Wiki'd

Head down, full speed ahead is sometimes a great way to approach something new. That’s the approach I took to learning about wikis. It now seems somewhat appropriate, having learned that ‘wiki’ is actually derived from ‘wiki-wiki” a Hawaiian phrase meaning ‘quick.’ (Richardson, 2006, pp. 59). Appropriate, as well because I've learned that ideas sprout up quickly.

Reflections on the process of learning about Wikis

I have to admit, I’m fairly confident heading into this week’s blog entry, as the topic is a tool I’m pretty confident with: wikis! Over the past few years, Wikipedia has become a go-to site for many us (and our students) for learning quickly about a topic we want or need to know about. When I first started visiting it, I didn’t understand the collaborative aspect of the site. However, I was warned of this aspect by some friends.

Instead of starting with the “Wiki Trailfire” I started to dive right in, as if I was an expert already. So, I created a wiki for my class to discuss the novels I’m using for our “Grand Conversations” literature study. I drafted a permission letter for my students’ parents/guardians, and forwarded it to my principal (who was very excited about it), who sent it to ‘headquarters’ to be run by our FOIP and records manager. She was very helpful and assisted me in being thorough and clear throughout the letter.

Then I went through the “Wiki Trailfire” and visited some different wikis to learn about the possibilities of what we can do with wikis. The example of the camping trip (Wikis in Plain English) really struck a cord with me. I’m sure we’ve all been in that situation with endless emails back and forth about what to bring, and then when we do arrive, we’re missing key items, or have some items doubl or tripled up (what are we going to do with three clothes lines?)

Discussion of Wikis in terms of my own personal learning

I’ve used wikis tones in the past to learn new things. Well, that’s kind of a lie. I’ve used one wiki mainly to learn new things. Yep, you guessed it: Wikipedia. I just find the site so great for a quick little check in. For example, when you need to know what the local delicacies are in central Brazil, or what the flag of Croatia looks like.

However, that being said, I’ve only been on the consuming side of wikipedia. I’ve never added or edited content, until now that is.

For my class wiki, I have to admit, it’s been pretty exciting to see my students latch on to it and participate to no end. There have been hundreds of posts in only a few weeks. I started with initial discussion questions for each novel. Students began to join and respond to my initial posts. Then, without my encouragement, they started a new category and discussion for a book we’re using for a read-aloud.

Discussion of Wikis in terms of teaching & learning

My brain is whirling with possibilities and images. What will my class look like a year from now? A class blog, with a link to our class wiki? It makes me a bit sad that my position is finished at the end of October and that I won’t be able to explore this further.

For teaching, this has been a phenomenal tool for literature study, as I’ve mentioned above. We still have discussions at school, but this allows for even more thoughtful responses, and allows my students who are incredibly shy to find their voice and contribute their ideas to our discussions. That’s been one of the most powerful things I’ve witnessed.

I enjoy the whole ‘free labour’ aspect of wikis. Other people are doing work and I am able to use it to learn and/or teach. For example, lessons are being uploaded to http//:teacherslounge.editme.com (Richardson, 2006, pp.69). Another wiki, called “The Teacher’s Desk,” which I found at wetpaint.com contains great lessons as well at all levels. There’s also an area for discussion, but it has not been utilized.

Another great aspect for teaching and learning is it’s “up-to-date-ness” (Davies & Merchant, 2009, pp.93). Sites, such as Wikipedia are constantly being updated. It sure beats some of the out of date textbooks and books we have in our schools. Also, if there’s an error, or a vandal, it’s usually fixed within a few hours (Richardson, 2006, pp.61). There’s also a ‘revert’ function on most wikis, where you can undo a past user’s actions.

One concern would be the privacy issue. However, I set mine up to be private, so that only the students can log-in. Now, I do realize privacy can still be an issue, but I asked students not to post any identifying information (ie. full name, address, etc). These guidelines were also outlined in the letter to parents/guardians. I did ask them to create a user name that’s either their first name or something close to it, so that they would be easily identifiable to myself and their classmates.

