Reflection 2 - Digital Technologies - Blogs, Wikkis and Websites

This week I chose to explore blogs, wikkis and websites and their practicality and uses in the classroom. I already have a decent understanding of websites, but I have only recently been introduced to blogs and wikkis and how to implement them as a learning tool within the classroom. This was mainly due to the fact that I am currently implementing a series of lessons using a Weebly site, which I created, for a cohort of year four students. I found this as an advantage because I have had the chance to personally implement this technology in the classroom and discover the positives and negatives of using this technology. This blog post will analyse blogs, wikkis and websites and their place in the classroom.

Blogs

A blog is an online personal, or small group, journal or diary. The user can add entries via text, add links and embed artefacts. Blogs can be customised to each users' personal taste and are intended to be seen by the public or a specific group of people. The blog entries appear in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first. People who read your blog can comment on your entries, sharing their thoughts and ideas. Blogs have various uses in the classroom and can be used for students’ creative writing, assignment construction, brainstorming and sharing their thoughts and opinions on a particular topic. Or alternatively, a blog could be created by the teacher for the classroom, in which students could comment on. I have recently been using a blog to add entries, such as this, on my learning throughout Managing E-Learning. Here is a link to my blog: http://jessemiller182.blogspot.com.au.

Below is a PMI on using blogs within the classroom.

Positives	Minus	Interesting
·      Engage students ·      Improve writing skills ·      Encourages experimenting and risk taking ·      Can enable students to express their thoughts and opinions and receive constructive feedback from peers ·      Enables higher order thinking ·      Promotes ICT learning ·      Internet safety ·      Global connections	·      Students may write negative comments ·      Devices may not work, or there may be limited access to devices	·      Not only can blogs be an avenue for teaching literacy skills they can also be used for teaching maths. ·      Improves social skills

 Wikkis

A wikki is an online space where users can add information and allows collaborative modification. Users can remove or edit information at any time and the wikki can be continuously under revision. Users can embed artifacts and insert links. Students can use them in the classroom to collaborate on a project or engage in an activity, which is appropriately scaffolded and engages higher order thinking. I recently engaged in a wikki, which used the de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats model to address a particular topic. Here is a link to the wikki: http://debonoshats.wikispaces.com/Group+10. The activity which I completed on the wikki was thoroughly engaging and it was also good to see the other responses and opinions on the wikki. A wikki using this sort of activity which has been scaffolded correctly and promotes higher order thinking would be very useful in the classroom, providing the students have been taught the correct rules and etiquette, or Netiquette. Below is a PMI on using wikkis in the classroom.

Positive	Minus	Interesting
·      Engage students ·      Improve writing skills ·      Encourages experimenting and risk taking ·      Students can view others opinions and arguments. ·      Promotes higher order thinking ·      Promotes ICT learning ·      Internet safety ·      Global connections	·      Students can accidently erase others work ·      Students may not follow rules and etiquette ·      Devices may not work, or there may be limited access to devices	·      Students improves their metacognition skills (Wikkiclassroom Technology, 2015)

Websites

A website can be can be created and used by the teacher for the students to access and work through a unit of work. There are a plethora of sites which one can easily access and create their own free website such as, Yola, Wix and Weebly. I used Weebly to create a website in which my year four learners could access and work through a series of lessons on designing an eco friendly garden. Here is the link to my Weebly website: http://jessemecofriendlygarden.weebly.com. The site provided clear instructions for the students as they worked independently and collaboratively throughout the unit of work. The site included embedded YouTube videos, links to other websites and, links to pdf worksheets which I had created and uploaded to the website. I provide minimal guidance during instruction and gave the learners the chance to work through the unit at their own pace (to a degree). Below is a PMI chart on using websites, such as Weebly, as a teaching and learning tool within the classroom.

Positive	Minus	Interesting
·      Engaging for students ·      Minimal teacher instruction ·      Students develop their use of ICT’s ·      Further engages ADD/ADHD and ASD learners ·      Enables higher order thinking ·      Improves ICT capabilities	·      Students can go off task while online and it can be hard for the teacher to monitor each student ·      Devices may not work, or there may be limited access to devices	·      Websites can be extremely engaging and beneficial for students who may generally lack interest in class or who are considered learners in need of support.

After implementing the unit of work, which was carried out by my year four cohort using a site I created on Weebly, it was clear that the students were engaged in higher order thinking. Using the websites for teaching purposes allows the teacher to scaffold activities for students to gain the appropriate knowledge and comprehension on a particular topic and eventually evaluate and create. I also found that after using a wikki and a blog I was engaged in higher order thinking and cognitive constructivism. Using a blog, wikki or website in the classroom appropriately ties in with the SAMR model and can enhance and transform lessons. “The SAMR model, developed by Dr Ruben Puentedura, aims to support teachers to design, develop and integrate learning technologies to support high levels of learning achievement” (Queensland Government, 2015). Below is a table, which illustrates how using blogs, wikkis and websites as a teaching and learning tool run parallel with each level of the SAMR model.

Substitution >>	Augmentation >>	Modification >>	Redefinition
Students search the internet for information on a particular topic. Published work can be printed rather than handwritten.	Images, YouTube links and graphics can be embedded to the site. Students improve their writing through word processing tools.	Work can be done outside of class time. Writing tasks can be collaborative.	Students can share and collaborate information online. Teacher and students collaborate with other classes.

