Three Articles and the Flu Aftermath

My apologies for the delay of this post. Even though I am feeling better, I am still weak and tired from my rough week with the flu. The first article I read was Lori Beckstead’s article from 2006 called, “International, Online Communication,” and I have to say I got pretty excited when I read this. Why? The article details a perfect example of active learning and collaboration through technology.

In the article, Beckstead discussed a collaboration activity among university students located in Canada and Australia. Their activity, titled the “Bouncing Story” fittingly, was to create a radio drama. To do this, the students had to use tools such as podcasting and blogging, and the students had to learn how to work together to create weekly episodes and provide each other with useful feedback.

As noted in the article, the primary goal for this activity was to learn about radio production, but the complexity involved with just producing an episode turned out to be much more valuable to students. This activity appealed to students. When the activity is appealing, students are more engaged and motivated. Not only did these students learn to work with each other, but they also gained international experience working with students abroad. Plus, these students felt they were doing more than just a class assignment. The activity had a real-life feel to it, and with that authenticity, the students feel they are doing something that is worthwhile.

This article serves as a good model for teachers learning how technology can enhance the traditional classroom. Students can allow for their creativity to flow through tools like podcasting and blogging, and they can interact with other students from in their own classroom to the other side of the world.

The next article I read, titled, “Using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games for Online Learning,” from Childress and Braswell (2006), discusses in detail one of the current tools that is being favored in online learning (in the title), also known as virtual worlds. The article discusses the background of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and its uses in education.

The value of MMORPGs, such as Second Life, according to the authors, was touched on above; that these games provide students with opportunities to collaborated with each other and provide settings that are rooted in real-life experiences. For the longest, the most popular ways for students to communicate with each other were through e-mail, chatting, and Blackboard™, but MMORPGs are starting to revolutionize online communication in education.

The environments that can be created through MMORPGs can contribute greatly to learning activities, and they allow not only for the teacher to be more acquainted with his or her students, but students can learn more about each other and work with each other.

The last article I read over, “Map Mashups and the Rise of Amateur Cartographers and Mapmakers,” by Pietroniro and Fichter (2007), explored a tool that is ever-growing in population. Like how blogging and podcasting and gave rise to anyone being able to publish their writing, this article explains that map mashups are doing the same for those interested in creating maps.

Mashups, the authors explained, are fairly easily to create and can range in complexity. They are fantastic resources for educators to incorporate in learning. Teachers can create their own mashups for students to use, mapping or non-mapping, providing them with educational resources, for a mashup does combine its content from other resources. Another option is that teachers could have students create their own mapping mashups, or use various mashups, mapping in particular, an idea of different locations—there are some even ideal for history classes that recreate historical sites.