Another concern I had was that students could post something inappropriate, or embarrassing, either intentionally or ignorantly. I had to set up expectation, and also trust that they would act appropriately within the confines of the wiki. Richardson (2006) points out that, “Wiki projects in schools have worked best when the teacher loosens the reins a bit and lets students manage the content of the site” (Richardson, pp. 65). So there is an element of trust in this context. One student did make a comment where he was critical of a character’s name. He, in a sense, was making fun of the name and was not in essence contributing to our efforts to thoughtfully discuss these books. Instead of me talking to him about it in school, or posting my thoughts on it, another student stepped up and politely pointed out that it wasn’t really a valid or thought-provoking comment.

Another concern for me about starting a class wiki was a worry that this would hinder my quest for a work/life balance. I worried that I’d need to check in a few times per night and moderate and monitor the discussions. However, as I mentioned previously that’s not the case. Students are moderating themselves. And, they are also posing their own questions/discussion threads. That being said, I do check in at least once a day and see how the discussions are going. Every couple days, I also throw in my own 2 cents to let them know I’m reading their posts and that I’m interested in the literature as well.

With these concerns in mind, the benefits far outweigh them. Richardson (2006) points out some of the skills students are learning by using a wiki: “Students are not only learning how to publish content; they are also learning how to develop and use all sorts of collaborative skills, negotiating with others to agree on correctness, meaning, relevance and more” (Richardson, pp.65). If this doesn’t sound like preparing our students for the future, I’m not sure what does.

In conclusion, I think wikis are a powerful tool to utilize. I look forward to using them to accomplish different purposes and to grow, collaborate and learn with my colleagues, as well as my students.

References:

Davies, M., & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools. New York: Peter Lang.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd Ed. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Podcasting? Fantastic!

When you hear word podcast, visions of fishing rods striving to catch peas may pop into your mind. Well, you’re not even close. Think more radio broadcast, but recorded and made available for your listening pleasure (and viewing pleasure in the case of videoblogging and screencasting).

Reflections on the process of learning about Podcasting

I can tell that podcasting is a fairly new concept, as my Microsoft Word program is underlining the word! However, it seems like they have been around for awhile. I’m fairly comfortable with podcasts, but more on the side of ‘consuming/utilizing’ them and not so much with creating them. I subscribe to several podcasts from CBC, which are delivered to my ITunes podcast library weekly.

Now I’ve stepped to the other side of the fence and I’ve realized that creating them is not a difficult process. For creating mine, I chose to use GarageBand on my Mac, which was a fairly easy. Basically, all I had to do was hit record and go for it. However before hitting record, I planned out what I was going to say: short intro: reading of Halloween by Jerry Seinfeld and then short closing. I was hoping for a ‘one take’ process. However, I messed up on a line, and thought I’d need to start from the beginning. But, I just stopped recording, backed up to the end of the last ‘perfect’ sentence and then hit record again. After listening to the track, I was happy to hear that it was seamless. Can you tell where the seam is?

After recording it, I needed to export it into MP3 format, as it was still in GarageBand’s format. I then uploaded the file onto box.net so that I could link to it from my blog.

Discussion of Podcasting in terms of my own personal learning

I’ve used podcasts in the past to expand my own knowledge. To improve my French language skills, I’ve downloaded podcasts from “French Pod Class,” “Coffee Break French,” “One Thing a Day in French,” and lastly, “La Semaine Verte.” I would then listen to them either on my laptop, or on my IPod Shuffle. I could practice my French while on a long solo car ride, or while running, or doing mindless work.

I’ve also used podcasts to learn more about topics that interest me, such as investing (Good ole’ Suze Orman). I’ve also used podcasts to stay on top of current events and news. I find this especially helpful while traveling and don't have access to a TV. I would download the hourly or six o’clock news from CBC's website.

They can also be entertaining, such as “Definitely Not the Opera,” which is a mix of music, personal stories and discussion of current relevant pop-culture topics (ie. Social networking).

I can also use podcasts to learn about emerging technologies and how to incorporate them into my classroom practice. There are tonnes available at Dr. King's site, "Podcasts for teachers." Here, they have podcasts on everything from Twitter to help with podcasting.

Discussion of Podcasting in terms of teaching & learning

I have not utilized podcasts very much in my classroom as of now. However, I see the possibilities for utilizing podcasts in the elementary school context are pretty limitless. My class and I listened to an interview with our favourite author, Trenton Lee Stewart.

I have used it in the University context as well: I used a podcast from CBC’s “Definitely Not the Opera” during a presentation to teach my classmates about dialects.

As my discussion group and I mentioned during the week, podcasts can be used to bridge the gap from school to home. Podcasts of new French vocabulary can be posted on a class website and then can be downloaded to be utilized at home. This is especially useful to parents who are not fluent in French.

Podcasts can also be used to promote reading. When students present a ‘book talk’ at school we can record it and turn it into a podcast, which can be accessed later for students who may be interested in the same book.

Braun (2007) suggests recording public speakers, performances, and interviews. (pp. 15). This allows students to revisit the event, or for people who could not attend to experience it.

Richardson (2009) suggests that, “Social studies teachers could have their students do oral histories or interviews or reenactments of historical events” (pp. 117). He also suggests that, “Science teachers could have students narrate labs or dissections or experiments to record their progress” (Richardson, 2009, pp.117). I think that these suggestions would definitely enhance student learning, partially I think because it would increase the motivation of the students.

As far as cons go, I couldn't think of or track down many of them. One would be the whole privacy aspect, once again, which always is a concern. For example, if we're posting students' names and podcasts on our school's or class' site it could be a cause for concern. Another con would arise when we want students to utilize our podcasts at home. It "requires them to have access to the technology at the time they want to interact with the material; unlike a written lecture, which they can.. review at their leisure. (Neidorf, Robin., (2006), pp. 106). In other words: if a student doesn't have a computer, or access to the internet, this poses a challenge.

So, in conclusion, podcasting, I believe, will continue to be used as a device to educate and to learn. More and more, I think teachers will begin to incorporate them more and more into not only teaching, but also for student projects, and for class websites.

Works Cited

Braun, Linda W. (2007). Listen Up! Podcasting for Schools and Libraries. Information Today: Medford, New Jersey.

Neidord, Robin. (2006). Teach Beyond Your Reach. Library of Congress: Medford, New Jersey.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd Ed. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Delicious Social Bookmarking

Brilliant! How have I not heard of this before? What rock have I been living under?

"What a benefit it would be if one could see all the bookmarks that had been created by other, like-minded users" (Eastment, 2008, pp.217).

This is delicious!

Reflections on the process of learning about Social Bookmarking

Out of the many different social bookmarking sites, I decided to go with ‘Delicious’ as it seemed to be the fairly popular and fairly user friendly. You don’t even need to enter your e-mail address! How great is that?

I found the “Social Bookmarking” trailfire helpful to wrap my mind around this tool, especially the YouTube video. The possibilities of various uses personally and professionally began to swim in my mind.

Once I was signed up, I chose to import my bookmarks from my computer. However, I ended up deleting them all, as I ran into a few issues. One being that some of my bookmarks are to sites that no long exist (ie. an expired property listing for a huge loft downtown with exposed brick). Also, when I imported my bookmarks, all of the sites that Firefox and Mac include were also listed. So, I wound up with a ton of sites, and none of them were ‘tagged.’ The last issue was that some of bookmarks were sites that I didn’t want anyone to know I had bookmarked (ie. Miley Cyrus’s Official fan site). Hence, the cleanse! (Which, by the way, was a complicated process. I had to delete them ten at a time! Unless there’s an option I’ve missed). Now, I do know that you can ‘private’ some bookmarks, but I didn’t feel like sorting through the hundreds. Once I was free of everything, I began to bookmark once more, making sure to tag accurately.

