Classroom Internet Integration Blog

My final project for ED632, Classroom Internet Integration, utilizes Blogger.com, a free Web 2.0 tool, to create my “Classroom Internet Integration Blog” as a means of communication and discussion amongst teachers, parents, community members, and other interested outside parties. The blog is intended to cover technology topics of interest and concern in our community and schools, while at the same time time covering some new technologies and offering a forum for sharing on all these topics.

Please visit this Classroom Internet Integration Blog and become involved!

Classroom Internet Integration Blog

Posting 1: What is Web 2.0?

When you arrive at this site, you will find seven major postings, the first of which is titled, “What is Web 2.0?” Here visitors can read about Web 2.0 and its implications for us in today’s society. Three key ideas emphasized are about how we are living in exponential times, we are preparing our children for jobs that do not yet exist, and in order to create change, we must understand it for ourselves. There are three main links for further reading on Web 2.0. In addition, there are comments posted that suggest great Web 2.0 tools for educational and personal use. Visitors are encouraged to post their own comments about Web 2.0 and its tools.

Posting 2: Podcasts

The next major posting covers podcasts. This topic was chosen because of its vast applications to education, professional, and personal life. The intent is to share a wide variety of resources and information on several areas of podcasting. These include, “What is a podcast?”, “Where do I find podcasts?”, and “How do I create a podcast?”. Podcasts seem to be a great example of how these are exponential times. They are being cataloged on the Web at an increasingly growing rate. The potential for use is incredible and my hope in highlighting podcasts as a major posting on this site is to introduce, share, and grow with the ever-changing availability of podcasts on the Web!

Posting 3: Social Networking

Third, you will find out about “Social Networking on the Web”. In this section, I highlighted and modified one of my blogfolio posts that I felt captured the “risks” and “rewards” of social networking on the Web. Here visitors can click on a link to The National Institute on Media and Family to download full brochures on information that I have summarized on my site. There are comments posted that suggest and explain some social networking sites that people might want to check out.

Posting 4 and Posting 5: Subscription Websites and Free Websites

The next two smaller postings on the site cover subscription websites and free websites, mostly for educational use. Here I try to make the distinction between the two and encourage people to look for the “free” tools that they can find on the Web, but don’t discount the subscription sites. There are many more tools to share for both of these sections, it’s just a matter of time spent on continuing getting them all posted! I believe these two sections will be of particular interest to parents and teachers for sharing websites they’ve found valuable for educational purposes.

Posting 6 and Posting 7: Online Rules and Safety

Finally, the last two sections are on the topics of online rules and safety. Visitors will read about how to be good “cybercitizens” via what to do and what not to do. The website for further information on rules in cyberspace is listed. The comments following this posting provide other links for parents, teachers, and students on the topic of internet rules. Online safety covers a couple great readings on the subject and too, is followed up by comments regarding links for further information. My hope in these last two sections is to prompt thought regarding rules and safety for the internet, especially for those that may have not yet thought this through. In addition, those that have had success teaching internet rules and safety, can share their experiences and expertise.

I view this project as ongoing and usable in the future. Once more is posted for resources, more parents, teachers, and community members will be invited to become members. I learned a great deal about Web 2.0 and its resources through this project. I was also able to think about Web 2.0 in terms of our school and community needs, creating a project I believe can be beneficial to many in the future. In terms of using blogger.com, I am impressed with how the focus on just one Web tool has made it part of how I think about all that I do. I find myself continually thinking about how I can use blog integration in my curriculum and personal life. What once seemed quite “foreign”, now seems to be a daily activity!

I feel the results of my project are far better than I had expected. The few colleagues that I invited to check it out were intrigued by it, providing great feedback for me! I particularly enjoyed coming up with a project that has real life application and will be never ending! Now that I have learned much more about Blogger, I know its value, as well as its limitations, and can seek other resources for collaboration online that may be more appropriate for specific purposes. I look forward to continued work on my “Classroom Internet Integration Blog”.

