A “Wiki Wiki” Overview

What's a Wiki?

Wiki’s are truly interactive websites that allow anyone who is made a member of the site to create pages, delete pages, edit new or existing pages, and upload and delete digital documents and files to or from the site. This level of interactivity is what differentiates a wiki from a traditional website or blog. Once a wiki page is created by an organizer, this person may invite other interested people to subscribe to the site as well. Once they are accepted as members, the invitees are able to alter or add information at will.

To maintain the integrity of the site in terms of validity and “community standards”, all changes are documented in some form of revision “history”  that keeps track of who made the changes and when.  Organizers can choose to make their sites fully public or maintain limited access to members who must log in and use a password to access the site.

My own experience:

After spending sometime exploring various wiki farms and reviews of their services, I settled on Wikispaces. Many farms have educational services and educational packages for school use, but what I liked about wikispaces is that the free trial versions, educational wiki’s   and the paid subscriptions allow you to choose whether or not you are going to run advertisements and the degree to which you want to make the wiki public. Other farm sites like Wetpaint.com used to offer this option to educators, but are no longer able to do so as this became a cost issue for the company. Currently,  I am using a "trial version" but as I have been exploring more possibilities for using wiki’s in my own classroom I plan to upgrade to a free k-12 plan very shortly.

Getting Started:

Signing up was very easy and step my step tutorials to get started are available on site. I found the interface easy to navigate even before clicked on the tutorial, and was able to establish a home page within minutes of establishing my account. I was able to customize the look of my site using template layouts (they call them “Themes”) much like the layout options available in Blogger.

Setting up my pages was also an easy task as the ability to create pages, add and edit content, and to hyperlink between internal pages and external links does not require any prior knowledge of html programming,  (however some advanced features do require an understanding of Cascading Style Sheets or CSS). I also set my permissions for viewing to “Protected” which allows for public viewing, but only member access to edit or add information on the wiki.

Creating a “logo” or makeshift “banner” in Illustrator/Photoshop, I named my wiki “A Meeting Place” since my intentions was to use the site to plan a get together with my friends  (I thought I would try to duplicate the scenario used in the Wikis in Plain English video). This actually became problematic since the new email address was not allowing my email notices to be delivered to my friends’ inboxes and I later found out that the wikispaces invite notices would only show up AFTER my friends became Wikispace members. With time not on my side, I changed plans and decided to set up a wiki as a discussion, exploration, and presentation forum for students instead.

Personally:

If I had more time to indulge my own interests, I would use a wiki in a similar fashion as "Sarah" from the "Wetpaint video". The opportunity to discuss and learn from others who share my passions for things like cupcakes and zombies would be an incentive to start or join a wiki related to these areas of interest. I also like the idea that a community of users contribute to the content. In this way, unlike a blog shaped by my own experiences and perspective, the wiki site would become as much of a resource for me as it would be for all the other members (and I would not have to be the “talking/blogging” head in the virtual room).  

Professionally:

One of the objectives students must demonstrate in the new CTS COM Tech curriculum is the ability to participate constructively in a critique of their work and the work of others. I decided the wiki might be a way to conduct these critiques online (and maybe in a less “intimidating” manor). I created wiki pages to provided background information and criteria for evaluating what makes a strong composition/image in Photography and would make these available to the students.

The interactive Wiki format allows students to not only add comments and ask questions of myself and their classmates but it would also allow them to put their own "spin" on the ideas we were discussing (from both the classroom discussions and the online discussions).

Students would eventually create their own pages within the wiki (similar to the example I used for the Dorthea Lange photo critique), and using the discussion widget to add a discussion box to the bottom of the page to conveniently keep track of comments made about their work.

Taking the time to assign logins and usernames would also help me to administer the site and watch for inappropriate use if it occurred, but I would hope that students who were participating would gain a sense of ownership of the site as well. Giving the students a sense of control over their own learning experience and providing the means for them to contribute to the building of the wiki would hopefully create a feeling of responsibility  that would minimize the need for intervention on inappropriate postings. (Richardson, 2009).

I could also see students researching their favourite photographers or creating their own in-class “Wikipedia” related to the subject of photography. As they continue to help build the site, they would be participating in the construction of their own knowledge and learning from each other in the process. The scenario being created lends itself well to a constructivist theory approach to teaching and learning, while also helping students to develop skills for collaboration within the community of learners.

