Thursday, August 20, 2009

Reflective Synopsis

Well, this really has been an E-Learning adventure! I have discovered a lot of technology that is really going to be helpful to me in my future role as a Learning Manager.
It is really important in a time of 'education revolution' that we keep one eye on developing technologies which can be used to enhance the students learning experience. During this course I have challenged myself as a 'digital immigrant'. At times it has been extremely overwhelming exploring all the new technologies, especially knowing that I have only scratched the surface of what is out on the world wide web! I am confident I have gained a deeper understanding of these technologies and in turn equipping me with the knowledge necessary to push me into teaching in the 21st century.

Along this journey I have discovered some technologies that are really going to enhance my delivery techniques and foster much more engaging learning experiences, and promote higher order thinking in students. Web Quests, Google Earth, Voki and Music are some of the technologies which I think I would favour as an Early Childhood Educator. It is important to note that the conduciveness to innovative teaching techniques offered by all of the technologies I have researched is not lost on me and I feel that I will in some way incorporate all these technologies into my Teaching in the future. As suggested by Marsh (2008) Teacher talk is common of instruction and can become dull and boring. To fully engage learners, teachers should create opportunities for students to use all five of their senses.

Killen (2006) suggests cooperative learning is a special form of small group work. Learners can gain a lot from working in cooperative groups, they develop the ability to work well together and can have satisfaction in accomplishing a task together.Having used Web Quests in the past, I have found them to be an excellent way of organising group work and having students engaged and excited about what they are learning. As my own capabilities continue to improve I can expect to make more and more engaging Web Quests in the future. It is a time consuming process, but the results are well and truly worth.

Visual engagement through applications such as Google Earth are another great way of exciting a students thirst for knowledge. Maps provide so much information and with Google Earth the possibilities for interaction are almost limitless. It's fantastic to think that a student can have the entire globe at their fingertips in such vivid detail.

Voki Avatars were so much fun! Yet another way to engage students. Initially I thought of voki mainly as a 'hook' to get students interested in subject which was about to be undertaken. After contemplation I realised it could also be a fantastic way to guide a student through a unit of work. From a students point of view Avatars are also a great way of expressing themselves in a creative manner.

As an Early Childhood Educator I feel it is very important to empower a child's own creativity and one of the ways I love to do this is through music. I have always been aware that there are certain implications involved in using downloaded music, and that it is not always legal to simply download something. I didn't realise however, that it was possible to find plenty of music resources on the Internet that are legal to use through Creative Commons licenses. These allow work to be redistributed for non – commercial use, such as in schools.


“Online social networks are an excellent environment for developing and sharing idea and promoting creativity” (O'Connell, 2006). Many of the technologies covered in my E-Learning journey are an innovative way for teachers and students to partake in social networking practises.These networking technologies can encourage students creative thinking by challenging their assumptions, building upon ideas of others and participating in group activities.


All these technologies can promote higher order thinking, assuming that the teacher structures tasks in a way that challenges students to really understand and think about what they are learning. For this reason I see it to be of vital importance that teachers continue to provide students with the opportunity to become really engaged in the process of their own learning.

Overall, this has been an incredibly enlightening experience which has really shown me the importance of teachers continually upskilling themselves and keeping up to date with developing technologies in order to provide students with the best possible opportunity to achieve outcomes. I can now see myself thinking more in the mind frame of a 'digital native' and am beginning to unshackle myself from the limitations of being a 'digital immigrant'.


References

Killen, R. (2006). Effective Teaching Strategies. Wentworth: Social science press.

Marsh, C. (5th Ed.) (2008) Studies of Society and Environment, Exploring the Teaching Possibilities. French Forest: Pearson Education.

O'Connell, J. (2006) Engaging the Google Generation Through Web 2.0: Part 1.scan,25(3), 46-50

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Slide Share

SlideShare allows a user to upload and share PowerPoint presentations. It can also be used to add a voice over to the presentation, this is then known as a 'slidecast'.

I found the sign up process to be relatively simple, however the process of attaching the mp3 file seemed to be time consuming and somewhat difficult. I feel that I could achieve similar results by using Photo Story, and then uploading into any of my storage files.