Discussion of Social Bookmarking in terms of my own personal learning

Have you every started googling a topic you're interested in and soon become off on a tangent, surfing from useful to useless to mediocre sites. Well, with Delicious, I can simply type in a key word and I can come up with sites that others have checked out and decided were important/useful enough to bookmark! As Richardson (2000) puts it, we can "tap into the work of others to support our own learning" (pp.101)

When I'm interested in a certain topic, Delicious will help me to investigate the topic and keep me updated as to the latest writings on this topic. It's as if someone else is doing the googling/work/research for us!

I was curious about the potential drawbacks or weak points of social bookmarking. One negative point in using this is that it “means storing data in yet another location that you have to maintain and update.” (Bryant, 2005, pp.2). Another potential pitfall would be “inconsistent or otherwise poor use of tags" (Bryant, 2005, pp.2) Bryant uses the example of someone bookmarking a site on the breed of dog known as greyhound. If someone only tagged it with ‘greyhound’ and not ‘greyhound’ and ‘dog’ then there is going to be a mix up in terms of categories. One final potential pitfall is that the bookmarks “reflect the values of the community of users [and] there is a risk of presenting a skewed view of the value of any particular topic” (Bryant, 2005, pp.2)

I think this is would be a phenomenal tool to utilize while traveling, especially on extended trips where you don’t have access to your personal computer. For example, if you were backpacking across Europe and stopped in at an internet café, you could log into the social bookmarking site and see all of your links. You can cut down on your time spent online because everything you need will be a simple click away, and plus, you’ll have a reminder of what needs to be taken care of (ie. a payment, a pending reservation, etc).

Discussion of Social Bookmarking in terms of teaching & learning

The possibility to incorporate Social bookmarking into my teaching to help student learning is almost limitless. As mentioned in the YouTube clip, "Social Bookmarking in plain English" a teacher could collect sites associated with a unit of study (ie. Multiplication). This process will be made easier because of bookmarking other teachers have already done. Then, as the students progress through the unit they can access these sites to aide their learning.

When working from home, I often find sites that I would like to visit or would like my students to visit at school. I often email them to myself, or try to find them again by using google, which can be a bit of a pain. With Delicious, now I can just bookmark it at home and easily access it at school and share it.

The options for collaboration with teachers in your school, the district, the city and the entire world are endless. Our world is truly becoming global and well do they say it takes a village..

Works Cited

Bryant, T. (2005) 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking. www.educause.edu/eli

Eastment, Diana. (2008). ELT Journal Advance Access. pp.217-219

Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd Ed. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA. pp. 89-98.

Care to share? A video perhaps?

Reflections on the process of learning about Videosharing

This past week, I explored videosharing sites including Google Videos, Teacher Tube and YouTube. All three are set up in a similar fashion and are quite easy to navigate. I focused mainly on YouTube, which is by far the most popular. I found the process of learning about YouTube fairly easy, as I was already quite knowledgeable with the site. I’ve been a ‘user’ for quite some time, but have never posted a video until now. However, I have subscribed to a number of different users, including a guy from Brazil who sings covers of Alanis Morissette songs in Spanish. Random right? I know. But, what can I say? I like Alanis.

It has changed how my friends and I 'consume' media though, and also what we 'consume.' Before YouTube, it would be more common for us to rent a movie, gather at someone's place and watch it. When YouTube caught on, it was more common for us to skip the first step, and just gather instead. Then 'surf' YouTube for things to amuse us: concerts, classic cartoons, pop culture moments, and the classic 'people messing up' or doing something crazy.

The aspects that I wasn’t familiar with, were fairly easy to get to know, such as 'uploading' and 'filming' aspects of the site. I uploaded my first video, which I filmed using my webcam and the recording tools within YouTube’s website. It’s not the best video in terms of content and quality, but it’s a start. I made another video, which I didn't post using iMovie, and the quality was a bit better, as it had less of a 'pixilated' look to it. I now feel more comfortable with this tool, but will not begin 'uploading' videos of myself to share with the world any time soon.