The access to a community of learners also extends to myself in terms of professional development. While creating my wiki, I searched for othe wiki’s that dealt with developing or using Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning. I am now a member of the “Web tools 4 U 2 use“ wiki , which is a site for library media specialists and teachers to share ideas and insights on how to use these tools in the classroom. This is another reason that I plan to continue my membership with this farm as I am finding interesting discussions that I hope to participate in.

I think it is this potential for collaboration and connectingwith other educators that really “blows me away”. The fact that we have access to a technology  that allows me to collaborate with educators that I may never have had the opportunity to meet in person and that together, WE could be developing ideas for leveraging these new technologies is an astounding concept to take in.

References

PBWiki (Creator). (2007). pb Wiki - What's a Wiki?. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmByB0sIPog&feature=channel

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Sturtz, D. N. (2004).

Schwartz, L., Clark, S., Cossarin, M. & Rudolf, J. (2004). Educational Wikis: features and selection criteria. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewArticle/163/244

Podcasting

Finding your voice

As I began my study of podcasting, there were many different explanations for the term "Podcasting". My research yielded many explanations ranging from the so called "backronym" of Personal On Demand broadcasting to assuming podcasting was a derivative of Apple's iPod. In the end I could not find a consensus on the word's origins, but I did gain a better understanding of what a podcast is and how it is putting the power of mass communication into the hands of anyone who has access to the Internet.


How it works:

Created by Lee Lefever @ commoncraft.com

Podcasts are audio or video clips that are structured like a radio or television broadcast. When these files have been exported or converted into the proper formats (i.e. .mp3, .mp4, .wav, etc...), they can be shared through a free pod hosting site such as podbean.com (video and audio hosting) or audioboo.fm (audio hosting). What makes these uploads different than simply sharing a video or audio file on a regular Sharing site is that they can be fed to and downloaded automatically to anyone who subscribes to them.

Once you have created an account, you have created a site to house your podcasts. After uploading your files to the host site you can disseminate your pod further, creating an RSS feed to a major distributor such as iTunes using the iTunes Store .

If you simply plan to share with those individuals who are aware of your account or have found you on the hosting site through the tags you have chosen, your potential subscribers need only click on the RSS feed subscription buttons or subscribe to the specific URL feed provided by the hosting site. At this point you are not only “On Air”, but you also have an interested audience tuning in and following your updated broadcasts or new “episodes” through the RSS feeds. If the subscriber would like to download your podcast, the hosting site downloads the file to the itunes application on the subscriber’s computer or iPod to be enjoyed at their leisure.

Reflections on the process:

"A wet dog is the lovingest" - Ogden Nash

Music by Kevin Macleod @ incompetech.com

Using Audacity to create the audio file for my podcast, I had fun playing with the effects and layering of multiple sound tracks. I chose to recite a poem by Ogden Nash called “The Dog”, and used the editing capabilities of Audacity to not only record my reading but also improve the sound quality and timing of the final product.

I was also able to add music to enhance the mood of the poem and chose a fun and “bouncy” jazz piece from Kevin MacLeod, (located once again through the Creative Commons site). Audacity made editing the music easy, and I was able to get the clip I needed to play in the background of my podcast.

When I was happy with my final product, I uploaded my wav (note: most sites prefer the mp3 formats but .wav worked here) file to audioboo.fm to post my “boo” (their terminology for your podcast) in my account. Audioboo also allows you to instantly share your podcast through twitter and facebook, but your files could also be fed to the iTunes store if you wanted to really “share” your work.

One issue that I was not able to resolve was how to get the picture I uploaded relating to my audio file to transfer with the file when I tried to embed the code into my blog. in the end I simply added the photo and caption myself.

To be sure subcribers could download my podcast, I tried to download the file back to my computer. Using the iTunes button on my Audioboo account, I “subscribed “ to my own site and was able to almost instantly access my podcast through iTunes. This time the picture I had uploaded to the Audioboo site came with the download.

