Interactive Whiteboards

Smart Boards/Interactive Whiteboards are a fantastic invention. You can attach a computer, DVD player, have the internet all running through the whiteboard. They come with interactive pens which need to be configured when purchased. The teacher or learner can write on the board and the writing transforms itself into text.

Their are many advantages of having an interactive whiteboard in the classroom. Some advantages are that children seem to enjoy the interaction and experience of using the boards. It helps children with additional needs, it caters for all kinds of learning styles through seeing, touching and you can sometimes hear it. I would love to be able to have a classroom that had an interactive whiteboard. You can use it for many applications. I would like to brainstorm on it, it would be great for mindmaps. If we were researching Egypt, we could jump online and onto Google Earth, locate the pyramids and take a snap shot for our project, all in the comfort of your classroom.

Like anything else their are disadvantages, and I feel the top one would be the cost. The wires hooked to the board can be hazardous around the learner's, when the projector is too far away from the screen it can be very sensitive and also shadows from the learner's can be a problem at times. But overall I feel the IWB's would be a great investment for any school, the benefits really outway the disadvantages, and the fact that they have found children to be more engaged is a big upside.

This is a video explaining how Smart Boards work:-




I really like this video because it gives you an idea how student orientated the smart boards can be, each child can get up and have a turn, getting the children motivated and engaged with the task at hand.



References

Smartclassrooms. (2009, April 13). SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use? [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U05WeXPGlk

daviddettman. (2009, October 30). Student's using smartboard [Video file]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBgx5AeoGlo&feature=related

Digital Storybooks

Digital Storybooks are an engaging and effective way to get our learner's keen to learn. They can send powerful messages, they can help motivate the learner as well as being enjoyable to watch. For a classroom activity I would ask the children to take digital photos, draw pictures, write a story and put them altogether using Powerpoint and turn their group work into a digital story. They learn how to work in a group, to collaberate with each other, and use the tools they are familiar with and enjoy. I have compiled a serious of photos of The Titanic and put the soundtrack from the blockbuster movie in the background to prove how easy it is to quickly create a Digital Storybook.
I hope you enjoy this:-





Digital Storybooks can come in many different forms, some ways are through videos, podcasts, powerpoints and so on. I have embeded a YouTube video below to help explain:-




References

Stanford's Teacher Education Program. (2009, June 20). Digital storytelling in plain english [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6CeGLPuOY

Riccadonna 1. (2010, May 8). My Titanic Digital Storybook [Video File]. Retrieved on May 8, 2010, from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvSvOrxbnek

YouTube

YouTube is used by millions of people world wide. It has become a phenomenon. YouTube was founded in 2005 and is now the most popular online video community on the web. You can watch and share millions of videos. You can also create a Blog on YouTube as well. People can watch your videos and leave you feedback. I have embedded a video below to show you an example of how you could ustilise YouTube in a classroom. You would not use on its own, it is only a tool to assist with other activities.





This is an example of how you can accommodate a child with special needs as well as teaching the same concept to the rest of the learner's.






References

DavidOsaka. (2009, February 16). ABC'S and 123's [Video File]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkRdMQTkLa0&feature=player_embedded

My Wee Hands. (2007, September 18). Wee hands - The Alphabet Song [Video File]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYeqrDLHUc&feature=player_embedded

Google Earth

Google Earth lets you view all over the world. You can even view destinations in 3D. Use autotilt. You can GEO-TAG photos onto google earth to track where you were at the time of that photo. If you look up Bundaberg on Google Earth, you will find their is information on Wikipedia relating to Bundaberg.

Google Earth will be an excellent tool to have in the classroom because if we are doing a project on Egypt and The Pyramids, we can do a Virtual Tour with a few clicks of the mouse, the detail is extraordinary. You can look up ShipWrecks, Fish Tracking so many cool gadgets you can play with, I lost hrs on this program. I went to view my old home as a kid and it is still there. The beauty of this is that its:-

1.It’s free
2.You get real satellite imaging
3.You can travel anywhere in the world
4.You can take virtual tours of famous places
5.It’s easy to install
6.It’s easy to use
7.You can take still shots and send pictures
8.You can save places you have used before

Google Earth allows you to plot travel routes, complete homework and school assignments, learn or teach geography, visit your hometown/nostalgia or just explore the world at leisure.

