Well I have finally come to the end of the Web2 course... but it is definitely the beginning of the journey for me. This course has really opened my eyes to so many new and exciting web tools and I can not wait to implement them in my classroom.
The course has also reminded me that I am a life long learner and for my students to achieve their best I need to be able to provide the best opportunities for them. I need to be able to use these web tools confidently myself and create lessons that incorporate these tools to improve learning outcomes.
The Blooms Digital Taxonomy map has reinforced the idea for me that elearning is about providing engaging learning environments which allow all students to achieve success. As mentioned in the elearn video we should not use computers and technology for the sake of it, but focus on good teaching practices that enhance the learning.
I really look forward to learning more about the web tools covered in the course and sharing them with my students.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Module 10
Before starting this course I had been wondering what the difference between some of these Web tools were. What is the difference between a Blog and a Wiki? and What is the difference between a Wiki and Ning? Now I know!
From watching the videos and visiting the websites I understand that a Wiki is a tool where you can collaboratively create and edit pages. I use Wikipedia all the time and knew that it was like an encyclopedia that anyone could edit or change. In saying that I understand that all of the information on Wikipedia may not be 100 per cent accurate. I have never used a wiki in my class, but like Google Docs, I think it is a great way to have students work collaboratively together.
A Ning is not focused on the content, like a Wiki, but more on creating a community. I am a member of a few of the Southern Region Nings and didn't really understand how beneficial they really were until completing this module. It is such a great way for schools to share their hard work and to learn from each other. Nings make it so easy to have professional learning groups on the web that we can all benefit from.
How can Web 2.0 assist in improving learning outcomes for all students?
Education and learning is changing all the time, and students no longer respond to teacher talk and text books in the technological world they live in. Children are using technologies such as computers, IPads and IPods even before they come to school. As teachers we need to engage our students for them to achieve their best results and using Web 2.0 tools is the way to do it. There are so many possibilities out there for our students and we need to give them the opportunities to access these tools in a beneficial way. We need to be creative an discover new ways for our students to meet curriculum outcomes in a way that not only engages them but also extends their thinking.
From watching the videos and visiting the websites I understand that a Wiki is a tool where you can collaboratively create and edit pages. I use Wikipedia all the time and knew that it was like an encyclopedia that anyone could edit or change. In saying that I understand that all of the information on Wikipedia may not be 100 per cent accurate. I have never used a wiki in my class, but like Google Docs, I think it is a great way to have students work collaboratively together.
A Ning is not focused on the content, like a Wiki, but more on creating a community. I am a member of a few of the Southern Region Nings and didn't really understand how beneficial they really were until completing this module. It is such a great way for schools to share their hard work and to learn from each other. Nings make it so easy to have professional learning groups on the web that we can all benefit from.
How can Web 2.0 assist in improving learning outcomes for all students?
Education and learning is changing all the time, and students no longer respond to teacher talk and text books in the technological world they live in. Children are using technologies such as computers, IPads and IPods even before they come to school. As teachers we need to engage our students for them to achieve their best results and using Web 2.0 tools is the way to do it. There are so many possibilities out there for our students and we need to give them the opportunities to access these tools in a beneficial way. We need to be creative an discover new ways for our students to meet curriculum outcomes in a way that not only engages them but also extends their thinking.
Module 9
Scootle is a tool that my school has had access to for a few years now. I have previously used some different learning objects in my classroom but then, like with a lot of web tools, I forgot all about it. It was great to re familiarise my self with Scootle and begin to set up some learning paths. It is wonderful to have access to these resources that are Australian curriculum based and include a variety of digital media.
Second Life is very interesting. As I have mentioned in previous posts we meet as a group at my school to complete this course, and Second Life has definitely captured the interest of most of us and sparked many discussions about it's uses. In one of the videos it mentions that students find it hard to engage in a classroom where there is a lot of teacher talk, Second Life allows students to explore virtual worlds while being immersed in them. Definitely more exciting then reading a text book. The idea of a virtual classroom where each student would have their own avatar sounds a bit unrealistic for primary students but I think the site has many other possibilities.
I am a member of the Social Networking site Facebook, for personal use, and think it is a great way to stay in contact with friends and family. I agree that it shouldn't be used in the classroom or by our Primary students as the age requirement is 13. We have had cyber bullying problems around Facebook at our school and I think that students do need to be educated on how to use social networking sites appropriately. I have heard so much about Twitter threw the media and thought that it was more for celebrity news and gossip so never had that much interest in it before. I was surprised to discover that the CEO is on twitter and that it can be used in a professional way.
