A Series of Reflections: Google Docs

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms

This particular learning tool uses processing platforms much like our favourites in Microsoft Office, and creates a simple and very convenient collaborative experience. This tool allows for group work to be completed on the same document via internet connection, which also means that the work completed in a Google Doc can be viewed edited and shared by everyone with access.

Figure 1

What is it capable of?

Google Docs' on-line program allows for group word, spreadsheet, power point, and form documents to be created. These documents can be created and then shared (this connects the other authors to the document) for alteration, and are very much like the Microsoft Office version of these only simplified. The document can only be viewed and edited by those it has been shared with, so it seems to be a safe working platform with the necessary privacy settings and precautions. Google Docs also has an offline option where if enabled allows access to your account even when offline so as not to limit the utility of the program.

Figure 2

For easy use this learning tool has considerations for:

• Remembering to save, by eliminating the need for remembering at all. See figure 3.
• Keeping track of editing via a tracking feature within the auto save feature. See figure 3.
• Keeping track of who is editing what at the same time via labelled cursors. See figure 1.
• Tidiness and ease of access through a neat and familiar tool bar layout.

What are the drawbacks?

• Untrustworthy or serious co-authors may sabotage the on-line file which may in turn sabotage your offline file due to the auto-saving feature.

Figure 3

• Lack of internet connectivity make the collaborative working platform somewhat redundant.
• Offline to on-line alterations may load in with everyone else's and may require tidying up.

Use as a teacher

This learning tool could potentially be used for collaborative work with staff or forum type feedback with both students and staff. However I believe that this tool would be more suited for student use.

Use as a student

While use in a mathematical context may be limited, the versatile ways in which this tool can be utilised within a business context can be substantial. Business students need to make use of word documents, spreadsheets, power points and form creators throughout many of their tasks. This would allow for quicker and more accessible feedback on each other's work within a group task, and in a perfect world perhaps eliminates the "I forgot my USB, so I can't show you what work I have (or have not) done today" which unfairly delays the progress of others.

SAMR

The SAMR Model

Google Docs falls under the "augmentation" sector of the SAMR model as while it substitutes for Word or Excel etc., it enhances the productivity in a group context via eliminating the monitoring of multiple documents by multiple members.

A Series of Reflections: Prezi Presentations

"Audience and Purpose"

"Audience and Purpose" an article linked in the week 5 course materials, discusses some really important thoughts for capturing and engaging your target audience such as:

• Who is your audience? (In the hands of the teacher) students, (in the hands of the students) teachers, and peers of either.
• How familiar with the content will they be? Are you pitching at the right level? Will your audience understand the terminology etc.
• Is your presentation reasonable? does it have enough or too much information? Is the information displayed appropriately? Can you read the text? is it too small?
• Is your audience likely to want plenty of detail or will that be overwhelming for them?

Such considerations are all equally important cogs in a smooth running and successful presentation, and should all be thought about before deciding on a platform which best delivers your topic. In the following reflection I will discuss Prezi as one of these platforms.

Prezi

A Prezi is a free online visual aid program which allows for the presenter/creator to display "the big picture" and zoom in to see the details or minor points. This eliminates slides full of excessive text and takes the viewer on a very cool and creative journey through, sneakily enough, the important information! Prezi encourages the creator to be concise and only highlight the useful information (the true purpose of a visual aid) as if you can not do this the "bigger picture" just looks messy and overwhelming. 

In creation of that journey, the sole author (after creating a Prezi account online) may select from pre-made templates (as you will see that I have) or you can start your presentation from scratch. Both options make use of Prezi's "frames" which enable that zoom function, which come in four options: bracket, circle, rectangle or invisible. All with which can be adjusted in colour and size. To really make your presentation come alive you can also include:

• images through an embedded Google images search function, 
• or a selection of simple shapes which like the frames can be adjusted in both colour and size. 
• Text boxes can be created anywhere with just a click and include the general text customisation options such as font, size, colour, bold, underline, italic and you can also add dot points. 
• These text boxes, frames and images, even videos can also be moved around and resized at any time if needed, 
• they can even be selected to appear on a fade-in animation, 
• or be accompanied by an audio voice-over file. 

The product of such presentation customizations as listed above can be viewed in my own Prezi creations found below. When creating your own Prezi presentation it is important to consider whether using some of these features might subtract from the over-all message through creating an unpleasant distraction. While I'm sure that when used effectively or in the right context some music playing in the background can be positive, however in most cases it could be considered an unnecessary distraction, much like using too many animations etc. So keep that in mind.

These presentations are saved online in your personal account which is protected by a password of your making. In addition to that you may also download your Prezi to your computer or as a PDF, or share it to a selection of social media websites via the "share" option or "present remotely" which gives you a URL to link to, or finally you may embed the presentation via the "embed" option which opens a window where you may then adjust the specifications before finalizing.

A Prezi presentation in the hands of the teacher (a mathematics perspective)

I have decided to do this week's reflection on Prezi presentations purely because I could relate to the style myself, as I am a sequential learner. This style of presentation I feel compliments most of my mathematical instruction, as my go-to method for teaching maths includes mapping out specific steps to follow, and adjust myself from there should my students need me to. I have always worried about the limited ways in which maths can be made interesting and exciting for those who don't find it that way to begin with, however through experimenting with this Prezi program I feel I have found one way in which I can. Which is a nice start. 

Below Is an example of a Prezi presentation utilized within a mathematical teaching context. Consider my use of the "fade-in" animation option to draw the students eyes to the new information appearing, and in the case of the mathematical workings, to prompt them to have a go before revealing the next step or the answer. 

