Using Wikis in the Classroom

While taking an online profession development course this summer, I had an opportunity to learn about and explore a variety of wikis. "What is a Wiki?" you may ask. A Wiki is a website that, generally speaking, is a constant work in progress. A Wiki is a place where information can be posted, shared, edited, and revised. Some wikis allow anyone to make changes or add information, while others are password protected and allow only those with permission to make revisions.
I think that wikis can be a really useful tool in the classroom because they encourage participation, interaction, and collaboration. Wikis would be a useful tool when:
*creating a classroom resource list, annotated bibliography of favorite books, glossary or encyclopedia, study guide, etc.
*creating a classroom scrapbook, newspaper, or calendar
*when displaying student work
*collaborating with other teachers with common interests or goals
If you successfully use a wiki in your classroom or have an idea for creating a wiki for classroom use, post a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!

Video Sharing Sites - A Review

I spent some time this morning reviewing four popular video sharing websites - Clip Blast, You Tube, Teacher Tube, and Next Vista for Learning. All of these websites have at least some educational content, but not all of these are necessarily recommended, or even suitable, for classroom use. The first website I explored is Clip Blast, a website that claims to be the "world's largest video search," and I believe it. Clip Blast is a fairly user friendly- website that allows you to search for videos on a variety of topics ranging from animals to comedy to politics and everything in between...and I do mean EVERYTHING. Yes, there is a wealth of information at your fingertips, but I'm fairly certain that a person perusing the website for too long will most certainly suffer from a case of information overload. There is simply too much content available, and not all of the information that is readily available is worth viewing. Furthermore, the content is not filtered or moderated appropriately. In fact, the site even offers videos that are"explicit." Such offensive content should not be available to anyone on the web, in my opinion, let alone to students. As an educator, Clip Blast gets two thumbs down from me and I will certainly not be using the website in my classroom or for any instructional purposes. To all of you parents out there, make sure you use parental controls on your home computer to block this site...definitely not something you want your kids to get into.

You Tube is a site that is very similar in content and format to Clip Blast and is probably the most well-known site for video sharing. The site's motto is, "broadcast yourself," and like those using Clip Blast, anyone can upload a video without filtering or monitoring of content. While there are some (maybe even many) videos available that would be useful to show in the classroom, it would simply take too much time weeding through the masses and finding just the right video. Often when searching for specific educational content on You Tube, the list of items that matched my search terms would often include videos that had nothing to do with what I was actually looking for. And because the content is not checked for accuracy, I would be concerned that some of the information provided may be inaccurate or misleading. While You Tube is definitely easy to use, I don't think it is particularly useful in the classroom setting. If I do choose to use You Tube as a tool for finding educational videos, I'll be sure to preview them first.

Teacher Tube is similar to You Tube, but offers videos that are educational in content. All you need to do is browse or search for a topic and you are shown a list of audio clips, videos, and other content that matches your query. While I like this site much better than You Tube and Clip Blast, and am certainly more likely to use it as a resource when searching for videos on topics we are exploring in the classroom, I still am not fond of the idea that anyone can upload video content, audio clips, documents, and so forth, without the content being monitored and checked for accuracy. Who is to say that the information given is, in fact, true, current, and accurate? Teacher Tube is user-friendly and will be most useful in the classroom if you know are knowledgable about the topic, yourself, so that you can monitor the content. I would definitely recommend viewing the video in its entirety first before showing it to your students.

Last, but not least, I reviewed the Next Vista for Learning website, a non-profit site that houses a collection of teacher and student made videos on a variety of topics to help students and others to learn from one another. From an educational standpoint, New Vista for Learning is the most useful and beneficial for classroom use and for recommending to students and their families. Although this site does not yet have a whole lot of videos to choose from because it is relatively new, when more people hear about it, it's likely to go viral. I say that because the website is not only very user-friendly for both teachers and students alike, but also a reliable source of information. Of all of the sites I explored, Next Vista for Learning is the only one that is filtered. Prior to becoming available on the website, all videos much be submitted for approval. In order to be approved for posting, videos must meet the following criteria: 1.) The video must be 5 minutes or less, 2.) The video cannot contain copyrighted material, 3.) The material must be factually accurate, and 4.) The material must be suitable for a young audience. As an educator, the strict guidelines that are established for videos posted on the Next Vista for Learning website is reassuring. In other words, I can trust that my students can access the site independently to seek out answers to their questions or explore a variety of interesting topics without worrying that they will have access to inappropriate or offensive content or unreliable information. I may even make exploring Next Vista for Learning an option that students may choose for an independent learning station activity. Two thumbs up for a resource that is well monitored, reliable, and as focused on student learning as we are! I look forward to seeing more videos added to the Next Vista for Learning website because I will definitely be utilizing it in the near future in my classroom.
If you know of any other video sharing websites that are appropriate for young audiences and worth using in the classroom, post them here. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!

Reflections on Classroom Blogging

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have only recently started learning about blogging. A few weeks ago, I didn't even know what a blog was. Apparently, I have been missing out on a great tool that can be utilized at almost any grade level, with the exception of pre-k and kindergarten, maybe. (Although, if you have ideas about how to use blogging successfully with students at that level, I would love to hear them!) In my own classroom, a multiage primary classroom, I think it would be beneficial to use blogging to practice their writing and communication skills and share their learning across the content areas. My students are very motivated by the opportunity to use the computer for their writing and having students post to a blog or comment on a classmate's post once or twice a week during our Writer's Workshop would not only motivate my kids to write, but also provide them with valuable opportunities to use new technology in meaningful ways. (As a side note - if someone had told me as a high schooler that kids at the primary level would soon be using computer programs and tools that I was only just learning, I would have thought they were crazy! I am absolutely amazed by what children can do!) This school year, I'd like to include a blog on my classroom website where I can share my thoughts and post information about what's going on in the classroom and encourage parents to repond with their thoughts. Ultimately, my goal would be that our classroom blog will creater an even greater sense of classroom community and its interconnectedness to the outside world.

Some Thoughts on Standardized Testing

I was browsing on David Warlick's blog, 2Cents Worth, this afternoon and my interest was piqued by one of his entries, Interesting and Predictable Article on Standardized Testing in Alberta Canada. His entry was all about, you guessed it, standardized testing and the benefits (or lack thereof) of such testing. He talks about how not all countries have jumped onto the standardized testing bandwagon. In countries where students do not take standardized tests, schools offer a wider variety of educational programs, rather than education in the three core subjects of ELA, math, and the sciences. It seems like there are many more opportunities for enrichment and exploration in schools where standardized testing doesn't drive (some) teachers to drill and "teach to the test." While I wholeheartedly believe that there needs to be some sort of assessment, I am not convinced that standardized testing is the answer, mostly because I think standardized tests are not an authentic form of assessment. We all know that meaningful instruction is not (nor should it ever be) "One Sized Fits All," so why are our assessments designed as such?