With Google Earth, you literally have the whole world in your hands. Get your free download of Google Earth today and find out how to make it work for you. Watch the link:-




References


Photo courtesy of Google Earth™ mapping service/Digital Globe 2007 copyright (Retrieved May 8, 2010) from
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/google-earth-31.jpg&imgrefurl=http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/google-earth6.htm&usg=__W0JYB1MaVd-PTohZei5HD-mgdJU=&h=345&w=400&sz=79&hl=en&start=14&sig2=jLLpSakzI0Pzd55odkWDbw&itbs=1&tbnid=kHbLDuzuDj-4qM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgoogle%2Bimage%2Bof%2Begypt%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=PD7mS8ebCpfWswOdjdDRCw

Incompetech

I found this site quite difficult to understand, I did however download audio that I found very nice. Incompetech is a site that stores all kinds of music, a library of royalty free music anywhere from pop to classical.

This site can be useful in a classroom setting, to be able to download audio for projects and assessments or demonstrations. To add audio to PPT to draw attention to it. I used this site to download audio I feel is calm, soothing and relaxing to play whilst teaching my learner's yoga and meditation. It would work with inside play such as puzzles and reading time.

I have attached the audio below but I had to attach it using Movie Maker. I am unsure as to how to attach a MP3 file to play back.

http://incompetech.com/

Mahara

Well I think this can be a useful program over time as it becomes your professional portfolio, it stores all your information for any future employer. This is what I learn't and we call this Life-Long learning. This program works together with Moodle.

With Mahara, the users can share all their views or they may only want to share some of their views, it is totally up to the user. They can share different views with different groups formed. This is a great little tool, especially when working on different topics and groups. Mahara is a great example for Relate, Create, Donate. (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

Below is a short clip to help explain Mahara for first time users:-



This video clip is a more detailed version which I also found very helpful:-



References

Moodleman2. (2008, May 6). Moodle and mahara [Video file]. Retrieved May5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3I5xj6k5s&feature=player_embedded

SolentLTU. (2009, November 26). Mahara e-portfolios [Video file]. Retrieved May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y32NoAgN9Ik&feature=player_embedded

RSS Feeds - "Really Simple Syndication"

RSS is another useful tool to help you keep track of all the items you have read, all the sites you have visited, all the Blogs you wish to track. To Keep track of Blogs all you have to do is subscribe to them. I myself use a program called Stumble, I find this works for me, I also use Google Reader. I have found this saves me so much time looking for new posts on Blogs and current information on the websites I like to visit.

Once you login to your RSS, you need to subscribe to each website you like, each Blog you want to monitor.

Teacher's could use this tool to keep track of their learner's progress when they are completing projects/homework. Their family and friends can also do this. I am currently tracking my friend's blog, she is currently travelling around the world and blogs to her blog regularly. I get to see where she has been upto, where she has been. I get to see all her updated photos, it is so handy.

Below is a YouTube clip explaining What is RSS?






Reference

Lockergnome.(2007, May 29). RSS explained [Video file]. Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8G5dFddz8c&feature=player_embedded

Wiki - Wikispaces

I have to admit I must have had my head in the sand before beginning this subject. I had heard of Wikipedia before but never really understood how it worked and never utilised it. I did not understand the theory behind it all, but now I can understand it so much better. Anyone can begin a Wiki, it is very easy to create and edit. There are many free Wiki sites available online, I am a user of Wikispaces, but I am sure they are pretty much similiar to each other.

I feel we as the 21st century teachers really need to grasp all the ICT available for us with both hands. As (Prensky, 2001) says "Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach". This is so very true and I feel ICT is the key. This education system is very outdated, it has not changed for years now, it is the same since I went to school, the only real difference I see is they have Computer lessons every week. These learner's need to be challenged, they are becoming bored with the same mundane tasks offered at school. Just imagine for one second what it would have been like for us if we were taught like they were back in the 1940's for instance. It is up to us to get tech savvy, we need to be on the same page as our learner's. We want to have engaged learner's, learner's that are motivated and keen to learn, to accomplish this we need to take Marc Prensky's advice. "Engage Me or Enrage Me" (Prensky,2001) Marc Prensky also made a very valid point. "Student's certainly don't have short attention spans for their games, movies, music or Internet surfing". (Prensky, 2001)

Our learner's can create their own Wiki for a class project and they can edit, upload photos, diagrams and maps to this site. This tool is so amazing because it teachers our learner's to collaberate with each other. We not only share with our class, we can share with a friends and family and to the whole world and get constructive feedback.

I really think Wiki's are going to be such a useful and effective tool for when I begin teaching. I will be trying to get the learner's to use this tool quite abit. This idea will be such a great way to assist children witht their homework, and assist learner's who are away on a holiday or can not able to attend due to illness. This gives these learner's the opportunity to catch up on lessons lost. The teacher can leave instructions, links to websites she would like learners to focus on, attach Avatars etc. Wiki's are also a wonderful tool for learner's that live in remote areas to be able to access current lessons. For learner's that have individual needs that need to be focused on. The sky is the limit with this tool, truly amazing.

I have a sample of my Wiki, there is not alot on here as I have not had alot of time. Enjoy

http://mywikijourney.wikispaces.com/Assessment+3

When reading through our information on Moodle I came across the following clip from YouTube. The clip is about a Korean Internation School creating a Wiki for their project. I found this very interesting and I gained alot of knowledge from it, its definately worth viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmkqcp11pHM&feature=player_embedded

When I am beginning to feel very comforting with using Wikispaces and have much more time, my goal is to create a Wiki called The Holocaust. This is a subject that is very close to my heart. I have read many many novels and textbooks relating to this subject, watched many movies and documentaries. I would like to put all this information I have slowly gathered into one area. I can scan the books that I have read, the videos I have watched, upload the images I have and also attach the images through Google Earth to locate the camps exact position. I have also planned where I want to travel to so I can locate the Motels, Museums and so on. I can't wait.


Reference

mysterbee06. (2007, October 19). 21st century learning [Video file]. Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmkqcp11pHM&feature=player_embedded

Picasa, Flickr and Picnik

This is a collage of the same photo which I edited, the top one is the original and the bottom one has been edited in black and white. I have also added a boarder. All done using Picasa.

This is a photo of myself. I had fun using Picnik, as you can see I put a crown on and a tattoo on my arm. Very user friendly program, but very fun and addictive. Wasted so much time on this site....

This is a collage I have created using Picasa. I chose what photos I wanted, what kinds of collage format and then got Picasa to create it. I love this design, and I use these collages every week. I take photos of my after school care children doing an activity then I print a collage to put on the noticeboard to show parents what their children have been doing. I include these photos in their Powerpoint presentation they are given at the end of the year.

Picasa, Flickr and Picnik

Picasa, Flickr and Picnik are online programs that you can utilise to upload and store your photos to, you can edit, crop, adjust colour and contrast and you can purchase photos online as well, all from the comfort of your own home. Amazing really. I personally use the Big W Online Photoshop to print my photos and create gifts such as Albums and Keyrings. I also use Picasa for my editing program, only because I have always used it, it does what I need it to do, although the other programs on offer I'm sure are good programs also and have more features.

Programs such as these can be very effective in the classroom. If a child has show and tell, instead of bringing in expensive objects, they could photograph their show and tell and show the other children via Flickr or Picnik. In a classroom environment we could upload any excursion photos, performance, videos and so on for parent's to see and get copies of, as long as all parent's consented and we set the account up as private viewing and not public. Children can show us their family holiday snaps without risking bringing them in and getting them damaged. There are so many opportunities to use this technology.

I have a few photos I have edited to show you what the software is capable of:

This is one of my holiday snaps in Thailand. I have once again used Picasa as my editing program because this is where my private photos are stored.

This is the same photo. I edited using the Soft Focus filter in the Picasa program.

I have embedded a video of my friend who I travelled overseas with, I have her permission to use this video. I published this via Flickr:-



I hope I have demonstrated the uses of all these programs and their abilities to be able to be used effectively in a classroom setting. They can be used in many ways and can be used as wonderful tools within a classroom environment. The learner's can take photos and videos for projects. They can then insert these into their Blog, Wiki or a create a Powerpoint presentation. Everything is student orientated, student's can work together in small group, collaberating together.

