Unit 6 summary

Changing practice in a digital environment

Task and project based fluency

Citizenship

Learning

• Consider your own attitudes to online citizenship. How do you manage your privacy and reputation? Why?

I know that I always err on the side of caution when online and hence have always been more an observer when online rather than an active contributor.  I am, by nature quite reserved and sometimes lack self-confidence, therefore when in a large group I will tend to just sit and listen rather than speak and I think this is extended into my online persona.   Online I do not have multiple personae, I am just myself whichever online tool I am using or whichever group I belong to.  I think this is again a reflection of me in the non-digital world….I am much the same person in whatever environment I find myself.  I manage my privacy and reputation online by not actively contributing as much as I  should or would like.  I know this  is not a good thing and is something that I need to address.  I would like to think that I am a good citizen and a good contributor to society in the non-digital world; I am a team player and always try to contribute for the good of the team ….I find this much easier to do, however, in the real world rather than the virtual world! 

• Track down a person under the age of 18 (or a slightly older one if that thought scares you too much). Discuss their attitudes to privacy online: are they concerned about their online reputation and do they take steps to protect their privacy? What tools do they use to stay in touch? Do they have multiple personae? How would they feel about using the same tool for their personal lives and their learning?

My younger son is 18 and an avid user of social media; he mostly uses Facebook and Instagram but also engages with Twitter, Band camp, You Tube and Sound Cloud.  He operates on line with two personae – himself and with his rock band.  He seems to display a sensible level of care with his online privacy by carefully selecting his privacy settings when using online tools.  His band obviously does not choose such privacy settings, however they carefully monitor their online presence to ensure that they portray a positive image.  Through both personae and across a range of online tools, my son contributes confidently online. Security and privacy issues do not stop him from actively and confidently engaging with others online.  He displays the attributes of a good online citizen by considering the needs of other users, using appropriate language and doing no harm to others and by doing this does not have any concerns regarding his reputation.  His learning both at school and now, at university has mostly been conducted using different tools or different accounts to those which he uses socially.  However they are now beginning to overlap and he finds that using the same tools for his personal life and his learning/career development is perfectly acceptable.  By setting up different groups within his online accounts he can keep a certain level of separation and organization within his online environment.

• Consider the relationship between digital fluency and citizenship. If one of the powerful aspects of online platforms is the way we can connect with others, then is it okay to try and lock students into walled digital gardens?  How far does an educator’s responsibility stretch? Do they need to teach students to be responsible and informed users of social tools? Is this limited to the tools that we encourage students to use, or does it extend to the tools that students want to use? For example, should we be teaching responsible use of Facebook, or is it better to model behaviour in a platform like Edmodo and hope that it rubs off?

Developing digital fluency with our students is vital so that their skills become transferable as they move from tool to tool and so that they become more confident in the way in which they engage with information and communicate with others online.   Students need to be digitally literate and be able to operate online tools but more than this; they need to gradually develop digital fluency to enable them to engage online at a deeper level and to become creative and innovative online.

Consider learning to play a forehand, backhand, serve, volley, drop shot and lob in tennis.  We can become very proficient in these strokes and also learn variations such as spin, slice & kick etc.  However, until we learn how to use these tools of the trade in a match situation and learn to use them to good effect then we are not fluent tennis players.

Think of a musician improvising and in doing so producing a totally original composition.  These original creations always however evolve from prior knowledge of other musical genres and would not be possible without first the mastery of technical skills.

When learning a physical skill or new language, transition from the cognitive stage of development to the automatic stage occurs after much practice and repetition.  Much of this practice can be done in modified environments such as drills and models.  However to be what Dreyfus describes as a master, these skills must also be put into context, for example putting physical sports skills successfully into a match situation or putting language skills into meaningful communication (spoken or written). The same applies with digital literacy we need to use our digital literacy skills to make meaningful communication therefore we need to put our students into real situations so as to help them to progress from literate to fluent.  Would we refrain from taking students on excursions outside of our school environment for fear of either them being exposed to negative influences or fear of the students behaving inappropriately and damaging the school’s reputation.  No, of course not….we take students of all ages physically out of the school environment to help them to learn acceptable behaviour in all situations and also to have experiences and influences beyond that which the school alone can provide…..despite the risks involved.  Should we treat the digital world the same way?  Despite the risks involved we need to teach our students to be responsible digital citizens and therefore we should not always fence them in – we can begin within modified environments such as Edmodo but then we need to move out into the wider virtual world such as Twitter or Facebook. We need to teach our students how to assess risk and how to behave appropriately, then surely this will equip our students to be good citizens far more effectively than simply shielding them from all outside influences.

