"If students are to achieve their full potential, they must have opportunities to engage and develop a much richer set of skills... While there is still a need for more empirical evidence that these factors can be taught as transferable competencies across situations, there are a wide range of promising program and approaches" (Schechtman, DeBarger, Dornsife, Rosier, & Yarnell, 2013 as cited in Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p.8).
This quote illustrates how students can develop using technology. I think that it is correct in saying students need observation and experimentation (empirical evidence) but that it can be transferred through other situations. Students can use technology to help guide them. Instead of teachers using technology to show students ideas and give students information students should use technology to engage in learning.
Students can use technology as a means of communication and collaboration that can give them a richer understanding of what is being taught. In many cases teachers feel that because they are using a PowerPoint or an online game they are good at integrating technology, but to really implement and achieve their full potential technology has to be in the student’s hands.
I am looking forward to learning about a plethora of technology tools this semester so that I can expand my knowledge and use what I have learned to have my students collaborate online as well as in person. This is a life skill that students should learn at a young age so that they can build on that knowledge throughout their lives. I am most looking forward to learning about social networks. I think that social networks are a great way to collaborate with peers. As stated by Solomon and Schrum a new skill that students need to learn in the ability to collaborate and to work together to have shared authorship (2014, p. 33). By commenting and putting information out on social media students should be able to practice collaboration. I also think that in this same sense blogging can help students take ownership of their work and comment on others work. I am excited to learn about both social networking and blogging strategies for learning.
In my own classroom, I use technology as a teaching tool but there is an extensive amount of technology that students can use to learn. I am a new teacher so from the beginning of my teaching career I have been integrating technology into my classroom. Web 2.0 has been changing and will be ever-changing throughout my career and I feel it is important to know those changes so that students will be prepared for real life. I think that there will be a shift to a web based classroom. Right now, there are already a lot of schools that are online or a hybrid of online and classroom time. Even in the county I teach we have shifted snow make up days to technology days that don’t need to be made up if missed. Students in the future will probably all have computers in classrooms to communicate and collaborate. This will completely change how teachers do lessons each and every day.
When thinking back on my initial thoughts about Web 2.0 and its role on 21st century teaching and learning I thought I may have a hard time using Web 2.0 in my own classroom because I teach elementary school age students. I thought that it may be difficult for younger age students to be able to blog and use the internet to collaborate with each other. After reading about how Web 2.0 tools can help students learn and become more engaged (they have a global audience rather than just a teacher reading their work) I see that the Web 2.0 tools can really take learning to a higher level. When reading about Mrs. Yollis’ classroom blog in Web 2.0 How-To for Educators I saw that 3rd graders (which is what I teach) were able to set up a communication between them and classrooms across the world and this helped them create relationships and learn more about other cultures and people in fun and motivating way (Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p. 40). I now see how I can integrate this technology into my classroom to come up with new ways to help my students reach their highest potential and push them further into learning.
Web 2.0 tools can be used to support students with diverse learning needs because it is a way to scaffold learning. As a teacher I can assign students different tasks online based on their level. I can also differentiate by using flipped classroom and have students go at their own pace where they can take the time they need on each lesson. Using social networks are also ways that students have all day learning instead of just learning at school. Students can go home and continue to post online about their pages. This would help a student who has a hard time retaining information. I also think that students with learning disabilities benefit because they now will have the means to communicate. They can use assistive technology and typing to help them succeed in school. Technology is a means of communication for anyone and everyone.
Internet research on Evaluating Student Blogs
There are many resources online that are there to help teachers who are new at blogging with their students. When trying to implement blogging in the classroom as stated by Tolisano, a teacher needs to know what a quality blog looks like before coming up with a plan (2011 p.1). She also states “I believe that seeing and learning to recognize quality samples of student work in various areas of the rubrics (writing, voice, presentation, citation, community, commenting) is beneficial to educators, new to blogging with their students (Tolisano 2011 p.1).” After reading this I realized that I needed to look into what students can do with blogs first before deciding what I want to grade them on.
After looking online for the best classroom blogs I came across Mrs. Yollis’ classroom blog which was also mentioned in Solomon and Schrum’s Web 2.0 How to For Educators where it states that their classroom blog has become a global learning community (2014 p.38). This is what I would like to accomplish in my own classroom. Mrs. Yollis also has a help section on her student blog (a wiki page) that has extra information for teachers. This helped me because it shows how much students can do on their own and she includes videos on blogging to learn and commenting.
Another great resource for grading using a rubric is from Chalkup, What Makes a *Good* Rubric. The Chalkup staff states that a rubric should be very clear and concise and it should have language that the teacher uses during class and that the students are familiar with (2015 p.1). I wanted to be sure that my rubric was not too in depth and the students would be able to use it as a resource to help them plan their blog post.
After exploring Mrs. Yollis’ Wiki page, Langwitches- Tolisano, and Chalkup. I was able to come up with a rubric that would show my students capabilities but also not completely bog them down with details (See Below).
Resources
Chalkup Staff (2015, November 9). What makes a *Good* Rubric. [Web Blog] Retrieved from http://blog.chalkup.co/what-makes-a-good-rubric
S Tolisano. (2011, December 25). Learning About Blogs FOR your Students: Part VII- Quality. [Web Blog] Retrieved from http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/12/25/learning-about-blogs-for-your-students-part-vii-quality/
Solomon, A., Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To For Educators, Second Edition Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Yollis Linda, (2013, March 15). Retrieved August 29, 2017 from Educational Blogging Wikispaces: http://educational-blogging.wikispaces.com/
This quote illustrates how students can develop using technology. I think that it is correct in saying students need observation and experimentation (empirical evidence) but that it can be transferred through other situations. Students can use technology to help guide them. Instead of teachers using technology to show students ideas and give students information students should use technology to engage in learning.
