Sunday, April 14, 2013
Comparing and Contrasting Collaborative Tools for Online Classroom
The first site I visited was coursesites.com. If was easy to use but painstakingly slow which doesn't help when trying to generate anything meaningful. The layout is very similar to Black Board and I'm certain that it does in fact run using Black Board. I didn't know that Black Board was a larger entity outside of Fontbonne. I was struck by how Coursesites has great individual web tools that can help you monitor student progress with to do items, calendars, and sections that say need attention. When I created my first course, I was delighted to see the many ready made templates that I could choose from. This allows the teacher to better plan lessons on an individual need. It can also lead to greater forms of differentiation. The finished page looked very similar to the format Fontbonne uses for their classes. I was amazed at the customization this site offers for teachers. You can upload almost any form of multimedia including video and audio. There is room for group discussions and feedback as well. I could spend hours exploring how to perfect an online class, and still not know everything there is to know about this site. If I ever get serious about creating an online presence, this site would seem to be a wise choice. However, I can't imagine a younger student would be able to navigate the technicality of this site. Coursesites would seem ideal for college level students who need to have a more in depth opportunity to learn a concept. This site seems more about tackling education full on as an online classroom, while the other sites we were assigned to explore seem more supplemental.
Upon first signing up to Edmodo, I was struck at how similar the layout is to Facebook. It seems more user friendly for beginners than coursesites.com. It also looks like it wishes to promote social interaction through bookmarking, commenting, and sharing. This site seems more of a collaborative tool than an instructional one. I immediately began posting a few links to my library and attempted to synch with Google Docs which never seemed to happen. This could be because of the ungodly slowness my computer recently has incurred, or an error with the website. I did link this site to my Delicious account and to my online chat room. Next I started checking out the apps which could have a great advantage for learning. I didn't purchase any, but if I were going to take this site seriously, I would load up on a few apps. I tried to get some free ones but it wouldn't let me download any. I assume I need some credit in my bank for this to happen, even though they said it was free. I fiddled around with groups and found that this could be a great tool to collaborate with students or other teachers. Overall, this site is a lot more user friendly than coursesites and focuses on collaboration and sharing. I can see it being useful for a teacher homepage or as a resource to use to post assignments, links, or supplemental materials. You can even post quizzes, assignments, and polls. It seems perfect for a less in depth online classroom. Ideal for younger audiences such as middle schools or elementary schools.
Collaborizeclassroom.com looks like a blend between the previous two sites I discussed above. And like the other two sites, my computer seems to be painstakingly slow. However, upon investigating this site, I found that it was really easy to post discussions and assignments. They let you add video and images to customize the assignment. This could lead to using video to instruct students on what they need to do to complete the online assignment. I also liked that they allow for a due date with each assignment you post. They make it easy to add or drop classes or groups that allows for a greater individualization for students. Instead of having just one class to go to, students could choose their period. This would allow a teacher to keep up to date with specific classes that may have greater needs or wants. There's even a place for group work that could be used to help teams discuss project ideas. This site seems like a perfect match between the previous two and is the one I would choose if I wanted to have an online presence with my students. However, the site doesn't seem to allow a teacher to post webquests or webunits. There only seems to be an option to post comments or share ideas. This might have a serious disadvantage if a teacher wants students to be actively engaging in online learning because it doesn't allow students to explore links or interact with forms of multimedia. In all, it seems a bit more one dimensional than the other two sites, but it serves a good purpose of communicating with students in an online environment.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Introductory Lesson Plan on Difference Between Science Fiction and Fantasy
http://zunal.com/process.php?w=175334
Using an interactive website to promote learning is becoming increasingly important in this digital era. Students are growing more and more dependent on the internet and the instant connectivity it provides. I don't see this as a bad thing, because I know that if I grew up in this post 2000 era, I too would be subjected to instant gratification. Web 2.0 is an unstoppable force that will run you down if you don't get on board sooner or later. Shared websites can be used to enhance learning and professional development because it allows anyone at any time to access free information. It's nothing new, but I feel that with the increasing tendency for ivy league schools to submit MOOC content for free coupled with the creeping surge of acceptance towards online education, websites such as this will help to build a shared educational consciousness. The more people debate or approve of an idea, the stronger that idea becomes. Web 2.0 is fostering a foundation of collective intelligence towards the sharing of ideas. I don't see anything wrong with this scenario.
