Web Spaces Reflection

 My limited experience in the classroom and in my own studies has given me experience with systems such as Google Blogs, Prezi and WordPress in terms of blogging and presentations. Inside the classroom itself I have also used IT systems such as Kahoots! Which while not related to blogging, I did find to be a fun, interactive game system which engaged students and I was able to use as a form of formative assessment. My primary experience this past week has been with Google Blogger, where you are reading this blog entry. What I have found is a system that reminds me a lot of WordPress, though despite my familiarity with the latter I have found the blogger to be a lot more accessible and easier to format.

Online sites such as blogger can create an easy platform for students to do their assessments, most students would already have a Google account for instance or be able to set one up through their parents. The site allows the option of more than one author, to do so the individual can simply enter the address of a friend or classmate and they will be linked with an invite to join as an author and be granted the ability to post of their own accord. The space is easily customisable, as you can see, I have used the Soho Dark theme and further customised it by removing the image of furniture in place of a classroom, which is more in line with the purposes of this blog.

A preview of the theme I eventually selected.

When using Blogger, it is the teacher’s responsibility that students are producing their own work and adhering to safety protocols. Ensure students are maintaining academic integrity and make sure they accurately reference or link when needed. This ensures students operate under legal and academic frameworks. When using images references or links to those images should also be used. These steps ensure that students act with integrity and protect themselves.

With Google Blogger, if students all have their own blogs it would be difficult to monitor. However, a way around this would be to invite the students to contribute to your blog. With Blogger you can add up to 100 total members including authors. By doing this with your class you can actively monitor and approve or deny their contributions, allowing you to ensure they are using the system the correct way. This can also protect their privacy, as Blogger not only allows you to prevent being found via search engines, but also to limit viewing from public to only readers invited to the blog. This creates a secure, safe space for which your students can do their work online but protects them from the internet and keeps their writing to themselves as a class, unless they choose to publish their work elsewhere. 

A glimpse at the setting of the Google Blogger and how you can invite authors.

A toggle that allows your blog to be visible to search engines, turning this off could help in protecting student safety.

The ability to limit reader access from public to author only prevents anyone not associated with the blog from participating or viewing your students work.

There are pedagogical benefits to working in online spaces. They allow students to practice safe, online learning. In addition, they allow for the develop of ICT capability and the use of autocorrect systems can also help develop and improve literacy over time.

The SAMR model can be incorporated through blogging. The teacher may choose to substitute a lesson written by hand, by providing the same resources to the student digitally. To augment and improve practice they may instead pose a question, which invites students to research and develop their own understanding, employing critical thinking skills in the process. This would be the same lesson but changed to allow for increased technological capability. Modification would entail that the task can only be completed using online capabilities, students could be asked to create a presentation covering a topic of interest, factoring in their ICT capability, and posted in the blog. While lastly, substitution would result in a different task entirely, doing away with the original redefinition in favour of an activity that could only be devised with technological devices being available.

Sites such as Blogger allow for students to engage with online systems in a place which can be restricted by the teacher to maintain their safety and privacy. This gives them a platform to grow their skills and confidence that they will be protected.