Assessment Task #4

REFLECTION 4 WEEK 5 – Exploring Group 3 Tools...

Zteven Whitty

This reflection regards the brief interaction and building experiences I have had over the last week exploring the web 2.0 Group 3 tools. These were tools that could be chosen for their presentation function. My focus was emaze. As a presentation tool, emaze is ideal for teachers to employ when introducing or working through unit tasks. Equally ideal is its suitability for students to collate their findings in various reporting style assessment pieces. This tool has added to my constantly developing pedagogue by displaying the value in the interactive potentiality of a slide show based lesson and submission. Whilst, at the same time, highlighting the importance in remaining mindful of the degree and nature of the attentiveness belonging to those of whom a presentation would be targeted. To expand, this on line tool has brought to my consideration the power in having engaging presentations in a demanding setting. Student attention types conditioned to expect constant shifts and changes may find the captivating content maintained by the lively pulse of an emaze presentation more accessible and therefore lead to better opportunities for learning gains. This point is intensely relevant for trying to encourage all students to get involved in the activities of a lesson. Once here, adding plausibility to student attitudes towards regarding these activities and the subject to which they belong as valid learning content - a necessitated motive beyond teaching methods for traditionally fringe learning areas such as my desired focus teaching area - Primary school, dance. 

Please find the following components in this post… 

1. bangarra   - a slideshow of the work produced this week using the online presentation creator.

2. PMI MindMap  - a graphic charting positive, negative, and, appealing factors of this tool.

3. Ethical Insights   - some safety, legal and ethical notions surfacing from publishing content.

4. Technical Insights  - a brief usability and potentiality account of the technology this tool uses.

5. SAMR Connections -  how this tool integrates established education resource modalities.

1. Year 5 Dance Lesson Term 3 Week 1 ... 

Made for CQUniveristy educational purposes 

under Part VA, Copyright Act 1968

Date of Broadcast:

Of Earth and Sky  image.............2010

Mathinna (Mutton Bird).............2008

Kinship (B&W)...........................2013

Date this copy made: ...27 March 2014

*All images and videos remain the property of Bangarra Dance Theatre

**********************************************************************

 

Notes to students...

emaze presentation menu for Grade 5 English click here

• Be sure to carefully select edit (pencil symbol)  
• Be sure to avoid file deletion (trash can symbol)

u: mailzteven@gmail.com
p: emaze11

2. A little digital diarizing ... 

Please please click to enlarge 

3. Some specific considerations on legal and ethical matters... 

Using any online content generation tool to create quality educational resources warrants the attention of safe, legal and ethical conduct. emaze would put a user in the same delicate position as any other online content generator when reckoning with content proprietary inside the act of producing and promoting education resource.

• emaze and safe content proprietary. To ensure safe use of the functions and applications made available by this tool one would need to act respectfully and diligently. This can be achieved by using a purpose use credit card for on line school related purchases. Also, in relation to the way in which this presentation may be viewed; where the purchase option to download is left unselected; invitees receive a link to a menu page that lists the viewable presentations of a user. Mindful consideration needs to be applied here as this page may have other sensitive presentations of the personal kind or of the kind that may reveal inappropriate school materials. 

• emaze and legal content proprietary. Like any online conduct, when intending to appropriate and publicly distribute any non-personal asset, one must ensure that copyright issues are revealed and dealt with professionally, and, that assets are properly attributed to original creators/authors when used in an appropriate manner under certain acceptable circumstances. As is the case with on line content generation tools is the option to embed a video from YouTube or other sources such as Vimeo or personal uploads. Something that is relevant to this area of thought - and to education in a macro view - is to do with a right to include broadcast published content. Students and teachers are to check with their schools and ensure licenses are in order and once approved, feel comfortable in accessing and utilising relevant media in their work with reason (please see appendix 1). To share a statement found on the Screenrights website "Screenrights offers a number of licences allowing for the use of film, television and radio. In many cases, your institution, department or business may already be covered by a licence, taken out on your behalf." (A-VCS, 2011)

•  emaze and ethical content proprietary. A student may need to access a project as part of a collaborative group activity response effort. Here, trust will play an ultimate role in the generation life of an assessment endeavour. ICT's policy will need to adamantly stipulate conditions of activity participation to be exhibited by all students. An example can be found here.¹ 
• 
  

Time for a picture... 

...Choreographing presentations is cool. 

...So, too, is attribution² 

4. Technology applications in my teaching area… 

Accessibility:

emaze is very accessible. Most creation functions are similar to other on line content generation tools. Specifically, however, there are three simple to navigate zones to facilitate the user interface, and, a direct collaboration process for the option of group participation:

1) A file zone on the right of screen to control passwords, collaboration, upgrading, downloading, editing etc; 

2) A slide control panel on the left of screen to add, subtract and organise slides in the presentation, upload a pre-constructed presentation from PowerPoint, and, insert section breakers and;

3) An editing zone comprised of a section to copy/paste, trash, undo/redo, save presentation (although there is an auto save aspect running at all times) and, play presentation buttons, as well as, an object manipulator toolbox of which features TEXT, IMAGE, VIDEO, SHAPE, CHART editing and importing functions. 

To make collaboration groups a teacher would send individual invites via email to those students to be involved in the planning, construction, and, evolution of a presentation. Once the collaboration is open students enter the presentation via the shared option tab at their login menu and use the drop field on the right of screen in the chosen work interface to select the edit option. This will only be available if the original creator selects public access as opposed to private. This public/private setting also applies to the end viewing setting of a presentation and is made in the permissions section of each presentation.

