Youtube and Wikipedia

YouTube is not only a great tool for procrastinating, but also can be used highly effectively in the classroom. In HPE it is a great tool, because you can find 'how-to' videos on many sports, making the teaching easier and often making the learning easier for visual learners.




Currently in 9PE we are playing American Flag Football. A lot of kids are struggling to pass consistently and this video is a great video to explain a few tips. It also has some good visuals in there that help explain how to get the most out of throws.

The senior health class I am currently in is starting a new unit on substance abuse. Wiki has a great deal of information on substance abuse, with a number of links to journals and government pages. Students can use this information to gain further knowledge and those studnts who are advanced can even being to search journals to find information on facts and figures regarding the subject.

Mahara

First impressions of Mahara:

• It is a good way to keep a professional portfolio
• Possible use in the classroom - making a 'view' for units of work, putting information students need onto the view and they can access it digitally.
• Potential use as a medium for students to present their work to their peers and for assessment.

Although it took a bit of a getting used to, I think that Mahara is similar to other networking sites such as facebook and myspace in that it is your page to present yourself. However the biggest difference is that Mahara offers a lot more professional opportunities and ways to present information you have gathered or things you are working on, as opposed to a site dedicated to networking and socialising, Mahara adds that professional aspect.