Socrative

Communicate with ICT

Learning Continuum:

collaborate, share and exchange

Description & Purpose: Socrative is a free web application that helps teachers engage and assess their students. It is an online tool for creating formative and summative assessments and receiving results in real time.

Platform: Accessed via the web interface and platform independent

Cost/Licensing: Free

Age Group Suitability: Secondary

Explanation for inclusion:

This resource relates to the sub-areas collaborate, share and exchange, specifically, to Learning Continuum Level 5:

Critical Assessment of value

Students can participate anonymously which allows students to respond in a safe manner, and encourages them to take risks with their responses (Johnson as cited in Martyn, 2007). An integrated 'game approach' may engage students more than traditional class discussion (Martyn, 2007).

Backchannel availability allows a digital conversation that runs concurrently with a face-to-face activity and provides students with an outlet to engage in conversation. This facility helps answer the question: “shouldn’t we hear what [students] are saying, that in a world where the answers to the test are easily accessible that the test becomes irrelevant?” (Richardson as cited in Yardi, 2008, p. 161).

Concerns include managing students' devices which require a plan for how, when, and where during class Socrative will and can be used. Students might be able to cheat, by opening a different web browser and looking up answers.

References:

Martyn, M. (2007). Clickers in the classroom: An active learning approach.Educause quarterly, 30(2), 71.

Yardi, S. (2008). Whispers in the Classroom. Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected, 143-164.

GCF LearnFree - Blog

Communicate with ICT

Learning Continuum:

understand computer - media communications

URL: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/socialmedia/blogbasics

Description & Purpose: GCF Learnfree- Blog is an on-line resource that provides students with the knowledge on how to collaborate, share, exchange information and how to digitally construct knowledge using digital tools. It helps students learn about blogs, bloggers, how to subscribe, develop and choose a blog service, and how to write and promote a blog.

Platform: Accessed via the web interface and platform independent

Cost/Licensing: Free

Age Group Suitability: Secondary

Explanation for inclusion:

This resource relates to the sub-area collaborate, share and exchange, specifically, to Learning Continuum Level 6:

Critical Assessment of value

Students understand that using a blog provides an audience for their writing and posts and blogs can become 'dynamic sites for conversation' (Bromley as cited in Roblyer & Doering, p. 300). Students understand that 'knowledge contruction' (Vygotsky, 1978) is 'discursive, relational, and conversational in nature and a blog gives 'authentic opportunities for publication of knowledge' (Ferdig & Trameel, 2004).

GCF LearnFree - blog helps teachers understand the exisitng opportuntities for feedback and potential scaffolding of new ideas (Ferdig & Trameel, 2004).

Concerns include the YouTube videos used need to be accessed via unblocking, and some IT settings need to be reviewed with IT Departments within schools. May require downloading and converting using other websites. GCF Learnfree offers downloadable version but may result in outdated version.

References:

Ferdig, R. E., & Trammell, K. D. (2004). Content delivery in the'Blogosphere'.The Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), 31(7), 12.

D., Roblyer, M., Doering, H.. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: Pearson New International Edition, 6th Edition. Pearson (Intl), 08/2013. VitalBook file.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between learning and development.Readings on the development of children, 23(3), 34-41.

Storify

Communicate with ICT

Learning Continuum:

collaborate, share and exchange

URL: https://storify.com/

Description & Purpose: Storify allows students to curate social networks and build social stories, bringing together media scattered across the Web into a coherent narrative. It organizes and maps thinking. Students combine tweets, videos, and pictures into a story on a subject of their choosing.

Platform: Accessed via the web interface and platform independent

Cost/Licensing: Free

Age Group Suitability: Upper Secondary

Explanation for inclusion:

This resource relates to the sub-area collaborate, share and exchange, specifically, to Learning Continuum Level 6:

Critical Assessment of value

Students become self-directed and active participants and teachers become organizers and facilitators of group communication (Berge & Collins, 1995; Harasim, 1990; Hiltz. 1994; Kaye, 1989 as cited in Grooms, 2003). A collaborative learning environment encourages the participation theory (Rogoff, 1994). Students learn information when collaborating with other students, to complete activities with connected purposes and practices of the community (Rogoff, 1994, p. 211).

Concerns include the use of social networks, which limits use to Upper Secondary and needs school internet security options to allow access to social network sites.

References:

Grooms, L. D. (2003). Computer-Mediated Communication: A vehicle for learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4(2).

Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. Mind, culture, and activity, 1(4), 209-229.

Skype

Communicate with ICT

Learning Continuum:

collaborate, share and exchange

URL: https://education.microsoft.com/skypeintheclassroom

Description & Purpose: Skype in the classroom is a free website that helps connect and collaborate with other educators and students; find and engage with experts from a wide range of fields; and share and promote Skype lesson ideas and resources.

Platform: Accessed via the web interface and platform independent

Cost/Licensing: Free

Age Group Suitability: Secondary

Explanation for inclusion:

This resource relates to the sub-areas collaborate, share and exchange, specifically, to Learning Continuum Level 5:

Critical Assessment of value

Teachers create authentic, open learning communities where students can discuss a wide range of real-world topics and collaborate with other students, teachers and experts around the globe, instead of discussing pre-assigned topics with their classmates (Bonk, 2009; Brown & Adler, 2008; Downes, 2005 as cited in An & Williams, 2010). Connectivism allows for an 'amplification of learning, knowledge and understanding through the extension of a personal network' (Siemens, 2014).

Concerns include unblocking of Skype and purchasing video camera and external USB microphone (if web cam low quality and built in microphone results in echoing or feedback). A projector and external speakers required if all students invovled so students can see and hear better during the Skype session.

References:

An, Y. J., & Williams, K. (2010). Teaching with Web 2.0 technologies: Benefits, barriers and lessons learned. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 7(3), 41-48.

Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.