A Prezi presentation in the hands of the student (a business perspective)

In the following example of a possible student use of Prezi, within an assessment context, I have tried to indicate where this particular format of presentation encourages the development of some very handy skills as well as being a simple means of visual aid. This program (due to its limited space which when over-crowded with content, as mentioned earlier, blurs the "bigger picture") encourages the development of  some important judgement skills which effect the quality and success of a presentation such as:

• including an appropriate amount of text (enough to highlight your point, but not enough to ramble allowing your audience to lose focus), 
• choosing the appropriate pictures to enhance and make links to their discussion points
• and this program also encourages the user to really think about their speech layout and how their paragraphs flow or ease into the next topic of discussion as the links or arrows lead you from frame to frame.

As a learning tool Prezi could potentially allow for students to learn without them knowing, which in my opinion, is one of the best ways to teach.

Students may also utilize the voice-over option and record their speeches that way, to perhaps avoid some of the negative effects of nerves when presenting in front of an audience.

Bloom's Taxonomy and the SAMR model

Bloom's Taxonomy

Prezi as a tool or a means of visual aid aligns mostly with the yellow "Application" sector of Bloom's Taxonomy as in creating a visual aid you apply your knowledge to the display platform so that you may demonstrate to others that you do know enough about the topic.

The SAMR Model

Prezi, used in a business context, best aligns with the "Augmantation" sector of the SAMR model as it is almost a complete substitute for the way such assignments were presented. This tool allows for a functional and interactive visual aid with the option of including the entire speech as a voice over, however a script would still need to be submitted along with the file. 

However in a mathematics context Prezi can be considered for the "Modification" stage of the SAMR model. Currently, in the case of most mathematics assignments, they are still handwritten and drawn- then either physically submitted or scanned and submitted that way. Prezi allows for a clear step by step layout, though of course only for topics that are suitable. For example: a list of questions to complete may not be acceptable, where a scenario assignment would be. Consider the financial assignment scenario where you are given a job with x amount of income, you need to fashion a budget and discover the amount you need to put away each week for a loan on that new car you want to buy. This could put a really cool spin on a particularly drab topic, that is extremely important for students to understand.

A Series of Reflections: Videos

Nothing is more boring to a student then having to sit through a lesson you feel is of no value. "What's the point?". Upon reflection of "Multi modal composing in classrooms: Learning and teaching for the digital world" I have to agree with the importance of making anything you have to teach valid for your students. Creating that connection with your learners and giving them an interesting or important reason to participate can make the teaching and learning process much more effective and cooperative. I intend to make clear learning goals for my students, and strive to give each of my students a reason to be attentive in class. However that may go...

To also help with boredom, this week's reflection is on incorporating digital learning tools such as;

• Images: 

  

  A created image: Mobile Phone

Images can be used by the teacher to capture interest and make students think on a topic before tackling the content, a wonderful use for images which encourages such ideas could be the activity "see, think, wonder". This activity was demonstrated in one of my tutorials, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I feel that my future students may too.

Students might use images in class for reference (merely taking a picture of the board or mathematical formula, for ease of access) or for memory aids (through creation of their own image; perhaps a drawing, or digital creation containing the topic and its connections- consider flowcharts etc.)

• Audio:

Unfortunately this Blogging platform does not support audio files, and so I was unable to include my own creation here.

I feel that use of audio is somewhat limited inside the classroom, however it can be an extremely helpful learning tool outside for individual reference or study at home. Teachers could record their lesson discussions and email them out to their students or the students which were absent so that they may catch up on anything that was missed. Students might also be able to record their own thoughts or notes for future reference. This could be a convenient idea as in today's world a phone (and all of its capabilities) is usually more accessible than a pen and paper.

• Video: A further reflection

Videos seem to be the way to go in today's classroom as they utilize both image and audio, with the added perks of the union of both and moving pictures. Videos can be used, just like the others, as a "hooking" resource to create interest in a topic as mentioned in the image sector and also as a reference tool as mentioned in the audio sector. However videos have the most opportunities for encouraging student creation and self learning, which is a large step for learning when it come's to Bloom's Taxonomy:

Bloom's Taxonomy

Consider the terms included in the inner circle of "synthesis"; construct, explain, combine, manage. 

An example (which I could see myself experimenting with in the classroom) of self learning/group learning through the use of video creation could be after an introductory lesson have the students video themselves trying to explain the new concept. They could then swap videos with each other and see what they can learn from one another or simply if they were successful in their explanation. I'm am also a firm believer in the idea that if you can explain a topic clearly you have demonstrated sound knowledge.

Below I have included a video I have made demonstrating to a point my idea above. I created this video using a program called TinyTake which records your screen in a small HD video. I had it record me using OneNote while working through a simple expand and simplify problem, and I edited it using Window's Movie Maker. I adjusted the video by increasing the speed to 1.25x and I also "trimmed" some useless information off at the end of the video. TinyTake allows for 5 minutes of video (which may not be ideal for some instances), has the options during recording to pause and once the video's complete you are able to upload it straight away from the program if desired. I particularly liked the fact that it recorded the screen activity and is not limited to a writing program. For example, if I wanted to go to an internet browser and include something from there I could have. Both TinyTake and Window's Movie Maker were very simple to use (note that I have never made a video before) the tool bars are tidy and clearly display all of the options. TinyTake also supports audio, however I decided to "mute" it in my video.

Find my video here.

Videos can move the classroom into the "Transformation" stages of the SAMR model, through eliminating the need to even be present in a classroom. Consider University for example- through use of Blackboard Collaborate's video and communication program, students can watch the lesson as the teacher or lecturer in this case talks and interacts with the video to teach a concept, and also interact with the lecturer to ask questions etc. However it is understandable that students need to go to a school and discover routine and learn to interact, in some instances at least, face-to-face, considering the younger generations obsession with technology.