Classroom Websites

A common theme, point, and blanket of information that was mentioned in all four of our readings this week was the fact that the first step in designing a web-site or using a website for instructional purposes, is to define your goals and determine your purpose.  In the first couple of paragraphs in all of these articles you will find the same key concept of defining your purpose and your goal of using websites in the classroom, the only difference being the wording.  Clearly, this is a key piece of information; we as educators need our students, parents, and users of our website to go onto the site and use it with ease and with purpose. 
            The article written by Miller, Adsit, and Miller, Frequency of Appearance and Stakeholders’ Judged Value, left me with solid information that I will remember when making a classroom website.  In their study, they aimed to “determine what elements are currently contained in representative school based websites and the degree to which various users of school websites value specific features that are included.” (Miller et. Al., 2005, p.35). A total of 70 elementary websites were reviewed in the metropolitan area of Atlanta and participants (simply put) were students, parents, and teachers.  The results showed that the physical location of the school was the component most commonly included followed by listing of faculty and staff.  The third commonly represented feature was the school calendar which was followed by the schools mission statement. These components are all pretty static in their information, which says they will most likely not change from year to year. As teachers, this next part is important, the part that talks about what the three groups felt was most worthy to be on the classroom websites. “All three stakeholder groups felt that the school calendar was most worthy of inclusion in the school website.” (Miller et. Al., 2005, p.37). Students, parents, and teachers all ranked the homework hotline high as it was third, second, and fifth respectively. The table on page 38 that shows the grand mean for all links that are on the website is extremely informational and something that I will refer back to when I am building my classroom website!
            Julie Coiro and Jay Fogleman’s article, Using Websites Wisely, focused on three types of web-based learning environments which are: informational reading systems, interactive learning systems, and instructional learning systems.  In the web-based instructional learning systems section I learned about Google Lit Trips which I was thrilled to learn more about and research.  “When readers download a Lit Trip from the lesson database, they can follow the plot and characters of a given book through those areas of the globe that serve as the book’s setting.”  (Coiro & Fogleman, 2011, p. 38). This is one of the great features and benefits that comes out of the 21^st millennium classrooms, students have easy and quick access to research where in the world they are reading and learning about which is only enhancing and growing their worldly knowledge base.  

Annotated Bibliography

Riddle, J. (2010). Podcasting in the classroom: A sound success. MultiMedia & Internet
      @ Schools,  17(1), 23-26.

In this article of podcasting in the classroom, Riddle explains the benefits of using audio  (podcasting) in the classroom.  Riddle first explains how podcasting can be beneficial in the institutional level as college professors have started to utilize podcasting to upload their lectures.  

This article then gets into the benefits that podcasting has in the K-12 community in the 21^st century and briefly introduces Radio WillowWeb which is an elementary podcast. A good portion of what Riddle writes about in the article is the classroom of Sebastian, a music and English Language teacher in Germany.  Through Sebastian’s experience we learn ways to use podcasting in the classroom and the advantages and benefits podcasting has on our students.

Robin, B. (2006) The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. University of Houston.
        [Internet document available at http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/evaluation.htm]

At its root, this article explains what digital storytelling means, where it came from, how to use it in the classroom, and the challenges that educators should be aware of.

In describing what digital storytelling is the author includes what the seven elements of digital storytelling are along with the three major types of digital storytelling. The article also speaks upon the benefits that digital storytelling has in the classroom. Bernard briefly covers the five types of literacies that come out of digital storytelling: digital, global, technology, visual, and informational literacy.  In addition to the benefits that digital storytelling has on different areas of literacy, nine skills are briefly touched upon that students gain form creating and learning with digital storytelling.    
 
Furthermore, Bernard realizes what it means to teach the millennial learner and be literate in the 21^st century; a topic that is hot on the press. Not to be naïve, this article also recognizes the challenges that come out of digital storytelling and outline them in simple and realistic terms. 

Sheneman, L. (2010). Digital Storytelling: How to Get the Best Results. School Library Monthly,
         27, 40-42.

Sheneman explores three different types of digital storytelling applications in this article  that are applicable for the 21^st century classroom: Windows PhotoStory3, Windows Movie Maker, and Animoto.  Sheneman focuses on the benefits and challenges behind using these three applications and what field research as told us about these applications. 

Villano, M. (2008). Building a Better Podcast. T.H.E. Journal, 35, (1), 30-32.

 This article focuses on how podcasting can be brought into the K-12 classroom community.  Villano speaks about how educators can make content unique, relevant and compelling through technology, or more specifically podcasting.  Villano doesn’t merely talk about why podcasting is good in the classroom, he goes in depth as to how to podcast in the classroom and what teachers should do to make podcasting a success.

A main focus that educators should take into account when incorporating podcasts into the classroom is being prepared; Villano speaks to educators on what needs to happen before simply sitting students down and having them speak into a microphone or listen to a podcast, which he does with success. Villano also describes how to accurately edit through podcasting, how to be consistent, and stay on top of the latest news in technology.  This is a great article to get started podcasting in your own classroom!
  

Visual Literacies

            Allowing students to learn via visual content is something that is more prevalent in the 21^st century more than ever before, “students tell us with their body language, their passive disinterest, or their distracting behavior that they are struggling to be successful in our text-driven classrooms. (Myatt, 2008, p.187).  Flickr is just one tool that can be used in the classroom to enhance and parallel our teaching as it connects students to worldly idea’s and images using creative tools and technology.
            Before reading this week’s material I merely only heard of the word “Flickr”; which, to me was an empty word as my knowledge of Flickr was non-existent. When I started reading chapter 7 in Richardson’s text and started to learn about the website I instantly became curious in the potential uses.   When I learned that Flickr has the ability for annotated features “(which allows you to add notes to parts of the image simply by dragging a box across an area and typing text into a form” {Richardson, 2010, p 104}), the capability to have online discussions about a photo, and connect pictures to Google Maps or Google Earth, I realized that the educational benefits could be endless. 
            Personally speaking, I am extremely excited to use Flickr when I travel next year, which also speaks upon using Flickr in the educational setting when diving into teaching cultural heritage, diversity, geography etc.  Next year while I am in Africa I will be experiencing and taking photographs of images that at times only a picture will be able to speak to.  Being able to have my family and friends effortlessly follow my Flickr account, show them where each picture is taken with the Google Maps application, add notes to explain or comment right on the photo, and allow them to comment on my photos is ideal.  They not only will follow my story and my life by means of words in a blog, but by my pictures on Flickr as well; which is equally, if not more, informational and intriguing.  Just like I will be able to take pictures across the world and have my friends and family instantly be able to access them through Flickr, students can access pictures from anywhere and learn through visual means.
            The article The Commons on Flickr, speaks of the special section on Flickr called the Commons.  The commons “enables cultural heritage institutions to share photography collections online” (Garvin, 2009, p.45).  The Commons is set apart from Flickr because copyright is not allowed or possible.  The Commons on the Flickr blog. Yahoo project leader George Oates outlines the intended use of the Commons perfectly as he explains the two main purposes: “…firstly to increase exposure to the amazing content held in the public collection of civic institutions around the world, and secondly, to facilitate the collection of general knowledge about these collections…” (Garvin, 2009, 45).  The internet and technology is at a rapid pace and the benefits are not by any means limited in the classroom setting.  As educators, we need to embrace these possibilities as the millennial learners are no longer going to the library catalogs to search for a picture, article, quote etc., they are simply searching the web.