Technology Evaluation of Web 2.0 Tools for Education

This week I worked in a group to evaluate 5 educational technologies based a Web 2.0 Technology Evaluation rubric the class created as an assignment in week 2. I chose to evaluate Blogger and Bookemon.

Blogger

http://www.blogger.com/

Description

            Blogger is a Web 2.0 course delivery technology that is free and easy to use. Blogger is user friendly and is very easy to set up. It is a social networking tool that can be used by students and teachers for sharing, reflecting and collaborating with one another and a larger audience if desired. Users have the ability to create posts that can include text, images, video and audio.

        Blogger can be used to design a whole course or for an occasional student activity. Blogger is an exceptional tool for students to use as a portfolio to promote student growth and also promote active student learning by having a collection of their work and the ability to analyze and assess their own progress. Blogger is an easy Web 2.0 tool and will be a great addition of technology to the course as a tool of communication for projects.

Evaluation Rubric

Technology Evaluation Rubric	Answers/Comments
User Friendliness: Will learning to use the technology get in the way of the learning goal?	Once the accounts are set up on Blogger, students can navigate the site easily after a brief demonstration.
Accessibility: Can students access the technology at any time/place?	Yes, Blogger can be accessed on the web and there are apps for smartphones, and tablets.
Collaboration: Are students able to connect with peers/teachers and share ideas?	Students can collaborate in group blogs and/or comment on others blog.
Differentiation: Can this technology be adapted to meet the individual needs of each student?	Yes, the assignments, questions, and interactions can accommodate various needs.
Curriculum Correlation: Do the lessons presented align with the curriculum?	Yes, the lessons and questions are created by the instructor to align with the curriculum.
Engaging: Will the technology keep the students engaged?	Yes, Blogger will keep the students engaged by the students creating and posting their blog post and commenting on their peers blog post.
Finished Product: Does the technology result in a dynamic product that can students can easily save or share? What kinds of finished products can your students produce with the tool/technology to demonstrate they have mastered the content?	Yes, Blogger provides a finished product that is stored online that can easily be saved and shared. Blogger provides a finished product students can look back to reflect on such as an eportfolio.
Hardware: Is any special hardware required? If so, how much does it cost?	No special hardware is required. It is a web based 2.0 tool that requires internet access.
Technical Support Considerations: Is technical support provided by the vendor? How much will support cost? Will it work on your school's network?	Yes, Google provides technical support for Blogger. Support is free. Blogger should work on schools network under Google.
Advertising: Is the site free from advertising or have school appropriate advertising?	Yes, while working in Blogger it is free from advertising.
Cost Efficient: How much does the tool/technology cost? Is this cost a one-time fee or is it a recurring cost? Who will pay the cost?	Blogger is free.
Security and Privacy: How does the technology/tool protect information and privacy of its users?	Blogger provides privacy settings to keep all personal information of the user from the public. Student blogs will be set to private and only peers will see their posts. Students will be assigned usernames and will not publish their names online.

      

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Free
• Control over privacy settings.
• Allows the students and teacher to collaborate and share ideas.
• Provides the students that are shy an easier way to express themselves.
• Videos, images, audio,graphics, widgets, and many other types of technologies can be added to and published in the blog so the student can be creative.
• Help students develop a sense of audience, voice and ownership

Cons:  

• Lacks the educational support and features of Educational Blog sites such as Edublogs.
• Monitor to make sure security guidelines are followed.
• Getting all the students set up to ensure the proper security setting would be time consuming but if you are needing a free program it is worth it.
• Students must have a  Google email address to access Blogger.

Brief Demonstration

http://englishblog303.blogspot.com/

Instructional Activity

Newspaper Article Project

Students will work in groups to create a newspaper article from the 1850-1860 time period that informs an authentic audience as well as the class about the Underground Railroad, the major figures, social issues, and slavery that led up to the civil war. Each group will choose different topic as their focus.  

Students are to learn about the major figures of the Underground Railroad, its purpose, the social effects, and the risks that were involved. The research plan will consist of students conducting research using internet searches, texts, documentaries,  and sources in the library to find information on major figures involved, runaway slave advertisements, and other relevant information for the topic.

Each group will contribute to a team blog and collaborate to create the groups newspaper article. The class will view and discuss each group's newspaper article.

By students using Blogger to publish their writing assignments they can be assessed online and help save the environment also since no paper will be used. The teacher can simply leave a comment for the student. I personally would use Blogger for writing assignments that are more focused on the thought process than technical writing.

