Week 3 – Digital Technologies One

Welcome to week 3!

This week we have been discussing the pros, cons and potential of using wikis, blogs and websites as a learning tool. Firstly I would like to talk about websites.

As some people have realised, websites aren’t hard to create and make look good plus you can create a website without paying a cent! The question that teachers need to ask themselves however is “will my websites be an effective learning tool for my class”? What is a website I hear you say? Well a website is a tool used to present text, images and videos on a central site.¹ Let’s have a look at websites in more detail. Instead of listing the pros and cons of a website I’m going to perform a PMI.

P- Plus	M-Minus	I-Interesting
·         Can be very engaging for students ·         The author is in full control ·         Don’t need money to create one ·         Can be unique ·         May provide links to other helpful sites1 ·         The site can be updated	·         Sometimes times consuming ·         Can get expensive ·         Feedback is limited ·         Discussions are limited ·         Site may be difficult to use if not designed properly1 ·         No opportunity to ask questions1	·         Anyone can create one ·         Makes transmitting information easy ·         Can add interesting tools such as polls, fish tanks and moving picture

Websites have the potential to be used as an effective pedagogy within a classroom if the teacher has the time and patients but as you can see above it comes with a few negatives. As a pre-service HPE teacher a website could be used as a great way to keep all important resources such as journal articles, photos, reviews and data which students might use in assessment pieces. Could act as a library for HPE.

Moving on to wikis now. What are wikis? Wikis are known as a website that allows others to add, remove and edit available content.²

P-Plus	M-Minus	I-Interesting
·         Modify information ·         Very interactive ·         Everyone can participate ·         Creates a collaboration2	·         Anyone can modify information ·         Someone can delete legitimate information2 ·         People can add spam links ·         Can be demoralising when you check and your work has been changed ·         Information is always being changed	·         People all around the world can participate. This allows for involvement of people with different cultural backgrounds.

Wikis can be an effective pedagogy as they encourage social interaction and collaboration. Some student can really enjoy participating in wikis due to the fact that they are actively involved.² A wiki could be used in a HPE class in a situation where the teacher asked a question in relation to each weeks work. Students could discuss their opinions, data and add links to more evidence.

Lastly we need to touch on blogging. What is a blog? A blog can be identified as a page containing chronologically arranged information which can take the form of a diary or journal.³

P-Plus	M-Minus	Interesting
·         One author ·         Can take pride in your work ·         Allows a person to become more creative4 ·         Simple to use ·         Its free ·         Can use on smart phones	·         Discussion is limited ·         Blogs aren’t always accurate4 ·         Don’t get paid to write them ·         Limited number of templates4	·         You can’t always believe what has been written in a blog ·         Lacks add on features

I personally think using a blog would be the best out of the three when used as an effective pedagogy in the classroom. As a HPE teacher I could use a blog for students to reflect on what they have learnt each week as well as any questions they have in relation to the topic or assignments. It also allows them to look at fellow classmates blogs and understand their point of views.

Overall you can see that all three tools have pros and cons plus some interesting facts. If you think I have forgotten any good points please leave a comment below. Sometimes I get stuck thinking inside the box and miss some good points. If you’re interested in checking out my sites look at the links below. They haven't yet been finished.

Website: lizzyegerton.weebly.com

Blog: lizzyegerton.blogspot.com

Wiki: http://www.cquniversityschoolofeducation.wikispaces.net/user/my/elizabeth.egerton

To finish with I found this cool clip about what could be our future. Tell me what you think.

References:

¹ Ho, W. Wang, R. Nguyen, P. Sleitini, A. Le, D. & Boscoscuro, D. (2003). Advantages and disadvantages of using website as mode of presentation. Retrieved 13^th March 2013 from http://www.angelfire.com/pro/ximelagatran/advdisadv.htm

² Department of Education. (2013). Wikis in the classroom. Retrieved 13^th March 2013 from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/wikis/

³Department of Education. (2013). Blogs in Education. Retrieved 13^th March 2013 from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

⁴Blizzard, T. (2008). The pros and cons of blogging. Retrieved 13^th March 2013 from http://newsletter.blizzardinternet.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-blogging/2008/09/17/