From a teachers point of view SlideShare is another way of engaging the students in the classroom, using the right voice over or music could evoke different emotions about the slide being presented and help to provoke stronger opinions, which in turn can lead to further discussion. For the student, SlideShare offers a tool which they can use to make presentations on any given topic.

I have uploaded a simple presentation which I would use for younger students to dance along to, getting them to act out the type of animal that appears on the slide show. This is an extrapolation of my ideas on using music in the classroom, and by adding another medium to the presentation would make it all the more engaging for the students.


Voice Thread

Voice Thread is yet another way to promote collaborative learning, with children being able to comment on pictures, video files and documents from anywhere in the world.




After I had explored voice thread a little and worked out how easy it was to use, I really see the potential to use this to engage students.
Without the use of a microphone i was kind of limited in what could be achieved with this site. However this short presentation points out some features of a cat that might make it a good hunter, then I have invited the students to explore the features of a cat further.

Music on the Web

Royalty-Free music on the Internet is a great resource for teachers. I downloaded some African music which could be used to extend on a students interest in jungle animals, having the students dance to the music perhaps with some simple percussion instruments they could really become engrossed in the cultural experience that the music evokes. This would foster the development of children's movement skills and introduce them to a different culture. They can develop rhythm, time, repetitious patterns. Music like this in a classroom can be a really engaging way to get children interested in the topic.
It's reassuring to know that there is plenty of Royalty -Free music on the Internet as we often here of copyright infringements and need to be careful not to download illegal files.

File Storage

File storage sites, such as MediaFire are a great way to store large files and be able to share those files from any computer.
MediaFire was really easy to use, and I can see great potential to use the site to upload and organise students resources in a place where they can easily access them.

I have uploaded a short video clip to MediaFire, which is an examle of the kinds of resources a teacher could upload to file storage sites for students to access, without needing to download these files onto their own hard drives.


http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=895ac4b24919a85575a4fc82078ae6c8e04e75f6e8ebb871

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free, web-based encyclopedia. Wikipedia has millions of articles that have been written by volunteers around the world. Most of its articles can be edited by anyone who wishes to add to the website, which at times makes its information some what unreliable (Wikipedia, 2009).

I have used Wikipedia often as a way of gaining a general understanding of a topic before researching the topic more thoroughly using other resources. The resources that are available in each Wikipedia article are also very useful to both teachers and student. For example, a quick search of the topic 'pets' brings up an article which includes, pictures, tables and also links to many other articles pertaining to the subject matter.

According to Marzano & Pickering (1997) the most effective learners have developed powerful habits of mind that enable them to think critically. This I believe to be of high importance when allowing students to research using Wikipedia. One way to achieve this is to encourage students to seek accuracy, "any time you receive information that appears suspicious or inaccurate, you should take time to check for accuracy" (Marzano & Pickering, 1997).
What do you think? What highs and lows have you had using this technology?


Marzan0, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., Moffett, C., et al. (1997)Dimensions of Learning, Teachers Manual. Aurora: McRel

Wikipedia (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved, August 19, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia

WebQuests

A WebQuest may be defined as an inquiry-based activity in which most or all of the information is accessed by the learners over the Internet (Milson & Downey, 2001). The teacher must identify appropriate content tailored towards the learning tasks and make a web page that is used by learners to work their way through five stages: Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation and Conclusion.

WebQuests are designed as a form of inquiry-based learning. WebQuests provide students with a problem in which they are required to solve. Students then need to work their way through the WebQuest while deciding on what information would be most useful in solving their problem. There are many resources embedded throughout the WebQuest, however students can use the teacher as a resource and have the ability to gather data individually or in small groups (Marsh, 2008).

This form of instructional design assists students in developing higher-order thinking and can engage students in collaborative learning (Marsh, 2008). When engaged in this type of activity students can be highly motivated to examine novel problems and formulate possible solutions (Killen, 2006).

In a previous course of study I designed a WebQuest for a grade 3/4 class. The topic was on recycling, with a opened ended focus question. It was a very time consuming process, although I was very pleased with the end result and now how it on file for future use. The students found it very easy to follow and loved all the interactive activities. They formed small groups to work on the WebQuest and I developed a roster for computer use. This solved our problem of having limited computers in the classroom. The end product was amazing and the students were engaged and enthusiastic about whole learning process.