Personally:

I am already an avid consumer of the Podcasts available through itunes. I enjoy the radio shows available from CBC and have become a big fan of APM: The Dinner Party Download (a discussion on Food, drink, pop culture and society), Escapepod (a great science fiction site with a wide variety of new and established Sci Fi writers), and Pseudopod (a horror story site not for the faint of heart).

I am not sure that I would create podcasts for my own personal use. I am not a writer and I am  a private person. However, I do see myself subscribing to more podcasts both for personal and professional reasons. I enjoy listening to podcasts on long drives or while I am doing “mindless” chores around the house. I say “mindless” because I find that when I am really enthralled in an audio file, I want to listen and need to listen closely. A good story or intriguing subject draws you in and holds your attention. I think podcasts are a way to build a better appreciation of story telling and helps to make us better listeners and story tellers in the process of exploring an old media (the spoken word) through a new medium,

Professionally:

I can see how this process would be a fun and creative way for students to gain an appreciation for effectively and in an entertaining way communicate their own stories or use multimedia to enhance the experience of reading and reading aloud. The best part from a teacher’s perspective would be the opportunity to experience a progression in the students reading skills and creativity in presenting their work as their confidence in themselves and their technical skills continue to grow with each podcast episode.

Although many of the podcasts I already subscribe to are professional productions, I have also explored some of the more amateur attempts (much like my own) and have been pleasantly surprised and not so pleasantly surprised. This is where a hosting site like audioboo.fm would be more school appropriate as they strive to maintain a similar “code of conduct” to vimeo (with a “family friendly” orientation and respect for intellectual property and copyright).

Accessing podcasts would also be helpful in providing resources and supports for students and teachers to explore various subject areas or perspectives on a subject or area of study. There appears to be no lack of podcasts, it is once again an issue of honing the skills necessary for critical thought and analysis to use these resources effectively and efficiently. These are the just some of the 21st C literacies we are trying to develop in our students and allowing them to not only access a wide variety of "voices" but giving them to opportunity to create their own and critique others will open up more opportunities to develop these necessary skills.

References:



LeFever, L. (Creator). (2007). Podcasting in plain english. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Nevin, R. (Producer). (2008). Creating a Podcast with Audacity. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHgD6cVv9QU

Van Orden, J. (Creator). (2007) What is Podcasting. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMIHgY8Q8C0

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Sturtz, D. N. (2004).

Additional links:

DeGroot, J. http://www.trailfire.com/joannedegroot/trailview/61577

Something fun...

Another insightful video from the guys at the Common Craft Show:

 

Created by Lee Lefever and Sachi Lefever @ commoncraft.com

Social Bookmarking

Using the haystack to find your needle

With social bookmarking, the ability to access your bookmarks from any computer (hooray for cloud computing!) and to share your bookmarks with others is creating an opportunity for individuals to collaborate and communicate literally on a “world wide” scale. No longer having to work in isolation to do research, social bookmarking creates an online forum where contributors share their newest findings and favourite sites with others who share their interests.

When doing research on the Web, finding the exact information you are looking for is not always easy and can be a frustrating process.  Between the numbers of sites you have to search out and evaluate yourself, the time it takes to find exactly what you are looking for, and searching through all the extraneous information to get to what is considered pertinent and valid, is very much like searching for the proverbial “needle in a haystack”.  This is when social bookmarking  becomes extremely valuable to anyone doing research online.

One of the greatest strengths of using social bookmarking, is that many of the “haystacks” have already been searched and “tagged” by other interested parties.

Registering for access to a free site like Delicious.com or Diigo.com, you and your bookmarks become a part of a large, searchable (by tags), online data base. Unlike a Google search, the sites have already been identified through the process of tagging to be relevant, appropriate and related to your area of interest. Suddenly, (and as long as you agree with your “collaborators” on the relevance of the tag being given – more on this in a moment), you now have a direct line to the “needle” or “needles” you are looking for.

One of the major issues of concern comes from the ability of any user to identify what they consider relevant about a site. This process of users creating tags can be controversial since any word or words, and multiple tags can be attributed to the sites they are identifying.  This concept of tagging is referred to as a “folksonomy” and essentially takes the decision making done traditionally by professionals, (i.e. librarians or information architects) and places it in the hands of un-trained amateurs (Richardson, 2010). Although this may seem like a counter intuitive method, the hope is that as a community a more diplomatically developed process for tagging emerges and that multiple perspectives can contribute to a broader understanding of the topics being researched (Sturtz, 2008).