Using an interactive website to promote learning is becoming increasingly important in this digital era. Students are growing more and more dependent on the internet and the instant connectivity it provides. I don't see this as a bad thing, because I know that if I grew up in this post 2000 era, I too would be subjected to instant gratification. Web 2.0 is an unstoppable force that will run you down if you don't get on board sooner or later. Shared websites can be used to enhance learning and professional development because it allows anyone at any time to access free information. It's nothing new, but I feel that with the increasing tendency for ivy league schools to submit MOOC content for free coupled with the creeping surge of acceptance towards online education, websites such as this will help to build a shared educational consciousness. The more people debate or approve of an idea, the stronger that idea becomes. Web 2.0 is fostering a foundation of collective intelligence towards the sharing of ideas. I don't see anything wrong with this scenario.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Farewell PowerPoint
I just finished my first, and truthfully, easy to use Prezi presentation and am wishing I would have known about this sooner. The reason I chose Prezi was it seems to be the most popular and has the highest ranking out of Animoto and Slide Rocket. I didn't commit to testing either of the other two media devices, but after using Prezi once, I see no reason to go searching for a substitute. I've been hearing rumors and have long been suspicious of PowerPoint's insipid personality to now realize how much of a gem Prezi is. Prezi is much more effective than PowerPoint because it offers a nontraditional layout that can be interacted with at the user's discretion. It allows users to convey information in a more visual and deeper sense than the two-dimensional interface that PowerPoint provides. I can't imagine a student getting excited over a PowerPoint. Especially since they have probably already determined that PowerPoint means note taking which doesn't get many students excited. Prezi offers a fresh format that can help to keep students engaged with it's whacky format, interactivity, and cool multimedia dimension that keeps information from becoming stagnant.
I plan to use Prezi much like a PowerPoint: to convey information for note taking. However, there are other ways to incorporate Prezi in the classroom. For example, a teacher could have students design their own publication or use Prezi, use Prezi as a sort of interactive scavenger hunt, use Prezi to construct timelines, schematics, or story boards. There seems to be a lot Prezi can offer if one is willing to upgrade to the professional version. This does not anger me, because Microsoft Word costs money, so it makes sense that Prezi has to ask for a fee to use it at its full potential. Overall, I am excited to begin using Prezi in earnest as a professional and unique way to share information and I will not miss PowerPoint one bit.
Make sure to check out my first presentation using Prezi
Prezi
I plan to use Prezi much like a PowerPoint: to convey information for note taking. However, there are other ways to incorporate Prezi in the classroom. For example, a teacher could have students design their own publication or use Prezi, use Prezi as a sort of interactive scavenger hunt, use Prezi to construct timelines, schematics, or story boards. There seems to be a lot Prezi can offer if one is willing to upgrade to the professional version. This does not anger me, because Microsoft Word costs money, so it makes sense that Prezi has to ask for a fee to use it at its full potential. Overall, I am excited to begin using Prezi in earnest as a professional and unique way to share information and I will not miss PowerPoint one bit.
Make sure to check out my first presentation using Prezi
Prezi
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Potential of PLN's
PLN's have a great potential to build and experience unique connections amongst students and teachers throughout the world. Social bookmarking allows educators and students to find like minded people who share similar interests and then discover what those people are reading. It's a great way to uncover ideas, articles, and experiences that can be used to enhance anything from teaching to technology. Blogs are similar to social bookmarking in that they both encourage people to share their thoughts and opinions. Both are also free to use and upload which helps encourage its success. Blogs and social bookmarking can help in your PLN by allowing others to see your thoughts or scholarly articles and encourages a web consciousness of shared educational values.
