What are these tools? How can we use them to teach the writer to write and the reader to read? What do they offer us personally as readers and writers?
As I read (and re-read) these chapters, there are certain questions I have that I would like help with....
1. Here's a basic one.... has anyone else tried to set up an RSS reader? How does one develop the habit of checking it? Do you use Google as your main site to contain all your blogs?
2. Here's another one...this one is from Hicks (p. 154): While the potential appeal for using technologies such as blogs, wikis, and collaborative word processors may entice students [and teachers, I think], what are some of the challenges that you may face---both in terms of access to the technology and teaching students how to respond appropriately to one another --that may be magnified by using these digital writing tools?
3. Finally, I have included a number of the websites Hicks notes in Chapter 2 as links on this wiki. As you read the chapter, please take the time to go to these links and see what you think(how would you use them? what makes sense to you? ). Share with us your insights on at least one link you want to give a "positive review" and one link you would give a "negative review."
In posting your responses to my questions, feel free to only deal with one question at a time. For example, you can title a comment "Laura's Response to Question 1." This will help you focus your thinking as you compose a post and will help the rest of us as we sort through the information.
Also, please try to post your answers to all questions by MIDNIGHT on MONDAY (9/27). This will give us at least 24 hours to read through the responses in preparation for class next Wednesday.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR IDEAS TO THIS TOPIC.
Response to Question #2
ReplyDeleteTeachers may still be up against the "digital divide" when introducing new technologies into their classrooms. Students that do not always have computer access readily available will fall behind in class discussions online, or miss valuable criticisms of their writing. I think that blogs and wikis can certainly be used, but can't be expected to be used on a daily basis. Teachers should be careful when laying out their assignments to students or their requirements for the class blog/wiki. By having assignments be weekly, for example, children who do not always have access to a computer will have more time to be active with the online tool, and still be able to participate.
Something else that I thought of is the difficulty teachers may face keeping students within the appropriate discourse of their online tools. This can range from tone to style to grammar. I can see grammar being an issue because kids are used to typing informally to friends on programs like AIM and Facebook, yet should be encouraged to use proper language conventions while using a classroom blog/wiki (for example, "i" vs. "I").
This raises another question, I suppose...what expectations do we want to give our students? What parameters should be set? Would forcing our students to use a capital "i" and spell out the word "because" stifle their thoughts as they communicate, or make them better writers?
Response to Question #1
ReplyDeleteI have never tried to set up an RSS reader, but ironically enough, a few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that I should try to create one. Prior to discussing this with him, I had not known what an RSS reader was, but I had seen the phrase on many websites that I frequent. My friend suggested an RSS reader as a convenient way to see information from my favorite web pages all in one place, rather than visiting each page individually. I imagine that checking the RSS site becomes habitual because it is easier than logging onto multiple websites. While all of my current blogs are through Blogger/Google, I have not attempted to use Google reader as a way to keep track of all of them. After reading Hicks (2009), I am very tempted to try to set up an RSS reader once I have some extra time.
Response to Question #2
ReplyDeleteAs far as the challenges that teachers face when it comes to using technologies in their classrooms, the main issue that weighs on my mind is access to this technology. Students may not have sufficient access to the type of technology that is being used both at school and at home. During my student-teaching experiences, there were some students who had trouble gaining access to computers long enough to type up their essays that were due for my class, so I can't imagine how difficult it might be for these same students to complete a blog entry or to respond to others' posts online. Some of my students did not have a computer at home. This made it necessary for me to find a time for them to use the computers in my classroom. If I had wanted to set up a blog or a wiki for my class, students would have had to take turns using one of the three computers in my classroom. If we ran out of time for all students to have a turn during class, some students would not be able to work on their blogs at home. Insufficient and unequal access to technology could greatly limit students' ability to fully utilize these learning tools.
Also, as much as the teacher may model appropriate blog responses, some students may still respond to a classmate in a way that hurts the student's feelings. I think it could be very challenging to deal with these situations, especially if the comment was particularly harsh or inappropriate. Establishing firm ground rules with consequences for inappropriate comments could help to deal with this challenge before it becomes a serious issue.
I found it interesting that Melissa G. mentioned grammar, because when I read the question, I immediately thought of potential disrespectful and hurtful responses. After reading Melissa's response, I realized that grammar could become an issue too, since all I have to do is log onto Facebook to see grown adults neglecting capital letters and writing "u" instead of "you." I'm really not sure if correcting students is the best option. I guess I'm wondering along with Melissa G...
Response to Question #3
ReplyDeletePositive Review: Youth Voices
It is described as a site where "students and teachers work together to create student-to-student collaborations." I like that there are multiple forms that students can use to create posts, such as podcasts, images, videos, as well as written blogs. Additionally, students can comment on others' posts and search the site's content by topic. This site seems as though it has limitless possibilities when it comes to using its features for classroom instruction.
Negative Review: Clipmarks
The site does not seem as organized as Delicious, so students may have trouble locating sites pertaining to a specific topic. Also, the content that could come up under Everyone's Clips might not be ideal and may lead students away from the intended topics and websites. Additionally, Clipmarks seems like it might be a bit more confusing to use than Delicious. I am not sure that I would use this website with my students.
