Reflection Task 1: WEB SPACES

Reflection Introduction 👩

Welcome to my online blog.  Before we move any further, feel free to access my publications below:

• My Website - Google Sites
• Week 1 Reflective Blog - Blogger
• My Wiki - Microsoft Teams Wiki

Overview of Google Sites

So far within this course I have been learning how to use various forms of ICT.  This has been quite daunting to me as my relationship with technology is quite strained!

I have engaged a lot with Google Sites in making my own website as I see a lot of value for this within the classroom.  Google Sites is easy to use and customize and as such, a very valuable resource.  Starting from the homepage of Google Sites, a new site can be created with the click of a button and can either be blank or with a pre-set structure.  Customization is simple with pre-set or custom themes.  This can be enhanced with pre-set layouts or the manual addition of easily selectable components with each section able to be moved around the site using a drag and drop technique.  From here, adding or modifying text can be done by clicking on the location the text and typing.

A benefit of Google Sites is that it is intertwined with other Google functionality such as Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Slides.  This  allows for the easy insertion of any media such as photos, presentations, or videos.  To upload the image, you simply click on the insert image option in the right-hand menu.  To insert a PowerPoint presentation and video however, I found that I needed to first upload these to Google Drive and then insert them into my webpage.

As is visible from my website (link), I selected a pre-existing template however modified it to suit me.  I uploaded a photo of myself to my website and created and inserted a background. 

I uploaded an image, PowerPoint presentation and a short video into my website, each describing how to upload the individual media type.  

I am by no means proficient at using Google Sites however I am made significant improvements since undertaken the course and will continue to learn and develop.

 

Use of Web Spaces for Education

One of the things that was reinforced to me during the pandemic was the importance of suitable and effective online learning platforms.  This was also confirmed in the article "Strengthening online learning when schools are closed" published by OECD in 2020.  Whether they be used to deliver content wholly or as more of a support for student learning, online learning platforms, particularly websites, should be a bigger focus within education.

Google Sites

Google sites are a valuable tool as they are not only accessible by a large audience, but they are also customizable, provide a platform for student discussion amongst peers and professionals, can be contextualized to individual student’s backgrounds, culture and interests and can also offer differentiated support through the provision of additional online resources (for additional support or for student extension) if required.  I found all digital media tools very easy to use and feel that anyone with a basic level of Microsoft Office experience (Word, Excel, Publisher) should be able to navigate through the various formatting tools.

I believe Google Sites provides a valuable platform for teachers to present information to students, embed images, documents videos and presentations and link other websites for additional support.  Given that the functionality of Google Sites is so simple, many teachers will be able to quickly familiarize themselves with and utilize this tool.  If used effectively, Google sites can provide students with access to course resources, content/theory and be an avenue for support.

Online Blogs (Blogger)

Blogs, such as those by Blogger, are also a valuable tool for students and teachers.  Students are able to personalize their Blogger blogs which will enhance engagement.  Blogger also allows the input of not only text but also photos and videos.

By engaging with blogs, students can communicate with peers, the teacher and professionals.  It provides an avenue for students to gain further information, clarify content, seek help, support the learning of peers through the provision of feedback and also reflect on their own learning.  This tool would also be valuable to me as the teacher as I can gain insight into the students' minds, viewing their thought processes and assessing their understanding of content.  This can then inform future lessons - offering additional support of extension where required.

Wikis

Whilst I am less familiar with wikis, from my research I understand that they have value in situations where multiple parties wish to contribute to the one document.  This could be useful in group work where a range of students wish to contribute to a shared project.  The editing options in the bar above the text allow for simple text modification and the insertion of images, tables and links.  Creating a wiki was a simple process of selecting ‘wiki’ from a range of options.  A box prompts the creator to enter the name of the wiki and any addition/editing of text just requires the author to click on the location and start editing.  

I practiced creating a Wiki using Microsoft Teams (link) and found it very simple to use.  It was all very easy.  I also found it very easy to comment on other Wikis.  In my times practicing, I accidentally incorrectly modified a wiki but with the assistance of google was able to recover a previously saved version.

SAMR Example

Substitution - Read document by opening MS word file from email

Augmentation - Use google dictionary to define unknown words

Modification - Annotate document by using 'review' function in MS word

Redefinition - Utilise interactive iBook to ready information

Security and Privacy

Each site mentioned above comes with its own security and privacy options as outlined below.

Google Sites allows the author to control the audience of the website.  By modifying the 'Visibility of Sites' the author can select to either permit all users in the domain to search and edit the site or they can set the site to private and limit the visibility. Note: I was unable to do this on my own Site as I did not have an administrator account.

Blogger allows the author to select permissions regarding reader comments (allow/do not allow, show/hide).  This functionality offers the author the option of making the site multi-author in the sense that blogs can be commented on.  Through the Blogger settings, it also allows to author to select the visibility of their blog and the permission level.

Wikis are multi-author platforms allowing multiple people to work on the same document (wiki).  The level of privacy can be modified in the wiki which gives the author some control over the people who can view and share the content.  The author is also able to manage their ‘team’ or group of people who have access and can modify their wiki.

Legal, Safety and Ethical Considerations

Whilst the internet/technology can be a valuable tool accessible at our fingertips, there are a number of considerations that must be made to ensure the legal, safe and ethical use of such tools.

This includes considerations such as:

• Social and ethical protocols to be followed when using ICT
• Recognizing intellectual property of others and knowing how to correctly use this information (referencing).
• Utilizing appropriate storage
• Personal security of digital information
• Communicating and sharing information safely
• The use of ICT within broader society (ACARA, nd)

As a teacher, to support the ethical, legal and safe use of ICTs I will:

• Educate students on the importance of correctly referencing information, images etc and enforce this within class work and assessments
• Outline the value of ICT in broader society.
• Protect students from harm by educating students about cyber-bulling and online predators and having a zero tolerance towards any sort of similar behaviors from students.
• Model and support legal and ethical practices in my teaching and demonstrating of ICT.
• Educate students on personal security and privacy.
• Educate and model the correct storage of digital resources.

By reading the lecture notes, I was also provided with the following valuable websites which I will use in my teaching career.

Queensland Government Cybersafety in Queensland Schools 

ACARA - Learning Continuum of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability (v8.4) 

References

ACARA. (n.d.). Learning Continuum of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability (Version 8.4). Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/learning-continuum/?isFirstPageLoad=false&element=Applying+social+and+ethical+protocols+and+practices+when+using+ICT&level