This week’s adventure is truly a ride into the unknown. I know nothing about Podcasting and look forward to the journey to this new land.
REFLECTIONS ON PODCASTING
The journey into the land of Podcasting is like visiting a foreign country. I look forward to the intrigue but I am terrified about how it is going to turn out. Podcasting is the popular name for digital audiorecording. Podcasts are media files that can be distributed via the Internet and played on computers or handheld devices, like iPods or other digital audio players ( Jham, Dureas, Strassler, Sensi, 2007). There are many vehicles for digital audiorecording but because of the popularity of iPods this is the most common. Hence the name Podcasting has been coined. Using iPods is commonplace with students because students are more mobile. The idea of having access to information anytime anywhere is very attractive to them (Jham et al, 2007).
Digital audirecording seems relatively straight forward. I started by following the trailfire and listening to some of the Podcasts suggested by Joanne. Some of the Podcasts were intriguing while others were mundane. Upon reflection, it seemed to be not only the relevance of the topic to me that determined my level of engagement but also the enthusiasm of the person delivering the message.
I then read the chapter on Podcasting in Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts (Will Richardson, 2009) and listened to some of the Podcasts suggested in the book. I learned that Podcasts are inexpensive and user friendly to create or access, and simple to use (Jham et al, 2007). I thought I can do this. Anyone can pick a topic, think about a script and with an audio recording device record what they have to say. The person then uploads this recording and voila you are on air. Sounds easy but then so does brain surgery – cut a person open, poke around a bit and sew them up – how hard can it be?
Once again with my imaginery copy of “Podcasting for Dummies” in my hand I began this unfamiliar process. First, I had to write a script. Thinking of a topic that you think others might be interested in is challenging, when you feel your life is dull. For me when in doubt, cover this with humor. Second, for someone who makes their living standing in front of audiences everyday giving directions and explaining processes it is amazing how you can stammer and stutter when you know someone will be hanging on your every word. But I got through that with sweat soaked armpits. Then came the actual publishing process. Oh my!!!!!!! If you are not a techie this can be daunting. I viewed the Common Craft video “Podcasting In Plain English” (2008), the video “How to Embed a Podcast Into Blogger” recommended by Annabelle Pendry, “How to Download Audacity and Lame Encoder To Record Podcasts” (2009) by Tish Washington, read the helpful posts by Bruce and Pam, reread the publishing section of the text by Will Richardson (2009) but still had difficulty. Not one to give up easily (as I tell my students, I do not play games that I can not win) after four hours I triumphed. The fruits of my labor are posted at the end of this blog post. I hope you get a giggle from either the content of the Podcast or the sheer terror in my voice.
I now feel like I can make a couple of Podcasts for personal reasons and then demonstrate this technique to staff, encourage staff to subscribe to PD Podcasts, implement Podcasts in my teaching, have students listen to and create Podcasts and enjoy this new found phenomena myself as I catch up on what is happening on the highway of life..
PERSONAL LEARNING OF PODCASTING
When I thought about how I could personally use Digital audiorecording I cried. This was a technology that could help me to touch the hearts of two people I love very much, who are slipping away from me. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year ago and her progression has been all too quick. Podcasting will allow me to record a quick message that I can send to her. She can then listen to the message over and over, as she forgets what you have said, as soon as it has left your lips. This technology will allow me to connect with her and help my mom to keep us with her if only for a few moments at a time. I hope my dad can help her to mange the technology and she can play it as often as she would like.
For my dad, who suffered a major stroke just shortly before my mom’s diagnosis, it will be about sharing memories of his new great granddaughter. Neither, my mom or dad is able to drive now so we do not get to see them very often. Telephone calls are OK with dad, as long as they are initiated by us, as he still has very limited fine motor skills in his right hand. Being able to share Kaydee’s new voice (just noise now) and eventually rhymes, songs and stories will again help to keep connected. This technology was available before, in the way of audiocassettes and CD’s, but this makes it so much easier that I am sure Kaydee will eventually be creating the recordings herself. Podcasting will be a mutually beneficial journey as it will teach Kaydee about the importance of family connections, remind my own kids about the connection with their grandparents and enhance my parents view into their great-grand-daughter’s and grandchildren’s lives. (Oh did I mention that our family is multiplying as we found out that now our other daughter is expecting.)
As well, I would like to have my dad share his wealth of knowledge of our family history. My dad has spent countless hours researching our family history back twelve generations. With my assistance, his vast historical expertise could be recorded. He would be so proud to share his wisdom knowing that it would be passed down to future generations.
Personally, I have never owned an iPod and have never seen a real need for one. Now I have an iPod as the first item on my list for Christmas gifts. My children, who are all strapped for cash this year, are going to load RSS feeds to music, news, scrapbooking and recipe sites on it for me. (My family is learning too – without having to pay tuition.) Then I can listen to Podcasts in the car, running on the treadmill or getting ready in the morning. I can now be more connected to the global picture and explore issues beyond school, university courses and housework, on my terms and at my convenience. The journey is looking like it will end well.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OF PODCASTING
Digital audiorecording is another Web 2.0 tool that can be used to engage learners in new ways. Students are more inclined to be motivated to participate in learning that is relevant to them. In the article by Catherine Gewetz a boy named Herrara states, “when I step out of school, I have a pretty high-tech life. When I step in school, I feel like I’m not me anymore. I have to jump into this whole old-fashioned thing where everything is restricted” (Gewertz, 2007). Students are engaged in technological pursuits on a daily basis outside school, and yet, when they come to school this technology is not utilized. If we can harness the enthusiasm created by using technology and teach concepts through the student’s medium of preference we can increase learning. Podcasting could be one of these creative ways to engage 21st century learners and build that highway wider, longer and with more overpasses.
To create this highway in the classroom, students can create Podcasts to:
1. demonstrate learning
a. audio books or dramatic productions for their peers or younger students
2. as a method of formative or summative assessment
a. If you can explain it you truly understand it.
