Wordle

While I have had previous experience in wordle before, I thought it necessary to investigate this tool again. Wordle allows the user to create word clouds from text provided, creating a summary of the text. Words that appear more than once in the text are emphasised by appearing larger in size. The cloud can be modified in regards to colour, layout and font type to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Wordle pictures can be printed out or can be saved by taking a screenshot and can then be used in the future. This tool is very simple to use and would recommend it to others.

Here are a few ways that Wordle can be used in the classroom:

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  Spelling Activity - I have seen wordle being used as a rotational activity for spelling where students would enter their spelling words to create a word cloud.
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  Beginning of Unit - Students brainstorm what they know about a topic at the beginning of the unit by entering words they relate to a topic. For example, the wordle above are words that I relate to the internet.
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  Self Reflection - Students can reflect on learning using a word cloud.

After researching Wordle, I found this great website which provides 46 different ways to use wordle in the classroom. This can be found at http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/2626.

I would be interested in hearing other ways that this tool can be used in the classroom.

My very own blog and wiki.... what could be next??

After creating my own blog and wiki, what other ICT tools could I possibly investigate next? Well, the next ICT tool I have explored is a website, created in Weebly. With a website, visitors are unable to change the content like they can in a Wiki. Rather, a website is a series of web pages published on the World Wide Web. I can see that a website could be of benefit to upper primary school students as they are simple to create and easy to update. Students could create websites of their own or as a class.

My very own website can be found at http://s0154622.weebly.com/. This website is very basic at the moment but as I become more familiar with its functions, I will add more to it.

Just Google It!!!

If you don't know the answer, just Google it!! This is a common phrase in the 21st century and one that I must admit I say regularly, if not daily. Before the Internet, we would turn to books as the first port of call when we needed answers, but due to the increasing use of technology and the internet and its easy access, those times have changed. Instead, we are teaching children to jump on the computer and look for answers on the World Wide Web. This does have it benefits but we need to ensure that students still use important resources such as books and encyclopedias. It needs to be explained that not all information on the Internet is an accurate or reliable source, for example, Wikis. Anyone can put information on the Internet and it is our job as users to sort through this information to find what is meaningful and relevant.

Wacky Wikis

I have well and truly delved deep into the World Wide Web with my own blog and now my very own Wiki. I was apprehensive with developing a Wiki as I had limited knowledge of its purpose and functions. The only knowledge with regards to Wikis was my understanding of Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online resource that is written by its users which means that anyone can write or edit an article on wikipedia. As university students, we are discouraged from using this website for assignments due to its lack of credability. I agree with this due to the fact that people can edit and add anything they want, whether its fact or fiction.

With regards to the classroom, I am in favour of using blogs rather than Wikis, however, I do think that Wikis are a tool that can be used, if structured correctly. The fact that people can remove things from the site makes me apprehensive when using it. I think that it is up to the learning manager to scaffold the learning around this site to ensure that it is used effectively.

Feel free to check out my Wiki which can be found at http://s0154622.wikispaces.com/.

Concept Mapping...

What I learnt in Week 1.......

Well, I was finally able to access the Bubbl.us website to create my very first concept web using this tool. This tool allows students to create their own diagram, representing their knowledge and showing the relationship between concepts. I found this tool to be quite challenging and finicky compared to using the traditional paper and pen.

Using this in the classroom would require a lot of scaffolding and patience, however, after a few practises, I am sure that the students would be able to get the hang of it. Students would be able to manipulate their concept web, changing the colours to make it more visually appealing. Once students have completed their concept web, they are able to save it, print it out or use it on the classroom blog to be used at a later time. I think that this is important as often when we brainstorm we throw out our notes where this is a way to store them for future use.

Why we shouldn't rely on technology...

I was sitting in front of my laptop, getting ready to publish my next post when I was faced with a dilemma. This post was meant to include a concept web using the Bubbl.us tool covering what I learnt in Week 1, however, after many unsuccessful attempts, I was unable to access the website. It just goes to show that technology, our best friend, is not always reliable and we need to have a back up plan when things just don't go the way we want.

I will attempt to use this tool again in a few days to see if the company has fixed this problem. Stay tuned!!

Blogs, Blogs, Everywhere!

