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. 

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. 

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

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.