Assignment 3 Proposal

With the amount of Web 2.0 tools available to educators today, it seems nearly impossible to keep on top of the newest and greatest tools available. Both a lack of time and knowledge would compete for the reasons teachers often do not discover many of the Web 2.0 tools they could use in the classroom. For this assignment, I have decided to explore Twitter, Voicethread, Livebinder, Flickr, Google Reader, Apps and Podcasts.

Current Context

Personally, I would not consider myself very in tune with the Internet. I find it useful for emailing, shopping, banking and to look up patterns and recipes. I have only recently gotten involved with more advanced online tools such as podcasts, Moodle, prezis, etc. and this is as a result of my job as a grade 4 teacher at Rundle College Elementary School. With the wide variety of information and tools available to me, I think this assignment will push and challenge my online behaviour to embrace some more dynamic and interactive medias online.

Twitter

This online social networking and microblogging service enables its users to send and read text-based posts known as tweets (Berger, 2010, p. 204). My school uses this tool as a way to keep students, parents and the community up to date and informed and it is something I would like to participate in more on my own.  I have chosen this tool for myself for both personal and professional reasons. As someone who has vast interests, I feel this tool will be useful in learning more about my various interests.  Learning in this media will be shown through active use of the site, by both posting tweets and following the tweets of others.

Voicethread

This program transforms media into collaborative spaces with video, voice and text commenting (Voicethread).  This exciting form of media would be excellent to use in a classroom to teach more difficult concepts, to post on my Moodle site or to use as an assessment tool for my students. I have chosen this tool for professional reasons, wanting to use it in my instruction. It would also be a wonderful way for students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or to explain something they have done to an online audience. Learning in this media will be shown through postings on my blog and Moodle page. For the work done by my students, parental permission will be obtained before the work is shown publically.

Livebinder

Livebinder is a way to gather all your knowledge, whether it is website links or files, all into one place for easy, organized sharing (Livebinder). This tool will be used to display my interest in elementary mathematics. Many of my students’ parents know that I am interested and engaged in elementary mathematics and they are often asking for information, sites, readings, sources, resources, etc to help support their own and their children’s learning. A Livebinder will be created to organize my searching, information and discoveries regarding elementary mathematics. This tool would be used mainly for professional reasons, with the hopes of sharing my learning with parents.  Learning will be shown by viewing the livebinder which will be posted to my personal blog and also to my school Moodle site.

Flickr

This popular photo sharing website allows members to upload their own photos into customizable albums that can be labeled, organized, tagged and posted publically (Flickr). This site will be used for personal interests in documenting and sharing many of the crafts I create in my spare time. This public viewing resource will be fun to keep up to date with my creations in order to share what I do with others. Hobbies are an important part of my life and a Flickr account will be a fun way to share them with others. Learning will be shown through a blog site, which will link to the Flickr account. This link will be included in the personal aspect of the blog. 

Google Reader

Google reader is a web-based aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline (Google Reader). This organizational tool is helpful in keeping up to date with many different blogs and websites. I started using this tool in the beginning of this course and have enjoyed following other people’s blogs. This will be used for both personal and professional learning, as the sites I follow involve all my interests. Learning from this tool will be demonstrated through posts to my blog regarding information found on my Google reader.

Apps

Apps are web-based applications designed to be used within a browser. The term ‘there’s an app for that’ has been coined for a good reason – there are thousands of them. This tool is one I find my students very involved with as many of them have their own iPods and iPads. There are endless educational tools for these devices and researching them and experiencing them will allow me to make recommendations for students. Learning through this media will be seen through weekly blog reviews on the apps. I would like to find one a week, interact with it and then review on my blog.

Podcasts 

A Podcast is a multimedia digital file that is available on the Internet for downloading to a media player such as an iPhone or computer.  With the creation of iTunes, access to podcasts have become so simple.  They are an excellent way to educate you and they are often very entertaining as well. Although I started to listen to podcasts during the summer months, I would like to expand my knowledge of podcast providers and also use them in my classroom to share with my students. Learning through this media will be seen on both my blog and Moodle site as they will be shared and reviewed through these tools.

Personal and Professional Goals

One professional goal from this project is to use some of these learning tools in my classroom. Although they could all be used at some point in the future, I would like to use at least one in my classroom before this course is complete. Many of the aforementioned tools will be interesting topics of discussion between my students and myself, which will engage me in the learning involved for this assignment.  Another professional goal is to share this learning at my school, which will mean setting up a professional development seminar that can be shared with my colleagues. Sharing the use of Voicethread in the classroom would be an excellent way for me to solidify my learning and share it with my peers.  A personal goal I have for myself is to make some of these Web 2.0 tools a part of my every day life in a way that will continue once this assignment is concluded. This will require me taking an authentic focus on my learning and ensuring it is meaningful and enjoyable. And the final goal I have for myself is to find one site a month to research once this assignment is complete. There are so many amazing Web 2.0 tools available and it is my hopes that this assignment will spark the desire for finding more on a more regular basis.

Timeline

Most of the work done on this assignment will be done on a weekly basis, with weekly blog and Moodle posts. In order to ensure I give each Web 2.0 tool its proper attention, I will focus on one a week as a goal, however working through them two at a time or overlapping would be ideal. For the Google Reader, Podcasts, Twitter and Apps, it is my expectation that these be working on a continual basis. As these can all be done through my smart phone (iPhone) it is convenient for them to be done on a more daily basis, although they will also get individual attention throughout the following weeks. The following chart is an outline of how these tools will be focused upon during the coming weeks:

Week	Focus
October 11 – 17	Accounts for each of the aforementioned sites and watching online instructional tutorial videos
October 17 – 24	Voicethread
October 24 – 31	Twitter / Apps
November 31 – 7	Livebinder
November 7 – 14	Podcasts / Google Reader
November 14 – 21	Flickr
November 21 – 28	Focus on Web 2.0 tool that needs more time

The shifts in the information and communication landscape are not bandwagons, they represent profound changes in the way we must educate (Berger, 2010, p. vii). The aforementioned Web 2.0 tools will be used to expand my knowledge of the second wave of the Internet and challenge both my professional and personal life.

Works Cited

Berger, P. &. (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for learning and Teaching in a Digital World.

Flickr. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.flickr.com

Google Reader. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.googlereader.com

Livebinder. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.livebinder.com

Voicethread. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.voicethread.com