Second Life - Week Eleven

Second Life is a whole new world and experience. Here you register to create an avatar, which becomes your “person” in the Second Life world. It simulates the things that we can do in real life on a virtual plane. The concept is very forward thinking and has endless possibilities for learning, socializing, and fun!

The question was posed about the educational value of Second Life. As for use with students, none. Second Life is an adult world. As an educator, there is potential. There are areas of Second life dedicated to the knowledge and advancement of professionals. One example is ISTE island, which I find myself visiting the most. I have to admit, spending countless hours on Second Life has not given me any advantages or gains so far. In fact, it has taken fairly large amounts of time to figure out. At this point, the positives do not outweigh the negatives including finding reputable sites, using up valuable time, and the frustration of freezing, waiting for downloading, and having to restart.

In trying to find alternatives to Second Life for use with students, I have the following summary:

*www.secondlife.com is an online world for adults, 18 and older, as describe above.

*teen.secondlife.com is an online world for teenagers. I’m not seeing where this would fit into education, as it’s just for teens.

*www.clubpenguin.com is an online world for younger children. I have heard of schools that used this site with the younger kids, however not without the frustrations of usernames, passwords, email addresses needed, parental support, technical problems, and safety issues..

Each site has its own guidelines for use. Safety precautions are discussed for each site and should be viewed and adhered to for the best online experience. As with anything, when children are using sites such as these, parents should be encouraged to visit the site with their child and know what they are exposed to and participating in. Teachers must check with their district for guidelines and rules regarding use of such sites needing other set ups for access.

Gaming - Week Ten

Gaming online or use of educational games in the classroom can prove to be a lively discussion topic. Some people are of the mind teachers and schools are not utilizing them enough, where others have accused teachers of “wasting” their child’s time by using them. These are two very opposite ends of the spectrum, with every opinion in between!

Gaming in schools should supplement the regular learning program in a way that can prove effectiveness through progress. Utilizing programs and online resources that have management and feedback components help address this issue. Students can progress at a highly rapid pace on skills based games and content related activities online. This level of success is highly rewarding and exciting to observe!

The 21st Century educator needs to embrace the facts:

*appropriate technology MUST supplement and enhance their learning programs
*times are changing exponentially
*we are not serving students well and doing them a huge disservice without technology instruction/utilization
*student motivation, rapid progress, and enthusiasm for learning through technology speaks for itself!

Obviously, school is no place for violent, inappropriate gaming. It would behoove society as a whole to not tolerate violent, inappropriate gaming period! However, it is a reality we face. Encouragement and education of students and their families to make appropriate personal choices regarding gaming and online usage should be included, as well as the suggestion to find a balance between gaming/computer use and outside activities/other interests. As with anything, gaming should be used in moderation and with purpose, whether educational or for entertainment.

Social Networking - Week Nine

The National Institute on Media and the Family has the best resources that I have found yet concerning educating parents as to how to keep their family safe in today’s technological world. They cover many topics, one being Social Networking. Their two newest readings are: Guide to Social Networking: Rewards and Guide to Social Networking: Risks.

A quick summary of “risks” are as follows:
*Avoid inappropriate information, using full birthday, address/phone number, and any schedules.
*Know most of the people that are added as “friends”.
*These are public spaces so avoid private conversation topics.
*Keep deeply personal information in a “real life” journal.
*Post only appropriate pictures/videos and limit who accesses them.

In turn, the “rewards”:
*Research shows networking online allows connections in new ways.
*Social networking is a way to strengthen relationships.
*New interests can be explored and new opportunities can arise.
*Kids who might have a hard time otherwise, may find a strength of their own through online communications.
*Social networking allows access to new information that may not have been available in a home or school setting.

Schools and families need to work together to set boundaries, guidelines, and rules for a safe online networking experience for students. They can achieve this by communicating with each other and sharing information. It is important for parents to know what their child is doing in the online world and students need to be supported in these digital times. Schools and teachers need to be equipped with the technologies and knowledge to support students in our ever changing world!

