Digital Blog Post F- Chapter 8

There are many interesting forms of electronic communication between teachers and students discussed in Chapter 8 of Transforming Learning with New Technologies. In schools, teachers and students can use each of these communication technologies, for educational purposes,  to share ideas and information with each other, and different audiences. One of the first ideas discussed is Teacher or classroom websites. These websites are internet based and developed by the teacher to communicate information about themselves and classes to  the students, family members, and school/educational personnel. Overall, these websites are very successful when it comes to keeping others informed about the classroom. As a teacher you can post a syllabus, outside resources, include a discussion board, or even have students submit their assignments. I have seen students websites through out most of my middle - high school career, and I very much appreciate them. These types of websites are extremely beneficial to students, and students guardians alike.  They allow constant communication, and include many web tools. As an elementary school teacher, I plan on having a teacher website that is more directed towards the parents. Regardless of the students age, however, it is very wise to have a teacher or classroom website.

Another for of electronic communication discussed is a weblog, otherwise known as a blog. Blogs are publicly accessible online journals that are written by individuals for wider audiences to read or comment on. In this case the blogs would be written by students or teachers, for their families, other educators, or students to read. Before taking this course I had no clue that blogs could be used for educational purposes. They are a great form of expression for every and anyone with access to a computer, and internet. Personally, when I think about blogs, I think about the movie Julie & Julia. After reading the textbook and taking this course it became apparent that blogs can be used for much more that to write about food. Therefor, it is clear how they could be used by teachers and students.  Blogs are a publicly accessible journal, which means other students can refer to their classmates blogs to get second opinions, and teachers can comment any questions or concerns. Blogs are a great tool for any classroom, but they are especially great for large assignments. However, blogs are very versatile and can be used to talk about basically anything, which is why I greatly appreciate learning about this form of electronic communication, and plan on adding it to my teacher tool belt.

Last but not least are wikis. The name Wiki comes from a Hawaiian word meaning quick or rapidly. Wikis are websites that students and teachers can create together and edit by reading and revising each other's ideas and comments. These sites can also used by teachers and students to post information that they would like to share. Unlike teacher websites, both the educator and the student has the ability to edit and revise this webpage. Wikis are a great way for students to work together online. They can make subpages with whatever they would like to write on them, but they can also be monitored and changed by the teachers. This is another form of electronic communication that I was unaware of. Wikis are fascinating and they are a great idea for any group project. They give the student a bit of free reign to write about they topic or assignment given. I believe that they are a fun form of learning and would be great in any classroom environment. Wikis will be a component of any communication system that I plan to create as a teacher. Although, wikis seem like they would be great for more advanced grade levels, I truly feel as though I can put them to good use in my classroom.

Here are some how-to's and instructional videos:




Citations:

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.