Russell Smith's BLOGical
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ECI 511--Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts
It?s fitting that I am using the forum of this weblog space to discuss three of the increasingly popular ways in which the average internet user, just like you and I, are becoming able to express our thoughts and knowledge in a quick and easy way. The weblog, or ?blog? is one of these ways. A blog is a type of webpage where users can enter information about any number of topics on a frequent basis, where they are free to discuss whatever topic is on their mind. Often the composers of these blogs provide links to other webpages that are relevant to the topic, such as news articles, information websites, or perhaps other blogs on other sites. Most blogs allow the readers to post comments relating to the blog postings, often to agree, disagree, or
provide more insight into the topic.
There are 3 types of blogs: blogs that relate to news topics or important issues; journal-type blogs that detail the daily activities of the blogger; and information-dump blogs, where the user posts data about a study or
project they are working on in order to refer to it later on.
Blogs are being used for educational purposes in many ways. As mentioned in an article written by Will Richardson, many teachers are having their students create blog entries that allow students to express their critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they learn about various topics. Many students tend to forget information unless they write it down, and providing opportunities for students to record their information in an online forum is stimulating to many students. Students can post comments about their classmates? entries, forming an online discussion about a topic that students can refer back to later. Students can also use blogs to correspond to authors of books that they are reading in class and gain insight into the writer?s thoughts about the book. Some students use blogging to communicate with other students in other countries, in order to form a permanent record of the daily activities of the two groups that are thousands of miles away from each other.
Another way in which internet users are becoming more involved in the expansion of the internet is the use of collaborative content creation tools called wikis. Wikis are websites that anyone can edit at any time. (A popular example of a wiki is Wikipedia.com, which contains entries on more than 500,000 topics.) Ench entry on a wiki is created by a contributor who posts information about a particular topic on the site. This information is not verified by the creators of the wiki site; it is edited by other users of the site. If an item of information is incorrect, it can be corrected by another contributor. Although it can be assumed that these types of websites would invite massive amounts of fraudulent information, it is to the contrary. Most posts on wiki websites are factually correct, because the majority of the users of these websites feel obligated to correct these inaccurate postings when they are discovered.
The article ?The Educator?s Guide to the Read/Write Web? by Will Richardson discusses how wikis can be used to serve as an informational resource for students to create and use about various topics. If a student posts information about a particular subject, they must provide a source for that information and cite it appropriately. If the information is incorrect, it can be edited by other students in the class in order to regulate how reliable the information is. This information can be accessed by other classes at a later date, and be added onto as needed. Using wikis in the classroom allow students to create their own connections to their learning and make sure that their information is correct. The students take part in the learning process, and retain more of the information as a result.
Podcasts are another method in which information can be transmitted from one source to another. According to the article, ?Podcasting 101? by Esther Kreider Eash, a podcast is ?a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the internet for downloading to a personal audio player.? Basically, podcasting involves recording an event or discussion and transmitting via the internet as a way of hearing the information at a later point in time. Most often, these sound recording are converted into the MP3 format and posted online as a file that can be downloaded and listened to at a later time. If a podcast is transferred onto a portable MP3 player such as an iPod, the broadcast can be listened to anywhere, and can be replayed, rewound, or fastforwarded at any point without great delay. Students can utilize podcasts to disseminate information about a number of topics, such as the reading of a poem, an oral report about the Revolutionary War, or the replaying of a performance given by a school glee club. Students can create podcasts that allow others to hear the inflections of their words and hear a discussion in real time that would be difficult to portray in a transcript. When recording a podcast as part of a project, students would have to learn how to edit their content for maximum efficiency so there would not be unnecessary pauses or delays. In this way, students could learn how to format their information in a way that is succinct and to the point.
If I were able to utilize any of these information-gathering methods in the classroom, I would be very excited about how these tools could be used to document students? learning and how it could be archived for future use and extension. Using tools such as blogs and podcasts would serve as invaluable methods to make contact with other classes in other cultures and provide a way for students to retrieve information easily. Podcasts could be used to record an interview with an expert in geology that could be included in a science project. Blogs could be used to document a student?s observations when conducting long-term research for a science project. Using collaborative content online tools such as blogs, podcasts, and wikis allow for increased student participation in the learning process as well as increased exposure to technology that will prove to be valuable in their professional careers.