References



Helen's Terror (n.d). Retrieved May, 8 2010, from
http://www.flickr.com/photo_embed.gne?id=4530463443

Powerpoint Presentations

Powerpoint presentations are a way of life for most people, powerpoint presentations are used throughout so many industries. I myself having been learning and getting trained using this teaching method for many years now. I do QCAN Workshops on a regular basis and they use this teaching technique, First Aid training, Lectures and thats just to name a few. Powerpoint is a very easy program to learn, very easy for children to operate. My child has been using Powerpoint at school for quite a number of years now and she is now in Grade 7 and very competent with the program. I have used Powerpoint to create an E-Book called "Fun at After School Care". I wrote the sample book. I used my own voice to narrate the story. I also used sound effects throughout the presentation to keep the children engaged and excited to listen. This is a great idea for the children as they can create their own story, each child could write and illustrate a page each, the children could read their page and use their voice to narrate their part of the story, but we would need to get Media consents from parents. I have managed to put this onto my Blog using Slideshare, but haven't been successful with the audio that's attached to it I am sorry. I have also used Powerpoint to create activities for the children. Some activities are:- > My Number Story > How many animals can you see? > The Letter Q Powerpoint is such an effective tool to help create education more fun and helps to get the children involved in their learning. Instead of sitting with paper and a pencil, we can create a much more workable and exciting environment to keep these children engaged and interacting.

My first E-Book

View more presentations from guestae21569e.

I use Powerpoint at my service to store photos, music and activities for the learners and at the end of the year I put them onto a CD for their parent's as a keep sake.

My first Voki

Well this is an experience and a half, I really felt this Avatar technology was so advanced and out of this world, but I realise that no, I am a little slow on the uptake for these kind of things, and once I research about ICT I realised how much better off our next generation will be. So many ways to learn now. The Avatars at the beginning of each Week for E-Learning has really helped me, I could either read the text and listen to the Avatar depending how I felt like learning on the day. This gives students an option to accommodate their own Learning Style.

I found it really exciting and fun to make. I feel that the students would get a buzz out of creating their own Avatar and using them as part of an assessment. Children are so much more tech savvy, therefore this will help engage our student's and help them learn more effectively. If you think about it, our learner's have been using this technology for awhile now, majority of their video games incorporate Avatars, the Avatar characters instruct the player what the game is about, the aim of the game and so on.

Check out this Video Clip of Brothers in Arms game, it is an awesome example of what our children are dealing with on a regular basis, this is why they are so advanced with technology:-



When I complete my Bachelor Degree I am going to collaberate with my learner's to accommodate for their needs, their interests and try and engage them in a task as best I can. I think creating short games using Avatars and Wiki's are a great way to engage our learner's. We could teach them about any topic. Begin with an Avatar that says. "Welcome fellow student's, this is now the beginning of your mission, your mission is to find as much information regarding The Titanic as you can". I would like each student to collaberate with their class peers via Skype, Blog's and Wiki's. I have created a Wiki called The Titanic Project for Grade 6, and I would like each person to upload information, photos, diagrams, maps anything you think relates to the topic. Make sure its accurate and relevant. We have 2 weeks to prepare this, you will each be marked on your Individual learning and also how you contributed as a group member. I wish you luck with this mission. Can you also set up a blog account to write your learning reflections please. Just to let you all know, I have a log counter to see who logged in and contributed to this project, and the more you contribute, the higher the level you get up to in the game. Whoever gains the most points wins!!! Good Luck my fellow student's.

We as future teacher's could use Avatar's on a regular basis, we could use Avatar's to help student's with a lesson, if the teacher explains what the task is and a student forgets, he/she could play the Avatar that has already been created to listen to the instructions again, this saves the teacher and student so much time. Avatar's can also be used for giving Homework Instructions. There would be so many advantages to this technology, the skies the limit.

If this is just one way to get my children to engage in a task well I better get researching. You can create your own Voki also known as Avatars for free using Voki.com. You can use your own voice, you can type in what you would like your Voki to say and then choose the voice you would like it to play in. You can choose different characters, from animals, to people and dress them up, change their hairstyles, lips, it so much fun. Then all you do is upload your Voki to your blog, website or any social network you wish (VOKI, 2007-2008) the link is as follows, click the box below, have fun fellow students:-







I have attached a video from YouTube. This learner customised her own Avatar and told a story with it. Learner's are already using this technology.

Personality/Jung Typology Test

Hi everyone,

I have completed the Humanmetrics (Jung Typology Test)

My type is ISFP

Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving
11% 75% 38% 11%

I am:

> slightly expressed introvert
> distinctively expressed sensing personality
> moderately expressed feeling personality
> slighty expressed perceiving personality

My suggested careers are as follows:-
I only put down the ones that I think refer to me, a little eerie seeing I am studying BLM Early Childhood.

> Child Care Management
> Early Childhood



Regards
Amanda


Reference

Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test. Retrieved March 23, 2010 from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jungtype.htm

My understanding of Active Learning

Hi everyone,

I have read up on the Active Learning, went through Dale's Cone and The Learning Pyramid and did my Learning experience.

