Module 7

Delicious is a great program for tagging resources. I currently use this type of resource via the favourites menu, which also incorporates all the other websites that I use that are unrelated to school.

As teachers we have more than likely visited hundreds of sites, only some of which I have added to my favourites, which is the problem, they are only my favourite ones. This type of program allows you to add all the hundreds of sites you visited, give a useful summary that can allow teachers to look back on years later and use. And what is best is I can use this on any computer.

Furthermore, the ability to share these tags is extremely useful. Teachers are constantly sharing resources but this application makes it easier for teacher to eliminate some of the discussion in between and click into their account to see what online resources have been used. However, the application can be made more useful if all teachers have a delicious account that they use appropriately. A cultural change in the teaching profession may have to be implemented to ensure this. In the meantime, there are enough members to begin a process of sharing.

Module 6

Hello!

Tonight I finished module 6 on creating online communities.

Firstly I started with the free online program bubbl.us. A great application as it essentially allows you to create mind maps and then share the resource with other users that you invite, just like Google docs. I began making my own mind map of the course to date and I focused on four key areas that I believe web 2.0 can assist in. They are independent learning, higher order thinking, student engagement and connections to the real world. Each one of the programs that I have looked at so far focuses specifically on developing these areas in education.

Regarding the use of bubble.us in the classroom – immediately it came to mind that I could use this application for my senior students. I often get them to make summaries of the course we have completed for study in their HSC exams. This application would provide a fun way to do this and also allow them to share their ideas with other students as they work! I also like the idea of using this with my commerce students because often in commerce we do a lot of brainstorming. Again though, we need to ensure that we have access to the Internet in class.

Glogster is also an interesting application. I can imagine that the students would love using this! It can be a great way to creatively summarise a topic and encourage students to look beyond the textbook. I also think many students are tired of using standard publishing and power point programs so this would be a welcomed change. I can see some potential in this application for year 9 history. Next term they will have to use a computer application to create a summary of world war 2. I think the students would enjoy creating a glog more than creating a power point presentation or visual essay. Of course the students will have to use a wide range of web resources such as first hand war accounts of POWs, videos, images, summaries of key events, podcasts of viewpoints and any other type of information relevant for world war 2. The students should also be encouraged to explain why they have chosen the resources. Then the final step should be for students to view some of the glogs students have created and give it a rating. I think the next step with glogs in the classroom is to allow students to use this in assignments and oral presentations.

I look forward to using some of these applications with the students.

Module 5

Hi All

Tonight I completed module 5 which covered pods and vods. Following the instructions in this module was pretty easy and the explanations for podcasts and vidcasts was well done. The websites we were directed to such as Teacher Tube, School Tube, ABC and YouTube were fairly user friendly.

Overall, I think these applications have great potential for the classroom. Teachers often get locked into showing students videos and DVDs owned by the school. But the Internet provides a whole range of video and audio resources for the classroom. With this you are virtually unlimited and could find a resource for just about any topic. Furthermore, documentaries used are usually fairly long. But most podcasts and vidcasts focus on a particular topic and go for roughly 5 minutes.

Mostly I would use this to: introduce students to a new topic to engage them and help them to recall their knowledge of a topic before we begin; to use at the beginning of a lesson to introduce and explain a difficult concept; to engage them in the material and help set them on task for further reading in their textbook; to request that students find relevant information in the casts using a few questions; and finally to help them make connections to the real world.

Already I have set up a YouTube account linked to my iGoogle account and have selected some videos for my upcoming commerce topic on economics, which can be a difficult topic for students. Hopefully, using some of these videos will simplify some of the concepts.

I also found that some of the videos not only could be played in the classroom, but I could use them to get ideas on how to go about teaching/explaining a topic to a class. For instance I watched a video on simplifying economic terms and they explained inflation and marginal benefit using the purchase of a tape and pizza. This could be easily replicated in the classroom!

Overall, I think this type of resource has enormous benefits for the classroom. My only concern is the time taken by teachers to set up such resources for the classroom. At the moment our school does not have such facilities in each class. To run such a session, a teacher would have to hire out the equipment from the library and take time out of lunch/recess/previous lesson to set up the equipment. However, soon our school will obtain the resources in each classroom to make using this technology more easily accessible. I am looking forward to the time when I can walk in the classroom and within seconds have a video up and running from the web and the students engaged.

Can't wait!

PS Here is a link to my favourite video from YouTube: Understanding the Financial Crisis for Kids

Module 4

Hello

Today I completed the module on flickr and copyright. So far this is the only module that I have found really challenging. The amount of information to navigate through was quite large and I found this a bit disconcerning.

The first part on flickr directed me to upload photos and have fun. So after uploading some of the photos that I had chosen, I used the edit button to adjust the pictures slightly. The same sort of changes can be made using any computer based program so I did not find this all that useful. The program, however, does allow you to make some more advanced changes but this costs money. Perhaps it would be worth have a department wide site where teachers can upload and edit photos for each department.

