webpage

Here is a webquest that I created for a year four class using a free sofware program called wix. Enjoy.


Free website - Powered By Wix.com

To blog or not to blog....

POSITIVE

1.     Students can use as an online diary.

2.     Great space for student’s creative writing.

3.     Develops reading and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills and information literacy.

4.     Students can establish worldwide connections.

5.     Teacher can follow the students learning and see where they have come from and where they are going in the learning journey.

6.     Students can link items that interest them associated with the topic.                          

7.     Encourages collaborative learning.

8.     Allows people to comment on work.   

9.     Students could discover similarities and differences between themselves…students who may not usually communicate with each other may find that they have common interests.

10   Students who may not usually voice their thoughts may feel more comfortable in an online space.          

11  Construction of knowledge is occurring as students read.            

Could be used as an assignment.                      

MINUS

1.     Student motivation levels may differ.

2.     Topic will either engage or disengage the student.

3.     Some schools do not allow blogging sites.

4.     Comments left by readers could be nasty or derogatory.

5.     Students have varying levels of ICT competence.

Time management.

INTERESTING

1.     If a student becomes disengaged with the topic, they won’t get the benefits of authentic reflective learning regardless of how good the instruction or tools are.

2.     Some students may benefit highly from creating a blog whilst others may not and will simply regard it as a ‘compulsory’ waste of time.

3.     Comments from followers enable the author of the blog to identify areas of success and weaknesses as well as what is of interest to their readers.

4.     Negative comments left by followers could take away the confidence of the writer.

5.     Sometimes the process is more important than the product. A student’s work may not be of the highest standard, however their progress would be evident to the teacher.

6.     Students are put in a situation of equity.

7.     Some students may not have the skills necessary to feel confident using the blog.

Could take a lot of teachers time to read the blogs. 

Tricky Wiki

Wikipedia, no doubt one of the most well known, free, online encyclopaedias, was created using wiki software. Is it embarrassing to admit that I had never made the connection between the two -even though wikipedia's title itself clearly mentions wiki in the title? I blame this on the fact that I had no real idea of what a wiki was and the multitude of uses that it actually possesses. Even when I began to play around with my own wiki, I did not imagine how this digital tool could be used to connect and share information with the entire world. After fiddling with my own wiki as well as participating in a group wiki I have begun to see how useful a wiki can actually be. I was blown away by some of the teaching ideas presented in Rotorua East Lakes Learning WIKIS for LEARNING page. Although I have had some troubles familiarising myself with wikis -not to mention some problems with an assignment group wiki, I have really started to witness the amazing potential that a wiki space could provide for e-learning in a 21st century classroom. In fact I was so inspired by ideas such as homework wikis, inquiry projects, challenges, group work and class discussions -just to name a very small few that I am really excited to trying creating a wiki during my internship next year, the only question looming now is what will I use it for...there are so many possibilities. One particular example that I enjoyed was presented in the video presented on moodle titled Wikis in Plain English. I love how it discussed the advantages that a wiki possesses over a tool such as email for group work, as the information and ideas contributed by members 'land in one place' so to speak, as opposed to being sporadically spread throughout multiple inboxes.

Nothing is ever as good as it seems -correct? Can collaborative learning really take place in a wiki if the information presented by members if incorrect? Take wikipedia again as an example. Although we all no doubt have used it at some point in time, we know not to assume the validity of all information presented. So what could be done in a wiki if a user discovers the information to be incorrect? What about ethical concerns? A wiki can be a fun, and creative way to present information, however it does in a sense rely on the good intentions of its users. Gerard (n.d) poses the question in 'Assume Good Faith Limitations', "how can content remain valuable when it is subject to the whims of contributors of dubious intent?"He continues to discuss how it is important that the focus is on fixing the content that is wrong rather than focusing on personal disagreements with the author of the content. I found this information really useful as I think that it is important for me to have solutions for these problems before creating one within my own classroom as problems will inevitably occur. Some other suggestions that were provided within the article included:

-Reasoning with the author. Telling them your point of view until a common agreement is reached.
-Explaining to users that all information will in some way be of offence or disagree with somebodies ideas...however it is important to discern what is truly offensive before reporting or addressing the author.
-Create a new topic providing a different perspective, adding references to support what you are saying.

After analysing the information presented regarding wikis, I have summarised my personal opinions on the uses of a wiki using a SWOT chart. This information is presented below. The left hand sides are definitely more heavily weighted as the most part of what I read presented wikis in a positive light. I would however be interested to hear someones opinions on my SWOT chart. Can anyone think of anymore threats that a wiki could pose within the classroom as I would love to be fully aware of these before using one as a part of my own learning design?

