Web 2.0: What Does it Mean to Me?

My journey through Web 2.0 is approaching the finish line. But how did the "journey" impact me as a student, as a teacher and as a person? Within this post I'll share with you what I know, what I have learned and what I plan to do with all of this newfound knowledge. Let's get started...


What I Know

Our world has changed profoundly over the last fifteen years due to the arrival and dissemination of digital technology. "Today's students - K through college - represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age". (Prensky, 2001)

As a teacher, I've had a front row seat to these unfolding changes over a fifteen year career. It's obvious to me that these changes have been massive in scope and that teachers and the education system are playing catch-up to some degree. This is the main reason for me to enrol in a course such of this as well as pursue a Masters in Education. I don't want to be left behind! I want to keep learning! I know that most students have more knowledge of this digital world than I do, thus I need to think differently and make some changes myself. I want to be an effective teacher and more knowledgeable in this new digital world in general.

I do see governments and schools "trying" to make teachers and "the system" more effective and better prepared to deal with this fundamental shift in society. We are on the right path but there is still a long way to go. Unfortunately, "new technologies are still regularly used to provide more polished performances of traditional practices..." (Davies & Merchant, 2009, p. 2)

Many teachers learned and studied in an educational system that was "old-fashioned". Concepts were taught slowly, step-by-step. It was serious business and you certainly couldn't be distracted by listening to music or watching TV. You had to face the front and be quiet. However, this differs from todays students who are used to processing massive amounts of information and who are often multi-tasking while they do it. They like graphics, enjoy being networked, and prefer games over serious work. (Prensky, 2001)

As a teacher and as a professional, it is my duty to improve and adapt in order to be effective.


The Learning Process

It's been a busy three and a half months of learning and I'm tired! Learning new skills is challenging & time consuming yet very gratifying and rewarding. There were highlights and lowlights along the way that I want to share with you.

Learning how to use and implement Web 2.0 tools into my personal and professional life was the primary highlight for me. I am a firm believer in the usefulness & importance of these types of tools and I plan to continue using many of them. For example, I plan to continue using Flickr (photo sharing), Animoto (multimedia & mashup tool), and Google Reader (a blog aggregator tool). I will discuss which Web 2.0 tools I plan to use professionally later in this blog.

Another highlight for me was the network of teachers I was able to connect with during the course. The power of networking & sharing has become more apparent to me and I plan to keep in contact with a number of my colleagues in order to expand my professional network. I still keep in contact with my instructor and two classmates from my last grad-level course; combine these with those from this class as well as the connections I have made in twitter and Classroom 2.0, means that I have created an amazing network.

Along the way there were also some struggles. The major one for me was the short time period (approximately one week) to learn about, use and blog about a new Web 2.0 tool. Considering I had never used any of these tools before (except blogging), the process was stressful at times. In reality, learning something new can be difficult and I certainly was frustrated at various points. This was compounded by my need to have a certain level of mastery with each tool in order for me to demonstrate my learning within each blog post.

To add to this problem, I felt like I had to completely drop one tool in order to focus on the next one and repeat the process over again. I didn't mind learning something new, but more time to "play" and discover with my new found skills would have lead to a higher level of skill retention. I just hope that I remember the bulk of what I have learned next time I use a particular tool.

Also difficult at times was the lack of any face-to-face interaction. This was my first ever online course and it took some getting used to. While I enjoyed the asynchronous environment, I felt something was missing. Things like the smiles of my classmates, the banter, the connection on a personal level. I am a very sociable person yet socializing online is still a challenge for me.


What's Next??

How do I keep the learning going? For me it comes down to continued use of these tools in and out of the classroom. I won't use them all regularly but I do have my favourites. On the personal front, social bookmarking, photo sharing (Flickr) and RSS are all incredibly useful tools to me and I have already incorporated them into my routines. Bookmarking gives me a common place to file away useful and interesting "stuff", Flickr is a great way to safely back up and also easily share my photos with others (especially when traveling), and Google Reader allows me to sort through large volumes of information from the web quickly & easily.

I will also need to incorporate into my classroom a number of the Web 2.0 tools I have learned. My three favourite ones are blogs, multimedia sharing, and wikis. I see the use of blogs as one of the more powerful tools available. Not only is a blog a great place for students to express their thoughts & feelings, this information can be easily accessed by the teacher and even parents. I often ask my youngest daughter about her day and I usually end up getting a stock response; I really have to pry to get some kind of information out of her. However, when I read one of her blog posts, I got so much out of it! I see myself using a blog in my Phys. Ed classes, giving students an opportunity to express thoughts and feelings regarding the various activities within the course.

Animoto is the one tool that had an immediate impact on me as a learner. The fact that it was so easy to learn combined with the fact that videos are so popular, made me want to get creating immediately. Also appealing is the fact that almost anything can be made into a video. While I have only made three different videos (all for personal use) I can see myself incorporating this tool into my classroom. I already have an educator account ready to go.

The last tool that I have learned to love for professional reasons is the wiki. At first glance, the wiki came across as a bit dull to me. I did have access to a wiki at my last school but I never used it much nor was I encouraged to add information to it. However, I did shortly realize the power of wikis. In one regard, wikis are a great place to store data or search for data. The success of Wikipedia certainly supports this notion. I can see myself creating a PE department wiki where staff can search for, add and edit information for the benefit of all. Within specific classes, I can also envision the usefulness of a classroom wiki. As a teacher I can add supporting content, review questions/tips, and links to other helpful resources. Students can also add review questions, study tips, and other useful information they think is relevant.

I haven't used any of these tools in the classroom...yet, but I do look forward to giving them a try and seeing what my students reaction to them will be. It will be interesting!


What Would I Share With Colleagues?

There are a number of tools that I would introduce to colleagues in the hopes that they would incorporate them into their teaching practices. Why? Because students have changed and teachers need to change with them. Students "think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors". (Prensky, 2001) Prensky calls those who have grown up in the digital age as digital natives. The major problem in education that Prensky sees (and I concur) is that these so-called digital natives are being taught primarily by digital immigrant teachers who tend to speak a different language than their students.

There are four tools that I would most definitely encourage my colleagues to use. They are Google Reader, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking, and Wikis. Google Reader has been a great way for me to manage massive amounts of content available on the web. For any teacher using the web to get ideas for teaching and learning, a tool like Google Reader can definitely be a huge time saver.

Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and Diigo are great ways to store content from the web in one place. Content can also be managed by the use of tags for easy referral and the best part is that this content is retrievable from any computer connected to the internet.

I was introduced to Ning at the beginning of this course and I ended up joining the Classroom 2.0 group. A large group of teachers are members here; all are interested and involved in technology integration to improve teaching and learning. Many interactive sessions are also available. Networking with other teachers in Classroom 2.0 is an easy way to learn about and implement new teaching practices.

The wiki is a powerful tool for sharing, storing, and editing information for any group to take advantage of. Wikis could be used by a specific class, by a group of teachers or an entire school. I definitely appreciate wikis more now that I have spent some time using them.

