First PLAY VOKI: One day I was scheduling a workshop with a school and was describing some of the new web tools I planned to share and basically said it just as this slide does. I was lamenting the fact that my blog and wiki might be blocked and asked her to check them. We laughed because it did sound like a medical condition of sorts! Hopefully, the terms will fit comfortably in your vocabulary after this session. After my first NECC experience, I began writing a blog and created a wiki along with reading about and experimenting with some of the new tools I had seen at NECC and was reading about in my educational articles. Nope I was not yet really using RSS feeds or a reader even then! When I would tell teachers to visit my wiki for handouts, I got blank faces! All had heard of blogs by then, but the terms wiki, nings, widgets, etc., were foreign to most. Ah, what a difference a couple of years makes, doesn’t it?

You may notice that I have only a couple of handouts. In fact, I was asked to send in a couple or would not even have them for you! I am going green! I will cover lots of material today, but all can be accessed on my wiki Visit wiki. We will come back to the wiki throughout the session, too.

I used Wordle here. I just typed in words that came to mind when brainstorming about this session and blogs, wikis, and nings and how they can help create the “thoughtful classroom”.

Consumers vs. producers; dynamic; conversational; current….With Web2.0: Users own the data Users control the data There is a climate of participation Users value add as their needs evolve The interface is friendly

Yes, cool tools. But won’t make a poor teacher cool. Still much planning involved. Still teaching the content—not just copying loads of text to a blog or wiki.

Using good sources embedded in technology makes a difference.

Not this old…Justin Hall as a college student started his blog in 1994. Blogs have since shaped the political landscape. Considered the demise of Dan Rather, the resignation of Trent Lott,. Blogs have given such a personal color to Iraq war and has influenced elections. Blogs are now a credible news medium.

Of course there are blogs for ever topic! Savvy shoppers read them for bargains and coupons.

All the big news stations, magazines, and media outlets have blogs. This one is one of the most popular and is read by millions.

And, of course….Shoe Blogs. Then show my blog.

http://www.wikihow.com/Embed-YouTube-Flash-Videos-in-Your-PowerPoint-Presentations

Commoncraft; youtube, teachertube

Twitter the best example of microblogging. Is it a social or informational network? The creators prefer the latter qualification. Of course, we have the stars of music, movie, sports, and the media with their million followers (Ashton Crutcher, Oprah). People (aka groupies) don’t last long usually. But those who find a cadre of peers—professional and/or social—and use Twitter for information tend to stay w/ it much longer, using it like the message boards of old. Twitter for teachers: search. Expectations of new adopters are dashed when just following ‘stars’. This could be a session in itself. I use twitter now almost more than my rss feeds. During NECC tweets told me what sessions were being streamed live somewhere like Ustream or Coverit Live or on the ISTEvision site. Awesome links are posted that I can save for later viewing.

Anyone twitter now? Send me a tweet and I will show what happens.

This is a good place to start. Not only do you find their twitter names but also other websites or blogs that they have. Plus it is divided by content. Find one then see who they follow, etc.

Are we here yet? In spite of the caption here, blogs have powerful educational implication.

Research suggests that differentiated instruction, using multiple modes of presentation, will positively increase a student’s opportunity for learning. Communicating efficiently, using various communication methods, will enhance a teacher’s instructional effectiveness and a student’s ability to understand. Blogging appears to offer multiple opportunities for teacher and student use. Writing in a blog by both student and teacher may strengthen their relationship while also providing a unique means of communicating instruction more effectively Also:(a) increased peer interaction among students, (b) increased teacher interaction with the students, (c) students exhibiting more positive emotions about learning, and (d) an increased sharing of ideas among students and with the teacher Gives students a VOICE! Breathes new life into old writing assignments. Encourages participation by all. (Relate my old journal experiences.)

Look at these blogs. Refer to wiki for more examples. Star links to a special ed student blog.

