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Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts...Post #3

7:32 PM | Labels: , , ,

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts ... by Will Richardson                                                                   
Post # 2

"Public writing demands discretion, especially in an educational setting." Will Richardson's mantra resonated with me because my greatest fear is that one of my students might write something inappropriate or divulge personal identifiers in a blog that I host and it will somehow get published before I have the chance to stop it. The rest of the chapter goes on to explain how you can set up blogs that only allow access to registered members and edit posts before they are published. I can see all kinds of opportunities for teachable moments.

I like the way Richardson gives you a step-by-step process on how to set up a blog. HIs advice is to start small, initially using it as a way to post homework assignments and relevant subject links.  I have decided to begin by posting with Glogster to generate interest in a culminating project for a Biology unit on population called Limiting Factors. The blog will have exemplars and explore my students’ ability to research and collaborate on a presentation. The blog will give students needed information on the project but will also serve to inspire students to explore and study the topic of limiting factors at a deeper level.
My next step is to acquaint students with the Glogster program. I am going to create a project on the structure and function of the organelles of a cell. Students will be given the choice to work with a partner or on their own to create a one-page blog post about the organelle of their choice and its relationship to the other organelles in a cell. I will teach a short lesson on how to get started and then set them loose to explore. After they have finished their first cell blogs, I will divide them into small groups to share and make suggestions on their projects before they present their blogs to the class. 

      Richardson suggests that the next step is to familiarize your students with the style and etiquette of what I call “responsive blogging” by reading blogs that are related to the class subject, being careful to guide them toward blogs that are "safe". I have started to put together a list of blogs by other science teachers for my students to explore for this purpose.  Once they get used to the style of post and response, I will begin posting questions on the blog but will have all posts sent to me before I post on the blog for the whole class to see.

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Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts Post #2

7:47 AM | Labels: , , ,


It has only been a relatively short time that schools have had access to technology and we are still learning how best to apply it to the educational process. Richardson makes a strong case that just using this new technology does not necessarily mean that it is helping with the learning. In a world where the vast majority of our students are engaged in social networks outside of school, there are few adults available who are capable of helping them use those connections to learn. It is therefore our responsibility as professional educators to embrace this new medium and become proficient in the use of these new powerful tools.

In the past, problems, (social, scientific or engineering), were largely solved by individuals working alone. Going forward, most problems will be solved by teams of individuals connected by networks that allow for the free flow of information. The same must be true of education. It is no longer just the individual teacher that is dispensing knowledge. True learning will only occur when the student has invested in his or her own education and has access to multiple sources of information. It is then the sharing of that information with their classmates that enables the learners to become teachers. That’s the definition of collaborative learning and that is what is meant by “twenty-first century skills”.

The tools discussed in this text have been available for the past ten years or so but are only now beginning to be applied to the learning process in a coordinated way. Blogging has become an easy way to get your ideas and opinions published where anyone in the world can see them. I think we should step back a moment and realize how amazing that is. Then realize how this tool can be used as a way of sharing important information. As teachers, we can facilitate that sharing by hosting our own blog and guide (but not control) the learning.

At the risk of dating myself, I remember when encyclopedias were our go-to reference for anything historical or scientific. Now, we have wikis for reference and anyone can update them with the latest information. Information is not static. It changes by the minute. The wiki can be instantly updated to keep pace with dynamic events. This can be useful as a learning tool for both research and for publishing the latest information. Once again the teacher can be the guide and editor of the local wiki. Once again it is the sharing of information that is the integral part of the learning.

With the advent of smartphones and tablet computers, access to this technology is becoming almost universal. We are just beginning to realize the full potential of the network that connects our students with the rest of the world. Teachers have an obligation to be a guiding partner in helping our students make the right connections.   
 
Update:
It is important to realize that the development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is largely dependent on the Science Framework for K-12 Science Education. At its core (this framework) is a new vision of what science education should be. Among other things, this framework expects students to learn a limited number of disciplinary core ideas in the context of science and engineering and then be able to use that information to ask questions, develop models, construct explanations and engage in argument from evidence collected by research or experimentation. Simply put, it’s no longer enough to know information in isolation. You must be able to apply your content information to the eight practices of science and engineering. Of the eight practices, the last practice- Obtaining, evaluating and communicating of information necessitates that students know how to use technology in a socially responsible way. Within my school, we use Edmodo to allow students in the same class to share and help each other as they work on activities and projects together. To gain a broader perspective, I have been looking at the projects on ePals to bring together my students with students from another state or country to collaborate and work on projects. To do this they must first become good digital citizens of the world.

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