Insights From My Peers

Well, it is certainly easier to use Google Reader to check out my peers' blogs than to click through each individual link. Google Reader is a user-friendly tool as it consolidates all of your favorite blogs and RSS feeds in one place. I also like how you can click on the link in Google Reader to be brought into the person's actual blog should you choose to do so. 

My peers have great ideas about using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. Reading their blogs not only gave me insight as to how they will use technology in the classroom, but it also illustrated their enthusiasm for helping students develop 21st century skills. There were many commonalities amongst my peers. Wikis, Google Docs, and Google Earth were common tools mentioned on my peers' blogs. However, it is important to note that people are using Wikis and Google tools in very unique ways.

For example, Dave envisions his class wiki having a "workspace" where students can access information for class, including: assignments, lessons, and reading materials (2011). Whereas, Sue likes the idea of using a wiki to improve communications and transparency between students, parents, and the teacher. By posting assignments and assessments online, parents are also kept informed of due dates and what is being learned (2011). 

Mike will use Google Earth to illustrate the effects of deforestation in the Amazon. His ag-ed students will use Google Earth for images for research projects (2011). Nida, on the other hand, will be using Google Earth to supplement a geography lesson.  Google Earth will provide detailed visuals for students to understand key concepts, including: historical regions, major cities, and environmental elements (2011). 

Lastly, I wanted to comment on Melissa's post. Melissa did a Google search for secondary agriculture education only to discover that there was nothing listed on the Wikipedia link. Her idea was that she would work with her students to create content (2011). While I agree that it would be a weighty endeavor, I admire her positive attitude and willingness to give it a try. Hopefully we can check back in a year or two to see that Melissa's class populated that page!

References:

Capozzi, D. (2011). Web resources for teachers. I Have To Get To Class Now. Retrieved from http://ihavetogettoclassnow.blogspot.com/2011/06/web-resources-for-teachers.html. 

Cunningham, M. (2011). Web resources. Falling Star's Blog. Retrieved from http://fallingstar44.blogspot.com/2011/06/web-resources.html. 

Kazmi, N. (2011). Web resources for classroom - EDCI 5825. History's Mysteries. Retrieved from http://nik05001-studentofhistory.blogspot.com/2011/06/web-resources-for-classroom-edci-5825.html. 

Kingsbury, M. (2011). Web resources week 5. Caution: Man with a brain in use. Retrieved from http://mike-intro.blogspot.com/2011/06/web-resources-week-5.html.

Prihar, S. (2011). Technology in the classroom week 5. Science Rules. Retrieved from http://sciencerules42.blogspot.com/2011/06/technology-in-classroom-week-5.html.

Web Resources for Teachers: Wikis and Google Docs and Blogs - Oh my!

My high school English teacher had her AP students create an individual blog as opposed to a more traditional writing journal. I distinctly remember using my blog as a medium to post reading responses, write stream of consciousness ideas, and respond to classmates' work. I took pride in my blog and used it to express myself creatively. Using technology in this class made a big impact on me as a student and learner. Listed below are two resources that I believe will motivate my students to learn just as I was inspired by my high school teacher:

Teaching History wth Technology - Wiki

I previously discussed how I want to have a Wiki to post a class calendar, project guidelines, and class materials. I will also use the Wiki to ask students to reflect on a "Quote of the Week" or post their vocabulary words. I like the collaborative aspect of a Wiki, but also like how it is a great central repository of information. What I hadn't really thought about what having students own a Wiki on particular unit that we are covering. For example, I'm currently creating a unit plan on The Crucible. Using a Wiki is an awesome way to engage students and give them a sense of ownership in their learning. Students will contribute to and edit their site:

• A page entitled "Character Study" is a place where students can post a picture of the Venn diagrams they create that relate to a particular historical figure in The Crucible. As students observe and learn more about their character, they can edit the Wiki accordingly.
• "Contemporary References" is also be a nice page to have. Students can post videos that they liked from The Crucible movie starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis or share the movie that they are creating as their final project.

While the Teaching History with Technology website has a lot of great ideas for using Wikis, I see that they have similar videos and resources for a wide variety of technologies. I definitely "Diigo-ed" this website!

The Literacy Web @ UCONN

The website lives up to its description of classroom resources at just a click away. One aspect of this website that teachers will find extraordinarily helpful is that it is somewhat grade-specific. Recommended resources for grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12 are spiked out separately. Often times it is difficult to discern on if a web resource is grade-appropriate or not. One of the resources that I found on this site that will be useful for helping students' understand the historical context of the literature they are reading is the American Memory site sponsored by the Library of Congress.  This would be a good example of a website to use on an Internet Workshop. Lastly, I like how the Literacy Web was compiled by an authority on the use of Internet technologies, Dr. Donald J. Leu, and a doctoral student focused on the integration of technology and literacy. I feel much more confident using resources that have been vetted by experts.

