Social Media and Teaching and Push Technology

Social Media, the future of interaction with pupils?? That is what people are suggesting but is it all it has cracked up to be? Why is there still reluctance to roll out these methods across education?
This blog will investigate these issues and look to provide some answers to these questions. As well as looking at the other potential benefits and pitfalls of social media, including facebook and twitter.

The second element the blog will look at investigating is RSS feeds and push technology; is it relevant, how could it be used and why are more people not aware of it.

Firstly lets look at facebook; the basic principle of Facebook is being able to socially interact with people regardless of location. This involves a number of things, such as photo's, videos and status updates. this expands into creating groups which people can be part of and playing games against other users.

The principle of Facebook should allow it to be applied to a teaching element, however there are many limitations to facebook that limit its use. Let's look at the advantages; easy sharing of various forms of media (photos, videos), instant updates when new information appears, groups relating to common interest and profiles created for specific purposes. So, in a teaching context, you could set up a facebook and allow students access to the content, which they could access whenever they want either on site or off site. These means that they could see new videos and images and comments relating to their course and units. The downside accessibility wise is that not all people have a facebook account so not all students would have access, also some education establishments filter/ban facebook so access on site may not be granted.

The sharing aspect of facebook is appealing to teachers and that instant communication is also a good element but personally I think there are too many moderation issue in terms of what can be put on there and the accessing of personal information. From an education perspective if you are operating with your school/college's permission then all well and good but if not then there are some devastating legal implications to be considered including data protection not just for yourself but your students. For me it is not worth the hassle and is definitely just a personal use form of social media, until there are ways around the potential issues I believe it could do more damage in the classroom than good, especially as it gives students one more distraction. A classic example is when in a computer room and trying to get learners to complete a web based task, this made more difficult given they have already got access to facebook if this is then combined with using facebook to complete that task then I think it would take a lot longer. It also becomes harder to manage as the site you normally direct away from is now the focal point and the temptaion for students to check statuses and other aspects would be to great and reduce productivity. If Facebook was just being used a point of reference for a team or course and moderated well then it could provide a good deal of information for learners but only as a news feed.

Twitter is another form of social media that I like as a concept but can not really see any education value except for a news feed for students, which many colleges are using already. I have set up a twitter account for the academies the college runs however the task of promoting it is the real challenge. Getting learners to follow you so that they can see updates is the make or break element, maybe younger learners will be easier to engage with as it is fast becoming the method of communication for younger generations. The other way to promote is to start using it from the very start of a term and with a new group so they do not know any different and it is seen as the normal technology used. I believe it would be best used as a new feed directing students to necessary websites, articles and constantly bringing news to students attention.

In terms of an educational point of view there are a number of areas to look at when considering its use, provking debate could be one and if linked to the right articles and tweeters then it could inspire learners to discuss contemporary topics. This could be in the form of a starter activity designed to generate ideas around a new subject.

If learners are  willing to engage with the twitter page then that would open doors to new areas and levels of interactivity, including instant uploads during class to contribute to lessons. E.g. Fitness Training, demonstrate a stretching technique. Learner takes picture with phone and instantly shares via twitter. It has potential but there are areas to iron out and as with all social media it is the area of security, accessibility and inclusivity.

This is the crux of the matter with social media, it is designed to be seen so may not be as secure, information is avalaible to a global audience and unless you know how to manage the privacy settings and the possible consequences of personal data being unwillingly shared are high and potentially career ending. Accessibility should not be a problem as most students have smart devices with access to these social media toold but not all do and this is the problem, even if just one student does not have access it instantly limits the potential use. Inclusivity, this works on an assumtion that everyone wants to get involved and share in a public domain. This may not be the case, so alternatives need to be devised or the method can not be used. Also as it is so public then the potential for cyberbullying increases and this reduces accessibility and inclusivity of the methods. They have potential but unless privacy issues can be managed tightly and limited then the dangers of these tools possibly outweight the benefits.