I have sat down and quickly worked out what studies I have done and have made the list as follows:-

1. Completed Diploma in Children's Services 8
2. Attended ADHD Workshop 9
3. First Aid Course 9
4. Anaphylaxis Course 9
5. Workplace Health & Safety Course 8
6. Food & Hygiene Course 9
7. Professional Development in Child Protection 8

Total Points 60/7 8.571

I think I gained alot of knowledge and confidence from all my courses that I have completed.
I came away from each of them with information that I did not possess prior. I can still recall alot of the information I obtained from these courses and have used the certificates and diplomas for my occupation. I feel I was an engaged student because I was interested in what was being taught, I enjoyed the activities. We often worked in groups, collaberating with each other and sharing many ideas. I can transfer knowledge that I obtained through this study so I must have learn't from this.

I completed my diploma through the RPL method as I have been a Coordinator for the last 5 1/2yrs. I have gained alot of knowledge from this position, especially with Accreditation.

Well hope everyone is enjoying this course, I am really starting to get interested in it week by week. I am learning alot of things about myself which I never knew before.

Kind Regards
Amanda

Setting up Google Accounts

Today was very interesting, I have established my own Google account, Yahoo account and I am now using Blogger.



It is all getting abit exciting now.

Internet access

I have just been reading about Web access and so on.

I myself work in a school environment and find it frustrating at times when I go to look up a site and it has been blocked by our school filter software. Our filter seems to block us from visiting so many useful sites which makes it very limiting majority of the time. I would like to see staff members being able to control the access of these sites. I feel we have the right to check a site, if it is okay, unblock the site from the filter and the same goes if we see a site that the filter has missed, we should be able to block this site. As stated by Scot Aldred the school system block a large proportion of websites regardless of their content. (Aldred, 2009). You can also read Scot's Blog as follows:-

http://e-learning-engagement.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html

Our children need to be protected from predators and images and things on the Internet. I myself is a mother of 2 and I am pedantic about the Internet at home. I feel if our schools can educate our children better and run Safety Awareness programs about Cyber Bullying, Stranger Danger, putting personal information up about themselves. I think its a huge step in the right direction, to prevent your children from Cyber danger.

Regards Amanda

I also watched this video about Cyber Danger and found it great, unsure if it would work in Australia, but such a great program. Video is below:-



Reference

Protectkidstoday. (2010, Feb 4). New Software Protects Kids From Bullying, Sexting, Texting & Driving, Suicide, & Other Dangers [Video file]. Retrieved May 8, 2010 from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzc6HsY63dA

Digital Natives v's Digital Immigrants

Wow, I didn't think I would enjoy reading this article but it has taught me such alot.

Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. (Prensky, 2001). This statement is very true, our system is very outdated and not getting through to our students. We need to change the design of teaching and make it engaging. We need to compete with their Ipods, Video Games, Computers and things.
What really amazed me was our children spend over 10,000 hrs playing video games and over 20,000 hrs watching TV and less then 5000 hrs reading. These numbers are phenominal. When I was growing up I would have spent 30,000 hrs outdoors playing, creating, imagining and 5,000 watching TV. I was never a reader but I think if it was made into something fun I would have loved it because I love it as an adult. I now realise why our children are being influenced by TV and VIDEO games."

I am a digital immigrant but accept I need to grow with the times. I feel my life would be much easier if I can engage my students, motivate and praise them. I would like my younger students to think of me as a little cool, up with all this new technology so they could talk to me about what they have downloaded, played, listened to and so on. I would hope they think I am funny and that they love my class because I am making learning fun for them, but at the same time learning, and they are contributing to what they want to learn.

Majority of my teachers were digital immigrants who did not like change and wouldn't change. As they often said "It's been working for me for the last 20 years and it didn't hurt me growing up, so sit down, shut up and listen" Children were mean't to be seen and not heard. You did not talk unless spoken to. My teacher told me that I would never accumulate to anything, "You'll be a dole blugger all your life so get used to waiting in queues". Well thanks very much because I am a better person for it, I know the sort of teacher I do not want to become.

I hope everyone else had much better educational experiences then I did.

I have found a couple of YouTube videos I thought you maybe interested in, they are regarding 21st Century Pedagogies. Take a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l72UFXqa8ZU&feature=related

I really enjoyed the following video, I found it very true.

