Exploring Wiki and it’s features was interesting, it is a very simple yet elaborate resource to use in the classroom.As I created my wiki, I knew right off the cuff it would be great for communication and collaboration tool not only between students but with parents. There are ways to upload posts, events and so many other features. For my initial purposes I have decided to go with the communication and collaboration approach, it seems the most reasonable. Students can access this if they have internet at home and share information or allow parents to look at assignments.
During Module three we had the opportunity to explore a variety of Wikispaces. I liked Mr. Lindsay's wiki. This site included a “classroom window” with a focus on homework help, google classroom and updates. There were also links to the curriculum which I found interesting. The first post on my wiki was an event to a Parent Academy that we are hosting for 4th grade parents because they have so many questions about how we are teaching multiplication and division strategies in our classes. It is very different than it has been in the past.So having curriculum access is beneficial for parents when they desire to help their kids but don’t have the background knowledge that teachers have Obviously parents don’t become experts but it definitely closes that gap slightly.
HUMS3001:Censorship and Responsibility was a great resource and insight to how “wiki spirit” or how to create a wiki that is responsible. This can be seen through strengthening knowledge about copyright and plagiarism and creating a sense of diversity and boldness in wikispaces. This wikispace has gained recognition due to its runner up position in The 2009 Edublogs Award. Very cool and inspiring.
Grazing for Digital Natives was yet another great resource. I enjoyed looking through the posts. One that I found particularly interesting was a post from Dorman (2012), “Infographics”. The post was titles Info-graphic Toolbox. It provided not only a detailed description about info-graphics but resources and links to instructional strategies and tools to introduce them into the classroom. What useful information in just one post. I am a huge fan of infographics and was actually just acquainted with them this year. They are very useful to guide student thinking and to foster creativity and idea sharing in the classroom. I discuss a science lesson below that involves the use of infographics and the benefits of this tool in lessons. I included Dorman's image in my post because I found this particular so useful for my own pedagogical and teaching practices.
Overall I liked the structures of each of the wikispaces that I explored. They were all unique in their own ways. Mr. Lindsay's wiki was extremely personal and true to a single classroom and teacher which I envision my wiki being. HUMS3001:Censorship and Responsibility received national recognition by Edublog. Attention is an indicator of engagement and what student wouldn’t want to be a part of this work and achievement? Grazing for Digital Natives had lots of knowledgeable posts and links. I liked being able to acquire resources and new information that can be applied to my classroom learnings and pedagogy. In my opinion less is more but it also depends on the purpose and structure you wish to create.
Another tool I would like to discuss is Google. Solomon and Scrum (2010) suggest, “Productivity tools from Google, specifically those under the name “Google Apps” represent a collection of products that allow you to do many things” (p. 94). In Clarke County teachers use google for everything. Students are implored to use Google in a variety of ways as well. They have emails and accounts and can access these with internet connection Teachers use them to present and share out information. Students use google docs, presentations, drawings and calendar to collaborate on information. I have been using google in my classroom and would like to share some resources that have benefited my students immensely. We just completed our first Science Unit. It has been a great year to teach science. The solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 really helped make this unit on space come alive. I use Google Classroom. All my students have access and can follow along with me during lessons. With assistance from our Clarke County Curriculum Guide I used the google's productivity slides tool to create and push out The Solar System 5E's Model. There are a series of lessons that progress through various information about our solar system. We start with a phenomenon. Infographics are such a great way to engage conversation among students and to promote higher order thinking. This is showing learning at the 4th level “analyze” in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students are looking at an infographic and developing and analyzing thoughts about what they are experiencing or seeing. Students are then asked to compare and contrast information with a partner. This is getting their creative and conversational juices flowing in the classroom. They are also asked to break into groups and explore our planets and post what they learn in a collaborative slide. This type of environment utilizes technology that yields student responses, accountability in conversation and sharing what they learn with their peers so that as a group we can come to a consensus using the data we have acquired and ultimately be scientists. Research on a specific type of Space Technology means students become experts in one area and get to share what they have learned with their peers. Solomon and Schrum (2010) state, “Teachers are learning to use these tools in authentic ways (p. 102). I got the idea to use these resources in these ways from fellow colleagues and through Professional Learning opportunities in my county. It just makes sense. Is the delivery perfect or without problems? Absolutely not, but I am learning through collaboration and professional learning. Students who needed support were able to log into TrueFlix and listen to the information about planets. There are interactive videos and books to aid in comprehension and skill building.
When I consider Wiki and the lessons I have just shared, I think about how students could post their thoughts in a Wiki and get responses from their peers. It becomes a digital discussion.The students are collaborating and editing a document that becomes a product of their collaborative learning but the effort and thought they put into a post to share with their peers to get feedback will make this hard work register even more.
The Padagogy Wheel was an interesting read. I made many connections to my practices; also how my practice can be improved using these ideas. By taking a closer look at this model, I was able to see clear ways that it enhances Bloom’s Taxonomy outcomes. There are specific apps to help in any area that you feel unsure or wish to implement in your classroom. How exciting is that? In the center, it states, watch the The TED ED. talk by Dan Pink. I am a huge fan of TED Ed. Talks and so I took the time to watch this video on YouTube. He presents the candle problem and goes through a series of explanations of why students solve, how long it takes and how their progress works in relation to incentives. He ultimately suggests that these motivators block creativity. Dan Pink states, Rewards work well when the task is simple and has a clear destination. Rewards narrow our focus and hinder creativity. (Pink, 2009) What I gather from this is that we want our students thinking in three dimensional ways. We don't want to have such a focus that we lose track of fostering creativity and innovative thinking. We want our students to think outside the box, so to speak. This is what we need in the business world; where our students or some of them are headed. I enjoyed listening to Pink’s discussion of “The Results Only Work Environment”. No schedules, no meetings simply getting the work done. Productivity, worker engagement and satisfaction rise and turnover goes down. Autonomy, mastery and purpose are the effects of this style of environment (Pink, 2009). So, I move to what does this look like in the classroom? How can this be implemented? We can strengthen our classroom environments through student choice, collaboration and creating products that represent the learning that is happening.
Resources:
Carrington, A. (2017, February 19). The Padagogy Wheel English V5.
Retrieved September 24, 2017, from https://designingoutcomes.com/english-speaking-world-v5-0/
Clarke County School District Office of Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24,
2017, from https://sites.google.com/a/clarke.k12.ga.us/ccsd-curriculum-portal/?pli=1
Dorman, J. (2012, August 8). Grazing for Digital Natives. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from
http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0 how-to for educators: the indispensable companion
to web 2.0: new tools, new schools. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.
T. (2009, August 25). The puzzle of motivation | Dan Pink. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y