Dear Mr. Magoo:
This memo is to request that our teachers have access to use of the web site Trailfire.com here at our school. Trailfire will allow us as teachers to control the flow of web sites that our students visit. Teachers create an account and string together a series of web sites that contribute to their content or desired topic. Students follow this "hike through the internet." They cover the topic the we teachers intend with helpful pre-chosen sites. This is a very safe way for us to use the Internet in our classrooms. I would like to request that you allow me to present a demo for you, and possibly test this tool with a small group of students for your observation. Should you wish to use TrailFire in our school, I would love to help by presenting this tool to our teachers in an instructional session.
Thank you for your consideration,
Mrs. Beth Jacobs.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
What it all means
In reading this chapter, one statement stood out to me above all the others. With the advent of all this technology circling around us, for perhaps the first time in history, we all have the voice our founding fathers intended for this country. Although there are still standards of appropriateness and safety for this voice, there is really no one in the US who can't be heard on the Internet. Even if you don't own a computer, every free public library I have been in has free Internet access.
With this access we have a broader more diverse social network, our classrooms have become places where we are responsible for training students to be active creative collaborators. Our responsibility to our students is to model technology use that will bring the world to their fingertips, and make them competitive in their careers.
With this access we have a broader more diverse social network, our classrooms have become places where we are responsible for training students to be active creative collaborators. Our responsibility to our students is to model technology use that will bring the world to their fingertips, and make them competitive in their careers.
Podcasting Will Richardson
Podcasting in schools can be such a great tool for kids to learn and grow. Students gain confidence with the spoken word. Students who podcast gain practise in both writing and oral reading skills.
Teachers who use podcasting in the classroom don't need much more than a computer and microphone to get started. Audacity is one example of free software that can be used to record podcasts. All students need to do is record, edit, and export the file as an MP3. That's all it takes, and next thing you know grandma can listen to little Susie talk about her science project by downloading a file onto her iPod.
Teachers who use podcasting in the classroom don't need much more than a computer and microphone to get started. Audacity is one example of free software that can be used to record podcasts. All students need to do is record, edit, and export the file as an MP3. That's all it takes, and next thing you know grandma can listen to little Susie talk about her science project by downloading a file onto her iPod.
The Social Web
I must say that the social part of the web it the part I fear the most. At the present time, I feel that I am so overextended I could not possibly commit to any new social site. I have been an active member of facebook since 2005, and if I don't post on there for an extended amount of time, my friends, and even my mother will think I am dead. I fear twitter. My husband keeps up with both facebook and twitter, and I don't know how he does it. He got so excited when the CEO of his company started following him on twitter.
While I see how twitter could be used in the classroom, I disagree that students should be encouraged to use twitter from their phones. This is not a culturally sensitive teaching method. Should we just explain to those students whose parents cannot afford for them to have cell phones, that they may not participate. As a parent I don't believe teachers should be deciding for us when our children should have cell phones. I had a cell phone when I could pay for it myself with a part time job. Granted my husband and I may not follow the exact same practise if we can afford phones for our sons when they are in high school. I would not feel comfortable putting pressure on my students parents to allow them to have cell phones before the family feels it appropriate, and I certainly don't want to place extra social pressure on these students.
While I see how twitter could be used in the classroom, I disagree that students should be encouraged to use twitter from their phones. This is not a culturally sensitive teaching method. Should we just explain to those students whose parents cannot afford for them to have cell phones, that they may not participate. As a parent I don't believe teachers should be deciding for us when our children should have cell phones. I had a cell phone when I could pay for it myself with a part time job. Granted my husband and I may not follow the exact same practise if we can afford phones for our sons when they are in high school. I would not feel comfortable putting pressure on my students parents to allow them to have cell phones before the family feels it appropriate, and I certainly don't want to place extra social pressure on these students.
RSS Will Richardson
An RSS or Real Simple Syndication is one of the best inventions ever. RSS is a simple way to bring all the information you want to read about to you without having to wade through the mess and grime of all that other sticky useless info.
Also called a "Daily Me", an RSS can be personalized to bring information on particular topics and key words to your site. This method will allow teachers and students to keep up with the ever increasing amount of information published on the Internet.
Perhaps my favorite description of this tool is calling an RSS a "personal information guide". As teachers we are responsible for communicating ever changing bodies of knowledge to our students. What better way could there be to keep up with that knowledge with a source as big as the Internet shrunk down and personalized to the topic and content the teacher needs.
