Module 9

I had been introduced to Scootle by Ben last term when adapting our current music programs. With the day to day rush of school, I hadn’t returned to the site until now. It really is a great site full of interesting useful resources. There were a number of good resources for music eg. ‘Making Music’ an application which explains how sound is made and lets you create your own composition. There are very little resources for Religion, however, as Paul O commented in his blog we are lucky enough to have a very good quality interactive series Understanding Faith on our school intranet.

As for social networking I think twitter is an interesting phenomenon, however, I find I don’t have the time to follow it. I had an account but it remains pretty much unused as I really don’t find I get that much out of it.

I much prefer to use a networking site like Facebook. Facebook does bring up a number of privacy issues yet it is a very good tool for keeping in touch, sharing experiences and information extremely quickly. In terms of having a professional dialogue with colleagues or students email and the forums set up on sole are definitely the ways to go. After reading Jay M’s blog I agree that Facebook really is beneficial in keeping in contact with former colleagues. I am able to share resources with a former colleague at present mainly due to facebook.

Check out the following blogs for my comments:
Jay
Gillian

Module 8

I was interested in this module immediately. I had recently, curiously, peered over a colleague’s desk to see what Google Reader was all about. On further inspection I must say I think it’s great!

I have a number of blogs I like to follow, including the wonderful web 2.0 blogs and have always found it frustrating checking each one individually. Who knew that I could have been using Google reader all along? Having the most current information from your favourite sites, filtered into one place, is invaluable.

Apart from the application being practical for filtering teacher’s resource websites, this application would be excellent to use in the classroom if you were completing an ongoing blog project. The students would be able to view each others blogs regularly, all in one hit. It would also make it easy for them to comment on a number of blogs. Lastly it eliminates the laziness that comes with having to check blogs individually.

Module 7

I had never heard of the bookmarking site Delicious, only the food magazine.
I have a long list of web site favourites on my computer at home which I find handy to use, although they aren’t very well organised. Using a favorites list on your own computer is very quick and easy but it can be frustrating that these favorites are then not available any where else.

Delicious is a little time consuming to set up (not as quick as a click from your mouse on your home computer) but would be rewarding in the long run. Having all your favourites in one place is a very good option. In terms of its use in the classroom, I think it would be beneficial for students to build and keep a good list of resource websites for their subject areas. As a teacher you could easily build your own list of quality educational websites and easily share them with your students and colleagues. It would be beneficial for them to have a bank of websites available at the click of a mouse. I guess we already have a similar set up on sole with website links for student and teacher use, however, this would be a more refined version of that.

Looking for my posts on other blogs……go to the following lovely blogs.

Jay
Paul

Jay M – A belated thanks for helping me set up this blog in the first place!!

Module 6

Luckily Paul had mentioned bubbl.us to me a few weeks ago so I had already looked into and used the application before embarking on this module. Thanks Paul!

Creating mind maps is a teaching and learning tool I use regularly but have always asked students to just draw them up in their books. I have tried using some applications on the smartboard software to create mind maps but it is quite time consuming and bubbl.us was far easier to use. I was also very surprised at how much students enjoyed using the application in class.

The task I set was something that they would normally find quite dry, however, when they were told to use bubbl.us to present their knowledge they worked very well all lesson. They also had no trouble printing out the mind maps for homework. There really isn’t much difference between doing a mind map activity with pen and paper or bubbl.us but student’s engagement is certainly increased with the online application.

As for Glogster…. I think it would be an interesting tool to use in both my subject areas. Both subjects already set a number of tasks that require students to make posters and visual representations to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts. I may well try glogster instead of the traditional pen and paper next time.

Module 5

I have been a fan of digital storytelling applications for quite a while. I am a user of itunes and You tube and also listen to podcasts and vodcasts, on specific topics of interest, from time to time.

Digital storytelling in the classroom has been a great tool to engage students in tasks they ordinarily struggle to find interest in. I have asked students to create vodcasts when assessing students knowledge of historical content as it seems to not only bring greater understanding of the content, but introduce a ‘fun’ element to presenting their knowledge. I have also used existing good quality vodcasts on topics relating to the syllabus to solidify student knowledge on a certain topic. I usually use a worksheet in conjunction with students watching a chosen vodcast.

Podcasts could also be useful in a similar way although I find that junior students don’t find them very engaging.

Youtube has been a great tool in the classroom for not only for finding good vodcasts but also for showing students small sections of documentaries that would ordinarily be difficult to source.

Module 4

I have never had a flickr account until now as I have been happy storing my photos on my computer or sharing samples with friends via facebook, email or blog.

I can see that flickr is a good way of storing and sharing photos- I have seen many friend’s photos through flickr, however, I’m not keen on the need for a yahoo account in order to use the application. I also don’t find the application that great to use.

I could see flickr being a great resource in the classroom for sourcing different and varied images. The creative commons licence would allow students to go beyond Google images and find more dynamic and engaging images. This would be particularly useful as many of the ICT assessment tasks at school e.g. vodcasts call for the use numerous images. At present the students often have similar images to one another yet using flickr would allow them more creativity and individualism in their assessments

Module 3

In this module I created a document and shared it using Google docs. It is a fairly easy to use application and I can see how it would be beneficial when working on several documents in a network. The elimination of email attachments would be great if you were working on a particular project for an extended period of time or a project that required input from a group of collaborators.

The application could be very useful in the classroom if students are working on an ICT project/assessment over a period of time that requires feedback. It would also be good for marking and commenting on practise essays for yr 11 and 12.

Module 2

Blogs are a great way of not only sharing news with others but finding out great information on the type of ‘news’ you are interested in- Boys blogging books is a good example of this. As for blogs in the classroom I think they could be used brilliantly for any task that requires journaling. Many subjects use journals as an assessment task for a major project, a blog would allow students to do the same thing yet have the ability to add pictures, links etc. to their entries. A blog type journal would also make it easier to share the assessment task process with other students in the class.

This style of blog use in the classroom could be very successful, however, some of the example blogs in module 2 are not very interactive. Many use the blog for setting and handing up homework which seems to defeat the purpose of a blog.

Module 1

Like many, I have started utilising the more interactive and dynamic applications of web 2.0 to socialise and share information with family and friends around the world. These applications have been very useful in sharing experiences and information quickly with my small community on the web. Some of these applications e.g Skype have been an invaluable tool in communication with family and friends overseas.

Compared to the static nature of web 1.0, the newer web 2.0 style applications (e.g iGoogle) have not only given us a fun and interesting way of networking, but also allowed us the ability to create our own content. Web 2.0 now allows many artists, who ordinarily struggle to find a platform for their talents to present their content for free, to many. I also regularly read a number of blogs from talented writers who are now able to share their ideas in a more immediate way without the need for a book publication.

As for our students, web 2.0 brings about many ways for students to publish their work and network with other students. It gives students an ‘audience’ which can make their work more meaningful. The use of Wiki’s for handing in assignments and presenting work is also very useful.

Despite all the good things about web 2.0 it does, however, raise concerns about privacy and the misuse of content. One of the videos in this module stated that ‘we are in control’ with regard to web 2.0 and publishing our own content. Although this may be true in the sense that we are no longer stuck using static websites, it doesn’t necessarily apply to being ‘in control’ of how the content we present is subsequently going to be used. So many students and teachers have seen the lack of control an individual has once something is published on the web and is later misused for bullying purposes. It is essential that we educate our students to think for themselves, critically evaluate the content published on the web and understand the dangers that come with it.