Blogs
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Remote and mobile access
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Vast information shared all in one central
location.
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Creates a platform to practice and improve
written communication skills
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Freedom of expression that enhance their
general communication skills.
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Alternate viewpoints and methods
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Students need guidelines as they develop the
maturity needed to be honest and respectful between peers interaction.
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Countless links and information.
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If Information is not organised may create
confusion and misinterpretation
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Takes time and commitment
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Comments made could dent the authors
confidence
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Can later be used as part of a resume.
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Create practice for jobs of the future such as
social media management.
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Blogs in the classroom
http://staceyselearning.blogspot.com.au/http://staceyselearning.blogspot.com.au/
Blogs provide the user with their own personal space to express
their thoughts opinions and experiences. The personal space also allows the
user (student) the opportunity to create, design and organise their thoughts in
way that suits and expresses their individual identities. In a classroom,
context blogs are useful tools for students to share the content they discover
from the infinite amounts of information available. Blogs create opportunities for,
and links to, valuable information. Students who are open to constructive
feedback gain valuable insight and are able to measure, and identify, their
weaknesses and strengths.
Blogging communication is a current reality of the
technological age, one that today’s students live in. Therefore, blogging forms
part of students ‘social schema’. Blogs provide an opportunity to take
advantage of this schema and teach students social etiquette and strategies.
Students are able to put their point across effectively, as
they have time to think about it before they express their opinions and
experiences. Extended time for contemplation further reduces the pressure for
students with introverted tendencies, and at the same time creates a platform
for extroverted students to share with a mass audience. Therefore, students
learn collaboratively as they are able to comment and support each other’s
blogs. However, students need guidelines as they develop the maturity needed for
peer interaction. Blogs in the classroom can also be used as an opportunity to
guide and teach students, social etiquette such as how to leave honest but
respectful comments. I cannot help but agree with Guthrie & McCracken (2010)
who insist that ‘…the process of stepping back from an experience to ponder,
carefully and persistently, its meaning to the self through the development of
inferences’ noting that engaging such processes forms the foundation for future
decision making and behaviours.
Wikis
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Thought provoking environment
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Vast information shared all in one central
location.
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Creates a platform to practice and improve
written communication skills
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Freedom of expression that enhances comprehension
of a particular subject
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Alternate viewpoints
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Different methods can be obtained to get the
same answer
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Students may be reluctant to be vulnerable and
express real thoughts and opinions
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Requires willingness to commit
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Information is not always credible
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Can only edit one at a time
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Clarified learning
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Practiced communication skills
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Collaborative blackboard
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Interactive learning
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Wikis in the classroom
http://staceyselearning.cquniversityschoolofeducation.wikispaces.net/http://staceyselearning.cquniversityschoolofeducation.wikispaces.net/
Wikis are like one giant butchers paper, where the
collection of student knowledge and opinions on any given subject are composed
and shared in one central and open learning space. Therefore, wikis used in the
classroom create a thought provoking environment for students to express, expand
and compare their knowledge of a subject. Students are able to reflect this
discourse which enables opportunities for comparison, contrast and analysis
which reinforces learning. However, to generate student contribution and commitment
to a wiki, strategies and careful organisation are required. For example,
students milling around in a wiki learning environment need the’ know-how’ of
interactive communication in order to interact and benefit from such. Once students
know how to participate and are organised into groups and networks, they then
have the ability participate in the wiki. Teachers’ require pedagogical
knowledge to construct this environment; therefore, it is paramount that
teachers continue their development in ‘digital pedagogy’.
This reflective pedagogy is enabled as students have extended
time to write and reflect on a subject then would be in a traditional learning
environment. Learning is enforced as students are obliged to participate in a
group setting. Students are able to clarify their understanding by comparing
opinions and information that differ to their own. Additionally, students may
read discourse that has been expressed in an accessible and relatable manner, thereby
giving the student a better understanding of the subject. Nevertheless, this
could also lead to inaccurate understanding of topics, as some of the shared
discourse may be unreliable.
Websites
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One central location to find information
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Access of information outside of school hours
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Additional study
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Customised for individual learning
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Announcements online
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Not personalised
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Requires self discipline
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Dependent upon the skills of the teacher
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Students don’t always have access
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Children need protection
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Takes time to create and maintain
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One view point –condensed information
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Integrating technology with curriculum
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Websites are an ideal method of integrating curriculum with
technology. Depending on the type being used for students learning, websites
are informative and can be created with a particular cohort of students in
mind, producing an authentic learning environment tailored to the student
learning needs. Websites can present information that caters and integrates a
wide range of learning styles. I have discovered that it is essential for
students’ learning to combine two environments; a combination of classroom
interaction and web-based resources. In other words, students’ cannot be shown
a website and told start learning alone, but must be instructed and mentored
inside the classroom and beyond. Students need skills to operate and understand
the learning environment. Because websites are a static learning environment,
alternate viewpoints, methods and arguments are not present, unless the website
creates links for this type of learning to occur (Siemens). Teachers need to
consider solutions to problems ahead of time, for example, not assume that all
students have access to the website outside of school.
According to Shea (2006):
...
distant students report a strong sense of learning in those online classes that
provide open environments for discussion, mediation and resolution of difficult
dialogues that ultimately reinforce complex understanding. Learning
technologies provide a particularly important link between on-site learning experiences
and classroom activities; such media become even more significant when the
primary mode of instructional delivery occurs via the Internet.
References
Guthrie, K. L., & McCracken, H. (2010, July).
Reflective Pedagogy: Making Meaning in Experiential Based Online Courses. The JEO. Retrieved from
http://www.thejeo.com/Archives/Volume7Number2/GuthriePaper.pdf
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from
http://elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
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