Here's another reason for me to share with my colleagues. As previously mentioned in this post, many young people have extensive experience using computers, MP3 players, mobile phones and social networking sites. These new "mediums" of communication are what students are knowledgeable with and comfortable using. It is imperative that teachers incorporate these tools into the classroom to not only take advantage of their usefulness but to also "teach" students in a language they understand. Also imperative is the fact that the "medium" of communication has more impact than the content within that form of communication. (McLuhan, 1964) The form of a message (print, visual, auditory etc.) determines the ways in which that message will be perceived. (McLuhan, 1964). If we as teachers attempt to communicate with our students in a language they don't understand, then our ability to be effective will be severely compromised.


What Did I Learn From Classmates and Other Sources?

Apart from learning about Web 2.0 tools, there has been other learning occurring courtesy of my classmates and various other sources on the web. Here is a summary of the of the material that has had an impact on me as a learner:

From Ed (classmate): I really liked Ed's use of the term "media locker" in his January 25th post on Flickr. Flickr has become a place to store important photos and it has also become one of many new "media lockers" for me.

From Brandi (classmate): Brandi talked about "breaking up" with blogs and tweets (January 29 message in eclass) that weren't providing anything useful to her. I also see the whole Web 2.0 world as being very fluid and one must regularly edit sources of content in order to get the best stuff without feeling overloaded. This girl can also write...wow!

From Pauline (classmate): Pauline's post (February 2010) about YouTube discusses the endless possibilities available but warns about the "slippery slope" of endless distractions; been there done that.

From Nicola (classmate): Nicola talks about "new learning" in her Feb. 2 post and how it "will take time to digest over the next 6-12 months". I agree that over time the learning I've experienced in this course will become more meaningful.

From Brad (classmate): Brad forwarded a great YouTube video to us all that gave me a lot of "perspective" in terms of technology in society today. I watch this video regularly; its a hoot. After you watch it you will know what I mean.


From the Classroom 2.0 group (Ning network): This group really showed me the sharing and collaboration power of networking of like-minded teachers. A number of interactive sessions are available online from members to partake in. I will continue to be a member and use this group as a powerful resource.

From CopyBlogger (blog): I picked up some great quotes that made me smile. The first: "Few appreciate brilliance but everyone appreciates clarity". I use this quote to guide me when writing my blog posts. The second: "Love your family but choose your peer group". Great advice that I will share to my students and my children.

From 2 cents worth (blog): The February 11th post on Matrix codes was very informative as I am seeing more and more of these codes in certain publications. Wouldn't it be great to use these in textbooks in order to allow students access to extra content?

From the Blue Skunk Blog: A post in February talked about E-books. While the post wasn't very positive I think that devices like these could lead to paperless learning. That would be cool.

From the New York Times: I love the material available in The Learning Network. I became a member because of the great content there.

From the U of A Libraries: I've learned how to research online from the comfort of my home. The staff at the libraries are always so professional and helpful; I took part in two great tutorial sessions that have helped me with my research skills.


Conclusion

It's been an intense journey into the world of Web 2.0 for me. I started out as a rookie with most of these tools but my desire to learn some 21st century tech skills provided the drive and determination needed to succeed. I'm no longer a novice and consider myself an "informed" user with some learning still to achieve. However, I am well on my way.

The big part of this process for me was becoming a learner again. I think at some point in the last fifteen years I stopped being a learner and just put life on "auto pilot". It's easy to do when there is so much going on: family, personal life, career. It's all very time consuming. Thankfully I challenged myself and decided to take the plunge into grad studies. For me, its about pushing the envelop and developing some new skills and being determined to make positive changes. I envision that this process will change me personally & professionally and open up some new opportunities in the future.

The beginning of this process was intimidating considering I have not been a student for the past fifteen years. That first grad level course was an eye-opener. The reading, the researching and the writing were new again and more work than I remembered. I was intimidated at first considering within this course (and my first course too) I had many incredibly talented and intelligent classmates. Their strengths and abilities impressed the hell out of me yet pushed me to be an active participant and a positive contributor. So far so good...the best part is that all my classmates and instructors have been incredibly positive and helpful.

I now feel more confident and knowledgeable both as a student and as a teacher. For me, I now understand the power of so many Web 2.0 tools, but I also understand that I can't hope to integrate them into my teaching if I haven't used them myself first. I have even developed a blogging voice (to some degree) that I didn't really have before. All in all it's been a great ride and although I'm ready for a well-deserved break, I am looking forward to continuing my learning in the area of Web 2.0.

Thanks to everyone who has been following this blog.


References

Davies, J., Merchant, G. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools. Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York

McLuhan, M. (1964) Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York: McGraw-Hill

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, MCB University Press, Vol. 9, No. 5

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press

Real Simple... Real Good

Do you recognize this symbol? I've seen it everywhere for a number of years now but I never knew what it symbolized until this past January. It's the symbol for RSS, abbreviation for "real simple syndication". What is RSS? Wikipedia describes RSS as "a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.[2] An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed",[3] or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place". (Wikipedia, 2010)


The Learning Process

The learning process was fairly... simple. The best part of RSS is that it is so easy to understand and to get up and running. I watched the commoncraft video on RSS which did a great job of explaining the concept behind RSS. What a revelation!!! Content comes to me rather than me having to go and get it. Whoever thought of this is my new tech hero.

The second step of the learning process involved getting my account. I was already a google user (gmail and blogger) so it made sense to sign up with Google Reader; I also didn't want another user name and password to remember!! Using the information from the commoncraft video, I quickly subscribed to the required blogs as well as the ones that were of interest to me. Voila, posts started flowing in immediately. For me, it was great having everything in one place; a definite time saver.

The next step has been ongoing: using Google Reader on a regular basis. I check my reader twice a week and I can get through 200-300 posts in approximately 40 minutes. This includes bookmarking the valuable ones to my Delicious account, commenting on blog posts of my classmates as well as posting other links to twitter. I have fallen into a comfortable routine with Google Reader and I don't feel overwhelmed by the volume of content at all.

The final step has not even been taken. There are a number of "tools" within Google Reader that are available that I haven't taken advantage of... yet. There is the ability to add tags to posts, allowing content to be stored in folders. Although this mimics the use of a social bookmarking site, it is still a great tool. As well, posts can be "starred" so that I can quickly refer to them at a later date. They last tool I think is awesome is the "shared items" page that I can create. I can put the really amazing stuff in here and others can subscribe to this page via a RSS feed. Some day...


My Personal Learning

There isn't much to report in this regard as I don't really visit enough blogs and websites (for personal reasons) to warrant the use of a RSS feed. I will check the Edmonton Journal online daily and then TSN online every couple of days... that's it. While it is true that I could still use Google Reader in order to get only the current content from these organizations, both of them do a great job of updating and keeping content current. Another reason for this is that I prefer to keep my "teaching" related feeds separate from my personal ones.

I do see a use a potential use of Google Reader in a more "personal" way. As I mentioned in my previous blog post on blogging, a local teacher was viewing posts from the blog I created while teaching overseas in Macau. What a great way to research a different part of the world. By using key words to search for specific blogs within Google Reader, I can find information that may have been difficult to locate via a regular Google search. As well, I believe a blog would offer much more information than the more "touristy" stuff I would readily find on the web.