My characteristics of an effective learner:

Inquisitive:  Learners need to be curious and need to be asking questions.

Passionate:  Passion increases enthusiasm and engagement.

Imaginative:  An imaginative learner will always think outside the square and will come up with creative and effective solutions.

Creative:  Creativity helps to put imaginative ideas into practice.

Collaborative:  Collaboration and teamwork produces stronger results.

• Your own progression with technology. How has it changed the way you learn and shaped your professional practice?

I am making good progress with technology and this course has greatly helped my progress.  I am more proactive with my learning and also more collaborative.  In my professional practice I feel that I am now more efficient in my use of technology.  I am more knowledgeable and feel that I am far more equipped to transfer my skills from one situation to another.  

• Your feelings about the impact of technology on us as citizens

There have been many genuine concerns over the impact of technology on us as citizens, however I feel that time will show that the impact has been mostly positive.   Local and global communication have been vastly enhanced by technology and whilst there will always be concerns and negatives, the overall benefit to both individuals and communities will surely be undeniable?

• Your thoughts about the use of technology in learning and the role educators play in modelling the use of technology

As educators we certainly need to keep abreast of the ever changing technology that is available to us in the classroom.  If our students observe us engaging enthusiastically with technology they too will embrace its use in the classroom.  We need to demonstrate to the students that we have flexible, transferable skills which enable us to embrace change.  We need to ensure that students also develop these transferable skills so that new technologies can be introduced easily and successfully into their learning programs.  

• How technology can be used to support your chosen 5 characteristics of an effective learner

The absolute wealth of information instantly available to us through the use of technology can provide the inquisitive and passionate learner with the resources they need to keep them both engaged and enthused.   The many online sites such as Weebly, Go Animate, Voki, Xtranormal, ToonDo, Storybird, Popster, Gogster and Prezi, to name just a few, can provide imaginative and creative learners with exciting tools to help them to put their imaginative ideas into action and to enhance their creativity.  Finally, the use of tools such as Mightybell,  Edmodo, Padlet, Meetingwords,  Sharepoint  and Dropbox can provide platforms for the collaborative learner to communicate, share and create with others easily and effectively.

• We’d also love to read your predictions about how technology will change the way we learn in the future.

It is so hard to even imagine what the new technologies of the future will look like let alone consider the ways in which they will change the way we learn!  Ten years ago we would not have imagined the amazing things we can do today and I am quite sure that ten years from now we will be able to do unbelievably amazing things with the new technologies of the future.  How exciting!!

Unit 5 summary

1. Search

• Compare the search results offered by Google, Duck Duck Go, Bing & Instagrok.  Search topic: Ancient Olympics
• Rate the effectiveness of these search engines?

2. Evaluating resources

• Find and post a trusted web resource
• How do you know it’s reliable?
• What was your thought process – how did you go about evaluating this resource?

3. Tagging

How did you find the process of tagging your blog posts or Evernote records. Send us the link to your new blog post in Edmodo.

1. My search term for this assignment was “Ancient Olympics.”

Google, Google (intermediate reading level), and Bing all delivered very similar results with ‘olympic.org’, ‘perseus.tufts.edu’ and ‘en.wikipedia.org’ showing in the top four entries.  Duck Duck Go and Instagrok brought forth some different search results  in their top four  suggested sites, however they both suggested bbc.co.uk which was also common to Google.

The lay out of results in all the search engines was very similar with the exception of Instagrok; I found Instgrok far more appealing due to its more visual and interactive nature.  I think school students would engage well with Instagrok; the way the results are displayed not in a linear fashion but as mind maps, showing links to associated topics.  This mind map approach is similar to Google ‘knowledge graphs’ in the way they build webs of related knowledge.  I had not used Instagrok before but will certainly now suggest it to students at school; it will be interesting to see if “grokking becomes as popular as “googling”?!