Recently I have been introduced to the wonderful world of Blogs. I have found it challenging enough to keep up with Facebook (my friends say I'm a Facebook addict) and the many notifications a day I receive, let alone updating my blog on a regular basis and commenting on my fellow peers work. The major difference when writing on Facebook compared to a blog and the thing that I found the most challenging is the language used. Blogging requires the use of formal language, without the use of abbreviations and Internet slang which is common on Facebook. Alternating between these two different tools has required a lot of concentration to ensure that the right language is used. Often I find myself blogging using abbreviations like 'lol' (laugh out loud) or using emoticons like smiley faces :) and poking tongues :P before realising what I am doing.

Blogs, which I have just learnt is short for 'web logs', are a website where you can post items on a frequent basis that are shown in chronological order. Maintaining and updating a blog is considered 'blogging'. Articles written on a blog are called 'posts' or 'blog posts' with the person who posts these referred to as a 'blogger'. Within a blog, you can include images, text, links to other pages, videos and audio files. Blogs can focus on a topic of interest, anywhere from people's personal experiences to professional topics.

For more information on a blog and blogs in the elementary classroom, watch the following video:


From what I have learnt and discovered about blogs, I think that creating a classroom blog would be an excellent idea. Students would be able to add to the blog regularly by adding images, videos, audios and text. Blogs can be used to; motivate students, especially those who otherwise might not participate, provide opportunities for students to read and write and collaborate and participate in worthwhile discussions. With proper scaffolding by the teacher, blogs can be a powerful tool in the classroom. An important part of creating a blog is the connection that it creates between home and school with students being able to access the blog from anywhere. Blogs can be used as a way of communication between parents and teachers, with parents being able to see what the students are learning in the classroom.

Blogs can be used for any or multiple Key Learning Areas whilst incorporating ICTs which is an important part of the Essential Learnings. The use of this tool would require scaffolding by the teacher with students needing to be taught the importance of Internet safety and what is appropriate to communicate on the web.

My Very First Voki!

Today I created my very first Voki. I was really impressed by this tool and how easy it was to use. It has definitely opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that it can have in the classroom. I would use this tool in my classroom blog as a way for students to express themselves, being able to become a new character. This is an inclusive tool which is available for all learners to access, keeping identities of students private.

I recommend that everyone has a go at creating their own Voki.

Multiple Intelligences

Another quiz to allow us to see how we best learn is the Multiple Intelligence quiz which can be found at w.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks1/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm.
It was interesting to see the results of this quiz when I performed it. As you can see in the graph below, the style of learning that suits me is the Interpersonal style which is said to mean your People Smart. Being people smart, you enjoy mixing with people and are good at sharing.

I agree with the results of this quiz and believe that it matches my personality and learning style exactly. This quiz also backs up the results to the Learning Styles quiz discussed in the previous blog.

My Learning Style :)

With regards to teaching and learning, it is important as Learning Managers that we understand our students and their learning styles. To better understand how students learn, it is necessary to know and understand our own personal learning styles.

After completing a learning styles quiz, which can be found at http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory, it was determined that my learning style was definitely a social style with 20 out of a possible score of 20, indicating that this is the style that I use often. The following graph represents my learning style in a visual manner, clearly showing the lean towards the Social style.

Whilst reading through the characteristics of this style, it was interesting that I was able to mentally tick off most of the traits mentioned as they related to me personally. This information highlighted the fact that I communicate well with others, often have people coming to me for advice, listen well and understand other people's views, prefer learning in groups or classes and like to spend one-on-one time with the teacher, prefer social activities then doing things alone and enjoy sports and games involving other people.

Whats fascinating is that teaching is one of the pursuits that people with a strong social style follow which is what I am currently studying at the moment.

With this learning style in mind, it is important to examine how these type of students best learn and how to cater for them. As a social learner, the aim is to work with other people as much as possible. The use of mind maps, role plays and diagrams may also assist learners.


The importance of understanding learning styles and their impact on the teaching and learning process is paramount to ensuring success in the classroom. It is key that Learning Manager realises that the classroom is filled with diverse learners and ensures that they cater for these in their learning experiences.

Making of the Blog!

Wow, what an effort. Who would have known that making a blog could be so difficult, well at least in my case it was. After several attempts at creating a blog and the same error message appearing, my patience was quickly escaping me. Twenty minutes later, I was finally able to create my very first blog! A very exciting thing for me! Whilst this is just a minor technical glitch and my first hurdle with regards to this project, I am very enthusiastic to begin exploring ICT's and develop my repertoire of strategies and tools. I just need to remind myself that patience is a virtue!