References

Finger, G., Russell, G. Jamiseon-Procter, R., & Russell, N. (2007). ICT Planning Issues and ideas: do teachers plan for ICT intergration and for transforming learning with ICT? Transforming Learning with ICT - Making it Happen. (pp 108-150). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Harriman, S. (2008). Online Projects: revealing what it means to be authentic. Scan, 27(3).

John, P.D., & Wheeler, S. (2008). Whole class and collaborative learning: Working and learning together with ICT. The digital classroom: Harnessing technology for the future of learning and teaching (pp.38-44). London: Routledge.

McInerney, D. M., & McInerney, V. (2002). Information technology: Implications for effective learning. Educational psychology: Constructing Learning (pp. 155- 181). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Richardson, W. (2009). The Read/Write web. Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed., pp.1 - 16). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Roblyer, R. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

4. Reflection - What Have I Learned

Upon reflection of my learning activity, I have learnt far more than I thought possible. When I came up with the idea of having each and every child in the class designing their own blog, I thought the scope would be rather limited.

However, as I played with Blogger more and more, I realised that any piece of media in any format could be uploaded to their blogs. This in turn allows the teacher to set tasks and learning activities that reach far beyond what was possible years ago. Multimodal forms of lesson delivery become available and, with a dedicated focus on Web 2.0 technology integration, teachers are able to incorporate many other technologies into their lessons, with the blog as the centerpiece.

These include Wikis, for more detailed discussion content conversation than might be possible on the blog. Twitter can offer the ‘microblogging’ equivalent and is easily accessible for students with Smartphones, iPhones, iPads or Tablets. Google Earth and Google Maps also add a brilliant depth and contextual geographical viewpoint to the content that might be being studied in English. For example, a contextual study of Lord of the Flies can be accompanied by a brief study of the war in the Pacific – where did it occur? What possible islands could the young boys have been on?

Although previously discussed, the benefits and possibilities are endless.

It must also be noted that activities of this nature are well suited to group activities, as seen in the Learning Activity. As “studies have shown that in collaboration between peers, all learners benefit” (John & Wheeler, 2008, p.40), we must be careful about the ways in which we plan our lessons to incorporate technology into a group situation. For example, if two boys are designing their blogs, the other two boys in their group can be researching the information needed to complete their activity.

Certainly “we can be optimistic that once the potential of the Read/Write Web [blogs] finds its way into schools, students and teachers will be launched on a path of discovery and learning like they have never experienced before” (Richardson, 2009, p.7).

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3. How the Activity Can Be Used For Learning

Authenticity in learning must be paramount in our quest as educators. “The online projects [such as blogs] not only present tasks that resemble real situations, they also represent the people involved” (Harriman, 2008, p.44) making a blog exceptionally authentic. As the students would be creating ‘meaningful’ projects, “intended for a real and immediate audience…this is described as having authenticity of consequence” (Harriman, 2008, p.45).

As previously stated, blogs will help to ensure that students take more care in their writing. However, we will also see the quantity increase. Indeed, “blogs have revived journaling as a way to encourage students to write more” (Kajder, Bull and Van Noy, as cited in Robyler & Doering, 2010, p.222). If the quantity and quality of writing increases in the students’ study of English, then so to will their learning. 

However, one monumental way in which learning can take place through the use of blogs is the presenting of multimedia projects to their learning community. I have discussed the responsibility that students take with their blogs and the pride they feel.

I would encourage all teachers to really promote the idea of the collaborative learning environment. In the early subjects of our degrees, we learnt about the pivotal notions of incorporating parents and mentors into learning communities. As teachers in the modern day, this is not only far easier than it has been in times gone by, it is almost mandatory.

A student’s blog can be shown on the big screen to their parents at the annual Parent / Teacher Evening, showcasing not only what they have learned, but also the care they have taken in its presentation. Furthermore, the parents should know their child has a blog and should be commenting, taking an active approach in their education.

The beauty of the blog is its ease and immediacy. It doesn’t take long and it isn’t difficult. By setting up links and ‘followers’, the students will be easily, instantly involved in a very – dare I say – addictive learning community where the learning possibilities are endless. Indeed, we should be “empowering learners to engage in cognitive struggle with a new learning situation, allowing them to take control of their own learning” (McInerney & McInerney, 2002, p.66).

2. What Students Will Learn

Indeed, “learning is a permanent change in behaviour” (Finger et al., 2007, p.112). With students of the 21^st Century, computers and ICT have formed part of their everyday life. However, with this sense of immediacy granted to students with technology, there has been a noticeable drop in National Literacy levels. As the ‘drill and practice’ routines seem to have fallen somewhat by the wayside, teachers need to find ways to make students more diligent in their approach to writing with care.

Blogs are a perfect avenue to go down. We know that “students spend more time writing when they know their work will be displayed on a website…that others will see” (Roblyer & Doering, 2010, p.284). It plays on students’ very atavistic notions of shame and pride.

