In my research on social bookmarking, I found sites that simply discuss what social bookmarking is rather than why use them in education. I suppose it may be up to me to say why social bookmarking benefits education and/or educators. Educators come across many different resources both in curriculum given to them by their respective schools, and in individual searches for lesson plan ideas. When good resources or websites are found, there is a desire to share the information with other educators and/or with students. “Teachers can use social bookmarking to share links to websites and to find out what websites other teachers are using”
“A teacher could set up an account for each class, tag resources and make the URL available to the class. As the work is web-based it can be modified and updated from any Internet connected computer. Likewise students can access the resources from any internet connected computer”
“Social bookmarking simpliļ¬es the distribution of reference lists, bibliographies, papers, and other resources among peers or students”
References
Schmid, H. (2008, January 15). How do I use social bookmarking in education? Retrieved December 18, 2009, from ICT-in-Education Online Community: http://cms.unescobkk.org/forum/education/ict/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=187
Another web 2.0 tool that I learned how to use this week is on the website Lumosity.com and it is a site where one can engage in games and programs that promote brain health and cognitive function. When you first create the account, you set up username and password and create your preliminary profile. I was then brought to a screen allowing me a free 7-day trial premium membership without having to input any information whatsoever. I was then told I would be in a brain training ‘boot-camp’ that can assess where I was and what programs would be best for me to do afterwards. I like this site because I enjoy doing games and things that stimulate thinking, especially when they are fun and not necessarily learning. I am a firm believer in if one doesn’t exercise the brain, like any other muscle in the body, it can atrophy.
Lumosity.com can be used in education because there isn’t an age requirement to use this site and when creating the account, one is asked at what educational level one is at, which automatically causes the site to recommend programs for one’s initial assessment. I found this site when looking at other web 2.0 tools and decided to give it a try. This site also keeps tracks of a users progress, including scores, last programs/games used, and next game on the to do list. This site also appears to be a social networking site because one can add friends on the site and even has an activity stream.
The games test memory, mathematical ability, and verbal fluency through word play in its training assessment. I look forward to seeing what other games I can do and I would definitely use this in a classroom to maintain the children’s attention using games for cognitive enhancement.
One of the web 2.0 tools that I am writing about this week that I enjoy using is called zFlick. The tool was created by a fellow Full Sail student named Bryan Berger. He created the program to work with Flickr, which is an image sharing social networking site. Flickr is a site where users can upload their pictures and share them with other people on the Internet through the use of tagging, creation of friends, and forming of groups. zFlick is a program that is downloading to one’s desktop that assists the user with acquiring photos/images from Flickr without having to be online at the time, though an Internet connection is necessary for this tool to work.
Many times, we want to use images to help describe what our messages are. Many people go online to find these images instead of taking the pictures themselves and use sites like Flickr and PhotoBucket. I personally used PhotoBucket all the time until encountering zFlick. I found out about zFlick from the Full Sail Online website, as it was a featured article a few weeks ago because the creator of this program is a current Full Sail student who won an award and a trip to a foreign country as a result of creating this program. When I read the article, I was curious about what zFlick could do and whether I could benefit from it or not. Would it do what it said it would do and make the acquisition of images simpler than me just going to Flickr and seeking an image? Was it possible to just put in a tag name right from my desktop and have unlimited images at my mouse click without ever having to go onto the website?
I decided to give it a try and did some research on the site. I read the article in its entirety and then did a Google search for zFlick to see what else I could find on this program. I found that it is being hosted by Adobe Air, which is a well-known name so it must be something worth trying out, I thought. There was also a link to follow zFlick on Facebook so I went on my page and linked to it and read what I could. I found some discussion on zFlick and found some information about the creator and this information made him more real to me. I felt more of a connection to him as a fellow student and also decided that I definitely would give his program a try.
I downloaded zFlick, which was a simple step and ran the program. It was ready as soon as the download was complete. It opens a thin strip across the desktop where text can be entered. One can enter one word as the tag or a phrase and then zFlick does the rest. Within seconds, I had more than 600 images on my screen in small thumbnails. I ran my mouse across one and it made the thumbnail bigger in comparison with the others. Then when I clicked on the image I was interested in, it opened to a bigger image where I could see detail. After that, per the instructions I read, I dragged the image to my desktop and sure enough, there it was. A JPEG of the image I wanted. Simple; just as I was promised. Could not have been easier.
