Monday, 25 March 2013
Monday, 18 March 2013
Push technology
Student audioboos
I used Audioboo in a lesson with my Physiology students recently. They had previously carried out a practical task, and it had been 2 weeks later that they were expected to write a report about it. I thought that it might work well to use Audioboo as a way of them recapping what they should have achieved, while giving them ownership of their work. Therefore, I asked them to download the app as soon as they entered the lesson. They clearly loved the opportunity to use their phones for something, and I could see straightaway how powerful this was as a way of getting them to 'buy in' to the lesson. They then had to research a small part of the topic we had been working on each, and it was their individual responsibility to collect together information that they could then put in to a recap Boo for them and their classmates to use at their leisure. They immediately saw that there was a benefit, as it meant that they could collaborate on their work. But it also allowed them to use a medium (audio) that they are familiar with being engaged in constantly. The Boo's are now up on a 'physiology' board, which they can access at any time in order to help them with their assignments.
Box
Monday, 11 March 2013
Podcasting
Video night is also podcast night! Another excellent opportunity to cringe to the sound of my own voice. I decided that I would use this as an opportunity to put together a self help/assignment workshop for my fitness training group who seem to be continually forgetting how to correctly fill in an exercise programme. The benefit of this is that the students can immediately engage with the material on a range of different mediums, such as PC's, but also Ipods, tablets and smartphones. There are so many ways you can use a podcast, such as for plenaries, quick recaps on different topics etc. They rely on you having the equipment though, and your equipment working properly....I will be uploading the second podcast in a series of 3, because at the current time I cannot get the first or third to upload to the PC!
Youtube, web 2.0 and social media in teaching
Tonight was video night! Martin had pre-warned us that we would be making a video, or using previous video footage....but I dont have any previous footage on my smart phone that would be appropriate, so Gareth and I got creative! Actually, we made an awful video about the merits of the Ealing campus. My camera work was awful, and I couldn't even stand to listen to the whole 4 minutes of rubbish we talked. Nevertheless, it has been uploaded to my personal youtube channel for all to see! Youtube is a useful social media tool, made social by the fact that (as you will see) the videos don't have to be professionally produced, any old shaky hand can produce one! As well as uploading your own videos, you are able to make comment on those uploaded by other amateur hand!
As always a number of useful learning points emerged. Firstly, no video is a bad video. Using footage that isn't very watchable or user friendly can in itself be used as an example of how a better job could be done. A poorly put together video will still probably be engaged in by students (especially if it allows the opportunity for them to laugh at you!). Students can also watch the video, and make suggestions for how they could do a better job themselves. Finally, it gave us the opportunity to actually upload the video to youtube - another skill under the belt.
Downsides - well, I HATED having to listen to my own voice. I know it sounds hideous on camera, and so was reluctant to talk in the first place. Having this issue when students make the videos could actually stop them from engaging with the learning properly. Trolling may also present itself as a problem. Comments can be disabled from the video though, so this may get around the issue. However, turning off the comments section takes away a large part of the social media element.
Anyway, here it is.....don't judge too harshly!
As always a number of useful learning points emerged. Firstly, no video is a bad video. Using footage that isn't very watchable or user friendly can in itself be used as an example of how a better job could be done. A poorly put together video will still probably be engaged in by students (especially if it allows the opportunity for them to laugh at you!). Students can also watch the video, and make suggestions for how they could do a better job themselves. Finally, it gave us the opportunity to actually upload the video to youtube - another skill under the belt.
Downsides - well, I HATED having to listen to my own voice. I know it sounds hideous on camera, and so was reluctant to talk in the first place. Having this issue when students make the videos could actually stop them from engaging with the learning properly. Trolling may also present itself as a problem. Comments can be disabled from the video though, so this may get around the issue. However, turning off the comments section takes away a large part of the social media element.
Anyway, here it is.....don't judge too harshly!
Monday, 4 March 2013
I created a Pinterest account a few weeks ago, and I have to be honest, the main reason for doing this was to tick it off the list of E-learning things I had to do as part of the course. Everything that has been suggested to us up until now has been great for engaging students in tasks, but I have been really short on time recently, and didnt give this one much of a go. I like to have time to be able to figure out how each resource serves to improve the standard of my delivery to students, and how they can get the most out of it in a sport specific way.
Anyway, tonight was the night when I decided to get to grips with this, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a frustration at first! Mistake number one was not eating before attending the after-college course - I suffer terribly with hunger rage! Mistake number two was leaving it so long, because I had forgotten a lot of the reasons why 'Web 2.0' tools are relevant to learning. If I'd have done this when we first learnt about Web 2.0 it would have cemented my understanding of it, but as it was it just seemed like a pointless waste of cutting and pasting.
Thankfully, now I have eaten, and had a couple of hours to reflect (I feel like I'm doing so much reflecting recently that I'm in danger of resembling a mirror!), I have begun to understand the beauty of this tool. The focus of my Pinterest is as a fitness resource for one of my teaching groups. The premise of their unit is fitness testing and training, so I have put together a number of sites that are reputable sources of information (there's a lot of rubbish on the internet, as it turns out!). This suits the unit as there are loads of different considerations that the students needs to remember, such as programming information, pictures and videos giving ideas for exercises, different goals that clients may have and how to meet them, as well as how to test the progress of a training programme by using fitness tests.