While this practice isn’t exactly a learning activity, if the blog is used continuously, the idea of ‘drill and practice’ returns. Each day, each post, each entry, each composition will be done with more care and diligence. Indeed, we can begin to see how “students can use ICT to perform traditional classroom tasks more efficiently” (Finger et al., 2007, p.110). It will drive them to higher plateaus of success. Robyler & Doering (2010, p.284) concur, stating “students are more likely…to take more care with spelling and language conventions when they have an authentic audience”.

Certainly, the use of a blog – especially when combined with other Web 2.0 technologies – is authentic. Not merely in principle, but in practice also.

1. Introduction

The more time I spend integrating web-logs into my teaching pedagogy, the more I am convinced they are wonderful tools in the classroom.

The level of engagement in my students is powerfully seen in the pride they take in their work. They know their parents and classmates will be scrutinising and analysing every word they write and they are – for the most part – fastidious in their care about what and how they compose their texts. Described by Alexander (2006, p.8) as “social software”, blogs provide the perfect platform for creativity. They are entirely malleable to the student’s desires and the teacher’s tasks.

The learning – when lessons are properly planned – is deep and far-reaching, allowing for each and every aspect of a quality lesson. Planning, explaining desired outcomes, engaging, striving, feedback and positive reinforcement.

It is a very simple task for students to combine their blog with other multimedia and Web 2.0 technologies. Their blog can be linked with Twitter, Facebook or MySpace and they can ‘subscribe’ to other students blog, thus creating a powerful and learning-rich learning environment.

I chose this platform over other Web 2.0 technologies as “blogs are a popular way to help students engage with text and provide opportunities for an authentic writing experience…to develop [more] authentic topics” (Robyler & Doering, 2010, p.287). For me, as an English teacher, this is paramount.

Well-documented is the fall in the quality and quantity that students in many secondary schools produce. There seems to be a pervading thought that essays and assessment tasks can be somewhat rote-learned and this has always disappointed me. We should be eschewing such notions in favour of academic writing with purpose, creativity and drive.

Web-logs allow for such learning to take place.

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The Learning Activity Itself...

The following would appear on my blog – which all Year 10 students’ blogs would be linked to – and would form the basis of their learning activity.

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Greetings Year 10!

Let me be the first to congratulate you on designing your blogs! They look wonderful and I’m sure you’re going to fill them over the coming year (and possibly beyond!) with all the work, wishes and additional content that you desire.

Let me reinforce that these blogs are an online (and therefore publicly accessible) resource and we must all conduct ourselves with maturity and a degree of respect for everyone in our community. Foul language, inconsiderate remarks and offensive behaviour won’t be tolerated and will result in your blog being shut down and your term’s work will be done by hand in an exercise book.

Learning Activity #1

Firstly, I want you to access a video I have created for this unit. This is on Youtube and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6xGfPI_Lno

Watch that now and post the answers to the three questions at the end to your blog. These three answers will form the basis of your first post.

You will receive feedback from me – as a ‘comment’ underneath your post - upon completion. This will be where we shall do the bulk of our work this year.

Please also ensure that you email me the URL of your blog. I will post a blog on my site with everyone’s URLs and you will then access each other’s sites, become a ‘Follower’ of their site and organise to be notified via your blog and/or email when someone has posted an activity.

You may also link your blog to your Facebook page but be aware, all those with access to the URL can access and comment on your blog. It is up to you who you give this access to.

Learning Activity #2

I know you have all seen the 1990 version of Lord of the Flies, directed by Harry Hook.

I want you to create an iMovie of your favourite snippets from the film – which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk-8uGN3aEg.

You only need 3 but you can cut and crop as many as you would like.

Then, after each snippet, I want you to record your thoughts on the boys’ behaviour in that particular section of film in a series of Facetime addresses, just like what I have done.

In each address, I want you to speak about either what is admirable or deplorable about their behaviour. You may want to answer some of the following questions:

1. How would you have reacted in such a situation?
2. If you could give any of the characters advice immediately following your chosen scene, what would it be?
3. Does Australian society – the people in your lives who are close to you – act like these boys?
4. Are we a kind society?

While a good deal of our work this term will be done in groups, I want you to do this task on your own.

Good luck!

Introduction - I'm Johnny Sample

Hi, I'm Johnny Sample and I'm in Year 10 at St X School.

This is my blog for Mr Symons' class in 2012.

In it, I will post all of my written work that answers the questions that Mr Symons poses. I will be able to do work 'on the go' by linking my computer to my iPhone and iPad (or Tablet or Smartphone) with Evernote. This allows any notes or ideas or work that I compose to be instantly accessible wherever I am.

I will also be able to post the multimedia work that will form the basis for most of our yearly work. This includes work constructed in Keynote, iMovie, Garageband, Youtube and other Web 2.0 technologies.

Mr Symons has spoken to me and I have allowed him to write my next four posts.

I think they will answer the questions that Jacquie has asked for in Assessment #3...

Nice to meet you!

Our first unit is Lord of The Flies by William Golding.