Online Tools to Engage Students

Online Tools to Engage
Students
Jennifer Carrier Dorman
Central Bucks School District
http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/Conferences
Blogs
Blogs
• A blog is a website for which an individual or a group
frequently generates text, photographs, video or audio
files, and/or links, typically (but not always) on a daily
basis.
– The term is a shortened form of weblog.
– Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an
existing blog is called "blogging".
– Individual articles on a blog are called "blog posts," "posts," or
"entries".
– The person who posts these entries is called a "blogger".
Blogs in School?
• Blogs are tools, and like any tools they can be
used or misused.
– Misuse occurs more often when there's a lack of
instruction. (MySpace, Xanga, Facebook)
• Interactivity, publishing, collective intelligence
Blogs in School
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Teacher Blogs
Homework
Keep Parents in the
Loop
Virtual Inservice
Professional
collaboration
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Student Blogs
This week in class, we...
Student Work
Online portfolio
Peer/teacher feedback
Why Students Shouldn’t Blog
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People will read it.
People might not like it.
They might share test answers with others.
They might be found by a child predator online
They might write something inappropriate.
They might find something inappropriate.
They might get other students to start blogging.
http://blogging101.wikispaces.com/whywhynot
Why Students Should Blog
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People will read it.
They might like it.
They might share what they've learned with others.
They might participate in a collaborative learning project.
They might become inspired to learn.
They might inspire others to learn.
They might get other students to start blogging.
If they don't talk in class, they might on a blog.
http://blogging101.wikispaces.com/whywhynot
Daily Scribe
Classroom Extensions
Tips for Blogging
http://blogging101.wikispaces.com/bloggersbeware
Blog Hosting for Schools
• Blogmeister - http://classblogmeister.com/
• Edublogs - http://edublogs.org/
Podcasts
Podcasts
• iPod + Broadcast = Podcast
– Amateur radio
– Podcasting is the method of distributing
multimedia files, such as audio programs or music
videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or
Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile
devices and personal computers.
Why use podcasts?
• Podcasts enable students to share their
knowledge and expertise with others through a
creative outlet.
• Podcasts tap into a mode of media input that is
commonplace for digital natives.
• Podcasts empower students to form
relationships with the content and each other in
relevant ways.
Why use podcasts?
• Podcasting is yet another way for them
[students] to be creating and contributing ideas
to a larger conversation, and it’s a way of
archiving that contribution for future audiences
to use.
– Will Richardson, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other
Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms
How can podcasts be used?
• In the classroom, educators and students can
use podcasts to inform others about class
news, current events, and areas of interest.
• Students can use a podcast forum to persuade
their peers to help others, make a difference, or
try something new.
• Podcasts can also be used to edutain others
through creative narratives.
How can podcasts be used?
• Podcasts engage students in thinking critically
about their speaking fluency and
communication skills.
• The opportunity to create a podcast about what
students would like to discuss and share with
others is extremely motivating.
Other Enduring Benefits
• Along with the use of technology there are certain
responsibilities that educators and students need to
follow.
– Educators need to instruct students on safe and acceptable
use of technology in and outside of the classroom.
– Not only do students need to learn how to appropriately
research, but also how to safely and properly share
information online.
– Podcasts allow students to learn first hand about copyright
laws and fair use issues.
Jumping in with both feet . . .
• Listen to a few podcasts online
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iTunes > Source List > Podcasts > Education
http://www.podcastalley.com/
http://www.ipodder.org/
http://epnweb.org/
http://www.jakeludington.com/archives/000405.html
(“Podcasting with Windows Media Player)
• Get a feel for the genre
– Podcasts are not “polished” – production value is
secondary to the content
Searching for Podcasts - iTunes
Subscribing to Podcasts
Pedagogy for Podcasting
• Education Podcast Network
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Podcasting
• Pod Pedagogy
Online Podcasting Resources
http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/+Podcasting
Wikis
What is a Wiki?
• A wiki is a type of website that allows users
easily to add, remove, or otherwise edit and
change most available content.
How is a Wiki Constructed?
• A single page in a wiki is referred to as a "wiki
page", while the entire body of pages, which
are usually highly interconnected via
hyperlinks, is "the wiki“
– in effect, a wiki is actually a very simple, easy-touse user-maintained database for searching and
creating information.
Are Wikis Safe?