Posted at 12:25PM Nov 10, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]
ECI 511--The use of Hypermedia applications and Constructionist theory
Another one of the types of software that educators use to determine a students? understanding of a topic is the use of hypermedia applications. They are programs that allow students to produce media presentations which could include the use of text, graphics, audio, and video as well as hyperlinks to the internet. Hypermedia programs allow students to organize information as they see fit and link different bits of information together in a way which allows the user to skip from one subject to the next without needing to view each successive screen. Types of hypermedia software include AuthorWare, Director, Hypercard, Adobe Flash, PowerPoint, Keynote, Quark Immedia, Acrobat, Microsoft Office Suite, Visual FoxPro, and FileMaker Developer. (Source?Wikipedia)
Many educators have found that requiring students to use hypermedia programs to produce presentations demonstrates a student?s true understanding of a subject and the relationships between the different facts it is associated with. In the article ?Moments of Joy: Student Engagement and Conceptual Learning in the Design of Hypermedia Documents?, written by Pearl Chen and Diane McGrath, research studies have indicated that students who participate in the construction of hypermedia presentations also have a positive effect on their engagement in class. These students tend to be enthusiastic and proud of their work, and commit extra time to their projects compared to students who do not participate in these types of projects. These types of projects allow students to construct their own meanings of the course content, and find themselves learning with hypermedia, rather than from it, according to Chen and McGrath. Students are also able to re-organize their thoughts and make new connections to the corresponding facts if their initial planning does not work out. Hypermedia projects are constructionist activities in that the participants learn by creating the projects and develop their own meanings, and often are helpful even for at-risk students, according to the Chen/McGrath article.
The article, ?Constructionism as a High-Tech Intervention Strategy for At-Risk Learners?, written by Gary Stager, illustrates this point. The article tells the story of the Constructionist Learning Laboratory at the Maine Youth Center where students who are at-risk academically and legally engage in numerous long-term projects that allow them to pursue their personal interests and experiences in order to construct knowledge. They are expected to make or produce projects that show evidence of their ability to learn, such as building robots, developing video games, writing plays or poetry, making animated movies, creating musical instruments, or digital films. They also have access to a large classroom library containing books on numerous subjects in case they require reference. These projects allow students to work at their own pace and solve problems throughout the course of their completion of the project. If a problem cannot be overcome, they must figure out a way to reorganize or rethink their plans in order to successfully complete their task. The teacher?s role in this type of school is to support the students in the construction of their projects and help the students make connections to the ideas that are represented in their projects. The students feel more comfortable and confident about their abilities to succeed because they are not subjected to standardized testing or competing with classmates in order to reach a certain goal. The students own their mistakes and failures through this process, which allows them to feel all the more triumphant when they achieve the completion of their goal.
Chen and McGrath?s article also emphasizes how important the sense of ?play? is when working on a hypermedia or constructionist project. Students will feel more involved and dedicated to their work when their effort is construed as ?fun? instead of being a chore. This is evident in the case of the students working at the Constructionist Learning Laboratory.
I think that incorporating this type of activity would be a great way to get students to employ their creativity in a project. For example, students could use hypermedia software to produce a presentation that could illustrate how the Native Americans? displacement by the colonists during the early days of
Students would have to show an outline for their presentation by showing a concept map of some type showing how the different elements of their project connect together. As the students become more involved in their work, hopefully they would enjoy the creation of the project more and incorporate more into the project than they?d originally planned.
Posted at 03:50PM Oct 22, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]
ECI 514--Simulation Software
One of the ways in which to get students more involved and interested in using technology in the classroom is by providing and using different types of software during the course of their lessons. Different types of software offer educational games or information gathering sources. One type of software, simulation software, allow students to actively investigate concepts and conduct activities that would be prohibitive in the classroom due to overwhelming cost, limited time factors, or factors that would not allow them to be investigated otherwise. These simulations that are offered allow students to pretend they are visiting an exotic location far removed from the classroom, conduct experiments that would be too dangerous in real life, or visit another culture from the distant past. The most widely believed benefit of the use of simulation software is that their use by students results in a greater amount of conceptual understanding. Using simulation software can also increase a student?s ability to solve problems by manipulating factors until the desired result takes place.
The Astronomy Village simulation study conducted by Hong, McGee, and Howard investigated the effects of various learning outcomes based on students? use of a multimedia learning environment called ?Astronomy Village: Investigating the Universe?. The program simulated a mountain-top observatory where students took part in one of two investigations: either the ?Nearby Star? investigation, or the ?Variable Star? investigation. After undergoing both investigations, some students were presented with 2 well-structured problems that each required one definitive answer. The other students were presented with 2 loosely-structured questions that could have more than one correct solution. These students had to determine which solution was the best from a selection of three alternative solutions. The results of this study showed that students learned more when solving the well-structured problems than did the students who solved the loosely-structured questions. This study also showed that the
?Exploring the Nardoo? was another simulation that was discussed. The article written by Dwyer and Lopez investigated how the use of this software in middle school classrooms affected students? comprehension of river ecosystems. This program simulates a river ecosystem, where students can explore the interactions between living organisms and the environment around them. It also demonstrates how human interaction with the river affects the inhabitants of the river, for good or ill. The simulation allows students to perform virtual experiments with factors that influence the growth of algae in the water, or investigate how one factor affects the environment over an extended amount of time. Students can take water samples in different areas of the river and compare pH levels. Such activities might be impractical in a real-life setting, due to time constraints, available science resources, geographic setting, and prohibitive costs. However, the simulation allows the students to experience the process in a risk-free environment where mistakes can be made and learned from without permanently affecting the test area. Teachers who used this type of software have seen great benefits in their use, such as increased interest and participation in students, greater comprehension of concepts, and application of their experience in new applications.