WebQuest are a great learning tool and even though it can be a very time consuming process when you see the end result it all seems Worth the effort!

Killen, R. (2006) Effective Teaching Strategies. Thomson, Melbourne.

Marsh, C. (5th Ed.) (2008). Studies of Society and Environment, Exploring the Teaching Possibilities. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education

Milson, A. & Downey, P. (2001). Webquest: using Internet resources for cooperative inquiry. Social Education. 65, 3, 144-46.

Google Earth

"Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others" (Google Earth, 2009).

Whilst exploring Google Earth I was able to use it's many functions including pin pointing exact locations, zooming in and out, flagging places of interest and viewing roads and terrain. These would be useful tools in the class room when exploring units that encompass "Where do I come From", "What's in My Backyard" as well as investigating the differences between countries and their climates and environments. Australia having very dry areas where as Ireland appears very green on Google Earth, this would open discussion about the importance of rain, or Slip Slop Slap when we are in the sun. The possibilities of this learning tool are seemingly endless and open to the creativity of the teacher and students.

According to Bednarz, Acheson and Bednarz (2006) Maps, globes and models are essential resources for teachers when implementing SOSE experiences. As maps portray a fair amount of information students can enjoy the benefits of exploring Google Earth by navigating there way around the site using the many tools available.

Bednarz, S., Acheson, G. & Bednarz, R. (2006) Maps and map learning in social studies. Social Education, 70,7,398-404.

Google Earth (2009). What is Google Earth. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from: http://earth.google.com/

Podcasts

Podcasts are basically an audible blog, you can subscribe to topics which interest you, and those podcasts which you have subscribed to can be automatically uploaded onto your computer, which, in turn, can then be loaded onto an mp3 player to be listened to later (techFAC, 2009)

Podcasts could be used by educators to provide an overview of what is to be taught prior to a lesson or as a revision tool throughout a unit of work or at the end of a lesson for students to revise what has been taught.

As an early childhood educator I feel this is more targeted towards upper primary or secondary students. They would be more inclined to engage with this type of media and I would see this as a benefit to students that are high auditory learners.

At this stage in my E-Learning Adventures I am stumped for ideas as to how I could use Podcasts with my prep class. Has anyone trialed this with a prep class and found it successful?



TechFAQ. (2009). What are podcasts? Retrieved August 19, 2009, from
http://www.tech-faq.com/podcasts.shtml

Youtube

YouTube is a site where the public can upload video clips and music clips to share with the public. It amazes me how many clips are out there and what people are will to share with the public eye! In my experience with YouTube it has been a very useful tool to engage students in a given topic and use throughout and extended lesson or unit.

Through researching the topic it is clear YouTube can be used in education for a variety of purposes. It is a great way to search and find a topic related to lessons being taught, it can help students refine their search techniques and gives new meaning to they way in which students research. With so much content on YouTube it is important that educators are very careful in choosing content especially when searching in class. "YouTube's content is interesting and unpredictable. It isn't always safe for work or appropriate for children" (Karch, 2009).

The clip I have chosen to share is one that I will be using at the start of a lesson with my prep class. We cook every week and have been discussing the importance of food handling, kitchen safety and healthy eating. This cooking lesson we will be making pizzas! After showing the clip the class will discuss what foods we are using to make our pizza, where they fit on the healthy food pyramid and they steps we need to take when cooking in the kitchen (safety). McKenna Gehrke makes a personal pizza for her family on the Kitcheneers!



Karch, M. (2009). YouTube Explained - Overview of the Google Video Sharing Tool. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from: http://google.about.com/od/moreaboutgoogleaps/p/youtubeprofile.htm

Quizzes

As today's students have grown up in a world surrounded by technology they have become very competent users of computers, mobile phones, video games and digital music players (Prensky, 2001), just to name a few. For this reason it does not surprise me that they may wish t0 partake in online quizzes.

Online tests can provide students with a fast and engaging way to check their learning. Prensky (2001) states Digital Natives "thrive on instant gratification". Online tests can cater for this need. Educators can develop tests that are targeted towards a specific topic and students are able to take the test and be notified immediately their results. Depending on the settings students can check where they went wrong and try again.