I like zFlick and I know I can easily use it for educational purposes because that is what I have been using it for now. I can put in a tag that says education and instantly images of classrooms, children, or anything associated with education comes up. zFlick also saves time because I don’t have to go online to use it. I can easily do other work and at the last moment, select the image I want to include with whatever lesson or assignment I am doing. This simple tool has cut down valuable search time for me online and that is why it is one of my favorite web 2.0 tools this week.
Another web 2.0 tool that I enjoyed using is Dabbleboard. This site allows the user to have a digital whiteboard to draw ideas, plans or anything that whiteboards are traditionally used for. I liked this site because I like to do mind-maps and this site is great for doing just that. Dabbleboard allows the user to drag and drop existing photos onto the board and build around it by adding lines or shapes. The user is in control of how big or small the board is and how far images branch out.
I like this web tool for educational uses because mind mapping is a great tool used in classrooms to brainstorm for ideas no matter the subject matter. I recall having to create mind maps for essay writing. A site like this would make these mind maps easier because it is completely digital and allows for quick drawing and sharing of ideas. This site allows for the creation of spontaneous presentations by allowing users to easily add elements by dragging and dropping photos. I would incorporate Dabbleboard into my lesson plans by using it on a projector. Students can be given a particular subject and then be allowed to freely call out ideas that I would draw on the whiteboard. Ideas would then be connected through drawing and pictures and a small connection can then become broad. Students can see how many things are connected by a single word or element. Students learn that they are also a small part of a bigger picture.
Allowing students to learn using Dabbleboard gives them the ability to collaborate together using images, words, and drawing to make virtually anything that can come to mind. No matter the subject or curriculum lesson they need to do, they can use the whiteboard to group together ideas. Dabbleboard is easy to use by allowing photos and images from the user, shape and line recognition and freehand drawing. It is a versatile program that I would definitely continue to use.
The first web 2.0 tool that I find of interest is a game called Farmville. I discovered this game on the Facebook social networking site. It is a Flash game made by Zynga. In this game, one is in charge of a farm, in which one builds from the ground up. When you get your farm, you start with 6 crops and nothing else. These are given to you to teach you how to use/play Farmville. One goes about arranging the farm by buying animals, plots of land, and buildings, etc. for the farm. As one takes care of the animals, one must also milk the cows and shear the sheep, etc in order to be paid for it. One must tend the trees and harvest from them. One must plow the land, plant the seeds, and harvest crops in allotted time in order to make money; however, crops must be tended in that time or they will wither and money will be lost.
I like Farmville as an educational tool to teach children about agricultural commerce and community. In Farmville, community is important. One can acquire trees, animals, and other farm items through gift giving with one’s neighbors. In order to expand your farm, you need more neighbors and not just money so it is a vital part of the game to invite people to be your neighbors. Also, it is important to visit your neighbors and help out on their farms to achieve points that will eventually increase your level.
The game teaches agricultural commerce because the user must perform the various steps of farming in order to make money and increase their level. Farmers must create plots of land by plowing empty areas. Seeds must then be purchased at the market and then planted into plowed land. The market shows the cost of the seeds, how long it will take crops to grow as well as the experience points the farmer will receive. Once chosen, the farmer plants the seeds and must wait the allotted time to harvest the crop. Once the crop has been harvested, the land is left fallow. The user must then pay to plow the land, buy the seeds and begin the planting cycle again. Trees must also be harvested though they do not wither should harvesting not be done on time. Animals on the farm must be tended to though there be no repercussion for time mismanagement.
Buildings like houses and barns are available for purchase as well from the market. They are bought from the market then built onto the land. Items in Farmville can be sold; however, the selling price is always lower than the purchase price, as in real life, which demonstrates depreciation. I believe Farmville to be a good educational game that is fun for children and adults. Children learn agriculture, commerce, community, and economics from this game. They learn to weigh options before purchasing items and they learn how to manage time in relation to farming. I would definitely use this game in my classroom, as it is available on other sites besides Facebook.
When searching for implementing Flickr in a lesson in the classroom, I came across a site called Teachers Network that was for teachers by teachers. There were many lesson plan ideas and one such area was geared for using technology in the classroom. There was an article by a teacher about using Flickr in the classroom. The teacher wrote about how she used Flickr as a way for her students to create a project about the Russian Revolution. She had her students use Flickr to look up and analyze photos in relation to the topic and then had the student compile the photos found into a group page created on the Flickr site.