Using simulation software could be useful in a variety of subjects and levels in the classroom. Students who are studying the Revolutionary War could enter a simulation where they are a commander of one of the armies and decide in what direction they should march or whether they should head in a different direction due to weather conditions. Science classes could use simulation software to investigate the types of life that exist in layers of soil, and why they are important to the existence of plants. Math classes could use simulation software to determine how much fencing is needed to surround a garden, or how many square feet each room in a house contains. Students in Language Arts classes could use simulation software and take on the persona of a character from ?David Copperfield? and interact with characters from the story. Simulations offer students and teachers the chance to step beyond the boundaries of the classroom and conduct activities that would be impractical or impossible to conduct otherwise.
Posted at 03:00PM Oct 12, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]
ECI 509--Blogs and Wikis
One of the ways in which the Internet is expanding in terms of communicating ideas is in the area of weblogs, commonly known as blogs. Blogs are modern versions of diaries or journals in which the user can enter information on a frequent basis for any number of reasons. They have become popular because they give people a forum for expressing their daily experiences, their beliefs, opinions, or thoughts on the events that have taken place in their lives, or in the world.
There are three main types of blogs: the personal journal; the filter; and the k-log (or knowledge log). The most common type of blogs are personal journals; they allow the user to relay their recent experiences and express their opinions or beliefs on whatever they feel on a number of topics. Most of the information they impart details mundane, day-to-day activities, which are common to most people. However, they are widely used because they offer a glimpse into other peoples? lives without seeming obtrusive. The writer of the blog doesn?t tell more information than they volunteer to share.
The second type of blog, filters, focus on particular topics, and feature the opinions and beliefs of the owner of the blog. Filter blogs feature links to various news stories and offer their opinions on one particular news story. Filter blog entries usually have more comments posted by readers than do personal journals because the opinions that are expressed are political in nature and attract the attention of entries that either agree or disagree with the opinions of the writer. This type of blog has exploded in popularity within the past 5 years, due to the politics involving the
The third type of blog is a k-log, or knowledge log. These types of blogs are created to help a user keep track of data on a frequent basis. These blogs are usually business-based, and serve as a professional journal for the user.
Another type of information-accumulating site that is gaining in popularity is a wiki. Wikis are encyclopedia-type websites that are created that allow the general public to contribute information relevant to a certain topic. Most often, this information is correct and the person who enters the information provides proper citation for the source of the information. However, there are occasions where information contributed to wikis are incorrect or not cited, which decreases the credibility of the information.
Posted at 10:31AM Oct 05, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[1]
Electronic Response Systems
Electronic response devices are one of the types of devices that have been discussed for use during the hardware unit. They are devices that allow the user to press one of four buttons to correspond with a particular choice determined by the instructor. Each button is assigned as a different answer to a certain question. When the instructor asks for the student's input, the student aims the electronic response device towards the monitor and presses one of the four buttons. The computer analyzes the input from the different students and displays which students selected each of the four choices, based on the number of each respondent.
There are several purposes for using this type of tool in the classroom. The instructor can use these devices to determine which students are available to select the correct choice for a particular answer. The instructor can measure how much each student comprehends the lecture by measuring the success rate of each student?s answers; this, in turn, allows him or her to refocus on certain key points if necessary. The instructor can also adjust the rate of their lecture if the results show that he or she is instructing too fast. The devices can also be used to stimulate student participation. Many instructors who use these devices feel that they provide a sense of privacy of student input. Students who are shy by nature might feel more comfortable by participating through these devices rather than speaking aloud. Lastly, these devices can be used as a simple data-gathering tool, especially in a large class where it would take a long time to count the raised hands of each voter.
According to the article written by Eugene Judson and Daiyo Sawada, research conducted on electronic response devices during the 1960's and 1970's by W.C. Bessler did not support the claim that student achievement increases due to the use of these devices. He felt that students learn equally as well by using other instructional methods as they do by using the electronic response devices. However, he did not denounce their use despite the similar results. In a separate study, Bessler and his research partner J.J. Nisbet found that the use of the electronic response devices were just as effective as conventional teaching methods.
As a result of several studies conducted between 1971 and 1975, students overwhelmingly endorsed the use of electronic response devices in the classroom. These students indicated that the use of these devices instilled a positive attitude towards the class, a feeling of the system's usefulness, acceptance of the devices, and a feeling of increased understanding of the course's material.
