Design Experiment 4: PBWorks

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PBWorks is a wiki that allows you to collaborate with others.  It has been several years since I last used PBWorks and from what I can tell they have made several upgrades to the website format and now offer several different hubs to choose from on the website.  However, once I logged in and viewed the education hub layout it looked similar to what I remembered.  PBWorks allows you to create a workspace to build content for your wiki.   In the workspace you have the options to view and edit as well as insert pages and files, assign users and their roles and adjust the settings.  The wiki site is very user friendly and easy to maneuver. Some of the educational uses the website suggests using the wiki for are as a way to communicate with parents and keeping them involved, showcasing student work and enabling collaborative groups. 

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In the past, I have used Wetpaint which allowed me to create a collaborative space that I could share with others.  It allowed me to create and post discussions, pictures, videos, add members to my wiki and get updates from other wikis I liked.  In Wetpaint I created a wiki that was based on ceramics and collected resources that were added and shared with others who had a similar interest. I no longer maintain that wiki, but it was one of my first experiences using wikis.  I later found out that Wetpaint changed to WikiFoundry a couple of years ago.

The first time I used PBWorks in my class was about 4 or 5 years ago as a way for my students to work together on a Microsoft Office Dream Team simulation project where they marketed their own professional sports.  Students had to create and design everything from letters and memos, press releases, t-shirts, business cards, VIP passes, rosters, schedules, brochures and several other marketing materials for their teams, I setup the workspace with all of the instructional materials and content they would need in order for the students to complete the different parts of the project.  At first, there were a few bumps because when the students noticed that they could chat with each other in the wiki, they wanted to further explore that feature.  After redirecting and having another conversation about what you do and post online does not go away and I know who is typing what, we quickly got back on track.  The collaboration functionality was one of the features I really liked about using the wiki in the classroom because every student had a role in the assignment for which they were responsible.  Once everyone completed their parts and we compiled all of the pieces together, the students enjoyed seeing what their projects looked like when it was finished.  For the simulation project I had my students working on, I believe that would fall under social constructivism and project based learning because they were learning by working together in groups to complete a project while the class was being facilitated by the teacher.  Wikis are a good collaboration tool in the classroom but I no longer use them because I can do the same thing in Google Docs or using other Google Apps.

Design Experiment 3: Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseware, & YouTube

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Khan Academy provides a personalized learning resource for all that utilizes instructional videos and other materials which are customized for learners to study at their own pace.  Several subjects are offered for you to choose from such as math, computer science, economics, science, humanities and more.  You can create an account as a learner, parent or coach/ teacher to access the website.  As a coach you can create a class and choose which subject(s) you would like your students to complete.  Students that are 13 or older can be added by email and those that are younger will need parental approval before an account can be created. Once their account has been created, they may begin working on the content selected for them.

Khan Academy has some great possibilities for use in my classroom.  I would like to set up classes for the Gifted and Talented students to provide additional learning opportunities about subjects that interest them such as electrical engineering, computer science, music, art, math, history and science.  I was thinking about incorporating it as part of our STEAM Station which would allow them time in class to explore, experiment and learn about different topics on their own.  Also, I was trying to come up with some ideas for using Khan Academy with the Business Technology students.  After looking at some of the content available in the Economics and Finance section, I think it may be too advanced for middle school.  However, the Entrepreneurship section could be of some interest but I would like to see companies added that middle school students may be more familiar with.  I am not sure how successful it would be but I definitely think it has potential.  I may try and test a small group of students to get their opinion at the beginning of the school year before rolling it out to everyone.  

Design Experiment 2 - Edmodo and Other CMSs

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Edmodo was the first management system I used in my classroom.  I was very impressed with the ease of use and application of the software.  I remember how much the students loved using it because it reminded them so much of Facebook.  It was a huge learning experience for all of us which we welcomed with open arms.  I used Edmodo for about two years before I started to look at other learning management systems.  One that caught my interest was Schoology and I had planned to use it with my students because I thought the overall functionality was better in some ways than Edmodo.  However, it lacked in some aspects when it came to the online community, support and resources available.  Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to use Schoology with my students due to the release of Google Classroom.  With the release of Google Classroom, my district wanted us to use and support this learning system instead of anything else we were using at the time since we were a Google Apps for Education campus.  As a result, this is the platform I have used for the last two years.

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I was excited to learn this Design Experiment would provide an opportunity for me to go back and see what changes have taken place over the last two years with Edmodo.  For the most part, the layout looks similar to what I recall.  You still have to have a code in order to join, either  as a student or as a parent. The parent code provides a way for parents to observe their child’s activities in class online. Any classes you create can be located in Groups or if you join an existing group or class it will appear there also.  Edmodo still allows you to create announcements, assignments, polls and quizzes for immediate use or schedule for later as well as attach files, share links, and add resources from your library.  I noticed that they have several new features added such as the Ask Our Teacher Network section located at the top of the Home page which allows you to post questions easily to communicate with other educators. Another feature that I really like is the integration of Office Online which provides access to basic features and tools of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. This is very useful for students that may not have access to Microsoft Office products at home or school. There is also a way now to link your Office 365 account and integrate them into Edmodo as well.  A few other things I noticed that I had not seen before were Edmodo Spotlight and Snapshot.  Edmodo Spotlight is still in beta mode but from what I can tell it lets you explore and use previously created lessons and other materials.  Edmodo Snapshot looks like they are creating snapshot bundles for English and Math TEKS for Texas.  This is still in the beginning stages but it allows you to access and preview a few of the ones that have been created.