Reflections:

The more I explore these Web 2.0 tools and resources, the more I realize I am only beginning to understand and appreciate their potential.As a first time user of Social bookmarking, I was very excited about the prospects of using this social networking tool to help with research in both my professional and personal life.

I started my journey by researching the concept of social bookmarking and taking advantage of the bookmarking sites in the process. I registered with both Diigo (ohashi10) and Delicious (whb.ohashi10) and created bookmark lists in both. Both sites offered to allow me to upload my existing bookmarks from my “favourites”, but I decided to start fresh and begin stocking my sites with new bookmarks specifically related to my research on bookmarking (although I did get a little side tracked when I realized I could also find some great art and design sites as well).

Diigo does come well recommended (Richardson, 2010), but I found the interface and all the options and services of Diigo a bit overwhelming for a newbie like myself. I am not sure if it is because I was using the V5 beta version, but some of the tutorials available on vimeo and Youtube did not seem to apply to the current version. I also could not get Diigo’s Slideshow features to work for me and viewing the links from other users was difficult and cumbersome when having to flip back and forth between the Diigo site and the linked site. In the end, I much preferred to work with Delicious to get a “taste” (ha) of what these bookmarking sites can offer you.

Not only was it easy to begin gathering sites on Delicious, but the use of the “recommended” and “popular” tags made categorizing easy as well. Using these tags in my search criteria, I immediately found links to other related sites and users with common interests and interpretations of the tag criteria. I also like Delicious’ slideshow feature that allows you to scroll through the sites you and others have bookmarked so you can actually see the information in context before choosing to investigate further. So far, I have not found any issues with sites being tagged “inappropriately”, so perhaps critics of the folksonomy methods of classification needn’t be quite as concerned with the proliferation of misleading tags after all.

Personally:

I definitely see the potential of using these tools as I continue working on my M.Ed. The opportunity to connect with other educators and experts is a powerful and useful draw to continue working with the social bookmarking sites . I would also like to continue learning  how to take advantage of the many features that help organize and sort and collect information (I am very interested in the highlighting and sticky note features of Diigo, but I am currently unable to share the highlights and notes  I made since Diigo would only allow me to make my comments “private” , but also see that Delicious currently works with One note to reference information taken off the sites). One thing I will be doing immediately, will be to add my groups’ blogs to my bookmarks as private links. If I tag them in Delicious with a unique moniker, I will be able to see and visit them without having to sort through the “favorites” on my browser, or log into blogger or eclass to find the links (making it very easy to check out what everyone’s been up to without having to check for rss updates).

Professionally:

Using Delicious in the classroom with students would be an ideal way to build on contructivist principles of learning. Students could initially be “guided” in their searches for relevant information on a topic of study, but could eventually bring in their own links and resources to contribute to the “bank” of knowledge that would develop within the community of students and teachers. Students adding their own descriptions and creating their own “tags” would provide the opportunity to “voice” their own perspectives on or of a topic or issue being studied. Privacy setting and the ability to create anonymous usernames would also insure safety and or comfort levels.

It would still ultimately be the responsibility of the teacher to ensure students are prepared to work in this communal environment and adhere to proper “codes of conduct”, but even in the event that something “goes awry”, the teachable moment comes with students analyzing the choices made and discussing what the consequences could be to their understanding of the topic, how to make appropriate choices of what to post and what to ignore, how to analyse information from multiple sources, and taking the time to be critical of what they see and contribute to the community.

To leverage the strengths of social bookmarking, it is important that we do not “over protect” students to the point that they are unable to relate to the real world around them. Safety is critical and must be a priority, but at some point we also need to trust that students, as part of the community with their teachers, are learning the skills they need to keep themselves safe and to be critical thinkers beyond the confines of a classroom or school.

Closing thought:

While being able to access and share your bookmarks from any computer is a very useful ability to have available to us, social bookmarking sites are more than simply tools of convenience. They are not only powerful research and collaborative tools, but they are also a means for a community and potentially a society to both construct knowledge and develop a better and more broad understanding of the world around them.