What KIDS LEARN FROM BLOGGING: Applies to wikis, nings, and other online collaborative venues. Mrs. Yollis’ students’ comments are a good sampling of comments I often read in articles (and blogs.lol) Responsible journalism: Because students who are posting blogs reach an audience with their posts, whereas a personal diary can be kept private, students have the opportunity in blogging to learn about the power of the published word. Whereas they might be tempted to criticise or make fun of someone in private conversation or in a diary, they can be taught about responsible journalism, and that the consequences of these kinds of remarks in the new world of the read/write web can be serious and long-lasting.

Discuss those best for education. Safety and privacy—control; monitor; review Some are ad free. Go to Blogger.com to show how to set one up. (also my blog)

Blogs give students a chance to reflect about what they have learned in a context with which they feel comfortable. And this reflection is a good thing– a learning experience in itself.

Primary sources ripe for essays and debate; get so many viewpoints to analyze; instant, unlike peer-reviewed or published sources, books; Blogs require new types of examination. Some questions learners might ask as they evaluate blogs:  Search “blog” + Topic Who is the blogger? With so many blogs offering spotty or nonexistent “about” pages, this may be a clue in itself. What sorts of materials is the blogger reading or citing? Does this blogger have influence? Is the blog well-established? Who and how many people link to the blog? Who is commenting? Does this blog appear to be part of a community? (The best blogs are likely to be hubs for folks who share interests with the blogger.) Tools like Technorati http://technorati.com and Blogpulse http://blogpulse.com can help learners assess the influence of a blog. Is this content covered in any depth, with any authority? How sophisticated is the language, the spelling? Is this blog alive? It there a substantial archive? How current are the posts? At what point in a story’s lifetime did a post appear? Examining a story’s date may offer clues as to the reliability of a blog entry. Is the site upfront about its bias? Does it recognize/discuss other points of view? (For certain information tasks--an essay or debate--bias may be especially useful. Students need to recognize it.) Genre --Any class that examines autobiography or the diary should include blogs. In many ways, the genre itself is still in formation—blogs don't have any hard and fast rules just yet, not in terms of style or audience or publication or technology, so an examination of a variety of blogs or the history of blogs can help students see how genres themselves emerge.

As a venue to teach digital citizenship!! In classroom blogs, learners should argue and debate and criticize, but they also should be sensitive and respectful. As teachers, we can inspire a degree of impulse control for learners who blog. Have a blog contract where you delineate responsible blogging. Both of you and parents sign it. I have an example on my wiki under the blog page.

Says it all.

Again the contract can be important here. Also, recall that the kids in Mrs. Yollis’ classes mentioned responsible blogging several times illustrating that they are learning more than Acceptable Use.

Considerations: The blogs of students that aren’t interested in continuing to blog? What do you do with them? It could be dangerous….imprudent to leave them out there. Do you want to continue to monitor? Allow a student to do so?

Give this consideration: what happens to blogs of students who want to continue blogging: Who looks after, is responsible, and feeds them over the holidays? You will find that some of your students will want to continue their blogs. Move them to a personal blog? Trust them to monitor it?

Make pdf files? Save to Cd? Print them out? And of all these considerations apply to wikis, and nings, too. I read of a story about an abandoned middle school blog hacked by someone in Russia. Asked for permission to join, somehow granted, and away he went posting all kinds of smut. Just hit delete if you are not going to supervise it later. Blogs, wikis, and nings do allow us to archive content and work in new ways. I was always saving good projects, papers, posters. What a mess! But we have to consider the digital footprint of online content.

Moving on…to another 4-letter word! You will decide what works best for you. You may choose both blog and wiki, as many do. Much we discuss today applies to all three: blog, wiki, ning so your choice.

Hawaiian for ‘quick, quick’. All know Wikipedia? Basically, it’s a webpage with an edit button.

