Reflection+of+the+Action+Plan


 * Reflection of the Action Plan **

After completing the Action Plan for assignment 1, I set about putting the plan into action. As I have mentioned before, I am in a supernumery role and at the time of writing the action plan I was placed in a 5/6 class for the term as their teacher was on long service leave. The class is labelled as the enrichment class as they are independent learners, hard workers and there are no problem behaviour distractions. They are a pleasure to teach. Their HSIE topic for the term was the Australian Goldrush which I thought would be perfect for integrating ICT into. I looked at the steps to success and looked at the timeline that I had created and got to work straight away on setting up the class wiki and creating usernames and passwords for the voki avatar creation tool as well as the wiki. I set up voki first as it generated its own usernames and passwords (based on their names), which I then used to create the usernames for the wiki - same user name for both, but different passwords. All of this was done well before the scheduled due dates from the action plan.

As far as experience goes with wikis I had my first involvement with one only 6 months ago as part of another subject. I was a member of that wiki which granted me permission to edit and contribute, but I was not the author and didn't know how to start one from scratch. The wiki needed to be set up as a classroom wiki (which I had never done before). I familiarised myself with the layout and experimented posting assignments and assigning groups to the tasks.

Seeing as I had done this well ahead of time I decided that I may as well start on the tasks. I made a voki and embedded it into a notebook file which explained what we were going to be doing. As soon as the voki appeared on the screen the children were eager to find out what was going on. I demonstrated to them how easy it was to create the avatar and how important it was to consider that at times the text to speech option would require phonetic spelling. Here is the voki I used to introduce the task:

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Their task was to search for 5 interesting facts about the Australian Goldrush and then present this information with the aid of a voki avatar within 2 weeks (at the end of 3 computer lab time slots) as I anticipated that finding the information would take some time. All 21 students in the class were able to successfully create their avatars and then embed them on the wiki. They certainly do not understand html coding, but they knew where to find the code and how to embed it using a widget - I was so impressed with them! Here are a couple of examples:

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One of the students used the voice recording tool (this was done at home as it was not possible to do at school) while the rest used the text to speech option. Many of the students were going home to work on the wiki and use the voki. I had parents commenting to me about how motivated their children were to finish their assigned tasks! The students had 2 weeks to complete the gold rush facts assignment - the entire class had finished and embedded (after approval from me) within 3 days! The children were engaging in conversations in the comments box, asking questions of me and the class and sending me messages if they didn't want the class to know what they were asking. I added more tasks to the wiki and they were completing them almost as quickly as I could set them. I provided links for them to find out more information and view video. I even added a task where they could use a gold calculator to calculate their worth, then using an excel spreadsheet and inserting a formula we calculated the value of the whole class and published our results on the wiki. All of us were motivated, learning, engaging, communicating and collaborating.

I was really getting into the wiki with my class - their response to these tools they were now mastering was enthusiastic. The resources we were using were successful, all students were able to access the required sites, the internet access was reliable and the computers were all working correctly. And then everything changed.

A staff member in year 2 suffered a personal loss and was going to be away for an indeterminable length of time. As we live in country NSW relief staff is very hard to find, so the decision was made by the Executive staff members of the school that as the class that I was assigned to was the "easy" class I would be moved. A 70 year old retired ex-Principal would be better placed in the 5/6 class than with the challenging year 2's.

I was devastated. So were the children.

I continued to set tasks for the students on the wiki but only some students were completing them. Engagement and participation on the wiki was waning. I caught up with a few students after a week or so and asked if they had seen their tasks and were they having trouble with it. It was at this time that I met with fierce resistance to ICT. Their current teacher was not permitting them access to the computers to complete their tasks as his teaching pedagogy did not include the use of ICT. I tried to convince him that I could still set their tasks, monitor their learning and that the computer lab time had already been booked. I tried to assure him that there was no extra pressure on him as I could do it all remotely as long as the children had access to the computers. But the answer was still no. I was a bit relieved that I had managed to complete a number of tasks from the action plan, but at the same time, was frustrated that I had started something that I could not finish.

My action plan was now an inaction plan and I had only managed to complete one third of my first learning goal. I think it would have been easier to accept the non-completion of the goal due to computer or internet failure, but for it to be blocked by an experienced teacher and former educational leader was devastating. My Principal advised that I let this one go as he really needed this relief staff member to stay on the class. So where to now?

I had no other option but to focus on my personal learning goal: learn to use web 2.0 tools to create and deliver lessons. It was suggested to me by a former colleague that I have a look at thinglink. I prepared a presentation for my 5/6 class, but unfortunately did not get the chance to use it. We are fortunate to live in Young - the site of the historic riots of Lambing Flat and the only official reading of the riot act in Australia's history. The thinglink I prepared was a multi modal presentation to include the newly released Gold Trails website.

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thinglink is really easy to use. It has the ability to link to anything on the internet and upload images and other media. I can definitely see the educational value in using this tool for creating a delivering lessons, and is very easy to embed in a widget on a wiki for a class. There is also a range of already created presentations that can be used - checking firstly that the links are working and the content is appropriate of course.