The following link will take you to a quiz I developed for a prep class. Please note the cohort of students have just completed a lesson on pet animals and discussed the home environments each pet would live. These students are only beginning to read and identify words with out picture cues. The have also had very little exposure with working on computers. Let me know what you think, I value your feedback.

http://www.classmarker.com/quiz/?test_id=59001



Prensky, M., (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved August 19, 2009, from:
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Animation and Simulations

Animations and Simulations are a great way to engage students in learning of more complex concepts. Computer simulations can recreate all kinds of processes both physical and social (Marsh, 2008). Simulations allow students to get fully involved in learning and allows concepts to be more easily understood and gives students the feeling of being 'right there'. It can also be a great tool for teachers to explain a procedure or concept and give the students the opportunity to revisit the experiment/experience at a latter date.

I would however argue that students seem to, more and more, live in a simulated environment and in some cases miss out on the hands on experiences. What happened to the days when students got right in on the action and got their hands dirty? In my experience students love the gory details of dissecting a frog! Don't get me wrong, I do think animations and simulations have their advantages, when used appropriately!

Marsh, C. (5th Ed.). (2008). Studies of Society and Environment, Exploring The Teaching Possibilities. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Picnik

Picnik is a photo editing tool the learning opportunities are endless! What a wonderful site.

I found this to be a very user friendly site. Although it was a little difficult at first to navigate my way around I quickly became wrapped up in all the possibilities.

Photographs are a great visual source for most learners and Levstik and Smith (1996) suggest students find it more rewarding when engaging in visual interpretations. Educators could use Picnik across many Key Learning Areas to provoke emotions, experiment with colour, shapes and design creative slides and collages. The learning experiences are are only limited to the teachers own creativity. I look forward to using Picnik as a learning tool in my classroom.

Levstik, L.S. & Smith, D.B. (1996). "I've never done this before". Building a community of historical inquiry, in a third-grade classroom, Advances in Research on Teaching, 6, 85-114.

Flickr

Flicker is an image and video hosting website and an online networking site. The website has become popular with bloggers as a form of photo 'bank'.

To begin with I had many hassles setting up my account with flicker. With yet another account having to be set up at times it seems as though all these new 'time saving' technologies can be more of a hindrance than help, I feel in the past it has been much quicker and easier to just use google images!

Through further exploration of flicker I can see the benefits it could have. You are able to set up your account and choose who has access to your photos. This is another way in which social networking can take place. Through the formation of groups you can share ideas and build a repertoire of resources. Therefor this would be a great resource for education teachers.

It was a very simple process to choose photos and then upload the photos to my blog. As teachers with so many tools available it is important to be critical about which tools would best suit when executing learning experiences.

Video

The use of videos are a fantastic way to engage an audience when used appropriately. As a visual learner I have found videos to be extremely helpful throughout my studies to firstly engaged me in the topic and then help me to make meaning. Videos have been particularly useful in my E-Learning Adventures when understanding and establishing a blog and wiki!

Through careful planning video instruction can be used to promote student curiosity, speculation and intellectual engagement. They can promote group learning, discussions and activities allowing students to use knowledge they already have and higher-order cognitive skills required to extend their knowledge (Denning, n.d.). When used correctly Videos can encourage critical thinking skills, reflection and provoke emotions. They can also be used as a tool to present visual information that would otherwise be difficult to explain and again allows for a variety of learning styles and learning difficulties to be catered for. Videos can be very beneficial for students with reading difficulties (Denning, n.d.).

It is up to the teacher to decided what would be most valuable and they must ask themselves: Does this video encourage active learning through group discussions, allow learners to make judgements, encourage higher order thinking skills and motivate the students to learn more about the topic?

I have used videos as an engagement tool and as away to demonstrate manual skills on many occasions. I revisit the video at the end of learning experiences as a reflective tool to see if students initial thoughts have changed. "Students learn best when they are actively engaged in a learning activity" (Denning, n.d.).

I can see the endless ways videos can be incorporated into learning experiences and look forward to hearing ways fellow collages have used them.

Denning, D. (n.d.). Video in Theory & Practice: Issues for classroom use and Teacher Video Evaluation. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://ebiomedia.com/downloads/VidPM.pdf

Interactive WhiteBoards

An interactive whiteboard is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. Using a projector the computer screen is shown on the whiteboard and users are then able to interact with the computer using markers, pointers or other devices.

