Final Project

It was an easy decision for my final project. We (Mat-Su School District) just began using a new web publishing program, and it made perfect sense to use this for my final project. I also wanted to include some of the resources we learned about in this class.

The first resource I started to use was a blog. However, at this point I still have received no feedback even though I have tried to encourage student to use it.

Probably the most useful resource I have and will continue to use are Podcasts. I believe that Podcasts are an excellent way to reach students that may have missed classes or just a refresher for students that may have forgotten some information. At this point I only have 2 Podcasts on my website, but I have several more planned.

My website is still a work in progress and will continue to be throughout its existence. Feel free to comment and provide feedback on my site so that I can continue to improve it.

My Web Site

Week 11: Second Life

Second Life is an online virtual world with regions or islands set up buy businesses, organizations, and private individuals. It is extremely interactive and offers new ways to collaborate and share ideas.

Being new to Second Life, I found myself utterly lost trying to find resources with educational relevance. After a long and frustrating journey searching Second Life for educational uses, I found the ISTE Island. This island offered links to resources and places to attend virtual workshops. As I explored more search features in the program I found numerous university websites including the Educational Technology location on the Boise State Island. I also located several virtual tours such as: the Alamo and Crab Fishing in Alaska. I found these to be very interesting and informative.

There were several negatives I found with Second Life. First, I was disappointed with the lack of users I encountered while using Second Life and believe that it may have been the times when I was on. I also found it very difficult to find relavent locations. However I do believe more experience would help this tremendously. But the biggest negative aspect is the amount of adult content. It seems that there is little or no censorship in Second Life.

I believe that Second Life does have uses in education. It provides a unique and interactive experience for distance education by allowing people to "see" each other. As I wandered through islands in Second Life, I sat in on a discussion and listened to students collaborate on educational policies. It also provides a vivid experience by allowing students to have virtual field trips instead of viewing only pictures and videos.

Week 10: Education and Gaming

Games in education are not a new concept by any means. Teachers have always used games to increase student engagement, interest, and understanding. So the idea of using video games in the classroom is not a radical concept.

In the past I have used games to increase student engagement, or even take a break from the normal classroom setting. Games create a less formal and more inviting setting for most students. There are several educational game sites I have used. One site is I have used is Quia (http://www.quia.com/web). This is a pay site, but there are some free resources and games available for trial. I used the Challenge Board on this site for reviewing vocabulary, and it was very popular with my students. I have also used games on the History Channel's website (http://www.history.com/games.do) to try an create interest in history. I will admit that some of the games on this site are somewhat violent, and therefore age appropriate judgement should be used. I also use games from educational sites like Cool Math (http://www.coolmath-games.com/), Fun Brain (http://www.funbrain.com/) and Fact Monster (http://www.factmonster.com/games.html). These sites have a variety of games based on math, problem solving, geography, language arts, and problem-solving. I take different roles while using games in the classroom. Sometimes I just observe students, but most of the time I am directly involved and often challenge students to "beat my score". I believe that this create a positive and fun atmosphere in the classroom, which leads to a higher level of student motivation.

Watching kids play games is very interesting. Kids, even those with attention problems, seem to be able to focus on games very easily. This is also true with most adults. This is both a positive and negative aspect of gaming. The positive aspect is that in general it is a great way to gain interest in a specific topic. Students enjoy playing the games and this creates a curiosity about the topic. The negative aspect is that students may become hyper focused on the games and completely ignore the rest of information. Also students that play realistically animated games can be drawn into the game so much that they start to replace the game for reality.

I believe that there is a place for gaming in the educational setting. However, it should be used as a supplement to the curriculum and not a replacement. As with any other type of activities or media, it gives us another method of relaying information to our students. All students learn differently and the more variety we can add into our delivery methods the better. We must also decide on what is acceptable in the games we use. Many games today contain graphic violence, sexually explicit language and scenes, and other inappropriate content. This material has no place in the K-12 educational setting. The games we use must also be relevant to the curriculum we are teaching. If we use our best judgement, gaming can be a great addition to our educational programs. But if we use gaming without doing so, it will take away from our already limited time with students.

Week 9: Kids and Social Networking

I think we can all agree that there are risks and benefits with children using social networking sites. The thing we may not agree on is whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. I believe that there is a place for social networking in the educational setting and, if used properly, can greatly benefit a child's education experience and better prepare them for the future.

