Novel way for using technology.
By PETER LELONG, VINCE SUMMERS.
500 words31 July 2002Hobart MercuryMRCURY26English(c) 2002 Davies Brothers Limited
STUDENTS in years 5 to 8 are helping to write a great online novel
called Billy Bathtub.
As confidence grows in the use of online learning technologies, we are
seeing the range of activities made available for students continue to
develop.
The adventures of Billy Bathtub, supported by the Department of
Education, is a topical case in point.
Author Damian Morgan is currently engaged in writing a novel, online,
in collaboration with Tasmanian students during second term.
A teacher and writer for many years, Damian has been working with
students from around the state in recent weeks.
On the completion of the novel in August, Erica Wagner, a publisher
with Allen & Unwin, will be editing the novel for publication. The
contributions of the students who participated in developing the story
will be acknowledged.
The partnership of writer and editor in an online collaborative project
with schools around Tasmania is certainly a new and innovative way of
engaging students from years 5 to 8 in the writing process.
With the completion of four drafts of chapter one completed, the author
posted a number of questions on the forum to engage students to take an
active part in writing the story with him.
"I know this is the story of Will Reynes, but do I call him Will or do
I call him I?" Morgan asks.
One of the many responses which he received: "I think if the story is
going to be written in the present tense it should be written in the
third person, but if it is in the past tense, the first person. I
personally find stories easier to read if they are written like that."
The story revolves around the adventures of Will Reynes, who we first
meet in chapter one as he tries to rescue his window-cleaning mother
from a high-rise building, where she has become entangled in her safety
harness.
In chapter two, Will, is with his father in a frantic rush to the
airport, to meet an important scientist who comes complete with a large
ceramic elephant.
Students involve themselves in the writing of the novel by submitting
ideas through the Discover Education online forum.
The author responds to the suggestions from the students. This
interaction between author and reader in the development of a novel
demonstrates a very good use of the technology.
Schools can also engage in online chat sessions with the author by
booking time with him over the web. Alternatively they can invite him
to visit their classroom.
The Discover web site provides a link to download the software,
Microsoft Comic Chat, for the online chat segment of the project. Once
configured this program provides a secure online environment for
students to communicate with the author.
The story will continue to unfold with contributions from students
until the end of August. To take part visit the Discover web site at
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/
billybathtub/.
Document mrcury0020020730dy7v000nc
Contents contributed and discussions participated by Kaye England
Factiva - 2 views
-
Even though this article from The Mercury (Hobart) is nearly 9 years old, I believe that it is very interesting, and the first time that I have been aware of an online collaboration to write a children's novel. It also shows that online collaboration need not be complicated. Sometimes we overlook the simple in order to engage in the latest popular online trend or something that is seen to be technologically complex. This article shows how sometimes a simple online collaboration tool works best. The collaboration involved students from grades 5 to 8 and was coordinated by author Damian Morgan. Damian received a grant from the Tasmanian government to undertake the collaboration project. Collaboration for the project was undertaken in an online forum and through online chat sessions. Over a period of time students contributed and collaborated with Damian in order to write the novel. Collaboration can take many forms and often we don't realize that we are engaged in it, I suspect that the children in this project were having fun, learning and collaborating all at the same time and had little notion of it! It is interesting that access to the forum is still available and in fact it details the collaborative conversations between students and Damian. The forum is still available at the following URL: http://forum.education.tas.gov.au/webforum/student/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=97 Final and draft versions of the novel are available at the following URL: http://odi.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Resources/Framer.asp?URL=%2F2002%2F2%2F010%2Fdefault.htm&ID=00215534 References: Lelong, P. (2002, July 31). Novel way for using technology. The Mercury (Hobart), p. 26. Retrieved from http://global.factiva.com
-
Thanks Jiawin and Cathy for your comments. It was a very interesting project wasn't it and I agree with you Cathy that one of the reasons that it was successful was probably due to the way it was controlled and organised - not like some of the examples in your readings (which were very interesting by the way). Jiawin - I read your articles too with much interest and would agree that the Internet is a powerful tool as it allows the sharing of ideas and information. Sometimes I think that people are afraid of engaging in some of these new online collaboration tools - but there is much to be gained by simply 'having a go'!! Thanks, Kaye
JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching - 1 views
-
This article looks at another popular online collaboration tool in educational settings - the wiki. A wiki is a good choice for online collaboration because it is easy to set up, monitor and for most students easy for them to use. Deters, Cutherell & Stapleton's (2010) article looks at a study of the use of two wikis in particular, PBWiki and Wet Paint. Benefits when collaborating on a wiki are that can author, edit and find information very easily, making wikis especially helpful in the educational setting. Whilst this study overwhelmingly supports the use of wikis, they did identify a number of issues, which can be overcome. It is important that the wiki has instructor or teacher support. The teacher needs to set up guidelines, rules and examples for students to read before the wiki exercise begins. There can also be some technical issues with Wikis - but once again with good technical support these issues can be overcome. The study revealed that most students enjoyed using a wiki and the response was overall very positive. Not only did the students participate as part of their studies, but they could see how it would be possible to use wikis in their own teaching practices. Wikis are a wonderful tool that can be used in many settings and as stated by Deters, Cutherell & Stapleton's (2010, Discussion section, para.2), "in online learning situations, wikis assist students in learning new content and support them in connecting new knowledge with personal experiences".