References

The Library of Congress. (2011). American memory. Retrieved from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html.

Literacy Web at UCONN - Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. (2007). Literacy web for classroom teachers. Retrieved from http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/teachers.htm. 

Teaching History with Technology. (2011). Wikis. Retrieved from http://thwt.org/wikis.html. 

Collaborative Projects 2.0

"The results of the meta-analyses suggest that, on average, students who use computers when learning to write are not only more engaged and motivated in their writing, but they produce written work that is of greater length and higher quality" (Goldberg, Russell, & Cook, 2003, p.1).

This quote from the Schrum and Levin reading really struck me. It hit home that it truly is a requirement to use technology in the classroom. However, I'm also curious to know how this research has evolved in the last 10 years as this research was collected from 1992-2002. Does the introduction of Web 2.0 technology (like wikis, jings, Google Docs, and podcasts) change the results? Are students even more engaged and motivated when they use Web 2.0 technology in collaborative and independent assignments? 

Below are a few examples of how I would use technology in collaborative projects in my future classroom: 

Digital Storyteller

Digital storytelling is an excellent way to promote collaborative writing. A digital story combines text and images with narration in the student’s own voice to form a short digital movie (Digital Storyteller, 2006). Animoto is an example of a digital storytelling web tool. Digital storytelling could easily be integrated into the classroom. Historical contexts are a critical concept for students to grasp in many texts covered in secondary education English classes. For example, the racially-charged environment in the South during the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird is critical for students to understand. In order to hit this point home, I would have students form small groups of (3-4 students) to work on a digital story together that explains the historical, cultural, and social contexts of this time period using images from the time period, video, sound clips, and voice. In addition, collaborative writing is required as students would need to work together to plan and write their script. Students will also really enjoy watching their classmates' productions! 

Peer Review using Google Docs

I referenced this collaborative learning activity in my Learning Theories blog post, but I really dig this idea and I think it is worth mentioning again. The link above describes how Google doc technology can be used to engage students in the writing process. This activity is engaging and collaborative from two perspectives:

• The instructor has an introductory lesson for the entire class on revising an essay in Google docs. After a brief explanation and demonstration, the class participates in this activity by coming up to the Smart Board to make revisions to the sample essay. 
• In the computer lab, two students will share their essay with their partners by uploading their essays to Google docs. They will then review and edit each other's work in Google docs using the techniques they learned during the previous class. 

Check out this post for detailed instructions on how to complete this activity: 

Resources for Facilitating Learning

Wild about Wikis

As the Wikis in Education link suggests, the possibilities are really endless with using wikis to facilitate learning. We use our class wiki frequently for Learning Theories and I'm surprised by how easy it is to navigate, find material, and add content. Given my experience as a learner thus far, I definitely think that I will create a wiki in my future classroom. 

• Create a Jing that outlines instructions for an upcoming project. Share the Jing with students in class, but then also post the Jing to the wiki for future reference. 
• Post a "Quote of the Week" to one of the pages and ask students to share their thoughts with the rest of the class by editing and saving their comments to the wiki. (This got me thinking...can you archive pages or content in a wiki? I could see this getting lengthy.)
• Encourage students to use the Discussion board to share feedback on lessons. Did they find their time in class meaningful? If they were the teacher, what would they do differently? Students can also use the Discussion board to ask their peers questions on assignments or readings.
• Create a vocabulary page. Each student is responsible for editing the wiki to update the definition of their assigned word and will need to include a sentence using the vocabulary word. This list will continue to grow throughout the year and will give students a good list of vocabulary words to use in their papers. 

References 

Goldberg, A., Russell, M., Cook, A. (2003). The effect of computers on student writing: A meta-analysis of studies from 1992 to 2002. Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment, 2(1), 1-47.

Jarc, J. (2010). Using google docs for peer review. Retrieved from http://trendingeducation.com/?p=483.

Schrum, L. & Levin, B. (2009). Leading 21st century schools: harnessing technology for engagement and achievement. California: Corwin.  

University of Virginia Curry School of Education. (2006). Digital Storyteller. Retrieved from http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/.   

Wikis in Education. (2011). How we use wikis in class. Retrieved from http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/How+we+use+wikis+in+class?t=anon.