I had heard a lot about Prezi, and in one of my previous units we were not allowed to use it. Many students on the forum questioned why, so I thought I should investigate this. Now I see why - Prezi is so easy to use! It's actually too easy. I created a couple of day plans for my year 2 students so they knew what subjects we would be doing that day. They really enjoyed it. Here is my first attempt at Prezi:

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For some reason, when I was preparing the presentation aspect of this assignment, I remembered hearing about Glogster. I recall looking at it quite some time ago, but dismissing it as it seemed very "busy" and a bit difficult to manage, but only a week before this assignment was due I went back to Glogster and had a really good look around. Although I have not attempted to create or deliver a lesson for a class in Glogster, I did create one to present my @TIP and Learning Goal 2 component of this assignment. I found that adding and editing the text fields was easy and then I experimented with adding and uploading images, and adding a video. I was disappointed that voki could not be embedded into the Glog, but I found a solution. Using the on screen recording tool CamStudio I was able to record the voki while it was playing. CamStudio then saved the recording as an .avi file which was then easy to upload and position onto the Glog.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I would like to explore the instructional capabilities of Glogster further. I think it would work well in upper primary/secondary classes, but feel it may be a little overwhelming for younger students. Only by experimenting with lower classes though will determine its validity. After using Glogster I think it would serve well as a presentation tool for Professional Development sessions to engage and motivate teachers with their own learning and be a practical demonstration of how to integrate ICT.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">As someone who has worked with SMART Boards and Promethean, I have built up quite a notable bank of digital resources. I store most of them in dropbox due to their size (notebook files are generally very large files). Many of these files are for the same concepts, but due operating differences between the hardware and software I have had to reinvent the wheel on many occasions. Using web 2.0 tools to create, deliver and store lessons would mean that I could present the same lessons regardless of what hardware or software is available to me. Storing lessons online, or in the cloud, would also mean that I could access them anywhere (especially helpful if I don't have my usb or portable HDD with me).

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">During all of this I was collaborating on a wiki as a working resource with another student from this unit. Initially it was an idea presented to a group of 5 students who all work in lower primary. After much enthusiasm about the wiki, it was set up and members added. In the end only 2 of us were active contributors, but we were both learning so much and sharing so many ideas with each other. As I learned more about wikis I created another one as a resource for my colleagues (see @Learning Goal 3 - Sideline Project and SWOT Analysis for more information). This wiki When it came time to consider how I was going to present this assignment I was really torn between using PebblePad and using a wiki. Wiki won in the end as I experimented with another format - that of the basic wiki but with the functionality of a website. I reasoned that this would send me on yet another learning curve as well as fulfil the requirements of the assignment. I'm glad I chose the wiki option as I am really pleased with what I have been able to demonstrate in this ePortfolio as evidence of my learning.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">On reflection I actually managed to complete quite a lot from my action plan:
 * **<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Task from Action Plan ** || **<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Completion Date ** || **<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Completed ** ||
 * Draft an information letter outlining the learning program of children in the class. As well as a parental consent letter (in consultation with school ICT Coordinator and Principal) for access to out of school network sites. || 12 August 2013 || [[image:thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Investigate students ability to access a range of web 2.0 sites through the school network and request access if these are blocked. || 12 August 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Ensure computer lab is booked for 3 sessions each fortnight. || 12 August 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Register the class in voki classroom for voki avatar creation tool on www.voki.com || 12 August 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Establish timeline of tasks to be completed. || 16 August 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Register the class wiki and add students on class page www.wikispaces.com || 19 August 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Students to build their own website and contribute blog posts using weebly [] (if parental consent is granted). || 20 September 2013 || [[image:thumbs down.jpg width="28" height="29" align="center"]] ||
 * Embed widgets ie youtube and voki avatars into wiki and website || 20 September 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Revisit action plan on a regular basis to keep focussed. || MMMMMMMMMMMMM || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Add to action plan if tasks are completed earlier than anticipated. ||  || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs down.jpg width="28" height="29" align="center"]] ||
 * Encourage other teachers to take up learning new ICT skills for themselves and their classes. ||  || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Conduct SWOT analysis on all staff - teaching and non-teaching || 9 October 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||
 * Collate data of SWOT analysis and present to Principal and ICT Coordinator. Begin planning process for filling the gaps. || 18 October 2013 || [[image:emt501-louisehall/thumbs up.jpg width="28" height="27" align="center"]] ||

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">There is an abundance of web 2.0 tools available - and the variety is ever increasing. Signing up and registering for each tool (all those usernames and passwords!) can seem a bit overwhelming and privacy is a constant concern (especially when using names and images of children). Each decision to use these tools needs its own risk assessment and professional judgement. Experimenting with them and hearing feedback from other users is the best way to determine their practical uses in education. Using platforms like a wiki, and in collaboration with others, is a tremendous way to keep a record of their affordances and limitations and their practical applications to engage and motivate learners, as well as provide a place to refer to these resources.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Throughout this unit I have taken the opportunity to examine some web 2.0 tools that I previously could not find a reason to experiment with. I have learnt not only what ICT to integrate, but how - the web 2.0 tools list is endless, so which one should I evaluate next...?