Response to question #1
ReplyDeleteI was not aware that RRS readers existed before reading chapter 2 in The Digital Writing Workshop. I was fascinated by the usefulness of this type of digital tool and can see the possibilities of using it with students. As Hicks (2009) states “we are encouraging them to cut through some of the clutter on the Web, zeroing in on content that matters to them and can further their thinking” (p. 21).
RRS readers contain information that a person selected and requested based on their own interests and beliefs therefore they would be prone to checking it more frequently. I believe that monitoring an RRS reader would be similar to monitoring my email accounts or checking our mailbox outside everyday. At first it seemed strange to receive emails and communicate with people from behind a computer but after awhile, it has become the more preferred and proficient way of communicating. I believe that RRS readers will also become the preferred way of using the internet. It is more time efficient and useful than searching through numerous websites.
My Google page does not contain all my blogs. I only started blogging and following blogs recently, so there wasn’t a need. Now that I am taking this class and finding out more about the Web, this type of organization is becoming necessary.
Response to question #2
ReplyDeleteThe biggest challenge that I face is accessing technology in my building. There are computers throughout my school but the students I work with rarely have a chance to work with them. Currently, I am teaching a 12:1+1 and the students are supposed to be working through an intensive remedial reading program called Read 180 instead of taking an English language arts class. Part of the program requires student to rotate through 3 stations, one of which is on the computer. The computer lab has not been set up, so my students have not started the program. This example shows the difficulties that can arise when technology is integrated into a curriculum. I believe that trying to access the internet as a way to extend the curriculum would be more difficult. Until technology is seen as a new (and necessary) way to become literate by school districts these types of problems will continue to interfere with students’ educational opportunities.
I also think that students would struggle to communicate appropriately to one another. Many students are accustom to writing quickly and using a “digital language” that includes abbreviations, phonetic spelling, symbols, and contractions to convey meaning. I think that many students would continue to use this type of “digital language” when communicating through blogs, wikis, and collaborative word processors. Many students would understand the meaning of this type of language, however, when working in the digital world they must understand their audience is larger than the classmates around them.
Response to question #3
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed by the social bookmarking sites and the RRS readers. The most useful and best website I found was called Diigo, which is a social bookmarking website. I was so impressed and amazed at the possibilities of installing this program onto my computer. This website allows people to collect information by highlighting documents or parts of documents on webpages and store it on their computer in their library. There is also a function that allows portions of webpages to be highlighted and then written on, as if you are taking notes. All this information can be shared and used collaboratively. The information can also be accessed on different computers. I also though the ThinkQuest website was excellent. This website provides students a safe, protected way to navigate through the internet. The elements of this website would be appealing to students. Students would be interested in creating their own pages based on their individual interests.
Clipmarks seemed to be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. There was too much information on the page to decipher the important information. Clipmarks’ motto of learning through each other makes sense but I think the website needs different design. Sometimes the titles of the pages are misleading or confusing.
Response to Question #1
ReplyDeleteAs with Liz, I didn't know what an RSS was until reading Ch. 2! After investigating and checking out Google Reader, I can see how beneficial it would be to a class using a blog. Especially for teachers, having all of your students' blogs in one place saves a lot of time and helps with organization.
Because of this class, I'm going to make an effort to use Google Reader as my "go-to" RSS for the semester, but until now I really haven't had a purpose for it (even if I had known about it!). Personally, to get in the habit of checking it, I've added it as one of my main bookmarks across the top of my browser, and will make it part of my daily e-mail check. I would think students and teachers would just have to do the same thing, and make an effort to make it a habit, maybe as part of their homework routine.
Response to Question #3
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely getting used to Google Reader, and like I said in my previous post, I'm going to make an effort to use it this semester. So far, I like that I can put pages related to my interests all in one place so I'm not constantly having to go directly to specific pages, or searching around the Internet for what I'm looking for. I have a feeling that I'll like it!
Also, after watching the demo video on the Diigo homepage, I LOVE the concept of this site. I'll have to take more time to explore it, but I love the idea that you can highlight and add notes while reading webpages, and can see it being very useful during research projects with students.
I subscribed to Delicious, and while I find it beneficial, I also find it kind of redundant. I found myself just moving the webpages I already have saved on my browser over to the Delicious tab I added. I guess the reason why I found this kind of silly was because I already know these websites by heart anyway, because I visit them on a daily basis. The positive is obviously that you can now access your saved websites anywhere, but for me, the ones that I have saved I actually don't need saved, if that makes sense.
In response to Melissa G's response to question #3:
ReplyDeleteI am now fascinated with Diigo (and RSS readers!). I cannot stop telling people about it. Diigo seems like a very useful tool. I also agree with your assessment of Delicious. I believe the "bookmarks" tab has replaced the need for Delicious.
In response to Melissa N's response to question #1:
ReplyDeleteNow that I know what an RSS reader is, I am seeing the little icon all over the web. I am with you-when I find some extra time, I plan on setting one up!
In response to Melissa N's response to question #2:
ReplyDeleteI think you raise extremely important points about technology in the classroom. Many of my students cannot access the internet at home, which would require more time at school working on the computer to complete blogs or contribute to wikis.
After reading your blog, I thought about the challenge of time when integrating technology into our classrooms. Within one class, the students' computer skills can vary widely. Some students may need three or four times the amount of time to complete their blog or work on the class' wiki page. This would create a difficult challenge if there are only three or four student computers in a classroom.