Interactive white boards are a very valuable tool for learner education. They can be used in a variety of ways to accommodate learning across all curricular areas. The interactive whiteboards can accommodate for different learning styles, students can touch and mark the board, listen to discussion and watch as the visual representations take place on the board (Bell, 2002)

The interactive whiteboard is an excellent tool for the constructivist educator. This technology can foster the development of collaborative learning as it encourages students to partake in group discussions and interactions (Bell, 2002). The ways in which one could use an interactive whiteboard in the classroom are endless, demonstrating new computer skills, digital story telling, brainstorming, saving and printing documents just to name a few.

Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to experience the use of the whiteboard in my classrooms; however I have heard great reviews and see the potential it has to offer all learners.

“Students think and learn in many different ways. It also provides educators with a conceptual framework for organizing and reflecting on curriculum assessment and pedagogical practices. In turn, this reflection has led many educators to develop new approaches that might better meet the needs of the range of learners in their classrooms” (Mark, 2002)

What a creative way to engage a class, the possibilities this tool could bring in ensuring all my learners needs are met. I look forward to engaging with the tool in the not so distant future!


Bell, M. (2002) Why Use an Interactive Whiteboard? A Bakers Dozen Reasons! Retrieved August 18, from http://teachers.net/gazette/JAN02/mabell.html

Smith, M. (2002). Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education. Retrieved August 18, from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are software programs for managing education. LMS consist of software for managing educational records and software for distributing courses over the Internet. LMS are often used to track the use and registration of online courses (Wikipedia, 2009).

Usually a learning management system provides educators with a way to create and deliver content, monitor student participation, and assess student performance. A LMS can also provide students with the ability to use interactive features such as threaded discussions, video conferencing, and discussion forums (SearchCIO.com, 2003).

I have experienced using two LMS, Blackboard and Moodle. Through my experience of both LMS I have found Moodle to be the most effective. As a student I find with the rapid rate at which technology is advancing I am spending more and more time at the computer. It is therefore important I minimise the time spent jumping from one window to the next, this I feel can be achieved with the use of Moodle. It is a very user friendly and is designed in a more sequential manner.

SearchCIO.Com, (2003). Technology Management Strategies for the Enterprise CIO: Learning Management Systems. Retrieved August 18, 2009, From http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci798202,00.html

Wikipedia. (2009): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_management_system

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a program that creates a presentation that consist of one or more slides that can contain text, graphics, animation or video. Slides can then be viewed individually or as part of a slide show.

It has been suggested the use of relevant diagrams, animation and video clips have all shown to be useful to students with recall and retention as well as to problem solve more effectively. It also helps students that are strong visual learners. (Armitage, ND.) It is, however, important to note that Bartsch (2003) studies showed that when a teacher uses irrelevant images, students can become confused and unable to listen to what is being taught. This, in turn, can affect their learning in a negative way. For this reason it is important that teachers are careful in choosing the correct visual material to correlate with the rest of the presentation and to incorporate explicit teacher talk to assist students understanding.

In my experience, I have found PowerPoint to be a very useful tool for assessment. Last year my grade 3/4 class had to research and partake in a science experiment of their choice. They had to document their journey through the use of photos, posters and a science journal. As a class they then had to create a PowerPoint presentation to present to the parents and teachers at their science fair. Students had to work collaboratively to decided what information and photos would best showcase their learning. Each student was allocated time to design two PowerPoint slides and were involved in the drafting and editing of another students slides. Students were engaged throughout the whole process and enjoyed experimenting with the many tools available to design their own unique PowerPoint slides.

It was amazing to see what the students were capable of and the learning that took place!


Armitage, S. (n.d.). Lancaster University PowerPoint & Student’ Learning: Briefing Paper. Retrieved August 18, 2009, From: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/celt/celtweb/files/Powerpoint%20and%20student%20learning%20final.pdf

Bartsch, R. C., K. (2003). Effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in lectures. Computers & Education(41): 77-86.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Voki Avatars

Voki Avatars are an online character, designed by the user to purvey a message in a visually stimulating manner.