I believe that I would use Flickr in a similar way should I desire to use when I become an instructor. I believe I would create a lesson in which my students would use Flickr to look up photos that could demonstrate feelings and emotions as nonverbal communication. The lesson I would want the students to learn would be concerning learning that nonverbal communication is as important as verbal communication, and often even more important. I would probably create a group page, as this teacher did, to handle concerns regarding privacy and web exposure to the students as I intend on teaching students in 3rd grade or in lesser grades. I would want the children to search for pictures that could demonstrate a feeling or a need, using color, shapes, people or anything they can think of to demonstrate what they perceive as nonverbal communication. I believe that doing this will help my students to come together regardless of differences in speech or language.
According to Michael Wesch, “Learning is the hallmark of humanity”. Finding meaning in education has been a significant issue since when I was in high school and probably before then. The question about how what is being taught applies to the real world has been ever-present since longer than I can remember. The love of learning about the world and people doesn’t seem to be there anymore. Focus on grades, tests, and curriculum requirements overshadow the desire to know why and how things came to be. Where is that passion that burned in me as a child; that eagerness to find out more and more?
The type of teacher I hope to become is the kind that creates lifelong learners and not students biding time until dismissal while learning by rote. The urgency to educate the leaders of tomorrow is larger than any other calling. It is today’s learners that will make or break the future; as they will be the ones to battle global-warming and the loss of the natural resources that previous generations have destroyed.
Traditional learning environments like classrooms and lecture halls are not cutting it anymore. More and more students question the relevance of what and how they are learning every day. How is this way of learning keeping up with changing technology? As technology changes, so does the way students prefer to learn. Non-traditional learning is becoming the preferred way. Taking online courses in one’s own time is commonplace now. Even public offices like the Department of Motor Vehicles in Florida offers a non-traditional method of taking the test for one’s own driving permit by allowing the class and test to be taken online.
Personal learning environments created by the student through organization of various resources and self-direction allows the student to be in charge of their own learning. For me, personal learning environments increase the success rate of education for students with learning disabilities because they can learn at their own pace and with tools they select for themselves.
I believe current educational systems fail many students because students today are retaining less as they move from grade to grade. I believe that the curriculum is so focused on hitting key points established that teachers are now forgetting to make the learning fun for the students. When I was younger, teachers incorporated challenging games in our classrooms. Doing so made us learn while having fun. Also, allowing students to do work in their own time according to a deadline makes the students take charge of their own learning. Many students would feel better using this method because they can organize their lessons according to what they want to learn first. They would feel less pressure as they can take their time to learn harder or challenging lessons.
I think that virtual learning environments are the key to reinventing education. I think that students today are more technologically oriented and virtual learning environments make learning fun. Course management systems like what we use at Full Sail Online allows students to take their time with harder assignments and allow students to set their own schedules. I know that I feel better doing my assignments as I want to do them. I am aware that my instructors are accessible should I need them, but the learning is my own to do. There is more independent instruction, which makes me feel more in control of my own education. I believe that with proper instruction, personal learning environments and web 2.0 tools can be used in the right ways to successfully expand education. Students can help each other to learn at their own comfort levels.
Technology itself is not enough. I believe that instruction is needed to teach students the right ways to use technology to aid the way they learn. Instructors guide students on what to use and how it is used to enhance education. I do not think that the educational systems in place are obsolete. I do believe that the educational system needs to be revamped and reworked to fit with technological changes. Key components I would put in school include updated computers into schools and teaching children to use them. I believe Internet should be available in school and lessons taught exactly how to acquire necessary information. Web 2.0 tools like Google applications are absolutely useful for students to aid in organization of the information learned. 21st century schools need to grasp technology and bring it into the classroom. Students today are grasping these systems at home so schools need to incorporate these advances into the curriculum to keep students interested.
1 comments:
I agree with you. Placing desks in other than traditional settings often aids learning in ways that can be difficult to measure. I recall a high school English class where the teacher had the desks in a semicircle with his desk in the middle. We read poetry and discussed things about it. I remember liking the setup because I could hear the teacher better. I felt that we absorbed the lessons better especially since I still remember some of the poems we covered like The Highwayman and The Odyssey.
I think that when teachers remember to throw out as much of the traditional as they can, then education can really begin to matter again.