Discussion of Videosharing in terms of my own personal learning

When YouTube first broke out onto the scene, I remember being frustrated because I felt I was out of the loop within my social circle. My friends would send me videos and speak of videos, but my home computer was so slow that it made the experience painful. I couldn’t experience it at work, as it was blocked. So, it was only at friends’ houses that I really got to experience it.

In the past I've used YouTube as a learning tool. When I had a new bathtub installed, I used YouTube to teach myself how to tile the surround (along with some tips from friends and books). I've also used YouTube to learn about current events, teaching strategies and topics I'm interested in.

One exciting thing I learned was how to 'share' content in different ways. Before I would use the e-mail function, and paste addresses in, which is a bit of a pain. Now, I've learned that I can just link a video to my Facebook account to share. One, I linked recently was a music video that's just gone 'viral' in the past few days. It was shot in one take and was created by students at the University of Quebec in Montreal. How fun would a project like this be for a dance or drama class? ('sans' the open liquor of course, or closed for that matter).

Discussion of Videosharing in terms of teaching & learning

First off, I have to share the face that I used Teacher Tube this week to show my students how to use 'hooks' in book talks. It was quite effective in showing them how to provide a window into a book, without giving too much away.

I think videosharing is and will become more and more so a powerful tool to use within the classroom. Our students are viewing and generating content in their homes. I think within the school setting, we will become more open to using sites such as YouTube as a teaching tool. At this point, Teacher Tube is not blocked, but You Tube is. However, if you are determined to use it there are ways of getting around the blocks. I think schools will become first more open to 'consuming' YouTube' videos and then more so into generating and posting content.

Bull et. al point out that a great aspect of videosharing is that it "may [be] possible to engage students in exploration of materials that other students helped create" (p. 102). I think this is great, as the knowledge is not just coming from the teacher, or written texts, but rather other students from around the world. I think it's very powerful. They can see global perspective, as opposed to just their teacher's, and classmates' views.

Davies and Merchant discuss the fact that "YouTube is a useful and rich resource of some fascinating historic material" (p. 57). I would agree, but would add that it's also a useful resource for current events. Recently, the conflict in Iran after the election was held was all but cut out from the mainstream media due to an effort to withhold information. However, YouTube users filmed on their own and illustrated the reality of what was happening within the country. It

My blog wouldn't be complete without discussing the safety aspect of videosharing sites. I have to admit that I was very wary of posting a video of myself, but even more wary of students of mine posting videos of themselves. However, after reading Davies and Merchant's explanation of how to get rid of identifying markers, I became a bit more open to kids using this tool (p.67) That's part of the reason why I think that we should be bringing YouTube into the classroom; our students are using these tools anyways, so why not help them to use them safely? One teacher in Canada used it to promote literature within her classroom. Once again, I was wary, but you'll notice in her video, there is nothing 'identifying' in the video or information about the video that would reveal the identity of the students, school, or teacher.

In the article, Connecting Informal and Formal Learning Experiences in the Age of Participatory Media, it is suggested that time is another barrier that we can face when try to use these new technologies in our classes. I can see this, especially if it's not just students watching a clip, but rather generating and sharing content (Bull et. al, 2008, p.102).

In conclusion, I have to say I look forward to the day when videosharing is brought officially into the classroom and we can harness it's power to help children learn and grow.

Works Cited

Bull, G., Thompson, A., Searson, M., Garofalo, J., Park, J., Young, C., & Lee, J (2008). Connecting informal and formal learning: Experiences in the age of participatory media. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 8(2).

Ideas will Flickr

Reflections on the process of learning about the Flickr

My own previous knowledge and experience with Flickr combined with the knowledge gained from the trailfire, helped provide me with a solid base of understanding of this photosharing site.

I have to admit though, that I was somewhat annoyed with Flickr right off the bat. I needed to create yet another e-mail address, with yet another password to remember in order to fully utilize the site. Yahoo is affiliated with Flickr, so I needed to have a Yahoo account. To cut down on info overload, I used not only the same password as my hotmail account, but also the same e-mail ‘handle’.

