Units+1,+2+&+3+Activities

__**Unit One activity**__ I would like to refer to two video-based cases of interest from the //Technology Integration Matrix//: Please find the link to the first one here: []

I found this example of //authentic// style of //meaningful learning// closer to //cooperative/constructive meaningful learning// but no matter the category, it is an excellent enhancement to the English, History, Language classroom.

The teacher describes her introduction of Moodle to her 8th grade class and how it has taken them beyond the limitations of the classroom; through technology, through having more time and through staying connected outside the classroom, students are able to communicate about the books they are reading and assignments they are working on with other students and the teacher. Quieter students are able to have a larger voice in their own time and there is more freedom to interact. The students seem closer and more motivated because of it. A point to note also is that the Technology teacher and this teacher have worked collaboratively together which is also excellent professional development and team building from a staff perspective.

Please find the link to the second one here: [] This example of goal-directed meaningful learning is excellent and appeals to me personally because it encourages students to plan and organise their thoughts prior to writing a piece. Students are able to clarify their thoughts, work autonomously and stay motivated because they must produce work in the form of an essay perhaps on conclusion- this is a means to an end and a very valuable one. It is teaching them to plan ahead, think bigger picture and even think strategically: Excellent skills to be used for the rest of their lives. I would like to refer to two video-based cases of interest from the //Technology Integration Matrix//: 1. []

This pre reading vocabulary scavenger hunt using AppleWorks and instant messaging is a speedy and engaging use of technology that the teacher also applies to stories, info-sharing and assignents. This class often participates in groupwork. The teacher is at ease with the technology and happy enable his students to participate in learning activities rather than teacher-centred passive lessons. the technology is a tool used in an immersive environment to create meaningful and authentic learning.

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This English class creates a magazine via groupwork where students each have a role. The two week activity involves researching, creating text and artwork, sourcing advertisers & creating ads. The task is an excellent way of engaging students and can incorporate fiction and non-fiction writing. the immersive environment is enabled by the use of tools with explicit instructions. Students requiring assistance can access scaffolding and learn through their peers.

__**Unit Two activity**__ The first on-line resource I would like to share is from the Victorian Government's languages website Languages Online. Please find the link here: [|French Online] These exercises are particularly good for primary school students because they are an interactive game with fun illustrations that almost make the students forget that they are learning vocabulary and key sentences in French; they are taking in meaning without the 'dryness'!

The second on-line resource is for students studying Japanese who need to learn 3 different scripts; Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Again it is a less dry way of learning and is really a game.

[|Japanese Games] While the above two resources are not overly sophisticated and have been around for some time now, they are meaningful: both active in student involvement and both are authentic because they are not simply memorising from a textbook. Seeing a tree and having to name it in the appropriate language as well as write it is something that could really occur and would if the student was in Japan- it makes the situation 'real-life' which is exactly what learning languages is about.

Finally I would like to describle another activity that worked well for Year 10 students in my last prac; students were divided into groups of 4 and as a group had to create a powerpoint presentation using pictures for other students to say sentence structures to describe a situation. For example a sentence structure saying; this..............is more...............than................ By creating a slide choosing pictures, arrows ect...the class then needed to put into words what was being said.

Students had to to work collaboratively in teams, they had to be constructive by googling images and working out what type of slide they were going to use. At times they needed online translators, their work was intentional; they needed to present to the class and their involvement was active.

Please find a beginner's mind-map attached []

__**Unit 3 activity**__ My Stimulus Immersion Activity is language podcasts from U-tunes- fantastic way for students to keep up their French particularly through the daily podcasts loaded onto their i-phones! Please find a sample here: []

The Stimulus Immersion Activity that I picked relates to eportfolios. In particular I have picked up a website sponsored by Helen Barrett within google on Using Google Apps for eportfolios in K-12 Education http://groups.google.com/group/k12eportfolios.

From this sponsored website I received information about a website pbworks.com (https://plans.pbworks.com/signup/edubasic20) in which a student can create their workspace and add artefacts to it e.g. videos, photos, documents. Effectively it's an eportfolio - you can have a variety of users e.g. readers, writers and restrict access to only say the student and the teacher or a select group of students known to the student. I created a test eportfolio called http://owentestclass.pbworks.com and uploaded a video, photo and information. I was testing it to see if it could be used for involving students in a preliminary Business Studies course. I think it could be great for a portfolio of work for a student. My main concerns would be that a) work is not lost and b) the student's work is only viewed by people known to the student.