Reflective synopsis

The past eight (8) weeks have been an adventure to say the least.  With the introduction to so many new digital technologies and pedagogical frameworks that initially made my head spin with excitement and fear.  On one hand I was excited at the possibility of using many of these new technologies within my teaching practice to help engage learners, but on the other hand I was fearful of what was ahead of me. 

In today's society of digital learners, the classrooms are being transformed with the implementation of not only these ICT's, but the way in which students are being taught, to gain the most favourable outcomes.  Education has moved from Mode 1 knowledge, which was basically discipline based, towards Mode 2 knowledge, where education is focused on allowing students to become involved in their own learning, concentrating on and producing higher order thinking skills.  Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p. 25) assert "in the former, the discipline tends to determine the context and outcomes, whereas in the latter, knowledge is intended to be useful to someone whether in classrooms, the community, industry, government or society more generally."

As educators it is up to us to prepare these students for their careers and life outside of school.   Globalisation has transformed companies in the 21st Century and educators must prepare students for these changes.   Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p. 26) concurs "the purpose of education systems is to prepare young people in appropriate ways for the challenges and responsibilities they will face throughout their lives, ... and if society is changing, so should the way in which we introduce young people to it."  Through the implementation of ICT's within the classroom, I believe learning becomes more student centred and aligns significantly with the Engagement theory by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) which incorporates the 'Relate - Create  - Donate' theory, as well as Active learning. I endeavour to use these theories as the framework for my own pedagogical rationale.  For learning to take place, students need to be involved in the process, have an authentic task that is valued in the real world, and the task should be problem-based.

When designing my lessons, in addition to these theories, I would ensure that I follow Lynch's pedagogical framework of the eight learning management questions (8LMQ's) to scaffold student learning.  Smith, Lynch and Mienczakowski (2003, p.  31) describe this by way of "Diagnosing learners, analysing the situation; judge the availability of resources and plan accordingly; design strategies to achieve learner outcomes; implement strategies; evaluate the effectiveness; and use feedback to redesign another cycle."  Not only do we need to know about our students and how they learn, we need to implement useful and authentic tasks into their learning to engage students in the learning process.  As discussed by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) for effective learning to occur there needs to be "an emphasis on collaborative efforts, project based assignment, and non-academic focus."  Thus providing a collaborative class environment allows for creativity to occur, relating to meaningful and authentic learning.  By following the Engagement theory it has become apparent to me that this framework complements Marzarno and Pickering's Dimensions of Learning, as it promotes critical, creative and self regulated thinking.

The ICT's that have been discussed over the past eight (8) weeks have opened up my eyes as to how interactive a classroom can be, as well as ways in which you can cater for diverse learners and learning styles through the use of technology.  The following ICT's will describe ways in which e-learning can be used to support and enhance what students learn, how they learn and when and where their learning takes place.  One of the basic ICT's that can assist and support learning is PowerPoint, catering for students with diverse learning styles when presenting information to the class.  This could be in the form of an informative presentation incorporating pictures from Flickr that can be manipulated in Picnik, music and videos/You Tube embedded into the presentation.  An example of this can be viewed on my blog post.  PowerPoint presentations are a great way for students to interact with simple technology to create something that is fun and engaging.  PowerPoint's can be used as a slide show presentation during a parent teacher night, presenting students work which would incorporate an animation they have previously designed.

The Interactive White Board (IWB)is a great tool to enhance student learning and an efficient and effective way for teachers to implement their lessons, whilst encouraging interaction. I discuss in my blog on IWB's the type of lessons that can be implemented, and the reaction of students towards this new invention.  IWB's make learning interactive, interesting, entertaining and engaging for all involved.  I plan to use the IWB for research with the students as well as the students being able to manipulate text within our unit on narratives.  They will be completing tasks such as cloze activities together or in small groups, throughout a lesson.  Another way to incorporate ICT's to engage learners in the classroom, is through the use of Voki Avatars.  These are fun and interesting characters that enable the teacher to present information on a topic as the 'hook', but more importantly, I believe they are great for students to utilise within their own projects.  My blog on Voki Avatars describes a way in which these fun and creative character can be utilised in teaching and learning.

