BP4_2009121_Tool#1Ruba

[Image 1. la Cathedrale]

Web 2.0 tool of interest: www.ruba.com

I selected Ruba for my Web 2.0 tool. Ruba is a visual travel guide & tour review site that helps travelers from around the world discover their next perfect trip (Ruba.com, 2009).

In my position as Library Media Specialist, I am involved in collaboration with teachers of most subject areas throughout the year. One of the projects I worked on this past month was with our Foreign Language teachers. The lesson addressed Foreign Language Standards: FL.B.1.4 Culture. The student demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between the perspectives and products of culture studied, and uses this knowledge to recognize cultural practices (Florida Department of Education, 2009).

The project we assigned was for the students to create a travel brochure of a city with a high population of Spanish/Latino speakers in a foreign county. They had to use digital tools to publish a travel brochure and identify major historic, scientific, and/or artistic target culture contributions or events. Suggested items to include in the travel brochure were a map, food, clothing, dwellings, dance, celebrations, places of interests/attractions, accommodations, and entertainment.

Now that I found Ruba, I think this would be an excellent resource for our students to use to create their brochures and will suggest this site to my colleagues. The Ruba website has travel guides, tours, hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The student can search for historic buildings and attractions in their selected city, find a photo to depict this place of interest, add a description, click on add to trip, and then can continue searching for other required information. When finished finding the info, they can click on make a guide and share with classmates in a presentation and/or send it to their email.

The educational benefit of this site would allow students to use digital tools and strategies to locate, collect, organize, evaluate, and synthesize information as well as create and publish a product with curriculum-related content. Ruba could be used in other subject areas as well, such as, social studies.

References

Cassidy, M. (2008). Tours & Tour Reviews, Travel Guides, Places to see - Ruba.com. Tours & Tour Reviews, Travel Guides, Places to see - Ruba.com. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from http://www.ruba.com

La Cathédrale. (2000). [Figure 1]. Plaza de Bolivar, Colombia.

Sunshine State Standards: foreign languages grades 9-12. (2009). Florida Department
of Education. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from http://www.fldoe.org

BP2_2009121_RSSFeeds

[Image 1. Blogging. Retrieved from Dogpile Images.]

These are the five RSS feed I have selected:

1. eSchool News by WebAdmin@eschoolnews.com
2. Tech Savvy Educator
3. The Thinking Stick
4. Teach42
5. Edutopia

I selected eSchool News because it helps me stay informed. eSchool News covers education technology, which was created to keep educators informed of the latest news from legislation to new products. eSchool News also provides valuable resources and ideas for K-20 educators using best practices and technology to improve student learning.

The Tech Savvy Educator blog is great for discovering ways for students to use technology to enhance learning. It’s about sharing knowledge and integrating technology in the classroom. I like the video ideas. Discussions and ideas offer practical ways to integrate technology across the curriculum.

I selected The Thinking Stick due to the content of the blog. I liked the idea the blogger, Jeff Utechit, is a K-12 Technology Resource Facilitator, an educator, consultant, and presenter. I felt I could learn from his expertise. Two of his most recent blogs included topics such as “Custom Google Docs App for your school” and “Discussing Blog Design in 5th Grade.” These topics caught my attention since we learning about blogs and Google Docs in EMDTMS.

Teach42 caught my attention with their most recent blog “Mobiles to Help Learning? High School in UK says OK.” This site also discusses topics on current issues including Second Life, Digital Storytelling, Podcasting, Copyright, Social Networking – all current Web 2.0 tools that impact learning. The host of Teach42, Steve Dembo, shares his passion about finding ways for schools to adapt to the 21st century. He currently works for Discovery Education, another site that I frequent and appreciate.

Edutopia has been a favorite of mine for some time now. The core concepts of Edutopia include: Comprehensive Assessment, Integrated Studies, Project Learning, Social and Emotional Learning, Teacher Development, and Technology Integration. How can you go wrong?

BP3_2009121_EduUses4Blogs

[Figure 1. Blog.]

Blogs are definitely one way to address social learning and develop critical minds. Both Vygotsky and Piaget’s educational theories are addressed when blogs are used appropriately in the classroom (McCray-King, 2009). Vygotsky believed learning was social. Piaget believed the principal goal of education was to create men who are capable of doing things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done – men are creative, inventive, and discovers. His secondary goal was to form minds that can be critical (Ginsberg, 1969).

Keeping the goals of the aforementioned psychologists in mind, there are several benefits obtained from using blogs in the educational setting, including promoting reading and writing habits, enhancing critical thinking skills, introducing Web 2.0 tools, posting of class announcements, rules and assignments, and for hosting interactive online discussions.

The Internet has a plethora of articles addressing the usage of blogs in the classroom. One such article, Blogging @ School, (MSF, 2009) was found on the Mukwonago School District web site and lists these examples of usage:

o • A quick and easy way to share current info with a group about events & ideas
o • Original written creations from students
o • Create discovery logs -students & teachers can post readings, sites, etc. related to units of study
o • Digitize reflection & research journals
o • Part of an individualized education plan (IEP)
o • Create an ongoing weekly review/unit review blog
o • Showcase projects throughout the year
o • Create a blog for clubs/extracurricular activities - posting minutes, photos, & other important info

The Glencoe/McGraw Hill site has a web page called Education Close Up, which lists two additional benefits. They recognize that blogs are:
• Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms
• Powerful tools to enable scaffold learning or mentoring to occur (Crie,2006)

The one concern that teachers often have when implementing something new is how much extra time will this require? The good news is that blogs are simple to create, maintain and use. Blogs offer flexibility and can be accessed anytime and anywhere there is a computer with Internet access. Blogs for the classroom can be managed to allow a teacher to monitor and control over which comments and posts will be accepted and published.

As with most things in life, there are risks to consider and a rubric should be created when using a blog for classroom usage.

I would like to create an ongoing online discussion on the Florida Teens Read 2009 book selections within our school district and have placed a request with my school’s Webmaster for a blog to be considered for my web page. I feel a blog would be a great way to promote literacy, discussion, and as well as a tool to receive feedback from the students on what book they feel will win the Florida Teens Read “Book of the Year.” My school district is proceeding with caution. When it comes to linking to outside sources that might jeopardize students’ online safety and/or cause damage to the computer system, network, and/or software, extreme caution will be taken. While there are many educational benefits, guidelines will need to be established so that the student’s privacy is not compromised. Once a comfort zone is established, I feel blogs will be another avenue for active teaching and learning.



References

Blog. (n.d.) Figure 1. Retrieved on November 27, 2009, from Dogpile Images http://www.dogpile.com/dogpile/ws/results/Images/blogging/1/417/TopNavigation/Relevance/iq=true/zoom=off/_iceUrlFlag=7?_IceUrl=true.

Crie, M. (2006). Using Blogs to Integrate Technology in the Classroom, Education Up Close, Teaching Today, Glencoe Online.
Glencoe.com. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

Ginsburg, H. &. (1976). Piaget's Theory of Intellectual Development: An Introduction. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Books.

McCray-King, S. (2008). Why Use Blogs in Education?. Using blogs in education, 1. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from http://sag595.pbworks.com/Using+blogs+in+education#WhyUseBlogsinEducation

Mukwonago Area School District. (2009, November 11). Mukwonago Area School District. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from http://www.mukwonago.k12.wi.us

BP1_2009121_iGoogleScreenShots

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