3. enhance the learning process for gifted students
To widen the highway in classrooms teachers can create Podcasts to:
1. demonstrate an activity or impart knowledge
a. second language learning
b. science experiment explanation
c. enhance auditory skills
2. scaffold learning
a. for enrichment activities
b. to augment slower learners
To build more overpasses in the classrooms teachers or students can create an archive of concepts explained by students for teaching purposes in the future:
a. for struggling students who did not understand the initial explanation
b. for students who were absent
More interconnecting highways can be created through Podcasts for Profesional development. Accessing Podcasts would help to turn teaching from an “isolating experience to a real on-line community connection” (Nikolov, Roumen, 2007). Staff could access Podcasts to gain knowledge in a new area or further their knowledge in their area of expertise. As well, they could create Podcasts to share knowledge with colleagues and others. For example we had a staff member who created a Podcast of how to use the attendance section of our new Student Information System and then emailed that information to all staff
Highway twinning could be achieved by providing information on the website via Podcast or creating a school wide radio talk show for morning announcements and noon hour entertainment. These activities would allow technology to sparkle and students and teachers to demonstrate how they are keeping up with the technological shift in the global picture.
However, the discussion should focus not only on the creation of Podcasts but also on the use of Podcasts to develop critical listening skills. The increase in visual stimuli in our society is creating learners who rely predominantly on their visual skills. Podcasts are a strategy that could be used in the classroom to enhance the development of auditory skills. Having students critically listen to Podcasts developed by others and then use this knowledge is a powerful motivator to pay attention to what is being said. The modeling of how to create “voice” and impart a message can then be transferred into the creation of their own Podcasts which other students will then be required to critically listen to. I see the use of Podcasts as developing a skill that is under utilized but getting at it by using technology as the motivating factor for students. For as Catherine Gerwitz states, students enjoy using technology that facilitates their learning, uses more learning styles and allows them to be creative (2007).
Many good things could come out of allowing students to use Podcasting Students can learn to develop critical listening skills, develop voice, enhance their individual creativity and increase their connectedness with their immediate and global world. But there are also some possible negative consequences. Staff have to be very careful when allowing students to be on the air. Concerns of confidentiality, appropriateness, innuendo and side jokes are possible pit falls. Inevitably there will be something said or implied that will be questionable no matter how hard a teacher tries to prohibit such action. Teachers just need to be cognizant of these possible areas of concern and do their best to address these possible issues so they hopefully do not happen.
The drawbacks to using any new technology are teacher knowledge (time), access to the technology (money) and teacher motivation (will).The frustration is that none of these are in my control. I need the district to buy the water and the trough, give me the time to fill it up and then I can lead the horses to it and hopefully they will drink.
I know I have benefited from this week’s journey and my school will benefit from it as well. How far the learning will spread is up to the individuals. Let’s hope their Podcasting journey is a bump free ride into a land of vast possibilities.
REFERENCES
Gewertz, Catherine. (2007) Outside Interests. As retrieved on Oct. 14, 2009 from http://wandersen.pbworks.com/f/EducationWeekOutsideInterests.pdf
How To Embed A Podcast Into Blogger. As retrieved on Oct. 15, 2009 from
http://www.slideshare.net/Paty.Savage/how-to-embed-a-podcast-into-a-blogger
Jham, Bruno. Duraes, Gabriela. Strassler, Howard. Sensi, Luis. (2007) Joining the Podcast Revolution. As retrieved on Oct. 14, 2009 from http://www.jdentaled.org/cgi/reprint/72/3/278
Nikolov, Roumen (2007)Towards Web 2.0 Schools: Rethinking the Teachers Professional Development. As retrieved on Oct 14, 2009 from
http://dspace.ou.nl/bitstream/1820/1064/1/Nikolov-R-paper-IMICT07.pdf
Podcasting In Plain English (2008). As retrieved Oct 12, 2009 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-MSL42NV3c
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Washington, Tish (2009). How to Download Audacity and Lame Encoder To Record Podcasts. As retrieved on Oct 15, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lDya7buKbM
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Just as I was falling down the rabbit hole into a world of swirling Web 2.0 tools and feeling totally overwhelmed, a hand tattooed with the word “del.icio.us” reached down and grabbed me. I was saved by social bookmarking.
REFLECTIONS ON SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
I had never heard of social bookmarking before I read Will Richardson’s (2009) book Blogs, Wikis, Podacasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. The idea of being able to create bookmarks that could be accessed from any computer seemed like a dream come true. I have had countless moments of utter disappointment when I have needed a piece of information from a site bookmarked at home, when I was at school, or vice versa. The idea of being able to access all sites any time, anywhere seemed too good to be true. But it wasn’t. I logged on to Del.icio.us, signed up, added the link to my tool bar and immediately began searching sites, tagging them and then building my own folksonomy. Who needs Dewey Decimal? I can now organize my information using my own system that makes sense to me, not some dead guy.
Then, because I am a doubter, I logged on the next morning at school and voila there they were. This was going to be great. I have already used the del.icio.us site numerous times and I no longer have to worry about emailing sites to myself so that I can access them in whatever room I am teaching the next day, filters not allowing my information through, etc. I have even saved my Ning and Facebook to del.icio.us and it has simplified my life. I feel like I am getting into a hot tub with a glass of good Chardonnay.
I can retrieve what I want based on my tags, follow popular sites as defined by the number of followers that actually use the site not just by the number of hits (something people stumbled on that was not any good). Next, I started adding subscriptions to travel destinations, scrapbooking sites and recipe ideas. I have now added networks so I can glean the work that others have done locating sites that would be helpful to me. I can not wait to continue sharing social bookmarking with colleagues and friends.
I wonder, did our very wise Instructor Joanne purposely choose the week we were discussing organization to throw us this life line called social bookmarking?
PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Discovering social bookmarking for an anal, uptight, over organized person like myself, is like putting a climber on the top of Mount Everest. I have not stopped telling people about the endless possibilities. I can search, tag, retrieve, sticky note, highlight, send to friends, enlist the work of others, etc. (Muir, David). My life is great today!
I have set up tags for vacation destinations, scrapbooking sites and recipe ideas. Best of all I can share my work with others and they can share with me. My friends are all turning 50, and yes we are still functioning mentally and physically, so we plan a vacation each time one of us reaches this milestone. We can now send information about possibilities to each other without saving the site and then emailing or Facebooking it to each other. I also have a group of friends who scrapbook together once a month. We can now share layouts and ideas (which we often scraplift from sites online) without again having to save and email out the site where we got the ideas from. And the biggest bain of my existence, cooking everyday, I can now find recipes myself and tag them for future retrieval or rely on others to find new recipes for me and again share them with friends.through del.icio.us.
I am now recruiting my own network. I will use this just to find information for my personal use but I can see how others could use this site to share information on issues of a larger global scale. The creation of a group for sourcing and sharing of information about issues of social consciousness has enormous potential. I can totally see why the site is called del.icio.us, because it simply is.
