Web 2.0 Exploration

I think that both idea-based instruction and constructivism would fit well with blog use in the classroom.

Idea-based instruction focuses on using metaphors to relate to bigger concepts. A way to use a blog with this type of strategy would be to use it to further explore the metaphor and reflect on its implications toward the bigger ideas. First, they could revisit the metaphor. They could discuss how it works more in depth in relation to the concept, discussing comparisons. They could dialogue with other students in their meditation of the metaphor and share ideas back and forth. Then students could think about how that metaphor might apply to other things in the world and they could share those ideas with each other as well.

Constructivism could also fit well with blog use in the classroom. I envision a large amount of reflection, as students explore their own questions and begin to build understanding. They could reflect on and explore what they have already learned about a topic. Students would be able to reflect upon the learning process as they discover both new understandings and new questions about the world around them. They could explore ideas more fully by comparing different viewpoints with one another. The constructivist concept of engaging in dialogue to help gain understanding would be developed, as students are able to link to one anothers' blogs and comment back and forth. Because students are constructing their own learning, the ideas and reflections about the process are just as valuable as the final result. Blogging would be an excellent way of doing this.

I think that blogging would be more difficult in a didactic learning environment. In this teacher-led environment, learning is measured by the amount of material gleaned during the lessons. Students are then often required to practice whatever they have just learned. There really isn't a lot of room for reflection or the need to relate metaphors to bigger ideas. The concepts are told to the students, so the process whereby they would internalize the idea in order to construct meaning is all but eliminated. Through didactic learning, other technology could be used better such as word processors for writing papers or typing up their notes, or even the Internet for collecting resources for reports or projects. Blogs, however, would serve little purpose where there is little to no reflection or emphasis put on the process of learning itself.

Because I'm not currently teaching, I'm not really sure how blogs will fit into my classroom yet, but I do plan to include them. I am a very reflective learner, and I know that many students need to come to a better understanding of material in a way were this would be a useful tool to access. I would need to assess the availability of computers and then decide how often and to what extent that I would employ the use of blogs.

I'll just jump right into the exploration of how Web 2.0 could be used as a way to support spelling and vocabulary. I haven't even begun to think about this yet, so I'm just sort of going off the cuff here. Spelling and vocabulary are usually very practice-based. Traditionally, it is often taught by pretesting, writing or saying the misspelled words/definitions until they are memorized, and remembering them long enough for the test. Depending on the school and curriculum that may be used, it might be a necessity to work with spelling/vocab lists, pretests and post tests every week. So maybe I could use Web 2.0 to allow students to create a wiki where students compile a list of their spelling words and definitions. Using the strategies for spelling and vocab, they could each create their own page and then edit each other's pages...making corrections to the words or definitions that they already know and that were missed. They could be assigned to work with certain students. They could then look up unknown words, compare spelling and vocab, and make corrections to their own. This would still involve practice, but it would also employ the element of collaboration as well. Haha, this is really foggy in my mind right now, so I'm sure that the idea would need a lot of tweaking or maybe it wouldn't even work. But this idea of using Web 2.0 to support the learning of spelling and vocab is worth exploring further.

My First Experience with Wiki Creating

Before I even got started with my sessions this week, I glanced through the week, as I normally do, to get a feel for what I should expect. The wiki assignments caught my attention, so I began browsing them right away. I watched the short YouTube video, and I got pretty excited. So far, I haven't really had any experience with wikis outside of my occasional Wikipedia exploration. I loved the idea of collaborating together to gather and share information. Aside from the potential educational use, I thought right away of creating a wiki for my church. Besides, I thought it would be good practice (which it was).

I spent the next three hours creating a wiki to be used in my church. Quick demographics: we are a smaller church that meets on the west side of Lansing. Although it is a fairly close-knit environment, we generally don't spend much time together apart from our once-a-week services. Like everyone else, we are busy with work, school, kids, and various other activities. I took one look at the format and realized that this would be a great way for us to connect and share our ideas on a regular basis. I linked a google spreadsheet with a directory that I had already been working on. I also linked the main website for our church, along with a "contributors' page," where I thought that we could create individual pages to share encouragement, or whatever we wanted to share. I loved the feature that I found on the pages in Google wiki. It was like a mini-blog that I added onto my page in order to post chronological events. I opted to make that wiki (and share it with some of the members in my church as I try to promote it) instead of contributing to the Idea Exchange for the EduTech Program. I would, however, be interested in looking into that potential. Here is a quick screenshot of the wiki that I made for my church (it's private, so no link...sorry):

After creating the wiki (and marvelling at my amazing work, lol), I decided to go ahead and edit a page on Wikipedia. I am not teaching, so I chose the district where my kids attend, I've worked in the past, and I'm currently volunteering. I decided against creating a page for the school where I volunteer, and instead I edited the high school page, updating some of the information that I saw that was outdated regarding a high school that they closed last year. Here is a screenshot of the editing I did, along with a screenshot of the page after editing:

Next, I decided to create a wiki for teachers, students, or even parents to potentially contribute to that would generate pages of learning and activities that students could refer to over the summer. It has pages for summer reading lists (according to grade level), writing activities, science experiements, fun and games, and staying active. Here's a link for the wiki that I began: https://sites.google.com/site/elementarysummer/.

