The most exciting thoughts about chapter 9 and the future of Web x.0 tools, I think, is communication. It is amazing how far we have came with communication. It used to be that we mailed a letter and it was taken by the stage to the train and then to the next town to be delivered. Now, you can speak to your phone and Siri will text message that and send it automatically to who ever you want and they recieve it almost instantly. We have so many different ways to communicate with students, parents and the community through the Web 2.0 tools, it is hard to imagine how much better it can still get. In the business world we have the opportunity to communicate instantly around the globe so again it is amazing to imagine how much better it might get.
The part of this chapter that I found interesting is the “why is a wiki a useful tool?” section because I really did not know what a wiki was and why it would be useful. I like that students can read and build on each other’s work because it is a collaborative online environment. The use of a wiki would be beneficial in a marketing classroom when it comes to working on group projects for DECA. The group can upload their documents and the whole class could have access to each groups project so they can help each other out by editing and giving feedback. This could be useful in the business world too because a lot of work could be team projects and if someone is out of the office or the team is in different offices, they can still access and work on the project and give feedback.
Thea article I found was a research study focused on investigating the impact of group learning outside of the classroom and which Web 2.0 tools students use to complete these assignments. The study was done in Texas at Texas A&M. During the Fall 2009 semester, a survey was given out to student to determine the technologies used outside of the classroom. The study found that 98% of students had access to high speed internet at home, 89% had their own laptop computer, 90% have their own mobile communication device and 51% have a mobile communication device with internet access. The study also found that 82% of students use email for both personal and academic communication, 66% of student use text messaging for personal and academic communication, and 36% of students use social networks for both persona and academic communication. 81% of students use BlackBoard only for academic purposes. From this it is clear to see which the student would perfer to use, they like having a technology that they can use for academic and personal communication, especially when involved in group work.
I chose this article because we are involved in so much group work and we really do use the technologies to communicate both academically and personally and I though it was interesting to see how it all played out in another state and university.
Moving To Their Own Beat: Exploring How Students Use Web 2.0 Technologies To Support Group Work Outside Of Class Time
One thing from this chapter that I found intriguing was on page 119 where it said that over 30 million user hours are logged each month on Second Life. I sometimes find it fascinating how much time others spend in virtual worlds and with video games. For my EDTL class at Wright State, we were required to sign up for Second Life and use it in our class. I did not like it at all. I do not think the professor used it in the right way because I did not get anything out of it. I found it more frustrating trying to learn how to use it than beneficial. I do see how this could be used in the classroom. though. A virtual world is a great way to get students who are not normally active in the classroom involved. They have the opportunity to speak without actually being in front of people and they can interact with their classmates on a different level with less fear of humiliation and ridicule. Also, in a business education classroom, the teacher could use this tool to help students network outside of the classroom. If they could find business professionals that are logged on, they could chat with them and get real world advice on business topics without having to set up a real meeting. This could also be used on the business side for the same reason. The marketing department could network and advertise to customers through virtual worlds to get their name out and build goodwill.
This chapter was really intriguing, I thought. I loved the part on page 105 that gave examples for the case for digital storytelling. If this is a tool that can bring students out of their shell, more power to the teachers who utilize it. In the business education realm, teachers could use this to demonstrate student understanding, as an assessment tool or to get students engaged in new ways to bring non traditional students out of their shell. In the business industry, if I saw a student post a video about a certain topic in business and they had great ideas and presented themselves will, I would hire them in a heartbeat. Also, it could be fun for employees to make videos to encourage creativity in the workplace.
