Tech Team - Web 2.0 Podcast Scripts
I have pasted the Web 2.0 Podcast Scripts for us to look at and work on. This will also allow us to test the Wiki software. I have put the scripts in order as they will be done on the podcast. Let me know how it goes.
Updated 11.02.2007 at 4:15pm. Here is the compiled mp3 Tool Time Podcast file.
Contents
Introduction (Jeff)
We would like to thank you for joining us for the first St. John's School Technology podcast. Our goals for this podcast are to exemplify good practice of Web 2.0 technologies and to give you an overview of Web 2.0 technologies and their possible uses in the classroom. This is not a how-to session; that will come later. We hope you come away from this podcast with sound pedagogical uses for Web 2.0 technologies in your classroom.
So let’s get started. This podcast will last just around 30 minutes. Steve Johnson will get us started with forums. Alfred Vigil will follow Steve and will be covering Wikis and finally Akram Anoushehi will cover blogs. We hope you enjoy this podcast on Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom.
Forums (Steve)
Discussion forums are a series of postings or “threads” based on questions or statements. Usually the moderator or instructor posts and solicits responses from participants or the web community. Participants often respond to each other’s responses as well as the original post. Essentially, forum software is like a classroom discussion or debate that takes place in text format, outside of class and over an extended period of time.
Key elements of forums are: a common theme for threads such as literary topics or politics; a moderator who has the ability to post threads and monitor responses; and participants who respond to threads and other postings. In addition to text, postings can include images, documents, and links to other websites or blogs.
Forum software similar to the software we are using also includes the ability to poll users and track the data from their votes in real time. This is an excellent way to involve participants on two levels, as subjects for data and also with anecdotal opinions in the threads.
In educational forums, the moderator is often the instructor of the class. She/he posts questions and elicits opinions about key topics just like they would in class discussion. Responses to questions and other participants' statements can be used as measurable outcomes for grading purposes. The style and tone of the forum can mirror in-class experiences such as: Socratic discussion, debate or critical evaluation.
Since forum software allows instructors and students to go back and read the archive of a class discussion, it is important to consider questions about how to manage “your forum.”
What outcomes do you want your discussions to garner? challenge convention? take time to reflect? spark interest in a topic? encourage debate? embroil controversy?
How would you balance freedom of speech and student ownership with responsibility to content and the need to stay on topic?
How do you grade this student work? Does every student have to participate in every discussion? Do students have to respond to at least one student’s post?
Would you want your forum to be open to people outside of your class? Would you accept anonymous postings?
In the end, a forum is a great way to continue a discussion started in class, debate a topic outside the days curriculum but valuable overall, or get students to reflect about an issue or their work. In addition, students enjoy the opportunity to continue the discussion at a slower pace that offers them time for reflection.
Wikis (Alfred)
Wiki Podcast Script
A wiki is computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, power community websites, and are increasingly being installed by businesses to provide affordable and effective Intranets or for use in Knowledge Management. Ward Cunningham, developer of the first wiki, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work". One of the best-known wikis is Wikipedia. A wiki enables documents to be written collaboratively, in a simple markup language using a web browser. A single page in a wiki is referred to as a “wiki page”, while the entire body of pages, which are usually highly interconnected via hyperlinks, is "the wiki". A wiki is essentially a database for creating, browsing and searching information. A defining characteristic of wiki technology is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Many wikis are open to the general public without the need to register any user account, which is different from the other Web 2.0 tools discussed here. Sometimes a log-in is requested to acquire a "wiki-signature" for linking edits to a given user. Many edits, however, can be made in real-time, and appear almost instantaneously online. This can lead to abuse of the system. Private wiki servers require user authentication to edit, sometimes even to read pages.
Editing wiki pages
Traditionally content structure and formatting on wikis is implemented with a simplified markup language, sometimes known as "wikitext". For example, starting a line of text with an asterisk ("*") is often used to format an item in a bulleted list. Style and syntax of wikitexts can vary a great deal among wiki implementations, some of which also allow HTML tags. The reasoning behind this design is that HTML, with its many cryptic tags, is not especially user friendly. The actual text content is hard to read within HTML, making it difficult to edit. Wikis therefore favor plain-text editing with a few simple conventions of wikitext for structure and style.
Classroom use
Wikis allow students to create a collection or body of knowledge online. This collection of knowledge, written in an encyclopedic form, can be edited by the class and include pictures, links, and media. This archive of information can be built on from year to year or can be started fresh every year.
Aside from the skill of doing research, which is also developed when writing papers and preparing for other classroom projects, there are many skills acquired and enhanced through using wikis. Because of the form that wikis take, the students work on the skill of writing in a non-fiction, encyclopedic form. They are challenged to improve their fact checking, editing, and peer review skills. Wikis also provide the opportunity for global publishing, thereby increasing the probability that student work can be reviewed by experts in the field.
