Project Based Learning

Collaboration is a critical skill in today's world. I have already written a bit about it in a previous post.

This is an interesting video about Project Based Learning from BIE.

As the video states, in a problem-solving world we need skills which are not normally taught in a traditional school environment. Skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and communication have become essential in today's world.

Webquests

Webquests are a classroom-based online tool we can use with our students. What sets it apart from other tools is that students are given different resources preselected by the teacher which they use in order to get the information they need. It provides them with a more active role in their learning process and an excellent starting point for them to start filtering, judging and evaluating information on their own, something they will need to do in the future.

Any webquest should have the following six components:

1. Introduction
It sets the topic of our webquest. It should be ideally addressed to students, sparking their interest and previous knowledge. The roles the students will be taking and the scenario in which the task is set should also be included. A picture, a video, or a simple question could do the trick.
Here you'll find some examples of Introductions I liked:

• http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/techtrac/plus/crooks/introduction1.htm
• https://sites.google.com/site/educ4632jallen/home/exploration-space---planeta...

2. Task
What will our students produce at the end of the webquest? This is what our task should state. Videos, presentations, webpages are all different examples of finished products. It is a key element in our webquest, since it gives student something to aim at. It should be doable and interesting and, most importantly of all, it should involve higher level thinking skills.
In need of some inspiration?

• http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/techtrac/plus/crosetto/
• http://kathyschrock.net/webquests/LAMB/index.htm

You migh also want to try Webquest Taskonomy, where you'll learn about different tasks.

3. Process
The process is a kind of map of the webquest, with pre-sought links that will guide them in their quest.

• http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/techtrac/plus/pattishall/process.htm
• http://www.bolivar.k12.mo.us/BIS/bishome/faculty/vnewcomb/olympic%20webquest/...

4. Resources
This step in the webquest has been slowly absorbed by the Process. It features a number of resources students will be given to carry out the quest. Resources need not be web based. You can provide your students with videos, books, maps or even storytellers if you are working with tales! The whole point of the webquest if for students to use the information rather that look for it.

5. Evaluation
A rubric which states the assessment criteria will provide us with a great tool for the fifth step in our webquest. A great site for creating rubrics is Rubistar.
Some sites for ideas:

• http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/webquest/wilson/
• http://schoolweb.missouri.edu/nixa.k12.mo.us/sullivan/tales/evaluation.htm
• http://courses.missouristate.edu/ShaeJohnson/batwebquest/batevaluation.html

6. Evaluation
And so we reach the final step in our webquest, a moment for students to reflect and even suggest new ideas. It also provides the teacher with great feedback for future editing.

• https://sites.google.com/site/theslavery/conclusion
• http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/Spring_2009/jc/#Conclusion

So? Feel like starting your own webquest?
You can do some research in Bernie Dodge's website (priceless!) where you will find some more examples. Once you feel like starting it, you can find templates here.

To round things off, I thought I could share with you this video with Bernie Dodge, the creator of webquests.

Hope this was useful! :)

Learning Objectives

Tools are great as long as you can put them to good use. A key element in planning is having clear learning objectives, which will define our expectations, the way we teach and the way we evaluate. For a detailed explanation on how to write learning objectives you can click here.

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking is a way of keeping track of all the websites you like. At the same time, you can share them, hence the 'social' in 'social bookmarking'
The number of websites out there is by far overwhelming and remembering all those which proved helpful or interesting in the past is impossible. The problem with bookmarking them is that you can only access your list on your personal computer. When not at home, you are in trouble.
One way of sorting this is with the help of Delicious, a website that enables you to keep a record of all the bookmarks you find interesting. After signing up, you can access your list of bookmarks from any computer you use. You can also tag each bookmark according to the use you will give it, which will make it easier for you to access it in the future.The key to a successful browsing is definitely organisation.
In the Home section, you can browse through other popular bookmarks that you may want to add to your list.And this being a Social Bookmarking site, you can also share your findings with other members on the site.

Hungry for more? You may want to take a look at Social Bookmarking in Plain English.

Delicious has definitely proven to be an excellent tool for me. 

Collaboration

I start my post today with an experiment. I did this wordle to reflect the topic I wanted to write about today. It is beyond clear that our students not only differ greatly from those in the past but they also live in a hyper connected world. In order to succeed in such a world, certain skills are necessary and it is up to us to help them acquire and develop them.


But collaboration is a skill that should not be circumscribed just to students. Teachers can benefit tremendously from collaboration. Be that through Twitter, Facebook groups, Google+ communities or Edmodo, there are countless opportunities to share queries, ideas, resources and more. No matter where you live or where you teach. It's just a click away.

Pictures

We use pictures all the time. For classes, for blogs, for presentations, you name it. The problem is, they may not be the right size.
This is were Picresize may come to the rescue. Pictures can be cropped or given different effects, which can be previewed before we are done. What's more, they can be saved in our computers in different formats or posted on the web, whatever suits our needs.

Tools, tools, tools.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of tools one can come across everyday. Be it through total serendipity or the advise of a colleague or friend, there's always something new to discover. I'll admit I behave like a kid in a candy store sometimes, bookmarking like there's no tomorrow. 

Here is a (vastly edited) list of some of the apps I like. They are roughly in order of preference.

• Google Apps: this one should get its own post. If the length of the post reflects my use of the app, then dedicating just a few lines would be unfair and illogical. Note to self: next post - Google Apps. All I have to say is for now that if you haven't got a Gmail account, stop whatever it is you are doing and create one asap.

