http://karenbrooksucboces.blogspot.com/2010/03/must-watch-educational-videos-on.html

http://karenbrooksucboces.blogspot.com/2010/03/must-watch-educational-videos-on.html

A Vision for K-12 Education

SOCIAL NETWORKING: Been there, done that…. from the '60 to the present, has it really changed?

When I was seventeen, I used to sit in the park on warm spring and summer days. My friends and I would talk about meaningless things, topics that I can not remember and likely had little significance. We were a mixed group of teens, guys and girls, various 'classes' of people, various incomes and various interests. This was a pleasant experience for all of us, never prearranged, not a date, just a change to shoot the breeze.

Unfortunately for me, my father's office overlooked that park, and he would storm down across the green and break our group apart. He was always worried about what was going on and who I was with and what influence that would have on me. Alternatively, I would chat on the phone for long periods of time with my friends, sharing ideas and taking about fashion or the next dance or the boy who sat behind me. My mom didn't much like any long times on the phone, either, worried about what was going on. Phone calls were limited to a few minutes.

This was social networking in another era. This was my chance to reach out for emotional support, to share trivial matters with peers, to make connections and learn how to interact with others. Parents and educators worried then about how we networked similarly to how parents and educators worry today.

Our world has changed, but not so much that we are different people. Adults are protective of their children, kids are involved in innumerable activities and seldom is there time or parental will to have kids 'hanging out' in a park. Nevertheless, children, and teens especially, still seek to make connections with peers. They need to socialize fairly freely, to learn interaction, to test their boundaries, to find emotional support and to make various connections. What has changed is the platform.

Reflections on the Process of Learning About Social Media Sites

My first social media site was, of course, the park. My more recent web based learning began with Facebook years ago. It was, at the start, slow and felt fairly useless, but as I built friends and tested out functionality, I have found that I utilize its functions fairly fully. Beyond Facebook, my Social Networking has been limited, so I looked forward to finding out more in this chapter of Web 2.0 course. I have always questioned, passively, the blocking of Facebook in my school but hadn't actually thought about MySpace or other sites. I had dealt with five students who had used Facebook to post teacher hate notes and student threats, and their subsequent suspensions. Instead of leading me to support the banning of Facebook, I wondered whether keeping it away from teacher's eyes just allowed for more and underground abuse. The trailfires once again proved invaluable to opening my eyes to broader issues and to understand more clearly the role of a social network.

Social Networks connect people who share common goals or interests. (NCTE Inbox, retrieved March 18, 2010) They are, or can be global. The media has reported more about the dangers of social networking than the positive results (Greenhow, 2006), which include creativity, technical skills, appreciaiton for diversity, and communication skills. I realize now that Second Life is a Social Networking tool, but like Joanne DeGroot states on her trailfire, 'most of us don't have time for our first lives!' How true. Besides, I don't need any other place I could spend real money for virtual assets. I am surprised that real colleges and universities have established a presence on Second Life and that there are distance courses available. Perhaps I will look this up when my first life courses are finished.

In the Wall Street Journal blog Gary Hamel (retrieved March 18, 2010) suggests that 'Generation F' (Facebook users) will expect a working world that simulates the Facebook world, where ideas are equal, contributions matter, hierarchies are natural, leaders serve, tasks are chosen, one shares, not hoards, groups are self defining, opinions compound and are peer reviewed, intrinsic rewards matter, and activists are heroes. This list of salient features of social media makes me consider seriously the very positive educational skills that social networking sites can provide. Are these not the basic skills we want to engender in our students?

There is no end to where the social networking will take us. According to Sam Edelstein on his blog, Suite101.com,(retrieved March 18, 2010) Facebook has recently added QR codes, a barcode that eventually could be used to identify people and products that will move you directly to their website or social networking site. We will be using tools like Facebook much more interactively in the future. In this profound TED.com Video, Pattie Maes shows how different technologies will be mashed together with Facebook to totally change the way we see the world.

Reflections on Social Networking in Terms of My Own Personal Learning

My learning curve with social media sites began about four years ago, joining Facebook. Like any other site, it started very small and I had limited friends, and so the tool was of limited use. I joined upon the invitation of one of my children and became her 'friend'. I still find this word strange and confusing. It seems to be a common term across all sites, but I would be more comfortable calling it 'Contact" or "Connection'

My use was limited to a few notes to my online kids who lived in opposite end of the country, and looking at a few pictures. I had a limited number of contacts as most adult friends (real ones) were not members. Email still worked better for communication with people for me, at least.