After reviewing the materials several points stuck out other than the obvious concerns about privacy and safety. First, the fear of change is the biggest obstacle we face with the inclusion of social media in our education system. If we can overcome our fears and adapt to an ever changing society we can better prepare our students for the future. Another point that I found interesting was the statement about negative blog comments, and how they should be viewed and a chance to "listen and engage".

Currently, the school district that I work for has completely banned most common social networking and media sites, including but not limited to Myspace, Facebook, and YouTube. However, they have recently adopted a new web authoring system that enables teachers to create blogs (at this time I am currently exploring the new system to see what can be done), and Gaggle is also allowed by the school district. Other than the new website and Gaggle, the district has taken an extremely firm stance on social media.

It is my belief that schools need to consider the benefits of social media as part of the educational experience. In the world today, much of our communication is done digitally, and therefore students should be taught how to use these newer forms of communication effectively and appropriately. Some options that schools could adopt are intranet based social media, that is only accessible inside the schools. Another way would be to use monitored and password protected social media sites that would not allow outsiders to access.

Week 7: Wikis

One Wiki that most people are already familiar with is Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org/). Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that allows the users to edit content. Even though many people criticize Wikipedia, I find it useful for student-based research. I do have students confirm there findings with other sources, just like they should for any other resources.

I found this Blog "10 Best Practices For Using Wikis in Education" (http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/10-best-practices-for-using-wikis-in-education/), and it stated some good tips for using Wikis for interactive classroom use. A couple of tips that stuck out were; 1) Post conventions and rules, 2) Create an atmosphere of trust, and 3) Include common goals.

I also found this resource "The Connected Classroom" (http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/). This site contained a good amount of information about using Wikis in educational settings. There was also a video similar to the "Shift Happens" videos, which reinforced the reasons for making the shift to a more technology driven educational experience.

I believe that Wikis have a value in education. They allow people from many different locations and/or backgrounds to combine their thoughts towards a common understanding or goal. This is why they can benefit any educational or research based field. There are risks too. Many Wikis allow anyone to edit or post information without proof of expertise in that field. This can make that Wiki unreliable and possibly deceptive.

Week 6: Podcasts (Continued)

The first of the three resources I examined was Alaskool.org (http://www.alaskool.org/default.htm). It is a database with resources related to Native Alaskans and their cultures. I was disappointed to find that many of the resources were not actually there or working properly. After searching the audio/visual resources, I found that many of those listed were not there. They were waiting for permission from the authors.I also discovered that they needed RealPlayer to be viewed, and after downloading and installing it, I still had problems with the videos. Educationally, there is a good amount of information on the Alaskool website. It would take some time to ensure that the information you want is there. It could be used in the classroom to supplement current Alaska/Alaskan Native Studies curriculum.

The second was How Stuff Works (http://videos.howstuffworks.com/search.php?terms=incas&x=0&y=0&media=video). How Stuff Works has a wide variety of videos in many different areas. The videos were collected from different authors such as The Discovery Channel, Science Channel, History Channel, NASA, and many others. The website was easy to navigate and the content was current. All the links worked and the only complaint I have is the advertisements before the videos. Educationally, I found it to be quite useful. This is a resource I can use throughout my classes to help explain concepts I am teaching. It is also usable by the students for research.

The last resource I examined was MasteryMaze (http://www.masterymaze.com/). After reading some of my peers description of MasteryMaze, I felt it would be worth looking at. It is a collection of media files for teachers and students. It also allows teachers to submit their own Podcasts for easy availability for students. This site worked well, but was a little difficult to navigate and find what you are searching for. It does have a good amount of educational functuality. I believe MasteryMaze can be used to upload Podcasts and make them available to students as well as use the resources that are already there.

Week 5: Podcasts

Currently, I'm not using Podcasts in my classroom, although I have experimented with GarageBand some. This is something I'm wanting to change because Podcasts give us another method of communication with our students. Mat-Su School District recently changed their web authoring software, and the new software gives us a wider capability for posting information. So I'm hoping that it will allow us to Podcast.

While searching the Internet looking for good helpful resources I located this website "Learning in Hand" (http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/). It offers suggestions and resources for Podcasting and other technologies that can be used for education. This resource is more oriented at helping the teacher than focused at the students.

I-Tunes is also a great resource for Podcasts, and contains Podcasts on almost any subject available.