Duck Duck Go would be a perfect search engine for primary school students. I think the younger age demographic would definitely find it cute and appealing.  For the younger age group I also really like the reading level option within Google; this search option would also be very useful with integration and ESL stdents.

Research skills are such important life skills to teach to our students and one of the most important skills is being able to evaluate search results.  Getting students to check facts with at least three different sources would be an excellent start for most students.  Teenage high school students would also love the idea of “crap detection tools”!  CARS and 5Ws have very clear, attractive layouts whilst ERGO is by far the most comprehensive site with many interesting and useful pages. However, I think the CRAP tool will appeal to younger teenage students due to its easily remembered acronym.  The Evaluation Wizard in the 21^st Century Information Fluency site would be great for senior students entering into VCE.  I also really liked the Scope and Sequence Chart in commonsensemedia.org.  This whole site was very attractive with its colour coded content; it reminded me ofcreativecommons.org.au.  Are these two sites linked in some way, I wonder?  Both sites are very appealing and the content is clear and easy to understand; Creativecommons.org.au helps students to share, remix and reuse others’ material legally whilst commonsensemedia.org reviews websites, games, books, music and movies, giving age appropriate recommendations and learning ratings.  Using a combination of these two websites could help students to evaluate web content and then to use the content appropriately and legally.

1.  Hoax / Bogus websites.

Checking out hoax/bogus websites would be a really fun activity to do with school students; an activity that would draw their attention to the fickle and unreliable aspects of the web.  Some websites seem so obviously hoax and tongue in cheek to us e.g. Aluminum foil deflector Beanie and Computer Tan but to younger students or ESL students the bogus nature of these sites may not be so obvious.  With some websites however it is not so easy to determine whether they are bogus or genuine.  I decided to check out fabflour.co.uk for validity as it was listed in both the goodwebguide.co.uk as a good site but in the Oklahoma University site as a hoax site!

How do I know – good or bogus?  My instinct tells me good but I need to check further …..

FAB stands for the Flour Advisory Bureau and the ‘fabflour’ website claims to provide facts about bread in the UK.  The site gives links to other seemingly credible sites such as grainchain.com and through that gives links to active Twitter and Facebook accounts and a YouTube channel.  I examined some of the content… The Wheat and Intolerance Report, for example appeared to be a very comprehensive 15 page report with seemingly impressive references; I checked the first three references which were all legitimate.  I found fabflour.co.uk an interesting and informative site as were all the linked sites.  The site is full of excellent free information and teaching resources on topics such as healthy eating, nutrition, baking, farming and sustainability.  The Flour Advisory Bureau (FAB) was founded in 1956 to provide information on all matters relating to flour and bread in the UK; their website is modern, colourful and interesting and despite being listed as bogus by Oaklahoma University, I agree with goodguide.co.uk and find it an informative and genuine site.

3. Tagging

Link to blog post 4…. edited with tags:

Tagging my previous post and also my Unit 5 post seemed to be a straightforward process.   I hope the tags that I have chosen are appropriate and help to identify my digital content?    With the huge amount of  metadata out there in cyberspace you sometimes wonder how search engines find anything!

http://cjc24.global2.vic.edu.au/2013/04/24/vic-pln-unit-4/

Dropbox in a Nutshell

How Information is collected and stored:

• Drop box collect some personal information when we register an account.
• They collect and store the files we upload, download, or access.
• They automatically record information from our device, its software, and our activity.
•  “Cookies” (small data files that are transferred to our device) are used to collect information and improve services).

How Dropbox stores and uses our personal information:

•  To provide and improve their Service.
•  To administer our use of the Service.
•  To better understand our needs and interests.
•  To personalise and improve our experience.
•  To provide or offer software updates and product announcements.
•  To optimise our experience by using recorded location information from photos/videos.(At present Drop box do not collect real-time geo-location information from mobile devices).
•  For analytical purposes by the Dropbox by technical department.

Information Sharing and Disclosure:

• Dropbox display your Personal Information in your profile page.
• They use certain trusted third party companies and individuals.
• They comply with Laws and Law Enforcement Requests; Protection of Dropbox’s Rights.
•  If Dropbox are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale then information may be transferred.
• Dropbox may disclose non-private or non-personal information such as such as usage statistics.