Finally, push technology; a net based technology initated by the publisher in terms of when they want to share information then they can. This means other people can subscribe to this via an RSS feed which continually updates and lets you know when something new appears. This allows you to group various interests together in one place through an RSS feed and be told when something new appears. Examples could include this blog being linked to various news and sports organisations and when there are breaking stories it will appear. RSS feeds were being pushed by googlereader and reviewers rave about this function however, this function is being scrapped. Very strange but there are a number of RSS sites around for people to use. In education terms if push technology can be utilised to regularly inform students of coursework and assignments due, resources to check out and other relevant news for them. However, in order to fully utilise this it would require more research into how to set it up and maximise its potential but watch this space.

Just chilling at E-learning, Standard!!!

Wiki's and Pintrest

During this weeks e-learning session we looked at forms of tech that allow social interaction, commentary and author rights.

There was distinction split between these areas and it is right to point out that a wiki allows author capabilities, by this it means that the content that is on the page can be editied by people. In its most raw and absic form this means ultimate collaboration as anyone can edit it, however that is one potential pitfall. Anyone can log in or create an account and edit the information, regardless of whether this information is correct or not. This leads to the other barrier which is verification, when things can be edited by anyone then how can you verify that all of the information is true. Do you rely on the credentials of the author in terms of them being an expert in their field or having some respected opinions that others will consider and trust, or do you moderate it yourself and leave it open to criticism from others that the wiki is subjective to your your perceptions and opinions/knowledge. In order to combat these issues then rights need to be issued, comments should be allowed by external users but they should not be allowed editing rights, some say that this could nullify the use of wiki's however when you are trying to use this in an education setting moderation is good in order to preserve the wikis integrity and allow a specific set of students to comment.

Thw wiki I have created is a basic wiki for the academies that we operate in our department and college, it allows edits to be made by certain staff members and coaches, whilst allowing comments from those involved with the academies.

I can see the benefit of wiki's as it allows mass collaboration on a number of topics and if the learners identify themselves then it allows a form of assessment. However, with it being web based it is hard to ascertain what being posted is actually a students work/opinions so a degree of caution would need to be adapted if it was to be used as an assessment method. However as a area for ideas to be bounced around it is excellent and in informal assessment methods or recaps it would work well. It is accessible as it allows a learner to put in as much as they want or are comfortable with, it allows those who are of a higher ability to stretch themselves and demonstrate their knowledge, on the flip side it allows learners who need additional support to be identified and support put in place. It is inclusive as all learners can access it as long as their is wifi access, they can place their own opinons in which does not leave any learner out. It also allows learners to work at their own pace and feel comfortable with what they are going to add to it. They can also see what others are putting whioch helps generate ideas for them to consider in their own editing.

Below is an example of the wikispace that has been created, it is only brief but gives an idea of the concept. https://ehwlcsports.wikispaces.com/


Pintrest was another tool we looked at, I was very sceptical at first as I was not sure how it could be made relevant to my teaching and subject area. One negative is it is very fiddly and not the easiest to navigate round, so interms of accessibility and inclusivity it may not allow learners to add stuff to the board without a tutorial before hand. However, if it used as online resource list guiding learners to certain areas to find information they can use in assignments or during tasks then I can see some use for it there. However, setting up a board is time consuming, it requires an element of planning first in order to have ideas of what you want on the board. I am still unsure about the relevance in terms of student contribution but as a guided learning tool it may be useful but this will require more investigation first.

Below is my pintrest board.

YouTube, web 2.0 podcasting and Social Media within Teaching

Starring role in shaky hands production!

Tonight I got a taste of be a leading man in a brief video to highlight the use of multimedia in teaching, this particular example was for YouTube and was uploaded to my personal YouTube page. it was a brief tour of the Ealing Campus and although it was fun to be on video it takes a bit of getting used to especially when you hear your voice. (Be prepared to cringe). However, as they say the show must go on! The camera work from BinzyG (It's her directors name) was shoddy but you you got to work with what you have got. Soooooo....... we did and it was alright, got a few funny looks especially from security but we achieved our objective. Good team work and co-operation was essential to this and we acheived our aims relatively quickly. A mentioned previously it does take a little bit of getting used to hearing you voice on camera but as an educator you need to take that plunge and if the students laugh at it then they have still probably engaged with the content and will be discussing how they could do better, so put them to the test. 