Second Life is very interesting. As I have mentioned in previous posts we meet as a group at my school to complete this course, and Second Life has definitely captured the interest of most of us and sparked many discussions about it's uses. In one of the videos it mentions that students find it hard to engage in a classroom where there is a lot of teacher talk, Second Life allows students to explore virtual worlds while being immersed in them. Definitely more exciting then reading a text book. The idea of a virtual classroom where each student would have their own avatar sounds a bit unrealistic for primary students but I think the site has many other possibilities.
I am a member of the Social Networking site Facebook, for personal use, and think it is a great way to stay in contact with friends and family. I agree that it shouldn't be used in the classroom or by our Primary students as the age requirement is 13. We have had cyber bullying problems around Facebook at our school and I think that students do need to be educated on how to use social networking sites appropriately. I have heard so much about Twitter threw the media and thought that it was more for celebrity news and gossip so never had that much interest in it before. I was surprised to discover that the CEO is on twitter and that it can be used in a professional way.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Module 8
RSS feeds seems like a great way to save time when using the Internet. I do have certain websites that I visit regularly so to have any new posts or news feeds sent straight to a homepage would be very convenient. I had a look at google reader and found the website a little tricky to navigate so I will need to do some further reading and searching to get the most out the the tool. This isn't a tool that I see myself using with students but more for professional development. I think it would be great to subscribe to some educational blogs and view new posts more easily.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Module 7
Social bookmarking is such a great tool. Delicious has made it so easy to access your favourite websites online without having to remember the URL. I find that I will use a great website one year and forget all about it when I come to that unit of work again. By using Delicious I will have an archive of website that I have used from one year to the next. I also like the idea of sharing good websites with colleagues. I rely on Google to search for websites and waste so much time trying to find something I can use. By following other teachers I can go straight to great websites. This is definitely a tool I will continue to use.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Module 6
Flickr is a web tool that I have often heard about at school and seen people use, but I have never explored its uses before. Now I understand why it is so popular. It seems to be such a great tool to upload and organise images. It allows students to access photos from any where or any place legally.
I'm always taking photos of the students on excursions and other special days but rarely give anyone access to these photos. With Flickr I would be able to allow the students to use these photos in their work. For example when publishing a recount. I would need to become more familiar with the privacy settings before I did this.
Images are so easily accessed by students on the Internet and it is important for them to understand copyright. Just as we teach them not to copy and paste text from the web when completing research tasks, we need to reinforce this for images as well. Flickr is great because you can choose to add a creative commons licence to the photos you upload which would help students understand how they can use images legally.
I'm always taking photos of the students on excursions and other special days but rarely give anyone access to these photos. With Flickr I would be able to allow the students to use these photos in their work. For example when publishing a recount. I would need to become more familiar with the privacy settings before I did this.
Images are so easily accessed by students on the Internet and it is important for them to understand copyright. Just as we teach them not to copy and paste text from the web when completing research tasks, we need to reinforce this for images as well. Flickr is great because you can choose to add a creative commons licence to the photos you upload which would help students understand how they can use images legally.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Module 5
This module has taught me so much about creating and communicating online. I was not familiar with any of the web tools this week but really enjoyed learning and and exploring them.
There are so many different ways to use Bubble.Us across all KLAs. We are constantly brainstorming and mind mapping ideas with the children so to present it in a new and interactive way would be very beneficial. It would be great to add new information to the mind map as you worked through a unit of work. I also like the idea using the tool to pretest the students on what they already know on certain topics.
Glogster looks really interesting. I like the idea of creating a digital poster that can include several different web tools. I thought the example given in the module Decisions, Decisions: A trip to Europe was a wonderful way to use the tool in the younger grades. As a year 1 teacher I would create the glog. and then add the students work. The children would love to see themselves on a video or photo presented this way.
There are so many different ways to use Bubble.Us across all KLAs. We are constantly brainstorming and mind mapping ideas with the children so to present it in a new and interactive way would be very beneficial. It would be great to add new information to the mind map as you worked through a unit of work. I also like the idea using the tool to pretest the students on what they already know on certain topics.
Glogster looks really interesting. I like the idea of creating a digital poster that can include several different web tools. I thought the example given in the module Decisions, Decisions: A trip to Europe was a wonderful way to use the tool in the younger grades. As a year 1 teacher I would create the glog. and then add the students work. The children would love to see themselves on a video or photo presented this way.
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