In 2007, I ramped up my Facebook usage for political reasons. I created groups and used Facebook as an event creator / notifier. I began to post on topics of interest in various groups and built very quickly a network of like-minded people who also used Facebook. It proved to be an effective way to share information and to connect with many people, but it was quite limited in the demographics of who I could communicate with, limited mainly to younger people and to some other politicos who wanted to try to be cutting edge. The linkages to groups was valuable, keeping me informed on different topics. As groups are updated or new groups are formed, I am invited to join. The Facebook connection allowed a new way of sharing information and local news in a timely way. I have kept a totally open Facebook page with limited privacy settings given that the nature of the profile has been far more political than personal. I learned quickly not to share anything I would be embarrassed or ashamed of or was too personal.

I continue to use the event component of Facebook to share public events. Private (personal) events can be created as well, but I have not used Facebook in that way as I would just as soon use a more personal method of contact. Very public events have tended to create uncommitted attendees; I have observed frequently that large rallies or meetings have 'friends' RSVP that do not show. Perhaps the anonymity of the type of event or the large size of the event means people don't feel that same commitment to attend. Smaller events tend to get more honest responses. A recent event I hosted had 14 confirmed guests through Facebook; only one was not in attendance. I must note, that Facebook is not broad enough to use a sole method of communication; the event had 75 attendees, more than 60 of which did not get contacted through Facebook. Each week I receive at least a half a dozen invitations to attend events, or news updates about issues that are informative and that I would not otherwise know about. Facebook has value for me, even if I am not actively posting personal information.

Personally, I don't chatter on Facebook. Many do, particularly young people who use Status Updates as a way of reaching out to create connections, just like I did in the park or on the phone. Teenagers now do not commonly contact each other on telephones. Text messaging, IM'ing (on Messenger or Facebook) and status updates are the norm. Often so busy with activities and increasingly rigorous education expectations, reaching out and connecting in these manners reaches more friends at points of time, when it is timely for them, unlike the instantaneous demand of the telephone. Lots of the messages are inane, meaningless, unnecessary in first look, but are a new way for students to remain connected in an increasingly hectic life. Social networking sites have replaced what were the traditional networking sites of my past, many steps improved upon. Connections build from one's friends to one's friends' friends. When a status update is created, far more people see and hear it, and hence are more likely to communicate with youprovide you with a connection in the world and often emotional and personal support. The question becomes if this is meaningful communication, or whether it has to be meaningful in traditional ways.

There are many Social Networking spaces, all with a slightly different emphasis. I joined LinkedIn, which has a stronger connection to providing a business link, and is less useful for my needs. MySpace started out being big, particularly in the United States, but has fallen behind Facebook in popularity. It remains a strong space for music connections and for younger teens and can be gussied up (individualized) more than Facebook. Moodle is a social networking space particularly designed for use by educators. There is penguin and webkinz and shelfari. There is Neopets and Friendster. Facebook recently topped Google in number of hits… social networking is not going to go away. Although Facebook began as a college / university platform, it has rapidly expanded to world wide popularity.

Lee LeFever's Social Networking in Plain English provides its typically clear, concise explanation of social networking. He does not mention Nings, which appear to be capable of a more customized social network where you can decide who to invite, what they see, what they can do and allows a variety of tools including podcasting and video. The administrator can control access in all ways, so it can be moderated, remain private and safe. A Ning can be used to connect students, build discussion forums, use for literature circles and bookclubs, create podcasts, post information to students and parents, and create groups. It can be used for a class or an entire school and remain safe and secure. I am a member of the TeacherLibrarian Ning and through that, many sub groups. I am a member of the Classroom2.0 Ning and receive continual information that builds my personal learning including live broadcasts and discussions. I am part of a book club with teachers all over the world. The Ning offers a wealth of opportunities and tools and from my perusal, a more professional forum than the social / political forum of Facebook.

Part of my personal learning curve has been to deal with inappropriate content. Despite protections, people can set up accounts and then delete them. One such account was created that sent a message to me and a daughter, including extremely inapporprate malicious content. (The account, subsequently closed after messaging). If written on paper, this would have been considered serious, but because it was on Facebook, the police figured that the best thing to do was to quit using Facebook. They would never have suggested to quit using the mail if it had been received by mail. The fault seemed to hint at my having Facebook, not to the sender for creating the message. It seems that there is an expectation of inapporpriate usage that one should be expected to accept from social networking sites.

