Reflection on Google docs and its importance in a classroom

Google docs is an increasingly popular technology with teachers and students. Google Docs includes an online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation editor. Students and teachers can use these tools to collaborate on assignments, projects, newsletters, and blogs, among other things. In this way, Google Docs can promote teamwork. We were being taught about how to create a classroom in google and then have a team discussion. In that classroom teacher can assign work to the class and then students can post their answers and can also comment on others answers too.

Google Docs allows more than one person to work on a particular document at the same time. Students can develop and/or edit documents online, while working with others. Group members no longer have to wait for other group members to update their portion of the presentation. There is no longer the need to upload and download files multiple times or email files back and forth. Also, students don't have to be concerned about using different software at school and at home.students and teachers can use Google Docs to make learning easier and more efficient: 

Google Docs can promote teamwork

Teachers have the opportunity to check student progress and make sure students are following the guidelines. They can provide feedback in the document. Teachers can offer advice which may lead to higher grades.Teachers can use the revisions history to find out who has actually helped on the project and evaluate individual participation and content.

Teachers can discover who is not participating and have the opportunity to correct the situation.

Teachers can use Google Docs to inform students about upcoming assignments.

Google Docs is popular for teams that are developing an essay or a presentation.

A team of students can create a spreadsheet which includes assignment details and deadlines. All the team members update the spreadsheet which allows students to see who is getting their work done on time and who is falling behind.

Reflection on camtasia

Learning with live-action animation, simulation, video, audio, and graphics keep learners interested and reinforces skills. Because it is exciting, challenging, and fun to use, it encourages learners to return to the program again and again .Through continual practice, learning is absorbed and integrated into daily performance.

I used camtasia studio to record PowerPoint presentation to create powerful video lesson. It is important to use because we could able to loaded with information and we had to present it within the given minutes. More over it give us unique ideas to create best presentation through camtasia studio record by editing meaningless talks. 

I found out Camtasia studio a lot of great editing features to help make videos even better learning tools for our children. For example, we can add visual callouts to point out something.We can even add a low music as a background song to encourage them to listen to the video and learn. 

In future I will record instructional videos because I can use those videos in the school and letting students to watch these videos before the session, so as to have class time fully engaged in one-on-one conferences, small group discussion activities instead of lectures. This would allow my students to use many learning methods to explore and mater the content. So, for now, I welcome everyone to watch and listen to video tutorial on frictional force.

Reflection on constructive tool

Every individual has their own design and interpretation about their ideas on locality. Indeed, it is great privilege to attend the ICT module to make other agents know about nature, surrounding, beauty and specialty of my village, I had design an advertisement in PowerPoint using custom animations and shapes which magnified my designed into real. Those features arose creative and imaginative to generate a component into true which may help to attract attention of people to visit my village.

The features also enhanced my creation by adding a good animation that appears to be real and apparent. I believe that these features are beneficial to exercise in classroom too. For instance, a teacher can create an advertisement for next topic or activity and can post in Google classroom. This may influence and boost eagerness in learners to learn and perform the content and activity respectively. It will also prepare the learners to know on the topic beforehand. And also it will enthuse school children to learn beyond the ideas reflected in the text

For me the use of computer itself is using constructive tools in the classroom because we use computers to manipulate information, visualize one's understanding and to expose ourselves to the new information. For example The Power point computer program itself is desktop publishing software that allows users to organize and present their ideas in attractive formats. Besides Power Point program, there are other constructive tools like social networking, MS Word, MS publisher and etc. The simulation of our locality using shapes is the best example of how constructive tools accelerate us to be creative, innovative and intuitive.

While teaching, it will involve the learners and helps to construct the knowledge through thorough interaction considering both the voices of teacher and students. The teaching and learning will be effective and active. Therefore, in future when we become a teacher, it is important to teach a concept through simulation rather than always clinging on the lecture method.

I have created the following simulation to attract attention of people to visit my village.

Reflection on Google classroom

Google classroom simplifies the tasks by combining, eliminating, or organizing the documents. Google classroom will undoubtedly save time and trouble for teachers while grading student's work. Not only does it help teachers, but it also helps students in organizing by putting all assignments and work in one safe place. In Google classroom all the work are done using ICT tools such as computer and words document where there is no requirement for paper.

And it can be also used as a place to post announcement, assignment, and reading materials including video, pictures and students can summit their assignment from any where if there is net and ICT tools that support the Google classroom application.

Students can be invited to join a class through a private code, or be automatically imported from a school domain. And I think that using Google classroom can integrate the use of ICT in a learning process. It can be used as an aid to a teacher where they can use as a means to upload the reading materials like video, through simulation and in PDF form for the children to learn better.

Google classroom is capable for presenting true-to-life situations that learners face every day. Google classroom allows learners to learn by viewing, learn by doing, watching or learn by coaching. All are effective methods for development practical skill and increasing the information retention.The video i had created for my google classroom is given below.

Reflection on communicative tool

What do you mean by communicative tool?

I perceived it as a means of communicating and interacting through instrument like e-mail, chat with teacher and friends on learning topic. The communication can happen before, during and after the lesson. We can either share our experiences on the concept, clarify doubts or can exchange our reflection and understanding with teacher and friends.

