A wiki presents some challenges in terms of pedagogy. Because of the nature of a wiki content can be changed or even deleted very easily. I'd like to think that if you were to give a student some editorial rights they might act responsibly - but you can never be sure. If you are working in an EQschool it is easy to set up a wiki in a virtual classroom so that the teacher can have some control over the content.
As far as classroom use goes, a wiki is a great way to democratically create knowledge. Students should be aware of the content and the technology that allows this collaborative tool to be useful.
There are many innovative ways to use a wiki in the classroom. What makes them especially appealing in terms of creating content, is that there's the capacity to add links, graphics and images.
A couple of starters may include making a classroom reference document, creating a collaborative notebook. Using posts as story starters and of course professional collaboration. There's also the addition of an online message board.
Perhaps the biggest and best know wiki is Wikipedia -an open source encyclopedia that has been constructed by users of the internet.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Collaborating online
3 Web tools come to mind immediately. Blogs, Wikis and Websites.
Originally the web was simply one directional. That is, people posted information, or uploaded information and others read it, or interacted this way.
With the advent of Web 2.0 tools becoming available, the internet fast became a place where information could grow and be created. Blogs became the place for people to share the good and the bad, and in some instances the very ugly about what they had been doing. An online journal for recording reflections. David F Warlick in his text 'Classroom Blogging' discusses tools that are shaping a new information landscape.
In his great explanation about blogging, he reminds us that blogs are personal. They are one of the ways that an individual cam express personal beliefs. With this in mind there are many ways that blogs can be designed.
Typically blogs have similar components.
Banner
This establishes the theme for your blog. Usually if you click the banner, it will take you to the most recent post. Remember that the focus of your blog is content so excessive use of colour and graphics can distract from the content.
Blog title
This should be thought through as it conveys to readers the content of your posts.
Subtitle
This simple statement should describe the main focus of your blog.
Links
Usually you might want to reinforce or substantiate what's in your blog, so you might link to the web sites of suitable pages. Many bloggers also link to other bloggers.
Calendar
Often a blog has a calendar. It might highlight the days that posts were added.
It is important that your blog page not distract the reader from the content, however pictures are often a great way to convey a point. Use them if they are suitable.
I have a flickr account where I store my photos.
Bogging with students
Once you've mastered blogging yourself, you might want to consider how to blog with students.
With anything in the classroom that's a bit new and different my first advice would be to start small. Get students used to reading blogs. Set up a list of blogs that might be appropriate for the phase and subject you are teaching. Because good blogging starts with good reading (according to Will Richardson) it is important that you provide the students with some good models to follow.
Upon mastering the blogs, you might want to get students to begin by responding to some of the blogs you follow. You might consider having small groups of students begin by creating their own posts before you set up individual blogs for the students in your class.
If you are an Education Queensland teacher you can check out blogs and how to do them on the Learning Place. http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/
Regardless of how you use blogs in the classroom or for personal use, online safety is paramount.
Originally the web was simply one directional. That is, people posted information, or uploaded information and others read it, or interacted this way.
With the advent of Web 2.0 tools becoming available, the internet fast became a place where information could grow and be created. Blogs became the place for people to share the good and the bad, and in some instances the very ugly about what they had been doing. An online journal for recording reflections. David F Warlick in his text 'Classroom Blogging' discusses tools that are shaping a new information landscape.
In his great explanation about blogging, he reminds us that blogs are personal. They are one of the ways that an individual cam express personal beliefs. With this in mind there are many ways that blogs can be designed.
Typically blogs have similar components.
Banner
This establishes the theme for your blog. Usually if you click the banner, it will take you to the most recent post. Remember that the focus of your blog is content so excessive use of colour and graphics can distract from the content.
Blog title
This should be thought through as it conveys to readers the content of your posts.
Subtitle
This simple statement should describe the main focus of your blog.
Links
Usually you might want to reinforce or substantiate what's in your blog, so you might link to the web sites of suitable pages. Many bloggers also link to other bloggers.
Calendar
Often a blog has a calendar. It might highlight the days that posts were added.
It is important that your blog page not distract the reader from the content, however pictures are often a great way to convey a point. Use them if they are suitable.
I have a flickr account where I store my photos.
Bogging with students
Once you've mastered blogging yourself, you might want to consider how to blog with students.
With anything in the classroom that's a bit new and different my first advice would be to start small. Get students used to reading blogs. Set up a list of blogs that might be appropriate for the phase and subject you are teaching. Because good blogging starts with good reading (according to Will Richardson) it is important that you provide the students with some good models to follow.
Upon mastering the blogs, you might want to get students to begin by responding to some of the blogs you follow. You might consider having small groups of students begin by creating their own posts before you set up individual blogs for the students in your class.
If you are an Education Queensland teacher you can check out blogs and how to do them on the Learning Place. http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/
Regardless of how you use blogs in the classroom or for personal use, online safety is paramount.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Things to share from a busy classroom
Somedays it's just bedlam in the school. Today, for instance, I barely had time to teach my scheduled lessons between assisting people with one thing or the next, not that I mind, though, but it's a nuisance when you really want to get on with the business of teaching the students.
I subscribe to a number of very useful websites and through these I can draw on the collective wisdom of people doing better than me, across the whole world. One particular site I like is the TES (Times Educational Supplement) site. http://www.tes.co.uk/home.aspx This site has plenty of information about ICT in schools, along with good job vacancies if you're interested in heading to the UK for work.
I subscribe to a number of very useful websites and through these I can draw on the collective wisdom of people doing better than me, across the whole world. One particular site I like is the TES (Times Educational Supplement) site. http://www.tes.co.uk/home.aspx This site has plenty of information about ICT in schools, along with good job vacancies if you're interested in heading to the UK for work.
