Slide share

Hello bloggers,

I had a presentation slide which already have narration with my voice recorded on each of the slide, so this time, I did not try the synchronization system. I premise the quality of sound is excellent because the system is MP3 file format. By contrast, recorded sound directly using a microphone on a power point slide, the sound is very poor.

Another perspective is that a fine combination of Podcast and Slide become as Slidecast!It is amaging technology!

Queen Himiko

View more presentations from shihonakamura.

Regards,

Shiho

References

Slideshare. (2009). Slidecasting 101. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/jboutelle/slidecasting-101

Wikipedia

What it is called 'the free encyclopedia', Wikipedia has a great deal of users (Wikipedia, 2009). I have used how many times for my research.

My first teaching area is Japanese, the second area is Mathmatics.
Useful resources that I found are:

Japanese language;

• Japanese counter word
• Honorific speech in Japanese

Mathmatics;

• Trigonometric functions
• Logarithm

These four topics above are all complecated. I found that they are useful for Maths, but not very useful for learning Japanese language. So, I may use these resources for quick review and reading for students as a home work because every resouce in Wikipedia has related topics that connect to hyper link at the end of the page. A number of linkings on a both side of the page as well. It is not exaggerated to say we can research whatever we need on Wikipedia.

I believe that Wikipedia helps students understanding paticular topic of basic to deep knowledge. Many of them are provided with graphic resources, clear definitions and important points. It also good for group work to collaborate the information based on their investigation . However, the contents and the use of word are difficult, so it suits for higher grades at secondary students and university students.

Regards,

Shiho

References

Wikipedia. (2009). Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Podcasting

Hello bloggers,

I used to listen to BBC radio news which is downloaded from podcast for my English study. I put news into ipod, so I could listen to any time and any where. I enjoyed listening to the news on a way to work (in a train) and during walking exercise and repeated them again and again. It was really challenaging because some of the correspondents had strong accent. The BBC news trained my ear, so my listening skill were much improved.

Today I have download two podcasts and two video podcasts. The video podcasts are both for learning Mathmatics. Obviously, understanding the methods much easier and quicker with visual resource. Other two were Podkids Australia and the teachers' podcast.

I believe that Podcast is good for improving listening skill for language learning, video podcast for interpreting Mathematics methods. According to Oliver and Herrington (1999,2001), learning engagement occures when the interacted learners attempt tasks with supportive learning activities and resources.

I will use podcast (Listening to Japanese pops) to maintain my students' fluency of speaking Japanese.


Regards,


Shiho



References

Apple Inc. (2009). itunes. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Oliver, R. & Herrington, J. (1999, &2001). Learning design. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from http://www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au/project/learn_design.htm

Picnic

Hello bloggers,

I have experienced the photo design software, Picnic. I played around with my picture. It went like this (at the very last).these are slide show.









I will use this technology editting my students photos for slide show or presentation on their special days(entrance, or graduation ceremony).

Regards,

Shiho

References

Picnic. (2009). Welcome. Retrieved August 22, 2009, from, http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome

Google earth

Hello bloggers,

I flew to my home in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Denmark and Fiji! That was amazing and fun! I felt like I traveled all over the world (with sitting in a room). The graphics were clear and precise. When I type my home address in Australia, only took me there in 4 seconds.

It is a good learning tool for geography, science, cultural study and IT (including CG design) areas. If I use Google earth in my teaching, I would use it to explain Japanese geography or describe adjectives in Japanese while my students are experiencing in the Google earth world. The characteristic of the Google Earth is that speedy movement, recognize the shape of the land at the each level of the height with the county, city and town name and high technology of graphics.

It is suits for the active learner and visual learner. The term "Let's try it first, and see how it's works.", which exactly refers Google earth (Felder, R. & Solomon, B., n.d.). For the visual learner, it is evaluated that using the tool with text material able to obtain long term memory (Cooper, D., 1998).

