Creating A Wiki

In this characteristic I'd similar to exhibit y'all how to practise your ain complimentary wiki using 'Wetpaint' in addition to await at closed to of the reasons for using wikis to make educational goals.

First, for those of y'all who don't know what a wiki is, here's a quick Definition which comes from 1 of the almost famous wikis, Using wikis alongside EFL students

Using wikis for instructor development

Create Your Ain Social Network Seven Steps

Social networking is i of the fundamental concepts that is driving Web 2.0 these days. With the opportunities social networks offering for collaboration as well as communication, this is sure something nosotros every bit educators should hold upwards thinking nearly beingness involved in.


In this tutorial I'd similar to exhibit you lot how to do your ain social network on Ning, simply past times next 7 steps. I've published these every bit a downloadable PDF alongside hide shots, then that you lot tin impress them upwards as well as follow them / percentage them.

• 7 steps to creating a social network>> (944k pdf)
  

Perhaps though, to a greater extent than importantly it's worth thinking nearly some of the issues, as well as pros as well as cons surrounding the utilisation of social networks.

Some advantages of creating your ain network.

• Control over the content
  You tin brand sure nobody posts anything inappropriate or irrelevant.
  
• Control of who joins as well as the powerfulness to block or ban people
  You tin protect your members, ban anyone who doesn't bear or simply bound membership to people you lot desire to invite.
• Increased reach
  You tin increase the accomplish of your F2F activities as well as acquire to a greater extent than people involved inwards the collaborative / collective evolution of your project.
  
• Good for your personal / career development
  You tin larn a lot through beingness an administrator as well as develop some useful skills as well as knowledge.
  

Things to consider earlier you lot launch your network

• Closed (just people you lot invite) or Open (anyone who wants to join)
  I would advise starting off alongside simply people you lot invite start to encounter how things receive got off. Deciding to brand the network opened upwards could receive got a lot of consideration as well as demand much to a greater extent than 'policing' moderation from you.
  
• Do you lot receive got the fourth dimension to deal the network?
  This is ever a fundamental interrogation for teachers. Keeping the network active as well as upwards to appointment is going to receive got time. If you lot don't receive got the fourth dimension / resources to set into it, best non to start.
  
• Do you lot receive got or tin you lot detect content to input to the network?
  Content is withal the original motivation for teachers / students to acquire involved, fifty-fifty if it's simply every bit stimulation for communication / collaborative work, you lot demand to receive got something to offering as well as your members are going to demand to 'get something' from visiting your network, or they won't hold upwards coming back.
  
• How / Will you lot hold upwards able to rear collaboration betwixt the members?
  Bit similar the betoken above. Just providing a network isn't going to do collaboration. Ning is simply a platform, you lot receive got to render reasons, tasks, activities for members to collaborate on, or it simply won't happen.
  
• What functionality (groups, forums, video as well as photograph sharing) do you lot desire to brand available?
  Providing all of these on Ning is easy, but don't render anything you lot can't use. If you lot render the powerfulness to percentage photos / videos, brand sure you lot receive got something to percentage as well as reasons for sharing those things. You'll too demand to recollect nearly who tin percentage add together as well as create. Are you lot going to proceed consummate command or percentage it alongside your members?
  
• Will you lot desire to include advertising or enquire it to hold upwards removed?
  If you lot are using Ning for educational purposes you lot tin contact them as well as enquire for advertising to hold upwards removed. You tin too pay for a Ning platform as well as generate some coin from the advertising yourself. I wouldn't recommend this every bit the amount may good non justify what you lot receive got to set upwards alongside from the advertisers. It's too amend to acquire the advertising removed earlier you lot invite people to join, every bit some of the links tin hold upwards inappropriate.
  
• What data volition you lot desire members to add together when joining?
  You tin determine what data members demand to submit when they bring together as well as determine who sees the information. You detect out a lot nearly them this way, but people tin hold upwards set off past times having to give away their information, then it could hold upwards best simply to allow them decide.
  
• How long volition you lot desire to proceed the network live? (limited menstruation or indefinitely)
  If you lot exclusively intend to utilisation the network for a specific fourth dimension express projection it mightiness hold upwards goodness to brand this clear to your members, then they proceed records of anything they develop inside the network. Then when the projection ends you lot tin delete it alongside a clear conscience as well as proceed the spider web tidy.

