Final+Examination

My Reflections
Reading the book by Will Richardson entitled, //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms,// has really enlightened me on the educational value these tools will have in the 21st Century. Here is my thoughts on the various tools from my wiki.

Blogs
A blog (sometimes referred to as a weblog) is a Web publishing tool that allows authors to quickly and easily self-publish text, artwork, links to other blogs or Web sites, and a whole array of other content. Blogs work well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled computer. Hence, they can be used by computer savvy teachers to create a classroom that extends beyond the boundaries of the school yard. Fortunately for teachers, blogs are surprisingly easy to use. They require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily created and maintained. Unlike many traditional Web sites, they are flexible in design and can be changed relatively easily. Best of all, students will find them convenient and accessible via home or library computers.

I think that there is a place for blogs in the classroom however there are some things to consider before you decide to use blogs in your classroom. Blogs may be viewed publicly, as any other Web site. Students must be trained on issues regarding access, privacy, security, and free expression. As blogs have no publisher, producer, or editor, students must carefully consider the content of postings to avoid anything defamatory, libelous, or an infringement upon the rights of others. Blogs are created by individuals for various and assorted purposes. Content should be recognized as the opinion of the blogger, and, therefore, may not necessarily be factual.

Wikis
media type="custom" key="10182111" Ward Cunningham invented the wiki in 1995. A wiki is a web page written and then edited and added to by any other user. Wikipedia now boasts several million entries and is entirely written and run by volunteers.

Integration of a Wiki in the classroom requires a new approach to teaching and learning for engaging students. A traditionalists approach such as fill-in-the-blanks or presenting lecture notes does not take advantage of a Wikis full potential. Using a student-centered approach where students identify the blanks themselves and contribute content are the beginning steps of integrating Wikis. To effectively integrate a Wiki in the classroom, students must participate in the process of sharing information and demonstrating understanding of content with the teacher and other students. Students with access to the Internet outside of school can work together to complete projects without having to be in school. Also, just like none Wiki projects; defining roles and clearly defining the activity, along with assessments are crucial to the success of collaborative learning projects using this strategy. One negative to this tools is the fact that not all student have internet access at home and therefore could only use this tool at school.

Podcast, Video and Screencasting, and Live Streaming :
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A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screencasting, often containing audio narration. With the creation of such websites as YouTube.com. By the time students entered middle school over 90% of them would have seen a video on YouTube by then. Not many of them however, have ever created a video screencast themselves. Allowing students the opportunity to create their own video screencast is something that I want to try this year. I believe that it will add another dimension to how students can grow using new technology tools.

Podcasts is a new method of communication allowing anyone to create audio files and post them to the Internet for others to download and listen to at any time. These audio files can be downloaded to a personal computer or handheld device such as an i Pod. Podcasts has rapidly become a new medium for both commercial and home-grown talk shows on multiple subjects. Creating a podcast allows students to share learning experiences. It provides them with a world-wide audience that makes learning meaningful and assessment authentic. Teachers can use the technology to provide additional and revision material to students to download and review at a time that suits them. The flexibility that such time-shifting offers makes podcasting a valuable educational tool. The one drawback I see with regards to using podcast in the classroom is that it is not interactive and does not allow for two way communication so essentially it would used much like a lecture.

RSS
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It allows you to subscribe to the content that you want to receive. Then, all of the content you subscribe to is compiled into one digest that includes all of the headlines so that you can easily skim them to find the content that you are interested in reading. One of the biggest benefits of RSS Feedsis, therefore, the fact that they simplify your life by bringing content to you. Instead of surfing to your 3 favorite blogs, 5 favorite websites, 4 favorite forums and any other sites you visit daily you will receive all of this content compiled for you in your email inbox or RSS reader. As a teacher you should always check the websites because as you know, not all content on the web is suitable for children.

The Social Web
Social bookmarking is a practical educational tool that can be leveraged in a number of ways. Social bookmarking allows you to store and share your bookmarks online. Anywhere you can get to the Internet, you have access not only to your bookmarks, but also to the bookmarks from the vast community of online users who are looking for similar information. The organizational scheme that these sites use tags can also be a much more efficient way to catalog the sites you have visited than the traditional folders you find in most browsers. Teachers are beginning to think of creative ways to use social bookmarking in their classrooms.

Twitter has simply become one of the best places for teachers to collaborate, share solutions to common classroom problems, and discuss education policy. In fact, it might just be the best forum teachers have ever had. Edmodo.com is similar to Twitter and is a private online social platform for teachers and students to share ideas, files, events and assignments. I would prefer to use Edmodo because it's more private and most school districts will not block the site because it's use is primarily for educational purposes only. Twitter, on the other hand, is for public use and students may decide to wonder off to inappropriate topics or feeds. Here are list of some the benefits of using Educational Social Websites like Edmodo:
 * Teachers and students can share ideas, files, events and assignments
 * Maintain a classroom blog
 * Teachers can post assignments, share links and files, and send text (SMS) alerts
 * Teachers can maintain a class calendar and assign grades to assignments
 * A public stream (RSS feed) of class activity is available
 * The service is entirely free

Flickr
Flickr is an online application that enables you to manage and share digital photos and JPEG images. You can use Flickr to upload images taken with your camera, and in the upload process, Flickr allows you to title, describe, tag, and set security on the images. You can share photos with the entire community of Flickr users or securely and privately share them with the Flickr users who are your friends and family. In return, your contacts—friends or family—can share their photos with you and leave comments about your photos. One negative to using flickr in the classroom is the fact that it is a photo sharing site for the public, which means anyone can use it and there may be inappropriate photos on the website.

Social Networks
media type="youtube" key="pMcfrLYDm2U" height="349" width="425" Social networking, also referred to as social media, like http://facebook.com, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easierfor people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Because the phrase "social networking" can carry some negative connotations for educators, the phrase "educational networking" may be a way of more objectively discussing the value of these types of websites. If you don't think that social networking has an impact on students consider these statistics the National Board Associated:
 * 96% of students with access to the Internet build social networks
 * 50% of teens say they talk to their peers about schoolwork online (IM, blog or social networking sties) or via text messages
 * 60% indicate that they discuss education-related topics such as college and career planning on social networking sites.

In this digital world, opportunities for education are available like never before. Though teachers using online tools are empowering students take part in their education, they may also expose them to inappropriate material, sexual predators, and bullying and harassment by peers. Teachers who are not careful with their use of the sites can fall into inappropriate relationships with students or publicize photos and information they believed were kept private. For these reasons, critics are calling for regulation and for removing social networking from classrooms -- despite the positive affects they have on students and the essential tools they provide for education in today's digital climate.