I love the idea of wikis, and I just really hope that as teachers and even community members, we will take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities provided by use of the technology.

Integration of Computer-Based Instructional Objects

When it comes to integrating computer-based instructional objects into the classroom, there are several factors that need to be considered. First, it is important to think about the relevancy of the instructional object. Integration of technology should only be done with a purpose other than simply to integrate technology. Does the content fit with current curriculum standards? If not, implementation might not be the best idea. Other factors to consider:

* Is the content understandable by the stated audience? The other day, while I was looking for a WebQuest to evaluate, I came across WebQuests that were supposed to be designed for specific grade levels, but the reading levels seemed far too advanced for independent work. Specifically, I found a Kindergarten WebQuest that was designed to help students identify colors. While the content was appropriate for Kindergarten students, the vocabulary was far too advanced. There was no way that an average Kindergartner would be able to work through the WebQuest without an enormous amount of adult support. Here is the site: http://www.rblewis.net/technology/EDU506/WebQuests/learncolor/colormekinder.html#Introduction

* Is the material presented in a way that is logical and organized for ease of use? Many of the WebQuests that I've browsed have been difficult for me to even want to look at, so I can imagine as a student that I would be overwhelmed with the presentation of the content. Pages were long, and I needed to scroll way down the screen to view the entire WebQuest. Links seemed to take me down paths indefinitely, without links back to the main pages. It is important when organizing the instructional objects to put oneself in the students' places, making sure that things flow in a logical way to minimize frustration.

* Are the fonts, sounds, and backgrounds aethetically pleasing? Some of the WebQuests as well as StAIR projects that I've seen have been unattractive and somewhat annoying, to be honest. Everyone has different tastes, so I just think that keeping the instructional objects simple will be best suited to all different types of students.

* Does it appeal to different learning styles? If the material is primarily words, visual learners may have a difficult time staying focused and constructing meaning from the instructional object. By combining words, diagrams, pictures, even audio or video (if possible), one is able to engage all different styles of learning.

* When implementing the instructional objects, it is important to consider the technology that is available to learners and when it is available. If a classroom only has two or three computers, and classes have to use a shared computer lab, what is the best way to incorporate those instructional objects into the class setting?

There are so many other considerations to make when implementing computer-based instructional objects; I really only skimmed the surface. All of those factors are important, however, to ensuring students' success in this area.

Here are a few WebQuests that I found during my search for one to evaluate:
1) Come Visit Saskatchewan! Land of the Living Skies
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/webquests/saskwq/index.html
What specifically appealed to me about this WebQuest was the idea of creating a WebQuest that would explore someplace new, where students have maybe never been before. I also really liked the approach that the author took with taking on different roles during their explorations. This WebQuest didn't grab my attention because I was necessarily interested in using it in a classroom, but I liked the idea of it and I would be interested in further exploration of similar sites.
2) Kids Court: Finding Justice in Fairy Tales
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/chavez/fairy/index.htm
Wow, I immediately fell in love with the concept of this WebQuest! I think that it would totally engage learners' imaginations and keep them excited about what they are doing. It also integrates government concepts with Language Arts, and can be implemented in several different grade levels. I like that it builds on prior knowledge of fairy tales to teach concepts of the democratic judicial system.
3) Penguins Are Cool!
http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/webquest/penguins/index.htm
This is a great WebQuest for early elementary students. It is attractive, and it makes good use of scaffolding strategies as it teaches students all about penguins. There are a few broken links, but that seems to be a common theme throughout most of the WebQuests that I've been researching. It is well-organized and thorough, and I think that it would do well at keeping students engaged.

I would like to add that I was slightly frustrated after hours of searching WebQuests led me to so many different sites with bad links and sites that had not been updated in years. All of the WebQuests that I referred to above have broken links, but because that was so common, I chose to still include them if I thought that they were great WebQuests. In my opinion, these still contain a good amount of valuable information and/or I believe that there are easily accessible alternatives to the sites where the links were bad.

Exploring the Difference between Websites and Blogs

This post was posted to my blog at edublogs last week. I'm just reposting it here so that I have all of my blogs together in the same place.

Several differences exist between traditional web pages and blogs. Given that I have only recently began exploring the world of blogging, I realize that I may not have a full grasp on the extent of these differences. But I will expand upon what I've learned up to this point. Traditional web pages provide the user with information related to whatever topic they are exploring. There is less opportunity for users to interact (in general terms) with the contents of a web page. A blog is still a place to find information, but it is more reflective and promotes the sense of "community" better than a traditional web page.. Instead of simply explaining about something, it provides the reader with the opportunity to react to the posts, and it creates a sense of community by allowing different users to link to pages of similar interest. Obviously, there are many other differences between web pages and blogs, but those are my initial thoughts regarding this topic at this point.