International Cuisine for Years 8-10

http://voicethread.com/#u666673

"Voicethread" provides opportunity for a variety of visual and auditory mediums in a secure environment.
The presentation I have made is a typed comment only because 'voicethread' does not allow audio on free accounts.

The application was easy to use and I have downloaded images from "google images", pasted the URL's into the upload tab and it works easily.

The comments I have made are to promote learning and discussion within the Home Economics/Hospitality field taught in Years 8 -10. Sharing the link and allowing students to comment on-line incorporates the embedding of ICTs in learning delivery and design. Using audio recognises the differing learning styles and encourages clear and concise communication while contributing to the knowledge and ideas bank within the class.
Vygotsky's constructivism theory,(CQUniversity - Managing E-Learning, 2009) is realised in this task through questioning and research which is aided by discussion through the use of voicethread and connectivism is evident in the collaboration which is developed in discussion.

I would use this tool in an out-of-class situation because of difficulty in accessing enough computers in classtime.
regards
sue

CQUniversity - Managing E-Learning. (2009, July). Active Learning. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from FAHE-11001- Term 3, 2009 - Managing E-Learning: http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=18262

"In the mood for food!" INCOMPETECH

Genre: African
Length: 4:21
Instrumentation: Percussion, Marimba
Tempo: 105
The music I have chosen is African and entitled “Whimsy Groove” by Kevin McLeod.

This is mood music and could be used in the Hospitality/Home Ec teaching areas when “Food from other cultures” is studied. Music provides atmosphere which adds to the total hospitality experience. Playing this music during food preparation would encourage students to experience the cultural origin of the food they are preparing. Incorporating culturally significant music into the learning design will assist students in constructing new knowledge of other cultures and provide a more engaging environment for learning. Involving students in the choice of music would encourage ownership of the problem and collaborative choosing will assist in developing teamwork skills.

MacLeod, K. (2006). Royalty Free Music - Whimsy Groove. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from INCOMPETECH:

Mediafire

http://www.mediafire.com/?mhw1l4z1h1m
http://www.mediafire.com/?mhw1l4z1h1m

File hosting is a brand new world to me. After reading the FAQ's it seems that this is a secure way of storing much information and being able to access it from any computer, provided you remember your password!
I found the site very easy to navigate, the FAQ's answer a lot of my questions, and this would be a useful tool for students needing to store and access documents whenever and wherever.
In a teaching capacity it will allow a variety of files to be shared, stored and accessed by those to whom you give authority. Professionally, it would allow subject co-ordinators across the state visual access to students files so that comparisons could be made in subjects like art, hospitality and design.
The file I uploaded is part of a brochure designed for a food technology workshop.
regards
Sue

Wikipedia

Hi Everyone
I have been thinking about Wikipedia and am having serious trouble overcoming the taboo placed on it in some sections of academia.
The subject areas for my teaching are Home Ec/ and Hospitality which are very diverse in subject matter. One strand within this teaching area is "Living in the Wider Society" which has numerous possibilities in content and delivery and does include global identity. Wikipedia is global, accessible and free.
I would probably use Wikipedia in a research capacity search engine and use the links to explore scholarly content elsewhere.
Encouraging students to firstly use Wikipedia and compare content with reliable sources will assist them in developing discernment in their research whilst developing the habit of mind of "listening" with empathy to the opinions of others. (Costa, A and Kallick, B, 2000)
Definitely an exciting resource promoting intellectual stimulation and opportunities to contribute to the worldwide knowledge pool whislt experiencing living in the wider society.
Thanks
Sue

Costa, A and Kallick, B. (2000). Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series.Book I: Discovering and Exploring habits of Mind. Alexandria,VA.

Picnik

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4137257306_066bdb7a58.jpg

"Picnik" is easy and fun to use.

This tool could be used within the Home Ec/Hospitality subject areas in a variety of ways.
Changing photographs to view various perspectives in textiles, design and food allows for imagined changes/options to be really viewed.
In the design field where students create and alter garments, Picnik could be used to suggest alternative outcomes and strategies in production.
Alternatetively, teachers could take photos of students projects and edit them to show what changes could have been made.
This allows for a visual reference for both students and teachers and facilitates the learning of students who are visual learners.
cheers
sue

'Webquests'

“A well-designed WebQuest combines research-supported theories with effective use of the Internet to promote dependable instructional practices.” (March, 2003)
The webquests linked to this course are engaging, innovative and provide an enormous base for a teacher to tailor learning experiences. Both encourage critical thinking, teamwork and individual work, provide opportunity for extension and are just amazing in their creativity.
How any student could be bored learning with this offering is confounding!
For my subject area, the following is superb:-
http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/harmony/shopping/process.htm
I found this amazing webquest which actually covers many of the strands in the Home Economics syllabus. The webquest provides the framework for students to develop an aged person friendly shopping centre. ‘Living in a Wider Society’ and ‘The Built Environment’ are both core strands in the Home Ec syllabus, and technology essential skills of collaborative working, design and production are included in the outworking of this quest. Health and Physical Education contents are sometimes covered in the Home Ec. syllabus where aging can be addressed. This ‘Webquest’ is tagged forever!!
For a teacher to be able to use a webquest to its fullest potential will require the necessary resources of reliable internet access for a number of students. Incorporating field excursions would remind the students that it is a ‘real’ world and not a virtual one. Possible excursions would be to the aged care centre and a shopping village. Interesting that the producers of this webquest ask for feedback and provide teacher guidance.
Personally, I think designing a webquest is a specialist area and whilst I would welcome the opportunity, the reality for most teachers is that they simply do not have time to develop competency in creating the webquests . Accessing those already created and adapting them to suit specific classes would allow both students and teachers the opportunity to learn in this way. A professional development opportunity exists in this area and is catered for in both real and virtual situations eg. http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/
This particular Webquest could be an entire unit of work and its framework would need to be utilized several times to ensure that the time cost of production is worthwhile.

Reference:
March, T. (2003, December). The Learning Power of WebQuests. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Tom March/ozline.com: http://tommarch.com/writings/wq_power.php

“A well-designed WebQuest combines research-supported theories with effective use of the Internet to promote dependable instructional practices.” (March, 2003)
http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/harmony/shopping/process.htm
I found this amazing webquest which actually covers many of the strands in the Home Economics syllabus. The webquest provides the framework for students to develop an aged person friendly shopping centre. ‘Living in a Wider Society’ and ‘The Built Environment’ are both core strands in the Home Ec syllabus, and technology essential skills of collaborative working, design and production are included in the outworking of this quest. Health and Physical Education contents are sometimes covered in the Home Ec. syllabus where aging can be addressed. This ‘Webquest’ is tagged forever!!
For a teacher to be able to use a webquest to its fullest potential will require the necessary resources of reliable internet access for a number of students. Incorporating field excursions would remind the students that it is a ‘real’ world and not a virtual one. Possible excursions would be to the aged care centre and a shopping village. Interesting that the producers of this webquest ask for feedback and provide teacher guidance.
Personally, I think designing a webquest is a specialist area and whilst I would welcome the opportunity, the reality for most teachers is that they simply do not have time to develop competency in creating the webquests . Accessing those already created and adapting them to suit specific classes would allow both students and teachers the opportunity to learn in this way. A professional development opportunity exists in this area and is catered for in both real and virtual situations eg. http://www.webquestdirect.com.au/
This particular Webquest could be an entire unit of work and its framework would need to be utilized several times to ensure that the time cost of production is worthwhile.