This was a comment I left on a fellow teachers blog, but I figured my loyal readership deserve the opportunity to read this as well.






Smart boards were installed in every classroom in my first placement, yet the understanding of how they work was largely left to the individual to play with. From a strictly financial p.o.v. this should be a worrying sign, as the money spent to install these bad boys would be high, surely a little more room could be spent to give educators at the very least a basic tutorial about how they work before leaving it up to teachers to further their understanding of them. 

This would be particularly frightening to the older teachers, who are already frightened of computers and dreading the inevitable rise of sky net and the end of the world as we know it. Asking them to teach themselves how to use a smart board is most likely to be met with a swift ruler over the knuckles followed by 30 minutes of being pelting with hard boiled lollies while being lectured about 'things in the old days'.


Until schools put in certain training programs in place, it will be left up to the motivated few teachers interested in new teaching methods to incorporate smart boards into their lessons. Until then, they shall sit there, under utilised.

The Wiki-Man

There is a change a coming. We cannot help it, nor can do we do anything to stop it. The Information Superhighway has been built and traffic is flowing people. Lanes are added daily to cope with the advances in technology and how we incorporate it into everyday life.

Drama classrooms are no different. Even though traditionalists may baulk at the idea of incorporating new media into a subject area that is based around performance, those with the foresight to see the benefits of utilising the world of possibilities ICT opens up are going to benefit greatly from their brave foray into what is in essence, still an unknown quantity.

Which leads me to lead you towards the first step in removing the ICT taboo from the drama classroom. The IT and the Drama Classroom wiki page. While still in it's infant state, as we learn and adapt, so too will our wiki friend. Read at your own leisure.

The Future is NOW!!!!

For those not familiar

Considering I have had a few people who are unfamiliar with the title of this blog, watch the video below. Then go purchase all 3 series of "The Mighty Boosh" and don't come out until you have finished watching it all.

I'm pretty good.

If he can teach a class, HE can teach a class!

It's getting to the business end of this ridiculous year, and boy it cannot come quick enough for me. This literally has been the single most intense year of my life and while ultimately it was the one I had to have, I am planning on giving it one hell of a boot to the backside as it leaves my presence in a few months. Add in the painstaking process of job hunting and VIT registration above the already heavy workload and I'm struggling to balance or maintain any form of social interaction outside of those I see at Uni and my housemate. University of Melbourne has not broken my spirit quite yet, nor do I envision it will in the remaining 8 weeks left, but by god it made a good hash of it.

One thing I have learnt though over this year is that being a teacher is definitely not a pursuit to be taken lightly, and I fully expect next year to be equally as challenging, especially if I choose to simultaneously undertake my Masters component while working. Having a strong concept and understanding of how to use technology is a bonus and I struggle to comprehend how people with limited ICT capabilities would ever dream of trying to undertake teaching in the modern era. It is the future of learning, and while I don't see a world where libraries are eliminated (which would be a horrible scenario) failure to embrace the possibilities of computers/tablets/smart phones will be of a detriment to any classroom.

My previous entry spoke of Keynote and visual presentations, well I was introduced to prezi the other day. If you are looking for a new and interesting way to present your information to the kids, take a look at prezi and decide whether it could work for you. I have used it and found it an amazing presentation resource.

Finally it wouldn't be my blog without a clip from the Simpsons.

Running in a VELS-lour Tracksuit

Lot's to talk about, but alas Tom Scully's defection or Fremantle's mercilessly blindsiding Mark Harvey out the door in fashion that is usually reserved for senior MFC players are not on the agenda. No today the piece of paper informs me that it's time to talk about ICT in the classroom, and in particular a media class.


ICT provides a rich and flexible learner-centred environment in which students can experiment and take risks when developing new understanding.


It isn't hard to understand why the use of computers and technology is prominent in Media Studies. Film & photography has flown past the analogue days and is diving cranium first into a digital world evolving at rates too quick to comprehend. As a teacher of media, you must be constantly updating and embracing the technological innovations as the world does.


Using film as an example (because it's what I know...) it is important to allow students in the middle secondary years to gain some familiarity with the production software  at their disposal. Script writing programs such as Celtx, and editing software like Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects and Photoshop are for professional use, and comprehending them involves much trial and error and exploration on the part of the user. Much of the learning undertaken by students will be achieved through providing them the opportunity to discover the possibilities of the programs themselves. This is not to say that there should not be modelling of the skills required by the teacher, but more due to the simple fact that these programs have so much depth and detail that it is not possible to demonstrate every single feature in the allocated time. Teaching the basics, and allowing the students to discover these programs themselves provides the adequate structure and creativity for interactive learning for students of all levels.

Keynote Speaking about non-key Notes

Powerpoint is Dead!!!! Long Live the Keynote!!

Ever since my undergrad degree (Film at Deakin University) I have been a Mac convert. The reason was singular, Final Cut Pro. This wonderful program was the reason why my eyes were opened to the luscious lives of fellow mac users and I have neigh looked back to the days when I was forced to slum it on a PC. I have had my iMac for 3 years now, and not short of 2 months ago used my centrelink start up fund to pay for a new macbook pro. You can always count on the labor party for irresponsible handouts, and you can count on me to collect them willingly despite my aversion to voting for them.

FCP love fests aside, I recently upgrade to OSX Lion. Fantastic design and interface it also threw out a cheeky curveball that I am still not super impressed with, my microsoft office applications would no longer work. Plums to you apple. I get why they did it. They have their own shiny programs Pages, Numbers & Keynote that they want their devoted clientele to consume with the blissful, ignorant acceptance Apple as come to expect. I can say this because sadly I have found myself in this ridiculous crowd. A slave to the sleek, shiny and powerful. The designer computers.

Back on track, as a result of my Lion conversion, my hand was forced into upgrading to Pages & Keynote. And welcome to the teaching relevance. I knew I would eventually get there. Planning a lesson for the VCE Media class at my current placement I decided to test out my new baby in Keynote. She purrs like a kitten as I add each slide. Years of editing have given me a large intolerance to cheesy transitions, not unlike a coeliac at a bakery, and yet I found myself using every dodgy star wipe and rolling transition in the program. Ashamed, I chose to come clean with the class about this before the lesson began, and may have even saved some face by letting them guess which one was my favourite (It was pretty awesome)

Keynote presentations (not powerpoint anymore) will become a pretty standard tool in my classroom for not only the end of my rounds, but also into the future. And in keeping with tradition, I now show you my dream class to teach...Funk Dancing for Self Defense

Till next time children, keep watching the skii's

The Beginning of the End

This first opening to my blog has been rather difficult to get off the ground, if not for the lack of knowledge on the formalities of blog introductions. It would be easy to dive headfirst into the very reason behind why the blog was created in the first place (ICT and how it can be utilised in the classroom for those playing at home) but I feel that a bit of context and background about what you are likely to read about is a necessary addition and an apt opening to this, my first blog.

My name is Rohan. Studying education at the University of Melbourne, my teaching methods are Media Studies, Drama with English as an additional learning method. I completed an undergraduate degree at Deakin University: Bachelor of Contemporary Arts: Media Arts in 2009. 

There, now we ain't strangers no more we can continue. But it won't be today, as that would defeat the purpose of my introductory post. Do check back in occasionally though, next time I promise I will write something substantial, and not waste your time like I just have now.

As an apology, here is a common reaction of mine to most questions I get about pedagogy...