Peer Rubric Feedback

The feedback I received was both positive and helpful. Both Cameron Dodds and James Blundell gave me things to improve on as well as complemented things I had already accomplished.

Cameron started out by acknowledging that I had created entries that were well thought out and reflective.

He then mentioned a major flaw in my work, the lack of referencing. This is something I have had trouble getting used to throughout the course. After the mistake had been brought to my attention I endeavored to go through my works and add references where necessary.

Another flaw Cameron pointed out was some grammatical, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure issues in my work. He stated “However, some, for example, the following sentence from the Digital Information post: “We have resources like the world wide web, social media sites such Facebook and Twitter, and even newspapers and magazines, which originally provided us with information in a non-technological format, are being published both by paper and online” could have been constructed better. There is also a word missing in the same sentence.” After reading this comment I instantly rectified the mistake. As well as this I proofread all of my other entries in order to correct any other mistakes I may have made.

One major thing Cameron brought to my attention was that my lesson plan, although interesting and engaging, was impossible for the age group selected. In the lesson they are told to use Pinterest. Cameron pointed out you have to be at least 13 to create an account. I was worried about this fact so I contacted my tutor who advised me not to change the lesson plan at this late stage.

 

James was very encouraging in his feedback. He complemented the simplicity and easy to follow nature of my entries.

He suggested although I had quite thoughtful entries, I  tried to “squeeze too much in” and that I could perhaps try to focus on one or two ideas in depth. Although I appreciated this comment, I decided to stick with my original entries as I felt it would be too hard to change them all to suit this request.

Lastly he commented on my word count. I had already known I was over the word count so I went back through my works and cut out a lot of unnecessary parts in order to meet the requirements.

Overall the feedback was very helpful.

Lesson Plan

Title: Countries of the World

Year: 6

Lesson: Geography

Topic: Countries

Resources: 

• Computers
• Internet
• Pinterest website – http://www.pinterest.com/

Steps:

1. Students will be told to get into pairs.

2. A list of countries are will be put into a hat and each pair much choose a country out of the hat.

3. Once each pair has their chosen country they must go onto the computer and create a Pinterest account.

4. Once the account is created they then must create a pin-up board.

5. Once this is done the students will have one and a half hours to search through Pinterest and the world wide web and pin to their board as many things relevant to their chosen country as possible. This can include anything relevant to their country, for example they may include photographs of their country or text giving facts about their country on their board. Half way through this one and a half hours the students will have a break for lunch.

6. Once the one hour and a half is over the pairs will then show their pin-up board to the rest of the class using a smart board. The students will take notes on the other student’s pin-up boards as they are being shown.

Outcomes: Through this lesson students will further develop their skills in using a computer and searching the web. It also allows them to gain further experience in collaborating with others. By showing each of the children’s pin-up board and having the other students take notes they are gaining a more broad understanding of countries, as they are gathering information about all the countries studied rather than just their own.

Week 8: Lifelong Learning

There are several ways in which people define the term ‘lifelong learning’. In my understanding, it is learning which takes place throughout a person’s life. It is not limited to learning that takes place in formal schooling. It includes learning that takes place after formal education as well as learning that occurs during the time you are not at school, for example on weekends. The idea of lifelong learning is being integrated into items such as syllabus documents, learning outcomes and educational policies.  It is being valued more highly and seen more often in society.

The digital age we live in highly encourages this idea as we can gather information with ease. For example, if we want to learn something we can simply look it up on the internet. We are all becoming global citizens, meaning we are not limited to our own country, we can gather resources from all over the world. This is associated with lifelong learning and encourages it. As teachers we need to understand how important this idea is and how teaching skills that encourage lifelong learning can help our students, as well as ourselves in becoming lifelong learners.

References:

Image retrieved from http://whartonmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Wharton-Folly-Finish1-652×480.jpg

 

Week 7: Digital Blurring

This week’s topic really caught my attention. We learnt about digital blurring which essentially is the technology you use in your private life influencing what you do in your learning or work life. I started to think about this and realized just how much of an impact it makes. For example, by texting I have improved my fine motor skills, making writing and typing much easier.

The second video we were asked to watch this week titled “TedTalks Video: Jane Mcgonigal – Gaming can make a better world” thoroughly intrigued me. I engaged with her theory about ‘gamers saving the world’ and thought about it in depth. In Jane Mcgonigal’s case you can assume she played games before she started to work in the gaming industry. By playing games would have gained more of an understanding of the ways in which they work. She then would have used that knowledge in her work/learning life. I see this as a good example of digital blurring.

This weeks topic intrigued me and gave me a lot to think about in terms of what technology I use in my person life and how it has influenced my studies.