While using this tool, I found it to be very user-friendly and easy to navigate. I quickly learned how to upload photos, and how to edit, tag and share them. Check out my pictures.

Discussion of Flickr in terms of my own personal learning

I could see myself using this site in the future; perhaps after a trip with friends. I could post the pictures to share with the friends I traveled with, as well as friends who weren’t there. However, I see there is an overlap here between Facebook and Flickr. I think most of my friends would just post their vacation photos on Facebook to share them with other friends and family. The advantage of Flickr over Facebook would be that you can use Flickr to not only share, but also edit your pictures, and share them with others around the world.

I admire the environmentally friendly aspect of Flickr. This tool will lesson the need for CDs to be used to share/back up our photos. Paper will also be saved. More and more photos will stay in digital form: from camera to computer to Flickr. I think it will take people awhile to move away from the whole, “I want to print it off” kind of mindset. We have to ask ourselves, “Why do we want a hard copy?” Is it to frame and display? Then fair enough. Is it to share with others? Well, that can be accomplished with this tool.

Discussion of Flickr in terms of teaching & learning

I could see myself using Flickr in my classroom. For example, on Friday I went on a field trip to the Bennett Center with my Grade Six class. I could have taken pictures of the different types of trees we studied and then uploaded them. My students could use them as tool for reviewing.

I found a site ( www.jakesonline.org/flickrinclassroom.pdf ) which showcases many different ways to use Flickr in the classroom, with my favourites being ‘digital storytelling’ and using pictures as a prompt for writing.

I think it’s a great way to bring your places that we’re learning about to life. If we’re reading a book set in Boston, or learning about a city in Peru, we can use Flickr to transport our students that location.

After getting to know this tool a bit better, I can see myself not only incorporating it into my personal life, but also into my classroom as well.

Intro Blog: It begins....

I like to consider myself quite savvy when it comes to the internet and technology, but I'm quickly realizing that I have a lot to learn. Some areas, I'm not incredibly knowledgeable about because I've intentionally avoided them (Facebook and Twitter) and others I just haven't come across, or experienced (Ning, RSS feeds).

However, I have maintained a blog for the past two summers chronicling my holidays, which I've enjoyed writing. It was a great experience because it helped me to stay connected to my friends and family. They had a window into what I was experiencing, which they enjoyed (well.. most of them). I used 'blogger' for it and decided to use it once again because of my familiarity with it and also because it's fairly user friendly.

Sites like YouTube have been completely unavoidable, and incredibly entertaining. I'm also familiar with podcasts, and have used them to stay connected to what's happening in the world.

I'm looking forward to this course pushing my boundaries and also filling in the gaps of Web 2.0. Some questions I'm inquiring about at this point:

1) How can a wiki be used to help my students to discuss books we are currently studying?
2) How can I use Web 2.0 tools to develop professionally?
3) How could Web 2.0 tools be used in the event of school closures?

Others have expressed hesitancy with putting information 'out there' on the web, and I have to say I am in the same boat. It's part the reason that I have avoided Facebook. I have to say I had some anxiety joining it, but alas I have.

That being said, here's some personal information about me... My social insurance number is... jk. Take two: I like to consider myself a curious life long learner, as well as being active, and somewhat balanced. I am chronically single, which I'm finding is rare for teachers, but I'm not bitter... yet. I have an amazing group of friends, and a great family, some of whom are still in Saskatchewan. Most have jumped ship, including my older and younger brother. I've been living in Alberta for almost 10 years now, and teaching for about the last 5. Some activities I enjoy include reading, running, swimming, yoga, writing and live music. One of my aspirations is to become a fluent French speaker. I've spent the last 3 summers trying to accomplish this by studying in Montreal, Paris and then Montreal once again.

I'm looking forward to this learning opportunity: to 'catch up' with Web 2.0. I'm hoping that not only will it connect me with friends, family and new people, but also that it will inspire me to use aspects of it in the classroom to engage my students and help to prepare them for our new connected world in which we live.