Any content should be monitored; if one doesn't want the world to see it, (including future employers, past teachers, family and friends, now and in the future), it should not be posted. This however, has to be taught!

Reflections on Social Networking for Teaching and Learning

Everyone needs to build and maintain relationships. Social networking is a basic human need. Our tools have changed for many of us as our world has changed. Like my parents, we are often cautious that the methods students use to network might have adverse effects. We don't accept change easily, and so many of these sites are blocked in schools due to a fear of inapporpriate usage and content. Yet new ways of communicating will have impact on overall communication skills, and I suggest in a positive way.

Barring access to Facebook and other social networking sites is reactionary. We do not ban books because it might have a detrimental affect; we closely access if there is a real issue. Social networking sites can be strong educational tools. Photos and stories can be shared. Groups can be used to share ideas; one comment on a Blue Skunk Blog by Linda Fox suggested:

"a group of students each one creates a Facebook page for one of these folks: Abe Lincoln, Salmon Chase, Edward Bates, William Seward etc. Then they go in and create a Facebook Group. - explaining how these folks worked together. What were the controversies, decisions etc? Great way of demonstrating that they not only understand the history here but also the concept of leading and making decisions by listening to all sides and points of view...Projects like this require lots of research, knowledge and understanding. Facebook is a great way to demonstrate learning in the area of biography, history etc."

There is, of course, likelihood that students will misuse this tool. It is also true that students misuse and are inappropriate when passing notes… but we do not ban paper. The digital world is not going to go away and students must be taught the skills necessary to be appropriate and safe online. There is a tendency for youth to 'befriend' anyone who asks on Facebook. Teaching them the proper skills before they have built networks on their own that are difficult to detach from is an important responsibility. Teaching students about the permanence of their profile needs to happen before it is too late. I liken this abdication of educators to do this teaching to the sex education of my childhood. We were taught nothing until long after we had mislearned the facts, often too late and ultimately embarrassing. Students need to learn social networking skills young. Just our school system and parents kept human biology facts out of reach for many of us, (and we still found out in our own ways) we must teach appropriate usage to students as they are using the tools whether we want them to or not. We shouldn't kid ourselves that even if parental controls are on at home, even if it is banned at school, students ARE on these sites and then are secretive about it. They log on on the local WiFi, at their friends' house, ro access the neighbours unsecured wireless connection. It is better to teach proper usage than to bury our heads in the sand about the possible repercussions that will happen anyway.

My school district blocks Facebook from students. Students are texting and connecting in any case the same messages and we are not able to stop that. With the increasing number of smart phones, access to web sites will not be controlled by board bans. According to Nilay Patel, in engadget.com, (retreived March 18, 2010) Apple just placed a patent for iGroups, a social networking site for the iPhone. Social networks will grow, not disappear. Often, people of all ages are more likely to want to do something that is banned to see what the fuss is about. As Facebook is basically used for social and recreational uses, and messages can be forwarded to one's email account, or cell phone anyway, this will not be the hill I die on. However, I agree that being friends with students is unwise and that policy, as directed by the ATA, is wise, particularly as students hit teen years and misperceptions could lead to job risk. As Blue Skunk Blog states, (retrieved March 18, 2010) 'it is recreational in nature and likely a nuisance to keep kids off of it (Facebook)". Nings, on the other hand, are a more professional forum. Some school districts have banned Nings because they can carry YouTube videos (that could only be viewed outside of the school blocks). It seems that educational institutions are often being reactionary and not visionary.

Having looked at Wikis and blogs, I can see that a Ning would be an ideal place to house the collaborative work that can be done on complex projects. It appears to provide a wider platform for tools (the difficulty of hosting podcasts on some websites such as Weebly and Blogger) and the ability to have an infinite number of groups, pages and cohorts make it ideal for multifunctional tasks. Social Networking has created a boom among students in writing to share poetry and stories on social sites. Building a Ning to share these in a safe closed environment would foster a desire to write for publication. It will allow us to be constructivist. We need to model and teach with appropriate tools, and we need to be 'digital immigrants'. The largest growing group of Facebook users is over 25. Teachers need to find a way to bring these tools into our classrooms. It will develop bonds that will tie to outcomes we desire, and it will build social interaction in apporpriate ways if we choose to teach it.

The persistence of social networking makes it clear that it is here to stay. (Brook-Young, 2010). Ipsos Reid has just announced that online use in both below 35 years of age and over 35 years of age has become greater than television viewing, which has not declined in weekly time. We are an online socially connected world, and it is our job to teach and model this.