RSS and Teaching & Learning

As mentioned, I have used Google Reader regularly to view a number of blogs that I am required and that I chose to follow. Without RSS, this would have been time consuming to say the least! As a teacher, one of the most crucial aspects of my professional life is "time". Teachers are a busy lot who are often unwilling to try new things or change their routines because they may be too "time consuming". However, RSS is a great time "saver" that teachers should take advantage of especially since technology integration within teaching & learning will only increase over time. Here are some wonderful uses of RSS in the classroom as told by Richardson (2009):
1. Read student blogs on your Google Reader. No searching folders or email for them. They all come to the same spot and you know when they arrived. Comments can be provided online leading to a paperless experience!

2. Have students create their own accounts to aid in information collection and research. Students can used the "advanced search" link to search news sources or other blogs. Careful, mountains of information can be accessed this way.

3. Students can see what others find interesting on certain topics by searching "tags" in social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and Diigo. I can search tags in Delicious via RSS: del.icio.us/rss/tag/(insert tag here).

There are so many uses for RSS in the classroom and I personally have just scratched the surface. I would certainly recommend this tool to teachers and students but I'm not sure if I would take it beyond the three points mentioned above. I am concerned about being "consumed" by the many options and features available.


Conclusion

I would define RSS as an extremely powerful "tool" that allows me to subscribe to content on the web that "I" find relevant. The best part, the content comes to me and I don't have to go looking for it. I can quickly skim & scan large volumes of content and tag, bookmark and/or share the "good stuff."

I have enjoyed learning about many Web 2.0 tools in this course, however I find that "new knowledge" often creates "more content" for me to view, dissect, and evaluate. I am always worried about information overload and I see this as a barrier to my ability to utilize the many new tools and the content they create. My Google Reader account goes a long way to help me "manage" more and more content which allows me to find the few gold nuggets amongst the mountains of slag that come my way. This has been one of my favourite tools to learn about about and one that I will use for the rest of my life.


References


Google Reader Help. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/support/reader/?hl=en

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press

RSS in Plain English. Commoncraft. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

Publish Yourself... Get Blogging

Blogging...one of the hottest tools one the web. Approximately two new blogs are added to the web every second. (Richardson, 2009, p. 19) What exactly is a blog??? Wikipedia defines it this way:
"A blog (a contraction of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog". Since you have found this blog post and are reading it, you have an idea of what a blog is and how it works.


The Learning Process

Unlike all of the other Web 2.0 tools I have had to learn about over the past three months, I actually have experience using a blog. It started with a PD opportunity in 2007 while I was employed with Edmonton Public Schools. I spent a morning learning about blogs by creating a "practise" blog and adding content to it. The ease and simplicity of the entire process impressed me which is probably why I created my own personal blog and regularly added posts to it for a period of two years. You see, I was preparing to move overseas with my family in order to teach at the International School of Macau. I really wanted to be able to share my experiences with family and friends, albeit easily and in a way that they would enjoy.

As I was new to blogging at that time, my blog was quite basic. No widgets, gadgets, or add-ons; just regular posts of our experiences, many of them with pictures. I was quite proud of my creation and I enjoyed sharing so many different experiences with friends and family abroad.

Fast forward to 2010. I'm a grad student (swore I never would be) and I'm blogging again, although for educational rather than personal reasons. In fact, this blog has been a place (the only place) to demonstrate new knowledge, show evidence of research, and display my skills. Wow, I never thought a blog could do so much. My weekly posts have helped me discover my "voice" or my personal writing style that hopefully informs, engages, and keeps people coming back for more. It has been difficult at times considering my posts get evaluated for content, so I have tried to find a happy medium. It is a work in progress to be sure, but the process of regularly writing, reflecting on comments, and reading classmate's blogs has gone a long way to improving my posts.

The learning process has been primarily hands on and practical. I have done very little reading about and research of blogging. When I speak about blogging or introduce blogs in my classes, (which I plan to do) I want to be able to share my personal experiences and hopefully my excitement and enthusiasm will be contagious to others!!


My Personal Learning

Although I started blogging in 2007, I didn't realize the "power" of the blog until my return to Canada in 2009. So many friends, acquaintances, and previous co-workers mentioned that they "loved my blog" and the stories & pictures that came with it. Even last month someone commented to me about my blog. How many people actually viewed it I don't know, but I do know that many more viewed it than I thought ever would! I also heard (from a friend) about a teacher in Edmonton who found my blog on the web; she is planning to move to Macau to teach at the same school I did. How cool!!

While I did not appreciate the scope of the audience that ended up viewing my blog, I did quickly appreciate how much time my blog actually saved me. Early on in my overseas adventure, I tried to keep in touch with close friends via email. I wanted to make my emails unique for each friend but this translated into a lot of time at my computer. I began to dread writing another email, bringing my friend ______ up to date on things. Slowly I began to rely on email less and less and in turn began to rely on my blog more and more. I ended up putting more time & energy into one post that everyone could see. For me, that was huge!

I also learned that my blog is more than a communication tool, it is actually a historical reference for me and my family. I never considered this aspect when I first signed up, but looking back at our blog, we now have a record of so many aspects of our life overseas. Each post "tells a story" of an event or trip which in turn brings so many memories rushing back for all of us. Consider this. How many times have you looked at an old photo and asked yourself questions like: "Where was that?" or "What year was that taken?". I know I have. The blog remedies this problem for me. Even better, I was able to publish my entire blog into a hardcover book. It makes a great keepsake for the entire family to reminisce with and it is something easily shared with visitors into our home. If you are interested in this option, check out Blog2Print.

Blogs are also a great source of information not readily found on the web or any reference book. For example, I just interviewed for a job in India (two days ago) and while the schools' website and Wikipedia offer some interesting tidbits, I want to know what it's like living there and working there. Fortunately, many of the staff have their own blogs! Voila, instant information from people living and teaching in some small part of the world I might find myself someday. Here are a couple of blogs (1 & 2) that I have checked out. Looks like fun!!!

Lastly, I have learned how to improve the aesthetics of my blog over the last three months. As mentioned earlier, my first blog was quite basic. That was partly due to the fact that I didn't know how to imbed video, make use of widgets & gadgets, jazz up the layout etc. Now that I have learned some of these skills, my next personal blog will certainly be different.


Teaching & Learning With Blogs

Blogs as learning tools?? It's true. The great thing about a blog is its versatility. It can be used as a personal communication tool (as noted above) but it can also be used as a teaching and learning tool. However, for a blog to be educational, its use must become engaging and collaborative. Check out this definition by Will RIchardson:
"Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and to respond. They demand interaction". (p.18)

This definition raises the bar don't you think? Educational blogs require thought, analysis, questioning, sharing and refining. Teachers and students who use blogs in this way are on their well on their way to improving their teaching and learning. Here are some examples of uses of blogs as learning tools:

1) Using blogs to demonstrate knowledge.
This blog I've created is an example of this. My instructor requests evidence of understanding and learning of a tool or concept and I provide it via a blog entry. I can use text, links, pictures, video, or sound to show what I've learned. I follow a specific rubric in order to channel my thoughts. She uses the rubric to assign a grade.
The positive? Students can use a variety of different methods (the ones that suit them best) to demonstrate what they have learned.

