Exploring Learning

This term, I am researching the use of Assistive Technology (AT) in classrooms around the world. AT is anything that assists learners who require additional support in accessing their work and being successful. I included a video in the form to explain what AT is to help my audience. As I work in a school where technology has yet to be introduced fully, the people I can consult are limited. In addition, my previous schools have all finished for the summer already. To combat this dilemma, I created a Google Form that I was able to share on Twitter for anyone to be able to complete. I felt this broadened my chances of getting some information from people who had experience using AT. My form can be accessed HERE  and my paper regarding these results will be published here soon. If you have, or know of anyone who has, experience using AT in the classroom, please share and complete this form to help a life-long learner with her research. Thanks.

snapguide.com Explain Everything is an app I downloaded onto my iPad probably two years ago... I had a tendency to get very excited by new tools and not allow myself the time to trial them properly - this was one such victim of my over-zealousness. But, now, I have the opportunity and a great excuse to have a proper play! I found that I had to refer to the tutorials and help quite a lot to do what I wanted to do - which meant, perhaps, it was not particularly intuitive. It also took me about an hour to create a seven-slide presentation, which I am sure would become quicker with time. I do like how I can customise and add handwriting etc., and there is so much more potential to it than a regular presentation, so I think it is something I will continue to explore. I have recorded my presentation for you to see - however, the microphone on my iPad Mini was not picking up sound effectively meaning I need to send it to my MacBook Air to add the audio, or use and external microphone...

TED-Ed is not something I was aware of until recently. It is a "an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas" and allows users to "take any useful educational video, not just TED’s, and easily create a customized lesson around" it. TED-Ed houses a  library of lessons  that are "carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators nominated through the TED-Ed platform." Types of Lessons Creating an account is easy - if you are already registered with TED, you can use the same one. It will require some additional information such as the ages and subject you teach. Once registered, you are able to search existing content by filters such as subject, content, student or duration. Once selected, you can customise the lesson by adding "context, questions, discussion items, and follow-up suggestions to any video on TED-Ed or YouTube" to personalise the learning...

As an English teacher, working overseas with a majority of learners with language needs, any tool that I can find to support the writing process is one that I HAVE to explore. In the past, I have used Ginger Software , and Read and Write , which I find useful, but  Grammarly  is a tool that has been on the edge of my explorations so far, and this seems like a perfect opportunity to see if I can add another writing support tool to my repertoire. What makes Grammarly different, is that it is free. Ginger used to be free, but as it has grown, it has limited options in the free version. What I do like about it, is it works on ALL online apps - and the same appears true of Grammarly. Once added to Chrome from the Chrome Store, it works across all online platforms: The links appear automatically and once added to my Chrome toolbar, I was taken to the page to create an account:- What I am impressed with, is that the account suggests it saves your style, learni...

I am always on the search for ways to collect, curate and  organise  information - both for my professional and my personal life. Recently, I stumbled across  TiddlyWiki , which claims to be a unique  non-linear notebook for capturing,  organising  and sharing complex information (TiddlyWiki.com, 2014) What drew me to it was its transformation of traditional note-taking techniques, such as index cards, into an interactive tool that lives on my computer and can house hyperlinks, self-proclaimed "hypertext index card from the future". What could there not be to love? The site hosts helpful explanation video tutorials, as well as text instructions on how to get started. After watching the introduction, I must admit that whilst  i  feel it sounds good, I am not sure about the user-friendliness of it. Use of codes for formatting, etc., much like in the  Bubbl.us mind-mapping  tool I reviewed. After the introduction...

I am a fan of Sketchnotes (see @Rhodesign 's great books ) and visuals, so I had to explore a mindmapping tool that I had not come across before. There are different options including a free account that I signed up for and was able to access the tool straight away. The free account lets you make three maps that can be shared - however, whilst you can add hyperlinks, you cannot add attachments from your computer. For this, you pay $6 a month or $59 a year, which is a significant amount of money. Unless you plan on making A LOT of mind maps. Immediately after signing up, I was sent straight to the creation board: The interface is limited and fairly straightforward, though I did consult the HELP section for details about adding links and basic formatting, which has to be done using codes rather than buttons. Clicking on the box brings up a colour chart -  where you can choose from an existing Palette or chose Custom. The Custom option allow...

For my current MEd. module, I am exploring Web 2.0 tools that can enhance learning. WebQuests are characterised by inquiry-based learning activities often involving an element of collaboration. I decided to look for tools in this area, as successful well-designed WebQuests address essential twenty-first century skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity, and are a way of bringing together the most effective instructional practices into one integrated student activity. The first WebQuests were used in 1995, by San Diego State University’s Bernie Dodge and Tom March. They developed a type of lesson plan that incorporated links to, from, and along the World Wide Web that they termed a “WebQuest” (Zunal, 2001). I first studied WebQuests in a previous MEd. module and used Weebly to develop a scavenger hunt using a WebQuest structure called, ' The Hunt for Dracula ' (Fairbrother, 2014). I found that successful WebQuests should engage learners in p...