Unlinked Resources Used:

Black, Elizabeth. Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 : What Librarians need to Know. Courtney, Nancy (ed), (2007) Library 2.0 and Beyond. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.

Brooks-Young, Susan. (2010). Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use. Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin Press.

Davies, J. & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools: Learning and social participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

DeGroot, Joanne. Podcasting Trailfires.

November, Alan. (2010) Empowering Students with Technology. Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

A Serving of Mashed .. Mixing it all Together to Make a Fabulous Dish

Recipe for a Great Tool: Reflections on the Process of Learning about Multimedia Sharing sites

9-10 Sources (From Trailfires, Google Searches, Proquest, Books)
15 - 20 hours (Can be modified according to experience and time, usually an increase)
8 - 10 Voice overs
50 - 60 Pictures (to be filtered accordingly)
1 microphone
1 hour of time to figure out if you have a camcorder working
6 heaping tablespoons of patience
5 PD Sessions
1 (minimum) curriculum to keep in mind
0 Children to take up your time

First, take be sure that there are not children around. This tends to create a erratic flow that can impact the final result of the mashup creation. Put them in from of a computer or a netbook and tell them they can't come out until they have an online identity that you can monitor and have created a blog using solely html. That should give you about 3 hours.

Sitting at a quiet desk, consume the 6 tablespoons of patience. Do not consume less. More is often beneficial. Patience for some comes in a 750 oz red bottle. For others it is a small pill. Zen Buddhism works too.

Check that the computer is set on 'cooperation' and not 'crash' mode.

Begin.

Trailfires are such an enlightening beginning. The Common Craft Videos will once again enlighten you on the concept without overwhelming you with the detail. You can begin. Lee LeFever will show you that that Social Networking is like an ice cream store.

Stop. Go eat some ice cream with pickles. It will calm you down or make you believe you are pregnant. If you find it is the latter, you have some content to use in your microphone.

The second trailfire, created by VoiceThread tells you how to do Voice Thread. This is just like the section in my 1964 edition of the Joy of Cooking (Rombauer, pg. 292) that clearly, step by step, tells me how to cook and mash a potato. I needed to see and read it first but found, shortly that it is REALLY simple and self explanatory.

Trailfire 3 is piece of cake (Rombauer, pg 616) and we all like to eat cake. Animto has been a staple like flour and potatoes since 2009. Animoto created this slideshare. I learned that you can embed an Animoto in Facebook or export it to YouTube or embed in a post! I can remix if I don't like it. Over mixing might affect cake or mashed potatoes, but not an Animoto!

Trailfire four (Walking Papers) reminded me that one recipe for library success will be to use Animotowith my library club and create book trailers.

Trailfire five, by Joyce Valenza in School Library Journal reminds me that Animoto is light, like angel food cake (Rombauer pg 619) and does not facilitate as many design and thought processes as other programs (Photo Story 3, which is a downloadable program, leaves design in the hands of the user). Animoto has web connectivity that builds online relationships.

Finally, Trailfire six gets serious. There are 700,000 images shared on VoiceThread from the New York Public Library to use; all of which make fabulous primary source material both for Animoto and Voice Thread. They are all licensed to share. One can also copy a Voicethread, allowing great opportunity for resource growth and online collaboration. Even if I search for a picture through VoiceThreads, creative commons licences will provide a link to the source, allowing credit to be given to the source with ease. No more secret recipes. We need to remember to credit our sources.

Ruth Cullum in 6 + 1 Traits of Writing reminds us that using technology can be an excellent vehicle for building writing skills. Voice Threads is a powerful tool for writing and critical thinking.

Schnell (2007) provided the best explanation of what a mash up is. It repurposes web content by combining third party data sources. This is an equation where 1+1=3... by combining data from different sources, more is created. Shelfari and LibraryThing are two mashups that deal with books. Mashups access data from sites like Amazon, eBay, the Library of Congress, and Google and integrate them to provide enhanced information.

REFLECTIONS ON MULTIMEDIA SHARING FOR PERSONAL

I learned to love Animoto this fall when I could make a multimedia presentation of a friends wedding. She emailed me back and chastized me for taking so much time to make this when I was so busy! Of course I didn't mention that this was just like one of the Joy of Cookings Quick Cakes, put it all together in one pan and "presto'... I had video to make her envious.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Somewhere along the line I must have tried Voice Threads, because as I logged on, it told me I had used my three free Voice Threads. As so many of the tools we use are free now, I was quickly reminded that there are tools we still have to pay for. Sigh. Just like finding you are out of flour, it was a huge disappointment when I wanted to make a cake (a video). Three is a maximum. Well, I know my spring form pans came in a set of three, and if I wanted another one I had to buy it. On this online world, though, I could just log in using a different email.

