Module 9

Which of these social and professional networking tools could enhance learning, both in my classroom and beyond it, and how?

- Second Life
- Facebook
- Twitter
- LinkedIn

Second Life is a 3D world where everyone you see is a real person and every place you visit is built by people just like you. This definition was taken directly from http://secondlife.com/whatis/. Just from the video I found positive and negative aspects and it is important to address the negative aspects in order to get a positive outcome in learning. I do encourage students to use their imagination and explore their options especially when designing in Textiles & Design. However with a tool so open to the imagination you as a teacher need to monitor and scaffold exactly what the students are able to create and control. 

This could be a great tool to create fashion runways reflecting the hard hours before the show and of course during. I am aware that the student will not be physically using a sewing machine however it caters for a different skill, the skill of creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation are two of many points markers look for in design.

It can be used for school open days to promote subjects through the setting and characters created. For example students can create a kitchen setting and chef to demonstrate what they learn in the Food Technology course. Imagine a primary school student walking into a room and being captivated by the projection of an animated video about Food Technology. Animation is the new real-life!

Facebook and Twitter I am aware of and have been a previous user of both tools. 

Facebook has always been a tool for personal use not educational. Unfortunately it will be difficult to change the context of Facebook for a teenager but I have a solution. EDMODO!! I addressed Edmodo in Module 2 if you want to recap. It functions the same as Facebook but the difference is that it has been introduced to teenagers will an educational context. 

Twitter can provide more flexibility, it can be utilised by students doing the following:
- type questions that can be instantly answered by the teacher. This will maintain classroom behaviour and structure.
- type questions that can be instantly answered by peers. Similarly this will maintain classroom behaviour and structure.
- follow relevant companies, celebrities etc. that are relevant to the subject e.g. jamie oliver for Food Technology.
All of these points can be achieved by creating and storing hashtag (#) codes for particular pages, groups etc. 

LinkedIn is not necessarily a tool for students. Nevertheless it helps teachers keep in contact across occupation, industries and countries. It can effectively help teachers accumulate resources through sharing and use them in the classroom to enhance student learning. 

In summary I initially had in mind which social and professional networking tool could enhance learning and I am guilty to say that I only relied on one tool; Twitter. After this Module I can see benefits from Second Life, LinkedIn and Twitter as they all equally have distinct ways of enhancing learning as stated above. However I have to leave Facebook out of this one only because its been around too long to change teenagers perceptions of its purpose.   

Module 8

RSS Feed? This was the first thing that entered my mind when I viewed Module 8. I have heard of it but never took the initiative to investigate. After reading this Module I have not only learnt about a new Web 2.0 tool but I have also found a way for information to come to me. No more spending endless hours searching for additional information/ resources.

At first I thought what information can I possibly receive in my KLA? I utilised my personal social network aka TAS/VA department, brainstormed and searched for RSS Feeds for:

- taste.com

- Art Gallery of NSW

- Diet & Fitness section by Paula Goodyear in the Sydney Morning Herald

- Whitehouse Institute of Design

- Jamie Oliver 

- Alexander McQueen

They exist!!

Considering that I have a number of Stage 5 & 6 Textiles & Design classes the RSS Feeds that would be useful to me is the Whitehouse Institute of Design and Alexander McQueen. I can receive updates for courses and workshops that the Whitehouse runs and set up excursions or pass on updated information to students that are interested to study Fashion Design. Alexander McQueen is one of many popular fashion designers and following him or any designer can keep myself and my students updated on the release of a collection or general information that can assist students in assessments especially in Year 12 for Major Textile Projects.

Module 7

Social bookmarking not only allows you to save great websites but it also allows you to share with other teachers. The key word 'social' contributes to the continual social network between colleagues and even teachers from other schools. You are not just limited to the websites you have discovered, you can build on with resources you yet discovered. It is similar to seeking an outsiders perspective when working very closely on a project, you may have missed something!

Although blogging maintains social networking, it functions differently to social bookmarking. Thoughts are shared and again may require an outsiders perspective towards an issue, reflection or reference. 

Online communities such as Delicious and blogging can be useful of course in the classroom especially when you want to teach a particular topic with the support of a good website. Simply find your bookmarked website, video etc and its one click away. Yes internet browsers do allow you to bookmark however what if your computer crashes? I have noticed that many of these Web 2.0 tools are resolving the issue of crashing computers. Another great social bookmarking tool is pearltrees. It is very similar to delicious. 

Watch this video about pearltrees.

Module 6

Picasa is an easy way to access and share your images online. The fact that it is online is an advantage in case your computer crashes. Similar to gmail and google docs your information will never be lost as it can be accessed from any computer online.

In terms of a classroom setting it is important that students are aware of the implications when uploading personal photos. It should be strictly for educational purposes. For example in Stage 5 Textiles & Design students can take a photo of their finished products and upload it to Picasa for other students to view each others work or the teacher can view it for marking purposes. For Stage 6 Textiles & Design in particular Year 12, teachers can share albums of the Major Textiles Projects to other schools.

Below is a link for an album I created on Picasa exhibiting Year 12 MTP 2012.

https://picasaweb.google.com/117784451264877850330/MTP2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOyl47W8rYve7gE&feat=directlink