ICT Tool Group 2

Tool 4 - Digital Images

The ability to read images is as important as the ability to read text. An image can tell a 1000 words, this old saying rings true, examine an advertisement in the newspaper, magazine or on television. The creator can evoke emotions within you without saying a single word! Teachers can use this to enhance a students learning in postive ways. Students could use a digital camera to record an excursion and examine the images later. These photographs will evoke emotion in the student and put them right back at the excursion triggering all the memories of things learnt and felt, putting a new dimension onto the learning experience and enabling the learning to continue long after the excursion has been completed. This rings true for all of us, as we look through family albums filled with photographs that represent memories of an event or time in our lives. As we view that favourite photograph of a family member all those memories come flooding back along with the advice and knowledge passed on by that member.

Digital images can be found on personal cameras, personal computers and the world wide web. There are numerous sites where one can download and copy images from. When doing this learners must be taught to acknowledge the source of the image, this is as important as acknowleding the author of words that are used in ones own work. The most popular site I have seen students download images from is google images. Another site I have recently engaged with is flickr, a bank of images uploaded by people all over the world about numerous topics. Many of these images are available for your own use and have no copywrite on them. I feel that as teachers we should encourage and even insist that our students acknowledge the source of their gathered data, this ensures that they are working in a real world context within the legal boundaries of the real world.

Tool 5 - Podcasts

I have also looked at podcasts on the ABC radio's website. These are useful if you do not hear an entire program or for those programs that you found interesting and would like to listen to again, once again the purpose of these podcasts is to convey information. The programs are recorded as podcasts in order to cater for those persons who were unable to hear part or all of the program during the time it was aired, and for those who would like to listen again.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/sites/conversations/
Here is a link to some recent conversations on the radio that can be downloaded and listened to in mp3 format, a podcast without images.

An example of podcasting in education can be found at MR Langhorst's 8th grade web classroom http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/~elanghorst/blog
This site contains information about blogs as well as podcasts and several links to podcasts used by the students in this class. They have enhanced their website by displaying images that show students engaged and learning in a relaxed and happy environment. These images show the viewer that this has been a pleasant and positive learning experience for these students. The availability of these podcasts on the web means that students can listen to the podcasts again and again at times and places that are convenient to them. An excellent example of how to successfully use podcasts to enhance learning for students.

Tool 6 - Digital Video

Digital video opens up a world of imagination for students to explore. Using digital editing programs students can produce professional results under the guidance of their learning manager. Videos could be used to document excursions, learning and discoveries or as a diary of learning. Creating and editing a digital video is a great collaborative learning scenario as students work in groups to decided what to record, then the parts that will be kept or cut, and also the effects to be added such as fading, still shots, music, dialogue and many more.