Construction:

There is a meticulous yet rewarding option to choose a swirling 3D slideshow interface. Alternatively, many interesting and engaging pre-set templates support a well-designed 2D option. My example employs the 3D setting engaging whilst informative and links to previously established approach to teaching. Plenty of embed options include videos, text, pictures, music and sound effects. When editing in on line content manipulator pixlr, I found it important and valuable to learn about file types and their  extension capabilities. A time budgeted user will found the template option very handy along with the aspect reusability for graphics, images, or, text boxes - a major contributor to the efficiency of a presentation production cycle. 

Presentation:

There are a few payment options, each with their own trial periods, whereby there purchase allows a presenter to bypass the public presentation page and take a viewer straight to and play from a new browser tab on or off line. Here, links and videos can run smoothly and efficiently inside the browser. A particular difference from other presentation tools would be the visual depth to the imagery - emaze offers a unique
slide experience with an escorted sense of discovery.

TECH

An interesting detail I noticed was the limit in available colours when attempting to assign individuality or distinction to a text, a border, or, an object. The range of effects tend to focus on the warping of an object and its transparency. A specific, rather unique, technical constituent of the effects permits a user to anticipate the viewing experience and compose assets on neighbouring slides in precise positions so as to add to a thematic continuity. An example of this is in the presentation slide where a mutton bird appears perched on an ampersand in one slide, however, when this slide breaks away the viewer is carried into the next slide with this summative assets in mind by finding that the mutton bird belonged only to the next slide. 

In this webtool a presenter can place transparent images over elements in the background to establish a sense of incorporation with ideas that are no longer in the foreground discussion yet are worthy of retaining consideration. Here, one could get very figurative with an allegorical realm of a creation and, if invested consciously, can almost go on to make the cohesive form and fluidity of a presentation a performance of its own.

If I were to, perhaps, ever hold computer heavy focus lessons I would prepare a file reference list so as to aid productivity - objective being to avoid a digital world of time wasting. 

Applications for dance would be for students to trace the genus of choreographic creations (theirs or others) - where images representing particular elements can be strung together to reinforce their placement or notation. Seeing it move into the next image strengthens the connection between these ideas in their dance and the practice of dance itself.

I would use this tool as a hook for starting new content in a class. The assessment could be able to cover ACELY1707 (please see appendix 2) ACARA year five English requirement. Although an English subject assessment this topic could be explored in an arts setting, this would be particularly advantageous in a class where students who are yet to recognise dance as an actual class and would be expected to apply themselves with assiduity and intent. This curriculum cross-over coupled with a presentation like this example might influence the course experience of unit work in terms of student conduct, behaviour and general topic enthusiasm.  

5. SAMR concerning my group three tools... 

SUBSTITUTION

Activity definition: a demonstration of topic knowledge in response to an activity.

Activity outline: At this level a student might gather ideas in imagery or written text and sequentially place them in an presentation in response to a text source.

Activity example: Use presentation to define the following words "Clan" and "Allegory"...

AUGMENTATION

Activity definition: an interpretative or reflective response to an activity of which calls for added comprehension, and, the application of extended concept avenues.

Activity outline: At this level, in response to a text source, a student might make inferences on the theme of a text, generate their own response and apply individual setting imagery, viewing agenda, and, subjective orientation, then place them in a presentation with the overlay of supportive content through chosen text, images, graphs and videos.

Activity example: Use presentation to relate four elements of one page where the level of illumination could hold textual significance to the thematic purpose of the text source: Bangarra Dance Theatre, CLAN with a different page in the book...

MODIFICATION

Activity definition: a demonstration of topic analysis in response to an activity.

Activity outline: At this level a student might create a selected amount of slides with the intent to contribute towards a group response articulate presentation. Here, a designation of tasks objectively drives the group consensus to arrive at a desired end product. 

Activity example: Use presentation to outline and contribute to your group slideshow what element you feel is shaping a sense of chronology in the text source: Bangarra Dance Theatre, CLAN...

REDEFINITION 

Activity definition: an investigative or diagnostic response to an activity of which calls for added evaluation and, the synthesis of extended concept avenues.

Activity outline: At this level a student might collaborate in an original, editable presentation which reports on their findings in response to a unit of study with a metaphoric overtone. Here, a designation of corresponding text source related assets awaits each student to enhance the original slideshow file by layering it with specific textual characteristics.

Activity example: Use presentation to assess the impact of background assets, features and illumination qualities has in influencing a sense of chronological order in the text source: Bangarra Dance Theatre, CLAN...

Extended SAMR thoughts...

The result of experimenting this week is a presentation of which aims to excite a year five class through a body of work at a pace at which the student feels comfortable. Hopefully, if the objective was met, the experience of viewing and working from the presentation video would be one of enjoyment, acknowledgement, and, assurance for the participant. This tool has the potential to foster these great attributes by modifying a traditional topic exploration found in the form of an overhead projection.

                     

  

  

Appendix  

1) 

please click to enlarge (2 assets)

2) 

Literacy

Creating texts

Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1707)³

ACARA: ENGLISH, Year 5

References 

¹Taken directly from website, accessed 28 March, 2014: 

http://www.sbc.qld.edu.au/about.php?id=35/NETWORK%20&%20TECHNOLOGY%20POLICY.html
²Attribution example: Attribution, image credit: screenshot edited image fromhttp://www.bangarra.com.au/performance/ofearthandsky

³Taken directly from website, accessed 28 March, 2014: 
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/Curriculum/F-10#level5

• Audio-Visual Copyright Society. (2011). Screenrights Australia Content Users. 

            Retrieved from website:https://www.screenrights.org/content-users/apply-for-a-licence/australia

Thank you for reading my reflection. 

Good Energy !! 

Zteven Whitty 

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