Once the photos are saved I can assume they are now available for other teachers to use if they are logged into this program (given the creative commons concept). This seems like a good idea and certainly might give you access to pictures you may not find on google. It would also be good to use this program to make adjustments to photos for use in the classroom when teachers are working on visual literacy - a task I like to use to introduce topics. At this stage, I don't feel all that confident with this program and I feel I would need more focused training. Perhaps I should revisit at a later date after I have had more time to digest.

I also found the copyright laws extremely extensive and complex. What can we use and when should we ask for permission, are still areas that I do not feel confident in making calls on. I think as this area of schooling continues to develop, we should have more focused training session on this in schools. Hope this doesn't create more work!

Have a good night!

Module 2

Hello

I thought I would add a few more reflections regarding module 2 after having another go at the blogs.

Firstly, to reiterate what I spoke about a few days ago, I can already see that blogs have their advantages. However, I must admit I was skeptical at first because of the hype I have heard about 'blogs' in the media. The manner in which it is used to spread 'gossip' is of concern and perhaps this type of web application begs the question - just who becomes responsible for what is published on the Internet and how are you able to make them accountable?

All that aside, I can see how such an application would have its advantages for students, particularly in terms of using this in ordinary class work. Students in junior school could use this application to make comments on work completed in class or specific issues surrounding a topic, such as, do you agree with the sacking of Jack Lang (year 9 history). Such a complex issue surely would be better teased out if students were able to discuss at length in the comfort of their own home. This would allow students to reach higher levels of thinking as they analyse eachothers comment and make their own evaluations. Furthermore, students who are normally shy or embarrassed in class might feel that they have more power behind the computer and perhaps put their two cents in more. Teachers can also monitor who makes what comment from home and a number of teachers have already confirmed that they feel they have more time in class to teach as they are not spending so much time marking homework.

I can also see some advantages for senior students studying the HSC. As an economics and business studies teacher it is important to stay on top of recent news. Perhaps a link could be created to relevant news articles and students could read these, make a comment online and teachers can provide feedback online.

However, the question is asked - should we expect that all students to have access to the computer almost all nights of the week to facilitate such a process? And if some students don't, how will this impact on their learning? I suppose the answer is you have to vary the task depending on the students in each class and the access they have to computers.

Much too think about!

Module 3

Hello

I have just completed the course on google docs. What a fantastic idea! I have often felt the annoyance of trying to create documents and then share/send it to a number of people, only to have it made difficult when different versions start getting created. I can also see the advantages in school setting for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I can see the positives in using this type of tool for group assignments set at school. Students can use the application to make contributions to the assessment task simultaneously and allow them to work on tasks from home; saving time in travelling and setting meeting times that really are just a way for the kids to be sociable rather than work. There is only one issue - the application allows students to make contributions and it colour codes this as they are working, which means that you can see who contributes what. But does it allow the teacher to also see these contributions once it is handed in? That would really revolutionise group work!

I have already begun thinking that perhaps I should implement this task into a upcoming commerce task where students have to create a budget using excel. It would be nice to introduce this type of technology to the students... I could also implement this type of tool into an upcoming unit of work on junior economics. I could set a type of task where students are to create a number of opinion pieces on various economic issues using google docs and publish it using the application. Then I could incorporate this with the blogger application, where students can then link it to the blog and get other students to make comments.

Secondly, I can see the positives in using this application for teachers in the setting of assessment tasks, in particular exams. This tool could be used so that a number of teachers can write the exam from home, save it to the application and request that other teachers view this from the comfort of their own home. This would reduce the need for teachers to meet during their busy day to discuss the setting of assessment tasks. As long as one person initiates the process, then it should work well.

These are just a few thoughts and ideas.

Module 1 and 2

Week 1 and sitting on easy street!


Hi all!




My name is Amanda and I am a teacher at Casimir Catholic College.

I just began the web2.0 online course today and after a few teething problems (namely with the CEO website) I am really loving this course!

Firstly, I had no idea that iGoogle could have a log in account and that I could personalise it. I have added some applications that I would personally like to use (ie birthday, email, bejeweled) and some applications for school such as the weather, time and news feeds.

All the programs have been user friendly so far so I am hoping it will continue. The only issue I have is trying to comprehend the number of free online applications that you can use under the heading of web2.0. I have never heard of 85% of them. So I am hoping that this course will show me some useful ones for school.

This online blog also seems to have some advantages. Firstlt I can already see that it aids people in placing their initial thoughts on a topic on the web. I am aslo helping that it will be one of those tools that aids critical thinking through encouraging students to discuss ideas.

Anyway, am definitely enjoying the first week.

Have a great night!