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"