Course Reflection

YAY I HAVE FINISHED!!!!!!

Blogs that I have commented on in this course:

Andrew Viney’s Module 2
http://andrewvineyluceat.blogspot.com/2010/03/module-2.html

Annette from De La Salle College Ashfield, Module 3
http://web2woohoo.blogspot.com/2010/04/module-3.html#comments


I am very glad that I signed up for this course and completed it. Nearly every year my PPPR goal has something to do with wanting to further my computer technology skills or develop more of an understanding in how to differentiate the curriculum and this year I feel like I have gotten a lot professional development in this area through this Web 2.0 course.
When I received a copy of the i learn model position paper at a staff meeting last year, I admit that at the time I knew how the importance of technology was ever increasing in our world and in education, but only now with the tools I have learnt from Web 2.0 do I understand how the framework of the paper can be linked to the classroom. The i learn model is all about “e learning”. At the core of “e learning” is the principal that we can learn ANYTHING, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. It is through many Web 2.0 tools that this is possible. Learners today and those of the future have access to an information rich society. Educational barriers are being broken as students have 24/7 global access to learning on the Web and online communities. Students can create, edit, comment, share and collaborate their work online through blogs, video conferencing, wikis, vodcasts, podcasts and google docs. It is also through these applications that students become REFLECTIVE and RESPONSIBLE learners.
An “e learner” is engaged in their learning as their educators have created an environment where their students WANT TO LEARN. Therefore it is our role as educators to not only expose students to electronic learning- through weekly computer lab time for instance- but ENGAGE them through understanding ourselves how the learning environment/ process is EVOLVING, EXAMINING different emerging practises and applying them in the classroom to ENHANCE student motivation and learning.
We know that we learn best when we are challenged, well equipped (with resources and skills) and engaged in what we are doing. We can definitely challenge and engage our students with many tasks using Web 2.0 tools. The skills that we need to equip them with to succeed as an “e learner” are :
-questioning
-communicating
-collaborating
-creative thinking
-reflective skills
-critical thinking
-problem solving
-multi modal literacy

These skills fall hand in hand with Blooms Digital Taxonomy. This adaption of Blooms is very useful in planning a digital curriculum incorporating Web 2.0 tools.


On completion of this course I am motivated by the principal that it is not just about technology, but ultimately about good teaching and learning. The technology is simply a tool to achieve the learning. So even if I am still not an expert at all things computers or a master of Web 2.0 tools yet, I am confident that with the skills I have gained I can use them as tools to ENHANCE my teaching and further ENGAGE my students.

Module 10

Web 2.0 is the now and future of the Internet. I can see it playing a growing role in my own life as a learner. Through this course I have learnt how to use and incorporate many new applications, which allow me to be a part of various online communities- many of which are relevant as a teacher. Exploring Wikis and Nings made me aware of how many online educational communities there already are, such as ‘Classrom 2.0’. I think these are such valuable resources to teachers as there is much to learn from each other’s experiences and ideas. I really like the creativity that Web 2.0 applications such as Digital Storytelling through wikis. These could be used in the classroom and for personal use. I created a slideshow of a few photos of the Special Olympics Dance Group that I teach which stars my big brother John.

Module 9

I feel quite naïve admitting that despite daily using a social network (facebook) I had never thought of the idea of professional networks. It makes so much sense and is typical of Web 2.0. Scootle is an example of a teaching network. It has 8,165 digital curriculum items. It involves collaboration, sharing, communicating and various media (audio, visual, video). It looks easy enough to navigate through with the search bars allowing you to search by grade, topic or time. The ‘learning paths’ are typical of Web 2.0 as they are a sequence of lesson content and teacher comments. I had never used Scootle before and kept coming across needing a username and password which I don’ t have…..
While I use facebook and think it is a great way to keep up with your friends and family and share photos, I don’t think it has any place in the classroom. I also have a twitter account but rarely use it- mostly because most of the people I care about are on facebook and the people I “follow” on twitter are mainly celebrities. Most of the time I don’t care about their microblogs but occasionally they can have quite witty or humorous things to share. Again I don’t think twitter has an educational purpose.
Second life was something else I had never heard of and was quite amazed to see. It reminded me of a game version of “Avatar”. It is like stepping into a virtual world. I couldn’t see my Year 1 students using this program but for older students it would be a good way for them experiment with 3D modeling, design and sharing with other students. I could see the benefits of this sort of program for gifted students to extend them, but also see it as a concern- as a lot of recreational games for children these days are virtual (eg. Wii) so we definitely need a healthy balance between the virtual and real life social experiences.

