Wikis, Blogs, and Weebly

Over the course of the semester we have looked at a lot of technological mediums to either communicate with our students or other collaborators. We have looked at ways more specifically to either have a class page or have a page to display more information. These sites include blogs, wikis, and even an actual webpage sit like Weebly. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and each offer something new and refreshing.

A wiki has been the most recent thing we have done, and to be honest, I think that this has the most potential out of the three depending on the use. If a class website is in need, I feel Wiki is the best. Simply because it offers more by allowing editing options for anyone. I think this opportunity really makes a wiki extremely beneficial and different from the rest. AS a class website, wikis offers different pages to be used. There can be a home page, to give a brief introduction. This can give an overview of what the website is for and maybe what students (or parents) should do. There can be pages with specific details on educational information or information that pertains to the class and their agenda. Although all of this can be offered on a normal website, the big thing for Wiki is students are able to edit. This means, they can go in and ask questions on the same page as the information. This keeps the information a lot more organized as it all on one page. It allows the teacher to see the question about the information presented, and respond in an orderly fashion. Overall, wiki keeps thing organized because students can present their problems right at the text. They don't have to wait until class or make a post, it all is on one page. I think this is extremely beneficial as it allows organization and may make things easier in order to respond. A Wiki also seems beneficial in that it seems the best medium to have the students make a group project. Again, it seems to be because of the opportunity to edit. Students can get in groups and create websites about some topic. They could work collaboratively, even if they aren't together due to the editing. This makes group projects easier for students and more importantly the parents of those students. Also, when other groups read the website they could offer questions about the material right on the page. As you can see, my big point with wiki is it allows others to edit your site. I think this is a way that Wiki as a "one up" over the other mediums, and is better to use depending on the reason for the site. Mostly, I feel Wiki should be used to present educational information and group projects simply because of the editing.

Recently as well I have been working on my portfolio on weebly. And let me just say, this has been fun! I like figuring out the pages and how to embed things and making it all look professional. I think weebly is a great tool to create a class website that simply talks about agenda or the class itself, or as a tool such as the portfolio we are creating.I feel weebly is a great way to just present and agenda or information about the class itself because it would all be straightforward information. There probably wouldn't be as many questions so a normal discussion would work just fine. I feel the portfolio is beneficial to use on weebly also because I feel that this is the one out of all three that can be made to look professional. This way when you are trying to market yourself as a teacher, your website has a professional feel to it. It may make people look at you in a better fashion, as the professional website is basically a reflection of yourself in your profession. I think this is a way the students can use weebly in class. They can each make a weebly about themselves, their goals for the semester, and their concerns. Then at the end of the semester they can go back in and reflect upon whether they have learned and accomplished their goals. Weebly could also be used to present educational information as well, although I think Wiki would be the better choice due to editing. Overall, I feel weebly is a great way to present information in a well organized manner. There is still room for discussion, although I don't think that aspect would be as utilized as it is in a Wiki. The weebly seems to be a good way to make an organized website to present class information or personal information. It may not have the editing skills of Wiki, but I think it's ability to look professional offers a "one up" if a class website or a personal portfolio needs to be made.

Blogging on the other hand has been my favorite in the PLN aspect (although I think out of these three weebly is my favorite). I have enjoyed blogging because of the opportunity it offers to share new information and to read others thoughts. It is a great way to basically have a journal. I am comfortable writing my concerns and accomplishments as well as anything I found interesting or confusing. I have been able to express myself all semester in areas of technology and education and I really think I have learned a lot from that. I have also learned a lot from reading others blogs by seeing their thoughts, concerns, interests, ideas, or any information they had that was new to me. I think blogs offer something new than the other mediums as a blog has many different posts on a plethora of information. A weebly or Wiki may be to a specific criteria, yet blogs can be just about anything everytime you make a new post. I think this is beneficial as you don't have to decide at the beginning on what the concrete material is going to be. You could simply make it a reflection blog, so it can be about any topic. This seems to be the "one up" that blogs have on the others. Blogs can be used in the classroom as a reading or writing device. Student's could make blogs as basically a journal. It could present concerns, ideas, thoughts, questions, or accomplishments. It could be a great way for students to learn about each other by reading others. The teacher could also make a blog to reflect on what was presented that day. This could clarify any confusing thoughts and maybe show students what were the big ideas from that day.

Overall, I think blogs, wikis, and websites such as weebly are all beneficial in presenting information. They seem to be familiar in that they are used to present information through a medium of technology. Yet, they all have different aspects that make one more beneficial than the other depending on the goal of the project. Weebly seems to be good to use when presenting educational information or for group projects since students can edit with questions or elaborations right on the page. Weebly seems to be beneficial for a professional page about yourself or the class, since the layout options make it look more professional. Lastly, blogs seem to beneficial to talk about a wide array of topics and express feelings. Obviously they all can be used in any of these ways, but they each have their own aspects that make one more beneficial than the others. Overall, I think these three mediums are really interesting, and I cannot wait to use them to present material using technology to my class.