Podcasts and Blogs

Firstly, I have been reading through the student blogs again, and I remain impressed with the thought and effort that they are putting into this task.  It is wonderful to see serious and genuine reflection, and when we discuss the educational theories associated with blog use this week, they will hopefully benefit from their blogging experience.
We will also be creating a podcast, and I am looking forward to seeing the creative ways in which they use this tool!


***note to self***  remember the headphones for Wednesday's lecture!!

Student blogs

Well I have just finished reading through the blog posts of all of the students in the Tech. and Comp. class (who correctly filled in their url!)  It is really good to see that a number of them are truly reflective posts on the content of the lecture, how it might be relevant to them as teachers, and even how it fits in with other subjects they have done.  Hopefully this `hands on' experience will be useful when we discuss reflective learning and the constructivist approach, and the utility of blogs for this, next week.

More blog blogging

I found another interesting commentary on the types of thinking that are encouraged with blogging, from back in 2005.  Anyway,  I think that it is worth a look:

http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com.au/2005/03/brain-of-blogger.html

Blogs in Education

I have been exploring the uses that classroom teachers make of blogs.  There are some really neat examples of blogs being used in classroom settings in Australia.  Here are a few examples of different ways they are used:

http://thesmarties2.blogspot.com.au/

http://bookwrap.edublogs.org/

http://mullumwriters.blogspot.com.au/

http://mrsksclass.edublogs.org/#

Computers and Technology in Education 2013

This blog has been set up for a course in Computers and Technology in Education, for trainee teachers, at Tabor Adelaide.  The goal is for these prospective teachers to see and explore the educational theory behind student and teacher blogging, and get ideas for their future career. 

Among other things, the course will examine the pedagogical value of a number of Web 2.0 tools, including blogs, wikis, pod/vodcasts and social media.  It will also venture into other useful applications of computers and technology in the classroom, and for teaching professionals.

The students taking this course will be creating their own blogs, reflecting on their learning experiences and the use of technology in education. 


There has been a large body of research in the use of these tools in education, and how they enable and require students to reach the levels of higher order thinking associated whith the upper levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.  Check out this paper, from researchers at Deakin University in Victoria:
http://dro.deakin.edu.au/view/DU:30019271