Contribute: pages, attachments, widgets, content, comments Find: Can search everything Organize: Personal, team, even global Control: Varied levels of security and privacy Notify: news, commentary, email Collaborate: can track history, edits, With the availability of a wiki 24/7/365 from pretty much anywhere, you have the opportunity to connect with anyone you wish....from your classroom to the world. • A wiki is as easy to use as any word processing program. • It is free (most of the time) with the availability of adding text, images, video, links, feeds, and more. • It is editable but also you can trace the edits (or revisions) to see who has added/subtracted data. • You can select who you wish to collaborate with by invitation (which allows security) or you can open it to anyone. • You can roll back to prior edits if necessary. • A simple SAVE updates the page instantly on the internet. • Some people challenge the validity of "wikispaces" as a legitimate source. By creating your own wiki, you are able to verify your data for accuracy and create an accurate portal of information for your audience.

Available on YouTube and Teachertube. Also, I could convert this to a ppt compatible format or embed in my own wiki or blog. There are good wikis out there to follow as part of your own PLN. I have linked to some on my wiki. Go to wikispaces.com

Anything you can do on paper can be done on a wiki…and much more! Students can collaborate on projects; post data collection and research; forum for individual and/or collaborative writing; peer review; active rather than passive learning; teachers can monitor participation. Upload video, pictures, house podcasts, music, widgets. Unlimited! Think about Setup. One for each class? With pages for each student? One for school? We will look at some different kinds and setups.

The same rules apply that we discussed with blogs. Have contract, discuss behavior.

Slide says: 1)Discuss and establish guidelines for wiki construction. 2)Negotiate content. 3)Create a charter for behavior, trust, accountability, and contribution. These guidelines should serve to build the culture of the wiki Social responsibility extends to interactions wikis, as well. In class wikis, we may need to discuss and establish guidelines for how we modify information and negotiate content. Guidelines for wiki construction could be class-generated, with the wiki’s about page serving as a kind of charter for behavior, trust, accountability, and contribution. These guidelines should serve to build the culture of the wiki. Even in an open authorship environment, participants should see both their freedoms and responsibilities to the community. We hear horror stories, but these are rare and don’t occur with monitoring. Blogs and wikis move students beyond “Acceptable Use” . They teach ‘responsible use’ and even better “Empowered Use”!

Wikis out there for every possibility: by subject, type of educator, professional development, classroom, school.

Wikispaces: linked to Jenifer Dorman; link to Sharon Betts PD wiki I see wikispaces most often and it’s the one I use. Just look at them, think about how you will use them… I use wikispaces…mainly just like my blog…it was the first one I read about. Once I jumped in and created them, I was reluctant to learn a new format. I see wikispaces most frequently. Revisit my wiki to show safety and protection and setup.

Another one of the 4-letter words I love! Show some of the nings I belong to. Then school examples. Good for video and group projects, too.

KY teacher. Angela Cunningham from Bullitt Co. As an aside, tell about how you met. The power of social media!! Online meeting, backchat, twitter, then shared websites. She attended NECC w/ own money as did many others and met F2F many of the people she had only met via twitter and whose feeds she reads. PLN. AGAIN.

RSS (Really simple syndication). Choose a reader (sometimes called an aggregator). I use Google Reader. (Show my IGoogle page). A teacher can use rss feeds to monitor class blogs and wikis. You will get an email each time it is edited/updated. Kids can create accounts to follow certain blogs, too. Wikis, blogs, and nings can be the foundation of your PLN. Find a few then see who they read/follow.

Wikipedia definition:A widget is anything that can be embedded within a page of HTML, i.e. a web page. A widget adds some content to that page that is not static. Generally widgets are originated by third parties, though they can be home made. Embeddable chunks of code have existed since the early development of the World Wide Web. Web developers have long sought and used third party code chunks in their pages. Early web widgets provided functions such as link counters and advertising banners. See handout: explain widgets, looks at some examples (voki, slideshare, photosharing, voicethread). Explain Copy/paste code that allows EMBEDDING. No need to use Zamzar to change format. Code can’t be embedded in ppt. No need for html knowledge.