I find that Voice Threads allows me to make something I've never done before. I am successful in using my mike and camcorder for the first time on my laptop. Finally areason to have purchased an ingredient I had never used before. I created a video of myself on a voicethread form my class. Well, it did take several times, just like a soufflee, but I finally created something light enought for my class to engage in.

I'm known for storing recipes and pictures that sit on my computer and never get seen again. Multimedia sites open this up for me to find again and for others to share, for the world to view. Although originally falsely quoted, I will use this an an analgoy to my cooking and media sharing, from Marie Antoinette, Let them eat cake... or devour the mashing media. There is nothing better that a plate of mashed potatoes with gravy. For students, a learning tool that allows them to incorporate all that they have seen and heard and, voila, mash it up, and you get a great repast that can be reposted.

There seems to be unlimited ways to use these tools in my personal life. Both these tools are excellent and engaging ways to share family, friends, events. The grad class in my daughters school could share pages on Voice Thread and comment on it, keeping a wonderful record of their grad year. My next vacation could be documented on Animoto. Tonight's birthday party may well become the next platform to create a multimedia presentation!

Reflections on Multimedia Sharing in Teaching and Learning

There seem to be innumerable ways to utilize these tools in education. As an inquiry based project, a Voice Thread can be used to direct learning in a collaborative way. Using pictures from primary sources, students can develop their visual skills. There is increase access to learning as these tools can be utilized at home and at school. As an introduction to a unit, Animoto would make an excellent tool to engage the students. Generative learning will occur when students create the presentation using the tools and have to find and explain their use of pictures and videos. The creation of a VoiceThread by students could be an excellent review of a unit, synthesizing what the students have learned. Both Animoto and VoiceThreads would be excellent tools for book clubs to use, for literature circles to create, for book talks in the library.

In an attempt to test out the educational uses of VoiceThread, I have created one to be used by my class for grade six Social Studies.




The the beauty of having a collection ofpictures ready to use is the ablity to quickly apply them to another funtion. Here, this Animoto will be used to introduce the topic.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

As the technological world advvaces at exponential sppeds, we can expect that future learners will be far more fluent in all types of technolgical tools. The Student-Teacher Digital Divide and Six New Technology Roller Coaster Rides by Lester Towell., retrieved frm Proquest March 14th, 2008) suggests that students will have shorter attention spans as a result of this.They also will have more digital connections, more personal connections and fewer wired connections. Teachers need to reach these students with a varied technological pedagogy and maintain relevance. Utilizing Multimedia Sharing sites to not only present material but for studnets to generate material moves a great way toward this necesssary change.

Unlinked Resources Used:

Courtney, Nancy (ed), (2007) Library 2.0 and Beyond. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.

Davies, J. & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools: Learning and social participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

DeGroot, Joanne. Podcasting Trailfires.

Callum, Ruth. 6 + 1 Traits of Writing (2003) Ney York : Scholastic.

Christopher Harris. (2006, May). SCHOOL LIBRARY 2.0. School Library Journal, 52(5), 50-53,9. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1041606431).

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

A message to Ralph

What we post is part of our past, it reflects our thinking and mindset at the time, but in this digital world, what we post is part of our future. I created a web page in 2007 in anticipation of the next Alberta Provincial election. When the election was over, I took it down except for a "thank you" page. Surprisingly it is still there; I've caught links to it through searches and through those 'people finder' sights. Pictures that I had posted, words I had deleted.

That's okay for me; I've kept my online identity such that I don't mind if the whole world reads it. I don't post pictures of me in crazy clothes or making stupid faces. I don't want the public world to see me stupidly; I don't want employers to make judgements on my personal life. As a parent and as an educator, I've seen students (and adults as well) post compromising posts and pictures. Ones that make oneself look silly or stupid, ones that are poorly written and full of errors and deflaming comments. I've seen students suspended and expelled for deflamation and libel; and charged with crimes.

