Final Project Youtube link

Here is a video on the list of Web 2.0 tools and technology that can be used in today's classrooms.

A Smart Podcast for Students!

Here is an interesting podcast on how students can use smartphones smartly. Enjoy!

http://www.infinitethinking.org/itm-41---getting-smart-smart.html

Twitter in Schools

Since we are talking about Twitter this week, I thought of posting an interesting article about Twitter. Honestly, I am not so active on Twitter, however I do find that Twitter has a lot of interesting activities for classrooms. Here's the link:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/06/20/twitter-in-the-classroom/

Enjoy!

Page 179 - Crane's Assignment

Reflect in a blog post to other educators by answering the following questions:

a.       How will digital storytelling improve students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills?

Digital storytelling is an effective technique to enhance a student’s overall development. Through digital storytelling, a student not only focuses on the topic to be learnt, but also the entire process of being a part of storytelling. This process includes writing and reading scripts, listening to other’s stories and ideas, speaking to tell stories, and also communicating with peers and teachers during the various stages of creating digital stories.

b.      Is digital storytelling a good interdisciplinary project? Why or why not?

I believe digital storytelling is a good interdisciplinary project. For example in one of the examples provided in Crane’s book, a class created a digital story to honor Martin Luther King. The students talk about the speech, this kind of digital story could also be used for an English class, focusing on the speech’s literature. Digital storytelling can also be used in an advanced Computer class where students learn about the various applications to create it. Digital storytelling can definitely prove to be an effective interdisciplinary project.

c.       What are some of your ideas for using digital storytelling in your school?

I am not a professional yet. If adequate resources are available in school, digital storytelling can be an effective learning experience for students. There could be many creative ways to incorporate digital storytelling into classrooms. Crane, in the book, Using Web2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom mentions a few of the creative ways in which a few teachers incorporated it in their classes. For example, . Digital storytelling can be particularly useful in role-play teaching strategies in History (to talk about prominent leaders and their work), Science (to talk about characteristics of various animal and plant families), English, Mathematics etc. Apart from that, we can also integrate digital storytelling as tutorials for teaching certain tools.

d.      How does video add to the ultimate product?

In Crane’s book, the multimedia poster on Glogster multimedia represented the different aspects of the American Revolutionary War. It is a good way of summarizing a piece of history by involving student’s creative ideas of that period in history. In this poster, along with the images, there were different videos that portrayed the various aspects of that period. Adding videos was an interesting and engaging strategy and it helps in enhancing the effectiveness of the digital story.

Page 169 - Crane's Assignment - Part 2

Write blog posts to reflect on the following questions:

a.       How can you incorporate digital storytelling into your curriculum?

If adequate resources are available in school, digital storytelling can be an effective learning experience for students. There could be many creative ways to incorporate digital storytelling into curriculum. Crane, in the book, Using Web2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom mentions a few of the creative ways in which a few teachers incorporated it in their classes. Apart from them, we can also integrate digital storytelling as tutorials for teaching certain tools.

b.      What areas of the curriculum could be most effectively taught through digital stories?

Digital storytelling can be used across subjects and curriculum. It really depends on how creatively we use it for different subjects. Digital storytelling can be particularly useful in role-play teaching strategies in History ( to talk about prominent leaders and their work), Science ( to talk about characteristics of various animal and plant families), English, Mathematics etc.

c.       What challenges would you face as you implement this instructional approach in your school?

Technical requirements and resources play an important role in digital storytelling. Adequate number of computers with the required applications and accessories, trained technical teams and enthusiastic students also play a pivotal role in this process. Also a school’s budget would decide the availability of these resources. These would be the major challenges for implementing this approach in schools.