Bookemon edCenter

www.bookemon.com/educator-home

Description

Bookemon edCenter is a safe and secure place where students can write, illustrate, and publish their creative writing projects. Educators can create individual student accounts without a student email address. Students can create projects individually or collaborate as a small group or class. Bookemon edCenter is a Web 2.0 tool that can be used by students and teachers for sharing, reflecting and collaborating with one another and a larger audience if desired. Bookemon edCenter provides clipart free to use, and students illustrations can be uploaded. Bookemon offers online and mobile apps to create quality hardcover and soft cover printed books for a low price. Bookemon provides free eBooks for student created books and can be read for free online to share with family and friends. Educators can use Bookemon to motivate students to share their writing by having the ability to be a published author. Educators have the ability to create class projects, homework and class yearbooks within the Bookemon edCenter.

Evaluation Rubric

Technology Evaluation Rubric	Answers/Comments
User Friendliness: Will learning to use the technology get in the way of the learning goal?	Yes, After a brief demonstration students can easily navigate the software.
Accessibility: Can students access the technology at any time/place?	Yes, students can access the technology on the web,  and using Bookemon app students can access Bookemon on mobile devices and tablets.
Collaboration: Are students able to connect with peers/teachers and share ideas?	Yes, students work as individuals, small groups, or whole class projects.
Differentiation: Can this technology be adapted to meet the individual needs of each student?	Yes, the assignments, questions, and interactions can accommodate various needs of students. Students type their stories and chose graphics. Students who need help with typing can be paired up with a peer.
Curriculum Correlation: Do the lessons presented align with the curriculum?	Yes, the lessons are created by the instructor to align with the curriculum.
Engaging: Will the technology keep the students engaged?	Yes, students are actively engaged by typing a story they have written and illustrating their story.
Finished Product: Does the technology result in a dynamic product that can students can easily save or share? .	Yes, students use Bookemon to create an eBook of their writing. Other finished products can be poetry books, scrapbooks for the class or special events, and portfolios. When the finished product is completed Bookemon will provide a link that can be sent by email to invite the friends and family to view the students eBook.
Hardware: Is any special hardware required? If so, how much does it cost?	Bookemon is an online tool and no additional hardware is needed unless the eBooks are printed which a printer will then be needed.
Technical Support Considerations: Is technical support provided by the vendor? How much will support cost? Will it work on your school's network?	Yes, technical support is a free service offered by Bookemon. Yes Bookemon will work on the school network.
Advertising: Is the site free from advertising or have school appropriate advertising?	Bookemon offers the option of purchasing printed books that are created but no outside advertising is on the site.
Cost Efficient: How much does the tool/technology cost? Is this cost a one-time fee or is it a recurring cost? Who will pay the cost?	Bookemon is free to use and provides a free eBook of the book the user creates.
Security and Privacy: How does the technology/tool protect information and privacy of its users?	Bookemon does not share any information of the users unless the user chooses. The teacher has control of who can access, join, and comment in the edCenter, The teacher creates the students user accounts which does not require an email.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Free
• Ease of use
• Teacher control over student and privacy settings.
• Secure, private and friendly environment
• Motivating for students.
• Free eBooks of student created books.

Cons:

• Can be time consuming.
• Younger students need help navigating the site.

Brief Demonstration

http://www.screencast.com/t/aNN9xxkptg

Instructional Activity

Creative Writing

Students write an engaging story with a well-developed conflict and resolution, interesting and believable characters, a range of literary strategies (e.g., dialogue, suspense) and devices to enhance the plot, and sensory details that define the mood or tone.

Review narration, plot, theme, description, dialogue, and characterization with students.  

Discuss the elements of a short story such as a clear opening, body, and conclusion, and strong characters.

Discuss favorite movie surprises can help students creativity to develop the surprise in their story.

Create a Story Outline

Students can work in pairs or individually.

Students create a storyline which should include:

• At least two main characters
• Five  traits for each character (at least 3 of the traits should be unusual).
• Setting
• Three  plot events
• One surprise (minimum)

Working in pairs/teams can help students who have a phobia about creative writing get over their fears and talk through their ideas for the story.

Teacher should walk around the room giving feedback and asking questions about the characters and their traits to help students think through the personality of their characters.

Student Writing:

Once students have finished their outline and they begin the writing process, students will write the introduction to their story. Once students have written two to three paragraphs students work in pairs to peer review the story. The peer review will help students discover if their characters are interesting and if the story is off to a good start.

Students will continue the writing process and revise and edit their story.  Continue providing feedback and writing tips as you review each story.

The story should be at least 5 pages and students have one week to complete their story.

Publish:

Students will use Bookemon to create an eBook of the short story they created by using the graphics provided or students can draw the illustrations for their stories. Once the students have typed their stories and illustrated their books it can be saved as a .pdf eBook and printed. There is also an option of sharing the link of each students book with their family by email.