I was most impressed by the Ning websites. I signed up for global education and classroom 2.0. I also found some teachers I work with that were already signed up on this site so it's great that I am able to establish a connection so quickly. The global education classroom reminds me of the MOOC format in that it is free and anyone from around the world can participate in real time discussion. I hoped into a session on flattening the classroom and was immediately overwhelmed by how amazing it was to see people from all over the world engaging in real time discussion. I believe that these Ning websites really balance the scale of education by allowing free, easy access to legitimate learning experiences. I fear that these may one day put the public sector in jeopardy and a serious alternative to education. This is not going to happen in my lifetime, but I can see as the world progressively becomes linked in and flattened, this model of online learning could be the standard. You can find me at global education and my name is Beau Holley.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Reflections on Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is a remarkable phenomenom that is quickly changing the face of how people interact online. It's unique user friendly ability combined with little or no requirement for money make Web 2.0 an unstoppable force. The value of Web 2.0 allows people to freely exchange ideas without worrying about censorship or hidden fees. The opportunity gives humanity the ability to share limitless information which only serves to raise civilizations to a new level of self awareness. In the future, I believe that Web 2.0 will become the norm as there are many more people out there than corporations. I believe that this user friendly technology will enable humans to reach a level of enlightenment and understanding of one another that has never been capable until now. My favorite Web 2.0 website was the Museum Box website because of how cool it is and its ability to integrate mixed media. I love how children can use the Museum Box to take ownership of their learning and create meaningful, interactive media that serves to promote education.
Twitter's influence
Twitter
Twitter is a revolutionary social media network that allows people to post comments of up to 140 characters long. The overall purpose of twitter depends on who you ask. It is mostly used to stay up to date on what people are talking about and their reactions to current events. It has been used to organize protests as in the case of the Arab Spring. It has been used as a source for news and information. It is also used to share ideas and discuss topics of interest. Surprisingly, only 11% of twitters users are under the age of 17. Twitter's main demographic is adults and especially women. Businesses have used twitter as a form of recruiting and watching trends in better hopes to stay up to date with current fads and consumer needs. However, Twitter is mostly used as a kind of voyeurism into other people's lives. For example, the following people are ranked from most twitter followers to least:
1.) Lady Gaga
2.) Justin Bieber
3.) Katy Perry
4.) Rhianna
5.) Brittney Spears
This evidence leaves me to believe that twitter can be rather jejune and that people use it mainly for muck-raking and gossip. Who honestly cares what Lady Gaga has to say about the 2012 presidential election?
Twitter was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey who is a St. Louis native. He went to Bishop DuBourg if you wanted to know because high schools seem to be a priority here in St. Louis.
I am a current user of twitter and I use it mostly to follow other people who I find interesting. I use it for laughs, information, links, insight, and gossip. Professionally I can't see communicating with students via twitter since it is illegal in Missouri. I think that educators can use twitter to follow groups of like minded people who want to share ideas on education. However, many scandals have arose from teachers tweeting comments demeaning to their students so I tend to keep my voice low on twitter. I would love to see another service that could allow for teacher and student interaction with something as simple and addicting as twitter.
Here is the link: www.twitter.com
Twitter is a revolutionary social media network that allows people to post comments of up to 140 characters long. The overall purpose of twitter depends on who you ask. It is mostly used to stay up to date on what people are talking about and their reactions to current events. It has been used to organize protests as in the case of the Arab Spring. It has been used as a source for news and information. It is also used to share ideas and discuss topics of interest. Surprisingly, only 11% of twitters users are under the age of 17. Twitter's main demographic is adults and especially women. Businesses have used twitter as a form of recruiting and watching trends in better hopes to stay up to date with current fads and consumer needs. However, Twitter is mostly used as a kind of voyeurism into other people's lives. For example, the following people are ranked from most twitter followers to least:
1.) Lady Gaga
2.) Justin Bieber
3.) Katy Perry
4.) Rhianna
5.) Brittney Spears
This evidence leaves me to believe that twitter can be rather jejune and that people use it mainly for muck-raking and gossip. Who honestly cares what Lady Gaga has to say about the 2012 presidential election?
