Check out my website pages on incorporating blogs into a fourth grade language arts writers' workshop.
Page 1 for Educators
Page 2 for Students
Page 3 for References & Resources
ps. I cannot believe this is the end of our course. I have learned so much and couldn't be happier I took this class! My students will thank me too. This has been an incredible experience! Thank you all for everything! Take care.
Recovering after a jam-packed weekend, (fri. concert, sat. my birthday and a friend's bachelorette, sun. a friend's birthday in CT) I could finally relax today and think about this course thus far. It's hard to believe we only have 3 more weeks left. I am more excited I took this course (my one and only elective) more than any other at UMASS. Considering I only have 2 more classes left before I am finished with the program, this is a pretty impressive statement.
The main reason for this is the usability and functionality of the powerful web tools we have learned how to use. I can incorporate all of these news tools into my classroom when school starts up again in a few weeks. I will be using a blog to communicate with my students and parents. I will be posting events, schedules, homework on my blog and texts via LibraryThing. I’ll have a RSS feed on this blog with educational information. I will use NetSmartz to educate my students and their parents on internet safety. We will use blogs and wikis for language arts writing workshops and science projects. I can use podcasts for greetings and a fun interactive way to communicate. I can now use Flickr, YouTube, bookmarking, del.ici.ous, Google, my new Gmail account… all as tools on a daily basis.
Most of all, this class has made me critically aware of the gap between digital immigrants and digital natives. I need to make sure I can help close this gap and reach all of my students in a way they understand and are accustomed to learning.
In the article, The Good, the Bad, And the ‘Web 2.0’ author Andrew Keen (The Cult of the Amateur: How the Internet is Killing Our Culture) argued the Web has become overwhelmed with useless noise. Author David Weinberger (Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder) argued that Web 2.0 tools let users filter out irrelevant (or inaccurate) information.
While I agree with Keen there is an abundance of “useless noise” on the Web, I more strongly agree with Weinberger for focusing more on the positive aspects of the Web vs. the negatives. As educators, I think it is imperative we recognize both sides of the issue:
• Keen’s side for internet safety, monitoring students, and the idea of “radical trust” and investigating resources.
• Weinberger’s side for the power of the Web and the good that can be produced, created and collaborated upon.
Keen paints a dark, bleak, negative and evil perspective of the Web with his references to us as “giant cockroaches” and “infinite primates or monkeys”. Life is not picture perfect and there are many disturbing elements, people, trash and injustices that are out on the Web. As educators, it is our job to ensure the safety of our students. This is why internet safety should be discussed prior to any projects being commenced on the Web. We can do this with filters, monitoring, and programs such as NetSmartz. Our own collaborative writing piece focused on Internet Safety from the Educator’s Point of View. (Click here to check it out.)
But rather than focusing on the negative, I would rather turn the direction over to a positive note and focus on the many wonderful, interesting, educational, intellectual, positive, fun, and exciting things the Web has to offer. As a teacher, I need to focus on these elements to help my students learn, succeed and grow.
In this regard, I loved how Weinberger changed the negative Keen focus to the benefits of the Web. “Then you ask if I’m convinced that the Web benefits intellectuals. Yes, I am. And that’s because, while some talent is indeed solitary, many types of talent prosper in connection with others. That is especially true for the development of ideas. Knowledge is generally not a game for one. It is and always has been a collaborative process…” Wikipedia is an excellent example of this collaborative process. As mentioned earlier, wikis in our own classroom provided a very thorough and collaborative writing piece on Internet Safety: An Educator's POV.
Clapping my hands in delight, I love how Weinberger continued with … “We’re connected, primarily through talk in which we show one another what we find interesting in the world. That’s essential to the Web. The Web is only a web because we’re building links that say ‘Here’s something worth your time, and here’s why.” That’s what was so cool about del.icio.us and Furl, folksonomies and tagging.
Our focus SHOULD be on the rich online academic community, which brings experts and professional authorities together. Weinberger concluded his brilliant argument by stating: “We are amateurs on the Web, although there’s plenty of room for professionals as well. But we are not replicating mainstream media. We’re building something new. We’re doing it together. Its fundamental elements are not bricks of content but the mortar of links, and links are connections of meaning and involvement. We’re creating an infrastructure of meaning, miscellaneous but dripping for potential for finding and understanding what matters to us. We’re building this for one another. We’re doing it by-and-large for free, for the love of it, and for the job of creating with others. That makes us amateurs. And that’s also what makes the Web our culture’s hope.”
This course has opened my eyes and taught me how many incredible resources, valid information and intellectual thought that is so easily accessible to us from anywhere. It has showed me the value of Web 2.0 and using the Internet for educational purposes with blogs, wikis, RSS, and podcasts.
