Learning Activity 1.
Mahara:
I have set up a mahara page as most people have done by now. I have watched all the videos on mahara explaining how it is used and I think I kind of know whats going on with it! I have not put anything up on it as yet, just navigating my way around the site. The mahara site seems like such a good tool for professionals and students. It gives the user areas where they can set up resumes, views, put up photo's etc. It is a great professional e-portfolio tool that may help many to showcase their work when on a job interview. I think it will also be useful to students in order to showcase their work, get feedback, view others work and have interaction with others. I think it's a great tool as a showcase of the users work. I look forward to adding to my mahara page and constructing my professional e-portfolio.
Learning Activity 2.
Avatars/voki:
WOW I love the voki website! It was so fun to create an avatar! As I became so excited by the avatar I'm sure students will. It's an auditory and visual learning approach and I think the avatars will engage most students straight away. Think about a chalk and talk approach compared to an ICT's approach using an avatar. We all know which one the students will be more interested by. Avatars are a very student-centred way of teaching and I'm really excited about the use of them in the classroom.I think they are a great tool to enhance the learning experience and could also offer to be a great 'hook' at the start of a class. A lot of children don't like reading a lot or get bored with it over time, therefore an avatar is a new and fun approach. The student is still receiving the information in a more engaging way. The avatars can aid the instructional methods of a task by informing the students what to do next on a specific activity. Two big thumbs up for the voki website and avatars! I love them and think they will be a hit in the classroom.
Get a Voki now!
Hi Kendal,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, vokis are such a novel and fun approach to instructional strategy. Chippo is fantastic!! I can't help but laugh when playing some of these voki avatars and I guess that's a great indication of how engaging our students will find them. My teaching focus is primary I can certainly see myself using vokis in during my EPL and in the future.
Kindest regards,
Karlee
Is Chippo really you Kendal? I loved it! I don't have a microphone, so I haven't created amn avatar like that yet, but seeing yours has started me thinking about how I can use them more extensively, rather than just a 'hook'. Also, they are pretty simple to make, so I can see students even as young as 5 making one, particularly if they have a microphone. That would be one of the 'funnest' activites ever for a young child!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments Karlee and Alicia. The Avatars are great. I had so much fun creating mine so I can only imagine how much fun students could have with them! Yes Alicia Chippo is really me! ha ha I have not laughed so much in one day since creating him. I think the use of avatars in the classroom will really engage students, it certainly got my attention.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your comments
Kendal