Exploring Wikis
It was fascinating to explore many wiki pages and how they can be used in classrooms around the world. I always thought that using wiki pages was taboo. I have always learned that Wikipedia could be altered so when writing a paper, it should not be utilized as a resource. After reading and finding out more about wiki’s I have concluded that yes, wiki pages can be altered by outside sources, but for teachers, this is an advantage in many ways. It seems like it would be a great tool for students to report their information and to tell their class as well as other classes about what they have learned. Wikis are also a great way for students to collaborate with people around the world. According to Solomon (2014), “Each students work is saved, and teachers are able to track what each one has contributed to the product, both their contributions and their corrections to another students work” (p.201). This is a great feature. Teachers can see earlier versions of wiki pages so that students are held accountable for their work.
The following shows the Wiki pages that I explored this week:
Productivity Tools Support Student Learning
Solomon (2014) states that productivity tools “have also afforded educators a way to promote and encourage collaboration authentically in the development of projects and papers” (p.100) Google Docs are a great way for students to collaborate. One way that I could use a Google Doc in my room is for spelling practice. Right now, I have students writing notes back and forth (paper and pencil) using their spelling words in the sentences. I could use Google Docs to have students edit a document and write back and forth on that document. This would be an engaging way for students to work together. I have used Google Presentations in the past to link information to Google Tours. Students can click on the link and instead of taking them to a website that may have ads that I do not want them to see they are taken strait to the presentation I made about a particular topic. Google is a great tool that is being used more and more in schools.
Web 2.0 tools to Support Students with Diverse Learning Needs
One way that Web 2.0 tool could help students with diverse learning needs is for them to feel more comfortable providing answers to others. Sometimes students are nervous to talk to others but may be able to use a tool to convey their information. Students also may need graphic organizers to understand more in-depth concepts. Using Web 2.0 tool students could get the scaffolding they need to understand the concepts they need to learn.
I explored Google Slides to create a math lesson for my students. I used this tool to explore Google Slides, but in the future, I would like to create slides that are interactive so that the students can study the slides on their own. Below are the slides that I created.
It was fascinating to explore many wiki pages and how they can be used in classrooms around the world. I always thought that using wiki pages was taboo. I have always learned that Wikipedia could be altered so when writing a paper, it should not be utilized as a resource. After reading and finding out more about wiki’s I have concluded that yes, wiki pages can be altered by outside sources, but for teachers, this is an advantage in many ways. It seems like it would be a great tool for students to report their information and to tell their class as well as other classes about what they have learned. Wikis are also a great way for students to collaborate with people around the world. According to Solomon (2014), “Each students work is saved, and teachers are able to track what each one has contributed to the product, both their contributions and their corrections to another students work” (p.201). This is a great feature. Teachers can see earlier versions of wiki pages so that students are held accountable for their work.
The following shows the Wiki pages that I explored this week:
- Primary Math: This site was very organized. It has categories of different math concepts and pictures of what the students worked on in math. Students were able to show an idea for others to view. The learning outcomes here are that the student feels as if they are becoming a teacher because they are teaching someone else about their math and what they know about that concept. They have to know the math to be able to show what they know. I think that this could be improved by having the students write about their picture. I was a little disappointed by this Wiki. I thought that students would have more involvement, but it seems like they just posted a picture about their topic.
- Go West: I loved the layout of this wiki. The main page has a concept map that shows how all of the concepts about the Oregon Trail connect and interact with each other. It then includes pages about specific topics like “Daily Life” where students report their information. Students are learning to type and how to summarize information to show it to a broader audience. I used this concept to shape my idea for my Wiki about colonists (link below). Students used pictures and text to tell about their topic. I think that this Wiki is missing text features and videos. Since third graders study text features, students could add a vocabulary spot on their page to make it more appealing to a reader. They could also add/make videos about their topic to the page that could be embedded.
- Greetings from the World: This was my favorite Wiki to explore. It is organized by continent, and any school around the world could add a Glogster about their home and tell interesting facts. The purpose is for others to learn more about places around the world. This to me is a very authentic way of learning because if you are the class making the Glogster you are teaching someone about your own culture and if you are reading the Glogster, you know that it comes from an authentic source. You could also collaborate with the class that is posting the Wiki to learn more about their culture. This Wiki is missing/could be improved on its homepage. Right now, I feel like it is a little confusing to figure out. It took me a minute to find the Glogster posts. I think that they could add an information page on the home page to help others navigate. Also, right now the page is centered around Glogsters, but they could use other mediums to get their information to viewers. I would like to see other forms of technology to teach about specific areas of the world.
Productivity Tools Support Student Learning
Solomon (2014) states that productivity tools “have also afforded educators a way to promote and encourage collaboration authentically in the development of projects and papers” (p.100) Google Docs are a great way for students to collaborate. One way that I could use a Google Doc in my room is for spelling practice. Right now, I have students writing notes back and forth (paper and pencil) using their spelling words in the sentences. I could use Google Docs to have students edit a document and write back and forth on that document. This would be an engaging way for students to work together. I have used Google Presentations in the past to link information to Google Tours. Students can click on the link and instead of taking them to a website that may have ads that I do not want them to see they are taken strait to the presentation I made about a particular topic. Google is a great tool that is being used more and more in schools.
Web 2.0 tools to Support Students with Diverse Learning Needs
One way that Web 2.0 tool could help students with diverse learning needs is for them to feel more comfortable providing answers to others. Sometimes students are nervous to talk to others but may be able to use a tool to convey their information. Students also may need graphic organizers to understand more in-depth concepts. Using Web 2.0 tool students could get the scaffolding they need to understand the concepts they need to learn.
I explored Google Slides to create a math lesson for my students. I used this tool to explore Google Slides, but in the future, I would like to create slides that are interactive so that the students can study the slides on their own. Below are the slides that I created.
Pedagogy Wheel By: Allan Carrington
This wheel is a great resource for teachers! The Google tools that I have explored are included in this wheel. It shows that students can use Google Docs for many levels of Blooms Taxonomy like remembering and evaluating. This wheel shows how the levels of Blooms correlate to the apps that we will use in the classroom. This is a visual way to understand how technology can help students meet many standards. These tools are ideal for scaffolding and working with students with diverse learning needs. Teachers could use this wheel to decide which tools to use with which students.
Resources:
Allan Carrington. (2017). The Padagogy Wheel. Retrieved from https://designingoutcomes.com/english-speaking-world-v5-0/
Solomon, A., Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To For Educators, Second Edition Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education
This wheel is a great resource for teachers! The Google tools that I have explored are included in this wheel. It shows that students can use Google Docs for many levels of Blooms Taxonomy like remembering and evaluating. This wheel shows how the levels of Blooms correlate to the apps that we will use in the classroom. This is a visual way to understand how technology can help students meet many standards. These tools are ideal for scaffolding and working with students with diverse learning needs. Teachers could use this wheel to decide which tools to use with which students.
Resources:
Allan Carrington. (2017). The Padagogy Wheel. Retrieved from https://designingoutcomes.com/english-speaking-world-v5-0/
Solomon, A., Schrum, L. (2014). Web 2.0 How-To For Educators, Second Edition Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education