's good for uploading quick updates and pictures, however it's very annoying when you want to write a longer blog post. On most apps that involve typing you can turn the iPod on to its side so that it is in landscape, and the image will follow suit. This makes the keyboard much larger and a LOT easier to type with. However, CellSpin doesn't allow you to do this. So you're stuck trying to type with the small keyboard - so you end up hitting the wrong keys a lot. Or maybe that's just my stubby fingers...

Also multitasking is great on the new 4th Gen iPod touch, however if you're in the middle of typing something on CellSpin and want to quickly check the website you were looking at for a reference you will lose everything you were just typing. Hence why I'm not using my laptop - woops!

Any way - back to the point of this post. I have been testing out a few of the apps to see whether or not they would be of any benefit in the classroom.

The first app I used was I Can Animate - this allows you to make stop motion animations VERY easily. It was fun to use and the videos created can be uploaded to youtube directly from the iPod. This took about 5 minutes to make http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy55nQeKJ4o    You can't add sound or music, but maybe there's another app out there that would allow you to add music or you could do it later on a computer.

The second app I tried out was StoryKit - This allows you to create and then read your stories on your iPod. Again it's very easy to use. You can either try and draw the pictures yourself, although they look pretty dodgy, or you can take pictures for each page. You can then add text. Here's a quick short story I made http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=kef5o2usozijoxllzkn2

iPod Touches are pretty cool - but I can't help thinking an iPad would be even cooler!

Learning Styles

Reflective and Active Learners

Felder suggests that students are always either reflective or active learners.  Active learners tend to retain knowledge and develop an understanding through directly participating in an activity, where as Reflective learners need to process the information first and think it over.

According to the Learning Style test http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html I have a moderate tendency to be an active learner. Felder suggests that in order help me better learn I should take steps to work in a study group where we talk over information and tasks, before engaging in them. This would help me to develop reflective skills.

Sensing and Intuitive Learners

Sensing students tend to focus on facts and routines, where as intuitive students like to explore extra possibilities and new concepts.

My learning style test demonstrated that I sit in the middle of the two styles, neither preferring either of the two learning styles. This means that I am well balanced – I focus on facts as well as the wider concepts.

Visual and Verbal learners

Felder suggests that students tend to be wither Visual or Verbal learners. This is fairly self explanatory – Visual learners learn best through observing information and data in the form or pictures and diagrams, where as Verbal learners prefer written or spoken material.

I have always felt that I am a Visual learner, and this was supported by the learning style test which showed that I have a very strong preference for learning through visual material. Felder explains that good learners should be capable of learning material which is presented both Visually and Verbally, however I find it very hard to learn by simply reading or listening. To help myself learn by using Verbal material I could represent any written or spoken information in the form of concept maps.

Sequential and Global Learners

Sequential learners build an understanding through following logical steps, where as Global learners prefer jump through information randomly, building up a big picture until they suddenly ‘get it’.

My learning style test revealed that I prefer learning through both styles. Sometimes I follow sequential steps and sometimes I skip steps until I see the bigger picture. I think this reflects how I learn – Sometimes I follow a sequence of steps, then I get fed up and skip to the end!

Hey look - I can take a photo

Just testing out how to post on my blog using a iPod Touch - with the help of a great app called CellSpin!

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net