PROFESSIONAL USE OF SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Del.icio.us has countless applications in the school setting for both staff and students.
For students it could be organizing possible sources of information for research projects or personal interests, having more ideas of where to look for information in the form of the tags chosen for other documents, connecting with people finding information pertinent to them or sharing resources such as favorite book titles or authors with others (Muir). For staff it could be a method for organizing their professional resources, sharing resources with colleagues or used in instruction.
Teaching students research skills is always difficult. Some students have an extensive amount of background knowledge and exposure to research techniques. Other students have a limited background and limited research skills. The tool del.icio.us will make scaffolding the research process much easier for teachers. Many teachers have experienced giving out a research assignment and having the majority of students begin immediately knowing what they need to do and how to start finding the information required. Then we have those students who lack research skills. Del.icio.us will help all of these students. The high achievers can start searching, bookmarking and networking. The students less familiar with the research process can access sites that the teacher has bookmarked for them and then follow the tags of these articles. The students who are at the middle of the journey can begin to find their own information, bookmark it with tags, follow the tags provided by the teacher and then eventually access the information gleaned by their peers. The downside of this process is that lazy but skilled students may just rely on others to seek out the pertinent information retrieved by others. For these students a teacher would want the topics to be dissimilar from their peers or not allow them access to the network the other students with the same topic are using. Just as with any tool, its success depends on how it is used.
For me the benefits of social bookmarking outweigh the possible pitfalls. Being able to have universal access to a student’s research will simplify their lives, allow continuity in access to work and alleviate the excuse of forgetting their research at home or school.
I believe social bookmarking will be a tool that will help students to organize their on-line world using a folksonomy that makes sense to them. As well, sites like Diigo will allow students to not only bookmark sites but store actual copies of the document which they can manipulate with sticky notes and highlighting (Richardson, 2009). Social bookmarking will also aid students in critically identifying quality sites. On del.icio.us sites are identified by the number of subscribers not just the number of hits, like google searches. This means the sites are marked by the number of actual people that follow the site not just the number of times someone opened the site but then closed it because it was not helpful.
Social bookmarking could also be used at the school and jurisdiction level. It could be used as a method to update sources of information on classroom blogs or school websites. The folksonomy used would allow access to the required information quickly easing the sorting process (Muir). Social bookmarking could also be used to collaborate with agencies or peers in other schools. This collaboration could be done as a class project or as an enrichment activity with gifted learners (Tsai, 2008).
Social bookmarking has great potential for staff professional development. Sites like del.icio.us would foster accessing materials for curriculum development any time any place and facilitate collaboration with peers anywhere in the world.
Social bookmarking has allowed me to organize my online world as well as opened up a whole new list of possibilities for my students. I feel like I am now holding onto a helpful hand and slowly climbing out of the hole. We shall see what next week brings.
REFERENCES
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Broitman, Robert. (2009). Ultimate Guide to Delicious Bookmarking As retrieved on Oct. 1, 2009 from (http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/ultimate-guide-to-delicious-social-bookmarking/
Muir, David. Simply Delicious Online Social Bookmarking or Tagging for Teaching. As retrieved on Oct 1, 2009 from http://personal.strath.ac.uk/d.d.muir/Delicious1_2.pdf
Tsai, Maggie. (2008) As retrieved )ct 1, 2009 from
http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:191499?page=1&commentId=649749%3AComment%3A192195&x=1#649749Comment192195
REFLECTIONS ON SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
I had never heard of social bookmarking before I read Will Richardson’s (2009) book Blogs, Wikis, Podacasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. The idea of being able to create bookmarks that could be accessed from any computer seemed like a dream come true. I have had countless moments of utter disappointment when I have needed a piece of information from a site bookmarked at home, when I was at school, or vice versa. The idea of being able to access all sites any time, anywhere seemed too good to be true. But it wasn’t. I logged on to Del.icio.us, signed up, added the link to my tool bar and immediately began searching sites, tagging them and then building my own folksonomy. Who needs Dewey Decimal? I can now organize my information using my own system that makes sense to me, not some dead guy.
Then, because I am a doubter, I logged on the next morning at school and voila there they were. This was going to be great. I have already used the del.icio.us site numerous times and I no longer have to worry about emailing sites to myself so that I can access them in whatever room I am teaching the next day, filters not allowing my information through, etc. I have even saved my Ning and Facebook to del.icio.us and it has simplified my life. I feel like I am getting into a hot tub with a glass of good Chardonnay.
I can retrieve what I want based on my tags, follow popular sites as defined by the number of followers that actually use the site not just by the number of hits (something people stumbled on that was not any good). Next, I started adding subscriptions to travel destinations, scrapbooking sites and recipe ideas. I have now added networks so I can glean the work that others have done locating sites that would be helpful to me. I can not wait to continue sharing social bookmarking with colleagues and friends.
I wonder, did our very wise Instructor Joanne purposely choose the week we were discussing organization to throw us this life line called social bookmarking?
PERSONAL USE OF SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Discovering social bookmarking for an anal, uptight, over organized person like myself, is like putting a climber on the top of Mount Everest. I have not stopped telling people about the endless possibilities. I can search, tag, retrieve, sticky note, highlight, send to friends, enlist the work of others, etc. (Muir, David). My life is great today!
I have set up tags for vacation destinations, scrapbooking sites and recipe ideas. Best of all I can share my work with others and they can share with me. My friends are all turning 50, and yes we are still functioning mentally and physically, so we plan a vacation each time one of us reaches this milestone. We can now send information about possibilities to each other without saving the site and then emailing or Facebooking it to each other. I also have a group of friends who scrapbook together once a month. We can now share layouts and ideas (which we often scraplift from sites online) without again having to save and email out the site where we got the ideas from. And the biggest bain of my existence, cooking everyday, I can now find recipes myself and tag them for future retrieval or rely on others to find new recipes for me and again share them with friends.through del.icio.us.
I am now recruiting my own network. I will use this just to find information for my personal use but I can see how others could use this site to share information on issues of a larger global scale. The creation of a group for sourcing and sharing of information about issues of social consciousness has enormous potential. I can totally see why the site is called del.icio.us, because it simply is.
PROFESSIONAL USE OF SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Del.icio.us has countless applications in the school setting for both staff and students.
