Learnings and Findings from Week 3

Overview

This week’s studies introduced us to three tools; blogs, wiki’s and websites. We were encouraged to create and explore the features and functionalities of each tool and discuss and reflect on how they can be utilized in the classroom as a direct way to transform student learning.

Creating a Blog | Reflection

The process in creating a blog proved to be a challenging task that was way out of my comfort zone. Firstly, I had no idea what a blog was, secondly I had no idea what the purpose of a blog was and thirdly I had no idea how it was relevant to this course. After much confusion stumbling though the set up process and grasping the operating, everything began to unfold and make sense. The purpose of creating a blog for this course was not just to track our learning journey, but to introduce us to a learning tool that we can use as a resource for future reference.

Upon creating this blog it was unclear to me what we were required to include and how we were supposed to layout and express our work. After exploring other people work it became clear that there is no right or wrong way to blog. My blog needs to be my personal creation and my personal expression and with the use of the blog features I can customise my page to my ideal layout, and present each blog in a way that reflects my own personal learning journey. The blogging features provides the opportunity to embed various forms of media in our reflections helping us to further express our work and broaden knowledge for fellow bloggers.

Blogging can be an effective teaching/learning tool because it not only allows us to record, share and reflect on our own learning journey but to explore and compare other personal journeys, reflections, thoughts, findings and understanding which can help develop a higher understanding of content. Different people have different perspectives, opinions, ways of thinking and ways of explaining things and having access to various blogs has proven (in my case) to be a learning benefit.

Blogging can come with many learning benefits in the classroom but unless used and managed correctly it can also prove to be a flop.

The following table is an example of a strategy that encourages critical thinking though the use of blogging. Through the use of a PMI chart we are able to analyse objectively the possible benefits and dangers of a particular topic or situation. In this particular case I will explore the positives, minuses and implications of using blogs in schools.

PMI chart

Positives ·       Encourages students to reflect on content which can help internalise what has been learnt ·      Encourages students to collaborate online allowing them to learn from others, deepening their understandings ·       Easy way for students to upload/construct assignments and allows teachers and peers to offer feedback ·       Easy accessible for parents. It’s a  ‘window into the classroom’ allowing them to be more involved in their child’s education ·       Allows students to have further discussions with teachers and other students after school hours ·       Strengthens connections between home, school and the world ·       Encourages students to become more ICT literate (an essential skill in the 21st century) ·       Enables a global connection with bloggers around the world

Minuses ·       Requires around the clock access to the internet (may be difficult for some at home) ·       Some may not have access to the required resources at home (computers, ipads, phones) ·       Some parents may not approve of collaborating online with strangers

Implications ·       May be hard for teachers to monitor to ensure its being used appropriately ·       It could open doors to potential harmful predators   ·       Can allow nasty, hurtful feedback from peers resulting in possible bullying issues

From this personal analysis, it is clear to me that there are many more learning benefits then there are possible dangers or implications. I found it very difficult to think of minuses or implications beyond that of safety issues. I think blogging is a very valuable scaffolding tool that can benefit and heighten, broaden and deepen student learning in a variety of ways.

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 Creating a Wiki | Reflection

Being introduced to a wiki was a whole new concept for me and despite having step by step instructions it proved to be an even bigger challenge and even further out of my comfort zone. Initially I had no clue what a wiki was, what a wiki entailed and what a wiki was used for until this week’s study provided us with a fabulous, I’d say ‘wiki for dummies’ YouTube clip.   Click here to view this video

I definitely feel like a dummy. It could not have been explained any simpler. From this YouTube clip I gathered that a wiki is a website where users and visitors can freely create, edit, modify, add or remove content using various editing tools. The purpose is to share creative processes and products, with many, and by many, through constant collaboration.

I have not yet taken much time to explore the features of my wiki page and so far my only wiki experience has been De Bons Six Thinking Hats which proved to be a very beneficial learning activity. From my understanding we have the ability to insert, edit or erase text, images, tables, files and hyperlinks as well as create new pages and crosslinks between internal pages.  

Wiki’s provide teachers with a tool to create interactive online activities, present course information and resources such as external links, project information and frequently asked questions. It provides students with a forum to collaborate with other learners obtain information and share their knowledge and understandings. It enables each learner to express their personal opinions and ensures each person’s perspectives is included and acknowledged.

As previously discussed, the use of technology in the classroom should not be used as a substitute for learning. We as teachers must utilise it as a tool to transform learning. Using the SAMR model I will explore and discuss whether using wikis in the classroom will enhance student learning or transform student learning.

