PLEASE NOTE: For the sake of this assignment I have given a snap shot of different kinds of postings rather than making it an accurate example over a period of time. In reality it would be a stream of conversation between two classes where each post is responded to in turn rather than having gaps in the conversation. Some pictures may also require a little imagination to interpret, due to copyright and ethical photos of children concerns.
Context
BACKGROUND OF IDEA
The idea for my digital story telling project came from my current life experiences and past ones. Earlier this year I moved to Dubai and have been keeping in touch with the class I had been teaching via email. In the past as a student my class experimented with having written pen pals to encourage us to learn about letter writing and develop communication skills. Before moving my students and other teachers had a lot of questions about life in Dubai and even the education system; so for this story telling project I decided to build a resource that could work as an exemplar for students or classes to create their own learning blog or pen pal blog to share with other students or classrooms across Australia or the world. Due to only currently working in a casual capacity in Dubai I would suggest a full time teacher or teacher librarian use this resource.
AUDIENCE
Firstly this resource is aimed at upper primary students, years 3-6 and to a lesser extent to support teachers in creating their own classroom reflective blogs. The aim of this blog is to support learning in the English curriculum (ACARA, 2016). Linking with units on journaling/diary writing as well as digital literature. But could also be used to support motivation and reflection in all subjects.
PURPOSE
I deliberately wanted to make this a resource that had a wide range of purposes. First and foremost it is an example of a reflective blog, designed to teach and show students what things they can include and how to write reflectively in a blog or journal format. However, it is also designed to encourage teachers and students to build relationships with other learners in different parts of the world, linking to globalization and humanities. Writing reflectively can also incorporate all subjects as research shows (Costa and Kallick, 2008) that all learners needs to reflect regularly on there learning. For some it is encouraging and helpful to have a friend to bounce feedback on and as I have always believed if you can explain what you have learned to someone else that shows a high level of understanding and deep knowledge about the subject. Quality teaching (DET, 2003) tells us that students should be making real world connections to their learning and by sharing knowledge with real people this makes the task of reflection even more meaningful especially if they too are helping you to learn and teaching you new things about their lives. On another level if this task was implemented within the larger scope of being a pen pal with another student or country it would encourage social skills and help students in this online environment to build meaningful relationships of substance. Finally, as this is an example in the online environment where interactivity would be encouraged it is also an opportunity to teach about responsible behaviour online and how to best communicate in a way that is safe and responsible.
DIVERSITY
This resource is easy to differentiate for student and school needs. It can easily be altered for the students abilities and special needs. The platform used, Weebly (Weebly, 2016), is one I would suggest for student blogging use; as it is easy to use in a drag and drop style but also allows for customization for higher-level students. It is available in app form as well as online. Weebly offers password protected sites and education specific tools (Weebly Education, 2016) that mean teachers can monitor students activity and prevent inappropriate advertising. Weebly is also free for the basic website but there is a pro version available (Weebly, 2016). This resource is also diverse in its ability to be a whole class activity, individual or a combination of the both.
VALUE
This resource would be valuable as it would engage students in reflective process, blogging and sharing their knowledge with those immediately around them in a classroom setting but also abroad in a world were global communication is becoming more and more the norm. It could also show the school community a record of learning throughout the year or even multiple years, becoming a valuable asset for the student to reflect upon as well as be proud of to their friends and family.
The idea for my digital story telling project came from my current life experiences and past ones. Earlier this year I moved to Dubai and have been keeping in touch with the class I had been teaching via email. In the past as a student my class experimented with having written pen pals to encourage us to learn about letter writing and develop communication skills. Before moving my students and other teachers had a lot of questions about life in Dubai and even the education system; so for this story telling project I decided to build a resource that could work as an exemplar for students or classes to create their own learning blog or pen pal blog to share with other students or classrooms across Australia or the world. Due to only currently working in a casual capacity in Dubai I would suggest a full time teacher or teacher librarian use this resource.
AUDIENCE
Firstly this resource is aimed at upper primary students, years 3-6 and to a lesser extent to support teachers in creating their own classroom reflective blogs. The aim of this blog is to support learning in the English curriculum (ACARA, 2016). Linking with units on journaling/diary writing as well as digital literature. But could also be used to support motivation and reflection in all subjects.
PURPOSE
I deliberately wanted to make this a resource that had a wide range of purposes. First and foremost it is an example of a reflective blog, designed to teach and show students what things they can include and how to write reflectively in a blog or journal format. However, it is also designed to encourage teachers and students to build relationships with other learners in different parts of the world, linking to globalization and humanities. Writing reflectively can also incorporate all subjects as research shows (Costa and Kallick, 2008) that all learners needs to reflect regularly on there learning. For some it is encouraging and helpful to have a friend to bounce feedback on and as I have always believed if you can explain what you have learned to someone else that shows a high level of understanding and deep knowledge about the subject. Quality teaching (DET, 2003) tells us that students should be making real world connections to their learning and by sharing knowledge with real people this makes the task of reflection even more meaningful especially if they too are helping you to learn and teaching you new things about their lives. On another level if this task was implemented within the larger scope of being a pen pal with another student or country it would encourage social skills and help students in this online environment to build meaningful relationships of substance. Finally, as this is an example in the online environment where interactivity would be encouraged it is also an opportunity to teach about responsible behaviour online and how to best communicate in a way that is safe and responsible.
DIVERSITY
This resource is easy to differentiate for student and school needs. It can easily be altered for the students abilities and special needs. The platform used, Weebly (Weebly, 2016), is one I would suggest for student blogging use; as it is easy to use in a drag and drop style but also allows for customization for higher-level students. It is available in app form as well as online. Weebly offers password protected sites and education specific tools (Weebly Education, 2016) that mean teachers can monitor students activity and prevent inappropriate advertising. Weebly is also free for the basic website but there is a pro version available (Weebly, 2016). This resource is also diverse in its ability to be a whole class activity, individual or a combination of the both.
VALUE
This resource would be valuable as it would engage students in reflective process, blogging and sharing their knowledge with those immediately around them in a classroom setting but also abroad in a world were global communication is becoming more and more the norm. It could also show the school community a record of learning throughout the year or even multiple years, becoming a valuable asset for the student to reflect upon as well as be proud of to their friends and family.
References
Most images are my own, provided by the website or sourced from Pixabay (a free image source). If they are not they will be referenced in text.
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). English Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
Costa, A & Kallick, B. (2003). Learning and Leading with Habits of the Mind: Chapter 12 Learning through Reflection. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/chapters/Learning-Through-Reflection.aspx
Department of Educaton and Training (DET). (2003). Quality teaching in NSW public schools: discussion paper. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=900e6908-9d43-43f3-8416-a88f4bb3e441%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=uow.b1567156&db=cat03332a
Weebly Education. (2016). Features. Retrieved from https://education.weebly.com/ed-features.php
Weebly. (2016). Features. Retrieved from https://www.weebly.com/features
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2016). English Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
Costa, A & Kallick, B. (2003). Learning and Leading with Habits of the Mind: Chapter 12 Learning through Reflection. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/chapters/Learning-Through-Reflection.aspx
Department of Educaton and Training (DET). (2003). Quality teaching in NSW public schools: discussion paper. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=900e6908-9d43-43f3-8416-a88f4bb3e441%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=uow.b1567156&db=cat03332a
Weebly Education. (2016). Features. Retrieved from https://education.weebly.com/ed-features.php
Weebly. (2016). Features. Retrieved from https://www.weebly.com/features