Page 169 - Crane's Assignment - Part 1

     Review at least three or four types of digital stories. You can use the stories given as examples or check some of the other URLs in Table 8.1. On your blog jot down what you like best about each story, what you like least. Evaluate how well you think your students would handle writing a digital story. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWM7oua2k4

This YouTube video is a very thoughtful day of involving all the students in the class to remember a very prominent leader and celebrate his work for the country. This is a creative form of digital storytelling to recognize the importance of freedom in each of the student’s lives and to understand the importance of unity in diversity. The students looked very eager, enthusiastic and happy to be part of this creative assignment which enhanced the purpose of this digital story.

https://villagewiki.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/53704166/Mrs%20Warren%20Living%20Things%20Podcast.MOV

The students of this kindergarten class classified each of the images as living and non-living things by giving a reason. It is an interesting way to get them to learn about the difference between the both. This kind of video/picture podcasts helps them improve their language skills too. 

http://www.glogster.com/ryantstein/american-revolution/g-6mnkn665627670e96tab5a0?old_view=True

In this Glogster multimedia poster, teachers and students represented the different aspects of the American Revolutionary War. It is a good way of summarizing a piece of history by involving student’s creative ideas of that period in history.

I believe if the students are given the resources and guiding steps for each of the phases of digital storytelling, they would certainly engage themselves in the process and also enjoy the whole learning experience

Article Link

For the series of podcasts on "8 Play Based Strategies to Engage Youth in Learning", here is the link to the article in case anyone is interested to read about the article:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/play-based-strategies-engage-leaning-susan-ragsdale

Play Based Strategies Series Podcast 3

Play Based Strategies Podcast 2

Play Based Strategies Series - Podcast 1

Small Steps: Gaming in Classrooms!

To everyone who is interested in introducing games in their classroom, here are a few useful resources:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/small-safe-steps-introducing-games-andrew-miller

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/06/surprising-insights-how-teachers-use-games-in-the-classroom/

How/What would a wiki add to my class?

Being an online educator, I definitely see myself using Wiki as one of the collaborative methods. I always try to incorporate group learning activities in my lesson plans. I believe students learn best from each other. In an online environment, it is  difficult to implement collaborative/group learning strategies - especially when students would be in different locations across the globe. For writing assignments or group projects, where students need to collaborate, Wiki is definitely an effective tool. The available file on Wiki would always be updated and ready for the group members to use. Group members can edit and work on the files as per their convenience. I could also use Wiki for administrative purposes - to get course feedback from students, to create a calendar of events and assignment due dates etc.

Interesting Wiki Classrooms

Here are a few examples of how wikis have been used in these classrooms:

1. Mrs Maine Biology Classroom
https://mrsmaine.wikispaces.com/Bio+notes#DNA%20Replication

In this Science classroom, apart from using wiki to give instructions regarding assignments and homework, wiki has also been used to upload class notes which students can refer to whenever they want to.

2. Roosevelt5th
https://roosevelt5th.wikispaces.com/Astronomy

This wiki is a good example to show how to introduce wiki in classrooms. In this classroom, wiki has been used in a basic but engaging activity to introduce wiki to the students.


3. Wikis for Classroom Administration- Mrs.Bergmann's Wiki
http://bergmannvikings.wikispaces.com/6th%2520Grade%2520Geography

In this classroom, apart from classroom notes, the teacher provides a calendar of events so that parents can monitor classroom activities and also students knows what they missed if they were absent in class. This is a good example to showcase the use of wiki in classroom administrative purposes.

Reflection:

In my classroom, I would take the best from the above examples. I would use it to plan my calendar for the parent's view, share classroom notes, provide instructions for assignments, showcase students' work/projects, use wiki as a tool for students to collaborate in assignments etc. Wiki has a wide range of advantages, but at the same time students should be educated about  appropriate internet etiquette, copyright policies etc.
 

More on Wikis

Looking for help to incorporate wikis into classroom? Here are a few resources:

1. http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis

This wikispace provides a repertoire of different kinds of useful links ranging from wiki classrooms to teacher collaboration wikis. A useful resource!