• Wikis are generally designed with the
philosophy of making it easy to correct
mistakes, rather than making it difficult to
make them.
Are Wikis Safe?
• Thus while wikis are very open, they provide a
means to verify the validity of recent additions
to the body of pages.
– The most prominent, on almost every wiki, is the
"Recent Changes" page—a specific list numbering
recent edits, or a list of all the edits made within a
given timeframe.
Tracking Changes
Tracking Changes
Using Wikis as a Source
• Wikipedia is as reliable as other external sources we
rely on.
• Properly written articles cite the sources, and a reader
should rely on the Wikipedia article as much, but no
more, than the sources the article relies on.
• If an article doesn't cite a source, it may or may not
be reliable.
• Students should never use information in a wiki until
they have checked those external sources.
What the Experts are Saying
• Wikis are helping young people develop
“writing skills and social skills by learning
about group consensus and compromise—all
the virtues you need to be a reasonable and
productive member of society.”
– Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia
What the Experts are Saying
• “The media is controlled by people who have
the resources to control it,” he says. “Wikis
show that all of us have an equal opportunity
to contribute to knowledge.”
– Andy Garvin, head of the Digital Divide Network
Ways to Use Wikis
• Use wikis as formats for subject guides.
• Invite students and teachers to annotate your
catalog on a wiki.
• Make wikis meeting places for communities
inside the school.
• Link librarians and teachers in your district in
a collaborative enterprise.
Class Wikis
Class Wikis – Online Content
Class Wikis - Webquests
Class Wikis - Webquests
Class Wikis – Student Collaboration
Class Wikis – Student Collaboration
Class Wikis – Student Collaboration
Class Wikis – Student Collaboration
Professional Learning Communities
PLC – Professional Research
PLC – Virtual Training
PLC – Curricular Collaboration
PLC – Supporting Teachers
Links to Getting Started
• Wiki Walk-Through
http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/
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What’s a wiki?
Who uses wikis?
Wikis or blogs?
How to use wikis with students.
Ideas for activities, projects, collaborations, etc.
• Using wikis in Education (blog) http://ikiw.org/
• Classroom use of wikis
http://www.teachinghacks.com/wiki/index.php?title=
Wikis
Wikispaces
• Wikispaces is offering K-12
organizations their premium
membership for free
– No advertisements
– Greater storage capacity
– Enhanced privacy settings
http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers100K
Social Learning
http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/Social+Learning
Social Learning – Web 2.0
http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/Social+Learning
Del.icio.us
http://del.icio.us/
Stu.dicio.us
http://stu.dicio.us/
Stu.dicio.us Features
• Note-taking
– Note commenting
– Note sharing
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Keyword link to Google and Wikipedia
To-Do Lists
Schedule
Document storage/tracking
Grade organizer
Privacy Features
RSS Feeds
Integration with Facebook
Social Networking
http://stu.dicio.us/
Furl
http://www.furl.net/
BlinkList
http://www.blinklist.com/
BlinkList
http://www.blinklist.com/static/classroom.php
StumbleUpon
http://www.stumbleupon.com/
Digg
• Find an article, video, or podcast online and submit it
to Digg.com. Your submission will immediately
appear in “Upcoming Stories,” where other members
can find it and, if they like it, Digg it.
• Subscribe to RSS feeds of particular topics,
popular/upcoming sections, individual users, and the
search terms of your choice
• Digg. Participate in the collaborative editorial process
by Digging the stuff that you like best.
• Build a friend list; then your friends can track what
you’re Digging. They can also subscribe to an RSS
feed of your submissions and/or your Diggs.
http://www.digg.com/
Diigo
http://www.diigo.com/
Gradefix
http://www.gradefix.com/
Gradefix
mynoteIT
http://www.mynoteit.com/
Backpack
http://www.backpackit.com/
Schoopy
http://www.schoopy.com/
Wizlite
• Wizlite is a tool allowing users to
collaboratively highlight important passages
on pages on the Internet.
• Users can organize in groups and attach notes
to their selections.
• Wizlite is activated by a bookmarklet or
Firefox toolbar extension.
• Wizlite is great for many applications, such as
topic discovery (e.g. for talks) or reviewing.
http://wizlite.com/
NoteMesh
• NoteMesh is a free service that allows college
students in the same classes to share notes with each
other.