The link for Jane Mcgonigal’s video is below:

 

References:

McGonigal. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

Week 6: Digital Fluency

When beginning this week’s topic ‘digital fluency’, I thought of how my generation is already seen as being digitally fluent and how most of us know how to use technologies such as mobile phones, computers and the internet. It wasn’t until I watched this week’s lecture that I realized how much is expected of people, particularly students, in today’s society in relation to being digitally fluent.

In my previous schooling I was expected to know how to use a variety of digital technologies to complete tasks and today that is increasing. Whilst watching I thought, how are teachers supposed to choose the most beneficial technological skills to teach? Those that are common and relevant seem to be the answer. Skills that are going to be beneficial throughout schooling and life are the most important to teach. For example, how to efficiently search the web. What we as teachers should ultimately aim to do is introduce children to as many technologies as possible, engaging them in the digital world, and giving them as many opportunities as we can to gain digital fluency.

We as teachers also need to be digitally fluent to effectively teach. The image below suggests some things educators may be digitally fluent in.

 

 

References:

Image retrieved from http://dps-dea-pdu.wikispaces.com/file/view/networked_tchr.jpg/114848969/350×350/networked_tchr.jpg

Week 5: Digital Information

Today, the information presented to us is often technological. We have major technological resources like the world wide web. Even newspapers which originally provided us with information in a non-technological format, are being published both on paper and online. The only issue with this is determining what is credible and what is not. One way to determine this is by reading the URL. E.g. if a website had as recognizable ending like .gov, you know it has a large organisation behind it that have a reputation to uphold. Other websites like Wikipedia are less dependable as they allow anyone to add or edit the information shown

As future teachers, we need to know how to find credible sources so we know we are supplying reliable information to our students.

There are many types of information that we can learn from. E.g. visual items, videos, web links and text. These different forms of information may help with determining teaching methods. Some children may learn better through visual information whereas others may learn better through text. As a teacher you can use the different forms of information to meet each child’s preference.

Below are examples of different websites providing information in different ways.

http://www.pinterest.com/

https://www.facebook.com/

http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/

 

References:

Howell. (2012). Teaching with ICT. VIC, AUS: Oxford University Press.

Howell. (2014). Living and Learning in the Digital World Mod 02 03 Week 6 [ilecture]. Retrieved from http://echo.ilecture.curtin.edu.au:8080/ess/echo/presentation/69320b47-1f26-4f87-ae1c-7ba4e48e0050

http://www.pinterest.com/

https://www.facebook.com/

http://www.southcoastregister.com.au/

Week 4: Digital Expectancy and its 6 Drivers.

This week we focused on Digital Expectancy and looked  at the 6 drivers of it. These being students, parents, teachers, employers, the government and the wider community. The world is becoming increasingly filled with technology. This is leading to an expectancy to be digitally fluent in all areas of life. It is known that students today expect to be taught using technology. This week’s reading showed me that digital expectancy is driven by not only students but 5 other main drivers.

Parents are becoming increasingly aware of how important it is for their children to become digitally fluent in order to function well in the world, as the world and the workforce is becoming very technology based. Employers expect their staff to know how to use technologies related to their work. The government is encouraging the use of technology in ways like changing the syllabus to accommodate for the new technologies available and the wants of the 6 drivers. Teachers want to be able to teach in an effective and engaging way, and are being pushed to change their teaching strategies to include technology. Schools are bringing in digital equipment to help accommodate for this need e.g. smart boards.

Image 1                                                                                   Image 2

References:

Image 1 sourced from http://www.ivci.com/images/2000i-rear-projection-smart-board.jpg

Image 2 sourced from http://www.parenthub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/158344141-Children-on-computers.jpg

Howell. (2012). Teaching with ICT. VIC, AUS: Oxford University Press.

Week 3: Digital Security

This week’s topic got me thinking about how digitally secure my accounts really are. It made me realize having backups, multiple passwords and even multiple email addresses is not a bad idea, and may help to prevent things such as identity theft.

The YouTube video we were asked to watch this week  “Don’t get hacked! Secure your digital identity” opened up my eyes to how easily digital identity theft can happen. As I am working towards becoming a teacher I need to know the different ways in which I can protect myself digitally, so I can be safe as well as teach my students how protect themselves digitally.

Being aware of the information you are ‘pushing out’ is extremely important as it allows you to know what information you are giving out and to whom.

Shown in the first video below is what I believe to be an excellent insight into the amount of information, posts and even photographs strangers can see if they are not properly protected.

In the second are some tips on how to become more digitally secure, which I think is important, particularly when you hope to get into a profession that makes you a well known person.

Video Link 1:

Video Link 2:

 

References:

Carrollton Police. (2008, February 11). Internet Danger – Everyone Knows Sarah . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThxmgXMBpoM

HouseholdHacker. (2013, October 1). Digital Security Life Hacks . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_97ppR1UxQ

Tekzilla. (2012, August 8). Don’t Get Hacked! Secure Your Digital Identity . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xHTJ7iSRBA