Twitter was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey who is a St. Louis native. He went to Bishop DuBourg if you wanted to know because high schools seem to be a priority here in St. Louis.
I am a current user of twitter and I use it mostly to follow other people who I find interesting. I use it for laughs, information, links, insight, and gossip. Professionally I can't see communicating with students via twitter since it is illegal in Missouri. I think that educators can use twitter to follow groups of like minded people who want to share ideas on education. However, many scandals have arose from teachers tweeting comments demeaning to their students so I tend to keep my voice low on twitter. I would love to see another service that could allow for teacher and student interaction with something as simple and addicting as twitter.
Here is the link: www.twitter.com
Web 2.0 and Education
Here are a list of some helpful educational websites that are a result of Web 2.0 and a brief description of each. Enjoy.
Myths and Legends
This website is a free online database that allows users to access a library of world myths. The best part is that these myths are narrated and include visualizations which is great for audio/visual learners. This website is ideal for social studies and language arts teachers who want to teach their kids about ancient wisdom and oral tradition.
Here is the link: http://myths.e2bn.org/index.php
Weebly
Weebly is a free website that allows teachers to set up their own websites that can be used to post assignments, share ideas, and promote teacher student interaction on a professional level. This website can be used to help students learn outside of the classroom by providing them with easily accessible documents that pertain to lessons.
Here is the link: Weebly
Kerpoof
Kerpoof is an interactive website that allows users to create fun games and stories that can make education entertaining. I don't believe that it is free but your district might already hold an account to be sure to talk to your administrator. Kerpoof offers students a hands on way to create stories, games, and educational tools that can give them ownership over learning.
Here is the link: www.kerpoof.com
Pixton
This free website allows students to create online comics or graphic novels that can be used to tell a story, explain an idea, or inform the reader on general information. This web based tool also allows students to explore their peers' work and comment or like such pieces. Pixton is compatible with Smart Boards which can really get the class engaged in online learning. The best feature of this site is its seemingly endless customization abilities that ensures that no two students will come up with the same comic.
Here is the link: www.pixton.com
Museum Box
I had to include this again because of how cool it is. Museum box allows students to create informative and interactive online media presentations that explore content specific topics. Students can choose a topic of their choice, create an informative box, and publish it for the world to see. This site allows the integration of video, audio, and photographs. Best of all, it's free.
Here's the link: http://museumbox.e2bn.org/
Myths and Legends
This website is a free online database that allows users to access a library of world myths. The best part is that these myths are narrated and include visualizations which is great for audio/visual learners. This website is ideal for social studies and language arts teachers who want to teach their kids about ancient wisdom and oral tradition.
Here is the link: http://myths.e2bn.org/index.php
Weebly
Weebly is a free website that allows teachers to set up their own websites that can be used to post assignments, share ideas, and promote teacher student interaction on a professional level. This website can be used to help students learn outside of the classroom by providing them with easily accessible documents that pertain to lessons.
Here is the link: Weebly
Kerpoof
Kerpoof is an interactive website that allows users to create fun games and stories that can make education entertaining. I don't believe that it is free but your district might already hold an account to be sure to talk to your administrator. Kerpoof offers students a hands on way to create stories, games, and educational tools that can give them ownership over learning.
Here is the link: www.kerpoof.com
Pixton
This free website allows students to create online comics or graphic novels that can be used to tell a story, explain an idea, or inform the reader on general information. This web based tool also allows students to explore their peers' work and comment or like such pieces. Pixton is compatible with Smart Boards which can really get the class engaged in online learning. The best feature of this site is its seemingly endless customization abilities that ensures that no two students will come up with the same comic.
Here is the link: www.pixton.com
Museum Box
I had to include this again because of how cool it is. Museum box allows students to create informative and interactive online media presentations that explore content specific topics. Students can choose a topic of their choice, create an informative box, and publish it for the world to see. This site allows the integration of video, audio, and photographs. Best of all, it's free.
Here's the link: http://museumbox.e2bn.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)