Wikis allow diversity within student age groups (P-12) as well as allowing utilisation in a wide scope of KLA's.  Wikis are another way in which students can interact with 21st Century technology, through the use of collaboration with peers, when working on an authentic task.  The brilliance of a wiki is it can be used outside of the classroom enabling students to access it at any time to edit or add information.  There are so many ways in which a class can use a wiki, from creating a textbook, culminating ideas to be put on a menu, to summarizing a chapter in a novel.  I have discussed the ways in which you could use a wiki in my blog post on wikis in the learning environment.

Marzano and Pickering (2006, p. 189) assert that when students "perceive tasks as meaningful and relevant, they are motivated to acquire the knowledge needed to complete the task.  As a result, they may achieve a higher level of understanding and proficiency related to that knowledge." I believe that when using an ICT such as Google Earth to create an interactive tour of a specific region Marzano and Pickering's DOL 4 is being addressed.  Carolyne Thornton has shown how this could be done in her blog on using Google earth for educational purposes.  I have further discussed in my own blog posting how Google earth will be used in my classroom during my EPL this term.  Chloe Dux has also created a tour that she will implement with her class to encourage and motivate students.

I can definitely see the benefit in students using a blog in their learning.  Blogs are a collaborative tool that allows teachers and students the ability to interact in and out of school.  Students can use blogs as a reflective journal tool and as discussed by Phebe Moore, this is an excellent way of incorporating literacy skills alongside ICT skills and it can be adapted to each KLA you wish to design it for.

I believe there are many ICT's I will come into contact with during my career, and they will be constantly changing with society.  Utilising and interacting with ICT's provides a teaching and learning environment that is in line with Engagement theory, by providing authentic learning contexts to encourage student motivation and satisfaction.  The ICT's I have discussed and endeavour to use within my teaching practice promotes interaction, collaboration, authentic tasks, active learning, higher order thinking skills and creativity.  These align with engagement theory, active learning practices, mode 2 knowledge, Lynch's 8 LMQs and all of the habits of minds by Marzano and Pickering.  ICT's provide a pathway to the educational resources and learning experiences from around the world. No matter where your students or school are positioned, due to technology the playing field is equal.  So now, geographic location is no longer a handicap in terms of educational equity. By incorporating ICT through the use of the Engagement theory framework, teachers are equipping students with skills to be able to embrace life through lifelong learning.

References


ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Active learning online. Retrieved from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Aldred, S. (2010). EDED20491 - ICTs for learning design: Study guide. Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity Australia.

Felder, R & Solomon, B,. (2004). Learning styles and strategies.  Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

Houghton, J., & Sheehan, P. (2000). A primer on the knowledge economy. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for tehnology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Lucas, G. (2007). George Lucas: Sharing his hope for education at dreamforce. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/george-lucas-education-dreamforce-2007.

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D.  (2006).  Dimensions of learning: Teachers manual (2nd ed.).  Victoria, Australia:  Hawker Brownlow Education.

Pearce, J. & Bass, G.  (2008).  Technology toolkits: Introducing you to Web 2.0.  Victoria, Australia:  Nelson Cengage learning.


The following URL's are evidence of my communication with other students

http://alicecatherine-alice.blogspot.com/2010/04/wiki.html#comments

http://anthonyejournal.blogspot.com/2010/04/acvokiembed20026781f1d820b3db6bf9892611.html#comments

http://eplumb10a2.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-experience-with-flickr.html#comments

 http://learningjourneycaro.blogspot.com/2010/04/music-in-education.html#comments

http://phebemoore.blogspot.com/2010/04/creativity-break-through.html#comments

Incompetech

Incompetech is a fantastic site that allows you to download Royalty free music.  There were so many to choose from, the list was endless.  I believe this type of music can be used for a myriad of reasons.  The first idea to spark in my brain when looking at the site, was to incorporate the music as a hook in a lesson.  This could be used to entice or set the scene for a creative writing activity.  Music has the ability to make a person feel a particular way, thus creating an atmosphere for creativity to begin.  This music could be used for teachers and students to embed into PowerPoints, or simply for a teacher to bring calm and relaxation into the room.  The ideas are endless and exciting, from relaxation to accompanying a digital video a student has created.  I feel that the use of music within a class can encourage engagement and increase productivity.  Today's learners are exposed to many different forms of music that are readily available thanks to technology such as Incompetech.