Reflections:

The terms & conditions and privacy statement for Drop box were clearly written though rather boring and I am fairly sure that I only quickly glanced at them before opening my account…. with my mind already made up that I was going to sign up anyway.  Information in Dropbox accounts is easy to change or delete and it is possible to delete your account at any time.

My first thought after researching the terms, conditions and privacy statements of Dropbox was…. “Am I naïve enough to let this provider and other similar providers (Facebook, Evernote, Twitter, Google, Diigo etc.) access and use my information?”  However, on further reflection I feel that as I have nothing to hide then I have nothing to fear.  The only slight concern is that of identity theft as this is obviously a growing problem.  Advertising is more of a nuisance than a concern and we can just choose to ignore it (Drop box does not actually use advertising).

If we wish to benefit from the undeniably useful aspects of these services then we probably just have to accept the invasion of privacy. On a more philosophical note, most of us communicate via email, use internet banking and purchase tickets/flights etc. on-line already therefore a considerable quantity of our personal data is already floating around in cyber space! ……… Can we avoid it!?

I would be happy to recommend other people to sign up for Dropbox though not to children under 13 as Dropbox services are not directed to such users.   I would probably advise people to check the terms, conditions and privacy policy for themselves before signing up!

I have found Dropbox to be an extremely reliable online tool.  Dropbox was recommended to me by my sister who initially used it professionally in her role as a TAFE tutor as a depository for students’ finished assignments.   She then opened a second account for personal sharing of photos and videos with our parents who live in England and she invited me to join so as to access and contribute to the shared folder.  Dropbox has proved to be an easy and very successful way to share our photos, videos and documents and I think this would adapt very well for use in a senior high school context as a way of sharing and collaborating between invited, closed groups.   When adding students to a shared folder, the files within that shared folder would appear in their Dropbox just as they do in yours, any member of the folder could add, delete, or change files within that folder thus making it an ideal tool for groups of teachers and students who work together on the same files.  Dropbox does not use advertising as a means of revenue instead it offers users the opportunity to pay for more data space; this absence of advertising makes Dropbox even more suitable as an educational on-line tool.   Files within Dropbox can be easily downloaded or copied elsewhere so you can just choose to delete old files to release space.  Dropbox is a cloud based service therefore backup as such is not necessary; it automatically syncs and downloads files to any of your computer/devices that have Dropbox installed as well as also storing all your data within the cloud.

In conclusion, Dropbox is a useful online tool for working with data across multiple devices and/or multiple users and as such could be a highly productive tool within the classroom context.

Follow this link to the public folder of my Dropbox account to enjoy a bit of jazz!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79760390/01%20A%20Little%20Max.mp3

Goodreads        http://www.goodreads.com/

Goodreads is a free social cataloguing website.  The website allows individuals to freely search Goodreads extensive user-populated database of books, annotations, and reviews. Users are able to sign up and register books to generate library catalogues and reading lists. Users can also create their own groups of book suggestions and discussions.  Goodreads was created in 2006. Its mission is “to help people find and share books they love… [and] to improve the process of reading and learning throughout the world.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodreads

When assessing the value of Goodreads, I used the SAMR model:

Substitution……………Search for the books, read the reviews.  Substitute the physical library with a virtual on-line library and read reviews on line rather than by physical review cards or articles, online reading log, catalogue your on-line collection.

Augmentation………….Functional improvement  such as larger collection, instant search results when looking for a particular title, visuals, the world’s largest community of readers.

Modifications………..post online ratings and online reviews, post own writing, contact favourite authors.

Redefinition……. This tool is not really a platform that enables us to completely redefine tasks.

Goodreads requires a login but the only information required when signing up for an account was a username, email account and password; there was then a choice to link it to other social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.  The main issues when considering using the site with students are security/privacy issues; the site is an open site and it is therefore not recommended for persons under thirteen.

I could definitely use Goodreads in my professional learning as a way of keeping an overview of the multitude of books that our students may be reading or may like to read so that I can engage in interesting conversation with them about the books or make informed recommendations to them.  This site would be useful and interesting to any member of our library staff as well as to the school staff in general.

