Creating the walled garden: Web 2.0 Tools for your district. This session was split into two areas, one focused on the tools, the other focused on how easy they were to install and get running.
Presenter Miguel Guhlin
Miguel looked at the use of blogs in the classroom to help students develop ideas. b2Evolution is a blogging software that he recommended. pmwiki is another. Protected versus public content. Should all the information be available to everyone or is there cases where the information should remain within the walled garden.
RSS Feeds, a particular piece of software to manage all the feeds that you could subscribe to is bloglines.com
Then he looked at setting up the walled garden on your laptop.
setting up PHP/mySQL and a web server using WAMP and how to install web applications such as wordpress on it.
For more information see http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/wiki/index.php?n=Main.Walledgardentools
The workshop provided simulated hands on training on how to setup your own blogs, wikis, image gallery a la Flickr using free open source software tools. We were promised a CD that never eventuated. The software shown make any computer a server and a platform for global communication and collaboration. The benefits of the walled garden is that you are not dependent on external systems for students to use, instead being able to model the appropriate use of social networking strategies in the classroom.
Focus on Adaption of technologies for better learning outcomes: How to get it right, or how not to get it wrong.
This was presented by Karen Rollerston of Manzana.
It was basically a infomercial on there product, there version of the smart board and associated software. Enabling technology in the class:
- People
- Processes
- and Technology
Peoples ability to use technology, the seamless integration into the classroom, being able to prepare students, return an investment
some of the factors that affect the integration into the classroom are:
- culture, of the school/community
- the teachers ability to adapt
- support from the supplier
- Professional Development
- Time
- Supplier Selection
The third wave? Moving towards an Online Learning environment. Knowledgenet reloaded in coronet
Presented by Phil Buchana, Ian Collier, and Sheila Morrison
This was an interesting workshop. they kept referring to knowledgeNET as a LMS (learning Management System), however CoroNet are using it more as a tool to put up information, class projects/assignments, relief and course outlines. They make use of the forum software in knowledgenet to pose questions and have an online discussion. But they still relay on other products to act as a drop box to return information to the teacher or to get the student to print it off when they are at home and hand it in at school.
Presentations were given on how some teachers use the KnowledgeNET in the class and some of the benefits this has had. With distance education and the use of KnowledgeNET as a Content management System and the forum as well as Video Conferencing to get the one on one interaction between the student and the teacher.
They do admit that there is a problem with the WYSIWYG editor and that there is no drop boxes, however knowledgeNET are working on these issues, however I fear, we will be waiting still as this was to come out two years ago.
Interesting speakers, It is good to find out what problems/solutions other school face with KnowledgeNET and it is the same as we have at our school.
Teaching 2.0: We know exactly what to do Yeah Right.
Suzy Gould from STORYexpress
Such a wonderful presenter to finish off the workshops with.
Go with the flow versus know before you go. this is one of the problems teachers face in today's digital word, with some teachers wanting to know before you go, research and find out more details, many students go with the flow, they see what is happening around them with digital technologies and jump in.
Web 2.0 allows users to control the data where as before the content was written and put up for people to view, now they can interact with the content, edit the content and put it into a form they want to view it in, not what the author may have put it in.
Tags, with blogs and wikis tags can be put in to organise content, tags have no particular rhyme or system. It is up to you, attitude versus aptitude.
a definition of web 1.0 was put up, links, flat, brochure, web 2.0 red/write you control the data.
some helpful links
www.kraztdad.com/colrpickr
this is a colour urban picker, select a colour from the colour palette and the software will interact with the flickr API to display urban images that display that colour.
A way to copy youtube movies,
http://www.vixy.com/ which is a online flash video converter.
Still waiting for Suzy to put up the slide show of the presentation as it was well worth visiting.
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