Week 3 - Reflection 2

Image from: http://www.blogher.com/my-top-10-blogging-tips-beginners

This week I decided that I would explore the concept of Blogs further as it had only been one week since I had discovered this new phenomenon. I thought it would be beneficial for myself to delve deeper into this one technology to gain more confidence with it before I divulged into anything else. However in saying this out of necessity I wanted to utilise wiki spaces as a matter of convenience and efficiency to communicate to the Mackay cohort  - so I did a little exploration on this as well.

I was much appreciative of the fact that we did not have any new learning material to learn and integrate into these technologies. Having the opportunity and time to be able to play around and become familiar with blogs and wikis was invaluable. I was able to enjoy the process more without having the added pressure of learning unfamiliar concepts. So thank you! (My reticular activating system was now open to learn!)

Blogging

What I Know about blogs.

So far from the previous week......

• I know how to set up a blog. 
• I know how to add links to pages.
• I know how to upload pictures from google and embed onto my blog page.
• I know how to embed a video from you tube.
• I know that HTML is a coding system and I don't have to freak out every time I see it.
• I know that blogs are a type of news forum that bloggers use to articulate their thoughts, ideas and expertise in. 

This is groundbreaking in my opinion!

I found this process of setting up, adding links, embedding pictures and embedding a video to be super simple and straightforward. This was because the step by step scaffolding of the Technical Manual was excellent and easy to follow. I do consider myself to be technologically challenged on all accounts but I was able to successfully breeze through this process with joyful ease!! Oh how I love it when technology works for me! So now I feel I can confidently teach this process to my students! Tick

What I Want to know about blogs.

Image from: http://rfgd.co.uk/about.html

Ok...so now that I have a steady base of knowledge - it was time to refine-so I wanted to know...

• How I could make my blog more appealing to my viewers.
• How I could add different gadgets on the sidebar to create more interest.
• How I could personalise the background to reflect more of my personality.
• How to create and embed a voki on my blog page.
• What all the buttons are, what they are used for and how I can use them for myself.

What I have Learnt about blogs.

This week I have learnt...

• I  have learnt how to add gadgets on my blog page.
• I  have learnt how to personalise my back drop.
• I have learnt how to embed a Voki onto my blog page to attract my viewer's attention.
• I am now familiar with most of the button on the back pages of the blog.

Creating a Voki was soooo simple! As you can see I had a bit of fun with her and I would probably use her in the same way in the learning environment. Humour is good for the soul! Maybe Ruby (her name) could tell a ultra bad joke first thing in the morning on an electronic whiteboard as a way of starting each day....and each child was responsible for finding a new joke that Ruby could say on a day to day basis. Of course the use of Voki's are many. I am sure I will be able to uncover her potential when I start teaching.

How Can I Utilise Blogging in My Class?

I think blogging would be best adapted into the classroom space by the students using it as a 'mini me' project room where they can post their weekly thoughts, ideas and inspiration about the latest classroom topic - this could be a great homework activity as apposed to classroom. Their very own news forum.  This would be what the SAMR model would label Modification, which is great but the goal is how do we redefine this to enhance the learning experience for our students. Check out this video taken from EDU SLAM of students redefining how we learn in Blogs through the use of technology.


                                       

From my exploration of the blog. I have not come across anything thus far that has frustrated me enough to warrant any dispute in its overall functionality and its purpose. I have had a very successful discovery of this tool and will continue to think of ways until next year on how I can use this to add value to my students. Its hard for me at this point having not worked in a classroom before to give any valuable suggestions of how blogging could be implemented into the classroom apart from how it is already used now.

Furthermore, I acknowledge the fact that it is the responsibility of the teacher to bring awareness of any copyright laws that may be relevant to the students and to embed good ethical practise at their earliest. A great link on guidelines and copyright laws for students and teachers can be accessed on the side page of this blog.

Wiki

As I mentioned before I didn't intend to explore other technologies but only out of necessity did this come about. The old method I was using to communicate with the Mackay cohort was via text messaging. I felt this was wasting my time and very inefficient as I would have to relay conversation from one text to the next. Needless to say, I felt that wiki spaces would rectify my issue and accommodate my needs very well. I again used the technical manual to successfully create a wiki space. I was eager to create a group page called 'Mackay collaboration page' where our group could utilise it as a means of communication for group work etc.  However, I did find it to be quite difficult to get most of the group on my page to network. Only one person was able to converse with me on my wiki space but the others either had difficulty joining out of default or they were just being uncooperative.  The down side that I experienced in the wiki was that I felt I had to log in all the time to see if anyone had responded to my questions etc. To me this became a nuisance.

I love the idea of the wiki space and I can see how it can be extremely effective in a classroom environment. The idea of uploading a piece of artwork in a visual arts subject and getting the students to critique it is an idea that would I feel work very well. Giving the students a scaffold such as the d'Bonos thinkings hats would make this activity a very successful one.


My next point of call is to refine my knowledge of Wiki space and then also open my eyes up to the world of Weebly. Overall, I felt I had a productive and knowledgeable week in ICT this week.


Until next time X