Gifted 2.0: Social Bookmarking

What is Social Bookmarking?

Social bookmarking involves saving bookmarks on a site rather than a web browser and sharing these publicly online. This is done by setting up an account with an existing social bookmarking site such as del.icio.us, Diigo, Google Bookmarks, Livebinders, ZooTool, and Symbaloo. With most of these sites, users are able to:

1. Create bookmark lists, which can be sorted by category or topic. This makes it easier to retrieve or find them later on.

2. Import existing bookmarks from one’s web browser. This is a good strategy to back up all your bookmarks and to have access to them from any computer.

3. Export bookmarks saved on one bookmarking site to another (i.e. From del.icio.us to Google Bookmarks or Diigo). This is recommended as backup because there’s no guarantee that a site will be around forever.

4. Cross-post between two sites (i.e. between Diigo and del.icio.us). Again, it is recommended to back up any bookmarks across sites just to be sure.

5. Set up a free educator account, where teachers are able to set up student accounts.

Just as blogs connect people to what others write, social bookmarking allows for people to see what others read (Richardson, 2006). Social bookmarking is very collaborative in nature. Its labeling and tagging features offer a convenient way to keep track, organize, retrieve, and share bookmarks with others (Eckstein, 2009; Witt, 2009). Also, several social bookmarking sites have groups that one can join to connect with other users on that site. If you come across a link that you like, you have the option of connecting with the user who posted that link by joining their group or adding their bookmark lists or links to your own lists. In this context, social bookmarking creates a community of researchers (Richardson, 2006).

Application

Social bookmarking can be a valuable tool for the gifted classroom. The most common use of social bookmarking can be found in research type projects, where students can gather, label, and organize links that they come across during their research. However, there is much more to social bookmarking. In order to push students to higher order thinking, particularly in evaluating, teachers can have students compare and contrast links that were bookmarked by different groups or individuals on any given topic. Students can explain their reasoning for saving that bookmark and why they felt those were important resources.

Here are other project ideas that incorporate social bookmarking:

1. Service Learning Projects- Students can compile a list of community resources to help plan or organize a service learning project.

2. Career Exploration- In researching a profession or career students can gather sites that outline career options and schools, universities, or resources pages that outline the preparation required for these.

3. Independent Research Projects- Students can gather their own resources for a particular topic and share or compare bookmarks with other students with similar interests.

4. Favorite Classroom Sites- As a class, students can collect bookmarks to gaming, puzzles, or other favorite sites that they visit during class. This list can be embedded on a class blog or site to share with parents and the global community. This list also provides access to the sites when students are not in school.

Resources



7 Things You Should Know about Social Bookmarking (PDF Document)

Webtools4u2use: Social Bookmarking

Livebinder on Social Bookmarking in the Classroom

How to Share Links with Students
Cybraryman’s Social Bookmarking Page

Educational Origami Starter Sheets (For Diigo and Delicious)

Using Social Bookmarking for Differentiation

Social Bookmarking Roles (Shared by @tcash on Twitter)

Educational Origami: Social Bookmarking Rubric

References

Eckstein, M. (2009). The Gifted Kids Network: 2008 Pilot. Gifted Child Today, 32(2), 20-28.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Witt, D. (2009). Strategies for the tech-savvy classroom. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Your Invitation to Reform Symposium's E-Conference

In a few days, nearly 8000 educators from over 40 different countries are expected to attend a free 3 day virtual conference, The Reform Symposium, #RSCON3. This free award-nominated e-conference is going to take place on July 29-31st, 2011. Participants can attend this online conference from the comfort of their homes or anywhere that has Internet access. This amazing conference provides educators new or currently active on social networks the opportunity to connect with educators and professionals in the field of education worldwide. With over 12 Keynotes, 80 presenters, and 3 keynote panel discussions you are bound to be inspired!

View the schedule to plan which presentations you will attend!
Download the flyer to share with your school!
Watch this Youtube video of January 2011's conference!
See if your school will count this as continuing education credit!
Consider hosting a viewing party!

We would like to thank the incredible organizers- Shelly Terrell, Kelly Tenkely, Chris Rogers, Lisa Dabbs, Melissa Tran, Clive Elsmore, Mark Barnes, Ian Chia, Cecilia Lemos, Jerry Blumengarten, and Kyle Pace- and Steve Hargadon of Classroom 2.0 and The Future of Education online communities for making this incredible conference possible.

We hope you can join us for this incredible professional development experience!

Here is a preview of my presentation, Using Skype in the Classroom.

