Thing 17_Wikispaces

Wikispaces is something I am familiar with. We touch on wikis in our classes, but have never been able to use them effectively with our students--until now!! I have just created an assignment to use throughout our department using a wiki. The assignment will be a report on a certain decade, but the students will be working with students from other classes. We have 4 "Online Experience" teachers that will be collaborating this assignment and my students will be creating a wiki with their students. I've tried to do them in my class, but I found that the students couldn't all work on them at once because they were deleting others work and I wanted them to see that you can work on a project together without being in the same room!!

The wiki is different from the blog because anyone can edit your page (assuming you allow them to). In general wikis are very plain looking compared to a blog, but I think that allows you a little more freedom to make it your own.

I have already explained what I am using the wiki for and I do use blogs in the classroom to get students opinions on topics that we discuss in class. This wiki however, will be research and facts that they have to create the wiki on.

Like I said above, my purpose for the wikis is to teach my students what a wiki is. So my dilema was always coming up with ways to use them in the classroom. With this new project, they will see what it will be like to work with students that are not even in their class or even have the same teacher. The problem I forsee with this is that students may not do their part and it could affect the overall outcome of the groups wiki.

I'm really excited about this project I hope it works!! I'll post the URL on this blog if anyone is interested in viewing it once we begin!!

Thing13!

http://www.dumpr.net/

I'm hooked!! I love these sites!! I'm not really creative when it comes to editing photos, but I cannot even imagine some of the work my students could do. We do have a photography class here at Bedford that allows students to do stuff like this, but I would love to teach the aspect of "online photosharing"!! I think it would be neat to have students create a picture timeline of themselves!! Or their progression through something important to them (horses, baseball, grandparents, etc.) This is definitly on my new agenda!! I think the possibilities are unlimited!

Thing12_Flickr

I'm glad I got the chance to use Flickr. I've really been wanting to do a project with my students using pictures, I think this would be a great way to upload them and incorporate the Web 2.0 aspect into my "Online Experience" Class. If students can store their pictures online, then we wouldn't be using up the computers memory to hold them.

I've used Picasa also, which is google's version of Flickr. They seem pretty similar, but I like the fact that when you use a google product you can use any email that you want.

The only problem I can see with my students is the setting for private or public. If they intend to use flickr at home and upload any pictures, there may be some that are inappropiate for school.

I DO LOVE MY BADGE!!!

Thing 10_Google Docs

Google docs is amazing!! Especially for what I am teaching!! I did not know about creating the surveys though. I will definilty use that on my blog!!!

I just started using google docs recently. I have a friend who works for google and has set up a couple spreadsheets that I've used for our Relay for Life team or to keep track of friends addresses, but I just started acutally using it myself.

This week acutally I used to to collaborate with my colleagues. We are doing a wiki project to include all "online b" classes. The students will work in groups, but with people from other classes. So I sent a google spreadsheet to combine our classes and setup our groups. For the actual wiki we are going to use wikispaces and I want them to also create a presentation in google docs to present to their classmates. I'm really excited about this project and hope it goes well.

I think anytime you use the internet you could come across problems, especially with something like this where students can edit and make changes. There is a bigger risk for cheating or plagarism amongst students. But with monitoring and coming up with creative assignments that they could not cheat on will be our job.

I think advantages of "working in a cloud" obviously is the collaboration. Especially for teacher who can share and collaborate on lessons. I think a disadvantage for studnets using it would be the plagarism, or some students doing all the work and others taking credit (which you get in regular group work as well).

Overall, I think this is a great program that I can use numerous ways in my classes.

Thing4_21st Century

For Some reason, I seemed to have missed this post, but kind of answered it in the Thing 5 Post. I'm not sure what happened there=)

When I think back on my school days, I remember dittos;) which just shows how much even our copying technology has changed. I also remember that teachers took attendance and did grades by hand.

As for teaching, it was a lot of blackboards and worksheets. Now teachers use powerpoints our network drives within school to give students worksheets.

I think it also depends on the technology of the school. Some teachers do not have access to the technology in their classrooms. Therefore, a lot of them have to teach with the blackboards/textbooks.

We did have labs when I was in high school, but the internet was not quite what it is today and they didn't really teach about that, it was all computer applications. Which even today is still important and I teach it in my classes.

Overall, I think we've made a change for the good, but it's going to keep changing so we have to stay caught up and current with our methods.

THING 11

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Effective Presentations Skills for You and All

View more presentations from Sanjay Jha.

Thing 8_Delicious

Oh I love delicious!! I teach this in my Online Experience class. My students have to set up an account and create tags based on the things we will cover in class or whatever they want to add to it.

It's such a wonderful tool for students to use. When I had a sub for maternity leave at the beginning of the year, my sub had to teach it, so he set up an account and uses it all the time now!!

This is how I get to moodle every time!!! I couldn't remember the URL--so I tagged it!