For students it could be organizing possible sources of information for research projects or personal interests, having more ideas of where to look for information in the form of the tags chosen for other documents, connecting with people finding information pertinent to them or sharing resources such as favorite book titles or authors with others (Muir). For staff it could be a method for organizing their professional resources, sharing resources with colleagues or used in instruction.
Teaching students research skills is always difficult. Some students have an extensive amount of background knowledge and exposure to research techniques. Other students have a limited background and limited research skills. The tool del.icio.us will make scaffolding the research process much easier for teachers. Many teachers have experienced giving out a research assignment and having the majority of students begin immediately knowing what they need to do and how to start finding the information required. Then we have those students who lack research skills. Del.icio.us will help all of these students. The high achievers can start searching, bookmarking and networking. The students less familiar with the research process can access sites that the teacher has bookmarked for them and then follow the tags of these articles. The students who are at the middle of the journey can begin to find their own information, bookmark it with tags, follow the tags provided by the teacher and then eventually access the information gleaned by their peers. The downside of this process is that lazy but skilled students may just rely on others to seek out the pertinent information retrieved by others. For these students a teacher would want the topics to be dissimilar from their peers or not allow them access to the network the other students with the same topic are using. Just as with any tool, its success depends on how it is used.
For me the benefits of social bookmarking outweigh the possible pitfalls. Being able to have universal access to a student’s research will simplify their lives, allow continuity in access to work and alleviate the excuse of forgetting their research at home or school.
I believe social bookmarking will be a tool that will help students to organize their on-line world using a folksonomy that makes sense to them. As well, sites like Diigo will allow students to not only bookmark sites but store actual copies of the document which they can manipulate with sticky notes and highlighting (Richardson, 2009). Social bookmarking will also aid students in critically identifying quality sites. On del.icio.us sites are identified by the number of subscribers not just the number of hits, like google searches. This means the sites are marked by the number of actual people that follow the site not just the number of times someone opened the site but then closed it because it was not helpful.
Social bookmarking could also be used at the school and jurisdiction level. It could be used as a method to update sources of information on classroom blogs or school websites. The folksonomy used would allow access to the required information quickly easing the sorting process (Muir). Social bookmarking could also be used to collaborate with agencies or peers in other schools. This collaboration could be done as a class project or as an enrichment activity with gifted learners (Tsai, 2008).
Social bookmarking has great potential for staff professional development. Sites like del.icio.us would foster accessing materials for curriculum development any time any place and facilitate collaboration with peers anywhere in the world.
Social bookmarking has allowed me to organize my online world as well as opened up a whole new list of possibilities for my students. I feel like I am now holding onto a helpful hand and slowly climbing out of the hole. We shall see what next week brings.
REFERENCES
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Broitman, Robert. (2009). Ultimate Guide to Delicious Bookmarking As retrieved on Oct. 1, 2009 from (http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/ultimate-guide-to-delicious-social-bookmarking/
Muir, David. Simply Delicious Online Social Bookmarking or Tagging for Teaching. As retrieved on Oct 1, 2009 from http://personal.strath.ac.uk/d.d.muir/Delicious1_2.pdf
Tsai, Maggie. (2008) As retrieved )ct 1, 2009 from
http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:191499?page=1&commentId=649749%3AComment%3A192195&x=1#649749Comment192195
Sunday, September 27, 2009
VIDEOSHARING ON THE BEACH
The birds are singing in the background as I lay in my hammock soaking up the sun and watching the gentle lapping of the ocean waves. Suddenly I realize that I am only watching a video – I could have sworn I was right there. Isn’t videosharing fabulous.
REFLECTION ON VIDEOSHARING
My past experience with videosharing has been downloading videos. I have downloaded videos sent to me by e-mail. Some of the videos have been hilarious and provided me with a much needed belly laugh, some have been thought provoking and caused me to contemplate the state of the world and some have been tear jerkers that have made me want to put on my cape and save the world.
I have surfed YouTube and TeacherTube looking for video clips to augment a lesson, I have embedded video clips in Powerpoints for PD sessions and now I have embedded videos into my blog. My next challenge was to create a video. The technology of producing a video intrigued me but I am not brave or vain enough to star in a video (my life is not that interesting), so I decided to STAR my favorite subject, my new grand-daughter.
However, creating a video is not simple. It takes a great deal of thought and planning before any actual shooting (Will Richardson, 2009). I began this process with nervous excitement. I first spent time making a storyboard, picking backdrops and choosing costuming (playing dress up with my grand-daughter – all that pink). I then shot and re-shot the segments for the video (Why can’t six week olds do things on command?). The last step was the most challenging and it was to edit the footage into one seamless video complete with text, sound and transitions. The whole process was at the same time frustrating yet rewarding. It was frustrating to see just how much time it takes to create a very short video, even though programs like MovieMaker make the editing process easy to understand, as long as you, complete the tutorial, read carefully and follow directions. It was also very rewarding to see the final product that can be enjoyed now, and later at special occasions, like her wedding.
I am now confident and inspired to capture many memories on video and share them with my friends and family.
PERSONAL LEARNING - VIDEOSHARING
Videosharing has many facets – observing video, commenting on video and video creation (Davies and Merchant, 2009). Observing video can inform, provoke thought or just provide a good laugh; which is good for a person’s health. Finding videos, downloading and sharing them is simple once you have been shown the steps. I think I picked this up sitting in a hospitality room looking at a ridiculously funny video of a man just laughing and snorting. I wanted to share this video with my friends; funny where we get our incentive from.
Commenting on other’s videos requires motivation and the skill of being concise with words; something I will struggle with. I have the motivation to comment on videos of personal importance, that are sent to me or that I have sought out to use in my personal or professional life, but no desire to sit and seek out videos for the sake of commenting on them. I will leave this to people with a cinematography flair.
Creating videos is yet another facet of videosharing. I see how creating videos to capture moments in time to share with family and friends is appealing. It allows people to stay connected, share memories and grow closer together. For me it could be videotaping my grand-daughter as she grows and changes, then sharing these precious moments with friends and family or keeping them as a video journal of her life. It could also be videotaping a unique holiday to share with friends and family who have never experienced the place that we are fortunate enough to visit. It could be videotaping and sharing an event that my ailing parents who could not attend. After all memories are stronger if they are shared.
I can also see how creating a thought provoking video about a real issue can enlighten an audience, raise awareness of an issue or cause others to examine their practices and potentially help to make the world a better place. I can not however, at this point in my life, see myself creating videos to increase awareness of social issues. But no one knows what challenges or opportunities lie in their future.
