Reflection

I'm finished and just in time, with about 3 days until the course closes. What a journey! I can't believe how much I have learnt. There is so much that I will revisit after this class. I am excited that my Web2.0 journey has begun and I look forward to continuing my education in this field and sharing my knowlegde with others. Most of all, I am looking forward to playing with some of these applications without the pressure of writing on my Blog about it!


I have not only learnt about a range of Web2.0 applications and their various uses in the education context. I have also learnt how to use these to improve my own learning. I feel confident in going back over these topics and gaining a deeper understanding of how they work and also in applying them to my own classrom pedagogy.


I think it should be compulsory for all CEO Sydney teachers to complete this course. It can be time consuming, and I am sure the same old people would complain about the increased workload, but the benefits would be that it will create teachers that are using Web2.0 in the classroom with confidence and this can only have a positive outcome for Catholic Education in Sydney. Without professional development, the ilearning model does not effectively get into the classroom and the benefits of Web2.0 to improve learning will be missed.


It is my belief that Web2.0 creates a learning environment that caters for all learning styles. I feel that it makes learning more meaningful and interesting. It creates opportunities for children to particiapte in Higher Order Thinking and allows for communication, collaboration and reflection.


The ilearning model states that learning needs to be engaging. Children learn most effectively when they want to learn. Web2.0 creates learning opportunities where children want to learn, where they are sharing their knowledge and where they are engaged and challenged. Through the use of Web2.0 teachers can meet the ilearning intiative of creating reflective and responsible learners and students are able to lead and negotiate learning experiences.


After revisiting some of my past Blogs I was able to assess how I feel Blooms fits into some of the Web2.0 applications that we have examined throughout this course


igoogle -remembering

blogging-understanding, applying, evaluating and creating

googledocs-remembering, understanding and evaluating

flickr-remembering, understanding , applying

digital storytelling- all

gloster-all

bubble.us-remembering and evaluating

social bookmarking-remembering and understanding

social networking-all

second life-all


This all depends on how you utilise the application. If not used to its full potential it may only meet a few of the Higher Order Thinking skills. I found the Blooms Digital taxonomy to be a fabulous resource and one that I will now be referring to at all times through my planning process. In addition to this, I will be sharing it with the staff and the Gifted and Talented committee members to assists them.

I have commented on a few blogs while completing this course, here are some links to two of my comments.

http://janesweb2.blogspot.com/ Week 7

http://stjavino.blogspot.com/ Week 7


I have had a great time studying Web2.0. This is an excellent model of FREE professional development and I thank all who have contributed to making this possible.

Module 10

When I opened the property for this Module there were alot of links to Wikis but unfotunetely no information regarding What is a Wiki? I was unable to navigate through the Wiki links provided on the property without understanding exactly how a wiki works. Now, I know I should be all over this stuff by now... but I'm not, so I put my web2.0 skills to use and found this great video.

I then posed the question Wiki or Blog? What is the difference? and How would I use these web 2.0 applications in class?

A Wiki is a website that allows for any number of contributors to create and edit the interlinking web pages, whereas a Blog is usually one individual who controls the content. The word blog means Web Log, or an online journal and a publishing tool. The word Wiki apparently comes from a Hawaiian word meaning quick. Anyone can create new pages and update content. It is, as the above video suggest a much quicker way to collaborate with others.


These two applications do have two distinctly different purposes and therefore you would use them in the classroom in differing ways depending on the desired outcome of the learning activity.


I found this useful outline on a discussion board on the National Council of Teachers website.

Blogs:

1. Are personal

2. A posting is owned by a poster (could be owned by a small groups)

3. Aim is conversation, change in thinking/self/ideas, writing of the moment

4. Content is considered to be static: once posted, the posting doesn't change (comments can add information to your posting)

5. Content is displayed in reverse chronological order and scrolling is required

6. Comments are optional but encouraged to continue the conversation

7. The intent is personal, news, reflection

8. Voice used is conversational

Wikis:

1. Open to collaboration

2. Topics are considered public space and owned by all

3. Aim is creation of documents

4. Content is not permanent, it can be revised by any one

5. Content is displayed in nodes/tree structure

6. Comments are not expected

7. The intent is informational

8. Voice used is passive and active

Both are valid educational tools for use within the classroom. It is important for teachers to understand the features of both and then pick the platform that will best suit the desrired outcome of the lesson.

I am very new to Wiki's and plan to spend alot more time playing with them post the Web2.0 course. They seem to be highly versatile, making them a wonderful asset to any classroom. They offer opportunities for discussion, the ability to post Blogs, a launchpad for digital storytelling and podcasts and allow for skills in collaboration, communication and reflection to be developed.

I also completed some research in Nings and found them to be a great platform for creating your own social networking site. You could have a class Ning, but I think a Wiki would serve the same purpose and offer more features, so I am all about the Wiki! This should not detract from Ning, which is a great way to join an online community of learners to share ideas and resources.

This was a great way to end the course, I look foward to getting creative with some Wiki work, in the latter part of 2010.

Module 9

This is a huge module and I am not sure my blog will do justice to all of the content that I have read, but here goes.

Let's begin with Scootle. This site provides access to a multitude of digital curriculum content. Users can find interactive learning objects, images, audio files and movie clips by browsing and searching content. While there are some amazing resources available on this site, it can be slow going to find what you need initially. Make sure you have time to search and view the objects so that you are able to obtain the best resources available. You are able to create a favourites list on this site which will allow easy access to these sites for future reference.

I plan to use Scootle over the remainder of the year, but in all honesty it will be intermittently as I do not have the time to research all of the resources. It is a shame as I am sure there is some great stuff out there. I'm sure that you're aware that teachers find time to be av valuable commodity.

When I first started teaching in the Sydney Diocese four years ago, I remember a bit of talk around elf's or Learning Objects. I am presuming that the Learning Federation Objects found on Scootle are the same as these elf's and that they have just been revamped into a more easily accessible web site than those previously found on myclasses. Please post a comment on my blog if you know anything regarding this.

Next on the agenda is social networking sites. I have been a member of Facebook and Myspace for some time and have found these sites a great way to keep in contact with friends, organise social events and to discover new music. Social networking allows people to stay connected to larger communities in a fast and easy way.

Social networking is individual-centred where in that each user has a unique profile page through which they can connect with others. Online communities are a little different as they are group centred. Social networking sites allow people to create and participate in communities as well as share content and collaborate with others.

I do not believe that social networking has a place in the classroom, although it is important that as teachers we are aware of them, as they are the main way that our students are communicating with one another in this day and age. To have an understanding of the benefits of these sites and they way in which they work allows us to educate our students on the dangers that also exist with these applications. The main problems are the existence of online predators and cyber bullying. To educate our students in these issues will allow them to use these applications safely. In addition to this, it is important to inform students of their digital footprint so that they are thoughtful about what they post upon these sites.

Twitter is site that allows people to keep their friends or 'followers'updated with short text based information. It may be beneficial in allowing people to keep up to date with your everyday life and also may allow insights into the aspects of your friends personalities that you were unaware of.

I personally would not use this site as I do not find this form of communication essential to my life, but I can see how it may be beneficial and interesting for others. Social networking carries with it the risk of creating a demise in interpersonal skills. I believe it is important to talk to your friends in person and while email and social networking sites allow for you to catch up quickly, it is important that this does not become the only form of communication we have.

I spent some time researching Second Life, a form of social networking I had not previously heard of. Second Life is a free 3D virtual world. I found it a little creepy and as it as an 18 and over web site it really has no place in the primary classroom. The videos posted outlined some valid ways in which it could be used in the classroom. These include taking guided tours of places you are studying e.g The Sistine Chapel, practising computer scripting skills and allowing for collaborative learning. While I am sure there are many interesting aspects to this 3D Virtual world, I think I will just continue to navigate my way around the one I actually live in.

What a mammoth module, two more to go!

Module 8

I had a great time with this module, so much so that about an hour of my life just disappeared into the world of web surfing and RSS feeds.

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and it is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Rather than you checking your favourite websites each day to see if there are any updates, they can be sent straight to you. This saves time and allows people to stay easily informed.

It is important to note that you must be signed up to a reader program to have the ability to read and receive RSS feeds. I am using google reader, which is free and very easy to use

I had been exposed to RSS feeds earlier in this course, and attained basic understanding of how they work. I found the videos and the weblinks in this module very easy to understand and enjoyed using google reader. My understanding of RSS feeds has improved greatly and I look foward to spending some time reading through the many RSS subsciptions I now have on my Google Reader page.

I don't see any immediate uses for this program in the primary classroom, although I think in High School it would be a great way for the children to stay up to date with current news items, especially international news which gets a very small showing in our media.

I would like to add an RSS feed to our blog page so that parents can receive updates. Many parents may be unaware of blogs, RSS feeds and reading applications, so I will have to provide some information via the print newsletter on these web2.0 applications before that goal is achievable.

Module 7

Social book marking is a new and interesting concept that I was not previously aware of. I spent some time exploring Delicious and also searching the web and adding bookmarks to my account.

The main benefit of this tool is that you are able to bookmark websites and access these bookmarks at any computer, as they are saved online. I often save websites on my computer at home and then have to look for them again if I want to save them as favourites on my school computer. This application makes the process much simpler.

One way that Delicious can be used in the classroom is by adding the children as followers to your delicious account. They are then be able to access sites that you have already researched. This would cut down on research time in class and also allow you to monitor the web sites that the children use for research.

Delicious keeps your book marks ordered and easily accessible. Tags, key words that you add to bookmarks, allow you to easily search for bookmarks rather than scroll through an entire list as with the favourites application.

You are also able to search others Delicious accounts, which is why this it is referred to as social book marking. This process allows you to reap the benefits of others research cutting down search time. This allows teachers to share resources, creating an online teaching and learning community. You are also able to create private bookmarks, which as the name suggests, are not able to be viewed by the general public.

Although I found Delicious to be a useful tool, I would be more inclined to create a property on myclasses with the bookmarks as hyperlinks rather than use Delicious, as I do not have time to add all of my students as followers. While I may not use this resource, I am pleased to have learnt about its existence.

Module 6

Well, I'm half way through the course and already I feel like I have my very own Tardis, travelling through the inter dimensional world of web2.0.... OK , I just really like The Doctor and thought it was a great way to add a photo of the Tardis to my blog.

bubbleus.com is a great little find. I used it the very next day in class with the kids as we were mind mapping the different ways that we could be environmentally friendly consumers. They were then asked to write their own notes on how they would be environmentally conscientious consumers. Following this, they recorded video of one another using the flip camera. They were given an assessment rubrix before hand as this was an assessment task which assessed the HSIE outcomes associated with the unit Who Will Buy? as well as the Talking and Listening outcomes in the English syllabus.

This program allows for quick, user friendly mind maps to be created. Mind mapping is a teaching and learning strategy that is used frequently in primary schools. Often it is difficult to lay the mind map out in a neat and orderly fashion, while maintaining order with a large group children. This program will assist me greatly in my teaching. In addition to this, all of the mind maps that we create are easily saved with the option to be access and edit at a later date. Mind maps be shared with others including grade partners. Students can printed their work for use in scrapbooks and the like.

Mind mapping is often a feature of staff meetings, particularly when we are assessing our strategic plan. I have shown the executive members of the school how to administer the program and we are planning to introduce it to staff in future staff meetings.

I spent the first hour of this module wondering... What on earth is a glog? and Why is this any different to a blog? A glog as I understand is an interactive poster. Glogster is a free web2.0 application that allows people to create a poster using text, video, graphics and audio. Now a blog also allows you to embedd text, graphics, audio and video but it is presented in a chronological order. A glog could be embedded into a blog but I think this is not a reverse option. From what I can gather after playing a little on Glogster is, that you create you glog and then it is uploaded. You may then embed it into a wiki or a blog for others to see. I may be a little hazy on this. If anyone cares to shed some light on the subject, please post a comment on my blog.

I really enjoyed exploring the links to the glogs that were on the Module property. In particular I found this one fabulous.http://cybrarian.edu.glogster.com/Decisions-Decisions . This is a very simple idea bit something that I can see the kids that I teach creating.

I enjoyed playing with the different features when creating my first ever glog. The kids would absolutely LOVE IT! Unfortunately I was not at home at the time of studying this unit as I would have tried to create some video and audio to the page.

As soon as I finish my other 4 blog entries and complete my web2.0 course I will be coming back to check out Tracy Blazosky's glogster tutorial page and set up an EDU glogster page to use with the kids. My ICT focus will be getting them to explore the various features of glogster this term and then next term creating a glog on a national park as an assessment task. I think that glogster allows children to further develop therir ICT skills and present information in a new and creative way.

I really enjoyed this topic and am looking forward to using both of these applications in the classroom as the year progresses.

Module 5

Digital storytelling is a fabulous resource. It makes learning more meaningful and allows for authentic assessment. By allowing students to create their own media we are opening their minds to a new and exciting world. Lessons that may have previously sparked little student interest may now provide students with hours of fun filled learning.

I use digital storytelling all of the time and it has many applications for the classroom. One such example is when using still life photos and Audacity to recreate passages of Scripture. The children can use many programs to put these together, including Moviemaker and Photo Story. This experience not only builds their knowledge of techonology but also gives them a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. I used this didgital story process this term with the passage of The Empty Tomb. I read the story and then the children worked in small groups to rewrite their own version. Following this, they created a story board in which they matched the photos that they wanted to take with the script. They took the photos and recorded their audio. We then put the audio and vision together in Moviemaker. This way I was able to teach them how to use this program, so that in future they can create their own films.

In addition to this my class is entering the Stories on Screen competition which is run by the Children's Book Council. They will complete a similar process by adapting an Australian picture book into a short film. To acheive this they will use a combination of video footage and still life photos.

I use Audacity regularly. One example of how this program can be used is by setting assessment tasks that must be recorded and presented as a sound file. Recently the children were asked to write notes on the advantages and disadvantages of shopping locally. They were given the choice to make their notes as minimal or a detailed as they preferred, but they were expected to elaborate when recording. They then had to record their opinions based on their notes.

One area that I fall short on is uploading this footage to the web to create vidcasts or podcasts. While I am using digital story telling regularly, I am not using podcasts or vodcasts if I am not casting them. Next term I hope to explore this more and allow the children to add some podcasts to our class blog. I also want to explore DIY properties and begin to get some of this great work onto our myclassess page. I am interested in learning more about the vimeo program that some schools have on their web pages, so if anyone has any information please let me know.

I found the Orange Grove Public School an excellent site and I am striving to get something along those lines happening in my school.