I think that wikis are a great use of technology! There can be so many uses for them in a classroom. It can be a good communication tool group assignments. The kids could assign responsibilities for different projects. They could edit their wikis one person at a time and everyone could see the progress. It could be a very useful tool. I would love to use them in my math classroom. Blogs wouldn't be so useful in a math classroom in my opinion but I think they are a great way of expressing yourself, not just doing assignments. If the kids are struggling with an assignment, they can post in on their blog and other students could help them. It could also be used as a daily journal just for fun.
I think the idea of social bookmarking is great. It is like a personal goto guide for the user. It is very personal but at the same time, it is very social. People can use your pages that you've created. It is just a very useful tool and could be very helpful in a learning experience. Even for the user, it is helpful because it could be used months later to go back and look on and quickly find information. It would be very useful in my classroom because math is such a difficult subject for some students. I, as the teacher, could post some sites that help with problem solving. As for VoiceThread, this is the first time that I came across it. It is a very neat tool and a good use of technology. I don't know if I would use it in my classroom just because of the shyness of some people but I do think it is really cool. The thought of communicating around the globe through video is amazing.
I have not explored Tapped In any more than what is in the book. I think it is a cool use of technology though. The idea of having Learning Circles online is pretty cool. It has a public conference area which is kind of like a question and answer because everyone else can see the information which could be very useful. There is also a private conference area that could used for more touchy subjects or for people that don't want others knowing about a certain thing. The calendar is also a good tool that could be used by many who are related by a group or a profession.
Reference:
Community Building with Technologies, Chapter 6. Meaningful Learning with Technology, 2008. Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R. M., and Crismond, D.
Bradley,
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of Tapped In either. What I know, I learned from the textbook. I think it is all a matter of how organized someone is when there are so many tools out there that can be used. I thought that the calendar by e-mail is great because of the discussions with experts which can be very helpful.
I think that through the use of blogs, not only students would share their thoughts but also their family as a way to show their support if they are struggling with math. This may also help you get feedback on how their families are working with you when helping them.
I have also never heard of Tapped In. I think it could be a good way to communicate with others that are in the same stage of life. Teachers can benefit from input of other teachers and students could benefit from input by other students. I have learned a lot from this class so far, because although I have heard of some of these technologies I have never had any experience with them.
ReplyDeleteI was not too sure about using the VoiceThread in class either. I agree that it is neat, but also worry that it would make some students uncomfortable. It might be something I would expose my students to, but probably not something I would require them to use.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that blogs may not be as useful in a math class than in a language arts class. Luckily, I am an English major and have more of a shot of benefiting from these technologies.
ReplyDeletePerhaps blogs, wikispaces, and other technologies will eventually lead to a technology that can be used in a math class. There may be something out there already, you just haven't discovered it yet.