Module 10

Reflections of WIKI's and NING

Wiki's have been in my toolkit for a while, I spent a lot of time last Christmas holidays setting up a WIKI for my Yr 12 physics students.  The biggest problem is maintain it and using it consistently.  Unfortunately these students do not have lap tops so it dependent on them accessing stuff at home.  However, as the group and I were more familiar with my classes we tended to use it as our main technology hub, and for the most part with these students there was not much point in changing.
With Yr 11- the first class to have lap tops have been so resistant to the use of them in learning, at times I question the value of fight them with it.
Yr 7 also don't yet haves laptops but next year's cohort will so great opportunities lie ahead. 

NING was new to me and may be could be usefully applied in the classroom but how many avenue is it worth pursuing.  One of my concerns that is common across many of the platforms is how do we ensure students are on task and using the technology in an educationally beneficial way and not just chatting or engaging in other off task behaviours?

What role do you see for using Web 2.0 tools in your own life as a learner and a member of online communities?

Web 2.0 has tremendous potential for both me as a teacher/ facilitator of learning and as learner myself.
But I am becoming more and more convinced that it is not just an universal panacea for disengaged students but require careful planning to ensure that it enhances classroom practice and results in real gains to the educational process.

How can Web 2.0 assist in improving learning outcomes for all students?

With sufficient preparation Web 2.0 has great potential for improving the learning outcomes for all students, but then there are many pedagolocial tools that can also ensure this.  It requires teachers to have an intimate knowledge of their students, how they like to learn, how they learn effectively, where they are currently, and where we would like them to be.  Then using a variety of strategies that involve visual, auditory and kinesethic approaches, and utilise both higher and lower order thinking develop meaningful and age appropriate learning pathways that meet the individual needs of the students.  In other word be all things to all people.  Is this any different to good pedagogy in pre web 2.0 days?