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

Indigenous Perspectives

I also believe we need to bridge the gap, I feel this won't happen until our government are more willing to step up to the plate, they need assistance in so many areas such as schooling, health, job opportunities, the list goes on. Lets face it, it has been spoken about since I was a young child, and over twenty years later nothing has happened.
Once I am a teacher, I will be incorporating alot of culture into the classroom, not just the indigenous culture but Chinese, Korean etc, we have so many students that have moved to Australia from many countries and still have families overseas.
I have found a couple of websites I thought may be helpful in our classrooms one day. Teach our children about the Dreamtime and their culture.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Stories-of-the-Dreaming
http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/reference/general/indigenous/indigenousaustralia.html

Hope this helps guys.
Cheers
Amanda"

Memletic Learning Graph

MEMLETIC LEARNING STYLE GRAPH

http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/results.asp

Learning with Technology Quiz

I have just completed the engaged Learning Quiz, it is quite amazing. Really enjoyed this Quiz, here are my results:-

Learning With Technology Profile Tool Results

Name: Amanda H
Date: March 23,

Indicators of Engaged Learning	Vision of Learning
	Tasks
	Assessment
	Instructional Model
	Learning Context
	Grouping
	Teacher Roles
	Student Roles
Indicators of High-Performance Technology	Access
	Operability
	Organization
	Engagability
	Ease of Use
	Functionality

Mazlow's Hierachy of Needs

I feel it is very important for student's to feel equal,

respected, welcome, comfortable. I feel it important for me as a Teacher to have a good relationship with the students and know their interests.

When student's enrol in my service, my process is to show them around the school and we come back and sit on the carpet area and get introduced to our new found friends, and play a name game, where each one says "My name is _____" and so on in a circle.

I allocate an older child or someone they may already know to be their buddy for the first week till they feel confident enough to mingle on their own. I then put them into a small group where we will do an activity to settle them in. Parents and students are given a questionaire to fill in for me to give me a little bit of background information. The child's questionaire is called "ALL ABOUT ME" and it contains things such as What's my favourite food? What's my favourite sport? What am I scared of? How many people are in my family? This information then goes into their portfolios and I can design a program based on their interests. It gives me something to scaffold off.

Regards

Amanda

Figure 1. Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. (From Maslow, A. (1970}. Motivation and personaIity (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row; reprinted by permission of Harper Collins Publishers.)

Emotional Intelligence Test

Hi everyone, Just completed the Emotional Intelligence quiz. Don't know if I did too well but the results are below:- Test your emotional intelligence (EQ) You scored 70% correct! Remember you responses need to have been as honest as possible. If you feel that your score does not reflect you, please retake the test and answer each question in the way that best represents the way you typically feel.

Your score indicates that you have an average EQ.

People who typically score in this range are usually able to recognise and understand their feelings and to express them in an appropriate manner. They are fairly comfortable with who they are. In most circumstances they are not afraid to show love, empathy and compassion for other people. In general, they are comfortable with intimacy, and giving of themselves to other people. They are pretty good communicators. They are fairly in tune with themselves and those around them. They generally know how to say the right thing at the right moment. They are good friends and partners. They are normally able to show anger in appropriate ways. More often than not, they are able to stand up for themselves when necessary, but also are not afraid to cry if they are hurt. They are able to admit when they are wrong and take steps to correct their mistakes. They are rarely unable to say they are sorry. They are generally happy, well-rounded people. They accept challenges. They can stay motivated and focused in the face of setbacks. They are able to set goals for themselves and often achieve them. They are positive and optimistic about themselves, others around them, and their future. However, just because people with an average EQ have a pretty good grasp on their emotions they still have plenty of room for emotional growth. They can continue to be introspective. They can continue to communicate with the people around them and continue to work on their goals. They can utilise what they have and continue to identify areas within themselves that need work. Remember that a person's emotional intelligence never stops growing. Because we are always evolving as people, EQ is something that must be nurtured. If it isn�t cultivated, emotional intelligence will disappear. We wish you the best of luck with your future Regards Amanda

My thoughts on Engagement Theory

Hi Everyone,

After I finished reading the Engagement Theory, I did find it all very relevant and a useful article.

I have a new understanding of where I can improve and how I can impliment these changes.

As (Prensky, 2001) states, engagement theory is based upon the idea of creating successful collaborative teams that work on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom. These three components are Relate-Create-Donate.