What I don’t understand is posting a video to a public site such as YouTube that is ridiculous or boring and serves no purpose other than to satisfy a person’s own ego. Marco Torres said these videos “should have wings” and be made for real audiences with real purposes (Davies and Merchant, 2009). I realize that not everyone shares the same sense of purpose. Some people’s purpose might be to be “discovered” or to market their product. But if it really is for a small group to share, post it on your Facebook page, don’t clog up the air waves with your self-satisfying countless numbers of videos. OK, now that that is out of my system.
Another technology that intrigues me is the ability to take a video that you have produced and make it into a video podcast or MP4 file. This technology further enhances the producer’s ability to share the video with even more people and “thicken existing social relations” (Davies and Merchant, 2009).
So many things to do and I am always in such a hurry to get them done. I need to slow down and go back to the beach.
MY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - VIDEOSHARING
Snelson (2008) says that there are three reasons for using video in a school. They are cognitive value, experiential value and nurturing value. In the past at school I have used videos in my school for all three reasons. I have used videos to share inspiration or humor with my staff during professional development sessions. In my classes I have used videos to stimulate thought at the beginning of a lesson, to demonstrate a technique, to provide information or to create appreciation of another person’s reality.
Now, I would like to increase the opportunities for students to comment on other student’s videos and create videos of their own. Commenting on videos will not only expose students to a topic but will motivate them to further enhance their skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Students can comment on videos produced by unknown people and then once they create their own videos students can comment on each others. The process of commenting can serve as a source for constructive criticism as well as a source for the provocation of thought about an issue.
Having students create videos stretches their intellects and provides them with the opportunity to use higher level thinking skills. Teachers just need to be aware that if students are truly going to learn higher level thinking skills they must let the students be creative and not be so prescriptive in the assignment that it just becomes a follow my recipe lesson. For example there is a huge difference between asking students to videotape someone at home making supper and filming someone at home doing something that displays a positive caring emotion without touching.
Teaching higher level thinking is addressed by David Warlick in his blog 2Cents. He feels that if teachers are merely teaching a process, then targeting comprehension and knowledge skills is fine, but such pedagogy is not going to build the skills necessary for real 21st Century life. Teachers need to teach students to solve problems and be creative because this is what is going to be demanded of them in their new jobs.
Another skill necessary for 21st Century learners is to view content critically. YouTube is similar to anything on the Internet, it has not gone through editors and therefore it’s truthfulness and accuracy is not tested. Students need to be taught how to check its accuracy and not just accept everything they read or see. The only way to do this is through exposure. Again it becomes a matter of, if it is not done at the school level where will it be done? Are we doing a huge disservice to our students by not providing them with the opportunity to critically evaluate things on the Internet?
Exposing students and staff to realities beyond their world is also made possible through live video streaming. The use of the video suite at our school has made it possible to visit museums, speak with experts and share ideas with other colleagues that otherwise would not be logistically or financially possible. The use of the technology of live video streaming is in its infancy stage in our school jurisdiction but has provided very valuable experiences for staff professional development, Distance Education for small schools who can not afford specialty teachers and virtual tours of novel places.
The largest stumbling block to using videosharing in school is the questionable content of sites like YouTube. Davies and Merchant (2009) explore the need to teach students to navigate around controversial sites. I agree it is paramount for students to learn this skill and as with most skills, the one place we can be assured that it is taught, is in school. Students are going to be faced with questionable content whether it is at school or at home. We must be proactive and teach them how to handle this content in a mature fashion because if we do not they may never have an adult who does. Sites like YouTube are supposedly “user regulated” ( Davies and Marchant, 2009) however, the acceptability of the content becomes a “freedom of speech” debate. I see the debate over content as more of a continuum or slippery slope, not cut and dry. The issues of voice and creativity give rise to the fact that students are going to be faced with controversial content. It is how they handle the situation that counts. Handling the situation positively can be modeled and taught.
Another concern is the amount of video that breaches copyrights. I understand, from my extensive research with quasi-experts, my children, that the best way to see if something is pirated is to wait for a week. If it is not pulled within a few days of being posted then it is probably okay. YouTube and TeacherTube are “user regulated” so anything that is pirated is usually found within 24 hours of being posted and then removed.
What about schools and students that do not have the required tools? Will they fall behind? For some schools it may be financial constraints or the lack of pioneers in their technology departments. For some students it may be the intellectual capacity, maturity and creativity to use these technologies. In the Web 2.0 world what happens to the struggling student who is not very creative. How does the use of this technology enhance or defeat his efficacy? (This would be an interesting study as I could not find any information in this area.)
It seems as though I end with more questions than answers but is this really negative? I believe we grow by asking questions and seeking answers. For now, where is that beach?
REFERENCES
Davies, Julia. Merchant, Guy. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and Social Participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Ten Video Sharing Services Compared. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 http://www.dvguru.com/2006/04/07/ten-video-sharing-services-compared/
Snelson, Chareen. (2008). Web Based Video in Education: Possibilities and Pitfalls. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 from http://etec.hawaii.edu/proceedings/2008/Snelson2008.pdf
Warlick, David. (2009). Reasoning Our Way In. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 from http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
The birds are singing in the background as I lay in my hammock soaking up the sun and watching the gentle lapping of the ocean waves. Suddenly I realize that I am only watching a video – I could have sworn I was right there. Isn’t videosharing fabulous.
REFLECTION ON VIDEOSHARING
My past experience with videosharing has been downloading videos. I have downloaded videos sent to me by e-mail. Some of the videos have been hilarious and provided me with a much needed belly laugh, some have been thought provoking and caused me to contemplate the state of the world and some have been tear jerkers that have made me want to put on my cape and save the world.
I have surfed YouTube and TeacherTube looking for video clips to augment a lesson, I have embedded video clips in Powerpoints for PD sessions and now I have embedded videos into my blog. My next challenge was to create a video. The technology of producing a video intrigued me but I am not brave or vain enough to star in a video (my life is not that interesting), so I decided to STAR my favorite subject, my new grand-daughter.
However, creating a video is not simple. It takes a great deal of thought and planning before any actual shooting (Will Richardson, 2009). I began this process with nervous excitement. I first spent time making a storyboard, picking backdrops and choosing costuming (playing dress up with my grand-daughter – all that pink). I then shot and re-shot the segments for the video (Why can’t six week olds do things on command?). The last step was the most challenging and it was to edit the footage into one seamless video complete with text, sound and transitions. The whole process was at the same time frustrating yet rewarding. It was frustrating to see just how much time it takes to create a very short video, even though programs like MovieMaker make the editing process easy to understand, as long as you, complete the tutorial, read carefully and follow directions. It was also very rewarding to see the final product that can be enjoyed now, and later at special occasions, like her wedding.