2) Using blogs as a networking tool. For some teachers, teaching is something done in isolation. (Sad but true) I think most of us know that teachers improve when they can collaborate & share ideas, thoughts, successes, and failures with their peers. Blogging creates new ways to interact! Even if a teacher is the only English teacher in a school, blogging and following other English teachers' blogs is an easy and effective way to interact. Bloggers that connect and follow one another typically go out of their way to share and support one another.

3) Using a blog as a professional development tool. At my last school I was required to create and submit a professional growth plan each year. Typically I would think of one or two objectives for the year, jot them down, submit them and then file my objectives away. Most often I would get an email in late May reminding me about the need for me to reflect and discuss on my progress. Yikes!! I think a great way to document and reflect upon my growth plan would be via a blog. Regular posts would capture my experiences and peers or administrators could comment on my progress. Another positive it that I can maintain a record of my own professional development to share or reflect upon at a later date.

4) Blogging as a learning tool. "The public nature of a blog raises the stakes because it resembles presenting at a meeting or teaching in a classroom. In fact, many of the attributes of preparing and giving a classroom presentation apply to blogging". (Karrer, 2007, p. 21) This 'learning to present' or 'learning to teach' is really 'learning to learn'. This is probably one of the most important skills for students and teachers to master. Regarding students, they need to be able to adapt for careers that don't even exist yet. For teachers, they need to keep learning and adapting in order to be effective in the classroom.

5) Blogging for all. I recently attended a "student led conference" at my daughters school (she is in grade 2). I enjoyed following her around the classroom and watching her demonstrate her skills at using the whiteboard, her artwork, etc. But the high light of the conference was left for last. "Dad, you have to read my blog". We walked over to the laptops and she logged in and showed me all of her posts. Although her posts were quite basic, I was impressed with how she shared her thoughts about the many things she had been learning over the last few months. For some reason, these entries made her feel very proud. She couldn't explain why (all I got was "I don't know") but there definitely was something powerful going on there.

6) Teaching about online safety. For all of the positives that blogs present, there always seems to be a negative. Most articles and readings I've viewed do warn about the "risks" of having students post material online. There are issues of identity, online predators, and access to inappropriate material. These are legitimate concerns however the potential risk is often overblown I feel. However, by introducing blogs, teachers can start having conversations with their students about online safety. What information can be shared, what shouldn't be shared, involving a parent or a teacher, and using a "pretend" name are some examples. Learning about blogs should involve "how to use them" but also "how to use them safely". A common sense approach, communication with parents and administrators, and appropriate privacy settings will solve these concerns.

If safety and privacy are very touchy issues within your school, a more secure blog hosting site might be required. Edublogs is such a site. While there is a cost to setting up a "pro" account that offers many additional features, privacy and security can be very strict and content can be controlled by the teacher at all times.


Conclusion

Creating and using a blog has been one of the more enjoyable activities for me over the duration of this course. My knowledge of the many potential uses of blogs has grown and thus I feel comfortable creating and maintaining a blog for personal and professional use. The versatility and power of the "blog" is something to be encouraged and celebrated. I look forward to creating many more.


References

Edublogs. Retrieved from www.edublogs.org

Karrer, T. (2007) Learning and Networking With a Blog. American Society for Training and Development. September, Vol. 61, Iss. 9

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press

wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Tweet tweet, twitter twitter

I've heard of twitter on numerous occasions in the past and I always wondered what the fuss was all about. Part of my curiosity comes from the fact I never used twitter until just a few months ago. Also curious was the name "twitter". Was it a play on the word "twit"? Is this a tool for those of reduced intelligence?

My ignorance has been replaced by an appreciation for this very popular and extremely useful web 2.0 tool. What is twitter? Twitter describes itself as, “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” (Mashable.com) Here is my story...


The Learning Process

My own personal experience has gone from shock (I have to get a twitter account?) to disbelief (I have to follow twenty people on twitter!), to anger (how many tweets can TSN give me each day?) to enlightenment (it is useful when I follow certain people!).

Early on, I didn't do any research into the how-to and do's & don'ts of twitter, I merely signed up and chose various people to follow. Here is a summary of those I chose:
1) My instructor and classmates
2) Two poker professionals and one poker commentator
3) The Sports Network
4) Leaders in their field (Steve Jobs of Apple, Dana White of the UFC)
5) Survival expert Bear Grylis (Man vs Wild)
6) Jimmy Kimmel (best late night show)
7) iTunesTrailers
8) My sister
9) Jeremy Piven (hilarious in Entourage)
10) CNN

Only lately (primarily due to this blog entry), have I begun to seriously research twitter. As twitter is extremely popular, there are mounds of information available online and in scholarly publications. Here is a summary of the sources I found to be useful to my learning.

Commoncraft (old faithful) offers a great video explaining the concept behind twitter and puts forth some reasons why twitter is so popular with so many people. Mashable.com was another great site that offers "The twitter Guide Book", a collection of explanations, links, tips, definitions, and uses all related to twitter. If you want to really get into twitter and use it to its maximum, this is a great site to check out. Make sure you have some time as there is a lot of information there!

I also found some useful scholarly articles that offer sound advice and practical applications for twitter in an educational environment. These include Kate Messner's "Pleased to Tweet You", Jennifer Demski's "Tweets for Teachers", and William Ferriter's "Why Teachers Should Try Twitter".

I now have a solid understanding of twitter and its potential uses and drawbacks, something that I did not have when I first signed up and started using it.


My Personal Learning

Early on, I began to realize that some people tweet about the dumbest things. I don't know why people would choose to follow certain "celebrities" unless they were really bored or maybe a stalker. I also began to realize that some news oriented organizations sent out an endless barrage of tweets. I am a bit of a news hound and I also like my sports, but CNN and TSN overloaded me with tweets. There were too many to even skim and scan and I have since stopped following both of these organizations. These early observations made me rather skeptical of twitter and I doubted its usefulness to me.

Fortunately, some positive changes occurred that caused me to reconsider my earlier thoughts about twitter. First, I stopped following those few people/groups that either sent me crap or sent me hundreds of tweets. Secondly, I started looking at those people who sent me the more interesting and useful tweets, specifically at who they were following, in order to find more like-minded people that I could follow. I even went so far as to look within Classroom 2.0 and Twitter4Teachers for others to follow (I think I found some good ones!) I even checked out whoshouldifollow.com, a site that helps you find people to follow. I never used it but I guess it is an option for finding more people to follow.

Another useful aspect to twitter I discovered is the use of hashtags (#). By assigning a specific hashtag or following a specific one (I did this and it really opens up the amount of useful information avaialble via twitter) it makes it so much easier find or allow others to find information on a various topic. One of the references I used in preparation for writing this blog post came to me on twitter via a hashtag (thanks Joanne!).

Am I on the right track?? I think so. I am getting more and more "useful" tweets now and those tweets I receive with helpful links end up getting bookmarked on Delicious. I have been getting more followers (12 now) and some of them I don't know at all! I'm hoping that they have received some of my tweets and decided to follow me because they found them to be useful.