Slideshare helping with engagement

I became familiar with slideshare when uploading my PowerPoint presentation a few weeks ago and found it to be a useful tool for editing, adding narration, You Tube videos and adding music to PowerPoint slides.  I used the following slidecasting 101 presentation to guide my way through the process to learn how to incorporate and upload narration.

Slidecasting 101

View more presentations from Jonathan Boutelle.

At this point I have not been able to upload a narration or MP3 music for my presentation, but look forward to doing this for future presentations that I can implement during my EPL.  The students in my class display various learning styles but seem to engage well with presentations that involve music and narration.  Felder (2004) concludes that "Visual learners remember best what they see--pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations.  Verbal learners get more out of words --Written and spoken explanations.  Everyone learns more when information is presented both visually and verbally." I believe incorporating narration and/or music to my PowerPoints a way to enhance learning.  I also believe this tool will be a great addition to many PowerPoint presentations designed by students to display their creativity.

References

Felder, R & Solomon, B,. (2004). Learning styles and strategies.  Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

A New Discovery

An exciting discovery of a new ICT was made today.  I was introduced to the concept of 'Overlay Programs' for HPE/Sports. Sportscode & Motion Pro are examples of these types of programs which allow teachers, coaches or athletes to analyse the performance in a  particular sport. This may perhaps be extremely beneficial to the track and field team in all areas, to determine how the students can improve their technique.  This program is uncomplicated, and engages students in their own learning journey.  Students would be able to film each other performing a particular run, throw or jump event.  The information from the recording can then be processed by the teacher, and overlayed onto the correct technique required to gain best results.  Next the students will be able to analyse how their performance can be improved, as well as how well they performed.  Furthermore these programs can capture the performance changes in the students over a period of time, allowing the teacher to see actual improvements, as well as determining where they require extra guidance and advice on technique.  These programs are helpful to teachers in senior grades as it offers a way to document students learning and improvement. Following is an example of how an overlay program operates.
SportsCode Analysis

Motion Pro

Wikipedia - To trust or not to trust?

Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia in which anyone can contribute. Wikipedia has rules and guidelines and is monitored to keep information accurate. Only six years ago when i started my journey to becoming a teacher, I was implicitly told by lecturers that we were NOT to use Wikipedia as reference tool as it was highly unreliable. Oh how times have changed in only six years. Wikipedia is a great place for students to go to gain valuable and reliable information at the click of a button. I found when I completed my search for nutrition on Wikipedia the list of resources was endless. From a food balance wheel to related topics, and external links to associated websites such as Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease. There was also a link to databases on recipe nutrition. This would be something I would incorporate into my lesson on developing a health menu. Students would be able to look up nutrition on Wikipedia and have a look around at what they think the important issues relating to nutrition and the development of their menu are. Wikipedia would be a starting point for students to research the topic and they would then need to corroborate this information with another source.  Pearce and Bass (2008) state "Using Wikipedia for learning activities offers teachers and students the opportunity to illustrate how well they understand a given topic and how to go about 'knowing' the difference.'


References:

Pearce, J. & Bass, G.  (2008).  Technology toolkits: Introducing you to Web 2.0.  Victoria, Australia:  Nelson Cengage learning.

YouTube and TeacherTube

I have selected this YouTube video for the purpose a HPE class. In today's society we are faced with so many digitally enhanced images, it is no wonder girls in particular have a distorted view of what it is to be beautiful. This lesson would be talking about feeling beautiful on the inside and liking you for you. It is important that both girls and boys understand that what portrayed in the media is often not what is in real life. From the sports celebrities to non famous people, their images are altered to conform with today's societal norms. This YouTube video will show how these images are altered and will shock most students when they see how it is done. This video can be found on both YouTube and TeacherTube, and is just one of many that you can use to gain engagement and interest within the classroom. YouTube Videos are a great way to start a lesson as the 'Hook'. I look forward to implementing YouTube and TeacherTube into my lessons in the near future.