Gifted 2.0: Wikis

What is a wiki?

Wikis are another excellent tool to collaborate online. Wikis were named after the Hawaiian word wiki-wiki, which means fast (Fitzgibbon, 2010; Richardson, 2006; Witt, 2009). Wikis are public forums where individuals and groups of individuals publish content online. Wikis have many uses across fields. Some corporations have used wikis to manage business documents, information, and team projects, while universities have been found to use wikis for learning and collaboration among their faculty and students (Richardson, 2006). The idea is to create a space where anyone can post, edit, or publish content on a wiki at anytime (Richardson, 2006). Wikis are participatory in nature and offer a non-linear approach to sharing and retrieving information (Fitzgibbon, 2010).While the most people are familiar with Wikipedia, two of the most commonly used wikis in education are wikispaces and PB works.

Application

Wikis provide an ideal platform for online enrichment learning opportunities. They can be created in place of a class website, with pages including assignments, videos, and links to pertinent websites on specific topics (Eckstein, 2009). Teachers can also create student accounts which allow users to add, edit, and share content on the wiki.

Here are some ways to use wikis in the gifted classroom:

1. Publishing Student Work-Wikis can be also used as a virtual space where students both gather information and post products. If a teacher is exploring a specific topic, she can post information on that topic on a page and then designate another page where students can publish or post a research project or findings on a specific topic(Eckstein, 2009). Some examples of products that can be uploaded or included on a wiki include 1) a research report, that was edited and written by a group, 2) a presentation, which can include an Animoto slideshow, PowerPoint Presentation, glog, or 3) a podcast, where students audio record their findings. Google docs can also be embedded on a wiki.

2. Global Collaboration Projects-Several teachers have started projects to connect with other schools globally. The idea behind many of these projects is to have partner schools post information pertaining to their target culture, country, or a specific topic. See the Resources section for some sample projects.

3. More Project Ideas

*Write a book as a class, where each group is responsible for a chapter, and embed it as an e-book

*Create an “All About Me” wiki page where students can include information such as favorites (music, food, book, etc) along with hobbies and interests. This would be excellent for the beginning of the year.

*Participate in a collaborative writing project with a partner class from a different state or another country.

*Create a wiki on a topic of interest which was researched independently. Students can include favorite links, pictures, and (how to) videos.

*Share the findings to an experiment. Upload observations and have partner class try the same experiment to share and compare findings.

*Use the wiki as an online portfolio where students can store and share work samples and reflections.

These project ideas have been modified from Diane Witt (2009).

Resources

Getting Started:

Technology 4 Kids: Wikis- A great collection of resources and video tutorials.

Teaching Tips: Wikis in the Classroom

Cybraryman’s List of Educational Wikis

Wikis in the Classroom- An introduction to wiki uses in the classroom and some class examples

How to Guide for Wikis

Wikispaces Starter Sheet

Wikis in the K-5 Classroom- Examples of elementary classroom PBworks wikis & ideas.

50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom

Projects:

Animals Wiki- Join this wiki to share information on different animals in various languages.

Global Hello Project-Create a page about your school and say hello in your own special way!

Greetings from the World-Create a glog showcasing your city or country and share it here!

Green School Project- Students from around the world are welcome to share their environmental activities in their schools. This wiki explores the impact of global warming and sustainability.

Monster Project- This wiki is a continuation of a collaborative project with several schools, where each school describes one part of the overall monster, and then all schools use the combined descriptions to create monsters to display at their sites. The project aims at building communication skills, creativity, collaborative skills, and writing skills.

Class Wiki Examples:

Grade Two Class Wiki

Mr. Tillman’s Class Wiki- Great example of upper grade class wiki that includes assignments, class updates, and projects.

References

Eckstein, M. (2009). Enrichment 2.0: Gifted and talented education for the 21st century. Gifted Child Today, 32(1), 59-63.

Fitzgibbon, K. (2010). Teaching with wikis, blogs, podcasts & more. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Witt, D. (2009). Strategies for the tech-savvy classroom. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Gifted 2.0: Blogs

What is a blog?

Blogs have grown in popularity over the past few years. Blogs, also known as weblogs are sites where individuals post ideas, articles, or resources on a given topic (Fitzgibbon, 2010; Richardson, 2006; Witt, 2009). Blogs are started by a blogger, the person who writes and manages the blog. While blogs are usually reflective in nature, they also offer the option of sharing links or other resources on a topic. Nowadays, blogs are accessible and fairly simple to start and manage. There are several places to host a blog which include templates and gadgets that can easily be embedded. Some popular platforms include KidBlog, EduBlogs, Blogger, Word Press, and Posterous.