A modern version of electronic response devices, called ClassTalk, is similar to the tools used in the past. Before using their consoles to select their answer, students are encouraged to discuss the issue with their classmates in small groups. Once the students vote, a histogram is displayed that shows all of the students' answers on a chart, and the class furthers their discussion based on the results. Students at times are encouraged to defend their answers or listen to another person's argument.
In recent studies, it has been found that students in classrooms that use these types of devices on a regular basis enjoy the systems more and feel they are more beneficial than those who only use them once a week. Classrooms that had high usage of the devices had higher attendance rates than those that used them occasionally. It is still debatable whether the use of these devices in classrooms result in higher achievement levels compared with classrooms that do not; many instructors feel they are important simply because they encourage student participation, rather than achievement. Instructors such as Mazur use these devices for the purpose of "Peer Instruction", where students interact with each other to help each other comprehend the different ideas and concepts of his physics course at Harvard.
Personally, if I were to have access to one of these systems in a classroom, they could serve as a great way to stimulate participation and group discussion on a regular basis. In a social studies unit, when deciding how to create a form of class government, you could assign four types of government structures and have students defend which type of government would be the most beneficial and fair. The other students could then vote on how persuasive the reasoning was. In test preparation, you could use the units in a multiple choice format and have students vote on the best answer; after seeing the results, the class could discuss why one answer was the correct one and the others were incorrect. In a math activity concerning probability, you could have students flip a coin and send in a vote every time the coin landed on heads or tails; the results would indicate whether the probability was roughly even on a class basis or not. Of course, there could be fraudulent use in these devices if a student votes erroneously or sends in a fake answer, but the benefits of the interactivity of these units would outweigh the negative factors.
Posted at 11:23AM Oct 04, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]
The Benefits of 1-to-1 Laptop computers in the classroom
One of the fastest-spreading trends in education at the point involves the integration of technology in the curriculum at every level, from elementary school all the way through high school. The ever-changing technological advance in how computers can be applied in the business world has necessitated the training of students in the use of computers and technology applications. One major obstacle to the growth of technology in the classroom has been accessibility and availability of computers; there are not enough computers in an average classroom to adequately accommodate the number of students. As a result, many teachers have not been able to fully integrate the use of technology in the classroom as they would like. The implementation of 1:1 laptops initiatives in areas such as the
In terms of how a 1:1 laptop classroom can be effective in changing how an educator conducts their lessons, a study conducted by Russell, Bebell, and Higgins indicated that 1:1 classrooms had a distinct advantage over classrooms with 1 computer for every 4 students, or even classrooms with 1 computer for every 2 students. In 1:1 classrooms, students used computers more for topics that spanned the curriculum and also used them more for academic purposes at home. They incorporated the use of computers into every phase of the writing process. In 1:1 classrooms, there was less large-group instruction than in traditional classrooms. Students were able to use computers for a wider variety of applications than did students in traditional classrooms. (Research: What it Says about 1:1 Learning)
In a study conducted by Deborah Lowther, Steven Ross, and Gary Morrison, students in a 1:1 laptop classroom demonstrated better computer skills, increased knowledge of how to conduct research on the Internet, improved writing skills, and overall increased attention to their products and design. These students, when surveyed at the end of a school year when they used their laptops on a regular basis for their class work, indicated that they were glad to have had the laptops and 78% indicated that they wanted to have access to them the following year. Students used these computers for numerous school-based activities, such as conducting research for projects, checking class Web pages for assignment information, chatting with classmates online about class projects, or communicating with the teacher about assignments.
Using laptops in the classroom would definitely create numerous opportunities for teachers to design new and interactive projects to enhance students? learning. For example, in an elementary classroom, students could use a spreadsheet application to register the height of each person in the classroom in inches and use that data to construct a bar graph representing everyone in the class. In Music class, they could research information about famous musicians online in order to write a play that would demonstrate the differences and similarities that musicians from different eras would have. In Language Arts, students could research the settings of different Shakespeare plays and construct a timeline of Shakespeare?s life, as well as create a map showing his travels or where his plays took place. In a science class, a student could use a digital camera and create a website that demonstrates the different types of soil that are found in his neighborhood.
Although the implementation of laptop computers for every student in a classroom would be costly and complicated to execute, the benefits of the use of these computers would eventually justify their use. Student participation would increase, as would student interest, as well as their performance academically. Taking steps to put a program in place would, in time, make students better prepared to take their place in the modern working world.
Posted at 12:46PM Sep 25, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]
Christening the Ship
Well...this is the initial entry into this thing called...Blog. Hopefully I will be able to offer more stimulating conversation starters later...right now I just want to make sure this thing isn't bone empty. Peace!
Posted at 09:55AM Sep 18, 2006 by rjsmith3 in General | Comments[0]