Model	Use of Wiki’s in the Classroom
Redefinition Tech allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable	·       Students can learn way beyond the classroom by collaborating with the worldwide web. ·       Students have the ability constantly edit/modify work of their own and work of others to establish the best possible learning and outcome
Modification Tech allows for significant task redesign	·       Students can embed links and upload files to support their knowledge and understandings of information ·       Teachers can create interactive online activities (such as De Bons thinking hats) ensuring all students opinions and perspectives are considered and acknowledged. ·       An effective way for teachers to ensure all students are participating and including themselves in online group activities
Argumentation Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement	·       Students can interact with other students creating strong networks with fellow learners ·       Students can continue to collaborate online outside school hours   ·      Students can easily upload assignments, create lists, plan study sessions etc.
Substitution Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change	·       Creating a wiki as a substitution for communication. They can collaborate online instead of in the classroom ·       Creating a wiki page for uploading assessments or reflections

From my own analysis, I believe the wiki space can not only enhance student learning but can transform student learning. In saying this I do not believe it’s a tool I would utilise in my own classroom. I feel that the wiki tool would be more appropriate and more beneficial in a high school setting/environment. I do not consider it a very engaging/inviting tool for primary school students as pages are quite text heavy and the navigation of the site could prove difficult.

Although the wiki tool provides many learning and teaching benefits, it also can bring to the surface some issues regarding online etiquette. My concern and possible hesitation towards the use of wikis derives from the fact that anyone has the ability to edit, modify and possibly erase published work from other people. In erasing or merely editing someone else work whether it be an innocent act or personal attack, it can leave students feeling ‘wrong’ which can result in a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem especially with younger students. The concept of a wiki being never ending online sheet of butchers paper providing opportunities for collaboration, assessment submission, online forums, planning and listing is a fantastic way to include and engage student. However, for it to be successful in the classroom, restrictions and rules need to be established to ensure all students work is treasured not tarnished.

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Creating a Weebly | Reflection

The third and final tool we were introduced to this week is a Weebly. Another new concept to me. A Weeby is simply a website building tool. Twenty First World states “it is designed for ‘non techies’ and offers a simple step by step website developing process that literally anyone can use to its fullest potential”. (Twenty First World, 2010). Weebly capitalises on a ‘drag and drop’ feature making inserting, linking and uploading files, images and texts easy.

 From my understanding, a more involved example of a Weebly would be the Moodle site we use for university. Through Moodle teachers/lectures have endless opportunities to provide content, documents, external links, discussion forums, assessment information, podcasts, lectures; the list could go on. The Weebly tool provides teachers with the opportunity to create just this in their classrooms.
After exploring the Weebly features, I discovered that this was an ideal tool for primary school students. I was drawn to this tool mainly because of its simplistic approach. It proved easy to navigate, manage and operate which is an added benefit for younger students. The set up process was clearly outlined and with the ability to customise themes, colours and layouts enables us to personalise our page to suit our learners. We are provided with an array of gadgets to embed such as texts, images, videos, documents, maps and have the constant ability to update, edit, modify or remove content.

The opportunities a Weebly website can provide are endless and are not only beneficial for teachers but can also purely benefit students. Some creative ways teachers could utilise a Weebly page include uploading content and documents, inserting videos and images to support content, create online interactive activities, arranging parent teacher interviews, uploading excursion permission slips and uploading finished assignments to parade for parents and the public.  Students have the ability to reflect back on content at any time, submit assessments, view assessment examples or templates, collaborate online with students and teachers in online forums and more.

The following table is a SWOT analysis exploring the possible benefits of utilising a Weebly webpage in the classroom. It will look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that could come with creating a static webpage.

Strengths ·       Students have constant access to content and resources ·       Students can collaborate after school and ask questions that couldn’t be answered during class ·       Students can easily upload assignments ·       Teachers have complete control over the page and its content ·       Teachers can upload content in a variety of ways (such as videos, podcasts) that will engage students ·      Teachers can embed links to support learning such as links to educational games ·       Teachers can provide students with assessment examples and templates ·       It can save paper by no longer needing hand outs

Weaknesses ·       Students require access to internet outside of school ·       Students require access to equipment such as computers/laptops/ipads. ·       Student work may be compromised if the server is down

Opportunities ·       Teachers can create new exciting ideas such as interactive online activities ·       Teachers can involve parents in student learning but uploading assessments ·       Teachers can upload permission sheets to avoid students loosing hard copies

Threats ·       Student privacy may be jeopardised ·       Discourages face to face communication with students and teachers ·      Teachers may find constant planning and maintenance time consuming

From my personal analysis, there are far more strengths and opportunities for students and teachers that come from creating a static website then there are weaknesses or threats. It allows me to create a website purely for my students in a fun, creative, unique way which will engage students in their learning. Happy students, happy parents and happy teacher.

                                                SMILES ALL ROUND!

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Summary

Sorry about the extremely long blog post, I will quickly sum it up! In response to this week’s findings and understandings, I believe the tool that would most benefit learning in my classroom would be the Weebly webpage. Although wiki’s and blogs provide similar opportunities, Weebly’s can take student learning to a whole different level. It is more suitable for younger students as it is easy to operate and navigate and provides me with tools to create fun, new, engaging activities and opportunities for students to maximise learning.

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References

Twenty First World (2010). Weebly- Simple website creation http://twentyfirstworld.weebly.com/what-is-weebly.html

Common Craft (2007, May 29) Wikis in Plain English [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY&feature=player_embedded