Interactive WhiteBoards

The Interactive WhiteBoard is a tool that I cannot wait to get my hands on and learn how to incorporate it into my lesson planning. The school in which I am completing my EPL at is fortunate enough to have one in each of their classrooms. The teachers are actively using these boards and the children are engaged constantly when they are in use. The following video discusses the advantages of the Promethean board, which is a type of interactive whiteboard. My Eldest son came home at the beginning of the year and told me about the Promethean board they have in their classroom. The excitement in his voice when he was explaining to me what it was, created a very clear picture about how children in the learning environment feel about this emerging ICT. These interactive whiteboards make learning interactive, interesting, entertaining and engaging for all students, as well as making use of technologies to better engage visual auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. ACU (2000), states active learning is "A multi-direction learning experience in which learning occurs teacher-to-student, student-to-teacher...[and] involves activity-base learning experiences: input, process, and output. These activity-based experiences take many shapes, whole class involvement, teams, small groups, trios, pairs, individuals." The interactive white board or Promethean is an example of how we can incorporate active learning into our classrooms.





References:

ACU Adams Center for Teaching Excellence. (2000). Active learning online. Retrieved from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

Image Manipulation with Picnik

The following images have been uploaded into Flickr and then edited in Picnik.  

As you can see this first photo is very blue and dull looking, even though it was taken in the afternoon on sunset. I really didn't think that any program would be able to fix this issue. I was happy to find that I was able to make a few changes in Picnik and I now have a lovely family portrait that I can use.

This is the finished result. 

I think this program would be fantastic for students to use. There are various features that you are able to use to gain different effects. Picnik can be used to reduce the file size and even the actual size of some images.  If you are asking your students to create a PowerPoint presentation, they could upload their photos for their presentation in Flickr and then compress and alter the photos in Picnik. It is often a very difficult task when trying to explain how to reduce the photo size to enable it to be published on a Web page, email, or PowerPoint and Picnik is a great, easy and simple way of allowing not only you as a teacher to perform these changes but for you students as well. Once again a lesson involving this type of task would be classed as active learning and in line with Dale's Cone & the Learning Pyramid ensure learning effectiveness and retention.

Week One EPL Journey & Google Earth

Thursday and Friday I attended my orientation days of my EPL.  I was very nervous to say the least.  I am completing my EPL in a Primary School made up of three (3) classes with a total of sixty three (63) students and three (3) full time teachers, one of which is also the Principal and my Mentor Teacher.  I was a little unsure of what ICT's would be available in the school and if any, would the teachers be using them?  I was delighted to find that each classroom has ten (10) laptops each, an interactive whiteboard, (that I am itching to learn how to use) and teachers that embrace modern technology & ICT's in learning.  The students were into the computer and working on an interactive classroom with the LOTE teacher an hour into my first day.  The enthusiasm of the teacher was rubbing off onto the students, and I found myself wanting to learn more and more.  Marzano and Pickering;s (2006) DOL 1 explains that teachers need to "Exhibit a sense of enthusiasm about material you present.  If you are excited about the content, students may share your enthusiasm." Well I can undoubtedly see this occurring with the LOTE teacher and the students. It was fantastic to be able to watch this happening and to become a part of it.  One of the advanced students was able to show me what the class had completed in the past, and what they were engaging in at present. I would love to be able to be a part of their journey but unfortunately I am unable to gain access to that part of learning place. The use of ICTs within this school is very important as there is a high percentage of Aboriginal students that come from the local community, who do not have the opportunity to interact with ICT's outside of school.  I have found in the very short time of being there, that ALL students in this particular class are very excited and engaged in leraning with the new ICT's being introduced into the classroom/ learning environment.  Another new ICT I have been introduced to over the past week, is Mathletics. What an amazing way for students to gain confidence in their math skills. I have not had the opportunity as yet to see this in action in the classroom, but have been able to go online and view how it all works. I will put further information on my blog once I learn more about this spectacular program.

