1. On-line Resource – also view clip produced by Mary
Web 2.0 tools – http://www.timetoast.com/
Why are these tools used so frequently and why are they gaining popularity among the new generation of technology?
· Easy to use
· Minimum skills required
· Easy access
· Mass recognition and fast popularity
Why is web2.0 so important to a student as an individual?
It is so because it offers the student-
· A user friendly environment in which the student has the opportunity to participate actively, create, criticize and contribute to its structure as well as conduct adequate research.
And take part in the discussions.
www.timetoast.com allows students to organize information in a meaningful and useful way. Kuhlthau (1987) found that students go through a number of different feelings as they proceed through the stages of research including;
· uncertainty, optimism, confusion, frustration, doubt, clarity, sense of direction, confidence, relief, and satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Involving students in the selection, discernment and production process appears to increase students’ interest in the topic and provides more opportunities to interrogate the information being taught. Taylor, 1986 commented,
“technology produces vast amounts of information in a rapidly changing environment directly accessible to the end user”.
As teachers, the challenge is to find ways to manage the vast amount of information and utilise it in a way where students are able to develop skills as critical thinkers and learners. The www.timetoast.com tool is easily manipulated by students and teachers and serves a number of important functions for the user; therefore it is a welcomed tool in the classroom and blends well with material already used in schools.
Mary, not only have you produced a great little video, but an inspirational guide on using Timetoast, a timeline creator. It is an ideal tool that can easily be used by a wide range of age groups and provides an easy to use platform that will engage the different learning styles of students within our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteAs educators we need to remember that the students of today have spent their entire lives surrounded by digital tools and it is up to us as teachers to learn the language and style that is integral to their lives.
As teachers we are often mandated by facts and curriculum, but as you have mentioned and I agree it is so important to give students the opportunity to actively participate, criticise, and clarify and discern information, whilst engaging with facts and figures that are part of tests and exams.
Well done, not only have you given us readers a chance to consider the use of another Web 2.0 tool that is freely available, but provided an example of good pedagogical practice. Your post has given me inspiration to push the boundaries of educational technology as I try to enhance not only my teaching but my own learning.
(Fiona's response)
Congratulations Mary! You have demonstrated a great practical example of digital media literacy that invites students to participate and collaborate in a guided learning activity.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher scaffolds the learning activity by supplying the source which is a Web 2.0 application and administering the procedures that enable the electronic interaction to take place. Once the authentic website is located, the student can then discover new sources of information and collaborate as a team to build the historical time line thereby enhancing their knowledge of the topic, in this case, the war in Gallipoli.
In your example you show that students can be "active participants" (Dezuanni & Jetnikoff, 2008) and the learning outcome is attained through context and the information available at the time.
New media "supplement rather than displace older media" and Sonia Livingstone finds that information technologies are not automatically determining of the manner of their use, but rather their meanings depend on the complex, "contingent ways" in which they are, over time, placed into specific contexts and practices of use. This is an interesting notion because the social discourse of history in this case both shape and are shaped by the technology.
Good luck!
http://mediaculturevultures.blogspot.com
References
Dezuanni & Jetnikoff (2008) Media Remix Jacaranda Plus. Milton, QLD, Australia p.iv
Livingstone, S. (2002) Young People and New Media Sage Publications. London, UK. p.11