Final Reflection

Web 2 in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy is certainly an interesting comparison. Each taxonomy and the Web 2 applications can be clearly linked  as shown through Andrew Church's article.

The actual use and set up of the web 2 applications requires the use of remembering, being the lowest form of thinking as detailed by Bloom. However, actually using an activity such as mind mapping - bubble.us requires analytical skills, which is one of Bloom's higher order forms of thinking. 

Students need to use a variety of skills and thought processes throughout the web 2 applications, but in the end, the work needs to be worthwhile educationally and relevant to the curriculum.

It has been a very interesting journey progressing through the Web 2 course. There are definitely applications which I will be further practicing,  investigating and incorporating into both my Music and English classes. 

Module 10

Module 10 related to wikis and nings. At All Saints Boys Liverpool, we have an excellent wiki page set up on the College website with easy access for both staff and students, so the use of nings is really not relevant. 

However, wikis are a very useful tool that are now being used on a regular basis to monitor student work, post homework and assessment tasks for a range of subject areas. Wikis are a more challenging and interesting way for students to present their work.

As part of this module, I started to set up a new wiki for one of my music classes, learning how to embed photos, music from itunes and utube sites to present a unit of work. The possibilities are endless.

Module 8

Module 8 related to RSS feeds and setting up Google Reader, which I did. I can see the usefulness in being regularly updated with articles and information in relevant areas to one's teaching and study, but honestly I would not be checking it on a regular basis.   I would often rather pick up a book or newspaper.  I found this a rather disappointing module with little relevance for me personally or for any possible use in the classroom.

Module 7

Module 7 relates to online communities and social bookmarking. As part of this, I have set up a Delicious account  and now have access to it via my toolbar.

By using Delicious, it eliminates the need to constantly Google search for topics etc. Useful sites one wants to remember for the future and ones used regularly can be bookmarked on Delicious.

One of the most useful aspects of Delicious is that one can gain access via any computer, anywhere, not just on your laptop, school or home computer. 

On Delicious you can access a variety of people's accounts for relevant material and articles and anyone can follow your listings. This is a useful aspect of Delicious as well as time saving.

Tagging sites with a variety of keywords is important so as to be able to access them in the future, especially if the original website has been long forgotten.

Module 6

Today I looked at and registered to use Bubbl.us and Glogster, two interesting tools which can be used to enhance learning in the classroom, as well as giving new options to teachers for lesson preparation. 

Teaching in an all boys school, I find that  visual learning is often a better option, especially for difficult topics like poetry analysis and Shakespeare. This is where Glogster could be incorporated by both teacher and student to make understanding of concepts clearer and more interesting. Multi media in glogster also provides variety in presentation and engages the student.

Bubbl uses the tool of  brainstorming and mind mapping. This is a great opportunity for students

to work on their own or together preparing work and  revising knowledge using this application. Teachers can also use Bubbl to prepare and present work, particularly when introducing a new topic.

Module 5

Digital Storytelling has many interesting aspects to it. The use of Podcasts, Vodcasts, Itunes and Youtube all have great possibilities in the classroom, especially for my  English and Music classes.

I viewed a selection of podcasts and vodcasts on Youtube which would be excellent to show students the use of voice overs with pictures and background music, as well as mini one minute versions of famous movies. This would be great to show students what is possible, before they start completing a storyboard and then creating their own podcast or vodcast.

Being able to access free podcasts and vodcasts via Itunes and saving them for future reference will also be very useful. This was a fascinating and worthwhile module with definite opportunities for use within the classroom.

Module 4

In this module, we were introduced to Flickr, an application relating to the use of and storing of photos. It also seems similar to iphoto on the mac.

Of particular interest was the fact one can search for photos relating to a wide variety of topics, people, places etc. that could be used by students to enhance the presentation of  class based tasks or assessments.

The organisation and catagorising of one's photos with titles attached is another useful part of Flickr as well as the fact that chosen people ( family, friends etc.) can get access to your photos if you so choose.

For me personally, this is probably one of the applications that I will have little use for.

Module 3

Google Docs certainly seems like it has definite possibilities in the classroom, especially as an interactive tool between teacher and students.

The interesting and useful applications that I would utilise in the classroom related to being able to edit and check student's work as they were working in class. This would work well in my English classes with the drafting process etc. The form application would be excellent for student/teacher surveys and evaluations as well as setting up multiple choice revision tests etc.

 Setting up the google docs account and the share facility would definitely be worth it with the classes who currently have laptops.

Module 9

Last week we jumped ahead to Scootle which all teachers can access. It seems to be an interesting educational site where a large number of resources are brought together covering all areas of the curriculum from K - 12.

There are many interactive sites, quite a few relating to ESL, which is particularly relevant to our school with our high numbers of non-English speaking background students.

Up until recently, only teachers could access Scootle, but there is now a method to send students relevant sites and activities which only they can access, which makes it a lot more hands on when a whole class has laptops.

Module 1

What is Web 2? The whole concept of communication and information being a two - way street. Anyone can read an article or site and comment or respond to the content. There is no right or wrong answer - anything is possible.

 Tools such as Blogger (which I am already using), igoogle (which I now have set up on my laptop)

I can already see myself using on a more regular basis. Being able to see my igoogle page every time I log on with relevant updated information is useful.  Audacity (an alternative to Garage Band), Moodle and Ning I am interested in learning more about throughout the course.

Module 2

 As the first session for the Web 2 course begins, it has become clear that the course will revolve around blogs. Blogs are like journals that any person can write, others can then read, reflect on or respond to them, making them a useful tool for teaching.

 Blogs can supply useful material for discussion within units  of work between teacher and students, giving opportunities to express opinions and give constructive responses to work being studied.

As a Music teacher, students often seek advice about learning an instrument via a tutor outside of school. I would be able to recount in a blog my personal experience of learning to play the piano over many years and the endless hours of practice and commitment involved in reaching a competent level of expertise.  Given the cost involved in purchasing an instrument and the subsequent tuition fees, my blog may significantly influence their decision  to pursue such an initiative.