Social bookmarking sites are an excellent way to gain access to sites that have been book marked from virtually any computer. I intend to share this site with my colleagues because we frequently work together on collaborative writing projects. Using this tool can ensure that we have access to the same resources, to promote continuity in our perspectives. Furthermore, social bookmarking sites can help with sorting through the unwanted sites that are generated by regular search engines, and gain access to peer reviewed websites and articles that you can trust will be relevant and beneficial to the subject that you are researching.

This week, I have explored the pros and cons of various social networking sites for educational purposes. The technologies that I looked at are Ning, Facebook, and PBWorks.

Ning offers options such as blogs, video, photos, and discussion forums which are all beneficial to online learning environments. I like the ability to post before and after pictures in order to track progress. A string pro is the blogging feature, for users to discuss steps they are taking to meet a learning objective and what struggles they are facing. I can create discussion forums about topics, so that the learners can work out an issue together. I could easily use my Ning account to use all of these features, and encourage my Directors to work together as a team to conquer a new learning objective. We also use the Google site to post video trainings, and I could easily incorporate these videos into the Ning site. Ning does not have the ability that wikis do for learners to work together on the same project, like a wiki and there is not tracking features to monitor the learner's progress.

Facebook has several applications that are beneficial for online learning, such as Quiz Monster which allows the educator to create quizzes, share, and gather the answers. The post features allows for communication amongst learners. I also learned from one of my classmates that you can create narrated PowerPoints using Webinaria, which I can assume is vastly better than Adobe Presenter which is patchy at best. Facebook certainly fosters a community feeling. Ning is a private social network, but Facebook is a little crowded with users who are only there to be social. Facebook does not have the ability to hold a document library or the wiki function. Also, there is no ability to track participant progress,

PBWorks has the ability to create wiki pages where learners can collaborate on the same project by contributing directly to a single document. The PBWorks page provides activity tracking, so the educator can track student’s contributions. PBWorks also allows educator to upload documents and create meeting agendas. This site also allows the user to create sidebars to create hyperlinks and other navigation abilities. The instructor can also create specific meeting times for synchronous learning opportunities. Additionally, the instructor can control the access to this page, to prevent unwanted visitors from altering the page, which can be a normal con for wikis. There are also community pages where like-minded individuals can share ideas and thoughts. This site does not appear to have a quiz function, which would be highly beneficial for my needs.

PBWorks seems to be the best technology for my needs as a trainer. I can use this page to communicate with my colleagues on the training team for our collaborative writing projects. I can also use this site to create training course that promote critical thinking skills and interaction with new knowledge. I intend to use my page to create a critical thinking wiki, to help teachers understand the benefits of developmentally appropriate practices. I have also recommended the use of this technology to the Accreditation Department, to help with schools that are going through national accreditation programs

Privacy and the Internet

I have a Facebook page. I opened it originally so that I could view applicants pages when I was making a hiring decision, as a preschool Director. My thought was, "If I can see it, than my parents can see it." In retrospect, I was looking at someone's private life that had nothing to do with their ability to their job. But the fact of the matter is that a teacher's social and professional life have some blurred lines. What a parent sees a teacher do outside of work will affect their trust and opinion of the teacher at work. It is unfortunate, but it is a fact of life. Having a parent see something inappropriate on a social networking site, is the new "getting seen at the bar". It is up to the teachers to recognize this ability to be seen, and take precautions to prevent the airing of their dirty laundry. Using the privacy settings that are available on these sites is a good step.
On a side note, having access to all of my teacher's profiles was beneficial for our school community. It was very easy to take temperature checks of my staff and see how they were feeling about their job, or be aware of personal issues that were affecting their work. I was able to give these teachers the attention that they needed from a leader, lend an ear or a shoulder, and determine what approach I would take to a necessary coaching. I was able to build very strong bonds with my staff, and there was definite trust between us. I also used my Facebook posts to share kind words, inspirational quotes, and sometimes just a much needed pat on the back. Social network sites definitely support the building of a community.
Now that I have promoted in my company, I have 'un-friended' my old staff and co-workers. Working for the HR department made me realize that it would be better if I just didn't know. I also did not want to risk writing something that they shouldn't know either. Suddenly, Facebook had become lonely. However, there are many educational applications to this site, that I intend to become acclimated to and discover the new uses of social networking sites.

