TJ853 Information and Communication Technologies Digital Portfolio Shane Hoffmann

WebQuests What is a WebQuest?

Social Bookmarking Social bookmarking websites allow the user to save links to their favourite websites in one location. It differs from using “Favourites” in the menu bar because anyone on the web can view your favourites, therefore students can gain access from home. delicious.com By using simple social bookmarking websites like delicious.com, I can provide a list of resources for students

Social Bookmarking Tag websites Saved websites can be “tagged” into general groups to make it easier for users to navigate their way through the site

Social Bookmarking delicious.com can be used by students of almost any age. Personally, I intend to use it mostly for students in VELS level 3 and 4, however it would be an ideal and safe place to introduce concepts such as pointing and clicking for students in the early years. delicious.com

Microsoft Word Word processors can be used for a variety of functions across all levels of the curriculum Publishing work Creating Web Pages Copying and pasting text and images Practicing typing Apart from these common tasks, I would use Microsoft Word to assist me to teach the alphabet in the early years. Difference between upper and lower case letters Example scenario: “What happens when I press the ‘D’ key? Does it look the same on the screen as it does on the keyboard? Why? What about when I press ‘C’?” Finding letters on the keyboard Example scenario: “Lisa, can you please come and find the capital ‘G’? What about the lower case ‘J’?”

Art & ICT STILL LIFE is a website that allows users to form a traditional style painting by selecting objects from its menus. The objects can then be moved around the painting simply by clicking and dragging. Furthermore, the image can then be manipulated by changing the angles of the furniture, increasing or reducing shadows, changing foreground and background colours and textures, among other functions. Also, the image can be distorted via different types of ‘paintbrushes’ to give different effects. STILL LIFE I would use this program primarily with level 1 and 2 students because of its user friendliness and simplicity. The software is more about clicking and dragging than artistic integrity, so it would be ideal for young students to develop their mouse or interactive whiteboard skills.

Art & ICT ArtRage ArtRage is a free downloadable program on the web, which allows users to create real-life paintings with their PC. Such is the detail of the program that the paint on the brush eventually runs out unless the user re-dips it. Paintings can be started from scratch or existing images can be manipulated. ArtRage is a fantastic program which can be used in many year levels. While it has the technical capabilities to cater for older students (the full version of the software could be used in VCE), it is simple enough for even Level 1 students to use. It could be used not only in the art domain, but even as an alternative for drawing an illustration for a narrative or retell during writing. Similarly, students could use it to communicate a response to a guided reading story.

Literacy Center Literacy Center is an excellent website for the early years. It provides various activities for the alphabet in upper and lower case, simple numeracy and shapes and colours. It is particularly useful when used with an interactive whiteboard. The following slides outline some of the literacy activities that Literacy Center provides.

Literacy Center (cont.) Students can learn about the alphabet in both upper and lower case. Whole-class or individual activity Excellent visual tool

Literacy Center (cont.) Students can learn about the formation of letters. While this activity does not teach about how to write the letters, it acts as a visual aide which familiarises students with the letters.

Literacy Center (cont.) Memory Game Students can match upper case letters with their lower case equivalents

Literacy Center (cont.) This activity provides another means for students to equate upper and lower case letters.

This website allows students to test their spelling using the familiar “look, cover, write, check” method. It is very visual and can be used as a group on an interactive whiteboard or individually Suitable for students in Level 3 and above LOOK COVER WRITE CHECK okcover/lookcover.html

Look, Cover, Write and Check (cont.) There are many different “word banks” available Students can focus on words with particular sounds or letters e.g. “ea”, “sh” etc. Each word bank can be tailored to the needs of the student

YouTube This website can be a very powerful tool, if used correctly; careful planning should be conducted prior to showing students videos. The teacher must always have assessed the content of the clip before the students are exposed to it. Can also be used to upload videos the students have produced (depending of course on parental consent). Can be suitable for all age- groups depending on the content of the video being watched. Very useful with an interactive whiteboard

CamStudio This program is free to download, and allows the user to record the actions they perform on their computer into a video format E.g. a student might make a tutorial on how to save and print a document in Microsoft Word Not limited by film reels Very easy to use and saved files are relatively small Suitable for Level 3 students and above Download CamStudio

Math Playground Math Playground is an excellent resource for engaging students in mathematics. It focuses on multiplication tables, algebra and percentages, aimed at students aged Personally, I would use this site with year 5 and 6s only, because some of the games – while addictive – are rather difficult. The following slides review two of Math Playground’s games. When using this site in the classroom, it is important to keep in mind that it is an American resource, therefore some of the questions may contain unfamiliar content e.g. quarters, nickels etc.

Math Playground (cont.) The Pumpkin Multiples game requires students to choose a target (or base) number (e.g. in the case on the right – 4) for which they are comfortable with in terms of its multiples. The students must use the keyboard arrows to control the ghost to catch the pumpkins that ARE multiples of the target number. At the end of each game students are provided with a summary of their correct and incorrect answers

In this game students guide the rocket ship past the asteroids by answering multiplication equations. To turn the ship to the left (as shown here) the student must answer the left equation. As the game progresses the speed increases, making it more difficult for advanced students. Math Playground (cont.)