Types of Blogs

There are several uses for blogs in the gifted classroom. Blogs can be used as a reflective learning tool. Here are some examples of blogs that students can post:

Academic Blogs- Students can reflect on topics or strategies that were learned in class. With these types of academic blogs, students can discuss their reactions to a literary text or character, solutions to problems in the environment, or even alternate approaches or solutions to equations in mathematics.

Reflective Blogs- Students can treat their blogs as an online journal. With this approach, students can choose their own topic to blog about, such as their favorite day of the week, or write about a preselected topic. Teachers may also allow gifted students to write their stance on controversial issues or current events that deal with the environment, politics, or society, all of which are topics that can be of interest to gifted learners (Witt, 2009). Blogging about these topics gives gifted learners the chance to develop voice and take a stand on an issue.

Classroom Blogs- This type of blog showcases what students have accomplished in the classroom. Pictures, videos, and other technology projects can be embedded and uploaded on the blog for parents, families, the community, and even the world to see! To engage students in this process, they can be in charge of writing and publishing the content of the class blog.

Issues to Consider

Parental/Guardian Consent- Before setting up any kind of blog, it is recommended to obtain parental/guardian consent for uploading student posts, work, pictures, or other media. Many school districts issue and require this consent through publicity and technology use forms, but it is wise to double check with your school district or create another permission form specifically for your class.

Internet Safety-Before your students start to blog, it is important to review some guidelines to protect their identities. Personal information such as full names, age, home or school addresses, phone numbers, and email should not be shared on blogs. Many class blogs I have come across only allow students to use their first names or create a pseudonym.

Netiquette- Before students begin to blog, rules of netiquette (internet etiquette) along with certain academic standards and guidelines should be discussed and set. This is especially important if you plan on creating an academic or reflective blog. Other issues such as cyberbullying and appropriate content should also be discussed.

Interactive Features- Widgets like cluster and revolver maps show where readers are from while other gadgets like Shelfari (virtual bookshelf) allow for teachers to add books that students are reading or have studied. Links to other class blogs and favorite learning websites can also be added. By adding these widgets and gadgets, the classroom blog can act as an interactive classroom site for students, parents, and the audience.

Group vs. Individual Blogs- If you opt for an academic/reflective type blog, another issue to consider is whether to create a group blog or have students create their own individual blogs. I have come across examples of both and it is ultimately up to the teacher to decide which type will best meet the needs of her students and be more manageable. It is recommended to use blogging platforms where the teacher manages and approves all student posts before they are published and have settings to monitor comments as well.

Resources

Here is a list of resources that can help you get started and offer ideas for classroom or student blogs:

Blogging with Elementary Students-Look under the “Downloads” section for units and tips on how to start and manage student blogs as well as prepare students for blogging and commenting.

Blogging LiveBinder-Compiles several resources on how to get started, tips, along with student samples and projects.

Blog4 Edu-This wiki offers a great collection of resources like video tutorials for getting started, sample permission forms, and internet safety tips.

Cybraryman's Blog Site--Another excellent collection of resources for student, class, and teacher blogs.

Teacher's First Blog Basics--This site introduces blogs and offers ideas for the classroom.

Creating Effective Blogs-This is an excellent blog that provides a collection of video tutorials and resources on how to create a blog.

Blog Soup Ideas-Great prompts for Gifted learners!

58 Interesting Ideas for Class Blogs

Student Blogging Challenge

References

Fitzgibbon, K. (2010). Teaching with wikis, blogs, podcasts & more. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Witt, D. (2009). Strategies for the tech-savvy classroom. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Gifted 2.0: An Exploration of Web 2.0 Tools & Their Place in the Gifted Classroom

With the push to integrate more technology in the classroom, many educators are starting to take notice of different tools to use with their students. As we start integrating more tools, we also introduce students to different learning environments and 21st century learning skills. Further, these tools fit perfectly into the gifted curriculum, where project-based learning, collaboration, and creativity (among other skills) are encouraged. For the next few weeks I will share several tools that I have researched and utilized in my own classroom. In addition, I will offer some project ideas in hopes of starting a dialogue of how you are using Web 2.0 or other technologies in your own classroom.