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In my opinion, Edmodo has more to offer than Google Classroom but I believe that is mostly because it is still pretty new.  As I stated in my previous post, I have been using Google Classroom for the last two years and in the last month or so they were finally able to add the ability to schedule posts which was one of the features I personally sent in a request to have added.  Some of the features I wish Google Classroom had which are found in Edmodo are the parent code, the ability to create small groups for differentiated learning opportunities and group assignments, and access to an online community of educators within the LMS. Some features that Google Classroom has that I prefer over Edmodo are the layout because it has a cleaner look, the ability to attach a variety of Google Apps and share, edit or make copies for students, how it automatically creates a folder in Google Drive when you create a new class and stores all assignments in this folder, the way students names are automatically attached to files you send them, and how much easier it is to use.

Thinking about how the technology can support specific pedagogical approaches reminded me of a Thinglink I had seen before by Susan Oxnaved (see image below).  I thought it was a great visual breakdown of how different technologies can be used in the learning process.  The approach that comes to mind for me is Problem Based Learning, a student is basically given a task or problem to solve.  With a learning management system, the student would be able to have the majority of tools necessary to complete the task immediately available to them online.  The teacher could create the assignment in a LMS by attaching resources pertaining to the learning objective to help direct and get the student started.  Using other online tools such as Google Drive would allow students to create documents they can work on alone or share among others.  They could also generate a Google Form to conduct surveys and collect data. All of their research and work can be stored in a folder connected to the LMS.  Later the student presents what they learned by completing a final presentation or project that can be uploaded to the LMS.  There are several evaluation ideas that come to mind like peer evaluation as a way to give feedback to the student, quiz or test created by the student about their topic, or a written reflection.  There are many approaches to implementing a LMS. I believe that the technology should provide students with flexible learning paths to meet their unique learning styles and achieve the learning goals or objectives for the course.

Note: The image below is powered by Thinglink. Click on any smaller image to jump to the interactive version and find resources.

Design Experiment 1: Google Apps

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I feel like I have been exploring Google Classroom for the last two years. It has definitely come a long way from when I was first introduced to it.  I remember thinking it would be nice if I could schedule assignments which was one of my biggest complaints about using Classroom among a few other things that needed to be added. In time, Google was able to finally implement some of these much needed functions.  What I like about Classroom is how it ties nicely with other Google Apps that I previously used especially Google Drive.  I also like how I can have all my lessons for multiple classes in one place, I can share and make a copy of a document for students in Classroom, it automatically adds their name on to documents I share with them, I can collect all their work in one place, I can make comments or suggestions on assignments before they submit them, and I can post grades and provide feedback about assignments immediately.  Some things I have learned from trial and error, if students upload a file they need to include their name in the file name. You cannot upload or add a folder directly to share with students, you have to add it as a shareable link and vice versa. Microsoft Publisher and Access do not work well with Google and you either have to download the file to your computer or save in PDF format.  

The other apps I looked at were Google Drive, Google Tour Builder, and Google Scholar.  I use Google Drive often but hardly have time to explore some of the features that are available with Docs, Sheets, Forms and so on.  I looked at some of the add-on that are available in Google Drive and tried using them on existing files I have to see what benefits they offer.  The ones I played around with were Doctopus, Goobric and AutoCrat.  With Doctopus and Goobric I am able to generate a roster in Google Sheets using Classroom that I can attach a rubric to for grading assignments.  It also allows me to make audio and written comments to the student and email them the final graded results.  AutoCrat reminds me of mail merge because it allows you to create a document and then merge data into the document from a spreadsheet.  You also have the option to generate and automatically send an email for the document you created.  I can see using this to create certificates or badges as a reward system. In the past I have used the Flubaroo add-on to grade assignments, quizzes and tests.  I have also use Ez Query to filter data automatically in Google Sheets from Google Forms.

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Google Tour Builder was interesting and I found myself thinking this would be a cool way to create a travel itinerary or journal of various places listing significant points of interest.  The app allows you to plot various locations, insert information or details about the location, insert pictures and videos, and you can choose to share or not.

I wish I had reviewed Google Scholar prior to now because it would have been a nice resource for my students to use on their research papers.  The functionality is similar to most databases, especially in the Advanced Scholar Search page.  Some of the features that stood out to me were how the search results were ordered, related articles, the Case law option and Library Search.  If you are trying to locate a book from your search results, the Library Search feature actually gives you library listings that are nearby based on your zip code.  Some material was viewable for free while others required payment.

I have used Google Classroom over the last couple of years as a tool in my classroom but I wanted to think of a time when this was not available to me and explain how I would use it and other Google apps in the classroom. About 3 or 4 years ago, my students were completing a research project about a country of their choice.  A few of the things I would have changed are putting the assignment details in Google Classroom and Google Scholar would be included as a resource.  I would give additional choices about final product creation by allowing students to use various apps like Google Draw when it came to recreating their country’s flag and national seal, as well as using Google Maps to create their physical and political maps. Students would also be able to use Google Sheets to record and compare their statistical data and make their graphs.  To complete their travel itinerary, I would allow them to use Google Tour Builder, Google Docs, or Google Slides. Another thing I think I would change about this project is having them create a website to include their work samples along with a final reflection.     

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Welcome to my blog 
Online Learning & Ed Tech! 

I am excited to see what this semester brings.  I look forward to working with and learning from you all. I found this Wordle online and thought it summed up Educational Technology nicely!

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