Recently, I was told about a recent posting by a student from many years ago who posted two deflamatory comments on Facebook. I don't know where his feelings came from as I was surprised, but I do really want to comment on the thread in which no one supported him. Bravo to all the students who did not enable this kind of conversation. I have huge respect for the two students who stood up. Thank you, you are a person with integrity. You know who you are. You remember that we need to stand up.

I dedicate this video to all of those students who think that the web is a venue to say things you are not proud of or would say in person. To the ralphs of the world, to use a recent movie, I see you. More importantly, the world sees you and I suspect few respect what they see.

Doubts About Digital Natives

Tom Kuntz in his blog expresses doubts that educators can assume that those born between 1980 and 2000 are 'digital natives'. There is no special path to understanding the new technological world. In my experience, our students are digital natives only in that they are reliant on the web to provide them with research, they are often shallow in their searches, and usually do not know about many of the resources and tools that are there to help them.

They are, however, usually much more fluent in finding the correct keys, negotiating a new site, and are higher risk takers than the adults around them. This can't be interpreted as being a digital native. We need to teach our students. This often will be a collaborative teaching as we are learning together. We can not assume they know it all.

My two youngest children born in 1985 and 1993, both feel that although they can word process fill in spreadsheets, chat on Facebook and email, that they haven't a clue about other technologies. Sad statement that none of the new technologies have been addressed or taught in their schools.

Wordle of Wikis

Wikis... Think Pair Share

THINK: Reflections on the Process of Learning About Wikis.

This is my world; the new flat world of Web 2.0. This week I've spent an inordinate amounts of time thinking; thinking about wikis, thinking bout Web 2.0. thinking about the new world that I live in. I've been reading. I've been thinking. I've tried to use new language with my staff (with limited results). "What, a Wiki? A Vlog? Maybe the students can write a report? Sounds easier. And, by-the-way, what the heck is a tweet or a wordle or prezi?"


My collapsed world (as seen in the collapsed balloon) reflects a wiki world that is slowly inflating and is also flat. Wikis are are phenomenal educational tool that I have never used. Other than searching on Wikipedia, my Wiki world was non-existant. It certainly was not about my participation; it was, like the Web 1.0 I was familiar with, a repository of information for me, not for me as a contributor.




The beginning: I learn to think and realize that there has been a world-tilting change occuring in in our technological world. Once again, our world is flat. Imagine the shock of our scientists! More and more, technology experts are claiming this new knowlege. The world is no longer round; it has become flat, accessible and globally collaborative.

What does that mean? I am disposed to think about this in terms of wikis as well as other Web 2.0 resources. I've been proud to feel my mind is expanded, like the mid millenium thinkers, I knew the world was round, I've accepted the sciences that led to our understanding of the spherical nature of our world. Shockingly, I've read over and over again in my readings about WIKIS that our world is once again flat. Have I regressed to the middle ages? What does this mean? Shall I punch out my globe? If I do, will I see only an entire world or will I be able to look beyond our northern hemisherical thinking to embrace an entire planet.

I explored Wikis from other schools and educators. I thought about the limitless potential there is for sharing and to use to inform, debate, discuss, learn, and develop whrough a collaborative sturucture. I saw Wikis from grade one to grade 12, from educators across the planet. I looked at thematic Wikis and multilingual news wikis and wikis designed for teachers to share. I've read Joyce Valenza's Wiki for librarians. I've seen Glogsters on Wikis. You can embed games on Wikis. There are wikis for everything and anything and I am just beginning to explore this new world. We can collaborate, we can share, we can organize and use wikis for instruction.

I have learned that there are similarities between a wiki and a blog: both can be public or private. Teachers canto set up private wikis for collaboration with students, staff or parents. Wikis allow for different pages, where blogs are liner and date sequenced. In a wiki, information is displayed in the order in which it is posted, not in reverse chronological order as it is on a blo

The challenge I have heard most often about Wikis is the fear of a lack of authority in the Wiki text. If anyone can say anything, then anything can be said. With teachers, I've heard this often about citing Wikipedia as a source.


Readers should check for citations, check for validating data from alternate sources, and should participate actively by joining Wikipedia and correcting entries that you believe erroneous. We must be teaching students to analyze critically everything they learn on the web; Wikipedia is an excellent source to modle this teaching with.



Our instantaneous access to global communicaiton, be it through Wikis, Blogs, or other Web 2.0 technologies, does lead to a question about what is nws? Is it the same news we used to see on the front page of the Globe or the Journal? News has become more personal and we access information based on our community and interests, and so some of the 'chatter' we see on the web, in Web 2.0, may not suit our interests. We have a choice what news we consume; there is just more of it and more variety. Even in the Journal, I choose what news I read. What is important to another (sharing their personal stories) may not be of importance to me. The new media allows us to share with small groups and to target audiences, to decide what news is relevant to us.

