Reflection 2 - Week 3

This week we delved into more ICT tools that can be used in a classroom, blogs, wikis and websites. Setting up a wiki and website was a new experience for me.

BLOGS

What is a Blog? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM

A blog allows you to write your thoughts, ideas, opinions and knowledge you have on a particular topic. You can link other websites, pictures and videos in a blog and add whatever information you feel is appropriate for the topic you are basing your blog on. A blog is a great way to journal educational experiences and to extend on a student’s knowledge of a topic. In a classroom I would consider using a blog for an assessment piece. I can see that a blog could be useful in an accounting classroom. Students can journal their ideas and thoughts, for example, on the ever changing accounting standards. They could reflect on the positive and negatives they see about these changes, expanding their knowledge on the topic.

WIKI

‘A wiki is a web site that lets any visitor become a participant:  you can create or edit the actual site contents without any special technical knowledge or tools. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. A wiki is continuously “under revision.” It is a living collaboration whose purpose is the sharing of the creative process and product by many. One famous example is Wiki-pedia, an online encyclopedia with no “authors” but millions of contributors and editors. The word "wiki" comes from Hawaiian language, meaning "quick" or "fast." ‘  (http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/)

Source: heep://www.europarl.europa.au

Using Wikis in education is a great tool for students to be able to collaborate, and allow for flexibility in learning.

After reading information on Wikis and creating a wiki I can imagine using a wiki in a Mathematics lesson. Wikis could be used to provide information to students, have them solve mathematical problems together, real work maths where students can write how they used maths in the real work and for homework tasks. (https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/109920x).

Below is a link to a wiki homework page that I created.

http://andreacoxq99008652.wikispaces.com/Test+-+Homework

Username: userACwiki1 or userACwiki2

Passwork: passwordACwiki1 or passwordACwiki2

Beyond the classroom a wiki would be a great tool for students to use a wiki for a study group. Student can study together, add their ideas and comments on topics and assist one another with their studies. As a wiki allows the flexibility of being able to be used anywhere, anytime, students do not all have to be in the one room to gain the benefits of a study group.

WEBSITES

 I never really thought too much in the way of using a website as a teaching tool. This week was the first time I have created a website. I used one of my teaching areas, Mathematics to base my website on. The link below will take you to the website and my ideas of what I had in mind when creating the website.

http://q99008652.weebly.com/

Websites can be used as an area to publish learning goals, information on the topics to be studied and homework tasks.

SAMR Model

‘The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model offers a method of seeing how computer technology might impact teaching and learning.  It also shows a progression that adopters of educational technology often follow as they progress through teaching and learning with technology’(https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model). 

Source: http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/ 

At the enhancement level (Substitution and Augmentation stages) ICT’s provide a new set of resources that can be used by students and teachers. It can substitute textbooks, handouts and worksheets. It is a central location for all the information a student may require for their subject.

At the transformative level (Modification and Redefinition stages) ICT’s can build on a student’s understanding of a topic and can create a redesign of how a student understands a topic. In this stage connectivism can allow students to expand on their knowledge of a topic they are being taught in the classroom through other avenues of information that can be provided by other students. It is students learning together and connecting on a global basis. 

After reviewing the three ICT’s for this week; blogs, wikis and websites, I can imagine using the wiki more in my teaching areas of accounting/business studies and mathematics. The wiki has more flexibility for students to participate together in problem solving and team work. Below I have done a PMI on a wiki.

Positives	Minus	Interesting
·         Collaborative Learning ·         Being able to solve problems together ·         Connections outside of the classroom ·         Can be accessed anytime, anywhere. ·         Homework tasks ·         Information can be in the one place ·         Benefits the students will gain from using the wiki, such as contributing to a class discussion.	·         Inappropriate use of the wiki – bullying, negative comments. ·         Students going off topic. ·         Time consuming monitoring the wiki to ensure it is being used for the correct purpose. Source: http://www.ucangraddip.wikispaces.com	·         Ideas and solutions that the students come up with. ·         How a wiki will help with their learning ·         How students work together to help each other.

I found setting up a wiki and a website a bit challenging and time consuming, but with perseverance I accomplished both successfully. After investigating all the blogs, wikis and websites, I can see how these tools with be a great asset to any classroom if used in the right way.

References:

What is Blog. Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM

Teachers First: Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers. Retrieved 23/03/2015. http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

Educational Uses of Wikis. Image Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.europarl.europa.au

D Wetzel. Using Wikis in Math Classes. Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/109920x.

Wiki Patrol. Image Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.ucangraddip.wikispaces.com

Technology is Learning.  Retrieved 24/03/2015. https://sites.google.com/a/msad60.org/technology-is-learning/samr-model

Ruben R. Puenteduta’s Weblog. SAMR Image. Retrieved 24/03/2015. http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/