The class is also involved in virtual contact with other teachers and students in Indonesia. They are able to look up on Google Earth where the students school physically is, enabling them to gain a greater understanding of how far away they are. This is a great way students can learn about Indonesia first hand, through  the actual students from Indonesia telling their stories.  Marzano and Pickering (2006) states this it is important to "Construct tasks that are 'authentic', that is, related to life outside of school or in the workplace.  Students who clearly see the relevance and use of tasks are more likely to be engaged in them."  I was in the class when they received their very first email response from the teacher at the Indonesian school, accepting their friendship/contact request the class had submitted in the previous lesson.  The look on the students faces was just fantastic.  There were looks of disbelief and excitement.  The LOTE teacher put this email up on the interactive whiteboard for everyone to see.  The students were then able to go online to Google Earth and look up the place the school was at  as well as start to research about Indonesia so they could accumulate questions to forward onto the students at the Indonesian school.

This now leads me on to one of the topics for the week 'Google Earth'.  As discussed above, there are many ways in which you could use Google Earth in the classroom.  After looking at Joe Wood's Blog on Google Earth in the classroom with project based learning, I can see so many more exciting ideas for how we could utilise this amazing ICT.  Exploring geographical locations is just the start.  Exploring what the terrain is like in certain areas would be interesting. But the exciting thing I came across was using it for a Shakespeare unit to follow where it was set. What a fantastic way to engage students on a subject they may find boring or difficult!  I can not wait until I go back to school next week and share with my mentor teacher, the different ways in which it can be utilised.

References:

Marzano, R., & Pickering, D.  (2006).  Dimensions of learning: Teachers manual (2nd ed.).  Victoria, Australia:  Hawker Brownlow Education.

Flickr and Diverse Learning Styles

Image courtesy of  Flickr (2010)

Flickr is an online program that allows you to load, download and store your photos in one place. You are able to set your security settings to permit friends to view your photos.  These photos can then be embedded into a document or blog as I have done here.  There is an endless supply of photos that other people have uploaded and saved as publicly viewable files.  These photos could be used by students in the classroom for various reasons.  As a teacher, you could possibly use Flickr to accumulate photos you would like to use to aid in visual learning, thus catering for those students who are visual learners.Students in our classes have such a broad range of learning styles that we must cater for.

As Felder and Spurlin (2004) state "Students have different strengths and preferences in the ways they take in and process information - which is to say, they have different learning styles." It is important that we accommodate all learning styles from Active to reflective learners, through the use of hands-on and group work to allow students time to reflect on what they have just completed. Sensing to Intuitive learners through connection with real world tasks as well as interpretations or theories that link with facts. Visual and verbal learners require pictures, diagrams etc with verbal explanation. Sequential and global learners need sequential steps that also help the student see connections to other topics and disciplines. We need to make sure as educators that we incorporate all of the mentioned learning styles for the benefit of every student in our classes. This all seems like a lot to take in, but I think that thorough planning will enable us cover all learning styles, not just one! And if we remember that everyone is an individual with individual needs and learning styles we will succeed! Flickr is just one way in which we can cater for these students.

Blown away by ICT's

This is what our future is going to look like! It is happening now and we need to be fully aware and up to date with global ICT's, thus allowing our students to be able to experience as many new ICT as possible. The more we interact with new ICT's the further ahead our students will be, especially when there are students who would not necessarily have access to many ICT's at home.



This application Microsoft surface is currently being used by a school in Townsville and my husband had the fantastic opportunity to be a part of a professional development day involving this new ICT. Imagine having one of these in your school, it would fantastic. Only problem is, the kids would be fighting over whose go it is. I believe it is only a matter of time before we see these forms of technologies emerging in all of our schools across Australia. I look forward to utilising all of the technologies heading our way within my lessons.

PowerPoint the valuable tool

The development of a PowerPoint presentation was next on our list and I started by completing all of the required readings and watching the tutorial video. I found the video to be helpful in someways and confusing in others. I had previously worked with PowerPoint in my undergraduate studies, but thought I should watch the video to see if I could learn some more to make my presentations more interactive, enjoyable and engaging. I followed the instructions and developed my own presentation as the video progressed. There were a few features that the video said were available but when it came time to implement them, I found they were no longer available through the version of PowerPoint I had on my computer. Finally after typing in the HELP area what I was looking for, I found out how I could utilise the new version in different and more interactive ways. I developed a PowerPoint to be used within an English lesson to give visual aid to students on the topic of 'Representations' within the film 'The Tracker'. PowerPoint presentations can be used for various reasons, such as, in classes for the purpose of adding to the verbal descriptions of some topics to enable students to become further engaged and it is a great way to cater for diverse learning styles present within your class. The versatility and technology available within a presentation is fantastic. I do believe that PowerPoint's can be over used and can contain too much information for students to understand and take in. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication!

