As you all may have noticed, I did not post the YouTube videos for the Wiki project last weekend. I will have to admit it slipped my mind and then I came down with a bug this past Tuesday that has metastasized into another virus this weekend. Not to worry, I will go back to the doctor this Monday to see about changing the medications. That being said, let us focus on how to fix the problem which I created by not posting the videos.
First of all, we will suspend the session on October 21st to give you an extra week to complete your Wiki project --- meaning the projects will not be presented til October 28th.
Second, for those of you who have had little to no problems developing the Wiki without the videos, I have gone ahead and posted the last mini project which is on Podcasting for you to start developing. This project will now be presented to the class on November 11th. The photocopies mentioned in the sample podcast below will be left at El Mercadito for you to get your copies on Friday, October 21st.
Third, the final project date has not changed (November 25th) as it is more than likely 3 weeks is way too much time to finish it --if you have based all the mini projects on or abouts the same topic and group level. For those few who did deviate from this aspect, you already have been advised to reorganize that said mini project.
Finally, the 5th (2) Forums are based on either/or (or both) of the following projects: Wiki and Podcasting. Again, post your forums under an appropriate YouTube video below and don't forget to note your backup source and how you may use it in the classroom creatively. This Forum is now due on November 4th.
Jhonser said:
ReplyDeleteHi Tamatha… I just want you to know that for some reason my comments are not appearing in the blog. I wonder if there is something wrong or if I have to wait some minutes to see the comments posted.
Hi Tamatha…It’s me again. I know this is not the right area to post my comments but for some reason my comments are not shown under the respective videos. Therefore, I decided to post them here. The first one is about podcast video number 2 (How to create a podcast?), the second one is about the wikis video number one (Wikis in Plain English).
ReplyDeletePodcasts
ReplyDeleteThis video shows how to add audio to an image, a video or a PPP and then publish it using a blog. All we need is a microphone, and audio editing software, and a website or hosting service to upload your podcast in the web. The first step is to go to Audacity: free Audio Editor and Recorder and download a software called Audacity.1.2.6 installer. The author also recommends downloading the MP3 encoder to cut, trim, and remove background noise. If we want to add text and/or pictures the author also advises downloading MP3 Tag from mp3tag.de. Finally, he suggests going to podango.com to download WordPress. This software is used to upload the podcast in the Internet.
As we can see, the use of this online communication technology is easy to use. It makes it easy to not only produce digital voice files, they also make it easy to publish and distribute them to wide Internet audiences (The Read/Write Web, pp 11). Moreover, in the educational field, Podcasts enable students to listen the information when they want, so students’ participation is not delimited by space and time (Theory and Research: Interaction via Computers, pp 22).
An example of how teachers can employ podcasting in the classroom is, for example, to use it as a complement to a literature class. I have had problems getting Costa Rican legends in audio for my students, so by using podcasting I can create my own materials and upload it to the web. This way, students can listen it and then write a reaction paper.
Another away to use podcasting in the classroom is by assigning the elaboration of a commercial to advertise a product. Students would work in groups of three people. In this case, students are involved in the project, increment social skills and have the opportunity to present their ideas creatively.
Wikis
ReplyDeleteThe use of a Wikis is an extraordinary way to create, organize, share and edit information. This video shows us how wikis work – it is simple and practical. Some of the benefits derived from using wikis in the class are related to collaborative learning. According to Grant (2006) “the essential to this model is an understanding that learning is intentional, that knowledge-building is a collaborative activity and that learners take responsibility for their own learning goals, identifying the problems and gaps in their understanding of a subject, and deciding how to solve these problems”. In other words, by using wikis in the class, students have the opportunity to resolve communicative and technological challenges by analyzing and getting solutions for a requested task. The good thing is that students’ participation is not delimited by space and time. Moreover, they can investigate, clarify concepts, get ideas and check spelling using the same tool: the computer.
There are many ways to incorporate wikis to the teaching-learning process in the class. For example, teachers can assign a text or a video related to a controversial topic like “Animal experimentation”. Then, students are asked to answer the following question: What you think about the topic and what recommended actions you will propose? In this way, students are forced to read, analyze and then write. Next, students can view others students’ comments and post an opinion about it.
Another way teachers can use wikis in the class is for example by assigning a project where students have to write a letter to an authority. By working in groups of three or four, students write paragraphs concerning to a local environmental problem. Each student writes a paragraph that then becomes the body of the letter. In this way, all the students come up with ideas and contribute with the script of the letter.
Grant, Lyndsay (2006). Using Wikis in Schools: a Case Study. Restrived from
http://rhazen.edublogs.org/files/2008/01/wikis_in_schools_futurelab.pdf October, 30, 2011, at 2:00 p.m.