RSS

“RSS (most commonly translated as "Really Simple Syndication" but sometimes "Rich Site Summary") is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format…Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place” (Wikipedia, 2009, p.1).

The other week after signing up for a Blogger account I signed up for Google Reader, an RSS. This is such an awesome tracking system and instead of me personally going to each and every site that I have subscribed to follow, with one website I can manage and organize each update. This technology allows me to never miss my colleagues’ updates and I can stay in tune with their continual learning journey. The account is quick and easy to set up and once I experimented with its layout and functions’, maintaining the inflowing data was easy. Google Reader is a time efficient tool that will be of great use in the professional context of a classroom and my professional development in following other well known and highly respected colleagues in the BLM and teaching industry.

As I gave a scenario in my last blogging of a year five ‘Around the World in Ninety Days’ unit, this technology tool could also be used to further their experience and learning journey. Once the learners’ are in groups, have created their itinerary, and have opened a blogger account, the learners’ then subscribe to each groups’ blog through the use of Google Reader. The learners’ then follow each other as they travel the world and visit places that they have never heard of before. This tool enables them to learn from each other and experience more then what they would be able to do in this cross-curricular unit. The learners’ can use this tool to not only track their classmates’ progress and experience, but to communicate with them about their travels. Again, I can see that this tool can be very effective in the classroom if taught explicitly.

Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999), identifies the value of incorporating ICTs in teaching and learning experiences to produce interest and engagement in learners. This 21^st century is rapidly changing, developing and upgrading and it is my job as a BLM to us technology to the best of my ability to meet the needs of the current and upcoming transliterate generation. These tools are just a few that I am encouraged to use in my professional classroom.

Until my next learning experience,

Kind Regards

Lizzy

Reference List

Google. (2009). Google Reader. Accessed July 22, 2009, from: https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?hl=en&nui=1&service=reader&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2F

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Wikipedia. (2009). RSS. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

Blogs

The other week I set up my own professional blog account through Blogger. At first I found it very daunting as I was not familiar with the reasoning of displaying your ‘personal diary’ for everyone to see and comment on. But since then I have come to value the importance of sharing our learning experiences and ideas with the world of people that are in the same profession or interests. I have also come to realize that I can also go back and discover new and exciting functions and tools that I missed along the way that another blogger has picked up. Blogs are a good way to reflect upon how far I have come and how far I still have to go. I am excited to journey through this learning experience with my university colleagues.

Wikipedia (2009) defines a blog as, “a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video” (Wikipedia, 2009, p.1). Blogs can also be used as a professional tool for both teachers and students in a community of practice (Wenger, n.d.). This new and insightful understanding has been stimulating my thinking and innovation in the professional context of a classroom. With real authenticity of tasks used, this tool will beneficial in my profession to increase learning and engagement.

Through Kearsley and Shneiderman’s Engagement Theory (1999), blogs can be incorporated to create an authentic cross-curricular learning journey. In a scenario, if the learners of a year five class were in a unit called, ‘Around the World in Ninety Days’, the first step of “Relate” would involve “communication, planning, management and social skills” (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999, p.1). The learners would work together with the teacher, to identify the task requirements, for example, how many countries they have to visit, where they should stay (hotels or with family), and what things they should experience at each country. The second phase, “Create”, the learners work in groups to create an itinerary and identify the problems that they would encounter, for example, they will need to book their hotels in advance, identify possible transport when they arrive in each country, identify necessities before they leave the country, such as pass port and a doctors check up...etc. The third phase, “Donate”, the learners’ put on their travel agent thinking hats to identifies a targeted audience of whom this trip would be appealing to, for example, a business group, a family, adventurers and thrill seekers. They would then use that targeted audience to identify the activities they would do and the places they would stay. Once they have planned their itinerary they then use blogger to blog their way through their holiday as they visit each country and experience new things along the way. This is just one of the exciting ways that blogging can be used in the classroom, but only with explicit teaching and with links to the curriculum.

I am eager to use this blogging tool in my classroom to engage my learners and provide them with new experiences that will motivate them to be lifelong learners.

Until my next learning experience,

Kind Regards

Lizzy

Reference List

Google. (2009). Blogger. Accessed July 20, 2009, from: https://www.blogger.com/start

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from: http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Wenger, E. (n.d.). Communities of practice, a brief introduction. Retrieved July 25, 2009, from: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Wikipedia. (2009). Blog. Retrieved July 25, 2009, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

The Continual Learning Journey

Through my childhood to adolescent years I have always been interested in technology and the latest gadgets available. I call myself a digital native (Prensky, 2001) rather than an immigrant who tries to hide themselves away and continually avoids the technical world around them. Through taking the netiquette quiz, I found myself at a level lower then what I predicted. It was then that I realized just how this technical work is forever advancing, changing and up grading at a constant speed. It is a continual learning journey that will never end and to be on top of it all I must be in continual contact with it.

The implication of these new and developing technologies is important in every classroom’s learning experience. Without these implementations I fear that as part of a body of professional BLM’s in training, we will not be setting our students’ up for a future of complete success in this digital world. I am excited about the journey that I am taking through E-Learning, as I will discover new technologies and digital pedagogies for my future classroom of success.

Until next time,

Kind Regards

Lizzy

Reference

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf