Final+Examination

=Final Exam= ====During the 2010-11 school year, Central Montcalm Public Schools implemented a one-to-one computing initiative for students in grades 6 through 12. I have the luxury of teaching in this system where technology is at the top of the priority list and every student is given the opportunity to work with a number of different technology tools. While there is still much work and training that is needed to complete the transition from a traditional classroom to a 21st Century classroom, I believe that we are on the right track.====

====In today's working world, it is important for individuals to be able to work with emerging technologies and be able to problem solve. Employers are looking for people who can be given a task and complete it without having their hand held every step of the way. One way that we can assist students in developing these types of skills is through the use Web 2.0 technologies in our classes. However, these technologies should not be used in isolation or just for the sake of using them. With comprehensive professional development, teachers can learn to seamlessly incorporate them and enhance learning at the same time.====

====In EDU 653 we have examined a number of Web 2.0 tools, all of which I can implement immediately in my classroom. Many of these I have used in the past. In the following paragraphs I am going to outline several technology tools that could potentially be used to engage students and enhance instruction.====

=Blogs-= ====Weblogs are easy to use web publishing tools that allow anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to place their thoughts and ideas online. According to Will Richardson, blogs "can also be interactive, allowing teachers and students to begin conversations"(Richardson, 2010) that will enhance learning. In my classes blogs could be effectively used to allow students to reflectively evaluate many of the complex questions that are analyzed in history. Further, they can read and respond to their classmates posts on the same topic. This method may be very beneficial to students who choose not to participate in class discussions. Blogs would offer an opportunity for students to express themselves in another venue and still display the depth of their knowledge. Further, conversations that may be inspired through blog postings will help to strengthen understanding. Finally, since students are aware that others will be reading their work, and not just the teacher, it may inspire them to publish more thought out, researched, and supported work.====

====Another purpose that blogs can serve is a personal journal. Blogs store information chronologically by the date of the posting, so students can see exactly what was posted and when. This type of format makes a blog incredibly useful for reflecting on one's own thinking and learning. Throughout my life I have often looked back on certain times and situations and found it surprising that I ever could have believed or thought the way that I once did. A blog would produce a running record of a student's thoughts and ideas that they could access throughout the year and assess the progress of their learning. That being said, student must carefully consider what they post online before they publish. While information can be deleted, it can always be found or recovered so you never want to write anything online that you aren't comfortable with the world reading.====

My Blog: @http://jj-edu-653.blogspot.com/

=Wikis-= ====Wikis are another simple publishing tool that allow users to post and edit content. Unlike a blog, wikis are more like a standard web page. Information can be edited and rearranged by the author and any authorized collaborators at any time. While this is one strength of a wiki, it is also a drawback. Since anyone can create a wiki, they may publish information that is biased or altogether false. Any time you use information from the Internet, you must carefully evaluate it credibility and cross reference any information that you intend to cite or use. Wikis are excellent spaces for collaboration as multiple users can be given editing privileges. Wikis also allow users to publish much more than just text. Audio, video, pictures, and widgets are just a few of the items that can be added to a wiki page.====

====The biggest value that I see for wikis in my classroom is for collaboration. One way that I have used them in the past is to create resource pages for our "Civil Rights Research Project". Students were divided into groups of 3 to find credible and reliable resources online that others could use for their project. The purpose of this activity was two-fold. First, students needed to employ their skills to evaluate web resources and make sure that what they were finding was reliable. Second, students were shrinking the overwhelming wave of information that is available on the Internet down to 5 quality resources that could be used for each topic. One issue that we frequently encounter in web research projects is that students are simply overwhelmed by the amount of information that is available and they have a hard time sifting through all of it. This is contrary to Will Richardson's statement that "students prefer to access information on the Internet, where it is more abundant, more accessible, and more up to date." (Richardson, 2010) I believe that this may be true of some students, but my field experience has shown me that it isn't the majority. Hopefully, after more use and practice they will get to that point, but we are nowhere near that point yet.====