The Tracker Powerpoint

View more presentations from CQuniversity.

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Amusing and fun times with Voki avatars

This week I have had to design and set up my very own e-Portfolio within Mahara, and then design a Voki avatar through a website called SitePal. Playing around with the Voki was a great deal of fun and I can see how students would find them motivating and enjoyable to watch and listen to, and also to be able to create one of their very own. Avatars can be used in many different places for many different reasons. I was required to design a Voki and then embed it into this posting, which is what I have done. The character of a Voki can be manipulated in many ways, from the hair, clothing, facial features and even bling. I believe the best part to be the way in which I could record my own voice for up to sixty seconds and have it speak my personal message. Students would see Voki's as an amusing and stimulating way to complete a project. Students could make use of these Vokis within a blog, to state fascinating points or ideas about themselves, or a character they are writing about for a biography. It may possibly be incorporated into a presentation such as a film review. The initial consolidation of information could be placed on a reflective blog, where the Voki could introduce the film and what it is about. The blogs might be judged by peers, and the one with the highest votes, could be published in the local newspaper as a review for the book/film. Aldred, S. (2010) states "... project work and negotiated outcomes ... build student ownership which in turn makes the learning meaningful and engaging." Learning effectiveness and Learning retention as displayed by Dales Cone and the learning Pyramid, show how active learning experiences benefit students greatly. It is important when designing activities and lessons that the learning manager consults Smith and Lynch's model of learning design (8LMQS), thus resulting in the desired outcomes for all students involved, no matter what the diversity of the class. Designing activities involving the use of Vokis will be exciting and enable engagement for those who may not have previously been engaged.

Aldred, S. (2010). EDED20491 - ICTs for learning design: Study guide. Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity Australia.

Mahara the one stop storage space

On reflection of the residential school I attended back in February, I realise how scared and confused I was when faced with the task of developing my e-portfolio in Mahara. I was afraid that I may not be able to remember how to do all of the steps involved, and the fact that this was going to be an assessable tool I was developing. I needed to get my head around it and make sure I got it right so I could focus on the important parts, such as adding relevant information to Mahara and my professional blog, which is now embedded within my Mahara portfolio. I believe this tool to be one of great importance not only to myself, but for my future students within the secondary classroom. This style of tool will allow students to create their own resume, build groups of varying interests, and store work they have developed over time. I see Mahara as a single storage place for all of your important documents, files, videos, and links from various sources, allowing you to access them at anytime with the click of a button. It gives you the flexibility to create different views, allowing you to be selective in what information is accessible, by whom and even how long it is accessible for. This ICT could be used within many classroom settings and provides a way of performing a collaborative tasks amongst students. Students could use Mahara to develop and store material they are gathering for a project on biographies within an English class, using Mahara as a way of designing their own biography. Students could develop their biography through a blog and embed it into Mahara, creating a group that can access and view each blog. They can use the chat tool within the program to discuss any ideas, issues or problems they may have with their project/biography. This activity was designed with the Kearsley and Shneidermans Engagement theory in mind. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) state that " the fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks... [and] ... is intended to be a conceptual framework for technology based learning and teaching." The ideas for use in a classroom setting are endless, and once again I am excited at the prospect of using this tool within my classes in the future. Houghton and Sheehan (200) believe one of the characteristics of the knowledge economy is that "Learning involves both education and learning-by-doing, learning-by-using and learning-by-interacting." Mahara is a fantastic tool to ensure that schools and students are keeping with the times and utilising available technology in this knowledge economy with which we now live.

Reference List

Aldred, S. (2010). EDED20491 - ICTs for learning design: Study guide. Rockhampton, Qld: CQUniversity Australia.

Houghton, J., & Sheehan, P. (2000). A primer on the knowledge economy. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for tehnology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.