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Blogs

Well there is no need for a link; you’re already here at the blog! For those who do not know, it is quite easy to create, modify and implement different features on a blog.

Soooooooooooo, what is a BLOG?

A blog is considered to be:

A personal website or webpage, on which an individual records opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis.
(Oxford Dictionaries, 2014)

Creating a new blog takes only minutes; students could easy use them to help further there learning. The features are simple and students will be able to connect to others through their blog.

The features include:

·         Font

·         Size

·         Heading changes

·         Bold, Italic and Underline

·         Colour changes+

·         Links

·         Pictures/Photos

·         Videos

·         Placement on the blog

·         Spelling Check

These are just a few of the features. Another major feature that will help students learn is the ability to add HTMLs to the blog and create automatic links, showing content created and found on another website.

However, allowing students to create their own blogs generates new components learning managers have to consider and observe. These include the responsibility of ensuring cyber bullying, the safety of the students online and the legal and ethical issues are deliberated.

The Queensland Government (Department of Education, Training and Employment) (2013) believes the four levels of the SAMR model allow the complexity of technology, to be used effectively in a classroom. Below is the SAMR model showing how a learning manager can align a blog within the classroom.

Redefinition: Creating a blog
Modification: Changing and modifying a blog
Augmentation: Operating and investigating a blog
Substitution: Comprehending and recalling how to create and change a blog

Wikispaces
Originally, I struggled quite a lot with accessing and creating a wikispaces page. After a few attempts and some guidance from a friend, I was able to create a page. Once this page was created it was easy enough to navigate and find my way through the wikispaces tool bar. Wikispaces could be used very successfully in a classroom as it could provide the ‘hook’ needed when students are disengaged; also, the features available for use allow students to interact and change the page when needed. However, as I had trouble with navigation, students may need appropriate scaffolding to use wikispaces to full potential.

Below the SAMR model (below) shows how a learning manager can align wikispaces and its uses in the classroom.

Redefinition: Creating a wikispaces page
Modification: Changing and modifying a wikispaces page
Augmentation: Operating and investigating a wikispaces page
Substitution: Comprehending and recalling how to create and change a wikispaces page

This link is to a wikispaces page I created to show the different features that can used.

Weebly
I have used weebly before for previous university assignments (usually within a group). However, I had to relook over how create a weebly. It was quite easy to create a new weebly; however there are always the negatives to each digital tool.
Below is a PMI table to indicate the positives and negatives:

Plus (Positives)	Minus (Negatives)	Implications
·         Easy to navigate ·         All options are to the left of the website and sorted into categories ·         Easy implementation of any sort	·         Students need to be able to read, write and have control on their fine motor skills ·         Cost restriction on certain aspects	·         Is it worth the cost for extras? Or is the basic version applicable? ·         Without the necessary reading/writing skills, will all students be able to learn through a weebly?

Link

This week’s content for the course has allowed me to consider how I have previously used these technologies and how I can utilise them in the future to help my students learn!

References

Oxford Dictionaries. (2014). Blog. Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/blog.

Queensland Government (Department of Education, Training and Employment). (April, 2013). The SAMR model: engage in deep learning and authentic contexts. Retrieved from https://classroomconnections.eq.edu.au/topics/Pages/2013/issue-7/samr-learning-technologies.aspx.