Here are step-by-step instructions for teachers who are just getting started with blogs, wikis, and podcasts. Use free tools to increase at-risk students' engagement in instruction! VSTE 2009 Free social media tools.ppt

Podcasting How to plan it How to record How to support commenting and other social interaction So why am I doing this? Blogging How to plan it How to create How to support commenting and other social interaction So why am I doing this? Wiki-ing How to plan it How to create How to support commenting and other social interaction So why am I doing this? As you become more comfortable with social media in the classroom

 

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Podcasting

 

How to plan it

 

1. Clearly explain to students what you are talking about when you say "podcasting" by showing the three-minute video Podcasting in Plain English:

http://www.commoncraft.com/podcasting

 

2. Select a purpose for the podcast that will meet your curricular needs:

• introduce something
• explain or clarify something
• make connections between two or more things
• other?

 

3. Demonstrate to students what it will look like to be successful:

http://www.dreamextreme.us/podcast/ and http://www.mschien.com/podcast/ might be good ones to "show."

 

4. Select one day and arrange a lesson around simple learning centers:

• Record responses to a question or set of questions using Audacity (4 computers = 8 students working in pairs)
• File folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Typical worksheet/textbook work such as study guide completion (8 students)

 

     The next class period, have the same learning centers:

• Listen to and edit responses to a question or set of questions using Audacity (4 computers = 8 students working in pairs)
• Continue file folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Continue typical worksheet/textbook work (8 students) 

      Note: Students spend 20-30 minutes at each center and each student can complete all OR teacher can select two for each student and"schedule" students for 45 minutes each day. 

 

5. Always break the recording and production steps into manageable chunks. As you continue to develop lesson plans and coordinate activities that include more than just recording students' responses to questions or prompts that you have written, consider continuing the centers model and creating four days of 20-30 minute activities:

Day 1: Students write a brief (<1 page) script or outline to follow

(This allows them an opportunity to plan what they'll say and create a transcript that can be posted for accessibility!)

Day 2: Students record, listen, revise script and re-record if necessary

Day 3: Students listen, revise script, and re-record if necessary

Day 4: Students comment on their peers' work and respond to comments on their own.

 

How to record

 

• First, try making one yourself. Refer to http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~nshelley/ for a nice guide.
• Provide students with a how-to guide:

- For Audacity (Windows): http://podcasts.psu.edu/pcaudacity (or a less friendly one here: http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Creating_a_simple_voice_and_music_Podcast_with_Audacity)

- For Garage Band (Mac): http://podcasts.psu.edu/garageband 

 

How to support commenting and other social interaction

 

1. Use the principles of positive behavior support to set expectations for interaction (click here for some basics)
2. Provide a good model of how to comment or respond to the podcast
3. Redirect inappropriate and positively reinforce appropriate student comments

 

So why am I doing this?

 

Because it increases student engagement! 

[Also it is a good instructional method that adheres to the other two principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Provide multiple means of representation and Provide multiple means of expression]

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Blogging

 

How to plan it

 

1. Clearly explain to students what you are talking about by showing the video Blogs in Plain English,

http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs 

 

2. Select a purpose for each blog post that will meet your curricular needs:

• introduce something
• explain or clarify something
• make connections between two or more things
• other?

 

3. Demonstrate to students what it will look like to be successful:

http://missbakersbiologyclass.com/blog/2008/02/14/why-do-we-sweat-salt/ or http://students.saugususd.org/dlindsay/weblog/ownedusers/ might be good ones to show. 

 

4. Select one day and write a lesson plan that uses learning centers:

• Journaling and commenting on the blog (2 computers = 4 students arranged in pairs)
• File folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Typical worksheet/textbook work such as study guide completion (8 students)

     

     The next class period, have the same learning centers:

• Write comments as responses to other students' blog posts and answer comments on their blog own posts (4 computers = 8 students working in pairs)
• Continue file folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Continue typical worksheet/textbook work (8 students) 

    

      Note: Students spend 20-30 minutes at each center and each student can complete all OR teacher can select two for each student and"schedule" students for 45 minutes each day. 

 

5. Break the recording and production steps into manageable chunks. As you continue to develop lesson plans and coordinate activities that include more than   just recording students' responses to questions or prompts that you have written, consider continuing the centers model and creating three days of 20-30 minute activities:

 

Day 1: Students brainstorm their entries using prewriting strategies such as webs or outlines

Day 2: Students write and edit their entries

Day 3: Students comment on their peers' work and respond to comments on their own.

