Web 1.0 vs. 2.0

Last summer I created a project for students using web 1.0 tools.  The students read fairy tales and different variations of those stories and then created their own fairy tale using their culture to influence their story.  Their teacher would upload the static story that then it would be kept in the library for others to read.  If this project was updated and used web 2.0 tools I would have students work together on a wiki to create their fairy tales.  That way it would be a collective effort (intelligence) from all participants.  I think that one major implementation challenge would be having students realize that others will be able to change the content of their fairy tales.  I believe that this project would work well both ways using web 1.0 tools or web 2.0 tools.  I would leave this up to the teachers to decide which tools would be best to use for their students.

Digital Video Projects

I've been thinking about how to best get students involved with video editing.  After doing a some research I came across a project where students read their script they created and have cut out pictures that help to tell their story.  Students would be able to record one long video with a narrator in the background.  Once the video is imported into Movie Maker then students can edit their video by add in transitions, effects, sounds and credits to their project.  I thought this would be great for younger students because now they don't have to worry about memorizing their lines but actually focus on their fluency of the script.  The real learning can all be focused on editing the video to add in the special touches to create a final product.  Think that when students have the power to create their own learning from projects they learn more and it means something to them.    

Digital Video Editing

There is so much to think about when considering making a video such as the basics, process, encoding and decoding, and DEAPR just to name a few.  When you make a movie you have to think about the basics: purpose, audience, length of time, and the style of the video.  There are some questions that need to be answered before you can start shooting your movie.  Questions such as will there be actors in the video?  Will there be images?  Or maybe voice over the images?  Is there some type of music that will help to set the mood of the movie?  Another question that needs to be answered is what types of shots you will use during the production.  Will you have close ups, wide, pan, medium, bust, or zoom?  I believe that in order to really understand how to create a great video you have to watch good and bad examples this is a part of the decoding process.  While designing or encoding you have to search for images, music, effects, transitions and recording voices or recording video clips.  All if these parts have to be imported into movie maker to create your video.  This entire process is considered the DEAPR process.  Once everything is imported into movie maker then publishing and revisions can begin.  

Last week my group made a video using music, slides from powerpoint and short video clips.  Everything is imported and sliced/pasted together to create our longer minute and a half movie.  It was great to work as a group on the encoding part of the process because everyone was allowed to play to their strengths.  Once everyone found their pieces of the "puzzle" and brought it together we were able to create one masterpiece.  It was definitely easier to edit our video in movie maker because we could pick up whole pieces of video or songs and move them to the place we wanted.  If we wanted to just cut a small part it was a matter of a few clicks and it was deleted.  I enjoyed "playing" around with the tool and then creating a product that I was proud to share with others.  I think that my students would also be excited to use this tool to assist them in sharing their new knowledge with others in the community.       

Questions...Questions...Questions

Going through the ITS program has opened my eyes to so many possibilities in the classroom and outside.  I've tried out a few lesson plans in my own classroom and shared ideas with others in my building.  Most teachers that have reached out to me for "advice" on how to best technology in their lessons want to try it out for themselves.  Then, on the hand I've had some teachers say something like "that sounds interesting, would you like to try it in my classroom too?"  This made me consider what do really want to do in my school.  As I thought about this I came to the conclusion that I want to model technology integrated lessons for teachers in my building.  Then I thought about, how could I do this in my current position.  As an English Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher I support multiple classrooms so once I have a rapport with the classroom teacher I could "slip" in and make suggestions for lessons.  Before we begin to plan the lesson I could pose am authentic problem and have the students use technology to solve it.  This could work right?  Or would I need to be in a different position that only focused on technology?  Trouble shooting software and hardware problems doesn't interests me so applying for a School Based Technology Specialist (SBTS) position I don't think is the way.  Is there any position that would just allow me to work with teachers, students and authentic problems?  Until I find something else I guess I'll just stay where I am and influence the teachers around me.     

Social Networking

I think that social networking has benefits depending on what the user is seeking.  If they user is purely seeking connections and people to assist them in different situations then that's great.  Social networking sites could be used for educational purposes if it is set up in such a manner.  One way that came to me right away was having students as the experts for math problems.  In my classroom once I felt comfortable that students had mastered concepts I would have them buddy up with other students that were struggling.  On these sites students could ask for help with math concepts and the expert student would respond with steps on how to complete certain problems.  As teachers we definitely have the responsibility of guiding students in the proper use of social networking.  Just because our students have Grown Up Digital doesn't mean we should assume that they understand how to functional in an online environment.  Just like we teach students how to read, watch videos, and interact socially with each other we need to teach online skills for them to be successful in an online environment.  

Podcasting

Podcasts are audio recording that are published to the web for others to listen and enjoy.  Anyone can create a podcast if you have a few simple materials.  All you need is digital audio recorder that can create a MP3 file, server space, and something to talk about.  When you listen to a podcast it's all about the sound and feel (music for the intro and outro and the structure of the information).  Some podcasts are interviews, conversations between people and others have interactions with listeners.  Everyday people are producing podcasts about topics that interest them.  An easy place to begin to look for podcasts is in itunes.  There are hundreds of podcasts in many different categories and some of the educational podcast are very interesting.  A few that I have subscribed to on itunes are The Teacher Castpodcast and The Amazing Teacher Podcast.    

Podcasts can be used in the classroom as a way to grab students attention at the beginning of a lesson in the same way a photo or short video clip would be used.  Students could also make their own podcast to elevate their oral and written communication skills.  My school is having a Black History celebration this Friday and the fourth grade students are all researching a famous African American.  The students are going to dress up like the person and participate in a living wax museum activity.  I made the suggestion that inside of the students just reading their facts as people walk up to them that they record them and create podcasts so that when other students walk up to the "statue" they would simply press a button and listen to the facts just like in a real museum.  Later the recordings could be posted on the school's website to highlight part of the celebration and for other students to listen to that weren't able to visit the living museum.  

Wiki Wiki

I've never thought that wikis were a reliable resource since anyone could go on them and change the content.  Since reading Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts; its become clear that wikis are much more powerful than I ever knew.  Just like the saying "two heads are better than one" wikis put that into action.  When everyone contributes to the knowledge that is collected through a wiki the learning becomes greater than if just one person created it.

Using wikis in the classroom is a great way to have students solve authentic problems.  As teachers we want to mirror the real word for our students and allowing them to collaborate and demonstrate their new knowledge using wiki is the perfect tool for that learning objective.

Students could conduct a research project and create a wiki around their new knowledge.  It would be interesting for students to see how others react to their information on their research topic.  It would be a great way for students to have an authentic audience.  I would explain to learners that others people will come to read, learn and even edit the content of their wikis.  I was also think about teachers with younger students and maybe having a class wiki about a topic the class is interested in would be the way to go.