ED 647: Web Design and Development for Learning

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am very glad to be working with so many people who truly love learning and technology. I look forward to the next few weeks with everyone. I think this course is going to be very interesting and practical. I like that many of the things we create in this class will be useful and directly relate to my everyday use. I have used this blog site for other classes. Take a look at some of my other blog posts on technology tools in education. I like that this blog site is now a record of work that I have completed in this program at Wilkes.  

Gayle Pattison

Unit 9: Twitter

I like the idea of using Twitter to follow other teachers who may teach the same content area as I do. I am able to see what others are doing in their classes when they post on Twitter. I can also follow many teachers at once, which allows for ample feedback in specific subject areas. I can see how subjects such as science and social studies that have multiple branches of content could benefit from seeking out resources from other teachers in the same field. Twitter can help teachers to stay up-to-date with current teaching practices and to stay connected in a larger educational community. 

Even though, “some schools are beginning to use it as a way to communicate with parents and others in the community (Richardson, 2010)”, I would still be concerned about using Twitter in the classroom. It would be interesting for my math students to follow current mathematicians to see where the information they are learning is actually used.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms, 3rd. ed.. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Unit 8: Podcasting

My podcast

Students can use podcasts to create a fun and engaging product rather than writing or typing a traditional essay. Teachers and students can create podcasts to give step-by-step instructions to someone else. Social studies teachers could have their students do oral histories, interviews, or reenactments of historical events (Richardson, 2010). Foreign language and ESL teachers can use podcasts to help students to develop language skills. Students can also listen to plays or readings of books to use as they read along in a reading class. Every subject can be enhanced through the use of podcasting.

It may take more time to create a podcast than a traditional essay, but the time will be well spent. Teachers can even require a written script that students can create prior to podcasting. This way, teachers also can grade for spelling and grammar. The script can be read into the podcast, which makes the podcast flow more smoothly when played.

Before podcasting, one must have a way to record digital audio. Richardson (2010) recommends “trying it out first”. In other words, practice creating podcasts before assigning a project to students.  Teachers should also consider the way students will access the podcasts once they have been created. Some teachers could place the podcasts on their classroom website for all students to access at any time. Podcasts can also be uploaded and played on an iPod.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms, 3rd. ed.. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Unit 7: RSS Feeds

I find I spend a lot of time searching through my favorite websites and reading all of the new and available information. With RSS feeds and the use of Google Reader, all of the updated information is in one place. I still spend time reading through everything, but the major topics are already highlighted. This way I can choose whether to read them now or to take a look at them later.

When students complete research, they are also bombarded with tons of information on topics even if they try to narrow down the search. When students subscribe to RSS feeds, some of the research is completed for them. At least the collection of sources can be narrowed down. With more and more news sources producing feeds for aggregation, the breadth of current events and topic specific research could go along way in assisting them with research or further study (Richardson, 2010). I would still be concerned that inappropriate material or advertisements may get through, but most of these sites would hopefully be blocked by the school’s content filter.

Reference:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms, 3rd. ed.. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Unit 6: Wikis

I have only created one wiki before and it was for another course. Editing the course was not difficult, but I found it necessary to know some HTML to format my page appropriately. I also needed to be aware of what pictures could be added to my site. Wikis are reviewed often for accuracy and copyright concerns. Pictures added to wiki sites can be taken down without notice. The person owning the wiki can see changes made to the page when viewing the history. A wiki owner may also find changes made to the page by other users. The ability to update information as it is happening by multiple users makes wikis a powerful tool to connect the world. Everyday, thousands of people who have no connection to one another engage in the purposeful work of negotiating and creating truth (Richardson, 2010, p. 57).

Depending how a teacher wants to use a wiki in the classroom, there are some things to consider. When using free wiki sites, students may be faced with others posting inappropriate material or making inaccurate changes to the page. If teachers were to use a wiki on a site such as Moodle, the teachers could create the wiki and students would only be able to interact with each other instead of outside changes being made. Just as one would with any online activity, the teacher must explain what might be an appropriate posting.

Once all the problems are considered, there are many educational uses of wikis, too. One of the most obvious ways is to create an online text for your curriculum that you and your students can both contribute to (p. 61). Students can continually update the information as they progress through a course. A wikibook can also be used to showcase student work. Each student can contribute a page relating to the theme of a unit. The end result is a final product that can be used to demonstrate concepts learned throughout a course.

Reference:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Unit 5: Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a great way for teachers to collaborate with each other. Creating a new social bookmarking page was easy. Teachers have already taken the time to seek out great resources. Using sites such as www.delicious.com would allow these resources to be shared with everyone. One can also search for similar tags which may be helpful in connecting content material across curriculum areas. According to Richardson (2010), "In the process of creating this community, you are participating in the creation of a new way of organizing information" (p. 90).

There are many benefits to social bookmarking. Having the ability to save bookmarks to the internet rather than to a specific computer allows teachers to access the sites from anywhere. With the help of social bookmarking, a community of teachers can share resources through the network feature. This is also a great way for teachers to have a reference of sites when they are needed in the classroom. Students can also benefit from using a bookmarking page to save resources they collect while during research or projects.

References:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Blogging in the Classroom

Blogging allows students to share information with the world. Blogs can be used to record information and can be updated daily or even multiple times a day. Students can record information as they work on a project and can be reviewed from anywhere once the posting has been put online. Links to other web pages can also be added to the blog. Being able to connect ideas and resources via linking is one of blogging’s most important strengths (Richardson, 2010, p. 19).

Some of my current students have mentioned that they blog everyday at home. They use blogging as a form of expression. Students can practice writing skills and write creatively when blogging. Knowing the information posted on blogs is shared with everyone, students may be more careful to correct mistakes when submitting written work.

When interacting online, Egbert (2009) agrees the safety of the students should also be considered. Allowing students to blog freely on the internet may open up the possibility for inappropriate interaction with the student. At my school, teachers are able to create blog assignments for the students using Moodle where the teacher can monitor postings and create the groups in which students will be interacting. I have not used this tool with my students at this point in time, but I am looking for opportunities to apply blogging in my mathematics classroom.

References:

Egbert, J. (2009). Supporting learning with technology: Essentials of classroom practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms, 3rd. ed.. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.