Looking at other networks
Before you lot start your ain social network it's a goodness thought to receive got a await circular at what others are doing. You mightiness acquire some goodness ideas, encounter some potential pitfalls you lot desire to avoid, or fifty-fifty determine someone already has your expanse covered as well as simply determine to bring together them instead of recreating the wheel. Here a 4 networks for teachers that are good worth checking out.

• Mexico English linguistic communication Teachers' Alliance
  http://metamexico.ning.com/
• Teachers helping teachers
  http://teachershelpingteachers.ning.com/
• EFL Classroom 2.0
  http://eflclassroom.ning.com/
• Classroom 2.0
  http://www.classroom20.com/

Evaluation criteria
Deciding whether you lot desire to bring together or recommend a network tin hold upwards a tricky process, but every bit I've been looking closed to for ones I desire to hold upwards component subdivision of I've built upwards a listing of criteria that I detect quite useful to receive got inwards the dorsum of my mind.

• What features / functionality does the network offer? (Groups forums etc.)
  If there's no interaction, is it worth beingness a component subdivision of this network?
  
• Are the groups / forums active alongside a number of members exchanging information?
  Just because it has them doesn't hateful they are beingness used. Have a await as well as brand sure at that spot is something at that spot to larn as well as somebody at that spot to larn with.
  
• Are these features beingness used? (If the network offers the utilisation of photograph or video sharing is this beingness used?)
  This is a goodness house to await to encounter what members are actually sharing. Is at that spot original content or is it all grabbed from YouTube / Flickr?
  
• Can you lot detect out when the network was concluding active?
  Some networks are withal online, but receive got died. Either the members or creator has lost interest. No betoken joining an inactive network.
  
• How many members does it have?
  Open networks that exclusively receive got a minor number of members, may hold upwards less worthwhile. Most networks demand a critical volume to proceed them moving, unless the members are really committed.
  
• Are whatsoever of the members’ photographs inappropriate?
  Many people bring together networks to describe traffic to their / unsuitable sites. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quick await at their avatar icon could good give you lot a clue to which these are.
  
• Check out some of the fellow member profiles. Does the profile reveal the member’s electronic mail address or other personal information that you lot wouldn't desire to share?
  Make sure that the network isn't forcing you lot to reveal to a greater extent than data than you lot would experience happy with.
  
• Are at that spot whatsoever ‘Google Ads’ on the site? Are these suitable or potentially offensive?
  Especially when recommending networks to others, it's goodness to banking enterprise tally this first.
  
• Is at that spot whatsoever interesting content on the site?
  Again, I withal believe that content is king. Content + collaboration = learning! No content, don't join.
  
• Who is behind the network?
  Always wise to know who you lot are dealing alongside as well as sharing your data / cognition with. Is it a grouping of similar minded individuals, or a faceless companionship alongside dubious motivations?
  

Why do your ain network for teachers?
Some suggestions:

• To back upwards item dispersed groups doing specific projects / preparation courses
  
• To tape as well as percentage examples of exercise as well as expertise specific to their context
• To aid prepare as well as develop teachers inwards the utilisation of ICT / Learning Technology

Why do your ain network for students?
Some suggestions:

• Class enquiry projects – do a network for your students based closed to a item subject that they demand to research.
• Inter-class projection – do a network for sharing data alongside students inwards some other schoolhouse / country.
• Create a fan site alongside your students dedicated to a item celebrity they like.
• Create a site to inform visitors nearly Kingdom of Morocco / your town or city, your civilization etc.
• Create an online classroom as well as add together links to materials, activities as well as tasks the students should do.
• Create a network to showcase students piece of job as well as proceed inwards contact alongside as well as involve parents.

Important

• You should non utilisation Ning alongside students below the historic menstruation of 13.
• Always protect your members’ privacy as well as brand sure their electronic mail isn’t displayed as well as they don’t percentage addresses or telephone numbers alongside people.

Well if later on all this you lot are withal interested inwards creating your ain network, hither are the 7 steps again:

• 7 steps to creating a social network>> (944k pdf)

I've created i myself for a preparation course of report for teachers that I'm involved with. Personally I've works life it actually valuable then far.
For to a greater extent than opinions as well as to detect out nearly choice platforms, watch Larry Ferlazzo's blog post on Social Networks for the Classroom

Good luck alongside your networking as well as delight do utilisation the comments below to percentage your experience of using social networks.

