1. Podcasting- Podcasting is very popular amongst teachers as it is a cheap way to both learn and disseminate information. It has a number of uses including listening to experts discuss a topic, and recording a class for students who are absent (Lombard & Porto). Research shows that students who are able to receive information through a podcast are at an advantage as they are able to listen to it multiple times, creating reinforcement and engagement with ideas (Hew & Cheung 2013). I would be interested in integrating podcasting into the classroom in a number of different ways including getting students to collaborate in groups and record a podcast on a particular topic, recording subject and curriculum information and alternative learning for students who prefer listening to a talk on a topic rather than reading it.
2. Social media- Social networking sites are popular. Research shows they have functionality such as being able to link and group users which is not available in other web-facilitated learning environments. Teachers can share and collaborate on lesson plans and curriculum, enlist aid and support for projects and students could be exposed to contact with other students they normally wouldn’t collaborate with. I am interested in exploring the use of Ning in the classroom-Ning is different from other social media as it allows users to custom their own social network for a particular topic. Students can crrate their own social websites and link it to their own facebook and MySpace networks. This creates opportunities to engage in real life issues and communicate with a wider audience. I would be interested in incorporating this into a history unit and getting students to link up with their facebook communities and having a wider more authentic conversation about their topic with members of the social network community. If students are communicating with each other and the general public through social media platforms like Ning and facebook there must be extra care taken to ensure safety and set firm boundaries, particularly in regards to dissemination of private information.
3. Blogs-I am interested in adapting blogging technology in some guise into the classroom as I think it is a good tool for student online collaboration, with students
engaging with ideas and concepts by writing about them and commenting on each other’s blogs. I like the fact that it is free and would be easy to set up. I am aware that the effectiveness of blogs as a Web 2.0 tool is debatable with several investigations revealing mixed results. Research shows that there is a higher level of engagement when the students learning is scaffolded and facilitated by the teachers (Luckin). I would therefore try to incorporate the technology in such a way that it promotes engagement and discussion, perhaps by getting students to discuss and debate topics relevant school based topics that are of interest to them.
Bower, M. (2016). Deriving a typology of Web 2.0 learning technologies. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(4), 763-777. doi:10.1111/bjet.12344
Hew, K.F., Cheung, W.S., (2013). Use of Web 2.0 technologies in K-12 and higher education: The search for evidence-based practice. Educational Research Review, 9(2013), 47-64. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2012.08.001
Lombard, R., & Porto, S. C. (2010). Web 2.0 in the Classroom. In J. Yamamoto, J. Leight, S. Winterton, & C. Penny (Eds.), Technology Leadership in Teacher Education: Integrated Solutions and Experiences (pp. 214-240). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-61520-899-9.ch013W