Exploring Together

9 responses so far ↓

• 1    Anni Adams // Aug 8, 2009 at 3:12 am

  This has been an interesting unit. I hadn’t thought of using chatrooms before and played around with a couple of them to see how easy they were to set up. Chatzy was for me by far the easiest. I can see a great use for them especially when using the hubs.

  Some of the comparisons and information appeared to be for people who hadn’t used email etc often.

  I am going to go back and see how to use the referencing sites as I didn’t get them. I just copy and paste the web addresses into a word document and I can’t tell why you would use one of these sites. I did note that there was a retrieval date; something I’d never heard of before but as websites continually change is really appropriate.

  The survey lessons- where do we put this in the curriculum? It is important in English in issues but many English teachers wouldn’t be comfortable teaching it. I have a statistics background and spent 3 years assessing how good published experiements etc were for doctors and nurses. It almost seems we need to map the curriculum to ensure these and an myriad of things associated with the 21st century are covered somewhere. I am going to use Skype in a lesson soon. Hope it works!

  This unit has made me think of tools and responsibilities that I hadn’t thought of before. i don’t know yet if they are relevant to my particular unit but I do know they are now in my mind.

• 2    rita chiodo // Aug 9, 2009 at 4:42 am

  This unit has been interesting and a little daunting for me.The issues i’m intersted in are those associated with copyright and fair dealings. Too often in my subject area i see students present images straight off the net, but now with the knowledge i have gained i can ask the right questions and actually make sure they uderstand these issues. This is an area that can be addressed in detail in Vis Arts.
  I like the idea of chat rooms but am not sure how i would use it in my area. Perhaps the “vioce” of an expert such as a designer or gallery curator could be something to explore down the track in order to give senior students some insight into the design world. I don’t feel comfortable with this yet.
  The exercise with regard to search engines made me realise how important it is to be specific with topics(the search process sheet).It is important to be organised and provide a number of relevant web sites;this will help ensure that issues related to misuse of the internet(cyberbulling,surfing the net & accessing inappropriate content)might be avoided .As always it is our responsiblity to ensure proper use of the internet. We need to constantly be aware of what our students are doing in front of a computer. They also need to know the protocols associated with its use and i think AUP’s should be compulsory and if students do the wrong thing then they face the concequences(loss of privillege) Do we have AUP’s here at Heathmont?
  I like the idea of students responding to a problem or concept by using the wiki as a forum to generate conversation,but since we discuss and debate in class quite a bit i think it would have to have a broarder audience(students from another school) to be more meaningful perhaps??
  I’m open to any sugestions.

• 3    Leanne Sittampalam // Aug 10, 2009 at 1:47 am

  This Unit has had me looking into areas, to be honest I hadn’t given much thought to. Copyright is something that is ever present in the background. We are always looking at the student’s work. I don’t think we consider it enough in our own planning and presentations. This week I sought permission from The Melbourne Zoo to use photos and articles for our School Newsletter, Website and Publicity. It was easy after completing that section of the Module. I am all for the AUP’s. I agree is should be compulsory. It can also cause frustration. Our School has as part of the policy relating to use of images. We only have permission to upload student’s photos, work or name onto our own website and newsletter. We need to seek permission from parents for anything else. If one of the parents don’t give permission the image can’t be used. I am now learning how time consuming this is.

  I wonder how to implement some of the internet tools into Primary Schools. I think blogs and wikis are a better option. I wonder that chat room, surveys would be too hard for my to introduce. As a secialist I see each of my classes 1 hour per week. It a cope out but reality is I have to adopt to what a Class Teacher is introducing.

  I enjoy searching for Science Websites suitable for younger children. It very time consuming but a necessity to ensure that the website is appropriate and going to achieve and relate to the our CFQs.

