Module 8 Activity 5- Interactive white boards

This activity was quite a long one, lots of reading but yet good. I must admit I did not read all of the readings but those that I looked at were very informative; some with even interesting topics such as, "Do smartboards make smart students?" I really enjoyed looking at the video clips, I noticed how the students were involved in the lesson and worked with each other while the teacher taught using the IWB, I also noticed the teacher not only was limited to standing by the board but they came and interacted with the students so they got help with their work. Throughout this activity Ive learnt that IWB has its advantages and disadvantages like many other things that exist but it would definitely suggest that schools get one and use it, it may cost a lot but its a tool that help make the students learning easier and more fun.

Module 8 Activity 4

One computer classrooms
quite an interesting activity, based on one computer classrooms I'm not an advocate for this one computer class.I think its only use is if the teacher is using it to display information to the whole class. apart from that its confusion in each group, everyone wants to be the one holding the mouse. however one computer classrooms can be used for whole group quizzes, questions , demonstrations and presentations. in this activity there were alot of discussion among my colleages whether it is a good thing or not but I have come to the conclusion that as long as the teacher develop fun and effective activities and are able to manage the class.

Module 8 Activity 3

This activity  showed me a the good and bad about high density labs, it helped me realise that most of our schools in this country have a lab and their sole purpose is to house large classes to do mainly information tech and sometimes other subjects areas. in the discussions my colleagues brought out some valid points about the issues of these labs for example the layout doesn't change in comparison to using laptops in classroom where students can be  arranged in multiple ways so they can collaborate. My main issue with labs is the cost of setting up, then as teachers we have to think about managing the large number of students, monitoring what they are doing and how they are progressing; it may be a little tedious. High density labs maybe good when students do not own  a personal computer, the class may work together during and after class time in the lab to get things  done and in addition with the use of a projector the teachers can get topics taught to the whole class pointing their attention in one place then they follow on the computers. I prefer using a classroom instead of a lab but each situation has their pros and cons and based on these a school may decide which is best to work with.

Module 8 Activity 2

From researching  I have concluded that ICT enabled classes rooms have both pros and cons and as the teacher the most important of all is the planning and managing in every aspect. on the other hand the major drawback would be managing the resources and  when they fail to work. from my readings I also encountered some words which I made not of in the glossary of the wiki; im still surprised I never knew about photoblogging, its seems so much more fun that me typing this sentence currently..makes this blog seem old fashion :). The use of the wiki is stilll interesting and I continue to enjoy its use when it comes to collaboration. I look forward to doing more work with the wiki and continue learning more.

Activity 1 module 8

Activity 1 started sort of tough for me I must say but at the end it was a great activity. My reasons for saying it began tough  was that I was having problems with the WIKI, however I signed up and got linked up with the course's Wiki page. I realised that this tool is very insterestng and it made me wonder why didnt i know about this earlier? The wiki is a great tool that I my self will be setting up soon with my students so we can all collaborate and work on topics and share information.

This activity not only introduced me to the Wiki site but also classroom management ; with the help of my colleagues I was able to gain some tips on the importance of classroom management and how to effectively manage use several skills to manage the class. I was grateful  for the collaborative effort and this really inspired me to use this tool.

Activity 10: producing the resource

Producing the resource

This activity basically brings out the creativity in me and I believe the other teachers as well. Having to create interesting activities which engages the students and caters for their needs is a fun thing to do as a teacher; especially using  a digital resource. I used Microsoft to create the activities for the students which would be inthe form of tables/worksheets if I am to create the lesson i would need to add another digital resource which would make life easier for students and teacher. I enjoyed the activity simply because I am a teacher and this is what I love to do- gather work and create diverse learning activities for my students. 

Activity 6

using office software with subject learning

This was quite an interesting activity, comprising of three parts where with each I had to use a different type of office software; I am capable of using the office software competently so what  I really learnt was using my skills to prepare Teaching/learning activities to better enhance my students abilities. The activity help show us that regardless of the subject area, we can still use office software to produce documents for our students and if we do not know how to use them, then we have the opportunity to learn so we can be better equipped for this technological age with the inclusion of ICT in our teaching.