Monday, March 12, 2012
What's going on in the Classroom
What are the implications for class blogging?
Well, it would seem that blogging is beginning to permeate most parts of our life. That includes personal and professional. So, in my Carrie Bradshaw voice in my head, it's got me thinking about how we can really tap into these technologies in the classroom.
Blogging
What better way to build up a narrative than by online web journalling where you can see the development of thoughts and ideas. Naturally this does not have to be published in wide forum, surfice it's enough to see your words in print on the WWW and interested people might look you up. What's particiularly handy about a blog is that pictures and other media can be added to really improve your blog.
I saw on facebook this afternoon a video blog charting the journey of a woman having a baby, I think these interactions are become far more regular.
Encouraging students to blog also encourages them to take pride in their writing, it's got a far more wide reaching audience than just the teenage FaceBook rant and rage.
As with any online publishing, it is important to remember that what goes online, stays online For Ever.
Even the most timid student can be encouraged to blog.
Wikis are a much preferable alternative to the butchers paper (UGH) of the 80's. Wikis and blogs enable students to be able to stop and reflect before they comment. They are great in terms of asynchronous communication. The conversation goes back and forth via a set of threads of thought.
Wiki entrants are able to build up a huge picture of a content area or concent by editing and adding to content already created. This is fabulous interms of students creating their own authentic and meaningful content.
Students who engage with this, and also extend this by going out onto forums often find the most amazing learning experiences unfolding right beneath their fingertips.
Well, it would seem that blogging is beginning to permeate most parts of our life. That includes personal and professional. So, in my Carrie Bradshaw voice in my head, it's got me thinking about how we can really tap into these technologies in the classroom.
Blogging
What better way to build up a narrative than by online web journalling where you can see the development of thoughts and ideas. Naturally this does not have to be published in wide forum, surfice it's enough to see your words in print on the WWW and interested people might look you up. What's particiularly handy about a blog is that pictures and other media can be added to really improve your blog.
I saw on facebook this afternoon a video blog charting the journey of a woman having a baby, I think these interactions are become far more regular.
Encouraging students to blog also encourages them to take pride in their writing, it's got a far more wide reaching audience than just the teenage FaceBook rant and rage.
As with any online publishing, it is important to remember that what goes online, stays online For Ever.
Even the most timid student can be encouraged to blog.
Wikis are a much preferable alternative to the butchers paper (UGH) of the 80's. Wikis and blogs enable students to be able to stop and reflect before they comment. They are great in terms of asynchronous communication. The conversation goes back and forth via a set of threads of thought.
Wiki entrants are able to build up a huge picture of a content area or concent by editing and adding to content already created. This is fabulous interms of students creating their own authentic and meaningful content.
Students who engage with this, and also extend this by going out onto forums often find the most amazing learning experiences unfolding right beneath their fingertips.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
A funny thing happened at work today... :(
We're well on our way to having our 1-1 Laptop program up and running at my school. We have a wide variety of experience and competence in the group of teachers who teach these year levels so naturally you'd expect that there'd be some who have picked up the program, and some that have avoided it like the plague.
I've been really disappointed that some of my colleagues have been relucatant to pick up digital pedagogy. Remember that digital pedagogy is very different from digitising your old pedagogy.
One of the aspects that some are struggling with is that of classroom management. Seems they want to pass the buck and get 'them' to talk to the students. This can't be productive for any of the interested parties.
I found this list interesting.
I've been really disappointed that some of my colleagues have been relucatant to pick up digital pedagogy. Remember that digital pedagogy is very different from digitising your old pedagogy.
One of the aspects that some are struggling with is that of classroom management. Seems they want to pass the buck and get 'them' to talk to the students. This can't be productive for any of the interested parties.
I found this list interesting.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
crowd surfing
How wonderful is collective wisdom, or the brains trust. What a wealth of knowledge is out there just waiting for us to tap into. I've been hearing over the last couple of days about some very innovative ways to tap into the knowledge that's out they using social media as as the conduit.
This could be a valuable thing to try with students, after all I think we do it to some extent anyway when we broadly ask a group of students to assist us with some knowledge. Engaging students in the persuit of attaining your own knowledge can be one good way of building relationships with the students you teach. It helps break down those tradional barriers that can sometimes be a problem in the classroom.
Making connections with students is fundemental to the success of any lesson. This is one of the underpinning bases of the productive pedagogies.
If you get to really know and make a connection with your students you can have a very rewarding professional experience. Building relationships does not necessarily mean you are suddenly their best friend, rather it means that they are building trust and respect. These are two of the corner stones that should be present in any relationship, none moreso than that of teacher and students.
This year I am going to make a deliberate effort to pay more attention to the way I use language in the formal educational setting.
Joan Dalton reminds us that words are not innocent, and the way we language our realities is very important.
This could be a valuable thing to try with students, after all I think we do it to some extent anyway when we broadly ask a group of students to assist us with some knowledge. Engaging students in the persuit of attaining your own knowledge can be one good way of building relationships with the students you teach. It helps break down those tradional barriers that can sometimes be a problem in the classroom.
Making connections with students is fundemental to the success of any lesson. This is one of the underpinning bases of the productive pedagogies.
If you get to really know and make a connection with your students you can have a very rewarding professional experience. Building relationships does not necessarily mean you are suddenly their best friend, rather it means that they are building trust and respect. These are two of the corner stones that should be present in any relationship, none moreso than that of teacher and students.
This year I am going to make a deliberate effort to pay more attention to the way I use language in the formal educational setting.
Joan Dalton reminds us that words are not innocent, and the way we language our realities is very important.
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