Week 2 - Introduction to Microsoft Publisher: Brochure and e-Portfolios

Figure 1: Vietnam Brochure










Figure 2: E-Portfolio Sample


This is an example of my Vietnam Brochure made on Microsoft Publisher (both pages are shown in Figure 1). I found it quite easy to use except I had a few difficulties with formatting, I can definitely see the benefits of this computer program in the class room. It could be used for tourist destinations or as a procedural text exercise. This is an exercise that could potentially be used as part of a WebQuest, or as part of creative assessment for a unit of work. It may be a good idea to brainstorm (using Inspiration) to map out the important pieces of information to be included on a brochureprior to construction.

The e-portfolio exercise was also quite easy to use and appears to be an excellent way to present information in a professional format. Figure 2 shows the beginnings of an e-portfolio. Since the workshop introduction to Publisher, I have discovered that using this tool to "sell yourself" can be quite difficult to format. Therefore, I have had to spend a lot of time arranging text and photos in order to make the portfolio look presentable. When I had a look at the webpage preview, I was quite surprised by how professional it looked given the small amount of effort required. This is a tool that could certainly be used in the classroom as an alternative to using Microsoft Power Point.The article entitled "Balancing the two faces of ePortfolios by Helen Bennet (2010) categorises this e-portfolios as either being presented as a 'process or a product'. http://eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/viewFile/161/102.It is important to consider what approach you are aiming for when constructing an ePortfolio. In terms of preparing for job interviews, it is likely that one would want to present their work as a 'progress' type portfolio, in order to demonstrate a desire to grow professionally. On the other hand, if one were to implement this tool in the classroom and ask students to use it to present their work, it is likely that one would present this as a 'product' style portfolio. This style of portfolio would be a collection of work demonstrating the students' abilities and achievements over the course of time.

Week 5 - Animations Galore

Annimation is a great way to encourage fun learning in the classroom. When appropriate, these sites can be easily integrated into the curriculum. Sometimes a little creativity is required!

Figure 1: "Build Your Wild Self"

Figure 2: "The Zimmer Twins Movie"


Based on my observations in a primary school classroom, it seems common practice to have photos of students around the room at the start of the school year with a profile attached. An alternative and slightly more entertaining idea could be for students to create themselves in the form of a character. The wesbite http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ gives students the opportunity to create a slightly different profile of themselves. They can create a name for themselves and identify the powers relating to the physical features in their pictures. They may also want to identify what their character might eat, where they live, etc. This website has a lot of scope for creativity. Alerternatively, students could create characters for a story using Build Your Wild Self, print these out and paste them into their books. It is very easy to use. Refer to Figure 1 for an example of a "wild self" character.

The website "Zimmer Twins" (Figure 2) http://www.zimmertwins.com/
is a great tool that could potentially be used to accompany creative writing lessons. Students can create stories/dialogues or continue developing stories. Importantly, the task at hand is open ended, so highly capable students will be able to develop intricate dialogues, while the students who struggle with writing and formulating ideas can present their product in a simple manner. This website has a number of appropriate and entertaining videos that students can watch and develop further into their own stories. There are a number of moods and actions students can use to structure their short presentations. They could work individually or in small groups (2 - 3 would be ideal) depending on computer access. Prior to the constrction of their stories, students should have be given a brief orientation of the program by their teacher so that they are aware of the features provided. Once students have developed their endings to stories, they can present these to the class and reflect on the group thinking process.

Figure 3: "Mini Mizer"

The "Mini Mizer", as seen in Figure 3, is another fun way for students to play around with the design aspects available to them on the web.

The website http://www.reasonablyclever.com/?page_id=27 is particularly appealing to the younger students who may enjoying playing with lego and creating weird and wonderful characters. This could be used as an easy introductory activity at the start of the school year. Students could use this activity to design a "paper, scissors, rock" game. If you look at figure 3, the "mini-mizer" has objects in his hands. The teacher could discuss with the students what object beats what. For example, pencil could beat balloons, because the pencil pops the balloons, but balloons could beat the light saber because they can float in the air. The light saber beats the pencil because if can break the pencil into wood. This is simply one example, students and the teacher can brainstorm together how different objects could potentially beat other objects. Once students have printed their pictures out with their characters having one of the agreed objects in one or both hands, students can then go around to the others in the class and play "balloons, pencils, light sabers". This provides students with an opportunity to get to know each other. Students show their pictures on cue and if a student is eliminated, they must sit out for the rest of the game. The game continues until there is only one winner left.

Figure 4: "Sketch Swap"

Sketch Swap (see Figure 4) is a very easy to use program that could once again be incorporated into an English language activity. The site can be accessed from http://www.sketchswap.com/. Although it is simple to use, the content is not censored. It is therefore possible that students could receive some inappropriate pictures. In terms of using this site in the classroom, students could choose three things they would like to draw, perhaps this could be the things they have done in the day. They could sketch these pictures and receive three pictures back. The first picture they receive can help inspire them to write an introduction to their story. The second picture can guide the middle (or body) of their story, and the final picture could provide an ending. Once again, this is an open ended task, so students can provide as much or as little detail as they see fit. It is important that the teacher provides guidelines in terms of assessment before this task is completed, so that students are aware of the standards to aim for.

Figure 5: "Zip Tales"

Ziptales appears to be an enriching program that would be a very entertaining resource in the classroom. The site does not allow for great navigation, unless you have signed up as a member on http://www.ziptales.com/. Based on the schools commentary, Zip Tales appears to be such a great resource as it provides a range of reading comprehension, spelling and grammar activities that cater for a range of abilities (each story has three different ability levels). There are also resources to help students understand a range of text types. One of the most impressive and engaging features of this product is that students are able to choose a genre that suits them. This is a great site that integrates literacy and ICT in a way that suits students and teachers.

Figure 6: "Roller Mache Site"

Clay-mation is a great activity that looks very impressive. The best thing about it is that it is not as difficult as it looks. As mentioned in the workshops, technology can be manipulated so easily these days that it seems silly not to include annimation as part of the curriculum. When talking to students about animation, it is important that they are not simply sent off with a camera and provided a broad task. The importance of providing students with guidelines when it comes to designing animations is essential, as previously mentioned in the lecture and week 5 workshop. Roller Mache provides a number of links that explain key concepts related to animation. For example, how clay-mation works, the editing process, and how to use a story board. Resources such as these are essential for students if they are to produce high quality work. The site http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/rollermache/inspire.htm is very comprehensive, so students and teachers can learn as the unit progresses. This is the kind of site teachers would need to be on the look out for PRIOR to handing students a camera and sending them on a mission. The activity is likely to more engaging when the unit is introduced this way, as students can see the relationship between tediously moving objects and creating a series of pictures which eventually becomes a short animation.