By the way, to download and activate the soft ware, Google earth, I had to bring my laptop to university because it was failed to save on the university's computer. I think that the reason involves security system as Scot noted that the requirement the assistance of a technician on a instruction of the Google earth activity (Central Queensland University, 2009). I need to aware of it when I use the technology at school in my teaching.

I expect that student will show their intense toward the learning because it is enjoyable for most of the students who are visual learner.

Regards,

Shiho


References

Central Queensland University. (2009). An introduction to teacher's delivery technology: Google earth. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=671

Cooper, D. (1998). Research into cognitive load and instructional design at UNSW. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://dwb4.unl.edu/Diss/Cooper/UNSW.htm

Google. (2009). Google earth. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://earth.google.com/

Felder, R. & Solomon, B. (n.d.) Learning styles and strategies. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

File Strage

Hello bloggers,

I have been experiencing so many kinds of useful technologies in this course.

A file that I would like to share with you is a power point slide, which I created as my assignment in the last term. The course was called Japan and it's culture. I chose "Enjo Kousai" as a topic, that "Enjo Kousai" is translated Amateur prostitution in Japanese teenage girls. It is one of the big issue in Japan at the moment. I analyzed that those teenage girls are really prostitution or not, also described about juvenile's characteristic in the slide. It may be interested to look at, so please feel free to visit the link.

My power point slide's URL is below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=936975854efd516b90a82c7bb0fad7ade04e75f6e8ebb871

I felt that was so quick to upload my file, so for the use of the Fire strage, I might use it when I am on a rush. However, there are some other sites which are linked to collaborative sites. In my opinion, I will use Google or the Flickr to upload them because I can do more creative work.

Regards,

Shiho

Reference

Media Fire. (2009). Upload file to Media fire. Retrieved August 19, 2009 from http://www.mediafire.com/

WebQuest

Hello bloggers,

What a great learning tool the WebQuest is! Some WebQuest that I browsed were well-designed and well-organized. The main resources are already there, beside the each categories of the topic. When the learners need to reserch for the task, just click on the URL and it gets there in few seconds.

March (1993) studied that a real WebQuest consists of a scaffoled learning structure. That is developed with academic style of learning as follows;

-Introduction,
-The Question (task),
-Background information and body,
-Group work,
-Assessment,
-Summary,
-Conclusion (Hawkquest Education Enterprise, 2004).

It is designed with authentic task and open-ended questions, which is supported excellent web sources. While learners are attempting the task, they will develop their critical thinking with variety of points of view. At the end of the task, they will be able to familiarize and comprehend it. It is related to metacognitive processes (March, 2003).

According to Siemen's (2004) theory, Connectivism, maintaining the current knowledge is crucial for the 21st learners. One of his theory that is continual learning make complex problem less complex (Siemen, 2004). The system of WebQuest is exactly the continual learning, which is so engaged.

The topic of WebQuests are often complex and messy issue, so as it is designed, the learners are requied to contribute the tasks with peers. It might be interested to have peers who are diversity of people as study members meeting on line. The group work would be more engaged for the learners.

In comparision to the traditional approach such as pen and paper method everyone has to be in a class room, the online learning is available to learn whatever, whenever and wherever. So the learner alternatively learning. The style is communicative, learners become spontaneous in their learning.

To design and publish WebQuests, I am sure that it would need large amount of time for them because it is required to be sophisticated to satisfy higher level of learning (Central Queensland University, 2009). Therefore, I believe that WeQuest suits for the learner at higher education or can be used for Year 11 and 12 at secondary students' learning.

Regards,

Shiho


Reference

Central Queensland University. (2009). An introduction of teacher's derivery technology. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=671

Hawkquest Educational Enterprise. (2004). Antarctic ice to water Australia. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/web_quest/home.htm

March, T. (2004). The learning power of Webquests. Retrieved August 15, 2009, from http://tommarch.com/writings/wq_power.php

Siemens, G. (2005). A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm