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Sunday 19 May 2013

Module 10: Learning Communities, Constructing Knowledge Together in Wikis.


Cross (1998) addresses the question, "Why Learning Communities? Why Now?" She gives three reasons: "philosophical (because learning communities fit into a changing philosophy of knowledge), research based (because learning communities fit with what research tells us about learning), and pragmatic (because learning communities work)." - Cross, "Why Learning Communities? Why Now?" About Campus, 1998, p. 4.

Just learnt that Wikipedia is a Wiki site. Can't believe I didn't realise this! Thanks for clearing this up Module 10.
 
This year, we made a big push with using a Wiki site with our students. It has become an integral space for our learning needs. I can't imagine how we could survive without the 5/6 Wiki, especially with the 1:1 laptop program. There is rarely a day when we don't use or at least refer to the 5/6 Wiki page. It has become a place to upload lesson content, resources, downloadable learning activities, due dates and important events.
 
Things I love about our
 
 
  • It is simple to use: although I'm still familiarising myself with using our Wiki, it isn't particularly challenging to edit, upload items and use the Wiki.

  • Overall the students have grasped using the Wiki fairly quickly.

  • Once information/uploaded content is placed on the Wiki it is accessible to both teachers and students. This elimatinates the process of e-mailing out content to teachers and the SUPER-LY ANNOYING process of students typing links incorrectly!

  • The content placed on the Wiki is accessible to everyone 24/7. This eliminates the problem of students loosing sheets/forgeting to take home work and allows children to access the work if they are absent for a period of time.

  • It gives parents/guardians more insight into what the students are learning about at school , key dates and to the students' dismay - homework activities and due dates.

  • Links to our school blog, Google Apps, Mathletics and other study resources to support the students with their learning.
From this module I learnt that a Ning is a place to develop social networks and discovered Google Sites. I've developed a curiousity about Google Sites and I'm keen to have a go at building my own site in the future (when report season is over). I may experiment creating a Google Site by basing it on our Inquiry Topic for Term 3.

Overall, Wiki Sites are a great educational tool and I'd encourage any educator to get on board.
 
For those who are using Wiki Sites with their students, how have you been using your site?
 
Have you noticed any other benefits of using a Wiki Site?

Saturday 11 May 2013

Module 9: Networks on the web – professional and social.

"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box." - Edward R. Murrow.

I've always almost had a negative attitude towards social networking sites, mostly caused by my irrational fear of turning into a pouting princess in a toilet cubicle. "I refuse to be suckered into that Facebook fad, you know, in a year or two everyone will be onto something else just like Myspace so what's the point? If I want to catch up with friends I'd rather call or see them in person." - Bianca Raux, 2007. As friends continued to upload photos from different events post invites and connect with old and new friends, I realised that not joining Facebook (especially for someone of my generation) is ultimately social suicide. You don't sign up - you miss out! Now that I have a smart phone, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I didn't go on Facebook everyday. 

I held a similar attitude towards Twitter, I couldn't see the point of it considering I could write a post on Facebook and not be limited by characters. Also, I had no interest in following    famous people. Last year, our level coordinator suggested that we join Twitter to create a professional account. I reluctantly joined up and had a little play around. I could see the value in twitter from a professional perspective. With tweets being hash tagged, it was easy to find tweets with great resources, already trialed out and recommended by other teachers. Also, you could pose a question to hundreds of other teachers out there asking for ideas. I'm still coming to terms with using Twitter to its full potential, since I'm not much of a 'tweeter'  but I'm getting there. Although I explored LinkedIn as a part of this module, I don't think I'm ready to start using it yet as I'm feeling a little overwhelmed exploring and attempting to  use these Web 2.0 tools. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:


Is this tool more appropriate for social (personal) purposes or professional (work-related) purposes, or both?

Second life: It is extremely obvious why people would use this tool socially but I can see how this website could provide many educational opportunities for students to immerse themselves within and explore the world - past, present and future. 

Facebook: Although, I know this social networking site has been used for educational purposes, I still would only use Facebook for personal purposes only. I like being able to keep my Facebook separate from my professional life as I like to use it purely for social purposes. I think it is important to draw a line somewhere between one's personal and professional life.

Twitter: This site could be used both personally and professionally but I tend to use it purely for professional reasons.   

LinkedIn: From reading the information provided in this module and visiting the web site, it seems that this site would be more appropriate for professional purposes. 


What applications might this tool have in my school? My classroom?

Second life: This would really engage the 5/6's in their learning particularly if we used this tool in History Inquiry lessons. I imagine though there would be much planning to do prior to using this with the students i.e. safety concerns etc. but I think it would be worth it to have a go.

Facebook: Working in a primary school, the students are not legally old enough to have a Facebook account and considering that we have a school blog and just recently student Google accounts, I don't really see a need for Facebook as a learning tool at our school.  

Twitter: Again, working in a primary school doesn't allow us to use this tool with the students but I don't really feel a need to use it in this way with our students. Despite this, it is particularly useful to inspire and support teachers as well as collaborate with other educators. 

LinkedIn: If I were to sign up with LinkedIn, I imagine that I would use it in a similar way to Twitter to connect with other educators to gain inspiration and ideas and develop network connections with educators who have a significant influence in the educational world. 


How does the use of these tools impact my "Digital Footprint", or the digital footprint of my students?

Due to the 1:1 laptop program being introduced, we have had many discussions about our 'Digital Footprint'. Once you place something on the internet it can never be truly erased. It is crucial that all teachers and students are aware of this, therefore, one must think before they act (a good motto to live by both off and online) by not putting anything online that you wouldn't want a current/prospective employer, family or certain others to see.  It is also important to emphasise the importance of thinking about how certain actions can affect other people online. The students have had a good opportunity to explore these issues while obtaining their Laptop Learners' Licence. The Webonauts Internet Academy web quest was an excellent activity within the Laptop Learners' Licence course to raise students' awareness of their digital footprint and how it could impact themselves and others. 

If you are already have a Twitter account or are interested in creating a professional account for educational purposes please follow me @BiancaRaux so I can follow you too to continue sharing some great ideas and resources. 

Happy Networking Y'all!



Picture source: http://blog.ubertor.com/2013/03/01/5-things-you-should-be-doing-with-your-ubertor-website/social-networking-logos-2/

Sunday 5 May 2013

Module 8: Managing your flow of information on the Internet.

"The demise of Google Reader, if logical, is a reminder of how far we've come from the cuddly old 'I'm Feeling Lucky' Google days, in which there was a foreseeably-astonishing delight in the way Google's evolving design tricks anticipated what users would like." - James Fallows.

Luckily, we had a Techie Brekkie on Friday morning about RSS feeds becuase I had absolutely no idea what an RSS feed was or where to go next since Google Reader will be no longer available after July. Apparently, when Google announced that Google Reader wouldn't be available mid 2013, Feedly has gained immense popularity with the web site crashing multiple times due to the demand for a new reader. The good news is, Feedly has considered this and has allowed Google Reader users to make a seamless transition to Feedly - avoiding the tedious process of re-adding and re-organising each blog and web site from scratch. On Friday's Techie Brekkie, I was introduced to Feedly - another option for current Google Reader users and future RSS users, so I'll be trialling Feedly instead. 

From what I've seen, Feedly reminds me of Blogger's reading list, which brings up the most recent blog posts from my colleagues who are partcipating in this course. Rather than scrolling through and clicking on each teacher's blog, it is much more efficient to have recent blog posts pop up on my blog and I can read them at my leisure. As a result, I can see the benefits of using an RSS personally and professionally as it would work in a similar way but on a much larger scale, where I can organise various feeds from Web 2.0 course blogs to other Educational blogs and sites.

At this point in time, I can't really envision using RSS with the students but I can see myself using Feedly to help me stay connected and updated in the educational world. The fact that Feedly brings blog posts and articles to you when available, means that the ease of access will encourage me further to read educational blogs and articles - for some extra professional development.

 
Source: Technology Tell

Friday 3 May 2013

Module 7: Building Online communities.

"We're helping those children who cannot help themselves and giving a push to those who can. We've done it by working together for a common purpose. I see no reason to stop now." - Jane D. Hull.


So I'm at school, on a Monday and it's 5/6 planning day. An idea pops into my head and I know I've seen/used a relevant web site somewhere before. No worries, obviously I bookmarked it *searches through bookmarks* ... but of course, I didn't bookmark it on my school laptop. Maybe my PC? What about my personal laptop? Then as the clock ticks on, I painstakingly sift through Google, searching for that web site of whose title I cannot remember. Naturally, being one of those people who finds it difficult to let things go, I struggle to pull myself away from the search and continue working productively. 

Welcome to my world, Diigo!


Delicious and Diigo seem to be very familiar in terms of their function and most features offered. I was quite undecided about choosing which social bookmarking web site to use but ended up registering with Diigo simply because I was swayed by the '10 reasons to use Diigo' article. In hindsight, I wish I snooped around and asked my colleagues which bookmarking site they were intending to use so that we could make optimal use of the 'groups' function to collaborate with each other; nonetheless  I'm - in - LOVE! Ever since I joined Diigo I've developed an addiction for tagging web sites for both personal and professional purposes. It's so tidy and effortless! 



My favourite part about Diigo is Diigolet button on the toolbar. It makes the process of saving and tagging web sites very efficient. It's also great that you can join groups with similar interests and view their bookmarks. Building such online communities through Diigo is a fantastic way to connect with other teachers to inspire and enlighten one another. I haven't yet played with the 'annotate' tools yet but I've got a feeling I'm going to like this feature. 

 Robie Jayawardhana's suggests setting up a group with your students, allowing them to share their bookmarks with other students. What a great way to make learning more student-centered. This would be particularly useful during Inquiry lessons, where students can begin to collaborate by sharing their research with each other. My question is, is there a way to organise a group with an administrator to authorise bookmarks to ensure that only appropriate, relevant and quality web sites are bookmarked? 


HAPPY BOOKMARKING Y'ALL!

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BLOG POST TO ROBIE JAYAWARDHANA