KEY CONCEPTS FOR ICT EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL USES
The key concept for ICT education that we learned about this week was using publishing software to present information. Another major issue we learned about was ethics and copyright when using technology in the classroom.
HOLIDAY BROCHURE
When entering MS publisher the user is taken to a list of page layout designs such as brochures, leaflets, newsletters, web pages and much more. Our first activity involved using the brochure template to advertise our favorite holiday destinations. I had never used MS publisher prior to this workshop. I enjoyed designing the brochure below on Port Douglas and I found it quite simple to use once I had worked out which buttons performed each action. I liked the fact that clipart or photos could be added into certain places on the page and I enjoyed changing the colours and fonts.
This is my two sided brochure:
The brochure function and activity would be great to use in a classroom. Students could design their own holiday brochure or simply use the template to design an advertisement or report on any other topic of choice. I think other templates could also be used by students to design interesting books or any other literacy product. The domains of English, ICT, Design, creativity and technology would be easily integrated simply by using MS publisher to design and print pieces of work. The students may find the software easy to use once they learn a few functions and could quite easily work out how to use it just by playing around like I did.
SETTING UP THE PORTFOLIO
Our second task which will become part of our job application was to commence designing an ePortfolio. As you can see below I wasn't able to get a great deal done, but I did get started.
The page headings within the portfolio are:
- Introduction
- About me
- Resume
- Philosophy of education
- Awards and achievements
- Reflection and discussion entries
- Referees
The following link:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher-help/create-a-simple-media-kit-with-publisher-HA001056317.aspx displays a succinct summary of using ePortfolios for a job application or to professionally promote a product. I will definitely keep this link in mind when finishing my portfolio, it was a great help to read this.
This portfolio was designed on a website template within MS publisher. I have to admit I found this task a lot more difficult and I still haven't figured out how to link the pages together in a proper order. I think it will look great though once its finished. A portfolio designed on this template allows me to add photos, videos, sound clips and possibly more items which I haven't discovered as yet.
This template would be great for students to design their own portfolios. They could also create a class webpage or a presentation. Again, I think the domains of English, ICT, Design, creativity and technology could be well integrated simply by using the software to produce pieces of work. Although it may be time consuming to have each student prepare a portfolio on the software. On a positive note, students would also learn other ICT skills through scanning, recording and editing work to go into the portfolio. A project based portfolio could incorporate any of the other domains or topics studied throughout the students time in school.
Lane (2010) states that ePortfolios intertwine learning with assessment. A portfolio may be used as an assessment task. Portfolios are used to display a collection of work and progress over time. Teachers could use them in the job application process to display examples of their work, or they could use them as an engagement tool in the classroom.
MAJOR ICT ISSUES AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Using blogs or portfolios which can be seen via the Internet allows others to view any information or photos placed on them. Teachers must be mindful of what information is placed in cyber space for everyone to see. Teachers need to keep ethical and safety considerations in mind when using portfolios. Johnson (2002) states that any photos or videos of children must be handled so that the children are not exploited. Parents and their children may have to sign legal forms agreeing to have their photos or videos placed on the computer and Internet. Personally I would try my best to reduce any photos showing faces and or full body shots in order to increase the safety of the students, and I would always get approval from parents before placing any photos on the Internet or sites that others may view. I would never place any identifiable information on them either such as addresses, email accounts or full names. The teacher should also consider what privacy blocks the school may be able to put on these sites and whether the URL information should only be sent to parents rather than the whole community.
Another aspect of privacy I had not thought of was access to personal details through social network sites such as Facebook. Teaching students to set personal privacy settings offered on these sites may prevent unwanted access to information and may prevent the users details being spread through other Internet sites resulting in spam and viruses. The teacher who uses social networking sites should also consider that students may want to access information from the teacher. Personally, I would not want to allow students to find out any of my personal information so I will set privacy settings myself. Teachers also need to be aware that if they do allow students access to their information then they should be very careful about materials they expose these children to.
Copyright is a form of property protection which Australian law recognises. The law gives owners rights to do certain things with their material. Previously I had only ever heard of copyright laws to do with books but I now realise copyright laws also cover Internet material, music, art and sounds. Copyright issues must also be taken into consideration when designing any piece of work, otherwise teachers may be liable. I found the following information on the internet regarding copyright laws when dealing with multimedia:
http://www.computerlaw.com.au/mm.html
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/mmfruse.htm
http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/mm-course/copyright.html
I also found some further information on dealing with ethical issues in multimedia:
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/coffs00/papers/leone_woodcock.pdf
http://www.grcoatley.mcc.education.nsw.gov.au/ipt_website/12_social_implications/issues_summary.htm
http://www2.unca.edu/education/edtech/legal.htm
Copyright is not something that I had thought too much about when using multimedia, but after doing some reading I have realised just how careful we need to be as teachers because we get so much information to use in our classes from the Internet. We need to realise that this information is the work of others and needs to be acknowledged. Teachers should check for copyright statements prior to printing or downloading materials from any websites. These statements usually alert the user to what may be done with the materials from the website. The teacher needs to ensure that any material has been copied with the copyright owners consent and the copyright owner is happy for the material to be printed or downloaded. This information lead me to ask another question which I have not yet found an answer for; when I make links on my blog to other websites am I infringing copyright law?
EPORTFOLIOS
The article 'Digital portfolios:fact or fiction' by Helen Woodward (2000) suggest teachers monitor the use of portfolios as a learning tool and not let doing the portfolio get in the way of other learning opportunities. She also suggests ensuring that any work placed into a portfolio is reflected upon so that connections are made between learning and the activity (Woodward, 2000). She concludes that digital portfolios are not just an idea, they are here to stay and will be used more widely during the 21st century as the world becomes more technologically focused (Woodward, 2000).
The following websites:
http://www.pa.ash.org.au/natcom/natcom3/models/portfmod.asp
http://www.hrdesign.com.au/dp/planning-dp.html
epotential.education.vic.gov.au
provide an overview of the use of portfolios and suggest other ways teachers may use them in the classroom such as:
- Representing and celebrating the student and learning
- Tracking progress towards learning goals
- Developing reflection into the learning process
- Assisting transition between year levels and schools
- Displaying assessment evidence
OTHER USES OF MS PUBLISHER
MS publisher can be used for so many different publishing activities. The array of templates allow the user to design any kind of print material or presentation material they would like. I really like the idea of a class newspaper made with the 'newsletter' template. There are great instructions found at
http://www.microsoft.com/education/class_newspaper.aspx for implementing this activity. There are also many other great lesson plan ideas to view from this link. I will definitely keep this link as a resource for the future.
REFERENCES
Lane, Cara (2010).
The_Power_of__E_-__Using_e-Portfolios_to_Build_Online_Presentation_Skills
PDF downloaded on 17/10/10, from http://webct.latrobe.edu.au/webct/urw/lc9140001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Woodward (2000). Digital Portfolios: Fact or Fashion, online document found on 17/10/10, from
http://webct.latrobe.edu.au/webct/urw/lc9140001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Johnson, D (2002). Developing Ethical Behaviors in Students: What Schools Must Do. Downloaded on 21/10/2010 from http://webct.latrobe.edu.au/
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