Video's are a very good method of assessment which allows a detailed level of feedback to be applied as reviews can keep occurring from a number of sources. However, the key to a video is the passion when discussing the subject and to pretend you delivering this to an audience. Having students create their own will allow them ownership of an assignment and tap into their creative skills. The only negative could be the potential comments that can happen with uploading videos to the internet, however if you make it unlisted it can not be searched for and therefore only shared with who you want, likewise videos made by students.  

Below is the directors cut, unedited and unlimited!

Also during the session we looked at audio, such as podcast through the medium of audioboo, again this is quite a innovative method and could be fantastically applied. The major barriers are equipment, having devices that have microphones is necessary. However having devices like ipod touches, smart phones and tablets will allow easy recording and uploading, in fact from recording 3 minutes and then uploading it has probably taken a total of 6 minutes pretty instantaneous. That is the only other issue that sometimes 3 minutes may not be long enough and a series of Boos will need to be recorded. Despite this it is a very good method that students would be able to engage with easy and could be used in assessment methods, e.g. vivas.

Below the video should be the auidoboo I have created.

listen to ‘Sport as a business’ on Audioboo

Quizlet

Tonight we focused on Quizlet, an online set of tools desinged to allow you to create flashcards to be used as quizzes, games and tests.

Quizlet is great, the cets of cards are easy to create and are adaptable to any specific teaching areas, for example if you create one set of flashcards it results in 5 resources (test, scatter, space race, learn and spell). Furthermore it allows you to choose an array of print options from glossary to index cards, meaning customization for resources suitable to your learners level, ability and unit being delivered.

Quizlet is also a very interactive quiz tool allowing URL's to be sent to students who can then access them and complete as starter activities or revision quizzes. The collaboration element of quizlet is also a useful tool as it allows you to search other sets relating to your content which can help enhance your resources as well as saving time on creating them. A win win situation.

Below are several examples of quizlet and how it can be used. The topic is fitness training and the cards relate to the designing of a fitness training programme.

Comic Strips and Animation Tools

An extremely interesting session tonight, using comic making tools and animation making tools. The two I chose to go with comic master and goanimate. I chose to go with comic master as I believe the look of the final product is fantastic. A real good comic style finish which when printed looks great, it makes me think that if I got students to use this tool and share the links it would allow some fantastic comics to be printed and put around the classrooms. The unique feature of this tool is that even though the character choice is limited it is varied enough to allow a fun twist to be added. The content is adaptable and can be made relevant for the lesson. I chose to use this with my sport as a business unit, they are level 3 learners but will appreciate the creative elements to it and the group collaboration. The content is about a theoretical company designing a new product and the next steps after creating a concept. The learners will be encouraged to do the same with the ideas they have created.

The second tool was goanimate, a site that allows 42 seconds worth of animated clips to be shown. It is relatively straight forward to use and again can cover any range of content you wish. The boardroom background fitted in well with an example board meeting which will allow learners to begin to consider the style of meetings they will need to have and how to conduct these meetings. The fun voices adds a nice twist that students will find amusing without losing any of the relevance.

All in all thumbs up.

The links to these are below, have a look and a smile.


Business Meetings by gareth.jones on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Week 3

Week 3 involved the concepts of presentation tools and video tools. the concepts/technology looked at included prezi, screenr, animoto and sliderocket. All of these methods are adaptable for your own teaching, they start off a little fiddly but perserve and you will see the benefits.

Below is my first prezi, designed for a set of level 3 extended diploma in sport students who are studying a business pathway.

WebQuest

Time for you learners to take control and focus your attention on a specific task. A webquest is designed to allow you learners to focus on specific content for a lesson and could be creating documents, summising paragraphs, finidng images, quotes or videos and even capturing screenshots for your assessments.

Please follow the link for the webquest, open the link and complete the tasks. Once the tasks have been completed post them back onto this blog.

https://www.box.com/s/qujq7qgwvi3g1o3ib1fd


Happy Questing!!!!