My Wiki: http://jj-edu653.wikispaces.com/ = = =RSS= ====RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and it is a way to stream headlines from your favorite new resources and stay up to date on topics of interest to you. This tool is incredibly useful in classes that I teach. While we study history and events that have happened in the past, our ultimate goal is to analyze enduring themes and lessons to improve our understanding of the world that we live in. One way that we can do this is by constantly referring to current events and comparing them to historical situations that we are studying at the time. Students often find history boring because they simply can't understand how this information really affects them and what value there is for them to learn it. By making connections to modern day events and the student's quality world, we will be able to make connections for them to events that may be hundreds or thousands of years old. In the upcoming school year I plan to use RSS feeds as the basis for my bellwork questions. Students can use their laptops to access RSS feeds and respond to articles through class discussions or online publishing.====

Sample RSS Feed: rss url="http://english.aljazeera.net/Services/Rss/?PostingId=2007731105943979989" link="true" number="3" date="true" = = =Social Networking-= ====Social networking is an incredibly powerful tool that has captivated the American public and many other parts of the world. Networking allows people to stay in touch with family, friends, and communicate with professional colleagues. Facebook alone, boasts an impressive 750 million active users.(@http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics) Any tool that has this much influence and potential needs to be assessed for its possible application to education.====

====One educational site that I have used that closely emulates Facebook is Edmodo. As you can see in the image below, the layout and functions are similar to those used by the creators of Facebook. Further, this site allows users to post their thoughts, comments, and images in much the same manner. As a teacher I can create a group and have my students join. By doing so, they will receive posts from me that include assignment directions, handouts, and deadlines. Also, students can submit their work electronically through Edmodo and I can grade their work and post scores on it as well. Students can access all of their classes that use Edmodo conveniently from their home page. One of the greatest advantages that I have found from using social networking in my classroom is that students who are absent don't have to be out of the loop. Assignment directions and handouts are posted online and students with Internet access can get them from home. This is also valuable when students go on long vacations during the school year. I no longer have to put together a large packet of handouts together before they leave because they can access the pdf file online the same day that the rest of the class gets them. One of the downsides to social networking in schools is cyber bullying. Students must be taught what is appropriate to post online and what is not. Often, students do not fully understand the severe consequences that their online behavior can have. Inappropriate behavior on a social networking website can affect relationships, future employment, and even have legal ramifications.====

Edmodo:
@http://www.edmodo.com/jjohnston

= = =Social Web- Bookmarking:= ====Social bookmarking allows users to create a personalized collection of web resources that are easy to sort and access. One major advantage of social bookmarking is that it is web based. It doesn't matter if you work from 1 computer or dozens of different devices, your pages are always accessible through an Internet connection. Further, multiple users can access the same collection of resources and contribute to each others efforts.====

====One problem that we frequently encounter in education is that there are simply too many resources available online and many of them are unreliable. Of course we want students to be able to evaluate resources, but sometimes there simply isn't enough time to allow students to wander through all of them. By using social bookmarking we can collaboratively create a condensed list of useful sites that can be utilized by the entire class. I have used other methods of resource collecting in the past and at times it has proven to be cumbersome. Using a site like delicious makes it much more convenient for group members to access and contribute to the collective efforts. The downside of social bookmarking is that you have to be careful which sites you trust. Just because someone else said it was a good resource doesn't mean that it necessarily is.====



=Twitter-= ====Twitter is a simple to use publishing tool that allows users to post brief messages online. It operates in a similar manner to a blog and publishes your content chronologically based on when it was posted. Twitter often is used in a social capacity, but it also has many practical applications. One way that I use Twitter is similar to a RSS feed. I follow groups that I am interested in and I can stay up to date on any recent activity. Most organizations uses Twitter today to advertise upcoming events and other key news.====

====Another way that I have used Twitter in my classes is for discussion and note taking. By adding a # symbol and a unique designator you can filter posts that are related to your topic. Students can collaboratively take notes that all of them can access at a later time. This seems to be effective because students note different things throughout the activity and in the end they have created a fairly comprehensive outline as a group. Students who struggle with note taking also benefit by being able to see what other students choose to note. By doing so they improve their own skills as well. One of the cons of this method is that students may choose to disengage during a presentation and may not fully understand when they refer back to it later. It is intended to be a refresher, not a stand alone learning method.====