Many of us are already involved in Technology on a daily basis, I know most of our young children already know how to use a computer, most day care centres use computers to do small tasks, prep students have computer lessons. Most children own a Nintendo DS game or an Ipod Touch, or a phone.

I run an After School Care Service and we often have cooking activities, as a class discussion we ask everyone what they like and dislike and come to an agreement of what to cook for instance (Relate) We organise all the ingredients needed and cook the following day (Create) The children then eat there cooking the next day for their afternoon tea. (Donate)

We do many other tasks similar to this but this is our most successful.

When I have a class I would like to use this method. Split the class into approx 6 groups, each group choose their own topic to do an oral presentation on. (Relate) They have to collaborate with each other and choose a topic or something they all enjoy. (Create)They then begin to begin the project. As a group they can each have a role to do. Once they have work together effectively they then donate (deliver) this through oral presentations. There are many ways to utilise this method of Prensky's.

Explain my temperament

http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/user.aspx

I have looked through this site and came across the Keirsey Online Quiz, I completed this and received my temperament which is GUARDIAN.

I skimmed through this reading about the Guardian Temperaments and I am glad I fall into this basket to be honest, it really does sound so much like my personality. I am loyal, have lifelong friends, I am a responsible parent, very hard working etc etc, quite eerie really.

Some of the core characteristics of the Guardian Temperaments are:-

1. Guardians pride themselves on being dependable, helpful, and hard-working.



2. Guardians make loyal mates, responsible parents, and stabilizing leaders.



3. Guardians tend to be dutiful, cautious, humble, and focused on credentials and traditions.



4. Guardians are concerned citizens who trust authority, join groups, seek security, prize gratitude, and dream of meting out justice.

In our society there is approx 40-45 % of the population that have a Guardian Temperament. I feel this percentage is quite a good reassurance, as the Guardians are a huge asset to have in our society, they are hardworking, loyal, dependable and can effectively manage a number of businesses or institutions with the skills and credentials needed.

Guardians work well in a group environment, but they do expect each team member to be doing their fair share.

Guardians are normally quite serious people but what I can gather is they are very professional and keep their private life private and their work very professional. Guardians enjoy being around their friends and often really enjoy themselves. Guardians are very caring, they genuinely do care about their peers around them.

Multiple Intelligence

I have now completed the Multiple Intelligence Quiz. These quizes are so very interesting, quite amazing really, my strengths are Kinesthmetic (Body Smart), Interpersonal (People Smart) and Linguistic (Word Smart) and my weakest area by far is Naturalistic (Nature Smart). I feel this is accurate. I would have picked these if I had to choose what I thought I was. Very clever. I have listed my top three below:-

Kinaesthetic - Body Smart You may be body smart. You will enjoy sports and are good at swimming, athletics, gymnastics and other sports. This is sometimes called being Kinaesthetic smart. Linguistic - Word Smart You may be word smart. You will enjoy reading, writing and talking about things. This is sometimes called being Linguistic smart. Intrapersonal - Myself Smart You may be myself smart. You will know about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. You will probably keep a diary. This is sometimes called being Intrapersonal smart.

My Learning Style Questionaire

I have completed our Online Questionaire for Learning Styles and my results are as follows:- Learning Styles Results

Results for: AMANDA H ACT X REF 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> SEN X INT 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> VIS X VRB 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> SEQ X GLO 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- -->

If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of that scale. If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment which favors that dimension. If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference. As you can see I am fairly well balanced throughout except for the Sen. This is obviously what I favour, and what I need to work on to become a more balanced to learning manager.

Learning Styles

I have been researching the Learning Styles online and came across this quiz. I completed it online and it gives you an idea of the style of learning you prefer, this quiz helps you learn what your own individuals needs are. I found this invaluable as I can use the styles that best suit me to help me become a more effective learning manager. The quiz results are below:-

My Results

These are the results of your inventory. The scores are out of 20 for each style. A score of 20 indicates you use that style often.

Style Scores

Visual	10
Social	17
Physical	9
Aural	11
Verbal	4
Solitary	9
Logical	4

The meaning of the different learning styles are as shown:-

Visual (spatial) You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.

Aural (auditory-musical) You prefer using sound and music

Verbal (linguistic) You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.

Physical (kinaesthetic) You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.

Logical (mathematical) You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.

Social (interpersonal) You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.

Solitary (intrapersonal) You prefer to work alone and use self-study