Wikis

Prior to this course I had heard of a Wiki but was unsure about what they were used for. After exporting Wikis and doing some research I am starting to understand them much better and how I could use them in the classroom.

Before I started exploring Wikis I had negative attitudes towards them. This is because I did not have much experience with them and was unsure about what there purpose was. However after my research I have changed my negative attitudes into positive ones and am now excited to start adding things to my Wiki!

Wikis can be used by classes as a form of communication for homework or assessment tasks. It is a safe and user friendly way for students to access work they may have missed and communication to occur with their peers. In the classroom I think they would be great for group work as everyone can share their ideas, voice their opinions and they will be doing this in a safe environment. They are great ways to organise group work, have discussions and compile lists to help them complete at task.

Wikis are great for linking groups of people together who share the same interest (YouTube, 2007). They are also great because instead of sending emails to your inbox Wiki is a tool which can be used as a device for the whole group to access the information (Matias, 2003).

Before my research I didn’t know that Wikis could only be edited by people who were connected to that site (Matias, 2003). I found out that the webpage can be set to private and only the people in the group can access and contribute ideas to the page.

When I was setting up my Wiki page with Wetpaint I was unsure if I had set it up properly as all of these boxes popped up when I logged on. After watching the Wikis in plane English clip of YouTube (2007) I followed their instructions and edited my page to be up and running successfully. My Wiki is http://e-learning-s0129155.wetpaint.com/.

For anyone starting out their WIKI using Wetpaint this is a great You Tube clip to get you started: Wetpaint Wikis in Plain English


-Natalie


Reference list

Matias, N. (2003) What is a Wiki. Retrieved, July 29, 2009, from http://www.sitepoint.com/article/what-is-a-wiki/

YouTube. (2007). Wetpaint Wikis in Plain English. Retrieved, July 29, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7BAU2XX5Ws

YouTube. (2007). Wikis in Plain English. Retrieved, July 29, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Setting up my RSS

I have just set up my RSS with Google reader and I am amazed at how much time it is going to same me. I didn't have any idea what an RSS was, how to set one up or that it brought the new posts to you. It has saved so much time logging on and checking everyone’s blogs!

I wasn’t sure if I had done it correctly at first, as when I subscribed to a blog nothing new happened to my page. However I found it easy to understand once I had subscribed to a blog and a new post had been written. It then became clear to me how an RSS works. It is going to be such a time saver and an easy way to keep up with what is going on with the blogs I am following. I encourage everyone if they haven’t already to set up an RSS aggregator they are great!

-Natalie

Interactive Whiteboards

Classrooms started with the blackboard, moved into the whiteboard and now in the 21st century there is the Interactive WhiteBoard also known as the Smart board. Classrooms are moving forward with the times and starting to introduce Interactive WhiteBoards (IWB) into their classrooms. I am at a private school and IWB were brought into most classrooms at the start of the year. In the school there are still blackboards and whiteboards used, although from discussion with teachers they prefer to use the IWB as there are more opportunities for their students.

Interactive WhiteBoards can be used in classrooms for (Branzburg, J. 2006):

- Visual literacy

- Class presentations

- Word walls

- Brainstorming

- Maps

- 5 minute fillers

- Mathematic problems

- Storytelling

- Copacabana website - seen used in prac classroom (can be used with all KLA’s)

...... And the choices are endless

This is my first experience with using an IWB and I have found them very successful with the students. It engages the students in the curriculum and keeps them interested in the topic. With all the new gadgets the students are playing with outside of the class I think IWB's are a great tool for maintaining their interest in the classroom. Not only do the students enjoy the IWB but it can decrease the workload for the teacher and helps them to become futures oriented (Knight, B. & Rowan,L. 2001). I remember the first time I used the IWB for a lesson. The students knew more about it then I did. They were showing me all different shortcuts to use and it was great.

If you get the chance to use an IWB in your classroom remember to be creative as this resource is a great and fun!

- Natalie

Reference List
Bruce Knight & Leonie Rowan. (2001). Researching Futures Oriented Pedagogies. Retrieved July, 26, 2009, from http://www.e-contentmanagement.com/books/133/researching-futures-oriented-pedagogies

Copacabana Public School. (n.d.). Get Smart Interactive Activities. Retrieved July 26, 2009, from http://www.copacabana-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/Get_Smart_Pages/Get_Smart.htm

Jeffrey Branzburg. (2006). How to: Use an Interactive Whiteboard. Retrieved July 26, 2009, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/5160

Useful Websites

http://www.wordle.net/

There are a lot of websites which can be used by teachers with their students in the classroom. The tutorial last week was great as there were VERY useful websites which were shared. I have been exploring Wordle and think children would also have a great time on this page as it will show children what words they use the most in their writing.

I was also reading Kerri's Blog and found a fantastic website which can be used by all ages http://www.bighugelabs.com/. This website can be used for projects or their homework as there are a variety of activities they can choose from.

- Natalie

The internet

I have just finished watching the video on Moodle about technologies and it has opened my eyes up about how it can be used. The video Web 2.0 Technologies showed me how quickly technology is changing and that many things can be done over the internet now. You can read the newspaper, communicate with people overseas, research any topic on a variety of search engines, buy and sell products, pay your bills and I’m sure tomorrow there will be something new which can be done. It is true the web is linking people together.

I find it amazing how quickly news can be spread over the internet. When Australia first heard the news of Michael Jackson's death it was on a gossip internet site. If technology hadn’t have evolved I wonder how long it would have taken for this news to be heard around the world?

I'm sorry, I have no idea how to post the video on this blog. I am still learning :)

- Natalie

To start things off

Hello Everyone!



Well I thought I would start with a little introduction about myself so you will get an understanding of the type of person I am. My name is Natalie Richardson and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Learning Management Early Childhood at the Noosa Campus. I am completing this blog for my assignment in FAHE11001 and have never used a blog before so this is my first ever blog :)



I have worked in the childcare industry for 4 years and have completed my Diploma of children's services. Once I completed my Diploma I decided I wanted to become a teacher and work with school aged children with all different learning needs.

As I am only 20 years old you may think that I know everything about computers and have grown up with technology. Well the truth is I struggle as much as my mother and need to read the instructions before I start clicking away. I grew up playing outside with my sister and had no major technological influence. But today children are growing up with so many different types of technology but I will talk about that in a later blog.

I have an older sister Nicole who is getting married in November to her high school sweetheart of 7 years. This is an event I am looking forward to most of all she is my only sibling. I have a boyfriend called Jake and have been with him for almost 4 years now and the time has gone so quickly. I have a very supportive family and do not push me towards anything I don't want to do.

Well I hope you now know a little bit about me and I am looking forward to sharing my journey with you!

- Natalie Richardson