Blogging - I thought it was something that was solely the domain of Generation X. After today's workshop, I realise that blogging is simple and valuable tool for facilitating learning the classroom.
We were introduced to two new websites/software programs today - Blogger and Inspiration. Blogger is a free blog publishing tool from Google that enables users to share their thoughts with others on the net. Blogger makes it simple to post text, photos and video onto personal webpages.
I can also see blogging as useful classroom tool, and like mind mapping software, I believe blogging can be used in a multi-disciplinary approach. The key benefits of blogging are that it is very attractive to younger children, can be readily viewed and shared with peers, and it allows the teacher to see how children's' ideas, knowledge and skills develop over time.
We were introduced to two new websites/software programs today - Blogger and Inspiration. Blogger is a free blog publishing tool from Google that enables users to share their thoughts with others on the net. Blogger makes it simple to post text, photos and video onto personal webpages.
Inspiration is visual learning tool that encourages students to develop and organise their ideas. We did two Inspiration based examples today. The first one was a diagram that I developed to illustrate my taco preferences. Tacos are one of my favourite foods, but to really tickle my fancy, tacos need to have the right ingredients. Using differently weighted arrows, the diagram illustrates how my preferred essential ingredients for tacos are cheese, jalapenos and meat, while optional ingredients are lettuce and tomato. After completing this exercise I realised what a useful tool Inspiration may be in facilitating children's understanding of different relationships (while also improving their IT skills).
The second diagram is a mindmap of some bushfire management issues, an topic that I worked on in a previous life. When working on my busfhire work, I found mindmaps to be an invaluable tool, particularly at the outset of idea formulation. Interestingly, I have found that some people are very anti mindmapping software and view it as a waste of time. I guess it comes down to the way our brains work. For me it was perfect, but if I use this software in the classroom I think I will have to keep my eye on students to monitor how they utilise the software.
While the Inspiration mindmap was somewhat limited compared to some of the other mindmap software programs I have used, it is perfect for primary school children (and affordable). It is simple to use, colourful and has all the basic functionality that is needed for children eg. picture insertion. If your are interested in other mindmapping software, I suggest you visit MindManager or VisualMind.
As a preservice teacher, I am eager to use Inspiration (or similar tools) in the classroom and believe that they can be readily applied across a variety of disciplines. In addition, I believe that students love using IT and as such, a teaching approach which can integrate Maths, English etc with IT is a very valuable learning tool.
I can also see blogging as useful classroom tool, and like mind mapping software, I believe blogging can be used in a multi-disciplinary approach. The key benefits of blogging are that it is very attractive to younger children, can be readily viewed and shared with peers, and it allows the teacher to see how children's' ideas, knowledge and skills develop over time.
