Evidence of Learning #1Evidence
The first evidence of learning I have selected is a screencast exploring issues surrounding mobile learning. It was created using a combination of the app Sock Puppets and the screencasting software, screencast-o-matic. Date of Creation: March 2017 Learning Outcomes:
Given that the assignment was to define mobile learning and articulate some of the benefits and challenges associated with it, I chose to use a mobile device in the process of the creation of this evidence. I used the app Sock Puppets, which allows users to record and modify their voice and choose a puppet as their avatar. In the process of creating this project I had an opportunity to confer with my colleagues. Hearing their perspectives on mobile learning along with its benefits and challenges was valuable. Examining the role that mobile learning plays in my own school made me question some of our current policies and practices (such as no BYOD and no signing out of the chromebooks by students). While the Sock Puppet app's novelty will appeal to students of all ages. The Sock Puppet app is all about sharing. What's the fun of creating a puppet show if no one sees it? Subscribers to a Connectivist approach to learning will love how easy it is for students to create and share their creations and students will love choosing sock puppet avatars and changing their voice. I did discover some limitations to the app. You are limited to 90 seconds on the free version. In addition, the app does not have the capacity to record different scenes with different characters and backgrounds in one recording. You are limited to the same characters and backgrounds for your scene. In order to change backgrounds or characters you are required to make separate recordings and use other tools to merge them There is also a limited selection of puppets and backgrounds to select from. The novelty and humourous aspect to the Sock Puppet app makes it engaging. Providing students with choices for representing their learning is important and this offers an alternative to traditional slideshow presentations. It also provides teachers with a different tool to deliver instruction. Who wouldn't rather watch a sock puppet talk about how to perform division than their teacher? |
Evidence of Learning #2Evidence The second evidence of learning that I have selected is a narrated screencast of a Google Slides presentation evaluating the educational app Dragonbox Numbers. Date of Creation: April 2017 Learning Outcomes:
The creation of this screencast provided many new experiences. I allowed me to examine an apps potential usefulness in my classroom; it allowed me to apply several app evaluation tools in a practical situation and it presented an opportunity to practice reflecting the screen of my iPad onto my laptop….a useful ability for sharing a screen with a class to demonstrate a new app. My experience with educational apps has been limited, and as a result I have not used the class set of iPads that is available to all teachers at my school to its full potential. Closely examining the features of one app with the potential to enrich students’ understanding of basic math concepts provides me with one more tool that I feel confident sharing with my students. Using a variety of tools, such as the Educational App Checklist and Kathy Shrock's Critical Evaluation of a Content-Based iPad App to assess apps reinforced that not all apps are created equal. Some are best suited for particular situations. Others are simply superior to others. The same is true of the tools used to assess apps. Some are a better fit than others in particular situations. I chose to narrate a Google Slides presentation with embedded videos as graphics and sound appeal to both auditory and visual learners. Including video clips of the game in action provide an authentic experience for the viewer. The ability to project the image of my tablet screen onto my laptop is a new skill and one that will be useful in demonstrating new apps to students. The presentation template, downloaded from SlidesCarnival, enables the user to insert their own text and images and gives the presentation a more polished appearance. Mobile devices are likely to become a more common tool in classrooms, being familiar with apps with potential applications in the classroom and tools with which to assess them is going to be an increasingly important skill. |