Week 4 Tutorial

This weeks tutorial began with a whole class discussion based on the set readings for the week. This was again initiated and led by Jason to encourage the class to share our thoughts and opinions in relation to the readings. Again this week, the workshop concluded with each group presenting specific information based on their chosen topic. In this weeks student led presentations, there was a wide range of valuable information put forth and I learnt a great deal in relation to the following:


Computational Thinking and Programming:

•  focused on the programming side, with a strong concentration on Microsoft Windows Logo (MSW). 
• an interactive program created for education in the younger years and allows students to learn steps and processes required to develop a program.
•  can be used for a variety of Maths lessons to teach concepts such as geometry and in Art lessons to create pictures.

Games in Learning:

•  talked in particular about games in English learning and how they could be used to benefits students within a classroom. 

Mobile Learning:

• concentrated on appropriate apps for classroom use.
• provided examples of particular educational apps that could be used to encourage ICT interaction and how they could be implemented within the curriculum. The website Ipads for Education was explained in great deal

Early Phases:

•  provided an introduction to the website of Only 2 clicks, a bookmarking web application allowing the user to create an account and bookmark favourite or frequently used websites.  
• As I had not previously used an online bookmarking site, I was unaware of the benefits of having all your bookmarked sites stored online and accessible from any computer. 
• can be used in the classroom to encourage and facilitate collaborative learning and easily integrate ICT usage. 

Google Tools:
My group decided to focus on Google Translate for this weeks presentation. Google Translate is a free online service the provides translations between around 58 different languages (Google, n.d.). Before commencing any research into this web tool, I had a brief understanding of what Google Translate was and its purposes. However, after extensively looking into this application, I found there was quite a bit of programming involved, which I linked to my knowledge gained from the presentations on that subject. 

How Google Translate can be used in the classroom:

• offers students and teachers the chance to broaden their language horizons
• allows students to look up words in another language
•  enables teachers and other students to communicate with ESL student's in the classroom

This weeks readings examined the concept of Bloom's Taxonomy and provided a wide selection of ACARA documents. Luckily, I was familiar with concept of Blooms Taxonomy from previous subjects and was able to easily conceptualise how a range of digital technologies could be integrated into pedagogical thinking and learning environments. Upon completion of this reading, I have become more familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy through a digital perspective. Essentially, the Digital Taxonomy contains the same terms and components as the original Blooms Taxonomy, however includes additional digital characteristics. The Digital Taxonomy is broken into 6 key levels outlined below:

(Churches, 2009)

Blooms Digital Taxonomy can be incorporated into the classroom in numerous ways to facilitate students digital skills and develop overall digital literacy. Implementing this tool could prove extremely beneficial in making activities and tasks more digitally student-centred, thus proving more practical.


The second set reading for this week centred around the Australian Curriculum capabilities being addressed in the key learning areas. These general capabilities "encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century" (ACARA, 2012). Within the document, seven general capabilities were summarised:

(ACARA, 2012)

Through completing this reading, I now understand that these general capabilities will enable students to successfully survive in a future work or home environment.

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2012). General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum. Retrieved 19th March, 2012, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/General%20capabilities.pdf



Churches, A. (2009). Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. Retrieved 16 March, 2012, from http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/file/view/bloom%27s+Digital+taxonomy+v3.01.pdf

Google. (n.d.). Google Translate. Retrieved 19th March, 2012, from http://translate.google.com/about/intl/en_ALL/