Final+Examination

**August 11, 2012** **EDU 653-Read Write Web** **My Web2.0: Implementing Educational Technology in the Future**
 * Danielle Humphrey**

Over the course of eight weeks we have looked at a variety of Web2.0 objects including software such as Jing for creating screen casts or Windows Movie Maker for Digital Storytelling. Mostly we looked at Internet based resources such as Social Networking, Blogging and other valuable resources and analyzed them in the Educational Technology spotlight. Using Richardson’s book “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom” as a guided reference for useful tools to implement in the classroom. Each one of these resources can meet the needs of individual educator differently and efficiently, which what makes them so effective. In this paper I will outline how each of these technologies is going to meet my needs as a Mentor Teacher in Online Learning. In the 2012-2013 school year I am acting as a liaison between the classroom teacher, who facilitates the online classes and does the primary grading, and the students. I am going to be the one who fills in the gaps when the teacher is busy with day-to-day activities and keeping the virtual students on task and moving forward in their classroom materials, as well as answer questions and solving possible issues that arise. There is the potential for me to develop my own Michigan History class and teach online, due to some technicalities in details that part of my job is still undecided. For the purpose of this paper I am going to use the explored items in order exemplify possible uses for them in order to develop my Michigan History Class in an online learning environment. I have decided to group some of the materials we explored into commonalities.

Blogs and Videoblogs are an informative way to present materials to a larger group with minimum interactivity on the learner’s behalf. Blogs and Vlogs require someone with an idea or willingness to present materials to simply sit down and either write about it or record it on video. According toRichardsonin his book blogs open up the opportunity for collaboration beyond the school walls. This type of communication in the realm of education is great because it can be referenced over and over again. The information is available to the learner on an as needed or wanted basis. I would prefer to use Video Blogging for my instructional purposes. I could present a lecture and have it available for students to reference. Richardson makes an excellent point when he states that blogs are archives for learning also (2010). Blogs are an excellent way to keep records of student progress. Considering I am going to be working with students primarily in an online environment this could be extremely beneficial to ensure that students have their work and we have a way to keep it for them. If they want or need something for later use they can retrieve it. I could use Blogging for my coaching; I like to write letters to parents through out the seasons to keep them posted as to our progress and upcoming changes. I have in the past sent letters home with students for their parents but they sometimes do not always make it that far. This way by subscribing to my blog parents can pretty assuredly get those letters and better in touch with what is going on with our team. __Issues or Concerns with Blogs and Videoblogging:__ This type of communication or transfer of materials is pretty low interactivity. Yes, the materials are there but are the students really using them? Can my students read at the level that I am writing? Do they understand what am I writing? Most people, especially in a Blog, write how they talk. I tend to be sarcastic by nature and I know that does not always come through when I am writing. Also, can they access the materials if they are in school? For example, if I use Blogger for my blog not all schools allow access to Blogger because of the loose content that can be accessed on other people’s blogs. With Videoblogging the sarcasm may come through clear but still are they getting the important materials and concepts? Is my video quality and audio quality adequate enough? Again are the students able to access it from with in the learning environment?
 * Blogs and Videoblogs:**

The ever popular Social Media is everywhere and comes in so many intertwining vines of connection. People, companies, and everyday randomness have its spot on Facebook or Twitter. Because is has become readily used Social Media is slowly creeping its way into classrooms and being accepted. Teachers can use Social Media to keep in touch with students on homework assignment, coaches use it to remind student of upcoming practices and needs for school sports, and schools as a whole are using it to communicate with parents and the community. The variety of uses for Social Media would allow me to do all of these and more. I would like to implement the uses of Flickr or Instagram, the photo-sharing sites, in my rooms as way to making learning relevant and fun for my students. Many of the phones today have a setting that allows pictures to be tinted with Sepia or Grey tones I would like to have my students develop “old time” photos and post them on the photo-sharing sites as part of a project I have in mind. I would also use Flickr/Instragram to teach them about copyright and the importance of licensing on materials on the web. I like a couple of the ideas found on ehow.com “How to Use Flickr in the Classroom” including using pictures from Geographical locations and the use of historical pictures in lectures and presentations. Flickr started working on conjunction with the Library of Congress to provide historical pictures on the Flickr site. (Ploshay, www.ehow.com) __Issues with Social Media__: Not all schools still accept the usage of Social Media inside the school walls during school hours. I will have to be aware of school policy on cell phones and accessing certain sites when implementing this. It also encourages the usage of Social Media and cell phones during school hours. Which we all know that students are going to want to check out everything but what they are suppose to if they have access to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. However, I think having open access to social media becomes like the forbidden fruit that is not forbidden anymore, it becomes dull and tasteless. Inside the realm of Social Media there are a variety problems: gossip, bullying, inappropriate uses of technology and more. By using Social media in the classroom there is the chance for letting those types of problems in the classroom. As Copeland of ReadWriteWeb also discovered in his article “For Social Media in the Classroom To Work, Instructors Need Best Practice”, that sometimes even the students were cautious of using technology for educational purposes (2012). I think it because the concept of taking something we have used purely for social uses and applying it to something more serious takes the fun out of it, or so they think. What they do not realize is that by using it for something they find mundane and boring they can actually start to like and will probably start to excel faster at.
 * Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Ning, Flickr/Instagram**