Wikis - Week Seven

Wikis, without a doubt, have great potential as a Web 2.0 tool both in the classroom, and as a teacher communication tool. A Wiki is like a journal, note, or paper that can be edited by all users in a particular group, and in some cases, by any user.

The challenges we face as educators is instilling the knowledge that students must be critical and evaluative when using wikis, especially when gleaning information from them. The source of the information becomes a very important question to ask. Three recommended Wiki sites are:

*pbwiki

*wetpaint

*wikispaces


You can visit the Web’s most well known Wiki at http://www.wikipedia.org/. Here anyone can edit or add any information they choose to. The potential for use of wikis in educational settings is great. Setting up wikis for communication and skills practice can greatly enhance any educational program.

Podcasting - Week Five and Week Six

Podcasting is a powerful tool for both expressive and receptive educational purposes, as well as enhancing personal life. There are a variety of online resources to assist in the creation of podcasts by students. Likewise, podcasts for all topics are being cataloged on the web for public viewing.

If you are interested in “what is podcasting”, “where to find podcasts”, and “how to podcast”, this is the most comprehensive one stop shop I’ve found available. The intriguing thing about this link is you can download the booklet, listen to a podcast about the booklet, and there is a whole website built around podcasts to support it. Great resource!

• http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/booklet.html

Further, if you are looking for great podcasts for personal and/or educational use, the following sites have great potential.

• www.audible.com - small fee for use; great base of audio books
• www.masterymaze.com - well done podcasts for use in upper grade levels
• www.librivox.com - literature recordings; option to become volunteer recorder
• www.podomatic.com - click on ‘podcasts’ to find a large directory of podcasts.
• www.podcast.com - a personal favorite for finding high quality podcasts

If you want to create your own podcasts, you might check out these tools first.

• www.audacity.sourceforge.net - has come highly recommended on a consistent basis online and within my tech community
• www.podcast.com - has capability for adding podcasts
• www.podomatic.com - create an account and follow steps to create podcasts

Cannot find what you are looking for? Mashable is one site to visit for all that is new on the web. Follow this link to its podcasting toolbox for 70+ podcasts and resources.

• http://mashable.com/2007/07/04/podcasting-toolbox/

In summary, the potential for use of podcasts for educational purposes is incredible! I believe podcast integration will be very unique to each classroom and learning situation. It is the responsibility of the educator to network with others and learn how to maximize use of this very powerful web tool! Good luck!

Teacher Tools - Week Four

This week has been an amazing journey through the cyber-land of Web 2.0. I believe the most important thing this exploration period has done for me is developed more of a comfort level with the online world. I have to admit that I have tried out online tools that I may never have if it weren’t for this class. This isn’t because I didn’t know about them, but I felt I didn’t have enough information and I do worry about privacy issues. This week I have learned that aside from privacy issues, these tools are too “cool” not to try! I now have a file of bookmarks started titled Web 2.0 Productivity Tools. I will be scheduling time in my week to continue exploration of the Wonderful World of the Web!

I found so many tools this week, it’s almost overwhelming. One tool I am utilizing right away with my students is the “create a graph” site. This is a site you can go onto and input information to create different types of simple graphs. Once you input the information, you can change the type of graph to see how your information looks at pretty much the click of a key. If you make a mistake in labeling the wrong axis, you go back and fix it within seconds. These graphs are then printable, but even better, students can e-mail their work to the teacher!

*check out the “create a graph” website at:
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/

*check out my screencast about this website at:
Create_A_Graph_screencast_by_Jenn_Miller

As a teacher, I feel this resource provides an exciting presentation tool for my students to use in their final projects on graphing. It also allows them multiple opportunities to extend their learning as they can manipulate the variables for the graph within seconds, including changing the type of graph they put their data into instantly! They need not even have to print the final graphs out, as they can e-mail them to me for final viewing. Once in the e-mail format, I can even share their product with their family via e-mail.