Course Reflection

The Web 2.0 course has provided me with an insight into a number of tools that could be used with colleagues, in the classroom and also for personal endeavours. Now that I am through the course I feel similar to many of my colleagues when I say that it will be good to go back and spend time developing activities that incorporate these tools as another method of learning for students.

I think that it is important that we look at how these tools can assist us in teaching students a new concept or a skill, not the other way around. Example using a wikki because you want to use technology in the classroom but you are not sure how it would fit in.

One of my roles in my school involves developing programs and assisting teachers in challenging the more able students. I would hope through this course that teachers come to see more and more just how easy it is for students to I believe today it is more about teaching skills. Can our students think critically? can they problem solve? can they create the new idea, the new method, the new invention?

I use the upper end of Bloom's Taxonomy a lot in my work and I am familiar with the Digital Bloom's Taxonomy. I think it is great that this has been devised and as stated previously it should be used to compliment the understanding and skill development we seek for our students. I think the collaborative approach that these tools lend themselves to is great. They allow students to see just how they can use other people in the process of learning. They will encounter workplaces in the future where great things are achieved with a collaborative approach.

The iLearn model is an excellent model that should be incorporated into all that we do as educators. As stated e learning is about having students engaged in learning environments. A learning environment can be present anytime and anywhere. This is the message we want to impart to students. That they need to take responsibility for their learning, it will be lifelong, occur in many different ways and involve many different people in global learning communities.
It would have been good to have this model placed in the introduction to this course.

I have commented on the blog below during this course.

Comment on Michael Ilott's Blog:
Michael, I agree with all that you have said about Delicious. I found it to be a great way to bookmark and keep track of information. As far as sharing information that other teachers have discovered - what a bonus.

Module 10

In creating a Wiki you are developing a website for a particular group of users. It is a good way to collaborate on a document as users can share research and information. With students who are often interested in using technology it could be a good way to engage them in being creative while at the same time learning something.

On area that needs to be monitored though, is the accuracy of the information that is collated and put on the wiki. When using with students a teacher would really need to monitor the data and information that is being put forward as correct. Using a wiki in the classroom can be a great way for students to learn from one another. It is a good resource for ideas sharing and allows students to take some more responsibility for their own learning.

Nings can be used for people who want to develop a social network around a particular interest. I have not used this tool in the past and I would probably need to follow one that has been set up and see how it works before developing something like this myself.

Module 9

I was aware of Scootle prior to doing this module but I have not yet used it in the classroom. It does seem to have some useful activities. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to use Scootle, but I do look forward to spending some time working on how I could incorporate it in the classroom. In reflecting on this module I have read the blogs of a number of my colleagues and have been interested to hear their views of scootle and how they have used it in the classroom. Two of these colleagues I teach the same courses with at school, so I will have further discussions with them on their experiences.

As far as social networking sites go I am not on Facebook or Twitter and I do not believe they are sites I will join. I can understand how some people might enjoy keeping up with friends and family through facebook, especially when communicating with people that are interstate or overseas. I feel more than happy with the way I communicate with people at present without these sites. I prefer to talk to people on a regular basis. I am in favour of a quick text or email but it doesn't replace speaking to someone and seeing them face to face. I think some people tend to hide behind some technologies and their communication skills suffer as a result. For young people there are dangers with social networking sites that they open themselves up to because they often don't understand just how public all this information can become.

Module 8

This was another good Module as I learnt something new. I had heard of RSS feeds and seen these letters around before but I did not know what they meant or how it could be used. I think the concept of the Rich Site Summary is great. It is a way for us as teachers to be up to date and stay easily informed by being able to retrieve all the latest information and content from sites. I am sure we could all use a little help from a source that will check our favourite and most used sites for new content.

As a teacher in the HSIE area where current information is vital I can see this tool being very useful for both myself and the students. The only downsides might be that it will take a bit of time to set up and as other teachers have realised with all this information you might end up needing an RSS feed to manage your RSS feeds.

Module 7

Delicious I like it. It was great setting up this new way of keeping my bookmarks. The tool delicious will allow me to always have my bookmarked sites on hand regardless of which computer I am working at. That can only be a benefit. Delicious has already proven to be for me a great way to collaborate with other educators (without even being face to face with them). Although this takes away the personal side of things it is a reality in the way we work in such extensive learning communities. It is a great benefit and time saver to be able to tap into other peoples findings. It will enable students to access information from teachers and others quickly and use relevant information and cut out sorting through what is not suitable.

Module 6

I found this to be a good module as I am very interested in tasks that involve students creating. Bubbl.us is a very useful tool to carry out mind mapping whereby the links and relationships between things can be illustrated. Mind mapping is a great way for students and teachers to organise ideas in a clear and effective manner. I believe it to be a valuable tool for all students, but especially boys who often need to cut through large amounts of text and be able to visualise a topic or set of ideas in a systematic format. I have used mind mapping in my Year 9 Geography class and with Business Studies classes previously. I was previously aware of a program called inspiration as a mind mapping tool and now it is good to learn about another one in Bubbl.us.

The information on Glogster was interesting. I believe it would be a good tool for visual learners and might be something students might like to experiment with. I have not used Glogster yet but it is good to have it in the repertoire should I wish to.

Module 5

I have had previous experience with podcasts and vodcasts in a learning community I am currently part of, which is online as well as face to face. I am completing a Certificate of Gifted Education and some of the units have involved learning through the use of podcasts and vodcasts. The use of these tools has provided a convenient and very relevant mode of study.

In the classroom I have used these tools with my Geography class. I used vodcasts to introduce the topic Natural Hazards and looked at some clips of various types of hazards that have occurred in Australia. The students enjoyed this method and many relevant questions and discussion starters resulted. As with all educational tools it is obviously important to check the content of what you are using and be clear as to what you want to achieve through using this strategy.