Classroom examples
All disciplines and every class at St. John's School can take advantage of the power of the wiki. This tool lends itself to the vocabulary lists of English, Math, History and Science classes. Wikis can be used to develop time lines for the history of the computer or the build up to the War Between the States. Wikis can be used to store a collection of example problems in mathematics, complete with diagrams of the processes used to solve the problems. Knowledge gained and collected in every classroom can be appropriately published to a Wiki and edited by members of the class.
As in forums, there are some questions that you should consider before introducing wikis to your class.
Does every member of the class have to edit or participate in every wiki page?
Can students in other sections edit each others' entries? How will that be assessed?
How are you going to assess the project?
Do you want your wiki to live on and be updated by future students?
What overarching structure will you put in place to organize your class wiki?
Wikis are a powerful tool that helps students organize and present their data. It also sharpens their skills by allowing them to edit and defend what they have published. In the end, wikis focus the power of the class on a body of knowledge that can be used by the class or passed down to future classes.
Blogs (Akram)
Blog is short for web log. A blog is like a journal or online diary. The person writing the blog is called the blogger. The blogger can post entries with text, pictures or links to other websites or blog entries that reflect on different topics or on activities in daily life. The most recent entries are at the top of the page. Archives are usually available so you may view previous entries. Readers are invited to comment on the blog entries through a Comments area associated with each blog entry. Some bloggers respond by engaging in dialogue in the comments area. Other bloggers mention certain comments in new blog postings. Still other bloggers reflect on the comments, but make no mention of them elsewhere in the blog.
There are several purposes for a blog. A blog gives a person an opportunity to reflect. Often, blogs are written in a more conversational or stream-of-consciousness style. Businesses use them to discuss news or promote products, and families use blogs to keep in touch and share photos. Through blogs, we can read different political perspectives, learn about the latest computer software, or enjoy humorous anecdotes. Some bloggers use their online journals as confessionals detailing struggles with weight loss or other issues. Others use blogs to boast about personal achievements. Most serious bloggers work hard at making their blog pages reflective of their personalities and the content matter. It’s such creativity that makes their blogs stand out above the others.
By having one’s reflections available online for the entire Internet-accessing world to peruse, a blogger may glean comments from people with whom he might not otherwise interact. This allows a person to gather many different opinions from people all across the world. A blog also provides an opportunity for instant publishing. With little to no web design experience, a person can publish his ideas to a global audience.
The appeal of blogging to teens is natural. Blogging has become a social event. This private diary broadcast to millions of strangers is a way of getting attention while hiding behind a computer. It’s not surprising that blogging has so quickly become identified as a “teen” pastime. The promise of teen blogging is that it nurtures important social skills, fills a need for self-expression, and builds writing ability.
How can a blog be used effectively in the classroom? One advantage of blogging is that it exposes students to a style of writing that is not normally covered in the curriculum. In a class blog, students may take turns posting a log of activities completed or experiences shared in class. A project-specific blog may provide an individual or group of students who are working on a long-term project the opportunity to post their ideas and the processes they use to complete an experiment or task. Still other educational blogs provide the opportunity for a teacher to share journal articles or reflections on assignments with students. Through comments, blogs also give students and others the opportunity to engage in discussion of ideas. Imagine how powerful it would be for a student to receive timely feedback from an author working on a story similar to theirs, or from a scientist working on a similar research project at a large corporation.
Summary (Lori)
We’ve heard about three useful Web 2.0 tools in this podcast. So why would you want to take advantage of these tools with your students in your class? Forum software allows you to extend the class discussion beyond the four walls of your classroom. Without the constraints of loud voices, time and other barriers to face-to-face class discussion, students have the time and environment to construct a well-composed response. Wiki software allows you to give the responsibility of collecting class content to the student. Using researching, fact-finding, peer reviewing and editing skills, students actually create an encyclopedia-like website about a series of topics. Finally, blogging software is the ultimate online journaling tool. Blogs allow students to reflect on a variety of topics and read comments posted by others about their thoughts.
Conclusion (Jeff)
We hope you have enjoyed this podcast on Web 2.0 technologies. Hopefully the information discussed has given you food for thought about which Web 2.0 technologies match your teaching style and which technology you would like to incorporate into your classroom. The next step is to attend a Web 2.0 Tool Time training with Lori on how to get started with either forum or wikis. Please be aware that we presently don’t have blogging on campus yet, but will be investigating that possibility over the rest of the fall. Once you have attended a Tool Time training session, we can get your class setup and you’ll be ready to go.
Please give us feedback on this podcast and Web 2.0 technologies. As this is new for us also, we want to make sure we are meeting your needs. Please email me and let me know what you think!
Thank you again for your time and we hope to see you at a Tool Time session soon!