There are many applications for Avatars in the classroom. The visually stimulating nature of the avatars makes them an ideal 'hook' to begin a learning experience.
Students must perceive their tasks to be valuable and interesting. In order to achieve this, teachers must use a variety of ways to engage students in classroom tasks. (Maranzo & Pickering 1997) Voki is one of these ways.

Because of the engaging nature of Voki, teachers could use the Avatar throughout a unit of work. The avatar could be used as the 'hook' and identify the unit objectives and set tasks for students to complete. When students reach each set task another avatar would lead them to the next set of tasks. This would continue until the end of the unit and ensure that students remain engaged throughout the unit. For example this would work particularly well for a unit on different countries and cultures, "Around the World in 60 days".

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt R., Moffett C., et al. (1997). Dimensions of Learning: Teachers Manual. Aurora, Colorado: McRel

e.Portfolios

E.Portfolios are a purposeful collection of work and information that can represent individuals efforts, progress and achievements over time. E.portfolios can be used as a reflective tool of ones learning journey and they allow for the individual to demonstrate their learning by presenting a collection of self selected pieces of work that showcase their development through the use of digital era.

Dr Helen Barrett (2004) states that a digital portfolio can be designed to meet many purposes. It can be used as a reflection of learning, a tool for formative and summative assessment and as a powerful asset for employment. As teachers we need to be held accountable for our students progress and learning. E.portfolios are one way in which we show and document what students know and can do. This is an effective way to communicate to parents, students and other educational professionals evidence of individual learning (Barret, 2005). This i believe to be very true, however it must not be the 'be all and end all' of portfolios. There needs to be a balance between using portfolios for accountability and using them to support the learning process (Zubizarreta, 2004).

I can see that E.portfolio is going to be a really powerful learning tool for both teacher and students. However as I am a 'digital immigrant' it has been a difficult process becoming familiar with the features that Mahara has to offer. Students on the other hand will master the features naturally and will benefit greatly from the collaborative learning environment that it fosters.



Barret, H. (2004) Digital Portfolios in Teacher Education. Retrieved August 17, 2009, From http://electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/foreword.html

Barret, H. (2005) Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement. Retrieved August 17, 2009, From http://electronicportfolios.com/reflect/whitepaper.pdf

Zubizarreta, J.(2004). The Learning Portfolio. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing

Wiki's

Wikis are a web page that allows multiple users to view and modify a document. This can be used for anything from organising an event to collaborating on a group assignment.
A wiki has multiple authors, which means it has the capability to explore multiple ideas very quickly.

In a classroom wikis promote critical thinking as students are forced to question the content supplied by their peers. The opportunities for using wikis in the classroom are endless. Teachers can develop authentic tasks for students and with the use of a Wiki students will not only be able to generate ideas they will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with peers to correct, improve, evaluate and discuss multiple ideas. The idea of authentic assessment and collaborative work was highlighted by Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999). They state the underlying idea of the Engagement Theory is for students to be engaged in meaningful tasks in collaboration with their peers (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999).

Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

RSS Aggregator

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a system which allows the user to subscribe to multiple blogs and websites who can then automatically update the users account with new publications.
This is essentially a time saving tool as it allows the user to minimise time spent looking for new publications.
As a teacher, monitoring students blogs may become necessary in the future, so an RSS would become invaluable. Allowing a teacher to passively monitor blogs without having to actively search for new publications from students.
Students will benefit in a similar way. Enabling them to more easily provide feedback on the blogs of peers, and in turn, make it much easier for their peers to offer feedback on their own publications. This promotes a collaborative learning environment for both teachers and students.

Blogs

"A weblog (blog) is a website that allows the user to post time-stamped diary entries" (Northcott, Miliszewska, Dakich, 2007). Blog entries are able to be sorted into separate categories which can then be shared with other users who share an interest in the topic being discussed. Users are then able to comment and share opinions on the given topic.

Blogs are a great tool that can enable teachers to develop their students own creativity, through careful planning of activities to engage the students in the blogging process.

It is important to note if utilising this approach teachers must be constantly aware of the possibility students may be subjected to cyber bullying. It is therefore important that teachers are closely monitoring all students blogs at all times!

Northcott, B., Miliszewska, I., Dakich, E. (2007). ICT for (I)nspiring (C)reative (T)hinking. Retrieved August 11, 2009, From http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/northcott.pdf