I am now confident and inspired to capture many memories on video and share them with my friends and family.
PERSONAL LEARNING - VIDEOSHARING
Videosharing has many facets – observing video, commenting on video and video creation (Davies and Merchant, 2009). Observing video can inform, provoke thought or just provide a good laugh; which is good for a person’s health. Finding videos, downloading and sharing them is simple once you have been shown the steps. I think I picked this up sitting in a hospitality room looking at a ridiculously funny video of a man just laughing and snorting. I wanted to share this video with my friends; funny where we get our incentive from.
Commenting on other’s videos requires motivation and the skill of being concise with words; something I will struggle with. I have the motivation to comment on videos of personal importance, that are sent to me or that I have sought out to use in my personal or professional life, but no desire to sit and seek out videos for the sake of commenting on them. I will leave this to people with a cinematography flair.
Creating videos is yet another facet of videosharing. I see how creating videos to capture moments in time to share with family and friends is appealing. It allows people to stay connected, share memories and grow closer together. For me it could be videotaping my grand-daughter as she grows and changes, then sharing these precious moments with friends and family or keeping them as a video journal of her life. It could also be videotaping a unique holiday to share with friends and family who have never experienced the place that we are fortunate enough to visit. It could be videotaping and sharing an event that my ailing parents who could not attend. After all memories are stronger if they are shared.
I can also see how creating a thought provoking video about a real issue can enlighten an audience, raise awareness of an issue or cause others to examine their practices and potentially help to make the world a better place. I can not however, at this point in my life, see myself creating videos to increase awareness of social issues. But no one knows what challenges or opportunities lie in their future.
What I don’t understand is posting a video to a public site such as YouTube that is ridiculous or boring and serves no purpose other than to satisfy a person’s own ego. Marco Torres said these videos “should have wings” and be made for real audiences with real purposes (Davies and Merchant, 2009). I realize that not everyone shares the same sense of purpose. Some people’s purpose might be to be “discovered” or to market their product. But if it really is for a small group to share, post it on your Facebook page, don’t clog up the air waves with your self-satisfying countless numbers of videos. OK, now that that is out of my system.
Another technology that intrigues me is the ability to take a video that you have produced and make it into a video podcast or MP4 file. This technology further enhances the producer’s ability to share the video with even more people and “thicken existing social relations” (Davies and Merchant, 2009).
So many things to do and I am always in such a hurry to get them done. I need to slow down and go back to the beach.
MY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - VIDEOSHARING
Snelson (2008) says that there are three reasons for using video in a school. They are cognitive value, experiential value and nurturing value. In the past at school I have used videos in my school for all three reasons. I have used videos to share inspiration or humor with my staff during professional development sessions. In my classes I have used videos to stimulate thought at the beginning of a lesson, to demonstrate a technique, to provide information or to create appreciation of another person’s reality.
Now, I would like to increase the opportunities for students to comment on other student’s videos and create videos of their own. Commenting on videos will not only expose students to a topic but will motivate them to further enhance their skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Students can comment on videos produced by unknown people and then once they create their own videos students can comment on each others. The process of commenting can serve as a source for constructive criticism as well as a source for the provocation of thought about an issue.
Having students create videos stretches their intellects and provides them with the opportunity to use higher level thinking skills. Teachers just need to be aware that if students are truly going to learn higher level thinking skills they must let the students be creative and not be so prescriptive in the assignment that it just becomes a follow my recipe lesson. For example there is a huge difference between asking students to videotape someone at home making supper and filming someone at home doing something that displays a positive caring emotion without touching.
Teaching higher level thinking is addressed by David Warlick in his blog 2Cents. He feels that if teachers are merely teaching a process, then targeting comprehension and knowledge skills is fine, but such pedagogy is not going to build the skills necessary for real 21st Century life. Teachers need to teach students to solve problems and be creative because this is what is going to be demanded of them in their new jobs.
Another skill necessary for 21st Century learners is to view content critically. YouTube is similar to anything on the Internet, it has not gone through editors and therefore it’s truthfulness and accuracy is not tested. Students need to be taught how to check its accuracy and not just accept everything they read or see. The only way to do this is through exposure. Again it becomes a matter of, if it is not done at the school level where will it be done? Are we doing a huge disservice to our students by not providing them with the opportunity to critically evaluate things on the Internet?
Exposing students and staff to realities beyond their world is also made possible through live video streaming. The use of the video suite at our school has made it possible to visit museums, speak with experts and share ideas with other colleagues that otherwise would not be logistically or financially possible. The use of the technology of live video streaming is in its infancy stage in our school jurisdiction but has provided very valuable experiences for staff professional development, Distance Education for small schools who can not afford specialty teachers and virtual tours of novel places.
The largest stumbling block to using videosharing in school is the questionable content of sites like YouTube. Davies and Merchant (2009) explore the need to teach students to navigate around controversial sites. I agree it is paramount for students to learn this skill and as with most skills, the one place we can be assured that it is taught, is in school. Students are going to be faced with questionable content whether it is at school or at home. We must be proactive and teach them how to handle this content in a mature fashion because if we do not they may never have an adult who does. Sites like YouTube are supposedly “user regulated” ( Davies and Marchant, 2009) however, the acceptability of the content becomes a “freedom of speech” debate. I see the debate over content as more of a continuum or slippery slope, not cut and dry. The issues of voice and creativity give rise to the fact that students are going to be faced with controversial content. It is how they handle the situation that counts. Handling the situation positively can be modeled and taught.
Another concern is the amount of video that breaches copyrights. I understand, from my extensive research with quasi-experts, my children, that the best way to see if something is pirated is to wait for a week. If it is not pulled within a few days of being posted then it is probably okay. YouTube and TeacherTube are “user regulated” so anything that is pirated is usually found within 24 hours of being posted and then removed.
What about schools and students that do not have the required tools? Will they fall behind? For some schools it may be financial constraints or the lack of pioneers in their technology departments. For some students it may be the intellectual capacity, maturity and creativity to use these technologies. In the Web 2.0 world what happens to the struggling student who is not very creative. How does the use of this technology enhance or defeat his efficacy? (This would be an interesting study as I could not find any information in this area.)
It seems as though I end with more questions than answers but is this really negative? I believe we grow by asking questions and seeking answers. For now, where is that beach?
REFERENCES
Davies, Julia. Merchant, Guy. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and Social Participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Ten Video Sharing Services Compared. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 http://www.dvguru.com/2006/04/07/ten-video-sharing-services-compared/
Snelson, Chareen. (2008). Web Based Video in Education: Possibilities and Pitfalls. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 from http://etec.hawaii.edu/proceedings/2008/Snelson2008.pdf
Warlick, David. (2009). Reasoning Our Way In. As retrieved Sept. 24, 2009 from http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Iceberg Is Melting - Photosharing
I have been cold to the idea of using Web 2.0 in my classroom citing all of the usual excuses like FOIP, possible copyright infringement and questionable content. However, this course is opening my eyes so wide that my brain hurts. I now view 21st learning differently and recognize the advantages of teaching my students the tools of Web 2.0.
REFLECTION ON PHOTOSHARING
I began the photosharing section of my Web 2.0 journey sitting on an iceberg with an imaginary closed copy of “Digital Photography for Dummies” in my shaking hand. It is still in my hand, however, my hand is steadier now and I have at least opened the book and read the first chapters while doing a walkabout at the tip of the iceberg.
After getting started, I was soon excited to see all of the possibilities that photosharing had to offer. Sites such as Flickr, Photobucket, and Webshots made uploading pictures, digital cropping, adding text and enhancing picture quality simple, quick and efficient. Even technologically challenged people, such as myself, can create a digital scrapbook, a slideshow or link these pictures to their Facebook page.
Looking back, it was easy but it did not come without some frustration. There were many trial and error attempts before success. But nothing that an open mind and a sense of adventure could not tackle. The beauty is that, as long as you keep an original stored somewhere, you can play all you want and any mistakes are only a few keystrokes away from being fixed.
I am now inspired to practice photosharing, digital scrapbooking and then confidently share the beginning of the journey with my colleagues and students. Who knows this may even lead into creating something which is worthy of posting for public scrutiny.
PERSONAL LEARNING - PHOTOSHARING
I have learned that Photosharing, like an iceberg, has many layers. You can engage in photosharing as a peripheral observer at the top of the iceberg, be a producer of digital photosharing as you venture forth and scout out the terrain of the iceberg or enter the more intense and dynamic layer of social participation in a community linked by common interests in photosharing as you dive into the depths of the layers of the iceberg.
My personal use of photosharing began with an observation of the sites and photos that others had created. Then I began to produce my own digital pictures complete with titles, descriptions and text on the pictures. From this I created a slideshow and made scrapbook pages to share with family and friends. Photosharing increases the connectedness and intimacy allowing for the sharing of memories, inside jokes, accomplishments, milestones and issues. For my daughter, who is away at school, it has been a great stress relief. The ability to see photos of her new niece, has allowed her to not only feel more intimately connected with us but has made her feelings of separation diminish. She knows that we are just a click away.
Photosharing sites also act as a repository for all of your photos. Sites such as Flickr allow you to catalogue your pictures according to personal tags so that you can easily retrieve them. The web storage frees up space on your hard drive and the ability to tag pictures saves hours (if anyone actually did it) of cataloguing pictures. The added bonus is that now your photos can be accessed anytime, anywhere by you. The potential problem however, is that computer savvy people may also be able to access the photos of your loved ones and use them for unsavory ends. This danger can hopefully be eliminated by the privacy settings.
For me it is the need to balance the fear of digital piracy with the realization that photosharing has positive ends. Being part of the public side of photosharing is one I have not entered but I can see how public photosharing would be a positive way to enhance the social consciousness of global citizens. As people share photos of common interests or global events they develop a sense of community that makes our differences dissipate and magnifies our similarities. These feelings of unification will hopefully lead to a stronger global community and I would like to participate in this community. It is just too far down the iceberg for me at this point in time.
TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH PHOTOSHARING
Teachers need to focus on the learning before they attempt the teaching. Educators are quick to jump on a “bandwagon” before being fully aware of the uses and pitfalls of a new pedagogy. Using photosharing could fall into the same trap. Do not just sit at the top of the iceberg but scale down and try all of the capacities of the tool before you attempt photosharing with your staff or students.
Ideas of how to use photosharing in your learning and teaching are identified in our textbooks, in journal articles, in blog posts, etc. Try photosharing in:
Social Studies – link to GeoEarth for pictures of countries around the globe
Language Arts - Digital Story-Telling, Personal Storyboards, photo journals
Math - Everyday pictures to link math concepts to the real world
Science – Track the process of an experiment or Classification
Art - Art appreciation, view styles of artists, post student examples of methods
and styles
Health - Addiction prevention slideshow
Phys. Ed. – post techniques and examples for younger students
Use Flickr with a Smartboard to create sets to classify as part of something or not (Barry Bennet, John Antonetti)
Photo field trips
PD - sharing of curriculum ideas – sharing of methods of photosharing
But this is only the tip of the Iceberg. There are many ways to implement photosharing beyond the mere sharing of photos. The capacity to comment on photos, explore cognitive reasoning behind the photos/comments and build networks of people with common interests is socially empowering. However, teachers need to be very careful if they are promoting the use of photosharing outside of their own building. Anytime you are promoting sharing with an audience that you do not know, you are opening yourself up to issues of privacy, confidentiality and appropriateness. One needs to ask themselves can the benefits be derived in another way?
That concludes my tour around the iceberg of photosharing. Remember a picture is worth a 1000 words. So start photosharing and hang on as the iceberg melts.
REFERENCES
Davies, Julia. Merchant, Guy. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and Social Participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Chu, Jennifer. Van Dussen, Erik. Pedagogical Uses of Flickr. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2009 from http://design.test.olt.ubc.ca/Pedagogical_Uses_of_Flickr
Hartley, John. McWilliam, Kelly. Burgess, Jean E. Banks, John A. (2008) The Uses of Multimedia: Three Digital Literacy Case Studies. Retrieved Sept 17, 2009 from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/18063/
Schrum, Lynne. Solomon, Gwen. Web 2.0 and You: Starting the Conversation. Retrieved Sept 17, 2009 from www.iste.org/Content/.../YourLearningJourney/Web20/21F80026.pdf
Andrew’s Blog (2009) Students Seeking Relevance In Education. Retrieved on Sept. 17, 2009 from C:\Documents and Settings\Reception\Desktop\Students Seeking Relevance In Education - Classroom 2_0.mht
REFLECTION ON PHOTOSHARING
I began the photosharing section of my Web 2.0 journey sitting on an iceberg with an imaginary closed copy of “Digital Photography for Dummies” in my shaking hand. It is still in my hand, however, my hand is steadier now and I have at least opened the book and read the first chapters while doing a walkabout at the tip of the iceberg.