Whether I continue using twitter will depend on my ability to keep sharing useful information and in turn receiving valuable information from those I follow. Considering the following statistics via Wikipedia, I will have to remain vigilant to ensure that most of the tweets I receive have some value to me:

Content of tweets via Wikipedia:

Content of Tweets according to Pear Analytics.
San Antonio-based market research firm Pear Analytics analyzed 2,000 tweets (originating from the US and in English) over a 2-week period from 11:00a to 5:00p (CST) and separated them into six categories:[39]
Pointless babble - 41%
Conversational - 38%
Pass-along value - 9%
Self-promotion - 6%
Spam - 4%
News - 4%[39]




Twitter and Teaching & Learning

I have learned of some amazing possibilities for using twitter recently and I want to share some examples of its use with you.

The first is a theme common to many web 2.0 tools: networking. The ability to connect, share, collaborate and pose questions with a group of like-minded individuals is huge. The nice thing is, once I have established a strong network, information comes to me on a regular basis. I can quickly click links from each tweet and save the useful information for another day. William Ferriter in Why Teachers Should Try Twitter explains that "... educators who use this tool to build a network of people whose Twitter messages connect to their work, Twitter becomes a constant source of new ideas to explore".

Jennifer Demski in Tweets for Teachers discusses the importance of "new ideas" further by discussing how twitter can be used to fight complacency in the teaching profession. She mentions a principal who asked his staff about barriers to technology integration at their school. The response from one of the teachers was startling: "We, the staff, are a huge stumbling block. We get complacent [thinking] that we don't need this new stuff, when it's exactly what we need". Twitter can certainly help teachers find "new stuff".

A second potential use for twitter is in staff meetings or professional development sessions. For example, the principal who posed the question about technology integration to his staff, decided on this question by using Twtpollto present five possible topics for discussion for that portion of the meeting. The effect was twofold. Staff received an introduction to twitter and secondly the meeting was transformed from the typical "top down" transfer of information into an inviting and active meeting that had a high level of participation. The principal summed up his experience with this statement:

"If I were to present the same question in a traditional staff meeting, I'd be met with blank stares. (no kidding) I was hoping that teachers would see this as relevant to the classroom; by using twitter they might get great feedback from a student who would never say anything". What a great example!!

Next, Kate Messner in Pleased to Tweet You offers up a number of great ways to use twitter in the classroom. Here are my favourites:
1. Creating book recommendations in 140 characters or less
2. Following experts in a field of study (i.e. Canadian History)
3. Keeping up with current events
4. Following the author of a novel being read in class (the author may tweet you as well)
5. Interacting with other classes from other parts of the world.

Lastly, I have thought up some other uses for twitter that I could see myself using. The first is using tweets on field trips to keep friends, staff, and parents up to date on things. I remember a trip to Vietnam with a group of students and what a pain it was to find a computer (NOT easy once off the beaten track) in order to update a travel blog. A tweet from a mobile phone would have been much easier. The same concept could apply to sports teams traveling to out of town tournaments; an occasional tweet to pass on scores, upcoming games or even what time the team is scheduled to arrive home would be so easy and well received I believe.


Conclusion

I won't be using twitter in the "social" sense. Rather, I do see myself using twitter to improve as a teacher. This is what makes twitter appealing to me. The ability to "network" with like-minded people in order to share resources, start discussions, pose questions, and provide answers. My network is growing and over time it will increase in size as well as improve in quality.

I started this odyssey as a total novice, a bit reluctant to get involved with twitter. I now consider myself an informed user, knowledgeable about some of the great ways to use twitter in order to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. Quite a good transition over the last three months I must say!


References

Demski, J. (2010) Tweets for Teachers. T H E Journal. February, Vol. 37, Issue 2, p. 16-18

Doggett, Laura (2009). Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter. Retrieved from http://lauradoggett.com/2009/03/nine-great-reasons-why-teachers-should-use-twitter/ (from Joanne DeGroot via twitter)

Ferriter, W. (2010) Why Teachers Should Try Twitter. Educational Leadership. February, Vol. 67, Issue 5, p. 73-74

5 Ways to Share Images on Twitter. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/05/19/twitter-share-images/

Hashtags. Twitter Fan Wiki. Retrieved from http://twitter.pbworks.com/Hashtags

Messner, K. (2009) Pleased to Tweet You. School Library Journal. December, Vol. 55, Issue 12, p. 44-47

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press

The twitter Guide Book. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

Twitter in Plain English. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter

Wikipedia.org

Join the Collective Via Social Networking

Introduction

Another week... another post about my adventures in Web 2.0. This weeks topic is not about one specific tool per say but rather a look at a theme: Social Networking. What is this?? Social Networking refers to the creation of a group (network) of people in order to share common interests and/or to re-kindle/maintain relationships. Most social networking sites are web-based thus allowing interactions to occur via the internet.

There are many social networking sites out there to choose from but here are some of the more popular ones: Facebook, MySpace, Nexopia, Friendster, LinkedIn, Bebo, and Twitter.

Social networking is quickly becoming the most popular way for people to connect and communicate with their friends and peers. Check out the following stats:
1. 35% of American adults have a profile on a social network site (Boyd, 2009)
2. MySpace: The 100 millionth account was created on August 9, 2006 in the Netherlands (Wikipedia, 2009)
3. Facebook: The website currently has more than 400 million active users worldwide. (Wikipedia, 2009)

Some people have gone so far as to call the current generation of teens and young adults "Generation F", also known as the facebook generation. (Hamel, 2009) Because of facebook and many other social networking sites, there is a cultural shift occuring in regard to how people "connect" with one another. In the 1960's and 70's, people connected at community dances and religous functions. In the 1980's and 90's the mall became the place to connect and be seen. In the 21st century, more and more people and connecting and meeting online. A cultural shift indeed!


The Learning Process

Being a part of a social network has been a new experience for me. Prior to starting this course, I wasn't a member of any online social network. My hands-on learning has been based on my memberships in facebook, twitter, and Classroom 2.0 (a Ning network) all of which I joined in January of 2010. I have been active on these sites on at least a weekly basis in order to live the experience and grow my knowledge and understanding of each sites usefulness and limitations.

My knowledge has also been enhanced by numerous videos, blog posts, and writings that have given me useful nuggets of information along the way. Specifically, commoncraft created a video that offers a great introduction to the concept of social networking. Danah Boyd's article "Social Media is Here to Stay... Now What?", explains the premise behind social networks while offering a brief history of their creation and evolution. She also goes on to explain how adults and teens use social networks differently and how these networks are significantly "reshaping" our public lives.

There are many, many articles available of the "how-to" and "do's & don'ts" genre regarding social networks. Two of the better ones that I have came across included Should Teachers Be "Friends" with Their Students Online? (Mcconchie, 2010) and Guidelines for Educators Using Social and Educational Networking Sites (Blue Skunk Blog). Both offer practical, straightforward, and useful advice.