 

How to create

 

1. First, try it yourself: http://edublogs.org/ (beware of embedded ads) or other blogging sites that facilitate both teacher and student access
2. Consider starting with one student blog to which all students contribute.
3. As time goes on and you feel more able to "keep the balls in the air," consider individual student blogs. 

How to support commenting and other social interaction

 

1. Use the principles of positive behavior support to set expectations for interaction (click here for some basics)
2. Provide a good model of how to comment or respond to the podcast
3. Redirect inappropriate and positively reinforce appropriate student comments

 

So why am I doing this?

Because it increases student engagement! 

  [Also it is a good instructional method that adheres to the other two principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Provide multiple means of representation  and Provide multiple means of expression]

 

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Wiki-ing

 

How to plan it

 

Clearly explain to students what you are talking about by showing the video Wikis in Plain English, http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english 

 

What you are aiming for:

 

Select one day and arrange the lesson around learning centers:

• Small group discussion with consensus building and adding to wiki (1 computer = 4 students with roles of recorder, timekeeper, facilitator, and encourager)
• File folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Typical worksheet/textbook work such as study guide completion (8 students)

The next class period, have the same learning centers:

• Continue small group discussion with consensus building and adding to wiki (1 computer = 4 students with roles of recorder, timekeeper, facilitator, and encourager)
• Continue file folder games with directions, such as vocabulary review or problem solving (8 students working in pairs)
• Continue typical worksheet/textbook work (8 students) 

 Note: Students spend 20-30 minutes at each center and each student can complete all OR teacher can select two for each student and"schedule" students for 45 minutes each day. 

 

5. Break the group work on the wiki into manageable chunks. As you continue to develop lesson plans and coordinate activities that include more than just having students fill in the blanks on a group work wiki, consider continuing the centers model and creating three days of 20-30 minute activities:

Day 1: Students brainstorm how their wiki contribution should be structured and start drafting the wiki page

Day 2: Students continue to write and edit their entries as a group

Day 3: Students comment on their peers' work and respond to comments on their own.

 

How to create

 

1. First, try it yourself: http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki or http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
2. Consider starting with one wiki page on a single topic to which all students contribute.
3. As time goes on and you feel more able to "keep the balls in the air," consider adding wiki pages on new topics and asking students to contribute to that page both inside and outside of class (not just during face-to-face group work). This is when they will really reap the benefits of using wikis for asynchronous (at different times) group work!

    

How to support commenting and other social interaction

 

First of all, visit http://vb-vste09.wikispaces.com/Sage to see some excellent resources from Virginia Beach teachers. Download the Wiki Roles and Wiki Grading Rubric and consider using these as models as you set expectations for student performance and clarify student roles.

 

Then, consider the basics: 

1. Use the principles of positive behavior support to set expectations for interaction (click here for some basics)
2. Provide a good model of how to comment or respond to the podcast
3. Redirect inappropriate and positively reinforce appropriate student comments 

 

So why am I doing this?

 

Because it increases student engagement! 

 

[Also it is a good instructional method that adheres to the other two principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Provide multiple means of representation and Provide multiple means of expression]

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As you become more comfortable with social media in the classroom

 

When you're feeling VERY self-assured, you may want to start writing lesson plans using learning centers that incorporate several different social media:

 

• Script and record the answer to a question (2 computers = 4 students arranged in pairs)
• File folder games (12 students arranged in pairs) or typical worksheet work
• Small group discussion with consensus building and adding to wiki (1 computer = 4 students with roles of recorder, timekeeper, facilitator, and encourager)
• Journaling and commenting on the blog (2 computers = 4 students arranged in pairs)

 

As you feel comfortable with writing and implementing lesson plans using learning centers that incorporate several different social media, go back and take a look at the purposes of the activities.

• Podcasts can be biographies and other oral essays, answers to questions, clarification of difficult concepts, analogies and other kinds of comparisons, examples of problem solving, how-to guides, and much more!
• Wikis can be group work, encyclopedias,  clarification of difficult concepts, analogies and other kinds of comparisons, examples of problem solving, and much more!
• Blog posts can consolidate prior knowledge, clarify concepts, compare and contrast ideas and items, provide insight into real world application, and much more!

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Susanne Croasdaile (Email me) and Fran Smith (Email me)

Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at VCU