Week 3

The above is a 'clipping' of a newspaper that I created from a website called Fodey.com. It is one of the many websites that teachers can use to engage students with and let their creativity and English skills flow. 

BLOGS

Blogs are up-and-coming in this day and age, they are one of the most successful and simple ways of engaging a classroom of students and getting them all to enthusiastically participate. This provides students with ample ways of opportunities to become familiar with technology and how to use it, heightens their social skills by working on blogs collaboratively in groups, shows them how to embed links and pictures into texts and sites, and limitless other possibilities. One great example of a blog would be the one you're looking at! 

WIKI'S

First off, lets look at a website called "Wiki-Spaces". A Wiki is well known for doing a plethora of collaborative work, any student with access to the internet can participate and edit it, they can change and add information and remove details, as well as adding links and clips from other sites. 

Wiki's - How good are they?

Here is a link to my WikiSpace that I created about De Bono's 6 Thinking Hates theory. When I used the WikiSpace, I found it to be quite simple at first, even though I had never really properly used one before. But don't take my word for it, below, I have created a PMI chart to gather all the Positive, Negative and Interesting facts and information about it.  

PMI Chart - (Positive, Minus & Interesting) 

PLUS	MINUS	INTERESTING
Provides students to work together collaboratively It can be customised to look unique - therefore giving students a chance to be creative and suit their individual needs Lets students blog and be interactive with each other- giving students an opportunity to be social and improve sand computing skills.	Without regular monitoring by a teacher, students can be vulnerable to cyber and internet bullying  If students but out someone else's or their own personal information, it can be hard to retrieve without fully knowing weather it's completing off the internet. (Once someone is put on the inter-webs,  Extremely unlikely to get it off.	The fact that students can communicate ideas to each other without being in the same room as them  Tons and tons of various files, clips, links, pictures and other types of data can be stored and embedded into the Wiki where everyone can see and add too, making it a very successful teaching method - without even being in a classroom!

WEEBLY'S

A Weebly is another excellent resource to manipulate within a classroom. In my second year of University here, I had to create a Weebly for grade 5-6's. The task was to make a website for students to log onto, where they would follow steps on how to create a particular vehicle. In my Weebly, I had put in pictures, YouTube clips, various other clips, links to helpful sites, examples of materials, steps, references and other files necessary to help students in understanding each step and grasping their knowledge on it faster. Here are some screen shots of my weebly site. it shows the different things i used for it: files, links, clips, pictures, steps, examples, references and so on. 

But don't take my word for it, below is a SWOT chart which will demonstrate the positives and negatives of manipulative a Weebly, along with the opportunities it provides and the threats it brings. 

SWOT Chart - (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) 

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES	OPPORTUNITY	THREATS
Very easy to use and get the hang of Allows students to be creative and unique Every Weebly is different  Lots of different media is provided to embed - video, pictures, links, clips etc.	Weebly's are not to best site to use to be collaborative Some parts of the site ask for personal information and young children might not understand and give it out	Allows students to gain more knowledge and understanding in computing and digital technology and it prepares them for futures and more complex teaching in it It allows everyone to get creative, even teachers!	Some students might not use this website appropriately students could give out their personal details

VOKI

Finally, the last website I wish to show is called a Voki. A Voki will definitely get students attention as it is a fun, engaging and safe way to get information across. This educational tool allows students to have their own voice play over a multitude of characters such as a historical figure, a cartoon or even over a picture of you! these Voki's can be shared to other students or embedded in other websites for teachers to see or anyone else on the internet. Used correctly, it is a very usual learning tool. 

FUN FACT

Why is Voki called Voki? Voki is a combination of the words “vox” and “Loki”. “Vox” is the Latin term for voice. Loki is a Norse god from Norse mythology. Loki is a trickster who has the ability to change his shape. Fitting name since Voki gives students and teachers the ability to change the character’s appearance and add a voice!

WOW! COOL! 

Below is my own Voki I created, link here.It is so creative that I was able to make a sock puppet at a rave party. Charles the sock puppet will now conclude this blog. 

(If Voki isn't working, click here) 

Resources:

com, F. (2013). The Newspaper Clipping Generator. Retrieved July 18, 2013, from http://www.fodey.com

- See more at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.R4BptDR4.dpuf

Eric Ablett, Dominick Bellizzi, James Byers, Sarah Cove, Max Dobrusin, Adam Frey, and Jeff Hanke. (2013). E-learning-Kate-Truelson. Retrieved July 18, 2013, from http://e-learning-kate-truelson.wikispaces.com/home

- See more at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.jzYr0bdQ.dpuf

Google images

Oddcast (2013). About Voki . Retrieved July 18, 2013, from http://www.voki.com/about_voki.php

- See more at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.TWbYCD85.dpuf

Truelson, K. (2013). Designing a Vehicle. Retrieved July 18, 2013, from http://www.weebly.com/

- See more at: http://reffor.us/index.php#sthash.J8kwgEIb.dpuf