Podcasting-Communicating with technologies

Podcasting is a valuable development in technology that could be very useful in the classroom.  Students can listen to other’s podcasts or create their very own.  In listening to other’s podcasts, students are able to subscribe, and request information from a variety of sources on almost any subject imaginable.  Students who create their own podcasts could use them to extend and share knowledge that they have retained with others around the world.  This allows students to make decisions on who will produce the podcast, and what material will be included (2008).  Students are able to work on their communication and organizational skills, also.  Podcasts give teachers another means to assess subject based knowledge through a product that stimulates multiple intelligences, as well.

Podcast are similar to other 2.0 applications because they all are a means to assess knowledge that has been learned and applied to the different programs.  Students must gather, organize and communicate that knowledge in a meaningful way, regardless of the program.  Podcasts are different that other 2.0 applications because they become an audio and/or video representation of that knowledge. 

I do not own an iPod or MP3 player, personally.  But, I am an aide in a classroom that just received an iPod so I do believe there are advantages and uses for such equipment in the classroom.  I know that our class uses many CD’s and we would like to copy all of them onto the iPod so that we may use them wherever we go.  Because I do not know anything about this iPod, I will need some time to learn more about it before I can imagine the multiple uses for it, though.  I do see many advantages to online communication tools.  I use Skype several times a month to communicate with our previous exchange student in Germany.  I also use Facebook and chat online and believe that it has enabled me to stay in communication with people that I would otherwise not be able to communicate with.  Skype, especially, can allow for families to enjoy special moments together that would not be possible when distance is an issue.  But with so many people communicating online, I can see disadvantages also.  People must not use these online tools as there only means to communicate.  Otherwise, they miss out on the connections that people speaking face-to-face can enjoy.  Also, online communication tools lack the ability to reveal how someone says something.  You lose the tone, pace and body language that only face-to-face interactions can produce (2008).  I believe that both have a time and place, but one should not consume the other.

Reference:

 Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Blogs, Wikis and Social Bookmarking...

Most of my focus has been in early childhood and wikis and blogs do not seem the most appropriate thing for students in PreK  to use, but I would definitely entertain the idea as the teacher in that grade level.  As an early childhood educator, I may use my own personal blog to provide information and communication to the student’s parents on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  This would also prove beneficial in the other grade levels, as well. If I expanded my focus and included levels K through 6^th grades, I could definitely see opportunities for the students to use wikis and blogs, though.    Wikis could easily be used to help students with group projects and blogs would allow students to share information about subjects of interest or content that was covered in and out of class.  If my students were completing a unit on the water cycle, I could assign each member of a group to one of the varied concepts and then have the students use wikis to discuss the different cycles, with each student adding to the project as they discover more information on their part.  These wikis could be shared with the class and used to assess the comprehension of the material and would allow me to check on the time spent on the wikis as a participant of their groups (Osgood, 2009). 

I do believe that social bookmarking would be very useful for all teachers and students.  In my studies, I have made many searches for information on lesson plans, themes, experiments and much more and wish that I had bookmarked the ones that I had found to be good sites.  Social bookmarking allows for teachers to share their favorite sites in an organized way and to have access to these favorites from anywhere at all times (Jonassen, 2008).  Social bookmarking also allows for teachers to share their knowledge and break down barriers that keep us separated (Jonassen, 2008).  Students could use social bookmarking to organize sites that they too had found informative and share these with other students and their teachers.  I am excited to start my own soon and believe that it will help me become better organized in searching the web.  Voice threads, on the other hand, are a bit out of my comfort zone.  I enjoyed the example voice thread on Women from Around the World, but am certain that I would need help in creating one with the students in my classroom.  I do like the idea of sharing information in the way a voice thread allows, and may look into that more in the future.

Although I have never explored Tapped In, I do believe that it would prove to be a valuable community to students and teachers around the world.  Many students may never be able to travel the world and experience communicating with students their age from another country.  Tapped In would allow for students to communicate and teachers to collaborate with people around the world.  Tapped in would allow teachers to expand on their knowledge and to elicit professional opinions from experts around the world, as well (Jonassen, 2008).  In order for teachers to grow as educators and continue to develop into the teachers of tomorrow’s students, we must all be willing to “tap” into the multiple and varied resources available to us.

References:

Osgood, J.  (2009). Using Wiki Spaces as a Teaching Innovation.  Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://frameset.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(38cab02022))/Main/AllMode/FramesetHybrid/NavigateView.ed?courseItemType=CourseContentItem&subItemID=119545655&expandUnit=22566018

 Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.