What are your early impressions of using a blog and what was your experience using an RSS Reader this week? Any surprises, pleasant or otherwise?
Well, this is my first time for using both a blog and a RSS Reader. Setting up my blog was fairly simple. The hardest part was actually posting it. After I read the table of contents for week 2 on the left side I felt relief… so that’s how you post it. I actually did the whole thing by myself. :-) I consider this a good start for a non-techie. The RSS Reader wasn’t hard to set up, once I found sites that had the RSS feed symbol. Most of the sites I went to were sites where the information isn’t updated very often. The one thing that I was surprised about was how fast everything started being added to my selected reader sites. I’ve found it difficult to read everything. I ended up scanning a lot and reading a little. I’m not really sure how to use it with students, yet. I’m sure that will come as this class progresses.
Well, this is my first time for using both a blog and a RSS Reader. Setting up my blog was fairly simple. The hardest part was actually posting it. After I read the table of contents for week 2 on the left side I felt relief… so that’s how you post it. I actually did the whole thing by myself. :-) I consider this a good start for a non-techie. The RSS Reader wasn’t hard to set up, once I found sites that had the RSS feed symbol. Most of the sites I went to were sites where the information isn’t updated very often. The one thing that I was surprised about was how fast everything started being added to my selected reader sites. I’ve found it difficult to read everything. I ended up scanning a lot and reading a little. I’m not really sure how to use it with students, yet. I’m sure that will come as this class progresses.
Which part(s) of Dale's Cone do you think each tool (Blog, RSS) lends itself best to and why?
I think demonstrations, recordings/radio/still pictures, visual symbols and verbal symbols fit blogs well. A blog creator, and/or contributor, can add video, pictures, etc. to show how to make a crêpe. Visitors to the blog can then post questions/comments/recipes, etc. Recordings/radio/still pictures are easy (I assume) to add to a blog and can connect “pen pals” from different schools fairly easily. Blogs are full of verbal and visual symbols for even the most elementary users to enjoy.
RSS works with visual and verbal symbols as they are primarily news/information updates. Still pictures are also included in this. Students can read the latest news from Paris on a variety of topics, then dissect it through links, definitions (maybe a class wikipedia), grammar Q&A, etc.
Considering Siegel’s concept of "computer imagination", what do you think would be at least one "imaginative" educational use of each tool (blog, RSS) that takes advantage of each tool’s inherent strengths? That is, what do you think you and/or your students could use these tools for that they might not be able to do with other more simple or low-tech tools? Or, as Postman might ask, what is a problem to which each of these tools is an answer?
Blogs could be used to expose students to real language. Not the kind they read in texts or see in educational language videos but, rather real, as native people actually use it, every-day language. Students could be assigned a reading (Blog X) in which they then could add questions, definitions, links, etc. to a class blog to help each other understand what they’ve been reading on Blog X. Students could also be assigned a writing assignment on French Class Blog Y to contribute comments, in either the target language or native language, regarding the latest chapter of “The Little Prince”. Students could have various assignments; links to define terms, add clip art to help define terms, explain certain grammatical structures, etc. For students who don’t have Internet access at home, many schools have Internet available for individual and class work. Readers could also be used to expose students to written, published language. They could add comments or summaries of certain articles, defining terms, creating links, or explaining grammar on their own, or class, blog afterward.
The problem is that language textbooks quickly become outdated, teachers don’t always know the latest “X”, paper copies of foreign newspapers and/or magazines are cost prohibitive for many people, especially a whole class. Having students subscribe to newspaper RSS’s (Le Figaro or Le Monde) allows them to find out about a wide range of up-to-date topics. Blogs allow teachers to assess all students, not just the ones who repeatedly raise their hands in class to volunteer comments or answers.
Of course I couldn’t use any of this where I currently teach. No computers with Internet access for students, many students without Internet access at home, younger students who don’t know enough of French to navigate Readers yet.
I think this is appropriate for this paper about Dale’s Cone— “Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve me and I'll understand”.—Confucius. This class is an ‘involve me’ experience, over and over and over.
4 comments:
Donna,
You have some really great ideas for using these tools in your class. I am going to "borrow" some of your ideas:)
I really like the idea of having students subscribe to newspapers pertaining to their specific subject. I didn't think of that.
I also like the idea of having "pen pals." There are a lot of schools that have sister schools and this would work great for. The students could see videos of the other kids to get a better idea of their lives.
Thank you for the ideas.
Chrissy
Donna,
Hi my name is Jeff Tyler and allow me compliment you on your imaginative uses for blogs and RSS Readers. In the infamous words of Darth Vader, “Impressive, most impressive, but you are not a Jedi yet”. I know, I’m a dork, but your ideas about using them for exposure to “real” native language, covering out of date textbooks, and subscribing to a foreign newspaper are fantastic. Those are excellent “school” uses for an RSS Readers and blogs. I personally do not “travel” those areas in my teachings, and admittedly lack some imagination, but kudos to you.
Thank you,
Jeff Tyler
Donna, I to think you came up with some good ideas for use of blogs and rss readers. One thing you mentioned that hadnt really crossed my mind was that visitors to a blog say a teacher or other students could ask questions. Then students could answer questions posed to them. I think it would keep the students involved with the project. Donna also want to thank you for taking charge of our wiki group and making sure everyone was on the right track.
Tony Vitto
I'm with you, the blog was much simpler than I made it out to be in my mind. The RSS reader was pretty straight forward after I saw the demonstration on "questions about RSS readers". It walks you through the whole thing. Sharon was talking on a microphoe and narrating as the video showed her moving the cursor around creating the an example RSS Reader. How useful. The RSS feeds were not as prevelant as I had hoped, but I managed.
I thought RSS might work well for classes that try to put students in simulated and role-played situations. For example, 8th grade science classes could pretend to be seismologists and interpret information from the USGS to predict earthquakes around the world. That might be contrived or dramatized from the middle of the cone.
I loved your application of blogs and RSS to real foriegn language. If they can connect to anyone in the world, why not some of those people who depend on that language for their everyday needs. I also like using clipart and pictures to help understand vocabulary.
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