2. http://greetingsfromtheworld.wikispaces.com/

A peek into how wiki can become an open classroom- any student in the world can contribute to this wiki. A wiki that helps showcase a student's projects specifically posters about their respective countries. A travel wiki for students to overcome cultural and border barriers and get an insight into the world.

3. http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=7237

An example of teachers sharing ideas, resources and activities through wiki - a great repertoire for new teachers. It gives an idea about what other teachers are doing in their classrooms, also you can share your ideas and collaborate with other teachers across the globe.

Wikis and Learning!

It is so interesting to see the different ways in which wikis can be used in the classroom. There are quite a few examples of such classroom wikis in the book 'Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom' by B.E.Crane. Of the few examples, I like the 'Creative Cougars' wiki the most. It describes the 50 states of America in a fun, creative way. Here is the link to this wiki : http://creative50states.wikispaces.com/. The book trailers on Readers wiki was definitely a creative way to imbibe the habit of reading in students and also helps students to understand the genre of books they prefer reading. The wikis on Science are a fantastic way to keep records of experiments in a collaborative manner.

I definitely look forward to using Wiki in my online Classrooms in a variety of ways. I can see my self using Wikis for individual as well as group activities - Course Feedback, Collaborative assignments, Fun, creative Projects etc.

Internet connectivity is definitely an important factor when we decide to use Wikis in classroom. Since I would be an online educator, I assume that my online students would have access to internet most of the time. But there are many countries where students do not have access to internet all the time. Being sensitive and aware of this issue is important when creating activities and projects in which students have to collaborate through an internet connection.

Also, educating students about copyrights, school policies regarding the usage of internet, safeguarding identity, proper guidelines on internet etiquette and guidelines on using wiki for projects is essential.

Walking for Creativity!

A recent study has shown that walking improves creative thoughts. Sometimes, I do find myself pacing back and forth while doing my assignments. Somehow, it just felt like it was the right thing to do to build ideas!
Here is the entire article : http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/april/walking-vs-sitting-042414.html

An Interesting Feature!

An an online educator, I am always trying to create opportunities for students to interact and connect with each other, especially in distance education where the students are from different parts of the world. I was browsing through one of the courses on Coursera. I liked this feature on Coursera, where,as part of introductions, a student had to map his/her location. The instructor has to set up this feature. These mapped pins would be available for all participants to see. It gives an idea about the location and background of classmates - an important factor in online education. Here is a snapshot!

Learning through games!

A creative and interesting online science game on Blood Types and Transfusions!

http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/bloodtypinggame/

Blogging - My Thoughts!

Blogging activities are interesting - to add/drop posts, to experiment with layouts and templates, to organize and pen your thoughts, to connect with people, to understand people's views on your thoughts etc. Blogging is a conscientious effort. The various features of Blogging are interesting and tempt me to use it once in a while. Somehow, I don't get down to pen my thoughts, opinions or views. But I enjoy reading blog posts.

The fact that you can adapt your blog to your own interests is interesting, be it cooking, art, education, philosophy or any other area of interest.

I look forward to incorporate blogs in my lesson plans in a way where students would consider their blogs as an archive of their creative work - poems, art, photography, innovations etc.

Do You Speak English?

Video Assignment

Infinity!

Infinity and Beyond!

Imaginations, Designs and Creations!

Being in the field of Instructional Designing, I find it very exciting to observe anything that has a spectacular design or maybe something innovative to offer. It could be anything from food, music, art, landscapes, learning resources, nature or technology. Everything around us seems so enticing if we really look through our creative lenses.

Sometimes, these are the observations that inspire us in our area of work, in my case, creating online learning content. It is fascinating how much we learn by mere observations in our daily lives.

I would like to use this platform to share what I feel is artistic, ingenious or innovative. It may be anything from a simple, yet creative birthday card or an effective learning technology.

 P.S : I would try to ensure that I give due credits to the materials posted here from the internet.