Digital publishing is a topic that I have some degree of knowledge in, but as I progressed through the module I realized I still had a lot to learn. The US is constantly trying to find innovative solutions to their education problems. The Canadian system benefits from the innovation of our neighbors to the south. The past few journal entries dealt with utilizing various telecommunications technologies in order to promote learning. This entry will focus on communicating that learning to the world.
I will spend very little time speaking of websites and blogs. These are probably the oldest forms of digital publishing and probably the most used. Some 20 years ago constructing a website required knowledge of one of the computer languages. As the complexity of the languages developed, other software was brought in to simplify the process. As a result there are numerous online website creation sites (like weebly) that provides users with an interface and a simple drag and click model is used. With the software available it is easy for anyone to generate a website/blog.
Digital Storytelling is a concept that I have enjoyed, but never considered the educational implications of the format. Brainshark is an application that I am familiar with and have used on multiple occasions. In my opinion, the basis of digital storytelling is no different than having students write out a story and draw pictures associated with their stories. It is simply taking an exercise that students would have performed in the absence of technology anyways. I see no innovation in it. That does not mean I would not use it in my classroom. The format lends itself well to explaining extra information that may not be central to a discussion. An example of this would be presenting historical experiments that led to the discovery of the atomic structure. The information is not critical and could potentially take up too much class time. Having a digital story around these experiments may allow students to learn the material indirectly.
Flipped Classrooms is a concept that was new to me. I appreciate the fact that both sides of the issue were presented during the module, because I for one was uncertain as to the application of this to a class. I remain uncertain after reading the information. I see the use of these videos as tutorials and not to supplement classroom instruction. This could be because I see my teaching strategies as more conversational in nature. I discuss things with students and not necessarily tell them. Bennett et al. (2011) describes some of the positives associated with flipped classrooms. By having the information sessions done outside the classroom, you can focus on the higher order thinking skills in the classroom. A counterpoint to this was made quite effectively by Nielson (2011) when she stated that students may not review the material when they are supposed to. Therefore, you would end up teaching the lesson twice. Too much effort would have been wasted. Having taught for several years I tend to agree with Nielson. Students that would review the lessons would be the exception and not the rule. I don't see this as being practical. On a side note, I was actually approached by a Kahn Academy contributor to produce some Chemistry videos during my stay in the US. However, time constraints did not allow me to make any.
Overall, I do see a lot of potential in the use of digital publishing as a supplement to in-class learning. Webcast, blogs, and podcasting are all excellent methods to provide tutorial type assistance to students. Infographics is another method that I will try to use in my classroom to demonstrate concrete concepts.
EPIC INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHIC!!!! [click below]
The Scale of the Universe
References
Bennett, B. et al. (2011). The Flipped Class Manifest. Accessed from http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/the-flipped-class-manifest-823.php July 14th, 2013.
Nielsen, L. (2011). Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over the Flipped Classroom. Accessed from http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3379 July 14th, 2013.
Significant Comments
http://nordleeblog.weebly.com/1/post/2013/07/publishing.html?
http://justinbechthold.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/pencil-paper-and-a-whiteboard-is-no-longer-the-status-quo/comment-page-1/#comment-190
I will spend very little time speaking of websites and blogs. These are probably the oldest forms of digital publishing and probably the most used. Some 20 years ago constructing a website required knowledge of one of the computer languages. As the complexity of the languages developed, other software was brought in to simplify the process. As a result there are numerous online website creation sites (like weebly) that provides users with an interface and a simple drag and click model is used. With the software available it is easy for anyone to generate a website/blog.
Digital Storytelling is a concept that I have enjoyed, but never considered the educational implications of the format. Brainshark is an application that I am familiar with and have used on multiple occasions. In my opinion, the basis of digital storytelling is no different than having students write out a story and draw pictures associated with their stories. It is simply taking an exercise that students would have performed in the absence of technology anyways. I see no innovation in it. That does not mean I would not use it in my classroom. The format lends itself well to explaining extra information that may not be central to a discussion. An example of this would be presenting historical experiments that led to the discovery of the atomic structure. The information is not critical and could potentially take up too much class time. Having a digital story around these experiments may allow students to learn the material indirectly.
Flipped Classrooms is a concept that was new to me. I appreciate the fact that both sides of the issue were presented during the module, because I for one was uncertain as to the application of this to a class. I remain uncertain after reading the information. I see the use of these videos as tutorials and not to supplement classroom instruction. This could be because I see my teaching strategies as more conversational in nature. I discuss things with students and not necessarily tell them. Bennett et al. (2011) describes some of the positives associated with flipped classrooms. By having the information sessions done outside the classroom, you can focus on the higher order thinking skills in the classroom. A counterpoint to this was made quite effectively by Nielson (2011) when she stated that students may not review the material when they are supposed to. Therefore, you would end up teaching the lesson twice. Too much effort would have been wasted. Having taught for several years I tend to agree with Nielson. Students that would review the lessons would be the exception and not the rule. I don't see this as being practical. On a side note, I was actually approached by a Kahn Academy contributor to produce some Chemistry videos during my stay in the US. However, time constraints did not allow me to make any.
Overall, I do see a lot of potential in the use of digital publishing as a supplement to in-class learning. Webcast, blogs, and podcasting are all excellent methods to provide tutorial type assistance to students. Infographics is another method that I will try to use in my classroom to demonstrate concrete concepts.
EPIC INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHIC!!!! [click below]
The Scale of the Universe
References
Bennett, B. et al. (2011). The Flipped Class Manifest. Accessed from http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/the-flipped-class-manifest-823.php July 14th, 2013.
Nielsen, L. (2011). Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over the Flipped Classroom. Accessed from http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3379 July 14th, 2013.
Significant Comments
http://nordleeblog.weebly.com/1/post/2013/07/publishing.html?
http://justinbechthold.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/pencil-paper-and-a-whiteboard-is-no-longer-the-status-quo/comment-page-1/#comment-190
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