REFERENCES

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Alred,S. (2009). Delivery technologies forum. Retrieved on 11 August from, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=4032

Answer.com. (2009). Enter a question or a phrase. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from http://www.answers.com/

Australian Universities Teaching Committee (AUTC). (2003). Learning design. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

BDigital Web Solutions. (2001). Go Karts the need for speed. Retrieved on 14 August, from http://www.limassolcity.com/go-karts/

ClassMarker. (2009). Free quiz maker for online testing. Retrieved August 17, 2009 from http://www.classmarker.com/

Commonwealth of Australia. (2008). Designing and implanting e-learning. Retrieved on August 2, from http://designing.flexiblelearning.net.au/gallery/index.htm

Dixon, K. (2007). What is the Difference Between a Blog and a Wiki? Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from http://mplictechtrain.blogspot.com/2007/04/what-is-difference-between-blog-and.htm

flickr. (n.d)What is Flickr? Retrieved on August 13, 2009 from http://www.flickr.com/tour/

Ginger Champagne Varnado Elementary School (n.d). What is higher order thinking? Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from http://www.ves.wpsb.org/focus/higherorderthinking.html

Google. (2009). Google Earth. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://earth.google.com/

Green, R. (2009). A growing classroom dilemma: how an LMS can help. Retrieved on 11, August from http://www.articlesbase.com/online-education-articles/a-growing-classroom-dilemma-how-an-lms-can-help-995241.html

Incompetech. (n.d.). Music FAQ. Retrieved on August 18, 2009 from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/faq.html

ISIF. (2009). Differences between wikis and blogs. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from http://www.isif.asia/wikihelp/en.lproj/wiki/Understanding_wiki_vs_blog/ Jake. (2007). Using Flickr in the classroom Retrieved oh August 13, 2009 from http://www.jakesonline.org/flickrinclassroom.pdf

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learnhub. (2008-2009). Flickr in the K-12 classroom. Retrieved on 13 August, from http://twt.learnhub.com/lesson/1517-flickr-in-the-k-12-classroom

Lightbody, K. (2007). Digital video in education. Retrieved on August 14, 2009 from http://www.zardec.net.au/keith/digvideo.htm

MediaFire. (2006-2009). MediaFire what is MediaFire? Retrieved on August 15, 2009 from http://www.mediafire.com/about.php

Mediarama (n.d) Basic online photo editing. Retrieved on August 16, 2009 from http://mediarama.com.au/very-useful-stuff-just-for-you/151.html?task=view

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Prensky, .(2005). Engage me or Enrage me - what todays learners demand. Retrieved July 7, 2009, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf Slideshare. (2009). Slideshare. Retrieved August 10, 2009 from http://www.slideshare.net/

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Worthington, T. (2008). Blended learning: using a learning management system live in the classroom. Retrieved on 11, August 2009 from http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/blended_learning/

REFLECTIVE SYNOPSIS

I have learned from this assessment that utilising technology into the students learning environment is crucial if LM desires to engage students and have effective teaching in digital age we now live in, as Pernsky (2005), states “They spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. Today average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10, 000 hours playing video games”. Hence we LM’s need to speak to this digital age students in their terminology, via utilising the technology they are surrounded by, if we as LM’s want to engage students and in return obtain an effective learning environment.

I have also learned from this assessment how to utilise the technology digital native students are surrounded by via experimentation and reading. Several of these forms of ICTs I did know existed or know they could exist in a students learning environment. I now know how to engage “the” student at the back row and alike with the headphones instead of enrage. In addition I have also learned how higher-order and creative thinking and other frameworks can be achieved though out the above technologies in the learning environment.