Module 8

An RSS feed is again another term that I have heard of but never known what it meant. I learnt that it is a big time saver for people who regularly use the web. Instead of having to visit each website yourself to find updates, through an RSS (Rich Summary Site) this information is fed to you. An RSS provides the delivery of constantly changing web content. I guess it makes keeping up with the World Wide Web easier.
Already having set up a google account, I found getting a “home” or a “reader” for these feeds easy through Google Reader. Subscribing to various websites so that these feeds or updates show up in my Google Reader was also easy. There are however SO many websites out there, you could get carried away with subscriptions and find yourself constantly trying to keep up with your feeds. It is great how it automatically marks updates as “read” once you scroll over them.

Module 7

Before this course I had never heard of the term “social bookmarking”. It took me a little while to get my head around the application Delicious and it’s usefulness. The three key things about Delicious are:

KEEP- links
SHARE- favourite links/ websites
DISCOVER- new things

I found the first one (keep) the most beneficial so far. Having somewhere to store all of my most commonly visited websites is very useful. In fact I used it today as I went from using my mac at my place to my parents computer at their house. Storing your own bookmarks in one place on the Internet definitely makes sense now. The Internet links us no matter what computer we are at. At first tagging each link seemed like a waste of time but I definitely see the benefit of it now that I have a lot of sites bookmarked- it makes them easier to categorise and search for. I haven’t quite got my head around the sharing part of delicious as I don’t know anyone who has it. The discovery factor of Delicious is great as like Flickr, you can search through other people’s links. It is all about a community sharing resources online…..it saves re-inventing the wheel!

Another part of the ‘community’ aspect of Web 2.0 is through blogs and how you can comment on what other people have written. At first it seemed a bit weird posting comments on other people’s thoughts but once I thought of it as an online conversation I got more used to it.

Module 6

Bubblus is a fantastic way to interactively create mind maps in the classroom. We are lucky to have interactive whiteboards in our classrooms so I will definitely be applying this in our classroom brainstorming activities. It is really easy to use and clearly show how ideas are linked.

It looks like old school posters are out and “glogs” are in. Glogster is an application where glogs can be created. A glog I have learned is an online interactive poster that can combine text, pictures, videos, podcasts and graphics. It can be used in the classroom to create a class page on a topic/ unit of work. It can be added to throughout the unit. Students can also create glogs themselves on any topic. Glogs are a great way for students to creatively present and share their ideas in an interactive way. Their traditional paper posters are taken to another level where they can incorporate their skills of creating podcasts and vodcasts within them too.

When I had a go at creating one I found that there is a lot that can be done and no limits!

http://cathyhansell.glogster.com/web-20/

Module 5

Before starting this unit I had used youtube and itunes quite regularly. As a dance teacher, I use itunes and garageband (music editing program on mac) to source and edit music for various lessons and performances. I was pleased to discover teachertube as a more specific educational branch of youtube- which helps when searching for things to use in the classroom (reducing the chance of coming across inappropriate content). While I already use itunes, I had never noticed or known about itunes U. I was amazed at how much educational information there is on it from reputable world wide cultural institutions…..and it is all FREE. I couldn’t believe it. I had also never really known much about podcast or vodcasts. They too can be downloaded from itunes and some for free too. Podcasts and vodcasts can also be created from original material by teachers and students. The content from itunes U, podcasts and vodcasts can be downloaded by students and listened to whenever and wherever they want. These applocations provide for “mobile learning”. I can definitely see this as a way of the future…..I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time I have kids they are listening to podcasts/completing their homework at the bus stop on an application on their latest versions of ipod touches.