Strengths Easy to use with two primary functions (save and edit). Online collaborative environment that allows for contribution from multiple users. Easy to edit and update. Images and videos can be added to the page. Information lost can be retrieved as users are provided with the opportunity to revert back to a page previously being edited. Contribution from members is presented in an organised fashion unlike email where information would be spread over multiple inboxes. Structure can be changed. Multiple pages can be added. Provides the ability for links to be embedded –sharing of information. Time saver –resources found by one member can be shared with others who in turn save time in searching for that particular resource.

Weaknesses Opportunity for cyber-bullying. If class page was used for many class purposes (homework, group assignments) those without access to the internet and computer would be seriously disadvantaged. Relies purely upon the good intentions of contributors. Certain contribution may be offensive to other members of the wiki. Conflicting opinions could lead to a war of words and in turn detract from the purpose of the wiki.

Opportunities Can create an online community that allows students to connect with the world outside of school. Can create the opportunity for students to collaborate and share ideas. Could be used to create a class page. Could be used as a homework page that supports inquiry based learning- no lost homework sheets. Could be used as the scaffold for an inquiry based assignment. Could be used as a page for teacher, parents and students to connect and interact. Could be used as a calendar or a way to inform parents and students of important upcoming events. Teachers could set individual or group tasks or challenges (see Lynmore Schools ‘Digikidz’). Teacher can setup the page and scaffold the learning in a way that they deem appropriate and suitable to the context. Enables the teacher to monitor a group assignment progress, see the contribution of all members and see the thought processes occurring along the way. Could invite experts to join the wiki. Organise in class discussions surrounding a particular topic. Develops an online community of learners. Students could get to know each other better as they red through their contributions. Students discover similarities and differences between themselves and peers. Students who may not usually contribute verbally in class may feel more comfortable with this type of communication. Develops critical thinking skills as students are asked to contribute to a discussion on a particular topic. Could develop writing skills.

Threats Poor scaffolding could lead to an ineffective, non-engaging wiki.  Lack of students interest in outlined topics or set readings could lead to disengagement with the wiki. Cyber-bullying. Offensive contributions.

Wiki (a) space (for thinking, sharing, communicating, contributing...).

Just thought that I would add my first attempt at loading a video and a picture to my wiki. I have used a wiki previously to communicate with members of my group during an assignment but have never gone beyond adding text until today. I think that I have found so far that each of the digital tools that I have experimented with have been easy to use...it's simply a matter of 'playing around with it'. Here is a link to  some wikis that I have created and used (wiki 1 & wiki 2).

IF WE LEARN BY DOING, WHAT ARE WE LEARNING BY SITTING HERE?

This is a video that I recall watching sometime last year...my immediate reaction was oh dear...I can't do this. To begin with I had no idea what a blog, wiki or a podcast was and I wondered how I could teach these students using these technologies if I don't even know what they were. The sad thing was instead of actually taking the time to find out and engage with these foreign technologies, I dumped them straight into the 'too hard basket' where they have remained until the past few weeks. Now a confident blogger, beginning wiki user, (just uploaded my first videos and picture) and amateur podcaster I am beginning to realise the important message that 21st century learners are trying to get across to their teachers..."ENGAGE ME". THis video went beyond engagement, student's want us to teach them to think, to analyse and create. This statement portrayed in the video really resonated with me, "If we learn by doing, what are we learning by sitting here?"

How can I connect to the the rest of the world? Through a L-I-N-K

An important component of all three digital tools (webpage, blog, and wiki), is the links that are incorporated that can connect the reader to pictures, webpages, resources, and articles...just to name a few. I have previously linked articles on a word document and wiki however this is my first attempt at linking on a blog. It all appears quite simple, however I guess I will discover if it has worked once I publish this post! Above I have attempted to link a picture and here I am going to attempt to link my wiki and weebly web page so that you can all check those pages out too.

I can definitely see the benefits of creating links in all three of these digital tools. When working on a group assignment wiki page we used links to share important articles and resources with our fellow members. This made the process of researching far easier, as one person would look for a particular article and post the link on the wiki page enabling the other members to go directly to that article rather than searching around on the web for it.

I think that this function would be so beneficial in the context of the classroom. Imagine if the whole class could access articles and information set by the teacher on the net, by simply clicking on a button. No longer would printed articles need to be mass produced on paper, students could simply scour resources online and select the ones that they are interested in. Another major benefit that I can see is the ability for students to share great information that they have found with other class members. The internet provides a wealth of information and links are often the method that allows you to dig deeper and deeper into a particular topic. I think that linking also establishes connections between different sets of information. For an example I have found this website here called 'Make Poverty History'. If students were given this website as a site for research one students may select the link 3things a website that discusses ways that we can advocate for global change. One student may be interested in Recycling so they would choose this link, whilst another student may be keen to learn more about fairtrade products and so they would choose this link. Each of these pages contains numerous other links, so as you can see there are no limits on how deep you want to take your learning -in fact I often find myself going way off track when researching because I find so many other things that interest me!  I am interested to know what else can be linked to these pages...excel spreadsheets, power points, music files...any ideas??

Technology -an integral role in my learning design, or just a fancy extra?

Reading through the three vignettes in week 3, has helped me to reflect upon my own use of ICTs during my practical block in a year four classroom. I felt inspired when reading about the e-learning that occurred in the prep/ year one classroom. I loved how this learning experience was so unique and showed how rich learning can be when ICTs play an integral role in the learning. Throughout my prac I was so excited when I saw this big interactive whiteboard in the classroom, as I had never seen one before. I have heard of all of the wonderful things that they can be used for, and was determined to use it as often as I could. In reality I did not have any training to use this great resource and therefore it was mostly used by me as a large tv screen, a tool mostly used for playing video and audio clips.

At the time I thought that this was great, I incorporated the online MyPlace resource as part of a unit on Indigenous culture and lifestyle. This resource was highly effective and the students were completely engaged –as they interacted with characters from the hardcopy ‘MyPlace book’ that we were reading in class, and watched clips that represented particular decades in time.

Now after reading these three vignettes, along with the first part of this week’s materials I able to see that whilst the use of ICTs was highly effective in this instance in terms of student engagement, it was not the great achievment that I originally though as I classified this as I can now see that the technology was not integral to the learning. I was merely using this resource as a means to present the information to the students in a different way. Could this learning have occurred without the use of the interactive whiteboard? I know that the answer to this question is yes and therefore this had made me aware of the fact that effective incorporation of digital technologies into the classroom involves more than just presenting information in different ways, rather it is more importantly about using them to achieve learning experiences that could not occur without ICTs, and that teach the students how to use these tools. This has reminded me of TPCK and that it is not just about incorporating technology into the classroom, rather it is learning how to use the tools effectively to support the teaching of specific content.

Unpacking TPCK

My understanding of TPCK, (standing for Technological, Pedagogical, Content Knowledge) is that it is a conceptual framework that has been built upon Shulman’s model of ‘pedagogical content knowledge’ (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).  Mishra and Koehler (2006, p. 1020) discuss the historical construction of teacher education, where the focus existed largely on the content knowledge. In more recent times the emphasis of pedagogical practice has emerged and almost taken away the importance of the content knowledge, thus separating the two as mutually exclusive types of knowledge. This is represented in the diagram below sourced from Mishra and Koehler (2006, p. 1020).

 

Shulman highlighted the fact that although you may have exceptional content knowledge in a specific KLA, that doesn’t mean you know how to teach it. Bringing together the content and pedagogical knowledge in the above diagram creates Shulman’s ‘sub group’ called pedagogical-content knowledge, which sees the two as working together, and the ‘how’ to teach content.

The TPCK framework has been developed by Mishra and Koegler (2006) as it is now recognised that quality teaching in this digital age requires not only knowledge of content and how to teach it, but also knowledge of technology, how it relates to content knowledge, and how it can be used to support teaching. Combining all of these three knowledge’s presents a new model, which represents how the three types of knowledge work together to support the teaching of technologically enhance lessons (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).

As highlighted in the model above there are now four subgroups that make up the model for the TPCK framework. The ‘PC’ as highlighted in Shulman’s model represents the pedagogical content knowledge. The ‘TP’ stands for technological-pedagogical knowledge, which represents how technology is used to support teaching. The ‘TC’ stand for technological-content knowledge which incorporates the knowledge of the actual technological tools, but also how they relate to the content knowledge. By effectively blending a selection of appropriate tools (TCK), with appropriate strategies and activities to teach technology enhanced lessons (TCK), the final subgroup (TPCK) is created, which represents the three types of knowledge that are required of teachers in the 21^st century (cbfigg, 2011).  

I believe that the biggest challenge for me in this course is learning about the different digital tools and how they can be use to support my pedagogy. I feel that I can confidently incorporate some digital tools into my classroom, however I have little knowledge of how they relate to the content, nor how they can be used to seamlessly support my pedagogy. I feel that at this stage I have only used them as a tool to present information in more colourful and different ways. My first step towards developing this technological pedagogical content knowledge is to develop the knowledge and the skills needed to effectively utilise a range of digital tools and I hope to achieve that in the next few weeks of this course.

Below I have incorporated two videos that helped me to understand what the TPCK model was about and how each of the knowledge’s works together to enhance teaching. I think that this reflects how I learn visually as I was able to process the information easier as I watched somebody explain and demonstrate the model in steps. The first video is titled ‘TPACK in 3 Minutes’ and shows how information is so readily available –by literally clicking a button. The second video explains TPACK through the use of an avatar a tool that I have used before but am hoping to learn more about in this course also.

cbfigg. (2011, Sep 4). Understanding TPACK [Video file]. Retrieved form http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyDU_3-AH2k&feature=related

Mishra, P. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, FAHE11001 Managing E-learning, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au

roycekimmons. (2011, Mar 22). TPACK in 3 minutes [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wGpSaTzW58