The past 10 weeks has taught me how I can use weblogs in my Language Arts writing workshops, how I can use wikis in science projects, and podcasts for greetings and updates on my teacher homepage. Yes, there is a lot of garbage on YouTube but there are also many valuable, educational messages teachers can share with their students on YouTube in reaching all types of learning styles in a digital native way. See my post below on The Importance of Educational Technology in the Classroom.
Marc Prensky made excellent points in his article, “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?” in stating educators need to understand that our digital native students think differently. As educators, it is our job to reach all of our students and be aware of this digital gap and different style of learning/thinking.
I can use LibraryThing in my graduate courses but also in my classroom. I’ve already given thought of how I can list my textbooks and fourth grade novels and summer reading lists on my homepage. My own blog can be an excellent communication tool for up-to-date information with students and parents. Homework can be listed online for easy access outside of school. My RSS feeds can keep me informed on the best, brightest and most current information, activities and learning tools available. Overall, I applaud the Web and using educational technology in my classroom.
References
Keen, Andrew and Weinberger, David. (18 July 2007) The Good, the Bad, And the ‘Web 2.0’. Retrieved on August 4, 2007 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118461274162567845.html
Prensky, Marc. “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?” On the Horizon (NCB University Press). Vol. 9 No. 6, Dec. 2001.
I'm in love with del.icio.us! Not only do I have a place where I can tag my favorite sites… but I can see what others have "bookmarked" on the same page and see what they have to say, viewing the items they have tagged-> leading to additional resources! Talk about being connected! I'm blown away by this inter-connectivity (I think I just made up that word.) :)
I can see other educators out there that are interested in the same things I am. There are overlaps of users tagging the same sites I am -> leading to a common goal or mission. I’m trying to incorporate wikis, blogs, and other educational technology into a writer’s workshop for a language arts learning unit. Looks like others are tying to do the same thing. Very cool!
Here's my second audio podcast:
http://ia341211.us.archive.org/2/items/AllisonsSecondAudioPodcast/AllisonsSecondAudioPodcast.mp3
For now, I need to give Stephen his laptop back but when I get back home, I cannot wait to experiment with podcasts more and make some video podcasts. Then I can help Stephen create podcasts for his Mission.
What an incredible experience podcasting has been! All you need is your cousin Stephen's laptop with Wi-Fi, a $10 mic +/or a $20 cam and you can reach the whole world from a tiny island- where you have to take a boat to get there (Long Island, Maine). Initially, I made a video podcast but I am having trouble with that right now. So, for the sake of completing this homework assignment, I have made two audio podcasts.
Check out my first audio podcast ever: http://ia350603.us.archive.org/1/items/AllisonsFirstAudioPodcast/AllisonsFirstAudioPodcast.mp3
I know why Will Richardson calls RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) the new killer app for educators now! (A killer app(lication) is so useful or desirable that it proves the value of some underlying technology... –Wikipedia). Having one website to read all of your information from your favorite sites vs. having to go out to a million different sites to find this information is clearly saving time, visually appealing, user-friendly and smart. You can read more content from more sources in less time. –Richardson.
CommonCraft created a video on YouTube that explains what RSS is in "Plain English". It's entertaining and informative. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU
From an educator’s point of view, you can view your favorite weblogs and media sites by checking one site instead of 40. You can view your students’ work on one page instead of all 25 different weblogs by collecting their work on your aggregator using their RSS feeds. You can check for appropriate content, participation, and edits. This can be an excellent communication tool for parents, guardians, other teachers and counselors. You can also make RSS feeds search specific for news and blogs by adding the search criteria on your topic of study. I love how you can organize your different feeds into different folders. This makes all of the imported information readily available and easily accessible. I love this technology and can’t wait to share it with my students!
Critique of First Article
In the article, an information skills workout: wikis and collaborative writing, the authors Drs. Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, who both teach at the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University, discuss how wikis can be used for collaborative writing projects in schools.
Considering I wanted to create a Writer's Workshop for a Language Arts learning unit, specifically incorporating technology by using weblogs and/or wikis, this article was exactly what I needed for further research. The article reviewed wiki basics and characteristics, which we have already learned in this class, but then, gave me new ideas of how I can teach this technology to my students.
Initially, I thought I would just explain what a wiki was to my class and we would start immediately in on our project. This article gave me ideas on how to explore wikis first to further educate how wikis:
* have accurate and inaccurate information.
* can easily be edited (open-editing).
* are unique and collaborative.
* have simple coding.
* are evolving.
The article then further clarified how valuable wikis can be in collaborative writing (my sandbox unit). The basics were covered on wiki setup, content, links, discussion and editing, history and citations. Finally, wikis and learning and other ideas for wikis were presented. I especially liked the ideas relating to Language Arts, collaborative writing, and the dynamic journal or notebook wikis. All of the latter, I can incorporate into my own classroom and learning unit.