PAIR: Discussion of Wikis in Terms of My Own Personal Learning.

What is happening in Singapore this week is what matters to my school. What happens in San Diego matters in my school. We can learn fr0m each other. We are a collaborative world. Wikis are one of the the glues that can make this flat world unified. I began my learning as a thought and inquiry based project. Why do wikis work? Why do we use them? How are they applicable to my job? How will they enhance student learning? Are they worth my time? I read the resources. I read the trailfires. I read wikis and blogs and wikis again. Everything I read reinforced this idea.

I have been reflecting on how easy it has been to fall behind in the learning curve when it comes to new technologies. We become content with our body of knowledge and our strategies and tools that we are using. Wikis have been around for a while, but they are new to the majority of teaching staff.

In Wiki Technologies and a Return to Rigor, Michael Roe wonders why the technologies we actively share in our world are missing from the classroom? I believe it is not a matter of active decision making, but a matter of lack of knowledge. We need to be continually sharing our new learnings with staff, as teacher librarians and as classroom teachers. The role we play in school libraries is to continually be learning and facilitating the learning of our staff.

Some argue that technologies are missing from our classrom due to lack of hardware and software. Yet, according to webtoold4U2Use, wikis require no knowledge, no hypertext, are easy to monitor, are easy to share, are free, work on old computers, facilitate collaboration, work on slow internet connections; in other words, are accessible and possible in just about any learning community. The missing link, I propose, not to be a neanderthal, is the lack of proper support in the school community to understand the role and possibliities in open to teachers, and further, to extend my thesis, the lack of a teacher librarian to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge both to students and to teachers.

Tony Keefer writes, in his article Web2.0 tools for the Classroom, in Choice Literacy.com, that when writing is authentic, when studetns are writing for an audience, then they do not feel like they are doing writing. It seems to me that a part of my job, then , is to inservice teachers about this, to provide opportunities to make writing authentic and real. When studetns are writing for an audience, as a Wiki certainly provides, then they know they are being read, perhaps by a global audience. Teachers cannot be expected to know new technologies and platforms; my job it seems is to disseminate and assist in some of that collaborative learning. This really supports the emerging division of labour in school libraries of an 80 / 20 split between technology support and library support, as 21st Century literacies are explored. My job is an evolving one.

On a purely personal level, I see Wikis becoming a very powerful tool in a political sense, allowing constituents to express thei ideas and have an open dialogue in communities that have lost that community cohesion... where town hall meetings are unusual and where we don't all meet at the cloak room of our children's schools. Wikis can be an effective tool to build a political dialogue.

SHARE: Reflections on Wikis in Teaching and Learning.

Many middle and high school staffs have computer technologists, have library techs, and yes, even have teacher librarians (apologies to the American trend to label teacher librarians as librarians... I KNOW WE all know the difference). Those that have qualified educators that are also librarians are often so oversubscribed in terms of responsiblities that our roles can be diminshed. I perform a full time job as a teacher librarian in a point four time... We must keep up with the myriad of library and educational responsibilities that exist for us and now it is clear to me that we must also make sure that we share continually the new learning and technologies that make literacy engaging and authentic. I imagine I could create a VERY LARGE facebook group of cohorts who are feeling that their responsibility cup is full!

Teachers and students need support to enter into new methods of learning. Computer technologists tend to work on the technical side, building our capacity and fixing our problems and adding links to our hardare. Teacher librarians teach how to integrate new tools into critical learnings, and in such, are the instigators of a future world of techno -savvy, inquiry based, knowledge based collaborative learning.

If authentic writing engages the student; if authentic writing includes writing for a real audience, then Wikis are an ideal tool to build that authenticity with colaboration and a wide participatory audience. We can be united by new technology as a means to bring engagement to literacy learnings (engagement being a primary AISI focus both for Alberta Education and Edmonton Public).

New technologies such as wikis allow us to move outside the box and meet student needs and build engagement. Everyone who contributes to the wiki has ownership and, as a result, is more invested in a project. Wikis have the potential to differentiate for learning in ways that traditional tools could not.

Ken Haycock suggests that we co-create content and this builds engagement. It is our professional responsiblity to make this happen with students. Students at all levels need to be leaders, to teach and to be taught. Wikis clearly open this opportunity to students. Literature circes are shown to be an excellent example of co-creative work as people co-create content. http://wandawiki.wikispaces.com/.