So, how does a Pinterest benefit the students? Well, the idea of all Web 2.0 technology is that it provides opportunities for interaction and contribution between many individuals. This is exactly what Pinterest supplies. At its most basic level, it provides students with a 'list' of resources, without it looking like a list. This in itself makes it a more pleasing experience when searching for information. But beyond this, students are able to have their own input and collaborate with one another. The idea is that they comment on the sites that are pinned there, either by critiquing the information they read and adding their opinions, or highlighting relevant information to help their collegues (peer sharing), or hopefully in many other ways that they think of, that I, as of yet, have not! As Will Richardson points out in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms "(weblogs) demand interaction". Any opportunity to increase learner engagement, collaboration and participation in class discussion is welcome as far as I am concerned!
As always, I will introduce this resource to my students, and see what they think of it, and how effective it is....
http://pinterest.com/binzyg/fitness-testing-and-training/
Anyway, tonight was the night when I decided to get to grips with this, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a frustration at first! Mistake number one was not eating before attending the after-college course - I suffer terribly with hunger rage! Mistake number two was leaving it so long, because I had forgotten a lot of the reasons why 'Web 2.0' tools are relevant to learning. If I'd have done this when we first learnt about Web 2.0 it would have cemented my understanding of it, but as it was it just seemed like a pointless waste of cutting and pasting.
Thankfully, now I have eaten, and had a couple of hours to reflect (I feel like I'm doing so much reflecting recently that I'm in danger of resembling a mirror!), I have begun to understand the beauty of this tool. The focus of my Pinterest is as a fitness resource for one of my teaching groups. The premise of their unit is fitness testing and training, so I have put together a number of sites that are reputable sources of information (there's a lot of rubbish on the internet, as it turns out!). This suits the unit as there are loads of different considerations that the students needs to remember, such as programming information, pictures and videos giving ideas for exercises, different goals that clients may have and how to meet them, as well as how to test the progress of a training programme by using fitness tests.
So, how does a Pinterest benefit the students? Well, the idea of all Web 2.0 technology is that it provides opportunities for interaction and contribution between many individuals. This is exactly what Pinterest supplies. At its most basic level, it provides students with a 'list' of resources, without it looking like a list. This in itself makes it a more pleasing experience when searching for information. But beyond this, students are able to have their own input and collaborate with one another. The idea is that they comment on the sites that are pinned there, either by critiquing the information they read and adding their opinions, or highlighting relevant information to help their collegues (peer sharing), or hopefully in many other ways that they think of, that I, as of yet, have not! As Will Richardson points out in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms "(weblogs) demand interaction". Any opportunity to increase learner engagement, collaboration and participation in class discussion is welcome as far as I am concerned!
As always, I will introduce this resource to my students, and see what they think of it, and how effective it is....
http://pinterest.com/binzyg/fitness-testing-and-training/
Quizlet
Tonight we have been using an online tool called Quizlet, which allows the quick set up of resources for students.
I put together 20 flash cards with training principle terms on them, and found that once the resource is created it can be used in a number of different ways, such as a test, a spelling resource, or a couple of different games.
The brilliance in this resource is that it can be used online, or printed off. Therefore, instead of having to animate answers into a powerpoint, for example, you can flick between questions and answers in class with input from all students.
There is also a bank of resources 'pre-created' by other users that can be accessed, which saves on the time it takes to create your own resources. Once you have created a resource it can be used in a number of different ways, and for introducing a topic or testing knowledge on a topic, but they do take a while to set up initially (depending on how many flash cards etc you make). Therefore, having the option of using resources other people have created is a real time saver!
I put together 20 flash cards with training principle terms on them, and found that once the resource is created it can be used in a number of different ways, such as a test, a spelling resource, or a couple of different games.
The brilliance in this resource is that it can be used online, or printed off. Therefore, instead of having to animate answers into a powerpoint, for example, you can flick between questions and answers in class with input from all students.
There is also a bank of resources 'pre-created' by other users that can be accessed, which saves on the time it takes to create your own resources. Once you have created a resource it can be used in a number of different ways, and for introducing a topic or testing knowledge on a topic, but they do take a while to set up initially (depending on how many flash cards etc you make). Therefore, having the option of using resources other people have created is a real time saver!
go animate
After learning how to do a very basic animated video with go animate, I thought I'd trial it in one of my lessons. Not all the students got around to finishing them in the lesson - as with every task, some picked it up more quickly than others. I will add more as they come through, but these were the first few....
http://goanimate.com/videos/0iysxmrUel3M/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0PZ95i2k7-qU/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0CID4SQNCBEk/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0iysxmrUel3M/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0PZ95i2k7-qU/1
http://goanimate.com/videos/0CID4SQNCBEk/1
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