Also called a "Daily Me", an RSS can be personalized to bring information on particular topics and key words to your site. This method will allow teachers and students to keep up with the ever increasing amount of information published on the Internet.
Perhaps my favorite description of this tool is calling an RSS a "personal information guide". As teachers we are responsible for communicating ever changing bodies of knowledge to our students. What better way could there be to keep up with that knowledge with a source as big as the Internet shrunk down and personalized to the topic and content the teacher needs.
Wikis by Will Richardson
I had to chuckle when I read this chapter, because it wasn't until I took this class that I realized that the word wiki was an actual thing. I knew what Wikipedia was and even how it worked, but it hadn't occurred to me that the word wiki was anything more than cute and made up. I love the idea of using wikis for recording collective knowledge. We talked in class about the danger of wikis and incorrect information. I understand how incorrect information gets quickly weeded out by the interested and educated majority, but I can't help but wonder how wikis will evolve over time. I know someone somewhere will do a longitudinal study on this topic.
Think about this. If the entire world were to decide that the color green was actually blue and if studies were done, consensus take, and the educated masses of our time decided that green was now blue, would green really ever be blue. I think that there is a danger in the realm of wikis, that although most information will be correct, to some extent that information will always be subject to relativism. We live in a time where, if its true for me, it must be true, when in fact there is a set of knowledge that is truth weather we have discovered it, believe it, or deny it, it is truth. I know that there are certain things that we as a society are correct about, but are there some things we are also wrong about? Surely there must be.
After all, not 20 or 30 years ago, pregnant women like me ran around smoking cigarettes and having a few drinks like it didn't matter at all. I say all this to say, I think we can utilize the value of wikis as a collaboration of knowledge, but just as regular encyclopedias are subject to change over time we should should hail wikis as a sign of the times instead of a go to absolute for information.
Think about this. If the entire world were to decide that the color green was actually blue and if studies were done, consensus take, and the educated masses of our time decided that green was now blue, would green really ever be blue. I think that there is a danger in the realm of wikis, that although most information will be correct, to some extent that information will always be subject to relativism. We live in a time where, if its true for me, it must be true, when in fact there is a set of knowledge that is truth weather we have discovered it, believe it, or deny it, it is truth. I know that there are certain things that we as a society are correct about, but are there some things we are also wrong about? Surely there must be.
After all, not 20 or 30 years ago, pregnant women like me ran around smoking cigarettes and having a few drinks like it didn't matter at all. I say all this to say, I think we can utilize the value of wikis as a collaboration of knowledge, but just as regular encyclopedias are subject to change over time we should should hail wikis as a sign of the times instead of a go to absolute for information.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Chapter 3 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts ect.
I really appreciated the way Will Richardson explains how teachers should introduce blogging into the classroom one step at a time. One of my concerns about using blogging in my classroom is that the quality of information students have access to will be both un-useful, and inappropriate for the topic and age group.
The way Richardson suggests that we begin by using a teacher only blog to post assignments and relevant web sites for student use. I love this idea for parental involvement also because, parents who want detailed information about their child's assignments will have it at their finger tips.
Then Richardson suggests we should have student post a certain amount comments on the teacher blog, and from there transition into students possibly posting to their own blogs. He also stressed the importance of communicating expectations to students and parents for blogging. Parents should also understand why blogging enhances what their children are learning and how it will make them better readers/writers, and how blogging will build confidence and social responsibility in their students. Most important is perhaps the need for teachers to examine their practice of blog use and make sure it is meeting with the standards above and is accomplishing something productive in the classroom.
The way Richardson suggests that we begin by using a teacher only blog to post assignments and relevant web sites for student use. I love this idea for parental involvement also because, parents who want detailed information about their child's assignments will have it at their finger tips.
Then Richardson suggests we should have student post a certain amount comments on the teacher blog, and from there transition into students possibly posting to their own blogs. He also stressed the importance of communicating expectations to students and parents for blogging. Parents should also understand why blogging enhances what their children are learning and how it will make them better readers/writers, and how blogging will build confidence and social responsibility in their students. Most important is perhaps the need for teachers to examine their practice of blog use and make sure it is meeting with the standards above and is accomplishing something productive in the classroom.
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