Using Web 2.0 and Social Media to Encourage Deeper Learning

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Task Navigation 

Week 3 - Practical Task (Oct. 17 - 23, 2011)

Teach the lesson plan you created during Week 2. Please share your thoughts on how the lesson went below. So that others can visualize your lesson, please respond using the following format:

  • Name:
  • Subject:
  • Short paragraph description of lesson including the objective, what students did during the lesson and how you incorporated web 2.0/ social media.
  • What knowledge/skills did students learn?
  • What went well?
  • Challenges?
  • To what extent did use of web 2.0/ social media add value to the student learning process?
  • What would you do differently next time you taught this?


We welcome you to comment on your colleagues’ responses.

Task Discussion


  • Alex   Nov. 1, 2011, 6:43 a.m.

    Name: Alex

  • Subject: Teacher profession Development

  • Short paragraph description of lesson including the objective, what students did during the lesson and how you incorporated web 2.0/ social media.

  • While this is not a lesson which I taught to my actualy class of students, I thought that this is was a good example of using web2.0 nd social media in a lesson.

  •  

  • The objective of this lesson was to use web2.0 tools within a staff PD day, teachers were asked to engage in a few different tools including google sites, todaysmeet, wallwisher and google docs. The staff were learning about Asia and Australias engagement with Asia. Before the day started I set up a google site which had all all the resources that the staff will need for the day. I then sent the link to staff, and didnt send out any of the information in any other way so that the staff had to access the site to get what they needed. Our staff are varied with their skills and enthuasiasm towards ICT. On the day we introduced wallwisher, todaysmeet and google sites again. The aim was for the staff to post comments, questions and insights on the day on todays meet. We then posed an inquiry question on wallwisher, which we asked people to answer as the day went along.

  • During the day staff (125 teachers) were engaged with the ICT on offer, with a rich disscussion on the content on the day. I was very happy with the way that the day or lesson went and it was very exciting to see people who dodnt usually interact with ICT using the tools on offer. Due to the varied experience I decided to only look at three tools as not to confuse people. The follow up has been me talking to different teachers on how they can use the tools presented in their classrooms.

  •  

  • What knowledge/skills did students learn?

  • Students learnt that ICT can be integrated into any lesson to imporve student engagement. Using web2.0 tools students were able to comment on the actual content which was delivered in real time across the room while still listening to the presentations of the facilitators. Students were also involved in the answering of questions via todays meet.

  • What went well?

  • The Google site was a real sucess and the students really engaged in using it as their base for the day. This has contiuned as well as we are now using it to pass on more ICT based information and have grown to sharing it with three other local schools. We will also be using it for another up and coming ICT meeting.

  • Challenges?

  • The main challenge was encouraging teachers who have no interest in using ICT to be engaged in the day. The other challenge was the accpetable use of the tools, there were teachers who were using todays meet inappropriatly to start off with (no different to a classroom of 15 year old students).

  •  

  • To what extent did use of web 2.0/ social media add value to the student learning process?

  • There are many times in staff PD days when the participants are sitting and listening to presenters talk for the whole day without any interaction. The use of web2.0 and social media added to the learning process becasue it encouraged discussion about the topics which were covered, allowed students to ask questions and also comment the on going discussions. We found that the staff were more engaged in both the online discussions as well as the around the room discussions. 

  •  

  • What would you do differently next time you taught this?

  • Next time I would make sure that I spend more time explaning the tools I would also spend some time at the end talking about the ways the tools can be used in the classroom for th teachers involved.

  •  

  • Harry B   Oct. 25, 2011, 10:43 p.m.