Firstly, let me explain why I grouped these all up into one group. It is simply because of my teaching style and the way I would use these programs: as a means to transfer information to students, and occasionally from the students to me. I would use digital storytelling to develop “movies” for students about events and information they need about Michigan History. Some of the topics we cover in Michigan History do not have enough material on the Internet so I have found I need to make up my own. By using Digital Storytelling I can make movies about the things in Michigan History to make it more attention grabbing for the kids. Digital storytelling is similar to Video Blogging but adding some added classic storytelling elements and making into a movie that they can play and replay as they need. Podcasting can be used to record my lectures or instructions for the students to refer to and listen to again as needed. This is great in order to keep everyone equal in instructions that work in online format at their own time and pace. I do not have to worry about forgetting one piece of information from student-to-student, as I would with Skype, the podcast is available for them to reference.Richardsonmentions Social Studies Teachers using podcasts to do oral histories, interviews and reenactment of historical events (Ch 8 par 20) which are great ideas. It makes me think of maybe setting up an old time radio show as a project for the kids to do for World War II or the Roaring 20s. YouTube is a means for getting your stuff: projects, useful videos, ideas, lectures and so forth; found online. YouTube is a great source for finding all sorts of randomness some of it good and some of it bad. We have teachers who have made their own channels on YouTube and put the videos they use frequently on there to have at the ready for their classes. YouTube can also be a way for students to post their own projects and then be used either by teacher or student again later. I am a proponent of using YouTube for things that you are going to use year after year. It is a great way to stay organized and know where your video clips are and not have to have them cued up to the right spot or even if you are looking for a piece of media to enhance your class it probably can be found on YouTube. I have used clips from YouTube to help build my Michigan History class. I have built videos, digital storytelling projects and other media types and uploaded them to YouTube. Again, it is a great way to stay organized. __Issues with Digital Storytelling:__ Simply stated, TIME CONSUMING. It takes a while to make a short movie because you have to have your source material, your pictures, and the proper hardware to collect all of the materials. Then splice them together to make a easy to follow, concise piece of educational media. This is not something I would want to do for every chapter of Michigan History. This is something I like to use with students for big projects though. I have used it in the past to make final assessments for Units and the kids love it (when they are done, they also realize how much work and time it takes). That takes some organizational skills in itself because you have to have time and materials worked out in order for students to develop a big project like this. __Issues with YouTube:__ Not all schools are letting YouTube in the building or to be accessed within the building. There is so much poor content on YouTube that it almost out-ways the good. This is a matter of student safety by allowing open access on YouTube. There’s also the question of copyright laws. If a teacher takes a VHS and transfers it to YouTube they are break copyright laws for certain.
 * Digital** **Storytelling**, **YouTube**, **podcasts, screencasting**

Instant Messaging (IM) and Skype are real time ways to communicate with people. Instant Messaging is text based and Skype is video-audio. The easiest and best way to use these communication tools is to communicate with students or parents to answer questions right then and there. Considering I will be working mainly in an online format sitting down and working through a problem with a student at a computer would definitely be the best way to resolve a problem in a long distance situation. The next way I can use Skype is to talk with a student, or student’s parents, long distance about issue and concerns or about general information in regards to virtual learning. I can also utilize Skype to administer tests long distance. Many times we have found we need have a proctor for tests, if using Skype we can have the students sit at a computer and we can watch them take a test even if they are taking a test online. I have just learned from PCMag.com that there is an App for Android phones for Skype. This is beneficial seeing I do not have a web cam on my laptop. According to PC Magazine it isn’t the best app for using Skype because it does consume the battery quickly and you can not use it with front facing camera (Yin, 2012) but if I were in a need at least I know it is available. __Issues with Communication:__ Not everyone has a webcam on their computer or a Skype account. Fixing the Skype account is easy because it is free. Webcams cost money however. Instant Messaging it is hard to ‘read’ someone’s meanings and emotions in text; it is easy to have miscommunication.
 * IM, Skype: communication with the students**