Students can use technology as a means of communication and collaboration that can give them a richer understanding of what is being taught. In many cases teachers feel that because they are using a PowerPoint or an online game they are good at integrating technology, but to really implement and achieve their full potential technology has to be in the student’s hands.
I am looking forward to learning about a plethora of technology tools this semester so that I can expand my knowledge and use what I have learned to have my students collaborate online as well as in person. This is a life skill that students should learn at a young age so that they can build on that knowledge throughout their lives. I am most looking forward to learning about social networks. I think that social networks are a great way to collaborate with peers. As stated by Solomon and Schrum a new skill that students need to learn in the ability to collaborate and to work together to have shared authorship (2014, p. 33). By commenting and putting information out on social media students should be able to practice collaboration. I also think that in this same sense blogging can help students take ownership of their work and comment on others work. I am excited to learn about both social networking and blogging strategies for learning.
In my own classroom, I use technology as a teaching tool but there is an extensive amount of technology that students can use to learn. I am a new teacher so from the beginning of my teaching career I have been integrating technology into my classroom. Web 2.0 has been changing and will be ever-changing throughout my career and I feel it is important to know those changes so that students will be prepared for real life. I think that there will be a shift to a web based classroom. Right now, there are already a lot of schools that are online or a hybrid of online and classroom time. Even in the county I teach we have shifted snow make up days to technology days that don’t need to be made up if missed. Students in the future will probably all have computers in classrooms to communicate and collaborate. This will completely change how teachers do lessons each and every day.
When thinking back on my initial thoughts about Web 2.0 and its role on 21st century teaching and learning I thought I may have a hard time using Web 2.0 in my own classroom because I teach elementary school age students. I thought that it may be difficult for younger age students to be able to blog and use the internet to collaborate with each other. After reading about how Web 2.0 tools can help students learn and become more engaged (they have a global audience rather than just a teacher reading their work) I see that the Web 2.0 tools can really take learning to a higher level. When reading about Mrs. Yollis’ classroom blog in Web 2.0 How-To for Educators I saw that 3rd graders (which is what I teach) were able to set up a communication between them and classrooms across the world and this helped them create relationships and learn more about other cultures and people in fun and motivating way (Solomon & Schrum, 2014, p. 40). I now see how I can integrate this technology into my classroom to come up with new ways to help my students reach their highest potential and push them further into learning.
Web 2.0 tools can be used to support students with diverse learning needs because it is a way to scaffold learning. As a teacher I can assign students different tasks online based on their level. I can also differentiate by using flipped classroom and have students go at their own pace where they can take the time they need on each lesson. Using social networks are also ways that students have all day learning instead of just learning at school. Students can go home and continue to post online about their pages. This would help a student who has a hard time retaining information. I also think that students with learning disabilities benefit because they now will have the means to communicate. They can use assistive technology and typing to help them succeed in school. Technology is a means of communication for anyone and everyone.
Internet research on Evaluating Student Blogs
There are many resources online that are there to help teachers who are new at blogging with their students. When trying to implement blogging in the classroom as stated by Tolisano, a teacher needs to know what a quality blog looks like before coming up with a plan (2011 p.1). She also states “I believe that seeing and learning to recognize quality samples of student work in various areas of the rubrics (writing, voice, presentation, citation, community, commenting) is beneficial to educators, new to blogging with their students (Tolisano 2011 p.1).” After reading this I realized that I needed to look into what students can do with blogs first before deciding what I want to grade them on.
After looking online for the best classroom blogs I came across Mrs. Yollis’ classroom blog which was also mentioned in Solomon and Schrum’s Web 2.0 How to For Educators where it states that their classroom blog has become a global learning community (2014 p.38). This is what I would like to accomplish in my own classroom. Mrs. Yollis also has a help section on her student blog (a wiki page) that has extra information for teachers. This helped me because it shows how much students can do on their own and she includes videos on blogging to learn and commenting.
Another great resource for grading using a rubric is from Chalkup, What Makes a *Good* Rubric. The Chalkup staff states that a rubric should be very clear and concise and it should have language that the teacher uses during class and that the students are familiar with (2015 p.1). I wanted to be sure that my rubric was not too in depth and the students would be able to use it as a resource to help them plan their blog post.
After exploring Mrs. Yollis’ Wiki page, Langwitches- Tolisano, and Chalkup. I was able to come up with a rubric that would show my students capabilities but also not completely bog them down with details (See Below).
Resources
Chalkup Staff (2015, November 9). What makes a *Good* Rubric. [Web Blog] Retrieved from http://blog.chalkup.co/what-makes-a-good-rubric
S Tolisano. (2011, December 25). Learning About Blogs FOR your Students: Part VII- Quality. [Web Blog] Retrieved from http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/12/25/learning-about-blogs-for-your-students-part-vii-quality/
Solomon, A., Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To For Educators, Second Edition Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Yollis Linda, (2013, March 15). Retrieved August 29, 2017 from Educational Blogging Wikispaces: http://educational-blogging.wikispaces.com/