In different groups in literature circles. students of all levels of proficiency have opportunities to be leaders, to teach, and be taught by other group members. Sharing their work and learning on Wikis enhances the literature circle enormously and builds more accountability.

Yet, despite all this positive rhetoric, I am still left with the question as to how we make this work in a classroom that has limited technological access. Students co-create content, yet if they have limited access to computers, this obstacle is not just untimely, but seems insurmountable in many classroom situtations.

Classes often are scheduled into limited lab time, there is little access to adequete classroom technology, and hardware is often problematic. Yet, as I stated earlier, wikis require no knowledge, no hypertext, are easy to monitor, are easy to share, are free, work on old computers, facilitate collaboration, work on slow internet connections; in other words, are accessible and possible in just about any learning community. Wikis can continue to be worked on in the home, as they are not limited to school platforms and will work on vitrually any computer. Students can continue to collaborate, learn, and produce at school and at home.

Wikis will encourage participation by quieter students. The online world engages students 24/7 and leads to generative learning and investigation. Students feel an ownership and will take a greater when theri work is shared.

Wagner (2008) argues beyond the technical limitations, there are needs to balance standardization that limits students ability to critically think. Standardizing (accountability pillars, testing) prevent teachers taking risks. To compete globally, student must show:
1. Critical thinking and problem solving; 2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence; 3. Agility and adaptability; 4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism; 5. Effective oral and written communication; 6. Accessing and analyzing information; and 7. Curiosity and imagination. All these skills are intrinsic to using collabotartive, authentic tools like wikis.


Wikis at Wikispaces cater to education, as they have no age restriction. Teacher control of content is easy. Since Wikis and Blogs can strengthen reading and writing skills and teach students about the new literacy of the Internet age, I am collaboratively planning a wiki with the Grade six science teacher, Rayna Arndt. The cross curricular Science / Language Arts / Technology project will focus on careers in forensic science. We are at the stage right now of building the inquiry questions that the students will use and planning the Wiki setup. As well, the grade six class will be working on social studies using a wiki. In pairs (to show collaboration) students will pick a topic with two sides. In the wiki page, they will explore the pros and cons of the issue, usings internet research, and provide a conclusion supported by their evidence. They will need to post pictures, use links, cite sources, be collaborative, add a wordle or glogster and comment on other's pages (modeled after this course structure). They will present to the class to combine in oral skills. I will be using pbworks.com for this project, partly to compare to the wikispaces in a real environment, and partly as it has been recommended as easier for students to use.

In order to build my competencies in Wiki - making, I have set up a very basic Wiki for our staff. Few know at this point how to use a Wiki, so I have chosen to build a Wiki that increased dialogue, input and collaboration in the library. The Wiki has pages for Collaborative Unit notes, for acquisition suggestions, for listing of Web 2.0 tools, and as time evolves the wiki, more will be added. At this point, only one staff member has been introduced to it but I suspect that it will be valued and there will be thoughtful suggestions toward its development.

In "Library 2.0," Harris (2006) talks about the use of blogs, podcasts, and other Web 2.0 applications in the literature and reading promotion efforts of teacher-librarians. Says Harris, "The heart of the concept, though, is not about the tools, but rather the communities and the conversations that they make possible".

Unlinked Resources Used:

Boeninger, Chad F. (2007) "The Wonderful World of Wikis: Applications for Libraries." Library 2.0 and Beyond. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.

Davies, J. & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools: Learning and social participation. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

DeGroot, Joanne. Podcasting Trailfires.

Dreon, O., & Dietrich, N.. (2009). Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Teaching Assistive Technology through Wikis and Embedded Video. TechTrends, 53(1), 78-80. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1680515581).

Christopher Harris. (2006, May). SCHOOL LIBRARY 2.0. School Library Journal, 52(5), 50-53,9. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1041606431).

Imperatore, C.. (2009, March). Wikis and Blogs: Your Keys to Student Collaboration & Engagement. Techniques, 84(3), 30-31. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1667558511).

Learning and Teaching in WANDA Wiki Wonderland: Literature Circles in the Digital Commons. Teacher Librarian, 37(2), 23-28. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1938481291).

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Roe, M.. (2010, January). WIKI TECHNOLOGY and the return to rigor. Leadership, 39(3), 20-22. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1951887201).

Where the Wild Things Are!