Richardsonsays that Wikipedia is the “poster child of collaborative construction of knowledge and truth” (Ch 4, paragraph 8) because of the ease of sharing and contributing to information. Wikis across the Internet are similar in concept. Anyone can contribute to the collaboration of idea sharing. After taking a few classes in Educational Technology I learned about Wikis and how important and useful they can be. I even have had the chance to use one during a long-term substitute teaching job. It was brilliant for collaborating and sharing information. The website edublogs.com suggests using Wikis for collaboratively writing classroom policies, scheduling parent meetings, sign up for parties and working on research projects as a class (Walters). These are all useful ideas that I could incorporate in my situation. __Issues with Wikis and Wikipedia:__ Wikis are open to many people and their ideas there is the concern about reliability. They are open to many people to comment, edit and write. You have to be aware of the possibility that someone does not know about the subject they are writing about. There is also the chance that someone could erase information that was originally correct. With regards to wikis,Richardsonexplains how they are a pedagogical challenge for students because they learn to develop skills such as relevance, cooperating, and collaboration (Ch 4, paragraph 24). For some students depending on where they are in their social structure development this could be hugely beneficial or crippling. There is a need to keep our students abilities and developmental needs in mind when implementing technology in the classroom and using them as a means for assessment. Wikipedia is becoming an acceptable source for reliable information in regards to research (Richardson, 2010). However, it is still a good idea to have students look for other sources to ensure that they are getting correct information. Wikipedia is open to anyone to submit altered information to, including our own students.
 * Wikis and Wikipedia**

This is one category that I am not so certain about using. In a utopian situation I would love to have it developed and use it to create interactive eras of study: Native American study, cultural interactions, logging and lumber era…but there is almost too much uncertainty behind the types of interactions and the results of using Virtual Worlds. I am afraid the learning would be lost and that it would be seen as too much of a game for the kids and they wouldn’t get the big ideas that I am trying to present. While searching for useful and fun apps for my phone, I found in an augmented reality app called “Layar”. It is great for big cities and well-traveled locations according to Yin of PC Magazine (2012).
 * Virtual Worlds: Augmented Reality and Second Life**

The use of these two tools has been extremely beneficial during this class. I can subscribe to other websites and blogs to come up with ideas and suggestions for developing lessons or how to better use technology or any other wide variety of resource that is available. I can subscribe to other people’s blogs or a companies’ blog or student’s blogs. I liked how we utilized this in this class: everyone starting their own blog and then we subscribe to each others. I would like to do this for my students if I was full time teaching. In my current role I do not think that I could utilize this function. I am going to keep up to date with some technology websites that I discovered as we went through this class. I also found some websites for my personal life, blogs that I really liked reading. Using the RSS it a way to not forget check them out again. AsRichardsonpoints out in his book it’s a great way to get your information without getting the SPAM that comes with email subscriptions (Ch 5, par 6). He also makes a great point for his number one reason in using RSS is that you get more information using less time (Ch 5, par7). Richardsonsuggests a whole plethora of ways to use RSS Feeds everything from Bookmarks and Tweets, to student made blogs (Ch 5). Combining Blogs and RSS Feeds I think is my new favorite way to utilize both tools in the classroom. You can make your classroom virtually paperless (pun intended). Social bookmarking is similar to RSS feeds in that I can find helpful website and resources through social bookmarking sites such as Delicious. People share amazing finds that they have saved; this would be a great tool to use for collaborating and sharing ideas amongst staff members in the school I will be working. It is a nifty way to collaboratively share information and references.Richardsonviews Social Bookmarking as the completion to the collaborative sharing circle he says, “RSS lets us read and connect with what others write; now we can read and connect with what others read as well.” (Ch 6, paragraph 19) __Issues with RSS and Bookmarking:__ One issue that I have with Social Bookmarking and RSS Feeds is organization. When submitting bookmarks they are not always categorized the easiest. They have keywords or “tags” to for easy reference. It is up to me as the organizer to decide and make folders on where to put them. Thankfully, you can make more than one folder and categorize sites by more than one category. I have sites that I could use for more than one subject. Copeland makes some great point in his article and it is a nice reminder of some of this issues that exist and how to work through them. There are going to be bumps along the way with integrating technology in the classroom. Web2.0 has evolved into Web3.0. There are constant changes, adaptations and uses being made each year and how we can integrate technology in the classroom. Not every student is going to know how to use every piece of technology. In his article he had students struggling with how to use Twitter (I would completely give them all a high five) and he learned to not use it for communicating the important things with his students. Granted Copeland was working with students at a University but I think the issues he struggled with are similar to things we at all levels struggle with. Overall, in this article I think the big important message to remember with technology and education is “Don’t forget the learning curve.” When we add new elements, we want to use new technology, everyone needs to take the time to learn how it is used and practice it. Best practices come with time and well, practice.
 * RSS Feeds and Social Bookmarking**
 * Conclusion:**

Bibliography: Copeland, Dave. //For Social Media in the Classroom To Work, Instructors Need Best Practices//. [|http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/for-social-media-in-the-classroom-to-work-instructors-need-best-practices.php.] Accessed July 11th, 2012.

Ploshay, Donna. //How to Use Flickr in the Classroom.// [|http://www.ehow.com/how_7499564_use- flickr-classroom.html]. Accessed July 30, 2012.

Richardson, Will. //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroom.// 2010. Kindle Fire edition.

Waters, Sue and Ronnie Burt. //Ways to Use Wikis in the Classroom.// [] Accessed July 30, 2012.

Yin, Sara and Jill Duffy. //100 Best Android Apps//. //of 2012.// PCMag.com [] published April 18, 2012. Accessed July 7, 2012