Critique of Second Article
In the article, wikis and literacy development, author Keith McPherson proposed the question: Can wikis be valuable resources for developing strong literacy links between the school library and the classroom?
After explaining the basic wiki, he described two major types of wikis of interest to educators:
1. those created in the classroom by teachers and students (classroom-based wikis).
2. those not created by students and teachers (public wikis).
I liked the example of wikis McPherson listed, specifically the classroom-based wikis. It is always valuable to research other resources before you create your own (i.e.: in our blogs).
Another noteworthy section of this article is the resource available to check reading levels on wikis. All you need to do is copy and paste the text your student may be trying to read (1,000 words or more) into a readability test. For more information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch-Kincaid_Readability_Test)
Interesting Tidbits
* Wikipedia has an average readability of grade 12
* Wiki junior has an average readability of grade 8
Finally, McPherson concluded by discussing Internet access, learning objectives, and information quality. Overall, this article was extremely helpful in learning how to incorporate wikis into the classroom in real teaching and being able to explain this medium to students more comprehensively.
Resources:
Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2007, June). an information skills workout: wikis and collaborative writing. Teacher Librarian, 34(5), 57-59. Retrieved July 13, 2007, from Professional Development Collection database.
McPherson, K. (2006, October). wikis and literacy development. Teacher Librarian, 34(1), 67-69. Retrieved July 13, 2007, from Professional Development Collection database.
I was wondering in the beginning of this class why we needed to sign up for a Gmail account. Now I know! I'm considering discontinuing my yahoo address (I've had for 7 years) and switching to the gmail account full time. With Gmail you don't just get an email account... you get the whole package!
Google Docs - Just like Word but with the power to access your documents anywhere! No more having to save onto a CD or not being able to reach a doc because it's saved on your desktop at home. There has been countless times where I have emailed docs to school to open there. With Gmail, I can eliminate that step. I also loved the Revisions tab. You can see all the revisions made on your docs: Revision 32 made 23 minutes ago by Me. I like the fact you can share your doc with classmates or in the future, with other teachers/collaborators.
Excel – I love being able to access spreadsheets right from your Gmail account as well.
Google for Educators – This website was an exceptional resource for tools for your classroom, activities and maps. http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs_spreadsheets.html
Google Reader – Is an excellent way to keep track of comments and changes.
Google Notebook - I installed the Notebook quickly and went on to save all my bookmarks in my notebook: Wiki spaces, WebCT, Blogger, UMASS email, WISER, Citizen’s, etc. So now if I am away from home, I can access these addresses easily. I love technology!
Wow! That was phenomenal! Writing in a wiki is so much easier than the old-school way of writing a million emails back and forth with drafts upon drafts sent all as separate Word attachments. The editor's task of placing all of these pieces together into one document can be a tedious one. Check email. Download Attachment. Cut. Paste. Format. Blah, blah. With wikis, you can have a whole group edit onto one document vs. individual documents. I love it! While I must admit I missed the excitement of my groups' dialogue because I was late, it was really easy to catch up to see what everyone was doing on the discussion page. Our Collaborative Writing piece on Internet Safety from the Educator's Point of View looks amazing if I do say so myself. Nice work Alan, Amy, Andrea, and Debra! Check it out at http://edcg611.wikispaces.com/iNet_Safety_A!
Wiki Reflections
I loved the way the assignment was designed to be two-fold. Not only were we learning how to use wikis but we also were researching and discovering many different ways how we can educate our students about Internet safety. After reading and viewing many articles, sites, blogs and videos, I thoroughly understand the critical importance of helping our children to be safe on the Internet.
ps. Team B and C did an extraordinary job too! Nice work! Can't wait to be able to use these guides in my own classroom/ in real life!
Weblogs in schools! I LOVE it! So much, in fact, I have incorporated the idea into my sample learning unit or "Sandbox Unit." I would love to have a place for my students to be able to access their homework, view postings/events/calendars, share ideas, and be able to communicate with me and their classmates outside of school. I have heard the "I forgot my homework" one too many times and I am only in my first year of teaching!
Blogging is not only a good way to communicate with your class but it is an excellent tool to be able to reach your students' parents/guardians. There are many times I have written notes to parents and they have mysteriously never made it home. As Richardson suggested, I would also use a form of Weblog software like Manila http://manila.userland.com/ to be able to communicate with the parents and generate an email each time I updated the class blog. Although, I looked into it and it's pretty expensive (Priced at $1099 complete).
I have concerns about internet safety (searching NetSmartz and Bud Hunt for blogging policies) and inappropriate postings by students but I will use this course as my sandbox, experiment, investigate, and be ready for blogging in September!