After getting started, I was soon excited to see all of the possibilities that photosharing had to offer. Sites such as Flickr, Photobucket, and Webshots made uploading pictures, digital cropping, adding text and enhancing picture quality simple, quick and efficient. Even technologically challenged people, such as myself, can create a digital scrapbook, a slideshow or link these pictures to their Facebook page.
Looking back, it was easy but it did not come without some frustration. There were many trial and error attempts before success. But nothing that an open mind and a sense of adventure could not tackle. The beauty is that, as long as you keep an original stored somewhere, you can play all you want and any mistakes are only a few keystrokes away from being fixed.
I am now inspired to practice photosharing, digital scrapbooking and then confidently share the beginning of the journey with my colleagues and students. Who knows this may even lead into creating something which is worthy of posting for public scrutiny.
PERSONAL LEARNING - PHOTOSHARING
I have learned that Photosharing, like an iceberg, has many layers. You can engage in photosharing as a peripheral observer at the top of the iceberg, be a producer of digital photosharing as you venture forth and scout out the terrain of the iceberg or enter the more intense and dynamic layer of social participation in a community linked by common interests in photosharing as you dive into the depths of the layers of the iceberg.
My personal use of photosharing began with an observation of the sites and photos that others had created. Then I began to produce my own digital pictures complete with titles, descriptions and text on the pictures. From this I created a slideshow and made scrapbook pages to share with family and friends. Photosharing increases the connectedness and intimacy allowing for the sharing of memories, inside jokes, accomplishments, milestones and issues. For my daughter, who is away at school, it has been a great stress relief. The ability to see photos of her new niece, has allowed her to not only feel more intimately connected with us but has made her feelings of separation diminish. She knows that we are just a click away.
Photosharing sites also act as a repository for all of your photos. Sites such as Flickr allow you to catalogue your pictures according to personal tags so that you can easily retrieve them. The web storage frees up space on your hard drive and the ability to tag pictures saves hours (if anyone actually did it) of cataloguing pictures. The added bonus is that now your photos can be accessed anytime, anywhere by you. The potential problem however, is that computer savvy people may also be able to access the photos of your loved ones and use them for unsavory ends. This danger can hopefully be eliminated by the privacy settings.
For me it is the need to balance the fear of digital piracy with the realization that photosharing has positive ends. Being part of the public side of photosharing is one I have not entered but I can see how public photosharing would be a positive way to enhance the social consciousness of global citizens. As people share photos of common interests or global events they develop a sense of community that makes our differences dissipate and magnifies our similarities. These feelings of unification will hopefully lead to a stronger global community and I would like to participate in this community. It is just too far down the iceberg for me at this point in time.
TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH PHOTOSHARING
Teachers need to focus on the learning before they attempt the teaching. Educators are quick to jump on a “bandwagon” before being fully aware of the uses and pitfalls of a new pedagogy. Using photosharing could fall into the same trap. Do not just sit at the top of the iceberg but scale down and try all of the capacities of the tool before you attempt photosharing with your staff or students.
Ideas of how to use photosharing in your learning and teaching are identified in our textbooks, in journal articles, in blog posts, etc. Try photosharing in:
Social Studies – link to GeoEarth for pictures of countries around the globe
Language Arts - Digital Story-Telling, Personal Storyboards, photo journals
Math - Everyday pictures to link math concepts to the real world
Science – Track the process of an experiment or Classification
Art - Art appreciation, view styles of artists, post student examples of methods
and styles
Health - Addiction prevention slideshow
Phys. Ed. – post techniques and examples for younger students
Use Flickr with a Smartboard to create sets to classify as part of something or not (Barry Bennet, John Antonetti)
Photo field trips
PD - sharing of curriculum ideas – sharing of methods of photosharing
But this is only the tip of the Iceberg. There are many ways to implement photosharing beyond the mere sharing of photos. The capacity to comment on photos, explore cognitive reasoning behind the photos/comments and build networks of people with common interests is socially empowering. However, teachers need to be very careful if they are promoting the use of photosharing outside of their own building. Anytime you are promoting sharing with an audience that you do not know, you are opening yourself up to issues of privacy, confidentiality and appropriateness. One needs to ask themselves can the benefits be derived in another way?
That concludes my tour around the iceberg of photosharing. Remember a picture is worth a 1000 words. So start photosharing and hang on as the iceberg melts.
REFERENCES
Davies, Julia. Merchant, Guy. (2009) Web 2.0 for Schools: Learning and Social Participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Chu, Jennifer. Van Dussen, Erik. Pedagogical Uses of Flickr. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2009 from http://design.test.olt.ubc.ca/Pedagogical_Uses_of_Flickr
Hartley, John. McWilliam, Kelly. Burgess, Jean E. Banks, John A. (2008) The Uses of Multimedia: Three Digital Literacy Case Studies. Retrieved Sept 17, 2009 from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/18063/
Schrum, Lynne. Solomon, Gwen. Web 2.0 and You: Starting the Conversation. Retrieved Sept 17, 2009 from www.iste.org/Content/.../YourLearningJourney/Web20/21F80026.pdf
Andrew’s Blog (2009) Students Seeking Relevance In Education. Retrieved on Sept. 17, 2009 from C:\Documents and Settings\Reception\Desktop\Students Seeking Relevance In Education - Classroom 2_0.mht
Monday, September 7, 2009
Possibilities of Social Networking in the Classroom
I believed that our school was missing a growing phenomenon but until this afternoon I had no idea that Social Networking could have so much educational value. I did not realize the connection between Social Networking and learning. All I have ever seen is my kids exchanging idle chit chat on social networking sites that I didn't think anyone would be interested in but their friends. Now that I have had the chance to play with some of these sites I can see the vast potential for learners. I see the connection between learner engagement and Social Networking.
Thank you for this opportunity to enlighten myself and I look forward to continuing the journey.
Thank you for this opportunity to enlighten myself and I look forward to continuing the journey.
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