Barney, E. (Creator). Social Bookmarking: Making the Web Work for You. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGXElviSRXM
Davis, L. (Creator). (2007). Getting started with Delicious. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGXElviSRXM
LeFever, L. (Creator). (2007). Social bookmarking in plain english. [Video]
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeBmvDpVbWc
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Sturtz, D. N. (2004).
Sterling, B. (2005). Order Out of Chaos, Wired (issue 13.04).
Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.04/view.html?pg=4
Sturtz, D.N. (2004). Communal Categorization:The Folksonomy. Retrieved from http://davidsturtz.com/drexel/622/sturtz-folksonomy.pdf

Living on Video

Reflecting on where I’ve been and where I’m willing to go...

Good or bad, the ability to record and publish digital video to the Web has changed how we relate to the world around us. Whether viewing new footage shot on cell phones, using applications like Jing or Camtasia to demonstrate onscreen processes, sharing videos of the family holiday on flickr, or creating movies and multimedia presentations on your laptop or online, these new technologies are putting the power and creativity of video production, editing and sharing (or broadcasting) into the hands of anyone with access to the Web. In doing so, media production and the ability for mass communication are within the reach and can be influenced by the public at large.

While the ability to produce your own videos has been available for sometime, this ability to publish and share these productions with the rest of the world has only been a recent development greatly influenced by the proliferation of social media (i.e. Facebook)and file sharing sites (i.e. Flickr, Youtube, Vimeo).

Like the mainstream photo editing technology that came before it, easily affordable and accessible digital video production and editing tools are allowing more people to become the writers, producers, directors, and even stars if their own online cinematic productions. Many digital cameras have built in video recording devices, and the built in camera features available on cell phones are replacing the need to purchase a separate video cameras and allowing people to almost instantly record and share their videos through online uploads.

From Consumer to Publisher:
Video “consuming” is probably more appropriate in my case than video sharing – unless you consider the mass emails I send out to my friends to check out the latest “viral video”, or the links I post to my Facebook account to share a good laugh. For me, video as a medium is mostly about being entertained by someone elses' vision and production. To take advantage of the true sharing experience I would need to produce something of my own to “put out there”. 

After looking through my rather anaemic collection of videos on my own computer – ironically, I taught video editing and production for COM, but had done very little of my own production besides the occasional samples for demonstration purposes – I decided I would need to take a different approach.  

I started by investigating one of the sites that I am most familiar with. Playing with Youtube, I discovered a few new tricks for generating video content right on the site. I began by creating the intro to my post using the Search Stories Video Creator, which not only shares my video creation, but also shares related clips after viewing my "story". 

Once I had established my “channel”with my first video, the option to upload, edit and piece together other video clips became available through the video editor feature. This online application allows you to edit and add music or other sound clips to your video production. Having editing capabilities online eliminates the necessity of having a system on your own computer, although I still prefer to use programs like Adobe Premier or Windows MovieMaker for access to more editing options.

In terms of searching out other video clips, Youtube provides a lot of clips to choose from, but often these clips come with a disregard for copyright. While some clips are old enough to be in considered public domain, many are often uploaded withour proper adherence to copywrite. Although these clips are removed by YouTube, due to the quantity of files and accounts that would require monitoring, there is little that can be done to stop other users from resubmitting the same clip under different names, over and over again.

Another issue with YouTube is the minimal regulation for the nature of the clips it allows to be posted. Security is in place in the sense that there are age restrictions in place on certain clips, but this is often left to the discretion of the uploader and is easily circumvented by industrious, underaged users. This is yet another reason Youtube is often blocked on many school servers in an attempt to avoid inappropriate content (Richardson, 2010).

These issues prompted me to look into an alternative sharing site that might be more appropriate and less problematic for schools. A review on www.reelseo.com led me to Vimeo.

Wendel on Ice from H. Ohashi on Vimeo. Music by Kevin MacLeod @ Incomptech

Vimeo is a more "family friendly" sharing site. Pornography, commercial productions and copyright protected materials are not allowed on the site. All the content being uploaded to the site to be the intellectual property of the person posting the video. The uses of images, music or other video clips must adhere to copyright laws as well and vimeo also works with the Creative Commons organization and allows you to license your own work under the CC designation.