Widgets---just like blogs, nings, wikis—require no knowledge of html code. If you can copy/paste, you can add a myriad of widgets that bring content to your pages.

Image based. Many of the sites now have educational versions which allow better monitoring, downloading to offline, limited use of advertising.

Call the doctor! I have a Voki on my Wiki and a Widget in my Ning! And… my Blog is Blocked! Missi Baker, KET Education Consultant mbaker@ket.org

Thoughtful Classroom What skills do students need to achieve at high levels? What instructional strategies enable greatest gains? How can we address the diversity of our students? How can we design units of instruction for different learning styles and still address the skills and core content knowledge?

Web 1.0 Read only Web as reading platform Developer authorship Individual intelligence Software applications Commercial/proprietary Static Impersonal Restricted collaboration Official releases Text-based HD as storage platform Lecture Web 2.0 Read/Write/Collaborate Web as publishing platform Public authorship Collective intelligence Web as software platform Open source/shared Dynamic It knows you & your needs Collaborative Constantly versioning Multimodal Web as storage platform Conversation

Blogs From “weblog” Maintained by an individual with regular entries Commentary or news Personal diary Often links to other blogs and web content (From Wikipedia, 3June2008.) Cambodia4Kids, Flickr Creative Commons, 3June2008.

What is a blog? Commoncraft.com.

Other forms Vlogs Artlogs Photoblogs MP3 Blogs Audio Blogs (podcasts) Microblogging (Twitter, etc.)

Hey, tweeple, send a tweet greeting @srenatee!

School Uses

Rationale for blogging in the classroom: Increased peer interaction Increased teacher interaction with student and increase in rapport More positive feelings toward learning Increase in sharing of ideas More diverse viewpoints Increased commitment to writing and learning An authentic audience

Classroom Blogs Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog 2KM@Leopold Primary School Extreme Biology blog Language Arts Blog Ms. Edwards “Thinking Blog”

Blog Platforms

“We learn from our experience...if we reflect upon our experience” John Dewey

Use of others’ blogs: Use as primary sources Hundreds of takes on any issue Instant information on a topic As venue for teaching information literacy As a writing genre Flickr Creative Commons. Heavens, Andrew. 13Dec.2005.

Blogs and wikis can teach digital etiquette and social responsibility, too.

Flickr Creative Commons. www.wil-lion..com/digitalbites

Students posting content online should: credit their sources, check their facts, admit when they discover they have made a mistake, avoid harming others, and disclose their biases

And when the year ends…? What about the blogs that are being left behind?

And when the term ends…?

How about the memories? The students have worked hard!

Wiki? What? Flickr Creative Commons, 3June2008.

What a Wiki can do…

Commoncraft.com

Uses for Wikis

Wikis and Digital Etiquette Flickr.com, richardcclark, 11Feb2007

Discuss and establish guidelines. Negotiate content. Create a charter = culture of your wiki Flickr.com. Jvonr. 11Nov2005

A Few Examples…

PBWIKI Summer Camp webinars: June and July

MY NING

Social Studies Ning

To follow:

Widgetize your Blogs, Wikis, Nings

Vokis

Animoto

Social Bookmarking

Citations Felix, Jefferery P., Ed. D. “Edublogging: Instruction for the Digital Age Learner.” 27 Dec. 2007. Ellison, Nicole; Wu, Yuehua. “A Preliminary Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension Blogging in the Classroom: Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, v17 n1 p99-122 Jan 2008. King, Mike. “Digital Sandbox” (blog). http://digitalsandbox.edublogs.org/avatars/ Valenza, Joyce. “Information Fluency Meets Web 2.0.” Presentation. NECC, Atlanta, 2007. Discovery Education Network, Virtual Conference, 8 Feb. 2008. Boss, Stabilo. part II: flickr.com/photos/stabilo-boss/1 01793493/ . 2 Jan. 2006. Dorman, Jenifer. Scribd. “Widgetize your wikis”, Mar09.