Having fun with Voki!

I'm starting to plan a SOSE unit for a Year 3/4 class working in the Political and economic systems strand. I like the idea of using a Voki to engage the students in a subject that might not be very appealing to them. Working with an animated character will add some intrigue and fun to the topic. I can see the Voki introducing each lesson and setting out the tasks to be completed - it's like having another teacher in the classroom - one that Year 3/4 students will relate to and enjoy seeing each week. Using a Voki will help with classroom climate as well as classroom tasks!

What's a wiki?

I have created an account as a wiki site developer! Here is the link to my (yet to be developed) site:

http://elearning-in-action.wikispaces.com

And I have learnt that the difference between a BLOG and a WIKI is quite simple really. A BLOG is created by an individual who maintains the ability to block or deny access or comments by others whilst a WIKI actually invites and encourages others to add content or edit the site. Both Blogs and Wikis can contain text, images, videos, links to other websites, and so on. I have to admit to having an online look at other definitions and particularly liked the explanation offered at Answers.com: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_differences_between_a_blog_and_a_wiki

Using Wiki's in a classroom would allow experts to assist with content development. For example, in a primary classroom this could involve student's developing a "Healthy eating and physical activity" Wiki and receiving input from HPE specialist teachers, personal trainers, nutritionists and other health professionals, and linking to sites such as the Australian Institute of Sport. Following on from the Engagement Theory of Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), assuming this topic has been chosen by the learners themselves, then use of a Wiki to guide the learning journey would involve the students working to construct support (Dimensions of Learning, Dimension 3) and take a position on the issue of health and physical activity as it pertains to them. Marzano and Pickering (2006, p. 160) state that student engagement is increased when students take a position on an issue they wish to support. I think a Wiki is a valuable tool for engaging students, scaffolding learning and monitoring understandings as they develop.

Week 3 Posting: Selection of Framework

After looking at both the Big 6 and Engagement Theories I am choosing to use the Engagement Theory framework to analyse the digital tools in my Blog. Whilst the Big 6 process aligns with classroom and life learning I prefer the simpler "Relate, Create, Donate" trademark of the Engagment Theory.

Kearsley and Shneiderman's Engagement Theory aims to engage today's learners by focussing on collaborative, real world projects. I have mapped the Engagement Theory for my own benefit - perhaps it will be helpful to others?



This framework supports learning activities that place a school and its students in a position to develop or be a part of community projects. For example, students could research and report on native flora and fauna located on the school site in a conservation project that results in a published brochure or website; or students could build an understanding of the history of the local area and develop a blog that can be commented on by interested community members thereby creating a valuable community development timeline.

Engaging 21st Century Learners

Week 2 Posting: The week in review

WOW! What a week...of learning! Of being brave enough to have a go - try it out, push buttons, build concept maps, follow others, read, investigate, analyse, consider, and so on...

On reflection I realise how afraid I have been to begin and then finally that beginning is all that is required. In a few short hours you can 'play' and 'fiddle' and create a blog that is really quite acceptable - given the tools and the time to experiment!

As you can see I built a couple of concept maps. I had some trouble saving them - Skyped with Juliet for a solution - (thanks, Juliet) - and here they are: a summary of Active Learning and a second map of terms, links or ideas that I found useful and interesting on the Managing eLearning site. A visual snapshot of my learning - I like this way of demonstrating what mattered most to me this week and think the bubbl.us site would be a good tool for students to demonstrate their understandings. Imagine each student completing a bubbl.us on Friday afternoon - it would certainly help the Learning Manager to identify which part of the learning for that week has been received well and the parts that may need to be revisited...

Using a blog to support learning...

Posting personal thoughts and philosophies on the web allows us to open our minds to the world and have the world respond. My early thoughts on blogging are that it has the potential to create great synergy of ideas that can assist in the construction of knowledge AND understanding.

I found a Powerpoint created by Paul Holland on the Education Queensland site - good resource for understanding how to use Weblogs in education. Through Weblogs students learn how to write for an audience, use a discussion board and/or create a collaborative resource. Weblogs support the development of research skills and collaborative effort.

Blogging also develops habits of mind by requiring critical thinking (maintain an open mind, respond appropriately to others' feelings and level of knowledge), creative thinking (push the limits of your knowledge and abilities) and self-regulated thinking (monitor your own thinking).

Second thoughts...
I have been reading and re-reading information on the learning theories (behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism) and realised how one thing leads to another and as we develop our thinking, our thinking changes and I ended up caught in a loop. So I decided that I needed to build a concept map that put all the information in one place in an organised fashion. And as I began to begin ... I thought "Perhaps this has been done before ..." and so with sincere thanks to Eric van Dusen here is what I have been thinking about...
Theories of Learning. eLearning in the classroom can sit in each one of these theories of learning. The sound of a cheer or gong when an answer is right or wrong on an interactive game (behaviourist), the development of a concept map to show the organisation and/or pattern of information (cognitivist) and the use of a blog to demonstrate knowledge and that allows others to collaborate and consolidate learning (constructivist). And beyond this, connectivism where learning is placed beyond the classroom (consider linking your classroom to another in Africa, Europe, America via Skype).