  

• Dropbox: what a find! I can't take the credit myself, because I learnt about this tool on a course, but I love it and have shared it with everyone. In case you have never heard of it, Dropbox allows you to access your files from any computer. Once you have created your account, you can upload files on Dropbox's cloud or install their software, which will create a Dropbox folder on your computer. Whatever you save there, will automatically be stored in your Dropbox account. So, if you find yourself at school, a friend's house or a cybercafe and your computer is nowhere near, you can still work on that Word document or Powerpoint presentation. And, yes, you can share files with other "dropboxers" Collaboration needs to become a top-five-most-used word for us.

Now, Dropbox is a great tool for accessing all those files that you regularly use and update. But everything in life comes with a price. Dropbox is free - to a certain extent. The website provides you with 2 GB of storage for free. Need more, got to pay. So when it comes to storing all those files that will not need to be edited or accessed frequently, there are other web tools we can use. One of those is ifile.it. You can upload and share files as big as 1000 MB for free! But mind you, files are kept on the system for up to 6 months after the last download. 

I'm more of a visual person, so whatever I see will be stored in my brain with images. For all those visual learners out there, here's a simple video that illustrates the uses of Dropbox.

• Delicious: even if you are blessed with an incredible memory (in which case, I completely envy you) you need to bookmark the different sites you come across with. This way, you can access them whenever you want, wherever you are. This is what Delicious (among other social bookmarkers) offers. All you need to do to get started is to create your account. In the Home section, you can browse through other popular bookmarks that you may want to add to your list. And this being a Social Bookmarking site, you can also share your findings with other members on the site. Yes, I'm obssessed with sharing, I know. 

Mark my words, he who does not tag will get an ulcer. OK, maybe not an ulcer, but a headache for sure. Tag your bookmarks for future access. The key to a successful browsing is definitely organisation. 

Lately, I've been obssessing with Pinterest. The tool's great and it keeps me online for longer than I need to. Although I'm not sure its teaching potential matches my enthusiasm.

Here's a short and sweet video on Delicious:

• Edmodo: it doesn't get more educational than with this tool. This app offers a virtual space to use as your classroom. This one deserves its own post as well. Straight to the to-do list.

• Picresize: with this tool, pictures can be cropped or given different effects, which can be previewed before you are done. What's more, they can be saved in your computer in different formats or posted on the web, whatever suits your needs. 

• Wordle: I don't use this one as much as the others, but I find it really helpful when in need to convey a strong message in few words. The tool is pretty intuitive and user-friendly. Just type your words and Wordle does all the work for you. 

• Blabberize: this is my kid-in-the-candy-store website. I just love it. It's easy and fun to use.  

 Have you tried any of these? Which others would you recommend? Share away!

Patience, grasshopper.

One of the things that has been going through my mind lately is time. Whatever it is we are learning, however old or experienced as learners we may be, we need time. Time to incorporate the new knowledge, to practise with it, to make it ours so then we can experiment with it and ultimately own it.

I am not going to deny that incorporating technology into our teaching practice is challenging. But it is through that challenge that we can improve and grow as professionals. 

I recently came across the conclusions to an Australian study on developing teacher competency in ICT. The report identified four main stages in incorporating the use of technology in the classroom.

1. Access: This is an initial stage, with teachers familiarising themselves with technology and learning how to use it. 

2. Adopting technology: Teachers use techonology to support their traditional teaching strategies. They mimic what they used to do in their pre-tech days, using the new technology.

3. Adapting: technology is incorporated in traditional teaching practice with an emphasis on students' productivity.

4. Appropriating: teachers experiment with new ways of using technology. The focus is on collaborative work and sharing. Technology becomes the means and not the end.

5. Innovating: There is a fifth stage, seldomly attained by teachers. It is the stage of innovating, of discovering new ways of using technology in the learning process.

This is process that, according to Jordi Adell, takes between 3 to 5 years. Can you say "Patience, grasshopper"?

What can we gather from all this? Well, to start with, I think we need patience. Both with ourselves and our colleagues. Learning is a process and, as such, it demands time. Time, however, needs to go hand in hand with effort. Some may be reluctant to adopting technology in their classes, but that is a bury-your-head-in-the-sand attitude that will lead to nowhere. Digital natives have invaded our classrooms and they need to be taught how to use technology efficiently, responsibly and safely. Needless to say, well-thought, sensibly-administered and educationally-oriented public policies must be set up in order to allow teachers the time to reflect, learn, explore and share.

Edmodo

Some weeks ago I started working on Edmodo with my class. This website provides us with great tools to work with our students. Here are some of my reasons why

• it has the feel of a social network, mimicking many of the features and layout of, say, Facebook.
• students get a code and can access the class' group with no need of an e-mail account
• teachers can filter students' posts and messages
• it fosters independence and responsibility on students. 
• teachers can create a library with resources, which can be shared with their students or other teachers.

It is pretty undeniable that we have the ability nowadays to connect to others in ways that were unimaginable a couple of years ago. We can suscribe to authors we like, follow them on Twitter, read their blogs, watch their webinars, join teachers' communities, exchange experiences, learn. Edmodo is no stranger to this. We can extend our class beyond the walls of our schools. We can enable our students to exchange thoughts, opinions and their work in a safe environment. And as professionals, we can connect to other teachers, learn, exchange, share. We can become 2.0 teachers.

Interested? Here's an overview on Edmodo.
 

Here we go!

Technology has come into our lives; there's no denying that. It has permeated every aspect of it, including education. The point is: how do we use technology to our advantage? How do we make sense of it in a world that is filling up with digital natives? 

I created this blog to have a space for (self)reflection on how our teaching practice can adapt to the fast changes we are experiencing. I will analyse different tools available to teachers in the hope of trying to understand them to better apply them to my classes. Lots of experimenting will take place and many of them (I hope!) will succeed.