My Personal Learning

Prior to my current experiences with social networks, I really didn't understand why people would spend so much time on facebook and twitter. I thought both of these activities were a waste of time to be honest with you. Part of my distaste for facebook comes from what I called diminished friendship. When I would hear someone say "I have 423 friends" I would just shake my head and think how naive that person was being. For me, true friendship is something that grows and develops over time. Friends will be there through thick and thin and the over-riding criteria for me is quality over quantity. I fear that friendship is being dumbed-down to the status of "acquaintance" by the facebook generation and I believe this is a mistake.

However, after having created a facebook and a twitter account and actually using them (grudgingly at first), I am seeing some merit in their use. Regarding facebook, I am a minimalist user. I usually log in twice a week to see if anyone has commented on my previous posts and I may or may not add new content. I can quickly see what my friends have been up and I may or may not comment on their posts. Typically I'm not the type to make a comment for the sake of it, rather I will comment only if I can add something very useful to the conversation. My friends understand this and appreciate this (I think) as they know when I get involved in any conversation I usually give some productive input.

There have been enough positive aspects of facebook that will probably keep me as an active member after this course finishes. The most important aspect is the ability to reconnect or stay connected with friends. After spending two years overseas in Macau, I made some really good friends that I still want to stay connected with. Keeping in touch via email with this group is not something I have ben able to do, but with facebook it has been very easy to stay in touch. I don't even have to make direct contact with a "friend", rather I can just follow his/her posts to keep current. So easy! I met up with another friend (that I haven't seen in seven years) at a volleyball tournament last month and we had a great time reminiscing but our time together was short. I told him that we must keep in touch and his response was "Are you on facebook?" Within a week we were "friends"!

Another positive for me has been reading many articles offering suggestions about do's & don'ts and personal security etc. and I have really taken them to heart. There are many stories about someone losing a job or not getting a job or being socially chastised for putting something inappropriate on facebook. I feel that I have found a happy medium that allows me to stay connected but in a way that is safe and not a detriment to my career or my personal reputation. One interesting suggestion that I came across was that it is alright to use an alias. A friend of mine actually does this and I think it makes a lot of sense.


Social Networking and Teaching and Learning

There is much debate currently about how and even if social networking tools should be used in schools. I will share with you what I have found to be the most common reasons "for" and "against" social networking prior to providing my thoughts on the issue.

Reasons for using a social networking tool (such as facebook) in the classroom:
1. Building of trust with students (the teacher is like one of them)
2. The power of networking and collaboration (power comes from sharing information rather keeping it to yourself)
3. Engaging students with a tool that they are familiar using
4. Some students who are too shy to be involved in class may be more inclined to participate online

Reasons against using social networking sites in the classroom:
1. The line between teacher and student becomes blurred (or even crossed); teachers are to be mentors not friends
2. A lack of privacy that may lead to undesirable actions such as cyber-bullying or contact with online predators
3. May be against district or state guidelines
4. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of losing control

Personally, I think that social networks should not be used in the classroom because many of them have such a bad rap. For every positive that is mentioned, someone will have a negative (or two) in response. I can see a lot of time and energy wasted in what I think would be a losing cause anyway.

However, the concept behind social networks is powerful and there are benefits that are too strong to ignore. The focus needs to be on "Educational Networking" (positive connotation) rather than "Social Networking" (negative connotation). The concepts remain the same but the context is now more favourable. Having said this, calling facebook an educational network will not work. The focus needs to be on educational networks such as Ning, ePals or Elgg.


I joined the Classroom 2.0 Ning network at the beginning of this course and I have found it to be very useful. Being part of a group of like-minded individuals creates some powerful collective wisdom. Members can float questions, get responses, add comments, and take part in free & interactive webinars through elluminate and Learncentral.org. This has been a great resource for me when researching web 2.0 tools as many useful and practical bits of information get posted by members. I even took part in an elluminate session about podcasts and the teacher was leading the session from his classroom while getting help from his students!

For the teacher who wants his/her students to use an educational networking tool, I recommend checking out Elgg. I've never used it but it has been mentioned by many members of Classroom 2.0 as an excellent resource for teachers and schools. Here is a word about Elgg:
"Elgg, started in 2004, is an open source social platform which powers all kinds of social environments - from education to business and sports such as rugby. If you are looking to create your own social application or want to build and run a site for your organisation, Elgg is a great choice as it provides the building blocks you will need". (http://elgg.org/about.php)

The positive thing about creating your own Ning or Elgg network is control. Membership can be controlled so that privacy can be maintained. Comments or additions can be deleted if inappropriate. Parents, administrators and other teachers can join so they can experience the learning that takes place. Students get to improve their sharing and collaboration skills while learning about online safety. These points need to be emphasized if educational networking tools are to be allowed to be used in the classroom by teachers and students.


Conclusion

For me, social networking is all about the "social'. Using a social network is a great way to connect, hang out, re-connect, and stay up to date. Just make sure you understand the potential drawbacks and protect yourself at all times.

For all of its positives, I strongly believe tools such as facebook and MySpace need to stay out of the schools. Could they be used properly and effectively? Maybe. But as I mentioned earlier there is too much negative baggage associated with these types of social networks.

The word "social" needs to be thrown out and replaced by "educational". The concepts of sharing, interacting, and collaborating online are very powerful and the potential uses in the classroom should not be overlooked. Ning's and Elgg's should be used by teachers and students in order to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. I've learned so much in a short period of time and if a digital immigrant such as myself can learn from using these tools, I'm certain our students can too!


References

Blanding, M. (2009) Thanks for the Add. Now Help Me with My Homework. Ed.magazine. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295594

Boyd, D. (2009) Social Media is Here to Stay ... Now What? Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/295595

Hamel, G. (2009) The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500. Gary Hamel's Management 2.0 Blog. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/436956 the facebook generation vs

Johnson, D. (2009) Guidelines for Educators Using Social Networking Sites. Blue Skunk Blog. Retrieved from http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/916695

Mcconchie, S. (2010) Should Teachers be "Friends" with Their Students Online? Kiwi Commons. Retrieved from http://kiwicommons.com/2010/01/should-teachers-be-“friends”-with-their-students-online/

Ormiston, M. (2008) Roadblocks to Social Networking in Classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blogs/649749:BlogPost:112274

Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. 2nd Edition, Corwin Press

Hello (Ani)Moto

Ahh, spring is in the air and my thoughts are turning to golf as I see more and more grass appearing around me. But alas, its still technically winter and school's still in... so must snap out of it and get back to work!

My Web 2.0 world continues to expand with this week topic: Multimedia sharing sites. Animoto and VoiceThread are popular examples of multimedia or "mash up" tools that combine two or more sources (i.e pictures, text, music, and video) and integrate them into one entirely new source of information. Both tools are quite new but I do see potential uses in the classroom for both of them.

The Learning Process

My introduction to multimedia sharing started with the Trailfire entries put together by my instructor Joanne. Commoncraft put together a great video explaining the concept behind Social Media. WIthin the Animoto site itself, the "Learn More in 60 sec" video offered a fabulous summary of what Animoto can do and what one can use it for.