Learning about Wiki for Online Collaboration

Wiki's are an online tool for collaborative writing, in which anyone can add content and edit published content. This becomes an idea platform for groups to share and build collaborative projects. This format is much more dynamic than blogs and threaded discussions, because the former two only allow a single person to post and then others to respond to what they wrote. However, with a blog, many people can contribute to a single post by adding and editing. Instructors can track updates and contributions through this format and contribute guidance.
Instructors who chose this learning technology should be prepared to teach as a facilitator; they should create a clear learning goal, provide specific guidance about the expectations for performance and grading, provide thought provoking questions and then just step aside to allow learning to happen organically.
The three approaches for wiki usage in a learning environment are: Knowledge Construction, Critical Thinking. and Contextual Application.
Knowledge Construction: this approach learners acquiring a fundamental understanding of a subject, discipline or a field. Learners have the ability to collect and organize information in a collaborative manner and convert the new information into cognitive structures. Some approaches to Knowledge Construction are;
Resources Banks- students can add and modify information through adding weblinks, MS Word or PowerPoint documents, or create a contact list that other learners can access.
Frequently Asks Questions- instructors or learners post questions about a subject, and learners work together to research and post the answers to the questions.
Error Finding and Correcting- Instructors post a bank of content that can be edited or corrected, and learners will use the wiki function to make the necessary corrections.
Historical Time Lines- allows learners to gain an understanding of historical significance by studying events in relation to other events or current practices. Learners will work together to create a historical time line and post questions or comments about the subject.
Annotated Bibliography- after introducing a subject, students research sources about the subject and post a list of resources with an overview of the source/article.
Open Dialogue- learners can role play or debate an issue.
Group Summary- learners can review course materials and write a summary.
Critical Thinking- this approach promotes reflective decision making and problem solving. Some projects that promote Critical Thinking wikis are;
What if...? Senarios- learners speculate about possible scenarios using their knowledge of the subject and past events.
Case Studies- an exploration of real-world problems that promote situational analysis.
Debates- learners explore opposite sides of an issue and create organized debates.
Collaborative Research Papers- group writing projects in the form of research papers or presentations.
Evaluation or Research Study- learners review research and evaluate source material. Frame-Based Writing- instructors provide a fame of structure for a topic and leaves gaps that students must fill in.
Nominal Group Technique- group decision making methods that allow learners to conduct problem analysis, generation of ideas, group evaluation, and the ranking of probable solutions. Structure Online Critiques- this approach allows learners to evaluate material against a set of established criteria.
Contextual Application- this wiki approach allows students to create and do, not just think about new knowledge. Some activities that can be conducted through a wiki that promotes Contextual Application are;
Event Plan- learners collaborate to arrange the details of a curricular or extra-curricular event.
Process Map- learners work as groups to make a job or process more efficient.
Virtual Science Lab- students can follow traditional scientific methods and share their experiment data, hypothesis's, and outcomes.
Field Research Project- learners can participate in field study and post their experiences on the wiki so that others can learn from their knowledge.
Story Creation- learners work together to brainstorm, outline, and write stories.
Team Challenge- learners must work together to tackle a real world issue, or have groups compete.
Media Design Project- groups work together to design a solution for a need.
Service Learning Project- learners collaborate to create a wiki that provides the world with information about a notable and important subject.

Wikis are so much more than a website to house encyclopedias, they are a valuable learning platform that instructors can use to promote collaborative learning (West & West, 2010).

Resource:
West, J. & West, M. (2010) Using Wikis for Online Collaboration. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass

Learning about E-Learning

I have taken a giant leap into technology, a field that has otherwise intimidated me. Let me explain why this leap is worthy of blogging about. I have never had any interest in technology, other than its social uses. Technology has always had the stigma of 'impersonal' and 'cold'. I chose the career path of corporate training because I am, in all sense, a people person. Yet, as I entered this world of training, I realize that I am one person for many, many people! E-learning is a platform that will let me reach my 'people'. However, I fear the elimination of a hand shake, eye contact, and even my voice inflictions that E-learning will bring. I believe that much of my ability to reach my audience comes from the "face-to-face." Like somehow, technology will zap all of my charisma, and I will be left with a boring, empty shell.
Yet, I have always been a 'meat and potato' kind of girl; I don't much care for 'fluff' and 'fillers', just give me the facts and give me the tools, and tell me how I'll use it. It is this part of me that finds E-learning appealing!
When I went to college for my Bachelors degree, I was in a lecture hall with five hundred other students, listening to teachers drone on about theories. At no point, did anyone ever tell me why these theories were important and how I was going to use them. So, the end result...I forgot all of these theories! They were useless rubbage in my brain, that I promptly purged. When I returned to school, after working for five years, in order to get my emphasis in Education added to my Social Science degree, things were very different.
I am an auditory learner (one of the 10% of the population). I thought that an E-learning platform would never work for me, because I needed someone to tell me information... I was wrong. I learned more in those 30 credits that I did in my first four years of college at a prestigous university AND I remember all of it.
It was this expeirence and my need to reach 'people' that lead me to pursue my Master's Degree in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Now, I will make technology personal and I will use it to touch my learners; the way E-learning as touched me.
-Lori Balog