     

    • Name: Students educating students through multimedia.
    • Subject: Library Science and storyboarding Library Science Concepts
    • Short paragraph description of lesson including the objective, what students did during the lesson and how you incorporated web 2.0/ social media.  Broadcasting these films will require a medium such as facebook, Twitter, or a blog.  Topics that will be created using a flip cam will be 1)How to properly use and check out laptops, 2)How to find resources in the Media Center using the Dewey Decimal System 3) How to access Databases in Destiny (our library catalog system) 4)How to fully use all the resources Destiny has to offer (magazines, journals, fiction and non-fiction, and scholarly websites).  
    •  
    • In preparing a film to be accessed by other faculty and students, Library aides will need to storyboard their presentation, then acquire materials to film this video.  Upon completion, students will build either a facebook, wiki, or blog that can store these representations of the Upper School Library and begin to store resources that best represent the Upper School Library as well.  In doing so, students will be creating projects that involve social organization, (the films and material in the short videos) as well as broadcasting/communicating these objectives to the widest possible audience for benefit of the use in the Upper School Media Center.
    •  
    •  
    • What knowledge/skills did students learn? Collaboartion, planning, foresight, communication, filming technique, editing of film and text, knowledge of social mediums to advertise films that will educate on the services of the Media Center.
    •  
    • What went well?  In progress currently...
    •  
    • Challenges? Background knowledge familiar to cadets of the library in order to produce a film.
    •  
    • To what extent did use of web 2.0/ social media add value to the student learning process?
    • What would you do differently next time you taught this?


    We welcome you to comment on your colleagues’ responses.

  • Anna   Oct. 30, 2011, 12:43 p.m.
    In Reply To:   Harry B   Oct. 25, 2011, 10:43 p.m.

    Let us know how it goes and feel free to share the final student products :-).

  • cinmil   Oct. 23, 2011, 10:05 p.m.

    Name:  Economic Forecasting Lesson

    Subject: 9th-12th Grade Money Matters

    Objective Description: 

    Students are a partner in an economic forecasting firm called Acme Economic Forecasters (AEF). The students received a letter from a business woman in Australia that they talked to through Skype who is interested in moving her guava jelly business to the United States. She has asked the students to prepare a presentation report on the expected economic health of the United States economy for the next year and to post the report in a Google site she shares with them.

    The students will need to do the following:

    1. Make certain they can explain the three leading economic indicators: GDP, inflation rate, unemployment rate.
    2. Gather data on the current state of the three leading economic indicators for the United States economy.
    3. Prepare a report for their client that includes:
      - at least one graph/chart for each of the three indicators.
      - a brief explanation of the status of that indicator.
      - a prediction for the health of the United States economy over the next 12 months.

    Knowledge/Skills Students Learned:

    • The student is expected to interpret economic data, including unemployment rate, gross domestric product, gross domestic product per capita as a measure of national wealth; and rate of inflation.

    What Went Well:

    • The Skype connection we made with the business woman in Australia
    • Using the Internet to search and determine the factual data relating the information the business woman wanted to know in their report.
    • Questions that this business woman sent to the students through e-mail to get further clarification of their information to better understand their final recommendation to her concerning her guava jelly business coming to the U.S.
    • The creativity and critical thinking process students developed as they put their report together.

    Challenge:

    • Scheduling all of the students in the online course to meet on Skype at a certain time and date.  There were some students that didn't have a webcam, so I recorded the meeting with the Australian women for them and put it in the course.

    Web 2.0/Social Media:

    • Used Skype to visit with a professional business woman in Australia.
    • Used a shared Google site to post their report for the woman in Australia to comment on through e-mail to the specific student.
    • Created a video of their report and uploaded it to a YouTube education site for teacher approval before uploading it to the Google site.  This also gave the other students an opportunity to view and comment on other students' video reports.

    I would not do anything differently next time I teach this lesson because according to students' journals on their evaluation of this assignment, they really enjoyed this assignment and the opportunity to provide a report that could persuade a professional business person in making an important decision about moving or not moving her company to the U.S.  This also helped the students to realize the vital daily financial decisions businesses make every day in order to succeed in our economy.

  • Anna   Oct. 30, 2011, 12:41 p.m.
    In Reply To:   cinmil   Oct. 23, 2011, 10:05 p.m.

    Wow! Amazing and inspiring lesson! Have you considered sharing it with other educators on www.Curriki.org?

  • cinmil   Oct. 30, 2011, 5:52 p.m.
    In Reply To:   Anna   Oct. 30, 2011, 12:41 p.m.

    Thank you!  No, I had not considered that but would be happy to.