ICT Micro Teach

 

At the beginning of this week I presented a short lesson on Psychology to the rest of the class. I chose to use SMART to put together my presentation as I found it very helpful and straight forward when putting together interactive activities.


The session I constructed was one I would endeavour to use at the beginning of a lesson as a refresher to the material taught in the previous lesson.

 

I feel that the session went relatively well and I managed to engage the whole class with the activities I put together. In future micro teaching sessions I would like to maintain the interactive elements where possible. As Psychology is very much theory based I believe it would add something extra to the delivery of any topic.

Explain Everything

Explain Everything is an iPad app that has been designed to help its users learn by allowing them to ‘record’ everything they are doing on an interactive whiteboard. For example, a student could record the audio of a lecture whilst making notes at points they feel are important.

This app has been described by Mark Fijor (2013) as a ‘must-have’ app for teachers and students. My initial judgement about Explain Everything was that it certainly did not Explain Everything. I found it difficult to navigate around its functions; however I did only have a limited amount of time to get myself familiar with the app.

I can certainly see the potential Explain Everything has to offer in the classroom. After watching some short tutorials, one of which is presented below, I can see that this app is an advancement upon PowerPoint- Explain Everything is an app that allows its users to move with the technology of today. 4



Fijor, M. (2013). Explain Everything is a must have for iPad. New School Technology, http://www.newschooltechnology.org/2013/02/explain-everything/ Accessed 20 September 2013.

Me and my applications

 

Blogger is a service that allows users to post blogs with time-stamped entries. Blogger is available online and as an app on iPhone and Android smartphones.

I have been using Blogger to document my evaluations of many different aspects of the ICT module of the PCET course, as well as my personal reflections. The site isn't without its downsides; I found it quite difficult to navigate around Blogger when I first started using it, but with some practice it does not take long to pick up. I would definitely consider using Blogger in my teaching practice in the future.

8/10

 

Google+ is said to be the second-largest social networking site in the world. Before researching Google+ for the purpose of this course, I had no idea what it was or what it does.
Google+ seems to be linked to just about everything. I find it very complex and far too difficult to get around. I have no doubt that it can be helpful when proper attention is paid to learning how to use it properly, but at the moment I will be trying to avoid Google+ as much as is possible.

3/10

 

 

 

Bubbl.us is a web 2.0 programme that enables users to create mind maps online. Completed Bubbl.us maps can be used, for example, in blogs to eliminate large amounts of text.
Bubbl.us would be a very handy tool to use when it is necessary to include the input of the whole classroom to demonstrate knowledge on a particular topic. Bubbl.us diagrams can then be saved and shared to everyone.

7/10

Facebook is the biggest online social networking site in the world. Nowadays, there are very few students who do not use Facebook for personal use. Facebook gives users the opportunity to create groups. This can be extremely useful for students to keep in touch with the whole class around exam time and assignment deadlines! Whilst perhaps not useful from the point of view of the teacher, it may be worth introducing students to this method of keeping in touch easily without necessarily sending friend requests to the whole class.

8/10

 

Twitter is another social networking site that enables users to 'tweet' within the limit of 140 characters.
Twitter gives its users an opportunity to follow anybody they like without the other person necessarily following back. I believe that Twitter can be a massively influential tool is students are able to use it correctly. Through personal following of lecturers and psychologists myself, I have seen how useful it can be; not only to receive information relating to the course being studied but also to discover things myself through popular 'hash tags'. Although special care needs to be taken when requesting students follow a teacher or lecturer, I believe it is worthwhile exploring the effectiveness of this medium of keeping in touch.

8/10

Moodle is a software programme designed for e-learning. The first time I was introduced to Moodle was at the beginning of my time at university. I believe that Moodle works very well in education as it allows for assignment submission, discussion forums, links to student email, etc. Teachers are able to upload any attachments they want their students to see as well as sending messages to a whole group easily.

9/10

 

What I knew yesterday about mobile technology..

Microsoft applications

Throughout my degree it was essential for me to use many of the applications in Microsoft Office in almost all aspects of my work. I believe I am proficient at using Microsoft Word for writing assignments, but beyond that aspect I don't tend to use that particular application on a daily basis. I have previously used Microsoft Word to build a CV, thankfully with the help of a template!

Microsoft Powerpoint is an application that I love playing around with. I believe I can use it to a fairly high standard to create slideshows, but also to create posters at an academic level.

Ive had a small interaction with excel as it was an application that was necessary for me to use whilst analyzing my dissertation data. The overall look of excel can be quite daunting to a novice who doesn’t quite know where anything is, but I believe it would be beneficial to learn about the way it works and the way it can benefit learning.

And the winner is....

As a budding psychologist it seems only appropriate that the first blog I deemed significant to follow would be The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest on Blogger. This blog includes original commentary on psychological research that is relevant, interesting, and, most of all, current!

The page itself is easy to navigate, clear and concise, and overall very attractive for a page that can be seen as very academic and professional. Other features, or ‘gadgets’ of the blog include ‘Other Psychology Blogs’ and ‘Friends of the Digest’; both of which provide extensive links to other relevant and interesting pages. Although I haven’t managed to browse through too many of these yet, I certainly imagine a little assignment procrastination will force me to have a deeper look at many more in the near future.


Please click and explore for yourself…

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/

First day on the blog

As an inexperienced blogger, I expected that I was going to feel completely out of my comfort zone having to build a page that housed all of my thoughts and feelings on a particular topic. Blogging is not something I am familiar with so it was interesting to learn how and why it is used as a tool for teachers. Having (finally) set up my own blog, and browsing through Mandy’s blog, I can certainly see the potential benefits of using blogging as a tool within teaching.

This incredibly fascinating clip by Michael Welsch demonstrates the complexity of the web nowadays, but not in a negative light. Web 2.0 makes connections. It makes connections between people and places, sites and links, here and there. I want to be able to develop my knowledge to better understand and use these connections.



To anyone who does happen to come across this blog, I would encourage you to watch this short video. It compels you to engage with the material and take in all of the information displayed.

Before today I considered myself to be relatively social network savvy. I use Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis (albeit for personal ‘gossip catch up’ more than for academic purposes) so I’m fairly familiar with the way they work. I have previously dabbled into using my personal networking skills for learning purposes; I followed a number of lecturers while studying towards my degree and was also involved in a Psychology Society Group on Facebook with fellow students, but it was fascinating for me today to discover the flip-side of this; an introduction into the ways that social networking can be exploited for predominately academic purposes, and the potential dangers of using this as a resource.

Technology will continue to develop and will continue to be important within the learning environment, presumably even more so in years to come. It seems to me that I am lucky to have an experienced web surfer, blogger, teacher, and social network savvy lecturer to educate me on the ins and outs of the World Wide Web and its benefits to me as a future teacher.

Reflective learning

First blaggy blog

My name is Stacey Leigh Coleman. I am from Swansea and I have recently graduated from Swansea Metropolitan University with a degree in Psychology and Counselling.

I have been interested in the idea of teaching for a while. I tend to lack confidence when speaking publically but I believe the PGCE PCET will help me to develop the skills I require to become confident and assertive when presenting to students.

I aspire to finish the PCET with a firm idea of what is required and demanded of a teacher or lecturer within the lifelong sector. The structure of the PGCE PCET course looks to include all aspects of preparation towards teaching; from having the chance to experience first-hand what it entails to be an adequate teacher to the importance of keeping up to date with ever changing technologies.

The technology available to students nowadays is overwhelming and will continue to change, adapt and develop. I am hopeful that this course will bring light to the ways I can adapt and develop my own learning alongside these changes; not only as a student, but as a future teacher also.