I am happy to say that I was correct in why my students had taken so long to 'get started' on their wiki sites: Thanksgiving. It was really nice to start receiving messages with students requesting access to their respective sites over the break. All of the groups have now at least started working on their wikis and while I've only taken brief looks at the sites, they seem to be following my video directions well.
I've had a handful of questions come my way. I use Google Voice to provide them with a text contact number for responses to 'quick questions.' I had three or four questions come my way over the break with questions from students (ok...the same student), asking for clarification about a piece of the content she was including. The nice thing about the Google Voice option is that it allows me to put out small fires while also maintaining a boundary of not giving out an actual phone number (something I am quite certain I will never do.)
Great idea using Google Voice! It also seems like your project is helping them become less technology resistant. Have you had any major issues so far?
ReplyDeleteHi Neil! My class only meets four times during the semester--the rest is delivered online. We met last night for the first round of presentations. One of the comments made by my students was that it was pretty easy. This student also said that the video I prepared helped make it easy but that she also did research to help prepare her for putting the Wiki together. Yay!
DeleteI also had a couple of students say, 'We all have to do this?'
So...win some, lose some?
But to answer your question, I haven't seen any significant problems with people getting their Wiki put together. All of the groups have made pretty good progress with assembling their portfolios. I will take this as a small win in the steps toward helping them with their technological resistance. It can't all be Snapchat, you know!
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I have to say your blog is beautiful. I like how you designed graphics and layout. It is appealing to read and easy to follow.
For your learning activity, I like the way you coordinates Google Voice to the learning activity. I think it is a right tool for quick responses and ease to use. What would you think in terms of the learning ages? Could it be used with any learner ages?
Hi Supada,
DeleteThanks! Google Voice is something that I have incorporated into the whole of the class--for the entire semester. I've had to refer students to email for questions that required a LOT of text response and that was part of the bargain when I opened that up to them.
Google Voice works with anyone with a google account--they don't even HAVE to have a mobile device as the text defaults to email in the absence of using the Google voice account. The key to using this in the classroom is boundaries. They know I do not sit and wait for their texts and that it might take me a minute to respond to them.
That said, I am most comfortable using Google Voice at the post-secondary level. I think that the legal/institutional policy implications for using this with minors could get real ugly real fast. I also think that this could be a gateway to promote parental abuse of the app. All of these are things that I would very much like to avoid.
Melissa