• It works by creating a wiki for individual classes that
users can edit.
• Users are free to post their own lecture notes or
contribute to existing lecture notes.
• The idea is that users in the same class can
collaboratively create a definitive source for lecture
notes.
http://notemesh.com
PageFlakes
http://www.pageflakes.com
Flickr
• What you can do with your photos:
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Upload
Tag
Geotag (mapping)
Blog
Comment
Organize
Organize into online photo albums with annotation
Form/join groups
http://www.flickr.com
Applications for Flickr
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Virtual field trip
Categorize, analyze, evaluate images
Geography practice
Picture books-documentaries
Display original artwork
Online scavenger hunts
Process live field trips
Upload exported (jpeg) Inspiration graphic organizers
Photo Editing Tools
Phixr
http://www.phixr.com/
Pxn8
http://pxn8.com/
Picasa
http://picasa.google.com/
GIMP
http://www.gimp.org/windows/
Free Serif PhotoPlus
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/
Paint.Net
http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
Pixia
http://park18.wakwak.com/~pixia/
PhotoFiltre
http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm
Ultimate Paint
http://www.ultimatepaint.com/
VCW VicMan’s Photo
Editor
http://www.vicman.net/vcwphoto/index.htm
ImageForge
http://www.cursorarts.com/ca_imffw.html
Picnik
http://www.picnik.com/
Online Bibliography Helpers
• Easybib - http://www.easybib.com/
• KnightCite
http://webapps.calvin.edu/knightcite/
• Landmarks Citation Machine
http://citationmachine.net/
• NoodleTools http://www.noodletools.com/
• Ottobib http://ottobib.com/
Video Editing Tools
Eye Spot Online Video Mixing
http://eyespot.com/
Jump Cut Online Video Editor
http://jumpcut.com/
Windows Movie Maker
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/
moviemaker/default.mspx
Avid Free DV
http://www.avid.com/freedv/
Storyboard Pro
http://www.atomiclearning.com/storyboardp
ro
Microsoft PhotoStory
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/
digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx
Classroom Resources
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NoteStar enhanced research tools http://notestar.4teachers.org/
RubiStar rubric creation tools http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
QuizStar online quiz creation tools http://quizstar.4teachers.org/
TrackStar online hotlist and Internet activity creation tools
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/
Web Worksheet Wizard http://wizard.4teachers.org/
Project Poster online project-based activity creation tools
http://poster.4teachers.org/
Discovery School Puzzle Maker http://www.puzzlemaker.com/
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
WebQuests
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A WebQuest for K-12 Teachers utilizing the WebGuide Template Internet4Classrooms version http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson_plan_quest.htm
WebQuest Template - http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lessontemplate.htm
San Diego State University Educational Technology Department
WebQuests Page - http://webquest.sdsu.edu/
Best WebQuests - http://bestwebquests.com/
WebQuest Templates SDSU http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html
Teachnology WebQuest Generator - http://teachers.teachnology.com/web_tools/web_quest/
Differentiated Instruction WebQuests http://www.lakelandschools.org/EDTECH/Differentiation/nine.htm
Using the Understanding By Design Model to create WebQuests http://www.bclacts.org/Using%20Ubd%20to%20design%20a%20webquest
.pdf
Online Resources
unitedstreaming
http://www.unitedstreaming.com
unitedstreaming
BrainPop
• BrainPOP is an
educational program
that provides
curriculum-based
content spanning seven
main subjects including:
Science, Math, English,
Social Studies, Health,
Arts & Music, and
Technology.
http://www.brainpop.com/
QUIA
• Create:
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Activities (16 different types)
Quizzes (10 types)
Calendars
Web pages
Upload images and audio
Track and report student progress
http://www.quia.com/
TeacherWeb
• Create class pages, activities, templates
• Free WebQuest generator
http://www.teacherweb.com/wq_home.html
http://www.teacherweb.com
Library of Congress
• The Library of Congress has Image Libraries, Video Libraries, and Exhibitions online
– http://www.loc.gov/index.html
– American Memory Collection contains historic media
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
NetTrekker d.i.
• netTrekker d.i., the
latest version of
netTrekker, the awardwinning search engine
for schools, supports
differentiated
instruction with
standards-based online
resources, organized by
readability level to help
every child achieve.
http://school.nettrekker.com/frontdoor/