Week 7

Assignment  #1

Using ADDIE model in Second Life:

This article was very interesting to read, as well as informative. Since I am new to Second Life learning, the information given in the article as it applies to the familiar ADDIE model opened my eyes to an even newer way of learning. It was very insightful on how successful it can be when used in the classroom, as well as its challenges. In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives by a large margin. The Second Life allows the student to step into a whole new, different way of learning. Students can design their own avatars and walk around their own little worlds answering questions set by the teacher according to the ADDIE model in education. Integrating this model is a very important concept to apply, especially in this kind of learning environment.

Multimodal Education:

It is very important for authors to use multimodal text in their books, especially at the younger age levels. At a very young age, plain and boring text does not keep the attention of the students. Authors must think outside the box and ask themselves how their stories must be written in order for their readers to enjoy them, as well as get the meanings behind the story. In order to bring out the true essence of a story, the author can visually stimulate the reader by bringing in some “not-so-traditional” ways of viewing text. I think that this is a great idea for keeping the students interested in the text because it makes them want to find out what other ways will the author make this book more fun to read. This is something that is very important to consider when creating text for students at a young age.

Assignment #2

Since I have never been to Germany, I thought that this would be the perfect time to visit! This screenshot is a picture of me overlooking a park in Germany from a department store!

 

Speaking with some ELA teachers, they have never heard of Second Life, let alone using it in ELA instruction! But they came up with some ways to utilize it in their teaching:

-Since not every student is outgoing, this would be a great way for the shy/quiet students to interact with their fellow classmates without “actually” communicating with them in person. It would be a great way to assess what they learn via text or voice messaging throughout the Second Life program.

-Instead of having students learn in the traditional way of learning by splitting up into groups at their desks, they can log in and talk about the lesson by using their avatars! It’s a great way to communicate and recap the activity at hand via Second Life. I feel that the students would become more involved with their work and take more pride in it if the use of technology was an option. It could also be used as a reinforcement.  For instance, if the student does not complete his/her assignment, then they will not be able to participate in the lesson with their avatar. This will be a new type of learning for them so I think that the students will become highly motivated if this is done in their routine schedule for learning.

Week 6 Edmodo Screenshot

Sorry I forgot to add my screenshot of my edmodo code. Here it is!

Week 6

Week 6

Assignment #1: Article

The article I chose to share is entitled, “Tomorrow will not be like today”: Literacy and identity in a world of multiliteracies by Bronwyn T. Williams. I highly recommend reading this article. It is not very lengthy, so it keeps you attention while explaining how students create their own, different identities than the ones used in face-to-face situations. That being said, it then goes into explaining how students can use online tools effectively for multimedia projects in the fields of reading and writing. Since technology is changing constantly, so should your tools in the classroom. Of course students want the new latest and greatest thing, so why not do the same thing with your tools in the classroom? This article explains how it is important to keep innovating inside the classroom.

http://igenlit.pbworks.com/f/williams%20multiliteracies.pdf

Assignment #2-1:

Both of these articles relate in that it shows that there is a need to integrate technology in the room, but it is limited due to the teachers’ expertise. If the teacher does not feel comfortable using the new literacies and integrating it with the subjects she/he teaches, then the students will not have the opportunity to be exposed to that technological, hands-on way of learning that already relates to the tech-savvy generation of students. If teachers do not take the necessary steps in order to use these strategies, then we are holding back on teaching students to achieve their fullest potential both inside and outside the classroom.

Assignment #2-2: Edmodo

Edmodo Functions:

Planner: I really like the layout of the planner function located next to the home button. It gives you a very easy to read week-at-a-glance format or a month-at-a-glance format that allows you to create new events and new tasks. This tool makes plan books extremely easy to keep up to date and well organized.

Progress: The progress icon allows the teacher to view the progress among the students that he/she adds to the group. Here, you can also give the students the opportunity to earn badges for their work. You can give them ready-made ones by edmodo, or create your own. This is a great motivation strategy and allows the teacher to see the flow of the conversations that go on inside the edmodo site among students.

Library: The library allows the teacher to post links and files for the students to navigate the suggested material effortlessly without being distracted by visiting other sites along their way to do their work. You can also create folders to keep the links organized within topics to allow students to navigate the material with ease.

Assignment: In the assignment function, the teachers allows the students to view their assignments very clearly. The teacher has the opportunity to describe the assignment to the students and choose a due date for them to abide by.

Poll: One of my favorite features of Edmodo is the poll function. You get to survey your students by asking them questions related to your topic. You can ask questions that put the students in characters’ shoes asking if they would do anything different than they did in the story. Or one can set up questions about the class in general asking about specific material. This gives the opportunity for the teacher to receive feedback from the students and make them think outside the box.

How ELA teachers can use Edmodo to enhance their ELA instruction:

Since the students of this generation are mostly tech-savvy, why not use it to provide it to them to develop their skills in the classroom? There are many different ways to incorporate this tool within regular classroom instruction. Teachers have the opportunity to split students up into groups to complete assignments.

Another way that one can use this is to post assignments, due dates, and rubrics right to the edmodo group page. It provides easy access in case there are students that are either forgetful, don’t write down due dates or just like the constant reminder. Along the way, the teacher can post alerts to inform the students of any changes, or just giving them a heads up that an assignment is due next week and so forth. Overall, I think that the use of edmodo could be extremely effective in classrooms if used regularly. It combines social networking with learning, which keeps the students engaged within the lessons and units making them successful in the classroom.