To boost the interest of students and keep their attention, teacher can use either use synchronous or asynchronous communicative tool according to necessities in learning. These are two types of communicative tool. The synchronous tools enable real time communication. It is used when we require higher amount of interaction and insistent problem solving. The chat and video conferencing can be used to enhance learning constantly while asynchronous tool like pin up, blogging and virtue learning environment discussion forum can be exercise when students require time in thinking before responding.

Examples of synchronous

                                                       Examples of Asynchronous

How this two communicative tools help in learning?

Both the communicative tools possess advantages and disadvantages by nature of its design. Mutually it amplifies students to construct knowledge through networking and involving in social interaction. It also provides the learners to develop critical thinking especially while asynchronous tool as it does not need to take communication simultaneously. Like for every advantage it also hold disadvantages. This tool may sometime be ineffective to implement in classroom.

For example, if we use synchronous tool, the learner may respond but it may not be appropriate and authentic to valid. As it does not provide space as well as time for students to think and evaluate their respond. While asynchronous may create learners to lose interest in learning after waiting for respond by friends to their questions and taking time to clarify their doubts.

For that purpose, teacher needs to first assess its strength and use accordingly to nature of learning.

Reflection on evaluating information on the internet

Evaluating information on the internet

How do I evaluate information?

Whenever I was assigned with activity and asked to search information on given topic, I judge and to establish that the information comes from a reliable and appropriate source. I consider following five criteria and ask myself the following questions:

Audience

Who is the website’s intended audience? (Academic/ The general public/ school children).

Does it appropriately address the target audience?

Is it relevant for my assignment or research?

Authority

Is the author identified?

Is the author a person I recognize as an expert in his field?

If not, is there enough information provided to establish the author’s credibility?

Is author qualified to write about the subject?

Can I find references to her elsewhere?

Is the author affiliated to an academic institution or credible organization?

Accuracy

Is it free from spelling errors?

Is the text well-written and grammatically correct?

Has the content been through an editing process or been peer reviewed?

Has the author included a bibliography?

Are the sources cited reliable and can they be verified elsewhere?

Are research methodologies adequately explained?

Objectivity

Does the author present objective arguments or make it clear when he is expressing biased opinions?

Are other points of view explored?

Is it a personal website? Does it express personal opinions?

Currency

Is the information up to date?

How frequently is the website updated?

Are the links up to date and working?

How these criteria do helped me evaluating the information?

AAAOC criteria helped me to search the information which is relevant, authentic, and valid my assignment as well as presentation. This information assists me to develop a new knowledge based on my experiences and make my voice stronger. It builds originality and consistency in my voice. It also facilitates to focus on one idea and organized the idea in a logical order.

This in turn creates the listener during presentation to draw their attention and curiosity to know further. If it was argumentative topic or concepts, it empowers the speaker to draw the audience on our strand and make them believe in our statement. For example, presentation on ‘Was Hitler a Gay’ I could influence my friends to consider that he was a gay. This is because I had strong points to infer him as a gay. Another example I had evaluated the information on the topic "Researcher tune material's color and thermal properties separately" is shown below.

 Example of how to evaluate the information using five criteria.

Reflection on ICT

When I was in primary school, I did not see my teachers using any ICT communicative tools in teaching. The reasons for not integrating ICT in teaching could be, may be due to lack of facilities and one reason could be because of lack of knowledge on how to integrate it. So, here it infers that integrating ICT in the classroom is not merely to bring any technologies and showing what are in it.

ICT integration during my primary school

We have to integrate in such a way that it assist teaching, make classroom environment enthusiastic, motivate students to learn more and most importantly we have to make to the condition that, if we take away the technology it would diminish the quality of the lesson. Teachers in integrated-technology school will have an even greater responsibility for managing their classes and planning effective instruction. Therefore to make the integration of ICT in teaching more reliable and authentic, it is important to give more focus on it. Furthermore we should not be oblivious of the fact that there are immense benefits of integrating ICT in teaching if used appropriately.

Role of teacher integration of ICT

ICT integration nowadays

The link below shows how the teachers integration of ICT in classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uSdItdT0ZQ

To share about my experience of using ICT in college I benefited from using ICT  in learning, sharing, understanding, complementing and clarifying even out of the learning environment. It also provides space for me to search, read, think and respond authentically and critically. In which it helps to develop and enhance my skills such as critical thinking and searching relevant article to support my opinion.The  principles design and the module FIT (101) has really helped me doing assignment in college especially in making power point presentation. Now I can make use of multimedia, animation and graphic organizer to involve the audience effectively in the presentation.

Power point before

power point after

I also exploit on VLE discussion forum, I pose or answer other questions based on the concept learned in the classroom. If I have doubt and need clarification, I ask questions for my friends to share their respond/ understanding which help me to improve my learning skills as well. In that way we either exchange or co-construct the meaning with thoroughly interaction even outside the classroom. We write our own thinking anytime and anywhere. After that we sometime recommend our friends or clarify doubts by asking questions.

When I was in third semester I have posted the questions in VLE but I didn’t receive any reaction. As a result, I dropped my eagerness to identify others outlook or attitude towards the questions. Though it posses negative impact it is in the hand of one who integrate in the classroom and take daily basis reflection. Now I think that assessment and follow up activity matters a lot in order to take place effective learning.