My name is John Korassa. I am a grade five homeroom and a Junior High CTS teacher. For the past year, I have also been involved in the one to one initiative, the IPad deployment in education and administrative training program offered by the Edmonton Catholic School District. I feel comfortable using technology in my personal life and even for my own professional development. However, I am cautious when it comes to implementing technology into my classroom routines for student education. My fear is that computers (laptops, netbooks, Ipads etc.) simply become a high tech pencil and paper where students learn the same traditional way using very expensive tools. I believe that these 21st tools need to enrich education and further student learning, understanding, and engagement in order to help develop the next generation into well rounded capable citizens.
I became excited about the world of possibilities web 2.0 brings for transformation in the classroom and in my personal use of the web while reading The Socially Networked Classroom. Particularly I was struck by how quickly this web 2.0 world revolves and how our students are already engulfed in the use of these tools. As a teacher who strives to remain relevant to his students, I recognize that there is much for me to learn.
My personal interpretation of the purpose of this project is to develop an appreciation of the benefit and excitement that can be found in online web 2.0 tools. In addition, it is my purpose to incorporate the tools that I discover into my personal and professional lives in a manner that enhances my current activities without adding complexity or detracting from meaning.
I have setup this blog in a manner that will serve as my personal journal documenting my professional development trek in the area of web 2.0. I will do my best to accurately express my successes, frustrations and surprises experienced within my Web 2.0 Adventure Tour. My goal is to learn more about a variety of Web 2.0 tools that will help further my understanding of them, their uses and how to effectively implement them within my classroom and everyday life.
Blogs
According to Berger & Trexler blogs are a great way for the community to share a common sense of knowledge and experiences. This statement is also echoed by Richardson; however, he elaborates and provides suggestions for their “true potential” (Richardson, 2010). I plan to use blogs in my professional and personal life as a means of sharing knowledge with others making sure that they (my students) are able to share their knowledge and understanding as well.
RSS
Duffy (2006) and Hendron (2008) took a closer look at how Web 2.0 tools like RSS feeds can play an influential role in education. Even though their research was conducted two years apart they still shared many common similarities. Both articles argue that educators are willing participants in their own professional development however, due to the time restrictions and other workplace demands many find it difficult to keep current. I feel that RSS feeds will help further educators’ knowledge as it allows for personalized learning which can take place anytime and anywhere.
Animoto
I am so eager to use Animoto because of all the fantastic presentation videos that I have seen others create. Irgin states that English Language Learners can benefit from using a tool such as Animoto since it draws attention away from writing expression and highlights both visual and audio expressional form. As a teacher with many English Language Learners in my class, I feel that it is important for me to learn how to use Animoto and then share my knowledge with all my students. As a side note, I feel that it is important for educators to explore other forms of expression especially since it is mandated by the Alberta curriculum.
Screencasting
One of the ideas I got from reading Richardson’s book was to create screencast lessons for my students and staff. However, this idea really flourished after I read Archee (2008) and Gormely (2011). One of the main suggestions I gained from Gormely was that screencasting can be more than just taking a picture. Gormely suggests that tools such as Jing can help provide further explanations which can be shared with others. I dream that by the end of this school year I would have created a bank of lessons for my staff and students allowing them to further their learning whenever they can.
Google Earth
I have used Google Earth many times in the past both personally and professionally. For me, Google Earth was a tool that I can use to see where I am going or in the classroom as a picture prompt for writing. This soon changed when I read Richardson (2010) and Sells (2008). Google Earth is so much more that pictures; students can use measuring tools to study different wonders of the world while furthering their knowledge of Canada’s geography.
Prezi
Web based presentation tools have come a long way from their initial inception. Prezi is a tool that has had my attention for some time now. Prezi AKA “the zooming tool” allows creators to use a limitless canvas where they can create a presentation using images, text and video. Yee (2010) explains that Prezi is a different way of presenting ones understanding instead of the traditional slide format. Prezi seems to provoke emotion while allowing for freedom though the use of multimedia literacies (Yee, 2010)
References
Archee, R. (2008). Beyond E-Learning Management Systems: screen casting for presentation and practice. University of western Sydney, School of communication Arts. 2008.
Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world / Pam Berger and Sally Trexler ; foreword by Joyce Valenza. Santa Barbara, Calif. : Libraries Unlimited, c2010.
Duffy, P. (2006). The use of blogs, wikis and RSS in education: A conversation of possibilities. University of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In proceeding Online Learning and Teaching Conference 2006, pages pp.31-38, Brisbane.
Gormely, K. (2011) Do you Jing? How Screen casting can enrich classroom teaching and learning. The Sage College, Troy, New York. The Language and Literacy Spectrum Vol. 21, 2011.
Hendron, J. G. (2008). RSS for educators : blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom / John G. Hendron. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education, c2008.
İrgin, P., & Turgut, Y. (2009). Using Animoto for Language Education. International Journal Of Learning, 16(9), 1-8.
Richardson, W. (2004). Blogging AND RSS--The "What's It?" and "How To" of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 11(1), 10-13.
Sells, E. D. (2008). Classroom Strategies for Teaching Woolf: Mapping "Mrs. Dalloway": Teaching Woolf with Google Earth. Virginia Woolf Miscellany, (73), 28-30.
YEE, K., & HARGIS, J. (2010). PREZI: A Different Way to Present. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education (TOJDE), 11(4), 9-11.