=Online Photo Galleries/Presentation Tools-= ====Online photo galleries provide opportunities to share and access images with the entire online community. In the classroom I have used sites like Flickr to show images that are related to the content we are studying. From my classroom in Stanton, Michigan can view images sites from all over the world. 20 years ago students would have to hope that the local library contained books with a picture or two that might be related to their topic. Now, students can instantly access millions of images. It is almost like they are taking a virtual field trip to anywhere in the world right from the comforts of their home or school. This allows students to take control over their own learning by having the ability to access unlimited information.====

====Another tool that allows students to extend their own learning beyond what their teachers are presenting is online presentation tools. Sites like Slideshare allow you to search through countless presentations that have been created and posted online by others. Once again, anyone can post to these sites so you do have to carefully evaluate the content that you are viewing, but the cons are definitely outweighed by the benefits.====

Flickr
media type="custom" key="10187575" Click Photo to see the original and citation

SlideShare
media type="custom" key="10187647" My Sample Presentation

Glogster
media type="custom" key="10187617" Sample student Glogster submitted by A. Tatum

=Audio/Video Casting=

Podcasting
====Podcasts are powerful tools in the sense that they offer an opportunity for students to access information when they need it. Many students need to hear things several times in order to commit it to memory. Also, students can listen to whatever parts of a podcast they want and as frequently as the want. I have recorded lectures and assignment directions in the past and posted them online for students to access when they needed them. This works as a good resource for students when it comes time to review. Also, this have proven to be valuable at time when I am going to be out of my classroom and need to introduce an important assignment. Instead of leaving directions for a substitute to present, students hear the directions from my voice exactly as I intended. One of the drawbacks to this is that it does take time to record and edit podcasts so that they are ready to be presented.====

media type="file" key="EDU 653-1 Podcast.mp3" width="240" height="20" Podcast music sources in order:
 * Beastie Boys**: //Intergalactic//. Hello Nasty, 1999.
 * Guns & Roses**: //Welcome to the Jungle//. Appetite for Destruction, 1987.
 * Ice Cube**: //The Predator//. The Predator, 1992.
 * Jesse J**: //Price Tag//. Who Are You, 2011.

Digital Story Telling & YouTube
Videocasting works in a similar way to podcasts, but it adds the visual element to your presentation. This can be used in a number of capacities using screencasts or actual video. I have used screencasting to show students how to navigate through a particular program when I think they may have difficulties. By using screencasting students can see and hear exactly what they need to do to accomplish a task. One of the drawbacks to screencasting is that it takes time to create. For teachers that do not have ready access to computers, it would also be difficult for students to access.

Video can also be useful as long as it is used wisely. The most successful use of video that I have found in my classes is that students create a newscast portraying actual historical events from various time periods in history. I provide the students with a list of details that they must incorporate (dates, people, events, etc...) and the rest is up to them. Using their creativity, students have produced phenomenal projects that go way beyond anything we could have ever accomplished using traditional educational tools. The downside to this project is that it does take a considerable amount of time. Also, some students are less familiar with some of the technology tools, which takes time to educate them and takes away from the original intent of the project. media type="youtube" key="31sUhOcxPKc" height="349" width="560"

=Conclusion-= ====The downside of some of these emerging technology is that students need to be educated in appropriate online behavior and the potential ramifications for failing to live by these guidelines. Users of technology need to understand that things posted online are permanent and they need to think carefully before putting anything online. Another issue is that since web publishing is so accessible, it allows anyone to publish pretty much anything they want. This can range from the offensive, to obscene, or even outright misinformation. Once again, users need to be educated to be able to distinguish between what is reliable and what is not when it comes to online content.====

====Overall, Web 2.0 technologies will definitely enhance instruction and prepare student for the working world that they will face after they complete their education. One of the recurring themes that is clear is that new technologies will increase student access to content and education. Students no longer have to travel to locations in order to view locations, documents, or even receive instruction. While this may never replace the value of the actual experience, it at least allows students the opportunity to see things that they may have never otherwise been able to. Another clear advantage of these emerging technologies is that student collaboration can easily be increased. There are many easy to use online publishing tools that allow multiple users to work together to create a finished product. One of the drawbacks to collaboration in the past has been that students needed to be in the same physical location in order to be able to work together. Today, that is no longer the case. Internet access and a computing device has truly revolutionized the world as we know it. As the costs of technology tools continue to decrease, access will continue to increase to more and more of the population.====

=Sources:= Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2010.

Facebook: @http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics