Group 1 tools - Blogs, Wiki's and Websites

I’m well into week 3 now with this course and even though I am finding the work load quite heavy and sometimes spend hours on the computer trying to work out how to use the technology. I am finding some things are becoming clearer to me. 

I am now starting to understand what a blog and wiki and a website is, and can see how they are a great tool to use in any learning environment.  
Why I came to this conclusion is I did a PMI and SWOT concept analysis and below is what I came up with:

PMI FOR USING BLOGS IN THE CLASSROOM 
PLUS –             
•          -  It is free, easy to create and use
•         - They are a great reflective tool where you are able to bring together your thoughts on different topics or ideas
•        - It can be used as a collaborative tool to gather research notes and share ideas with other class members or teacher 
•         - You are able to provide links to different websites etc. that other students can also use
•         - It gives parents access so they are able to keep up to date with what their child may be learning at school
•         - Students are able to access them in and out of school
•         - Teachers are able to monitor students’ progress and offer ideas (using comment option) to students about other avenues they might be able to explore and provide positive encouragement making it a good motivating tool
•         - Only the students who created the blog is able to edit the blog
•         - It is great for students who are too shy to contribute in class to add ideas 
•        -  Great tool for teachers to post educational links to that can enhance their own learning with digital tools. For example: (http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/) I also found a great blog written by a teacher that provides useful information and tools for other teachers to use http://heidisongs.blogspot.com/  as an example of how they can be used
•        -  It can enhance students reading, writing and computer skills




MINUS – 
•        -  Can be difficult for some students to use
•        -  Internet access is always needed to be able to access it which is not always possible
•         - Blogs are not confidential and everyone is able to access them worldwide which could result in anyone posting comments that may not be appropriate
•         - Cyber bullying and  Harassment could become a problem and needs to be monitored with strict guidelines
•         - One author only which is a plus, as stated previously, but can also be a hindrance when trying to collaborate effectively with other students
•        -  Images, videos and information can be inserted without the knowledge of the owner which can result in plagiarism. Legal, safe and ethical guidelines should be discussed with students to ensure they are using material correctly this may however be problematic for younger children to comprehend and understand. 
•         - Limited options in how the blog can be set out


INTERESTING – 
 Blogs can be used for a variety of things and can provide lots of possibilities in a learning environment
- Can provide the opportunity to link with other schools around the world
- Teachers are able to witness the different learning journeys of each student
- Can be used to help to promote effective pedagogical practices such as higher order thinking, student direction, substantive conversation and social support






The PMI analysis will provide valuable information on the pros and cons of using a wiki to develop an eLearning resource.

Table 1: PMI ANALYSIS
Plus	Minus	Interesting
Anyone can edit, and edition is instantaneous,easy to use and learn and people located all over the world can edit. Possible to revert back to a previous version and access to web publishing to non-technical people. Can be used for a wide range of applications. No licensing cost to installing an institutional wiki. Very versatile tool, that can be adjusted and accommodated to any kind of teaching and learning. Many possibilities to include designs, images, videos, etc. Allows for HTML language what provides huge possibilities (Hart, 2006)	Being an open resource does not assure the quality of content, therefore entries are not necessarily reliable. Spontaneous thoughts, content have to be filtered to avoid prohibited material. Anonymous entries, very difficult to verify the source (more issues with quality) Collaborative /Cooperative Paradigm as the resource is strongly based on high levels of coordination. Technology issues, user must be computer literate. Organization, updating, compiling, etc. A lot of work needs to be done. Challenges regarding structure, contents, ideas, etc. and how they should be included in the wiki. Wikis do not show as easily when information was documented or in what order. (Woolf, 2006).	Resource with great potential to be used in eLearning Great flexibility and adaptability Minimum requirements, everyone can learn how to use it very quickly Great tool to facilitate: Creativity, Development of New Ideas, Collaboration Controls can be implemented to prevent vandalism Content remains alive: as technology improves, knowledge changes, new techniques appear, etc. it is possible to update the resource accordingly. Imagination is the limit. Ideal resource to use to connect with groups based in different countries, different cultures, etc

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that is exceedingly valuable. It involves identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. After the PMI analysis is done, it is very important to condense all the information into a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), thus we are able to connect all the valuable information that help us to decide if the wiki is the optimal resource for a particular lerning outcome. For more information on SWOT Analysis please see this article on What is SWOT Analysis

Table 2: SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths Openness and accessibility. Facilitate to work with others Creates knowledge and communities Usability. Anonymity of authorship. Public ownership. Cloning acceptable. It is a free tool. Organized by the context, by links and, sometimes, in chronological order.	Opportunities Motivate Collaboration Versatile Tool Longlife Learning Growing and flexible resource Comprehensive Share knowledge, resources, experiences. Everyone is smarter than anyone alone Encourages learning and critical thinking Large audience Virtual Community
Weaknesses Difficulties to trust content Used to repeat work Content is constantly changing Not professionally edited Need close control to prevent vandalism	Threats Users can erase content Vandalism Copyright, intellectual property issues Taken as the only source of information Content can be spammed Constraints to the tool Openness (no login required)

I am starting to see the effectiveness of collaborative learning  and how by using e-tools within a learning environment students can explore, collaborate and reflect. I have constructed my own understanding of TPaCK in my blog. Today there are more opportunities for learners to participate actively in their own learning. Educators can now move significant learning opportunities out of “event mode” and support construction of knowledge and skill beyond the classroom and beyond traditional asynchronous e-Learning.
Online learning is leaning towards a constructivist pedagogy  in which collaborative learning takes an important role, I have a visions of how these tools certainly open up the classroom or learning environment to many different worlds and sources of information and interactive experiences beyond its four walls.  With the invention of web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 interactive learning has reached new levels.

I’ve been to many in-services and education days in the past where the big piece of butcher’s paper or the whiteboard has come out and we’ve all put ideas forward, but now with ideas being able to be sought, exchanged, compared and contrasted from all around the world.  WOW! How incredible is that?

Last night at the collaborate session for my current ICT course which I attend every Wednesday night I found myself and my mind wandering off  at times and imagining all sorts of wonderful possibilities in a classroom and imagined to myself that I may have done better academically if this stuff was around when I was at school.

At the moment the thing I haven’t been able to totally get my head around is the Learning Theories, they are still a mish mash in my brain and I’m hoping by reading and listening to podcasts about them and using the internet to gain lots of perspectives about them and see if that helps me with my understanding of them.

Well I’ve got to do a little housework  too now and again so I’m off to do that now. There’s even interactive websites to help with that.

See you next time!!!