My video post was created using the vector based Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Flash applications to produce the graphics and create the animation effects. Using the Creative Commons site to search out royalty free music, I was directed to the Incomptech site where I was able to download the music for my video. Although Vimeo will convert your file formats for you when you upload, I chose to convert my flash file to a Quicktime video format before uploading to the site to avoid any issues that might arise from attempting to reformat online. The final version was posted to Vimeo along with musical credit given to the writer and source site for the piece I used.

Personally:
Again, I am not a big producer of video content. I still tend to document my life mostly in pictures, (I think my “Digital Immigrant” status is showing again). Unlike my students, the medium of video is not in my nature to be my first choice when trying to capture a “moment”.  

However, this summer I did find a use for creating video off my digital camera. My parents were out of town and were unable to make it back to Edmonton to attend a family friend’s wedding reception. I went to the reception and was in the process of taking pictures, when it suddenly dawned on me, “Hey, why aren’t you filming this?”

Clinging to my old notions of minimal file space and poor video quality, I was forgetting that I was holding a more than decent digital recorder in my possession with a very large memory card for storage. I took the opportunity to document the speeches and highlights from the reception to the best of my abilities (no tripod and a few “beverages” made the camera work a little shaky). In the end, the best part was having a video to show to my parents when they returned so they could really get a sense of the atmosphere and venue.

At the time, I still wasn’t comfortable with posting video online, though I realize now it would have been a great opportunity to share the footage with my parents while they were away – having limited experience with the sharing sites, privacy was still a big issue in the back of my mind. Now having a better understanding of privacy controls, this might be an option I would consider in the future.

Although I understand that you can control who sees your posts on YouTube and Vimeo, the nature if these sites is to post video content that you want to be public or that you think the public would want to see. I think I would choose to upload my wedding video to my Facebook account instead. In terms of something personal like a wedding, birthday, or vacation, these are what I consider more intimate moments that are more appropriate for sharing amongst your close friends and family (I mean really, does everyone need to see you cut into your birthday cake for the “bizillionth” time?)

Professionally:
When I think back to the autobiography we wrote at the beginning of this course, I am realizing again that I do need to see or experience the practicality of a technology before I “buy into it”. So far, my enthusiasm for video sharing is more about using and creating videos for teaching and learning purposes.

Sites like TeacherTube.com,  allow for safe uploading and embedding of videos for educational use. Sites like Teacher.tv  or LearnAlberta.ca provide video resources but teachers must either login or be within the proper geographical location to access some of the resources due to limitations placed on the conditions of use (LearnAlberta.ca acquires the rights and permissions to use, revamp or post materials in order to  make them accessible to a mostly Albertan audience of teachers and students. Teachertv.com is a site based out of the United Kingdom and some videos will not play outside of the UK as determined by the users’ IP addresses).

As a Communication Technology teacher, the opportunity to use a site like Vimeo to post student work or to create forums for discussion are very appealing options for me. In the past, my students’ video work was only shared within my school (mostly due to concerns with Internet safety and blocked site access), however a site like Vimeo is one that I would feel comfortable bringing to the attention of my administration because of its’ “code of conduct” and control of privacy settings that make it a much safer environment for students to participate in.  

That being said, no matter how “safe” a site appears to be, the responsibility still lies in the hands of educators to convey the importance of appropriate use and conduct online when modelling these behaviours and implementing them with our students. Should students use Youtube to research topics or watch tutorials/demonstrations, and happen to come across inappropriate materials, these “real life” moments can be used to the educator’s advantage and be the catalyst for discussions about what is appropriate, and how we choose to conduct ourselves when accessing a sharing site (Richardson, 2010).

This brings me to my final point and that is to recognize that no matter how “powerful” a new technology may seem, or how wide spread its’ use may be within a society, the role of the educator is to see the potential of these new tools and see beyond their immediate conventions.

“The challenge for educators is to ensure that [these tools] are used to promote and extend new ways of thinking and learning that were not possible prior to their introduction”, (Nykvist, 2008, p.177).


Text References:

Nykvist, S. (2008). Creating contexts for effective on-line communities of practice. In N.Yelland, G. A. Neal, & E. Dakich (Eds.) Rethinking Education with ICT: New directions for effective practices (pp.165-179). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.