Revision!

Taking a break from revision to blog about it!
So we're coming closer and closer to our end of January exams!
I've got two exams, one in 21st Century learning, and the other in Special Education Needs.
Really excited to start the new modules after the exams are over!
Just hope I pass these ones...
but three weeks of solid revision and having no life should turn out in my favour!

SNOW!

It is very rare that we see snow in Wales, especially when you live near the coast.
But it happened! So I took a break from revising for my end of January exams and made some snowmen! Also had a snowball fight, but the bruises aren't so pretty...



So beautiful!

Voki

With Facebook, Twitter and MySpace being the most popular sites for students to visit these days, I decided to look at other sites that I haven’t heard of before and see how they can be used in an educational context.
I looked at a site called ‘Voki’  http://www.voki.com/
This site basically lets you create an avatar and put in your own voice to create an effective learning tool. I think this is most beneficial for students whose learning styles are auditory or visual.
This also puts a fun side into learning, and I think would motivate students to listen and learn, rather than having the teacher giving information.
After researching ‘voki’ a bit more, I learnt that nearly 1,000,000 students and teachers use it worldwide as an educative tool, and teachers who use it in lessons find their students more motivated to learn. Recently Voki has grown even more, as teachers are now using ‘Voki Classroom’, to plan lessons and even take the register! As it says on the website, “Teachers can spend less time planning, and more time educating”.
I thought this was especially beneficial for exams and revision. So I had a go of creating my own avatar using voki.  

Facebook: Good or Bad?

Being a teenager in the 21^st century, I’ve grown up with social networking being the most popular way in socialising with friends and family. When I was sixteen, I made my first Facebook page, but have always remembered to be safe online.
 Although social networking is fast and convenient, there are bad points as well as good.
Even though Facebook can be useful, I, Myself have even come across things on Facebook that I find upsetting and offensive. I have also noticed that Facebook seems to be the most popular site where cyber bullying is most likely to take place. Young people especially are the most likely victims, receiving abusive emails or ‘instant messages’. Personally, I think more information needs to be given to young people wanting to use Facebook. And more support given to those who are being bullied especially on the internet. Some young teenagers getting bullied in school for example, turn to social networking to escape, and when their being bullied on the internet as well as school, it becomes unbearable. This is when Facebook and other social networking sites become dangerous.
However, when Facebook is used safely, it can be a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. I think it is important to just accept ‘friend requests’ from people you know and can trust, and to always be wary.

TED: School's kill creativity

TED: Ideas worth spreading.
I've decided to talk about this speech made by Sir Ken Robinson, which I found on the TED website.
I've chosen this video because a number of important points were raised in this speech, a few of which I strongly agree with.
Sir Robinson begins his speech by talking about ‘Human creativity’. He raises the point in his speech that schools ‘kill’ rather than encourage creativity. It was also made clear that he strongly believes creativity is as important in Education as literacy or maths is, therefore should be treated with the same status. I completely agree with this. Children seem to believe the most important subjects in school are English or Maths or Science. What about other subjects’ children are good at? Like dancing, football, or playing the violin. Surely these things should be appreciated too. By not valuing a child’s creativity, surely we are giving the impression that their creativity is worthless.
Another point that Sir Robinson brought up is that the purpose of education seems to be to produce professors. Children who dream of being dancers, or actors or astronauts are steered away from those dreams as their told they’ll ‘never get a job in that field’. Sir Robinson points out that having these dreams is ‘the gift of human imagination’ and we should be building on these dreams rather than tearing them down.
Surely by tearing them down makes the child have doubt in themselves. I believe a child should never be told that they ‘can’t’ do something. They should be encouraged that they can do anything they set their heart on.
I completely agree that English, Maths and Science are important subjects as at the moment they build our national curriculum and are seen as ‘core subjects’. These are the subjects that children need to have good grades in to get into colleges or universities.
However I completely agree a child’s talent should never go unseen, as it what makes that person them, and by encouraging them and helping them grow we help them reach their full potential and give them every opportunity to reach their dream.

Educational Blog review

Over the last couple of months, I've become really used to the idea of 'blogging', considering I didn't really know what it was three months ago!
I think it's a fantastic idea to use them in education, so have been researching other blogs and how they're used. Here are five weblinks of the many I've looked at:
http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/

http://frankchalk.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.boxoftricks.net/blog/

http://edu.blogs.com/

http://www.livesofteachers.com/

The most interesting blog I looked at was the 'Creative Education blog', (the first link listed).
I really enjoyed looking at this blog. It seems to be aimed at teachers, especially the newly qualified which will hopefully be me in a couple of years! There are loads of different posts, funny ones such as 'How to Motivate Your Class After the Summer Break', and 'The 7 Signs You’re Losing Control of Your Class'.
But the blog also focussed on more serious issues that are found in schools. One of the posts that caught my eye concentrates on the serious issue of anorexia, a eating disorder which is mostly found among young girls. Anorexia is something that is very close to me, as a friend suffered with it through school, and she was never given any support until she fell really ill. But I think if a teacher noticed and said something about her habits, it might have been prevented. The post says 'prevention is always better than a cure', which I completely agree with. It goes on to give tips on how to support a student with this issue.
 I think it is a positive thing that it is being recognised, and students who are suffering should be given support.

Appreciating everything around you...

It's only the last couple of years I've actually started to appreicate the beautiful setting I live in!
My family and I decided to go for a 'New Year's walk' today in the Gower, Swansea, and here's a few of the photos I took..

Animation; Love at first sight

Hello 2013

Wishing a happy and a healthy New Year to my lovely friends and family!
Looking forward to what this year brings, and to get back to uni!

Evaluating a website

I decided to evaluate the website.. http://www.abcya.com
How easy is it to navigate? It's really easy to use and get around. The different pages are seperated by different grades which makes it easier for children using it. It's also bright and colourful and clearly labelled.
Are there any help/guide videos? At the start of each game there are instructions but nothing further which might be difficult for some children.
Do you need to register? No
Is it free? Aspects that are free? Yes the site is free to use.
Is it easy to use? Yes it is really easy to use. Everything is clearly labelled.
What multimedia aspects are there? Most of the games came with animations.
Does it provide enbeded codes?