Best

Nik Peachey

Naming My Sources: Business Office 1

I've decided to firstly naming some of the sources I role to locate novel together with interesting websites together with information. I've decided to produce this for a seat out of reasons

• I merely don't bring fourth dimension to write most everything I find, then this gives people the chance to notice things for themselves together with mayhap write most them.
• I ever experience guilty that I don't admit the sources of much of the data I get. This isn't because I'm guarding my sources, it has to a greater extent than to produce amongst non working inwards a rattling organised way. I tend to compass interesting sites together with come upwards dorsum to them later, yesteryear which fourth dimension I can't recall the master copy source.
• I don't bring a weblog roll, but I would similar to transportation some kudos to some of the sites together with site owners that I experience bring actually helped me.
• A seat out of people bring asked me how together with where I notice swell sites to write about.
  

If you lot bring a weblog together with it doesn't seem on this list, delight don't survive offended, I volition endeavor to brand this a regular characteristic equally at that spot are then many that I don't intend it's useful for readers to seat them all into 1 post.

Lastly, earlier I larn started I would too similar to enjoin that the listing is non inwards guild of importance, then I'm non proverb that whatever 1 source is improve than another. Anyway, hither goes:

Creating a personal hompage using Netvibes equally that tin transportation away actually salve you lot some time.

Hope you lot relish these sources together with notice something useful. More coming inwards the adjacent calendar week or two.

Best

Nik Peachey

Naming My Sources: Business Office 2

In the first business office of this series aimed at sharing the sources of the data I weblog about, I focused on sites which spread the give-and-take almost novel applied scientific discipline or websites. In this instant business office I'd similar to spread the give-and-take almost some of the to a greater extent than ELT as well as Educationally orientated blogs which convey provided me amongst a wealth of data as well as professional person development.

First of course of didactics has to hold out Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day……For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
This site is a huge as well as constant origin of data as well as novel sites as well as resources. Larry likewise produces categorised lists of resources thus it's good worth searching through his archives.
Creating a personal homepage

If y'all know of other blogs which are regularly updated amongst useful content for educators, as well as thus past times all agency post service a comment at the terminate of this article.

Related links:

• Creating a personal homepage
• Naming My Sources: Part 1
• Quick Shout
  

Thanks as well as best wishes

Nik Peachey

Online Video: Equally Noesis Resource

Since the nativity of YouTube, the spider web has seen huge increment inward the availability together with lineament of user generated online video. With only a unproblematic webcam, or a digital photographic television camera or camcorder it is straightaway possible for teachers together with students to exercise together with portion their cognition together with sense of a vast gain of topics. It's also possible for them to access a global puddle of cognition together with sense from cultures all over the world.

YouTube
Using Videos from YouTube

Watch a video showing review of TeacherTube amongst to a greater extent than detailed data together with some recommended videos to picket to attention you lot operate it.

Video sharing for immature learners
Using online video amongst immature learners tin hold upward difficult, but Video sharing for immature learners

Downloading Online Video
Because of the many problems associated amongst using online video sharing resources, it tin hold upward actually useful to download the clip to your ain computer. This tin attention you lot inward a issue of ways:
It stops your students wandering around sites together with finding unsuitable materials

• You don’t withdraw to worry almost the Internet connection
• You don’t withdraw to worry that the clip may move moved
• You tin construct the videos into other materials
• You tin edit the videos

There are a issue of online converters which enable you lot to re-create inward the link to a Youtube video, pick out a suitable format together with and thus download it to your calculator hard drive. One reliable i is Downloading Online video

Video Clips for Teaching English
Creating your ain video fabric is great, but having person exercise it for you lot is fifty-fifty better. Jamie Keddie runs a swell site amongst regularly published Lesson plans based on video clips from YouTube.
Video Clips for instruction English

I promise this posting has given you lot some insight into the wealth of what's available together with how to overcome some of the problems involved inward exploiting these materials.

Related links:

• Find out almost gratuitous video editing software
• YouTube for IWBs amongst PicLens
• Free Educational TV Channels
• Open origin video animation
• News Videos for EFL ESL Materials Design
• Things You Can Do With Your WebCam 1
• Exploiting a Video Viral
• Lesson excogitation Top 10 Cartoons for Children’s Rights
• Create a YouTube Carousel
• Videos for Global Issues Lessons
• Update on the Education Clip Library

Best

Nik Peachey