Unfortunately with this kind of technology comes disadvantage: netiquette, internet safely and access and equity and maybe a breech of trust from student, if a Walled Garden approach is not on. However saying this I do not think the Walled Garden approach is the right technique to apply to the ICTs as several of the technologies can not be access. My approach would be outlining the rules, in guidance with NetAlert and the consequences if rules are broken. My approach in the learning environment is receipt others as you would like to be receipted and mainly a joint construction environment (student and LM construct the development of the unit/day/less in cooperation). Access and equity is not only the Indigenous community, disability students and low-socio economic families, it also inclues cultural or own belief. Persenky (2005) describes two people digital natives and digital immigrants, there are several digital immigrants that have beliefs or views that children should not be in front of a computer, and they should be outside playing. Because we are living in a society that is becoming obese, this becoming the norm of digital immigrants the belief or view: we need our children/students outside not statured in technology. Being a digital immigrant, myself, this view before completing this assessment was similar. However learning that we not going to engage or have an effective learning environment, as LMs, if we do not include technology into students learning environment, I think we, LMs, need to have an element of the two for example music with movement, blogs and wiki with sports, or Goggle Earth with sports for example Running from Mackay to Brisbane, students could run around the oval each morning, then calculate their distant then ran, join all the students distant together and map it out on Goggle Earth, Day1: Mackay to Sarina Day 2: Sarina to Rocky etc . Access of these technologies in the learning environment is a vast disadvantage as many schools are not equipped with them, which is quite disappointing after learning how effective and engaging they are. However I will be out there convincing society we need them in our learning environment to seize the benefits for students.

I have enjoyed this blog and the features that it contains, countless times I have found myself changing my page, font and colour etc, however I think the disadvantage of this tool is keeping track of your comments oh fellow peers blogs, because I found it difficult to keep track of where I posted. Once I had posted a couple and had gone away from the blog I would forget where I had posted by comment. Which for me took away the learning value, because I had posted questions but did not know which fellow peers I have posted to, additionally I would of like to have followed the post. Knowing this now I would make sure I let students know this, thus they could keep track of their fellow peers in the learning environment. The forum was fantastic on Moodle if I had a query, I would go there and most times my query would have been answered by other fellow peers, and thanks to Scot they were answered quickly and effectively. I would like to apply the two together in my learning environment, blog and LMS or wiki and LMS or just LMS with the daily/weekly/monthly and/or subject desire.

Good bye for now, you can fine me in the schools utilising these technology. I will be applying/trying to implant all these technology one stage or another in my learning environment when teaching: especially Google Earth, music on the web and Interactive Whiteboard, because I will be teaching lower levels. I well also being using this technology in my day-to-day life.

OTHER ICT

There are many other ICT that can be utilise in the learning environment here are some:

• Reading online: students can visit their faviourte authors Paul Jennings -http://www.pauljennings.com.au/, one of my favourite when I was younger Judy Blume - http://www.judyblume.com/ and favourite when I was younger among other people Roald Dahl - http://www.roalddahl.com/Darr. From these site students can sometimes obtain a sample of the new books authors are writing; information and details about author and books; and/or students can read and listen to story online. This tool is great for digital narrative and visual and audio students.
• Video games – PC, Xbox 360, Will, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS etc. Yes I did say the last couple, I watch a very informative presentation the other day on how they can be utilise and the benefits (high-order and creative thinking) in the learning environment: problem-solving; collaborative and enhancing communication; accommodate multiple learning styles – visual, verbal, reflective; open tasks; and give students “fee’ time during the day to be creative. The presentation mention a school that utilise video games into their learning environment not sure which one but I come across another one Beaconsfied Upper Primary School - link if you would like to have a look: http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/files/documents/1461_iteach-Mar08--final.pdf
• Students making their own games, I know this sounds complex, maybe because we are digital natives, however I think digital immigrants would be able to perform this task
• Mobile phones – yes they can be used for learning, several of the technology listed above can be ultilise such as blogs, wikis, PowerPoint presentation, WIKIpedia, quizzes and others. Other ways: checking their spelling; I like this one by Sean Web Design (n.d), “mail questions to the teacher that they might be embarrassed to ask”, document class by digital camera/video, homework and many more.

VOICE THREAD

Voice Threads are online slide shows of images, document or videos that enable viewers to comment on any slide (Weir, n.d.). It is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments: voice with a microphone or telephone, text, audio file, or video via a webcam (Voice Thread 2007-2009). Another alternative with Voice Tread is the comments can be embedded to show and to show and receive comments on other Web sites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies (Voice Thread).

Voice Thread could be employed in the learning environment via students comment on the images that relate to classroom studies for example volcanoes, frogs, trees and plants. Ferriter (cited Weir, n.d.), “In a classroom conversation, there’s generally one stand of conversation going at any one time, and if you’re bored by that particular strand, you’re completely disengaged.” The advantage of Voice Tread is that multiple conversations are going on at once. He claims “If I asked them, ‘Take out a piece of paper and do some writing about your thoughts on the Sudan, or injustice,’ I probably wouldn’t get much.” While a thread is active, Ferriter brings up one of the posted comments on Voice Tread and asks the student to consider it and evaluate the comment.

