Integrating ICT in Secondary

Gail Butler

Macmillan teaching training 2010

What do you know about …?

Blogs

Wikis

Podcasts

What is a blog?

Blogs …• A blog (a web log) is a type of website usually

maintained by an individual as a ‘news centre’ or personal diary. It can involve a whole range of media including graphics, photos, audio and video links and links to other websites. Blogs also frequently contain written texts and comments.

• Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as personal online diaries.

• The ability for readers to leave comments on many blogs is an important feature of these websites.

• The word ‘blog’ is generally used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb ‘to blog’ meaning ‘to maintain or add content to a web log.’

So…how does a blog work?

BLOGS in Plain English …

Blogs in Plain English …

So …let’s look at a selection of web logs or blogs …

A teacher’s marks

http://ateachersmarks.blogspot.com/

First grade tips and treasures

http://firstgradetips.blogspot.com/

Some class blogs …

Inés workshop of English http://inesworkshop.blogspot.com/

Splash in! http://petras2.edublogs.org/

Enjoy learning English http://enjoy-learningenglish.blogspot.com/

And of course, mine …

Gail’s example blog

http://gailsexampleblog.blogspot.com/

To summarise ...

• What is a blog?

• How does it work?

• What uses of the resource can you envisage in your classroom?

• How would you use a blog with your pupils (or not)?

What is a wiki?

Wikis …

• A wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of an infinite number of interlinked pages.

• Wikis are powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative websites.

• Most wikis serve a specific purpose and off-topic material is regularly removed by the user community. Such is the case of the collaborative encyclopedia wiki, Wikipedia.

• ‘Wiki’ is from the Hawaiian word meaning ‘fast’. The wiki was first created by a man called Ward Cunningham.

WIKIS in Plain English …

Wikis in Plain English

Some wikis …Wikipedia:

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Dinosaur wiki:http://room2-wiki6.wikispaces.com/

Adams Middle School:http://adamsnews.wikispaces.com/

Bergman science:http://bergmannscience.wikispaces.com/

And some more …

Barnwood geography:

http://barnwoodgeography.com/default.aspx

6th grade remedial work:

http://6thgrade-07.pbworks.com/

Collaborative hockey story:

http://room4-wiki.wikispaces.com/

If you’re interested I suggest the easiest starting point is …

http://www.wikispaces.com/

What is a podcast?

Podcasts …• A podcast is a digital audio or video file that is downloaded over the Internet

through web syndication.

• Web syndication is a form of broadcasting in which website material is made available over the Internet without going through a broadcasting network. With the correct software, anyone can create and upload a podcast to the Internet. It is no longer the domain of official broadcasters!

• You can ‘sign up’ for new podcasts over the Internet through using a a RSS web feed which notifies you when new podcasts of interest have appeared on the net. You need a functioningnews reader account to do this.

• Special software known as podcatchers (eg iTunes, Zune, Juice, Winamp) can also be used to automatically identify and automatically download new podcast files on to your computer or other Internet device when they are released (and so saving you the job of going online and checking what is new in your podcast in-box!)

Let’s looks at some podcast sites …

The Education Podcast networkhttp://epnweb.org/

Breaking news English:http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

PIE (Podcasts in English):http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/index.shtml

BBC Talk about Englishhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/tae/

Liquid gold (learn with PIE)

And more …

British council:http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-podcasts.htm

English through stories:http://www.englishthroughstories.com/scripts/scripts.html

Living English:http://australianetwork.com/livingenglish/

Conversations in English http://englishconversations.org/

Happy …

Thank you!

Air pressure demo (Air has mass)