Assessment Reflection 3

This week we explored the use of images, audio and  video and how it can be used in the classroom.

Images can have a multitude of uses ranging from their use to make things aesthetically pleasing or engaging, to tell a story, express creativity, decorate, keep memories and they can certainly be used to enhance learning in all areas of curriculum. For example having cameras in the classroom would allow the students opportunities to record the process of experiments or in designing diagrams in Science, or in Maths we can have picture graphs and pictures can be used in sums, pictures can be used to show a scene in History or help tell a story in English and especially in the arts. The uses for images are endless, although to be able to effectively use them we need to have to ability to manipulate images. The technical manual for this course gives the option of resizing images with a tool found at http://mobaphoto.mobatek.net/en/. However I rather use a program that is already on my computer called Microsoft Office Picture Manager. In this program you are given the option to edit photos and then in the editing tab you can resize an image to your own custom size or the predefined sizes of document large or small, web large or small or email large or small. The first image below is uploaded in original size and the one beneath it has been resized to a small web size.

It is easy to understand how using images as big as the first image can cause trouble in the classroom, from the time taken to upload and download photos and the issues trying to manipulate an image on a page.
It is important when uses cameras in the classroom that you teach the students to be sensible with the images and only take photos that others feel comfortable with them taking.

Another fun and engaging tool to use in the classroom is videos. Similar to images, videos can serve a variety of purposes in helping students learn. They can be used for things such as; creating films, recording speeches or science experiments, interviews they have with guest speakers or excursions out of the classroom. There are many ways to make their learning more interesting and definitely more memorable. I have uploaded the following video from my phone to demonstrate my capability of using this kind of media and how easy it would be for students to upload videos to the computer.

In class this week Gary gave us a great example of how students can create their own movies (with the teachers assistance) for drama. He also showed us how claymation can be used in the classroom which combines both image and video and can be used to assess students in a range of curriculum areas. For example they could create a story that incorporates art in the designing of it, English in the writing of the story and it could be about a science concept. It is a great way to make students learning fun, engaging and meaningful. When I was on prac last year I observed and helped the students in my class create claymations for health; they had to create a claymation to advertise their unique product. They loved making them and found it very engaging.

When using images and videos within the classroom it is extremely important to always be thinking about safe and ethical practises. Ensure students have signed permission before taking their photo or using a photo of them in any way and make sure they are ok with the photo being taken. Don't use the photo outside of the classroom, which includes passing photos on to the children's families. Ensure cameras in the classroom are clean of any old images, anything personal or any image that could be wrongly interpreted. We have to remember to take a step back and look at it from another persons point of view. Another way to use images safely is to only take from behind the students as I have done in my video.

I hope you are beginning to understand as much as me about the significance of using technology in the classroom and how to actually manipulate it and implement it into everyday classroom life.