Design Experiment 4

A wiki is a site that anyone can go to and edit with their content. It’s affordances are it can be a great place to collaborate and gain knowledge, provided the content is correct. 

If I were to use a wiki in my class setting I would use it for the purpose of research projects. Students (2^nd grade) would be assigned to groups and each would have to research specific elements of a president’s life. Once the research was completed students could add their information to the wiki.

Educators utilize wikis in the classroom as a tool for learning that students might find captivating. Utilizing wikis in the classroom (in the manner in which I stated) is a form of distributed cognition because the students are collaborating and compiling their knowledge online together in the wiki.

With the ever-evolving world of technology, I believe having the ability to collaborate with the world via technology (wikis or other means) would be an essential life skill for students of today. Our words are powerful, especially once written. When spoken they are easily interpreted into what their intended meaning is, but when they are written it is not always as easy. If a student can learn how to write, and write with “manners” collaboratively, they will have a major skill set for their future.

PBWorks

I have to say once I got logged in and looked through the directory of other pages that already existed I was kind-of turned off by it. No one seemed to keep up with their pages. I looked through several handfuls and out of all of them only two were up to date. The rest seem to be YEARS since they had been touched! Just kinda made me wonder “Why”?

I do like that it contains all the elements of an online class. It was simple enough to use and I like that the explanations of each “page” that was already created was provided. It all seemed pretty cut and dry and manageable. Which again begs the question stated above “Why”? What is the turn off for this site. For myself, I think it is overall appearance. It just doesn’t seem to have the “Wow” factor going for it. 

As far as comparing a wiki and PBWorks, I have never really utilized a wiki. I can say I don’t see myself utilizing PBWorks either. With PBWorks you can add assignments and keep up with meeting agendas. You can also post your syllabus and track activity. The activity tracker is where detailed notes can be added about each student. (Honestly, I am a little confused about this page- is it filled in by the student or by the teacher?) Then of course you have your course page and your “front page.” If more pages are needed, you add them. PBWorks is more or less like an interactive blog is my understanding. Files and videos may be shared as well. But again, it lacks the overall appearance of the “Wow” factor. It seems outdated and for that I’m not sure some students would be interested.  

Design Experiment 3: Khan Academy/ YouTube

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is both as website and an app. It is filled with math and science content for all grade levels. However, there was very little grammar content available. The content I found useful on Khan Academy for my specific (previous) grade level was of course for math, and grammar. I was hoping to find writing content but there wasn’t any available. All lessons I viewed were taught on specified grade levels. The lessons viewed were also modeled step by step and reviewed on level for the viewer. The grammar lessons will hopefully come in handy for my unit of study on narrative writing project.

Khan Academy is pretty user friendly and the layout is easy to follow. You can click on grade level and or content to find the lessons you need. I also like that the content here is trustworthy. Viewing the media for the purpose of “inappropriate content” is not likely to be neccesary.

YouTube

YouTube has to be my all time favorite! This website/app is my “got to” place. It truly has everything! The only complaint I have is when you use the search- it doesn’t always “work” the way you would like it to. The search also isn’t as easy to manage for educational purposes. Just because you typed in “2^nd grade” or “kindergarten” doesn’t mean that is what you are going to get. Also, EVERY video MUST be viewed because any one can submit to YouTube. It is not a “trusted” site such as Khan Academy.

That being said, YouTube is filled with loads of content. You just have to be willing to weed through the plethora of videos. I found several that I am hoping are useful for my unit of study on narrative writing. I also found several that could be utilized in other lessons that I had no idea were there! The content and grade level was not limited here like it was with Khan Academy.

One thing I like best about YouTube is that it is a collaboration of videos and knowledge. Anyone can explain in their words how “X” works and the world can view it with the click of a button. I like this best because we all see “X” from different perspectives. It gives us all a chance to voice our view as well as listen to other views. We all learn differently. YouTube gives us the opportunity to see some of those views and have them explained and maybe- just maybe- one of those will click for a student and they will get “X.” 

Design Experiment 2

Edmond

I had never played with Edmodo before but I have heard many educators talk about it. Edmodo looks to have many great user-friendly qualities. It seems easy enough for older elementary students to use as well.

As an educator I like that it is accessible form any computer and uses Google Drive storage. Edmodo allows the educator to set their url so that it is easily remembered as well. I also like that it requires a passcode for students to login to become a part of the class. With Edmodo you are able to post notes, assignments, give quizzes, and even take polls. One of my favorite features is the ‘Small Groups’ feature. I like this feature because we do not teach to a “one size fits all” student. With this feature you can assign members to the group that “fits” them and allow them to work on their level.  This allows for differentiated instruction online, meeting each student’s individual needs.

Google Classroom

 I do not have access to this but I find it interesting. I have watched a few YouTube videos on Google Classroom and after playing with Edmodo, I was not impressed with this course management system. It too has access to Google Drive which is a big plus for anyone utilizing it. It is accessible from any computer so there would be no excuses from either the student or educator. Educators can stream assignments and announcements and decide which class is capable of viewing which assignment. What I liked best about this CMS is that the students could create a Google Doc with just a few clicks and then submit their document to the teacher and their assignment was ready to be graded. As soon as the teacher grades their assignment, it is sent right back and the student is able to see the grade. Students immediately know the skills they are lacking and are able to correct and/or seek additional assistance in that area. Google Classroom looks to be a way of utilizing discovery learning.

Design Experiment 1

Google Apps for Education

I have not had the privilege of interacting with this technology as a whole to see just what all it can do but I did however watch a few YouTube videos. I must say I am intrigued. I am not an avid Google fan but they are proving to be good competitors with some tools and having no competition with others. That being said, I would have liked to see what their version of “Hangouts” for education is as well as just how different their collaboration is on their documents. I am also curious to how “simple” it is to create a website using their “sites” app.

Google Apps

Blogger

I see this app having endless possibilities. The way I would most likely utilize it would be during Balanced Literacy stations for Work on Writing. Students (2^nd grade) would be able to write about their experiences from the Summer, the stories they have read, or create short stories. I could also see this being utilized as a place to write a summary for history/social studies or science. Any subject could utilize a blog.

This is the app I use for my blog for this class. I cannot say that it is the most user friendly. It can be a little confusing so walking the students through the app/site a plethora of times is a must. Possibly having a laminated reminder posted of how to get where they need to be would most likely be a great idea (and a patience saver).

Google Earth

I debated on this one for a while but I think the students would enjoy it. The 3D effect is fun to them and allowing them to see just where they are in relation to what we are studying I believe would make the subject a little more concrete in their minds. I would utilize this app in a whole group setting. If I had the funds and technology provided I would allow the students to experiment with it in small group settings as well. My focus would be on geography of course for 2^nd grade. Students are to learn about maps and globes. Being able to see their town and zero in on their school to create a map of their own would assist them in their skills. I would also utilize this tool locate major landforms. I would utilize the street view and allowing students to see the monuments “up close” as they are.

Google Translate

The last app I chose was Google Translate. I recently went on an interview where one of the questions asked was “What would you do to assist our ESL students.” My response was,  “Anything that is asked of me because this is their education.” The interview was for a kindergarten position and I was informed that there were no specifics required just yet for them. So, I brought up Google Translate. Google Translate can utilize your camera to assist with a translation such as a note from home. It can utilize your microphone so that if you speak into it it translates for you. It also allows you to “write” on your phone and translates for you. I would utilize this app in every subject for every child necessary if it means furthering their education and breaking a simple barrier like communication to get them where they need to be to succeed.