Week 1

During the first intensive, week 1 we were introduced to the course by Jason Zagami along with a presentation from members of the Learning Place.  The presentation was extremely rewarding, and provided us with information which will help us create and teach engaging lessons through the use of technology and online resources.  Providing us with insight into the educational world of technology the members from the Learning Place enlightened us with various ways to incorporate technology and 'The Learning Place' into our classrooms.

The readings for this week introduced us to ICT in Education and the ICT certificate we will be aiming to reach throughout the duration of the course.  The Smart classrooms framework provided me with a reference point for the expectations of the ICT certificate and the levels of achievement/pedagogical requirements to gain accreditation by Education Queensland.

An introduction to the TPACK model which we will be unpacking and basing our research and presentations on was through the first week readings.  The heart of the TPACK model refers to a complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge, content, pedagogy and technology.  Aside from the heart of the three above forms of knowledge, the direct interplay of the P and C, the T and C and the T and P all work along side each other to complete the TPACK model. Effective technological integration requires understanding and knowledge of the relationships between technology, pedagogy and content.   The model in the end refers to the understanding of knowledge needed by teachers for effective pedagogical practice in a technology rich environment.

Week 2

Intensive week 2 we gained insight into a range of education appropriate technologies, many which I would not have previously known how to successfully implement into my classroom to ensure appropriate learning opportunities were present.

The major educational technology we created was our digital portfolio which we will use throughout the course to present our learning and assessment.

This blog was created today through the use of google applications.  The creation of the blog was quite simple, with the use of a template I could make my blog aesthetically pleasing as well as educationally appropriate within just a few minutes.  In my classroom I will aim to provide all students with access to a class blog, as well as parents, and aim for parents to use the blog for discussion and engagement with everyday teaching and learning in my classroom.