Week Three

The New Way of Teaching.

Restaurants, shopping, fuel stations, movie theatres, Grocery stores, doctors, chemists... These are a few of the things in today society that are now 24 hour access. The world is changing into a busier place and people need to be able to access all of these things 24/7. So wouldn't it make sense that education goes this way too? Students don't finish learning at 3pm, they don't go home and switch their brains and creativity off and watch T.V. Most students can be found on their computers. So as educators we need to bring the education to them, in a virtual online medium that allows them to access it at any time in any place.

Taking Education To the Students!

How can we bring students an education outside of school? There are a few different ways to do this. Some of the easiest and safest ways that I have found over the duration of my degree are Wiki spaces, blogs and Weebly.

Whats in a Weebly?

Weebly is a website that I have used a number of times through out my degree. CQU puts an emphasis on creating online virtual resources for students allowing us to explore and know the area. HERE is a weebly that I made for a group of year 5 students in the "Technology" subject. It was my intention to create an assessment project where the criteria, instructions and necessary information was present. This was useful in a number of ways, I have expanded on the idea of using weekly in eductions in the table below.

Plus Easy to create Simple drag and place features Free Allows to make number of pages Allows for 24 hour access to learning and content Easy to imbed links/ videos/ pictures

Minus Internet can be unsafe Must give an email address to sign up Offers to purchase URL, which could confuse students. Canot link weebly accounts together. No follow/subscribe feature

Interesting Students can not edit Students can show other people what they are working on in class Students can create their own allows for assessment tasks for students to build one.

But then there's Blogging!

Blogs are a great way to take education to students. It is an interactive space where students can ask questions to the teacher and each other, all while have a little corner of the internet to call their own. Lets look at Blogs a little closer with the 6 thinking hats!

	Blogging is an interactive source for students to be hands on and involved with content and curriculum. Positive features include Subscription - which allows students to see updates from teachers or fellow students each time a blog is updated. Customization - Students are able to decorate and personalize their spaces Comment - a feature that allows students to communicate with teachers and each other. Experience - Students are exposed to the HTML coding launguage. A language that I am sure students and teachers will need to know in the future Easy to monitor -Teachers can monitor the blogs, keep a record of each students URL and even create the blog for them as they are free and easy to create.
	Students are able to review, reflect, re -read and re think the ideas that are posted on a blog. With the blogging of ideas, students are able to think about what they want other people to read when posting in a public forum. If a student is able to think about their thinking and critically review their own work then we can see self regulated thinking and critical "Thinking about thinking taking place. It is also a place where students are able to communicate with each other, which will also allow for the sharing of ideas which is great in group tasks. This allows students to manage their ideas and be constructive and creative at the same time.
	Students have the opportunity to explore ideas when they post on a blog. In an individual approach, students are able to build on their own ideas and explore the ideas of others who also post. But blogging isn't always a single approach, it is a community. Students are able to express ideas with not just text, but pictures and GIFs. This also allows students to work with HTML codes in making colours tables, headers, titles, graphs, GIFs, widgets and so many more plug ins and gadgets for blogs.
	Its simple to list the positive points about a blog! Easy to use Free 24 hour access Students own their own blog Allows for posting comments = Feedback Customization Students are able to use HTML codes Students are able to create their own unique page Subscription and following is allowed You are able to go back and edit old posts Brings technology and ICT into the class room. Unique and fun way to hook students into content.
	There is however a risk each time you have students online, especially if you send them home to use family/ personal computers where the fire walls and safety setting may not be as good as the systems in the school, which may open up to students seeing content that they should not be. There is also a chance of cyber bullying which is an issue that is on the rise in the school yard. It also requires a lot of supervising as students may post inappropriate things on their blogs for other students to see. There is also the risk of people outside of the students family, friends and school seeing the posts. Strangers. This opens students up to online predators. There is also questions in some website or pop up adds that allow for students to give away personal details like name, address and age.
	Blogging is a great way for students to express themselves. This is a soap box for students to be able to write. With the comment section, it allows students to ask questions among themselves or to the teacher when they are confused, unsure or not confident enough. It also gives the students to comment of each others work to praise or provide feed back.

Well that leaves Wikis!

Wikis are another game changer in E-Learning! To see more about wikis, visit my wiki space by clicking HERE

Links Moodle Site - http://theyeppenplains.weebly.com
Wiki Space - http://so175896.wikispaces.com/page/diff/home/442189400

References

The Opportunity Thinker - de Bono for Schools. (2002). Six Thinking Hats. California, USA: debonoforschools. - See more at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.koOO05df.dpuf

Oddcast (2013). About Voki Retrieved July 19, 2013 from www.voki.com

McDougall,E. (2013) The Yeppen Plains Retrieved July 19 2013 from http://theyeppenplains.weebly.com