Web-spaces and classrooms? Can they benefit our students and create 21st century learners?

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What are web-spaces and how can teachers incorporate them in the classroom?

If you asked me my knowledge of web-spaces three weeks ago I would tell you I know how to google something, shop online and I may be slightly addicted to social media but create my own blog or website, no way! Now today here I am writing my second blog post with new found knowledge and amazement about how I will incorporate technology into my classroom in the future.

So if you are like me you might just be asking yourself what exactly are web-spaces and how do they benefit students and teachers in the classroom? There are three main types of web-spaces that can be used in the classroom: websites, blogs and wiki.

The first is websites, let's be real we all use websites daily, who doesn't have an online shopping addiction these days, but did you know that websites weren't always as interactive as they are now. This is because websites are static and viewers can not contribute to the content displayed on a website it is purely there for viewing or interacting with if the website allows.
The second is blogging, blogging allows individuals an online voice, think of it like a digital diary or reflection journal. blogs are normally single-author and publish the authors posts chronologically while also allowing interaction with others through comments and likes.
The third and last web-space is wiki, unlike blogs and websites wiki allows multiple authors to edit the page, think of this as an online butchers paper that allows interaction and each persons thoughts or ideas to be added to the page. This means unlike a blog there is no chronological order users can simply edit the page through erasing, amending or adding.

Now you are caught up with what a webspace is, you might be thinking that sounds great but how does this help students learn? Web-spaces can benefit students learning in many ways previously not possible.

Some of these benefits include:

• Giving students access to alternative resources outside of the classroom
• Allows learner-centred, authentic collaboration and flexibility of achieving a task in variety of ways
• Moves the teacher to become a facilitator no longer just an expert of knowledge
• Learners become creators and publishers of knowledge that can be shared with a wide audience no longer restricted by the 4 walls of a classroom.

Even though there is a multitude of benefits that come with in cooperating web-spaces in the classroom teachers must also be mindful of ensuring students remain safe while working online. It is our job as teachers to ensure that students understand the risks associated with sharing their life online and that we show them safe ways to engage and learn online. Matthew Riddle has a great article showing how communication is vital and it is our responsibility to talk to students about cybersecurity helping kids meet cybersecurity challenges head on.

What I have learnt about blogging so far:

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If you asked me how to blog three weeks ago I would be reaching for the above book, I had no idea! The first challenge I faced was how to create a user-name and what to call my blog. Overall creating a blog is a simple task all it takes is an email address, lucky for teachers all students generally have a school email address to use. Now the fun or challenging part I soon discovered is how many different layouts and themes you can add to your blog to make it individualised. Choosing a theme is a simple task with blogger having serval pre-made themes ready to select. Changing the layout also easy however can be confusing as I found if you do not understand what each part of the blog is called or represents. This is something I am still navigating my way through.
So how can blogs further support students in the classroom. There are multiple benefits to using blogs in the classroom the first is how it could improve student's literacy and standard of writing, as they are now required to post their work online for others to see. The second added benefit is that students can now share their ideas and knowledge with people outside of the classroom by simply sharing their blog URL. The third and most valuable benefit for students is the ability to receive feedback from not only other students but also individuals from anywhere in the world! Lastly one of my favourite benefits of blogs for students is the ability to make it individualised, students can choose to add in images, videos or articles they have found along the way while creating their post giving it an authentic feel but also allowing them to explore concepts further.

So how will I be using blogs in the classroom?

Using the SAMR model to design a task that incorporates web-spaces into a unit a work could look something like this:

Unit topic - The Periodic Table

SUBSTITUTION: Use of PowerPoint to teach content knowledge, allowing students to research an element on the internet instead of using a textbook.

AUGMENTATION: Allowing students to take notes on their laptops, students to create their own PowerPoint slide on an element from the periodic table. This allows students to use functions such as spell check, add in images.

MODIFICATION: Get students to create a blog post on their element and provide feedback to other students.

REDEFINITION: Create a class google site page with each student designing and adding their element from the periodic table so that every element from the periodic table is represented on the webpage and can be shared as a revision tool for students over the unit.

As you can see there are multiple ways to include web-spaces in the classroom, it comes down to having the confidence to give it a go, you never know how it may benefit your students and help them become the 21st century learners we need in the future.