Goodreads could certainly be used as an engaging substitute for fiction research and the functional improvements it provides would most definitely augment the task. Transformation of the task would take place if students engaged with the web 2 capabilities of the tool and began to interact and collaborate with others on line. Although Goodreads alone does not allow for the creation of new tasks, used in conjunction with other tools it could redefine the task, for example, by using Goodreads together with Skype to develop online conference style book clubs between schools.

http://pinterest.com/coxcaroline/carries-bookshelf/

Online professional communities:

What role might they play in education – in general and personally?

Use of Twitter and Facebook: Does one appeal more than the other? Objections? School filters – do they block Facebook and Twitter?

Scope for tools like these in collaborating or communicating with colleagues?

Issues involved with using Facebook in schools. Interesting ways to use Facebook / Edmodo in schools?

Reflections:

On-line professional communities are vibrant and thriving and have an increasingly important role to play in education.   The sharing of expertise  is perhaps one of the most obvious roles that such professional on-line networks can play.  Experienced educators can share their knowledge far and wide;  thoughts and ideas can be shared with an immediacy that has never before been possible. Technology is advancing at such a speed that an immediate and constant sharing of knowledge is necessary.   On-line professional communities also provide excellent platforms for communication and collaboration.  Within the world of education such collaboration can prove inspiring and motivating; the on-line world has meant that we can now communicate and collaborate with students and teachers from anywhere across the globe in real-time – awesome!

On a personal level, engaging with on-line educational communities provides me with access to a constant stream of professional development.  It also gives me somewhere to go to find answers or seek inspiration!

Facebook v Twitter ?

Twitter is the winner for me for professional purposes!  I have found so many interesting people and organisations to follow on Twitter and I really like the concise format.  I will probably always be more a follower rather than an avid tweeter but I like the idea of retweeting entries of particular interest.

At home we have used Facebook for some time to communicate with family and friends overseas and to keep up to date with events and music groups.  I will probably continue to reserve Facebook for these purposes although I am considering using the new account that I set up for VicPLN as a means of communicating with work colleagues.  At present, however, the school filter blocks Facebook so this perhaps is not such a good idea just yet!  For this same reason I cannot see Facebook being used in class with students anytime in the foreseeable future; I also imagine that having legitimate access to Facebook at school would prove too distracting for many students and that keeping students focused and on task would be very challenging!  I am unsure about Twitter accessibility on the school network and will investigate this when I return to school next week.

On-line security and privacy issues are the main concerns when considering the use of social networking tools in the classroom.  Edmodo is a far more realistic option than Facebook within the high school context and it is an option that would  be equally engaging for students due to its Facebook similarities. Edmodo is also very much like many university management systems and as such would be a perfect tool for teaching realistic and relevant skills for the future.   Whichever tools are used within the classroom, the most important skills for students to develop are transferable skills – skills which will help them to adapt quickly to change and to embrace new technologies.

Twitter Handle:   http://twitter.com/cjcox24

Unit 3 summary:

Read and watch some material about PLNs

Sign up for Twitter and test it out

Sign up for facebook and join the VicPLN group

Google+

Hope you enjoy this  YouTube video from ‘rocket boom’……….. the simple joy of books!

• What are your current techniques for keeping your work organised, keeping track of resources and sharing these resources with others?
• How do you imagine the tools covered in this unit will change your workflow?
• How have digital technologies and internet access changed the way we organise ourselves?

Thoughts and reflections:

The organisation of my on-line environment is currently not as efficient as it could be and does not make use of the multitude of on-line tools readily available.

I probably use my ‘Favourites Bar’ far too much for bookmarking web pages to which I intend to return. I have a Diigo account but use it mostly for following interesting and useful links suggested by others in my user groups rather than for bookmarking and sharing my own discoveries. I check other favourite sites through apps on my phone such as: BBC News; SBS World News; The Telegraph, UK and The Age.

I have a PC at work but at home use either my husband’s or sons’ computers…..whichever one is free; this situation has probably been my excuse for not getting organised but in fact is the very reason why organising my on-line environment is so important!!

I hope that after completing the VicPLN2013 course I will have the knowledge and skills to implement a cohesive strategy for managing my on-line environment more efficiently.  Having examined web browsers, Diigo and Evernote within this unit I already feel well on my way to improving the management of my on-line environment;  I have already used a variety of different web browsers and now mostly use Google Chrome ( I also intend to try out the Chrome browser for my iPhone) and  I shall definitely start using Evernote on a regular basis as I found this a very user friendly and useful tool

’Digital Shoebox’ is a perfect description of Evernote……..I am starting to visualise my shoebox becoming full of interesting things and highly organised!!!