Conclusion

In conclusion the use of blogs, wikis websites in the classroom can be immensely beneficial for students' learning and integrates technologies, which promotes higher order thinking and creates high levels of learning achievement, providing the teacher carefully monitors and scaffolds activities. Although, I think that using blogs and wikkis could be more beneficial than websites within the classroom as they allow for more collaboration and sharing of ideas, which promotes cognitive constructivism. Students must be taught the correct way to behave online and have a sound knowledge of the appropriate rules and etiquette before using these technologies as a learning tool. Before engaging in Managing E-learning I was very hesitant to use technologies, as I didn’t understand the power they can have to engage and teach students a vast array of skills. The positives of using these technologies vastly outweigh the negatives and wikkis, blogs and websites should be used to as an advantage in all modern classrooms.

References

Classroomconnections.eq.edu.au,. (2015). The SAMR model: engage in deep learning and authentic contexts. Retrieved from https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx

Wikiclassroomtechnology.wikispaces.com,. (2015). WikiClassroomTechnology - Advantages and Disadvantages of Wikis. Retrieved from http://wikiclassroomtechnology.wikispaces.com/Advantages+and+Disadvantages+of+Wikis

Getting There..Slowly

This week I created a Wikki account on Wikkispaces but that's about as far as I got. I played around on the site for a while and found it rather difficult to navigate. I need to outsource the help of a digital native to teach me how to navigate and create a Wikki, as I found the manual provided on moodle didn't seem to work with macs. I did however create a Wordle. This also did not go to smoothly with my mac and I had to download Java to make it work. Here it is!

De Bono’s Thinking Hats & Wiki Task Analysis

This post is a reflection and analysis on my personal experience in the wiki based de Bono’s Hats activity. It will also analyse the design and purpose of the activity and consider the learning theories and scaffolding that support the design and learning outcomes of the activity.

The activity was centred on a wiki which had a clear topic that was to be discussed and explored using de Bono’s six Thinking Hats. The wiki was set with a space for members of a group to write a small paragraph or insert a link/pictures into each thinking hat. This provided a simple framework and allowed the user to direct their thinking and attention in a particular direction. The activity was scaffolded in a way in which the participant needed to use higher order thinking and linked closely to the top of the Blooms Taxonomy; analysis and evaluation. Viewing each group members perspective, through focused parallel thinking, provided a balanced argument. According to Terry Anderson (2011), “without a range of perspectives, analysis was neither feasible nor robust” (Moodle, 2015).

Learning theories clearly supported this task and the most recognisable were connectivism and cognitive constructivism. The connectivism framework can be described as a learning community where knowledge is passed and distributed across an information network and can be stored in a multiplicity of digital formats (Kop & Hill, 2008). Referring to the connectivism learning theory Snowman (2004) states, “a community is the clustering of similar areas of interest that allows for interaction, sharing, dialoguing, and thinking together” (Kop & Hill, 2008). This learning theory clearly supported the design of the activity, as it was evident throughout the activity that group members were distributing knowledge and opinions using a wiki as a digital format. The task allowed for interaction and sharing of ideas, through a digital learning community.

Cognitive constructivism also supported this activity. Throughout the activity users added their existing knowledge and developed new knowledge as others group members added their inputs. The activity provided a collaborative environment in which active assimilation and learning could occur. According to Snowman & Biehler (2000), meaningful learning occurs when students can “filter new ideas through existing knowledge structures” (College Cengage, 2015).

Overall the wiki-based activity was very beneficial, due to the learning theories, which supported the design, and the scaffolding of the activity through the use of de Bono’s Thinking Hats. Being able to view other users thoughts and opinions on a topic allowed for self-questioning and higher order thinking. The scaffolding provided through the six Thinking Hats allowed for critical thinking and higher order thinking on the topic that was provided, and ran parallel with Blooms cognitive domain. Through analysis and evaluation the user was able to discuss, critique, examine, justify and conclude on the topic that was provided.

The wiki was easy to navigate and simple to edit and add text. Using an activity similar to explore a topic within a classroom setting would be beneficial for students and engage them in a higher order thinking processes, providing the wiki is carefully monitored by the teacher, and students are made aware of safe, legal and ethic practice online.

References

College.cengage.com,. (2015). Redirection to Equivalent @ Cengage. Retrieved from http://college.cengage.com/education

Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distributed Learning, 9(3). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103

Moodle.cqu.edu.au,. (2015). CQUniversity Login. Retrieved from https://moodle.cqu.edu.au

Activity one

After engaging in the first activity in week one it became more clear to me why it is so important to become confident with ICT’s and be able to teach and use them within the modern classroom. Not to mention, to become a registered teacher you must meet the current AITSL standards, which are closely associated with digital pedagogy. Students are heading into a hyper connected world with more people and fewer resources. Many students will have careers that will entail multiple jobs, many of which haven’t been invented yet. As educators we are responsible to teach learners 21^st century skills, which will enable them to become active and informed citizens in this ever changing digital world.

Getting started

My first lecture of Managing E-learning was overwhelming to say the least! I have always struggled with ICT and I am keen to improve my skills in this area and hopefully apply them in the classroom. After my first lecture I spent about three hours creating a gmail account and blog, then my first post. Throughout the coming weeks I intend to engage in the assessment tasks with my blog posts and also to improve the layout of my blog and give it some personal flare. Easier said than done!