As Animoto is fairly new to the Web 2.0 world, there has been very little written about it (by academics anyway), however, Keith McPherson's article "mashing literacy" (2008) is a great article on Animoto mashing that provides a short introduction to Animoto, pros & cons of using this tool, and potential uses in the classroom.

Other sources of information included Andrew Marcinek's blog post in which he outlines a variety of uses he has found for using Animoto in the classroom. I was also fortunate is take part in an Elluminate session called "Web tools survey: Animoto and Glogster", which was conducted by a teacher from his classroom. This teacher talked about potential uses for Animoto as well as his reasons for wanting to use this tool, but the best part was that students took part in this session as well. A number of students spoke about why they liked Animoto and their particular Animoto creations played on the screen while they spoke. Very powerful stuff!

The last part of the learning process (and the most fun) was creating my very own video with Animoto. The process was quick and easy which I think will make this tool even more popular with the masses. Here is a look at a video I created for my daughters.

My Personal Learning

I never heard of Animoto before this week, but it made an immediate impression on me. After watching the introductory video, I wanted to make my own immediately. I'm not entirely sure what the "hook" was but it is there and it is strong. My daughter also had the same feeling and she has gone Animoto crazy making several short videos in the past three days. Even my retired, non-tech mother was impressed (she used the word cool...).

The great thing about Animoto is that I can easily post my videos to Facebook and twitter, which are both great ways to share my creations with a wider audience. I am often hesitant to post to these social networking sites as I don't want to post about mundane things; I feel that I should post something that people will really enjoy. A video certainly fits the bill in this regard and I see myself posting more often two these two sites because of Animoto.

Another positive is that Animoto is improving my daughters' technical skills. SInce she has chosen to create with Animoto, her computing skills have improved as she searches for photos, uploads them, chooses music, tweaks the layout and shares her finished product with her friends.

I can see Animoto videos replacing email to some regard for both of us. Email is easy and useful (yet boring when compared to a video) but a 30 second video can provide the same message and so much more! I plan to use this tool on a regular basis and have applied for an education account. If I wasn't a teacher, I would shell out the $30/year to get access to full length videos without any hesitation.


Teaching and Learning With Animoto

In this section of my post, I will share with you what I think the pros and cons of using Animoto prior to discussing potential uses in the classroom. I'll start with the positives:

1. It's free or fairly inexpensive for individual users. If you are OK with 30 second videos then there is no cost to you. If you want to make full length videos then it will cost you $30/year which is still reasonable.

2. It's SO easy. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make my first video. You supply or find the photos, choose the music and Animoto does the rest. No matter how poor someones computing skills are, they can work with Animoto.

3. The videos are engaging. This is a new buzz word in the education world and Animoto will definitely engage students in the classroom. I still remember when MTV and MuchMusic started out and they are still going strong; this is a testament to the popularity of these types of videos.

4. These videos are great for auditory, visual , and textual learners (McPherson, 2008).

5. There are numerous ways to shares these videos: email, facebook, twitter, YouTube, post to a blog, burn to CD/DVD, and download. So many more people can see ones creation! (McPherson, 2008).

6. Animoto is a web based application; all you need is a computer connected to the internet.

7. If you don't have a camera, you can use flickr or creativecommons.org to get photos for your video.

There are a few negatives:

1. Animoto is dependent on Flash, which uses up a lot of bandwidth. If you don't have a reliable high-speed internet connection you will have issues. (McPherson, 2008)

2. I'm not sure what the education account provides for the money (still waiting to hear from the people at Animoto) but if a school had to pay $30 per computer, that could get pricey if the school has several computer labs. (McPherson, 2008)

3. Animoto is very new, thus there has been very little scholarly research done on the impact of its use. As well, there are few sources outlining curricular integration of this tool. Most articles and blog posts written to date of are the how-to genre. (McPherson, 2008)

4. Animoto is so basic and simple to use that there aren't any tools available to tweak the presentation. I fear some people may get bored with cookie-cutter videos.

Although Animoto is fairly new, several uses have been identified by educators already. Some of them include:

1. Pointing out important themes or ideas of a novel, unit, presentation etc.

2. Creating a "movie trailer" type video to introduce a course, unit or lesson.

3. Vocabulary development. Words can be defined, used in a sentence, and explained as a part of speech.

4. Introduce a formula or a problem.

5. Compare and contrast ideas.

6. Act as an alternative to a collage or a poster (definitely will save some trees!)

7. A great way to advertise an athletic event or promote a team.

8. A great way to create a promotional video for Open House or Meet the Teacher events.

9. Share aspects of a field trip with parents and other students/staff.

10. Within Physical Education classes, students could make a short video demonstrating and breaking down a specific skill (i.e. serving a volleyball, heading a soccer ball).


A Word About VoiceThread

The majority of my time this week was spent with Animoto but I still created a VoiceThread, just so that I could be able to use it again in the future without having to learn it from scratch. Check out my VoiceThread here. I have to apologize as it is very basic and I'm the only one that has made comments so far although I have sent comment requests to my daughter and my wife!

When I viewed my first VoiceThread during the Trailfire posts, I found it to be very similar to a podcast although multiple people usually take part in Voicethreads. I was very impressed with the ease of use and the quick learning curve, much like with Animoto.


Conclusion

I can see myself using Animoto regularly with my classes in the future. It's easy to use, very engaging for users and viewers, and the resulting videos can be quickly shared with others in several different ways. As Animoto uses video, sound, and text, many different learning styles can be covered with this one tool. I believe students will enjoy this new and exciting way of sharing their knowledge with others as well. I hope teachers and administrators will see the merit of using Animoto in the classroom so that it may become a regular contributor to the teaching and learning process.

VoiceThread is also a useful tool that is great for sharing but also collaborating since multiple people can add their thoughts to the topic at hand. Although I found VoiceThread to be a bit more difficult to work with than Animoto (it was slower creating a voicethread when compared to creating with Animoto), I believe it will also have some use in the teaching and learning environment. How popular these two tools will become is anyone's guess but certainly the potential is strong.


References

Animoto case studies retrieved from http://animoto.com/education/case_studies

Commoncraft video: Social Media in Plain English. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/socialmedia

Marcinek, Andrew. (2009) Hello Animoto. Retrieved from http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/hello-animoto

McPherson, Keith. (2008) mashing literacy. Teacher Librarian. Vol. 35, Iss. 5, p.73-75

Web tools survey: Animoto and Glogster. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/participateMSP2

Wylie, Jonathan. (2009) Creating Free Online Slideshows with Animoto in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/57062.aspx

It's Wiki Week

What better way to shake off the post-Olympic blah's than to learn about and use another Web 2.0 tool. Okay... I admit it's not quite as exciting and full of speed and intensity as the WInter Olympics were but life goes on and it will have to do. This week tool is the wiki, which is a Hawaiian word meaning "fast".

Before I get too deep in the wiki world, a formal definition of a wiki is in order. Wikis are websites that allow their users to create and edit content and all wikis include the ability for editing by more than one person, either website members or those from the general public (Grant, 2008). The fast aspect of wikis is referring to the ease by which information can be added to or edited within a wiki. Why are they so popular? The knowledge of many is a strong elixir. The belief in "the 'wisdom of crowds' [states] that the collective knowledge of a large group can be greater than that of an individual, even if that individual is an expert" (Surowiecki, as cited by Grant, 2009). This "collective intelligence" (Grant, p. 107) is held in a high regard by many I believe and it can be proven by the growth and popularity of wikipedia itself.