The key points I got from this chapter were on pages 82-83. The book gave a website (www.ning.com) that is used for developing your own social network. Before reading the chapter I saw a lot of questions pop up on twitter asking if it were feasible for educators to create their own social networks for their classroom, school or organization. After reading about Ning and going to their website, I think this is something a school can definitely do to incorporate social networking sites into their classrooms. The following was a list of the advantages the book gave to using the sites in a classroom:
- small groups can collaborate on projects
- students can post questions and concerns
- the site can be used to retain teacher notes, videos, podcasts and other class activities
- students who are absent can catch up on work
- access can be grated to families and others to share information
This all relates to the business education classroom. Many times students are working on group projects and this would make it easier for them to collaborate with each other. Also, if students are working on a DECA or BPA project where they are required to work with an outside business, that business or organization could be granted access to the social network and they will be able to easily collaborate and keep up to date with the students. Also, it is a great way for students to give each other feedback and share ideas with each other. This is also a great way for the businesses to participate in community outreach by helping the students.
This is also great in the business world for many of the same reasons. Businesses who are international corporations can have a network for all employees across the globe to stay connected. The site would have to have an automatic translator feature but it is definitely feasible. They employees could then bounce ideas off each other, stay connected and work more collaboratively. This would also be great for a business who is looking to go international. They could connect with a business in the country they are looking to expand to and use it for some market research and get real world answers to questions about regulations in that country.
Social Networks, if used right, could change the education and business world forever.
The key point I took away from this chapter is the many different types of productivity tools. I never realized how many tools are out there for education and the general population. One tool I really liked was YourDraft. This tool could be used for group projects because all students would have constant access to the drafts and paper. In the business environment this could also be used for large projects where employees work together.
This podcast was accessed via iTunes. The podcast was different teachers discussing activities they do on the first days of school and how their students reacted to it. It is important to have a plan for the first day of school and to also be flexible and adapt to the needs and wants of your new students. I think it is important for new teachers to listen to podcasts by other educators that give advice for the first days in order to be successful. The first day sets the stage for the rest of the year so make it a good one!
This podcast stemmed off The Starbucks Experience. In this podcast, the author discussed what it takes to achieve customer service excellence. The main company the speaker discussed was Zappos.com, a company who goes above and beyond customer service. The speaker discussed how Zappos.com tries to wow their customers through heroic customer service initiatives. The speaker says that their extreme customer service expectations and action do not make customers more loyal. This is very applicable to business careers, especially those interested in entrepreneurship. Those interested in that career will definitely be looking at what it takes to build customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. This is definitely a podcast for aspiring entrepreneurs.
http://drjosephm.podbean.com/
Podcasts and vodcasts have been around for decades but are becoming more and more prominent in the classroom. The book states that when students use podcasts, they can demonstrate understanding of material, present research and express their points of view. For a business education classroom this can be very beneficial. There are so many important concepts in business and marketing and if students have different ways to demonstrate their understanding of the material, the more sure we can be as educators that our students really are grasping the content. The students can also listen to podcasts that businesses put out to gain knowledge and understanding of the topics. Also for other assignments, we could pair up with businesses that use podcasts and have the students do projects that analyze the effectiveness of the podcast and give feedback to the business. This would benefit the students and the businesses. The more technology we can incorporate into the classroom, the better for the students and future of the community in which the students are active citizens.
I think the idea of teachers being connected on sites like Twitter is great. Most teachers have smart phones that are connected to their Twitter accounts so they are having instant access to tweeting and receiving other teacher’s tweets. This can be helpful for getting instant advice and ideas on what to do. Say you know your lesson will run short and you are just coming up with a blank for a class activity to keep the students entertained; you could tweet to your peers and ask for ideas and will most likely get an instant response from someone. I think the same is true for the business world. If you have an idea you want to share to see what the feedback would be like, just tweet it. Or, if you are coming up short on ideas you can tweet and ask for advice. Twitter can be a powerful tool, if used correctly.
I think integrating blogs into classrooms for journals and short writing assignments is a great idea. One thing we are pushed to do because of legislation like NCLB is to incorporate core academic standards into our classrooms. Blogs are great ways to get students writing and if they have to comment on other students blogs, they are also reading. As a career tech teacher, you can have students blog about topics related to the course which students are obviously interested in and at the same time be improving other academic standards.