• Is teaching workflow and organisation techniques to students an important task?
• What have you noticed about the workflow and organisational strategies of students?

Teaching workflow and organisation techniques to students is a vitally important task both in the traditional classroom environment and increasing in the digital environment.  For
most children the acquisition of organisational strategies and skills does not come naturally and in the past schools have always taught students how to organise their work and belongings within the classroom context; it is even more important now as we move from a very concrete and tactile environment to the more abstract and virtual world of on-line learning that we equip our students with the necessary skills to succeed.

Modelling and demonstrating of good on-line skills is of vital importance as is the scaffolding of students’ learning so that an appropriate level of  support is given at each stage of their skill development, this along with plenty of time to practice new skills will  help them to become independent and well organised users of technology.

At Dandenong High School, junior students attend ‘Reading and Information Literacy’ sessions in the Learning Resource Centre; these sessions introduce students to relevant and useful on-line tools and then provide the time for students  to create their own  accounts, explore the tools and practice their skills.

Use of the Dandenong High School Intranet, Daymap and Sharepoint has significantly helped our students to manage their own online learning environments and consequently their organisation skills within the online environment are improving.

Communication between students and teachers within the online environment is certainly improving, with teachers setting tasks and work units within Sharepoint and students submitting assignments online. Teachers also facilitate access to various documents through attachments in Daymap.

Three or four years ago students were encouraged to set up digital portfolios in which they could store and link digital work and resources. Much time and effort was spent in assisting students to develop their own personalised portfolios in order to encourage good management of documents and files. Teaching the students to manage their digital environment in such a way was very successful; it promoted a rapid acquisition of relevant skills.  Technology has since progressed and the introduction of new computer software at school has meant that some popular and effective resources such as digital portfolios have been replaced along the way which is perhaps a shame?  In light of our study in VicPLN unit 2 we should perhaps encourage the use of Evernote as a tool for developing new digital portfolios?

The introduction of more advanced on-line tools has created some new issues of security and confidentiality within the school environment and also issues concerning school IT infrastructure.  However, the Web 2 environment offers many new and exciting learning opportunities within the school context and we all need to work hard to keep up to date with the new technologies in order to maximise the efficiency of our students’ digital learning environment.

Evernote link ……..  https://www.evernote.com/shard/s298/sh/762c47db-d750-4e39-9bed-74774d4aec38/7898b7033eb0c5bcb24956d99a37fca3

Unit 2 summary:

Sign into Chrome using Google account

Save a bookmark

Find out how to install extensions.

Sign up for Evernote

Login to Google chrome version of Evernote.Create and share notes and keep Evernote library organised.

Save web pages.

Join Diigo.

Add bookmarks.

Join groups and share links.

Hello everyone,

Hope you enjoy my blog …..

I am currently a library assistant at Dandenong High School in Melbourne.

I began my education studies in England at Bishop Otter College, Chichester (now University College Chichester).  I majored in Physical Education with maths as my subsidiary subject.  My first teaching position was at Sibton Park  School in Kent where I taught P.E. and was also a house parent, caring for students in the boarding house. My second position was again P.E. teacher and boarding house parent at Luckley Oakfield School in Berkshire.

I took a long break from teaching after moving to Australia but I continued to stay  involved in education through a variety of parent volunteer roles at my sons’ schools and also through some graduate study at Deakin University.   I then began working at Dandenong High School in 2007 when my youngest son began high school.

I am an STA at Dandenong High and have worked in  literacy/numeracy support,  integration and, for the last two years, as a library assistant. My skills and experience with Web 2.0 tools are still at novice level and mostly as a follower rather than a contributor.   I am hoping that by participating in Vic PLN 2013 I will move to the next level with my use of Web 2.0 tools and become a more confident user of a variety 0f tools and also build up my personal learning network.

I have really enjoyed all that we have done so far and am very much looking forward to the rest of the course.

Unit 1 summary:

Set up Edmodo account.

Set up Google Account.

Use interactive mapping.

Subscribe to blogs and news websites in Google Reader.

Start course journal .

Set up blog with Global 2.