Skype Jobs in the Gifted Classroom

I finally took the leap this semester and assigned Skype jobs. I came across the concept of Skype jobs through Silvia Tolisano’s Langwitches blog. With Skype jobs, all students have a role. Whether it’s being a greeter, summarizing the chat, or recording the session, every student has his/her own responsibility. This concept inspired me so much that I decided to try it with my fourth graders. And let me say, it was an awesome experience.

The mere mention of having a job was something that immediately sparked interest in my students. They were thrilled at the thought of being in charge of something and knowing that they contributed to the chat. Instead of sitting back and waiting for me to tell them when to talk or waiting to talk at all, they now had a roadmap of what was expected.

The topic of our chat was very unique for gifted learners as well. Both classes were responsible for sharing and solving Rebus Puzzles that we researched prior to our chat. Here is a snapshot of the jobs and sequence of events for this particular chat:
1.Greeter- Responsible for answering the call, greeting our partner class, and having our class introduce themselves.
2.Speaker A- This student introduced how to solve our Rebus puzzles, which were picture based. This student also had to give a few simple examples of these and had the partner class solve them. As the partner class gave guesses, all our students provide clues.
3.Speaker B- This student reminded our partner class of the rules for solving and introduced new elements to the more advanced puzzles. Next, he presented several more difficult puzzles to solve.
4.Closer- After our Q & A session, this student thanked our partner class, said goodbye, and ended the call.

Before the closing, our partner class presented Rebus puzzles for us to solve. These puzzles were very different to the ones we had because they reflected Think-o-Grams, where words are used to show different expressions. My students enjoyed solving these and even appreciated the challenging ones!

Reflecting on the experience, I noticed that we had two students who did not get an opportunity to share their puzzles or complete their job. I did not anticipate this and will plan to have a back-up job for instances like this. Some jobs I am considering adding are having a student take pictures with a digital camera while the other records the session on a flip camera or camcorder.

Culture Day Celebration

I am super thrilled to have had the opportunity to organize our very first Annual Cultural Day Celebration. I have been wanting to put together an event like this for years but never quite got around to it. Thankfully, I teamed up with our Spanish teacher who was willing to help execute our vision. We also had the advantage of collaborating with several contacts at our local university and teachers at our school who were willing to perform.



Culture Day Celebration: The Event

Our Culture Day Celebration involved two parts. The first was to have students research and create a board to reflect a country of their choice. Some students chose their native countries, while others choose countries or cultures that interested them. The goal was to have students share what they have learned or know with their peers and the community. We displayed these boards in the office foyer so that guests, visitors, and the school community can enjoy. On the day of the celebration, we had student volunteers from our local university assist in our board exhibit and had our own students dress up in clothing to reflect their assigned country.


The second component of our celebration included two variety shows. For these shows we enlisted the help of more volunteers to perform either a song or dance from a different country or culture. Our performances included a bagpipe player, an Andean Colombian song played on a traditional flute, and a sing along to Japanese and French children’s songs. The shows also included student performances. Our 6th grade strings students played folk songs from India, Israel, and Jamaica, our Pre-K class danced to La Raspa, a folkloric Mexican song, and our music students led a sing along to the song, Funga a la feeya (in Swahili).

Student Participation

I involved my own gifted students in the planning and execution of the actual event. While the majority of my students completed boards as a group, I selected a few students to assist me in several tasks. My 4th and 5th grade students researched and created a slide show to present each performer. Introductions included a brief country description, which was read, and a slide show that projected a map, pictures of famous monuments or landscapes, and people. My students rehearsed their introductions diligently and made the necessary revisions for these. My 3rd graders assisted in distributing programs to guests and also served as ushers during the event. I had one of my 5th graders record the shows on a camcorder, while my presenters took turns taking pictures of the performances. Throughout the show, I also had my presenters take charge of my laptop, where they changed slides, played music, and lowered and raised the screen. I even noticed one of my students take initiative by adjusting the microphone for another student presenter.

Involving my students served as a valuable lesson for them. It gave them the chance to see how much preparation, work, and collaboration it takes to organize a school-wide event. More importantly, their work was showcased to an authentic audience, which I think was the most valuable lesson of all. Although we ran into some technical difficulties during our show, this helped them handle and solve problems. I was very impressed by their focus and enthusiasm and hope to include this student participation in future events.

Reflection

Overall, the process of planning this event was as much a learning experience for me as it was for my students. I am thankful for having teachers at my school who were willing to participate in the event along with community contacts who also supported our event. My vision to expose our children to different cultures was a success. Several teachers and community members have already approached me about how much their students enjoyed the shows and how excited their children were about completing their boards.