Wikis, Blogs, and Social Networking in the Classroom
Jessica Pater Georgia Tech Research Institute August 25, 2007
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Overview
• Poll • Define concepts and trends • Benefits of using wikis, blogs, and social
networking in the classroom
• Success stories of implementation
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Poll
1. Who has visited Social Networking Sites (SNS) in 21% post daily In months? Weekly? 2002, 12 percent of teens had social 32% of students download 24% upload/post weekly the past 3 30% of students download 42% post weekly network profile(s) ordaily 81% of12% updateweek student shave website(s) music every a visited a movies every week 2. Who posts messages everymonths Daily? 22% post original artwork SNS in the last 3 week? In 2002weekly 25% update of their own NOW 10% upload music 3. Have you downloadedmovies of their 9% upload music this week? 49% 71% Visit themweek have at one timedaily creation every uploaded own creation daily 7% posted weekly 4. Have you downloaded a video – 17 who have pictures;Students ages was 12% in 2002 96% of U.S. % postedthis 9 this week? 17 weekly access a picture this social 5. Have you posted to the internet use week? networking sites WEEKLY 6. Have you updated your website/profile this week?
Today?
National School Boards Association
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What is a Wiki?
• A website or similar online resource which allows
users to add and edit content collectively by anyone who visits the wiki.
• Wiki also refers to the collaborative software used
to create such a website.
• Content on a wiki is only limited by the imagination
of the creator and/or people editing content.
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What is a Blog?
• A Portmanteau of web log • A website where entries are written and displayed;
provide commentary on a multitude of subjects
• Often incorporates images, video, links, and other
media into the text
• Readers have the ability to comment on postings
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History of the Blog
• The trail blazers
• Usenet, early CompuServe, WebEx
• The Next Generation
• Drudge Report, Justin Hall, Jerry Pournelle • LiveJournal, Xanga
• The Metamorphosis
• Social Networking Sites (Myspace, Facebook, Orkut)
and personal blogs
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Trends in Blogging
http://www.alexa.com
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What is a Social Networking Site?
• The "social networking site" is the 21st century term
for "virtual community," a group of people who use the Internet to communicate with each other about anything and everything.
• Members communicate by voice, chat, instant
message, videoconference and blogs, and the service typically provides a way for members to contact friends of other members.
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History of Social Networking Sites
• The trail blazers
• Six Degrees, LiveJournal, Xanga, SkyBlogs
• The next generation
• Ryze, Friendster, Match.com, LinkedIn
• The rise of the titans
• Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Second Life
*Personal social networking sites (Ning)
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Trends in Social Networking
http://www.alexa.com
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Yahoo! Microsoft Network (MSN) Google YouTube Windows Live Myspace Baidu Orkut Wikipedia Facebook Hi5 QQ Rapidshare Blogger Megaupload Yahoo (JP) Microsoft Network (MSN) Friendster Sina Fotolog Ebay Sohu Inc Mail.Ru Google (FR) Google (BR)
26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
163.com Google (UK) Google(DE) Amazon Internet Movie Database Taobao Flickr Google (PL) Google (ES) Passport Photobucket ImageShack Universo TOM Yandex BBC Wretch Onet Skyrock Google (CN) Craigslist Yahoo (CN) Go Google (MX) Dailymotion http://www.alexa.com
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40% of Top Ten 35% of Top Twenty
22% of Top Fifty 23% of Top One Hundred
Future of Social Networking
• 300+ • Mini-sites (Ning)
• Defined by the creator of the site • Less than 30 minutes to create • Less than $20 month – can be free • Thousands in number
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The Web 2.0 Classroom
Learning, Classrooms, Peers, Collaborations, Conversations, Colleagues, Content
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Benefits Within the Classroom
• Read/Reflect/Write • Engages students in conversation and learning • Empowers students • Creates a learning community • Extends the audience for writing beyond the teacher • Allows for instant and continuous feedback • Promotes creativity • Supports differentiation • Encourages further study • Builds technology skills
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Educational Blogs
• Uses: replace the standard class web page,
integration of internet into courses, organization of class discussions, provide summaries of lessons, integrate student work into more accessible forum
• The Journal of Harriet Tubman • World War II • 7th Grade Math
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Educational Wikis
• Uses: easy and quick websites, project
development with peer review, group authoring, tracking a group project, data collection
• Flat Classroom Project • Jerusalem Literature Project
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Educational Social Networking
• Even though social networking is seen by some as a
dangerous prospect within the traditional classroom, there are some valuable (yet limited) ways to integrate them.
• Elgg/Eduspaces • YaHoo! Teachers
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Questions?
We are here to help!
Jessica Pater Jessica.Pater@gtri.gatech.edu
Foundations for the Future www.f3program.org
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