• 4    lois // Aug 10, 2009 at 8:31 pm

  This unit made me think of many different ways that I can use the internet particularly in relation to research, collaboration and communication with others. I found the Works Cited documents extremely helpful in opening up more thought processes in my unit of work. I was also unaware of the variety of factors that must be considered when determining the value of a web site. I will certainly be upgrading my AUP and was particularly impressed with the examples provided eg Frankston Secondary College. It gave expectations regarding internet use in a clear and direct format

  I am still trying to work out how I can incorporate blogs, wikis and online collaborative web sites into the unit of work as students are limited in their vocabulary skills. I was thinking perhaps voice over technology where the students could actually talk to professionals in their chosen occupation.

• 5    Bernadette // Aug 11, 2009 at 11:07 pm

  This particular module did one of 2 things for me – it reinforced what I already knew, with 12 years of belonging to the online community behind me. And it clarified other things, such as copyright and fair use.

  Since returning to teaching, I had often wondered if it was appropriate, and how to do so, to use wikis, blogs and chats with my students. A major concern for me was and continues to be the misuse of these tools.

  Although I currently can not visualise the use of blogs, wikis and chats in the Unit I am putting together for this course, I am open to their use, and can see where they would be appropriate in other areas of science and maths.

  One area that I had had no idea about was how to accurately and appropriately list websites accessed when completing class assignments. Now I know.

• 6    aherrera // Aug 12, 2009 at 4:08 am

  Reflect on how the focus of this module has helped you think about the impact of the Internet on your students’ learning:

  I have enjoyed this unit and how it made me think more carefully about copyright issues and the ways online components such as wikis, chats and blogs can be misused.

  I am interested in the copyrighting and work cited documents and I am definately going to use them in this unit – as well as introducing them into humanities where referencing correctly is extremely important.

  Through the search section of the module, I found a lot of internet sites that would be very valuable and it helped my think about how I search for specific subjects.

  I think I will be using a blog as well as a wiki in my unit.

• 7    Lakshmi // Aug 13, 2009 at 5:32 am

  I learnt a lot through the discussions on the three scenarios.
  Ideas from others in the group were great.

  I have also found some useful/interesting websites which uses animations to demonstrate concepts used in my unit.

  A clear guidance about the limitations/use on copyright issues.

  It has also made me think about the potential problems that could be expected while setting up a online environment, which I plan to do in the future.
  I also think the advantages outlay the issues on an online environment, hence its worth taking the risk.

• 8    sau30 // Aug 14, 2009 at 12:57 am

  The copyright information cemented a lot of prior knowledge for me, having previously studying a large part of this at University.

  The thing that stand out are the problems with access, however I can see how IM’s and Chat Rooms would assist students with the research parts of my unit, and with forming their own opinions.

  I found the website proformas a little convoluted and messy and would prefer to use one I already have to record my information, but do see the need for them, it is better to have a document on a computer to cut and paste into rather than stop and write info down.

  I am moving further away from a blog for my unit and more towards a wiki and a chat room, where students can post work for comment and swap ideas safely with each other, one where they all need to be members over needing to be a member of a blog site to contribute.

  Thoughts still forming, and creating!!! smiling sort of….

• 9    suz01 // Aug 16, 2009 at 3:00 am

  Some great observations – I’m glad the module has everyone thinking so much.

  I agree that copyright is such an important issue for teachers and students to be aware of. It’s really important that teachers educate themselves in this area so they can advise their students. And in art, it raises other issues worth discussing such as appropriation in art.

  While I think there is definitely a place for chat in education, in the appropriate context, it might not be where you first want to introduce students to online interaction. The ‘live’ aspect of chat may have its advantages, but it also makes it a lot harder for teachers to moderate and observe students interactions. Discussion forums, blogs and wikis all allow the teachers a much larger measure of control and allow students to learn about appropriate online interaction safely.

  Online discussions are a great way to connect with another audience outside your class, but don’t discount their value in your class. Not all our students feel comfortable speaking in front of the class. I have seen a school discussion forum be used very effectively to encourage a wider level of participation in class discussions. It prevents a vocal few from monopolising a discussion, and allows students time for formulate a more reflective reply.

  Collecting suitable resources online can be time consuming, but it is extremely affective. Providing links to students does prevent random wandering around the web, and the quality and safety of the sites being accessed by students. Perhaps creating an online book marking account that is shared between colleagues would allow you to build up a great library of effective resources.

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