I am glad we have talked about this! Look forward to expanding our professional relationship!

Jon

PS, I would love to talk to you more about DST. People who know me know it’s my obsession! I do on-site workshops too! Hey, I would love to come to Singapore!

You make some excellent points, and I agree with your assertions for the most part. Yes, Animoto is flashy, yes, it could be seen as a glorified slideshow, and thinking about the learning potential of such a tool is indeed important. I think it depends how it is used.

We have a unit coming up with Grade 3 about advertising – can’t remember the exact focus, but something like ‘understanding how advertising works helps us to make informed choices.’ One of the summative assessment tasks is to create an advertisement for something using the techniques advertisers use. I can see Animoto being an excellent option for this exercise (should the students choose it from a range of tools on offer!). It focuses them on the power of the visual, the selective use of text and appropriate use of audio to persuade.

I think there is learning inherent in that task. And I also believe the technology takes second place to the learning. I think choosing the right tool for the right audience is important too.

Admittedly, I did not include the above example in my post as an intended use (can I blame multitasking??), and the learning involved in creating a year review is more a case of creating a visual reflection of significant events and moments. I would like to (boldly) state that I believe there is as much learning potential in that exercise (if not more) as there is in a written reflection – something we ask our students to do on a regular basis.

With all of the tools I use at school with the kids, it has to have a context or it’s meaningless. I don’t use Google Earth for example to show students how the tool works, but rather I use it because I believe it is the most appropriate tool to enhance and support the learning they are already doing in (and out) of the classroom.

I am currently using animation with my Grade 4 students as a means of communicating their research into various systems of the body with younger students (see http://mrsbuwcgrade4.edublogs.org/ ). Animation itself is neat and the kids love it, but without a context it is just empty.

It’s not the tool, but the way a teacher uses it that makes a difference to student learning. It is possible to use all of these tools in shallow ways, just as it is possible to use them in meaningful and powerful ways. I don’t think teachers will be replaced by technology for this very reason.

I’d like to talk to you more about your work with digital storytelling, as it sounds like it would be right up my street.

Thanks again for the comment, and for provoking some serious reflection in me. This is what learning’s all about, right?

Keri-Lee