Contrary to some of the previous tools I have learned in this course, I have used a wiki in the past, although my experience with it was fairly simplified. My last school used a wiki to organize everything you could ever want to know about the school. Need to know report card deadlines and procedures? Check the wiki. Going on a field trip? Check the wiki for forms and procedures. Need the program of studies or other online resources? Well... check the wiki. Was the wiki useful? Usually it was. Unfortunately, the wiki was so large and their were so many headings and pages that I often didn't know where to look in order to find what I needed. I found it counterproductive (and annoying) to have to ask an administrator where in the wiki I could find what I was looking for. This particular wiki tended not to be a collaborative project that everyone could take part in but rather a place for pertinent information to be stored for future consideration.

The Learning Process

The learning process for me was a four-part endeavour. First, course texts provided a fairly good introduction to wikis although I found Davies and Merchant's (2009) text spent too much time relating the discussion to Wikipedia, the world's most popular and most well-known wiki. Richardson (2009) I felt did a better job of introducing wikis and wikipedia while still spending a good amount of time discussing the use of wikis in schools. He also provided some examples of wikis currently used by teachers. Richardson also points out that the wiki platform WetPaint allows the teacher to track the participation of his/her students participation in the editing process. A great tool indeed!

Secondly, there are many scholarly articles available that discuss the uses for and benefits of wikis in an educational setting. Schweder & Wissick's "The Power of Wikis" (2009) is a concisely written article that organizes the uses of wikis into four specific categories: collaboration, sharing, organization, and instruction. Lyndsay Grant's article "I DON'T CARE DO UR OWN PAGE! A case study of using wikis for collaborative work in a UK secondary school" discusses not only the wisdom behind the wiki concept but also points out some obstacles that may prevent wikis from being as useful as many people think. This two-sided research was refreshing as all of my other readings to date have been very positive and rah! rah! without commenting on the potential barriers to implementation in the classroom. More on her findings later.

Thirdly, tutorials within two common wiki platforms also provided me with some great information albeit related to creating my wiki. I signed up with two wiki providers, PBwiki and Wikispaces. Both offered tutorials regarding the aspects of wiki creation, development, and editing etc. and I wanted to try both to get a feel for the one that was the right fit for me (sorry Wetpaint, maybe another time).

Playing around and developing my wiki was the last part of the learning process. I started with PBwiki first and I found it fairly easy to create different pages but the adding content part did not come as easy as I would have liked. Wikispaces was more user friendly for me and not only is it easy to create and link pages but the adding of content seemed much easier as well. I credit the look and set-up of Wikispaces for this as well as its great tutorials.
I decided to create a new wiki rather than tinker with an existing one. Why? I wanted to experience the creation and editing process so that I could do both in the future. Check out my wiki here.


My Personal Learning

What could I see myself or my family using a wiki for? Well, I think a wiki would be a great resource for planning a vacation. Many of our vacations in the past have been with other families and while they have all been enjoyable experiences, the planning part has often been... awkward. Let's face it, different people have different tastes and often it is tough finding activities, choosing lodging, flights etc that everyone can agree on. The usual scenario involves emails flying back and forth and the process tends to be long and drawn out. A wiki would be a great place for all parties involved to share information about attractions, transportation, lodging, shopping... whatever. If links were provided then everyone could check out each suggestion which I believe would lead to a much easier time organizing the overall trip. A schedule of activities could also be created on the wiki to take the chosen activities and place them into various time slots if desired. Personally I see great potential for wikis as sharing and collaboration tools.

Another great use on a personal level would be the creation of a house wiki. I tend to be the one that fixes broken things or makes the call to someone to have something fixed. This is fine unless something goes wrong when I'm not home. My house wiki would be a great place to not only list important activities (i.e change furnace filter, have furnace inspected, clean eaves troughs, clean & check smoke detectors etc) but to also list help numbers (i.e plumber, electrical, insurance etc.) if there are serious problems.

Having created a wiki this week has given me the confidence and knowledge to create another one again!


Wikis and Teaching & Learning

From all my reading and research, it is apparent that wikis are becoming more and more popular in the classroom. What can they be used for? I'll share with you a list of possibilities put together by Schweder & Wissick (2009) that I think outlines the most common uses:
1. Collaboration. Wikis allow for collaboration amongst students, and/or teachers, and even parents at a time that is convenient for everyone. Everyone who contributes has ownership and thus is more involved in the project. Other possible collaboration scenarios include curricular planning and professional development. For teachers who have not used wikis before, experiencing wikis with colleagues would be a non-threatening way to learn about them prior to introducing them in the classroom.
2. Sharing. Regarding PD, how many of us have viewed a powerpoint slide show during a PD presentation? Most of us I'm sure. The thing about this type of presentation is that information tends to travel in only one direction. What if the same presentation was given using a wiki and those in attendance were asked (even told) that they had to add to the wiki? Information (i.e resources) could be added or edited immediately to improve the overall presentation. I could see a more engaged, active and lively PD session because of this.
3. Organization. A wiki would be a great way to organize content. Rather than bookmarking websites, add the link to your wiki. Because the editing process is so easy, links can be added or deleted with ease and others can add their favourites as well.
4. Instruction. Assignments, reminders, study tips, review materials could all be included in a wiki. Students could partake and also add their own materials to the wiki.

As I mentioned earlier, most of the materials I read outlined only the positive aspects of wikis but I think their are some forces at work that hinder the effectiveness of wikis and these forces need to be understood and dealt with by teachers that plan to use wikis. Grant (2009) points out two areas of concern in this regard.

First, students in her study often did not see the ability to edit others students work as helpful or even desirable (p. 110). A number of students chose to focus on their own work rather that editing someone else's. This rejection of collaboration was based on feelings of individuality and that fact that someone who did edit another persons work was seen as "trespassing in someone else's territory" (Grant, p. 111). Bruns and Humphreys (as cited in Grant, p. 113) state: "If truly collaborative work is the goal... then the reluctance to critically evaluate and learn how to provide constructive critique to peers must be over come".

The second area of concern that Grant points out is the level of involvement by the teacher in the classroom. Teachers must not simply take a back seat to learning with wikis or other web 2.0 tools, rather they must show their students how to participate and collaborate in the classroom. Independent learning does not equate to minimal teacher involvement in this regard and thus teachers must take on an active and significant role in this process.


References

Commoncraft tutorial retrieved from http://commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english

Davies, J., Merchant, G. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools. Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York

Grant, L. (2009) I DON'T CARE DO UR OWN PAGE! A case study of using wikis for collaborative work in a UK secondary school. Learning, Media and Technology, 34: 2, p. 105-117

Richardson, Will. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and OtherPowerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press

Schweder, W., Wissick, C. (2009) The Power of Wikis. Journal of Special Education Technology, Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 57-60

Wikispaces Help retrieved from http://www.wikispaces.com/site/tour