In Thursday’s lesson, I had taken my images in to start and finish the Photostory3 task, which was sent through on Thursday. I found Photostry3 to be if great assistance, and had never heard of the program before. I found it of great help to use it, and found it alot quicker to use, as opposed to the other programs available with Cameras and other expensive photo programs.

In terms of an educational point of view, this program would be of great assistance to students. The steps of producing a visual story product is simple and quick as opposed to other programs. I think students will enjoy the flexibilty of the program in terms of the special features such as music and transitions as opposed to other programs. As a teacher I can see this to be of great help. Photostory3 can also allow teachers to present a new topic to a class through images rather than text, which caters for the variety of learning styles for students, particularly from an auditory and visual point of view. This has been a great program to have been introduced with, and will be used in my future teaching career.

competency-test2

Please find above  the new competency test. I have used my old test, and placed a Y instead of an X to show the new results. When I finished the test, it shows that I have i higher score than the first time I filled the test out. This is due to the fact that  I have gained more skills in ICT than when I had started the course. This course I have found so useful. There were so many programs which I have not heard of before such as Inspiration, WebQuest and Photostory 3. This has therefore broadened my skills and knowledge in the new technology.

I think some of the areas which are weakened are due to the fact that the next box required me to place a letter if it was implemented into the school program, which is where the boxes seem to finish. This is because I am not a teacher as of yet, and am observing students at a school. If I was a teacher, these programs would be implemented. Some of the weaknesses however, involve the multi tasking of some of the medias. My skills have advanced though as previously said by using the computers.

Some of the areas in ICT to improve are probably ways in which to show the students these programs, and using them in a group situation. Apart from that, without physically introducing the task, I couldn’t see a way to improve without implementing it within the classroom environment.

This unit will as a teacher provide me with the foundations to implement technology within the classroom environment. The reason for this includes the fact that technology in its advancement enhances the learning of the students. For example, Inspiration allows students to present information in a mind map in a neat manner, with the advantage of writing information in a text box.

In terms of Excel, the program can assist teachers in presenting the marks of the students in their assessments. The information can also demonstrate to teachers which students are excelling, and which ones are emerging in their learning.

With Photostory3, teachers can use the program for students to tell a story using images. The program gives simple instructions on how to write a story, and where to place the images, with the additives of sounds, transitions and text.

Powerpoint allows teachers to implement a new topic, and present it to students. The program also allows students to present information on an assessment task. With assistance of a teacher, students are able to establish skills in technology in order to follow through with this task.

It is therefore conclusive that the programs that have been taught in ICT are vital to the current student body within the education environment. Without the current education presented to student teachers and teachers inclusive, it provides a barrier on the programs available for our new generations. It also allows teachers to use technology to cater and integrate the curriculum. It is of great help to have this knowledge to teach and share with other students in the future.