Higher order and creative thinking are foster in this tool as group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world, collaborative activity, open-ended question can be asked by the LM and students, give the students more choice – which thread that want to reply and how and is an open task. This also can be foster under Oliver’s framework (cited AUCT, 2003) the students leaning tasks could be learning about frogs hence they look at the images of frog on Voice Thread and comment about them.

USING MUSIC ON THE WEB - INCOMPETECH

Using music on the Web or downloading has become a problem in society because of copyright laws. Incompetech is royalty free music library covered under the Creative Commons agreement which allows the user to download music easily and free. There many genres to choice from: from rock, to orchestral and even New age (Incompetech, n.d.). LM and students can utilise the tracks into video productions, slide shows, background music, podcasts, emailing.

Music is a powerful tool for our personal expression within our daily lives it helps set the scene for many important experiences. Music affects our feeling and or energy levels, when playing music it creates desire moods for example make us happy, enjoy movement and dance, energise, bring back powerful memories, help relax and focus. Hence music is a great classroom tool to use to set moods of the students example relax or release tension, energise learning experience, add an element of fun to the learning experience or learning environment, improve memory the list is endless. Music can also be incorporate in assessment levels for example in blogs, wikis, PowerPoint presentation, podcasts, digital video, slide shows.

FILE STORAGE - MEDIA FIRE

File storage has now come even simpler now due to update technology tool call MediaFire. Occasionally people may like to make their files publicly accessible to share in school intranet or LM System (CQUniversity, 2009). On the Internet there are easy and free options to make this a reality like MediaFire. MediaFire is the simplest free file hosting service for businesses, professionals, schools and individuals to share files and images with others (MediaFire, 2006-2009). No more clogging the inboxes or bogging down Web site or even your computer as with MediaFire people can distribute small or large files over the Internet securely and have the files accessible from any computer, anywhere or anytime or have the files accessible to hundreds or thousands of people (MediaFire). With MediaFire the features are:

• upload - upload hundreds of files or upload just one
• organise - create unlimited folders and sub folders
• share - share your files however you want to
• easy photo galleries - folders serve a double duty making photo sharing easier than ever
• security and privacy - flexible privacy options and security measures keep your important files safe
• simple and professional - upgrade to a MediaPro account for professional grade power and service

I signed up for MediaFire, I found it straightforward and easy to navigate around. MediaFire would be great for teacher and alike to share their files, also excellent tool to organise and upload files from any computer, anywhere or anytime with security and privacy offered. I have uploaded a unit on farm that LM can employ in prep class. I have also added my music files to this as well.

My link: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=943cd9c0abdf31cca0f2f20c509059d962c4e64e2995e45ac95965eaa7bc68bc

SLIDESHARE

SlideShare enables the user to upload and share PowerPoint presentation, Word documents and Adobe PDF Portfolios and publicly or privately and distribute by SlideShare, blogs, wikis and alike technologies they may also be email (SlideShare, 2009). For the LM to gain the most from SlideShare click on the “Community” link along the top navigational banner. Next, click the “groups” link. The LM will see “Education” listed or alternatively if LM has a particular topic in mind type in keyword search on the home page (Slideshare).

SlideShare like other technologies, YouTube and podcasting primarily have material inappropriate for students to visit however if LM have follow by above ideas for Internet Safely in the learning environment this should be no hassle.

SlideShare can be employed in the learning environment by the means of: as mention above SlideShares can be embedded into wikis, blogs and like technologies therefore students can upload their presentation to these sites or if students miss a class PowerPoint presentation can be sent to them via email with SlideShare. Students and LM can find PowerPoint topics they would like to use in the learning environment or post to others.

The PowerPoint presentation below is part of the degree I’m studying currently CQUniversity's BLM and for subject English, Curriculum and Pedagogy in relation to cartoons and comics in the classroom being utilise in the classroom for teaching purposes. Created by Me, Hollie Ringwood and Samantha Chant.

The link: http://www.slideshare.net/secret/d5L6LifCOuVxPs

Sorry couldn't get it to upload it said 'embedding is disabled'.