Communication tools for learning in the connected classroom ensures that learning takes place in an authentic real-world environment where teachers prepare the students fo the digitally, networked world. Incorporating web 2.0 tools into classroom pedagogy ensures a learning programme that is meaningul and engaing for todays's 2st centure learners.
In Activity 8a I noted from the project examples I examined that students connected within the school, community and to the global community. They communicated using podcasts, vodcasts, blogs, wiki, VOIP and they created illustrated books, calendars, food stuff, simulations and borrowed garden.
Activity 8b was rather interesting. Our group connected through group e-mail, VOIP using skype and conference using vyew.com. We really had a fairly hard time meeting especially because of personal schedules so we had to make quite a few contacts before we were able to really meet and collaborate. When we met up and were well on our way we had challenges with the internet and we also found because we were not very familiar with vyew we found ourselves going between vyew (the unfamiliar) and skype (the familiar). But we communicated and collaborated and were able to help each other learn a few concepts and ideas, retrieved lost pages on vyew etc. We created and brainstormed about digital storytelling to a mind map. Using digital storytelling tools digital stories were created. See here for a sample story of historical sites around Antigua using one of the resources I analysed and subsequently appropriated.
Using these tools during project could enhance communication by
- Attracting the attention of students and maintaining their interest.
- Helping students to use their creative and analytical skills
- Enabling students to see new concepts and ideas
- Encouraging students to experience worlds beyond their own
- Assisting the students to share/collaborate
- Allowing teachers to reach every child at their level and style of learning
- Providing opportunities for teachers to present complex ideas in a short period of time and at the same time allow students to learn while having fun
- Giving teachers the means of reinforcing concepts, sparking discussions, and helping students to assess their values and themselves.
- Helping teachers to connect students with events that are culturally relevant
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