WEEK THREE|

WEEK THREE| creating a blog

| Reflection

Upon creating this blog, I was a little uncertain as to how I should be expressing my work. When looking through blogs that were created by other people, it became clear to me that my blog should be my own creation that expresses my own journey through this course. Before beginning this course I was unsure about what blogs entailed and what should be on a blog and most importantly how a blog related to teaching.  Looking through valuable information I have learnt that the use of blogs are a great way to communicate. Looking through the blogs made by the other people in my course I have learnt a great deal. There are several different way's in which a topic can be answered and there are a lot of people who's opinions are different and their interpretation of a question were answered differently.
In relation to talking about the thinking tool of SAWT, using the blog method can have several strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. |
What this all means is that a blog can have its disadvantages and also its positives whist using it as a teaching tool; as shown below.

SWOT ANALYSIS

Weaknesses - Students need to have the ICT skills. (preferably computer/internet skills) - Students need to have motivation to jump on this site to help with their learning (self-motivation and control) - needs internet connection  (may be an issue for students working from home) - The site may be experiencing technical difficulties

Strengths - easily accessible. - students can access this site from home/school and on their portable devices    (mobiles,Ipads) which will make it easy to access wherever you may be.

Opportunities - A great learning tool to collaborate on - Students can reflect on/learn from other students ideas - A great tool to upload assignments for feedback from peers and teachers - A great tool to be able to meet other students - A great tool to be able to have discussions with teachers after school hours - A tool in which can help students to feel 'accepted' if used properly - A tool that is parent friendly! (For parents who want to be involved in their child's learning, the parent can jump on the site and read about what their children are learning and the feedback that the teacher is giving their children in regards to their learning)

Threats - The site may not be accessible for all ages - The site needs to be monitored to avoid inappropriate behaviour  - cyber bullying may be a huge issue if the site is used incorrectly

The use of a blog is one of the many scaffolding tools that a teacher can use in order to lead students towards a better understanding about a topic.
a blog is a great tool in which teachers can upload their students assessment pieces and then the students being able to access this and comment on and elaborate on whist assessing the work of other students to help with their own understanding. In regards to scaffolding, a teacher can type out questions in order to probe students to answer and elaborate on to help with their learning, ask for each students interpretation and then provide the student with positive feedback for the purpose of improvement.
Whilst using a blog as a learning tool it may be suitable for students of all ages, teacher supervision may be required in order to ensure that all students understand how to use it and that they know what to use it for.

REFELCTION| What I found to be interesting in regards to writing my SWAT analysis was that I had more points to write about in the 'opportunities' section than I did when I was writing about the threats and weaknesses. there are so many positives when it comes to creating and using a blog for learning purposes. Writing so many positives about a blog goes to show just how much the use of a blog can really help students. I even consider the site to be parent friendly! There are many parents who want to be involved in their child's learning and so the use of a blog can be a great way in which they can monitor how well they are doing at school and with their learning.

ATTENTION: YOUR ACCESS HAS BEEN DENIED!!

Remember this nasty sign that popped up when you tried to access your social media account from the school computers which often meant you had no choice but to do your school work?
Well according to Fasso, 2012  this nasty sign is still in play when students attempt to open up their accounts to blogs or to social media sites.
Schools today, are still blocking students from access to social media sites. I have created a SWAT chart to lay out in front of us if this is a good option or not. could blocking students from blog sites or other learning sites be effecting their learning?

Threats - Particular blogging sites may be an open door for cyber bullying and/or other member of the public can contribute if not monitored constantly - Students may not be using the site appropriately - students may be accessing their own personal accounts from the school websites instead of using their school accounts - particular blogging sites may have a virus in them (unlikely, but they might!!)

Weaknesses - students may be distracted from what they are meant to be doing on the internet -

Opportunities - Students are able to collaborate with other students from other schools during school hours - Teachers are able to have a face-to-face discussion with their students based on what they have read on eachother's blogs. - students have a chance to discuss face-to-face with other students whilst reading blog information (collaborate with eachother during school)

Strenghts - The site can be monitored more effectively at school - Students who do not have internet access at home can access the blogs from school - students are able to ask questions whist at school -

Blogs are a useful tool in order for students to collaborate and to provide feedback with each other. The use of a blog (if used appropriately and positively) can help with self-esteem levels and also with ensuring that each student is on the right track in regards to homework and assignment work.
The blogs can give students the opportunity to ask questions under each post and to express their own thoughts and opinions. As a future primary school teacher, I want to be able to have my students access the blogs that I would have posted pictures and stories based on what the students are learning at the time. With this, the students can come back to the information if they ever forget or can't remember something or just want to be reminded. The internet is a powerful tool, it is filled with information and pictures and I want my blog postings to narrow down particular information based on what my students are learning at the time. This way, students can add their own knowledge on the topic underneath the posting! this is a great way in which students can collaborate while learning!


REFRENCES:
Fasso, W. (2013). Digital tool 1: Blogs for learning, EDED20491 ICTs for Learning Design, Last viewed 22 March 2013

WEEK THREE|Creating a Wiki| Reflection

I believe a wiki can be a great tool to learn and elaborate on. What I discovered about this tool is that it holds the opportunity to upload images and videos which helps to create a great learning environment for other wiki members.
There are so many things that a wiki can do and having this useful tool in a classroom can help students to learn and to also develop their ICT skills that they may not already have.
A wiki is also a great source in which students can talk about assignment tasks or even answer questions provided by the teacher. A Wiki is a great source for students to share videos or pictures related to their learning.
what I found great about this site was that you were able to change the colour of your writing which is helpful to distinguish between which 'hat' the students fall under. changing the colour of the writing helps with distinguishing which student thinks what. An example may include the use of black representing opinion or negativity towards a topic and purple meaning that the students is in agreement and supports the topic. This is a great elaboration lesson that students can be involved in on the wiki.
Although wikis are a great learning tool they are also very 'fiddly'. It took me a long time to find out how to use the wiki and to discover what they were used for and this could be an issue in which students might be faced with in class (students need to have ICT skills to use this site) I created a SWOT analysis to help break down the positives and the negatives of using a wiki in a classroom.

Weaknesses - Students need to have the ICT skills - Students need to have the motivation to use the site. - internet connection needs to be available - Teachers providing information need to have correct references for students - The site may have 'down time' for maintenance and this could cause disruption to students when trying to access this site for homework or assignments.

Threats - cyber bullying - inappropriate use of the site can easily occur - needs to be monitored by teachers/parents

Opportunities - Learning opportunities - Students can upload videos or pictures that they have found on a topic and want to share this with their classmates/teacher.

Strengths - use of writing in different colours to help distinguish between different opinions. The 'Hat' theory. -

I found a great site that explains exactly what a Wiki is. It really helped me to develop my knowledge in using this collaborative website. Here is the link.
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf