I am curious to learn as much as I can about this tool (blogging) that I've heard much about but never used before! I feel like I don't really know what I'm doing but I suppose the benefit of being generation Y means I will catch on fast =)
I can see how this tool, along with Wiki and Inspiration (which we have both experimented with so far), could easily be transferred into a classroom. Getting kids to use mind maps and wikis to collaborate and express ideas would provide invaluable opportunities to engage kids in their learning. The uses of colour and pictures would translate well as kids can print their mind maps and have them displayed around the room. Without Inspiration, students could simply draw their mind maps on paper or on Word.
What I imagine for my classroom, when I have one, is for it be abundant in colour and visual stimuli, I love the idea of kids expressing themselves with colour and image which is all at their finger tips when using technology. The White Paper article by Inspiration Software Inc 'How digital tools prepare students for the 21st Century' struck me as extremely relevant in a time where it is essential to have computers and smart whiteboards in primary classrooms. They assert that many students are struggling (their study is based on American students but the information can be generalised) to take in the plethora of information which is presented to them on a daily basis, especially in the classroom. They go on to state that "the combination of visual learning and digital tools improves analytical skills, and information and data management" (http://www.inspiration.com/sites/default/files/documents/How_Digital_Tools_Prepare_Students_for_the_21st_Century.pdf, p 2.).
I find myself seeing some unexpected advantages to using Inspiration after reading this, by removing some of the obstacles to higher order thinking, such as plotting a graph which is a lower order operation, you open the way for the students to really become involved in what they are learning without having to worry about ruling up a graph and all that it entails.
There are obvious limitations to such a reliance on technology in the classroom, not all schools can afford computers, laptops, digital cameras, software or smart whiteboards BUT as the prep students of this year get older they will expect and even require the use of technology in their classroom so it essential that as a teacher I know as much as possible about this resource at my fingertips.
Learning how to use Inspiration and transferring pictures onto here (as you can see above) has been good, feel like I'm back at school again in IT class. If I can have fun with this, I'm sure kids will! Before using software such as Inspiration, it would be essential to develop an atmosphere of safety, responsibility and creativity when using computers with kids, they need to know the boundaries, be aware of cyber safety and monitor their own technology use as well as others'.
I am excited at how easy it is to use Inspiration. There is a lot of clicking and dragging to create really visually dynamic representations of ideas and information which wouldn't be hard for primary school children to handle. And, as you can see below, the overall result can look really appealing and can be very satisfying for the student.
My mind map about food, perhaps my favourite subject!