-
References: Deters, F., Cuthrell, K. & Stapleton, J. (2010). Why Wikis? Student Perceptions of Using Wikis in Online Coursework . Journal of Online Teaching and Learning 6(1). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no1/deters_0310.htm
Social Networking Tools to Facilitate Cross-Program Collaboration (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) ... - 1 views
-
Two tools are discussed in this article, a 3D virtual world for teaching and learning called the AET Zone and ConnectYard, a collaborative tool that integrates different forms of online communication. Although AET Zone has some benefits and has been useful in the teaching programme at the Appalachian State University, it is the second tool that offers more opportunity for those needing to collaborate. As a collaborative tool used in an educational setting, ConnectYard provides as its basis for success a social constructivist viewpoint. Learners construct their knowledge through social and cultural settings (Kim, 2001). ConnectYard provides an online collaborative setting allowing students to learn together. One of the main attributes of the tool is that it is able to interact easily with existing social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter, text messaging and even email. The advantage of this is that members do not have to get to know a new technical application - they can use whatever they are most comfortable with. Another feature of this tool is that students are able to contribute even if they do not have an Internet connection. Students can collaborate using mobile phones, allowing them to connect anywhere, anytime (ConnectYard, n.d.). The ConnectYard widget is embedded within a web page, interfacing with other networks (Howard & Wallace, 2010). Using ConnectYard gives collaborative members a choice about what tool they use at whatever time they want. As stated by Howard & Wallace (2010, last para.), "The use of social networking tools allows our students to engage in a level of collaboration that would be awkward, if not impossible, without a means to communicate effectively". ConnectYard is an effective, easy to use collaborative tool, which offers flexibility, privacy and builds community.
-
References: ConnectYard (n.d.) retrieved from http://www1.connectyard.com/ Howard, B & Wallace, P 2010. Social Networking Tools to Facilitate Cross-Program Collaboration. EDUCAUSE Quarterly (EQ) 33(4) retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/SocialNetworkingToolstoFacilit/219139 Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Building Creativity: Collaborative Learning and Creativity in ... - 3 views
-
This article by Peppler and Solomou (2011) looks at creativity and collaborative learning within an educational 3d virtual game for children aged 9-16, called Quest Atlantis. Their study in particular looks at Quest Atlantis's Architecture Unit where "individuals can actively contribute to their virtual environment and, in turn, shape the experiences of other players in the game through the creation of 3D architecture" (Peppler & Solomou, 2011, p.3). It is a fascinating study at how Questers engagement with each other and the game itself produced creative collaboration. Students had to choose an architectural team to work on, and then commence building in a 'sandbox world'. In the sandbox Questers "exchange ideas with others while in the process of constructing their own buildings" (Peppler & Solomou, 2011, p.5). The article provides a wonderful example of collaboration between Tina and Elle, two middle school students and how they exchanged ideas and spurred each other on in their building quests. Gresalfi, Barab, Siyahhan & Christensen (2009, p.30), explain such collaboration by saying "… they are able to share and contrast different ideas and opinions supporting a full appreciation both of the power of the conceptual tools they engage, and of themselves and their peers as people who use these tools". The use of a 3D online environment offers a unique and exciting way for users to engage and collaborate. Peppler and Solomou (2011, p.22) suggest that "those in leadership positions can capitalize on social media tools like Ning, Second Life, or other types of software that allow them to create their own social media environment specific to their community's needs". This article shows that all kinds of people and organisations can use social media to collaborate and work creatively to produce a desired goal.
-
References: Gresalfi, M., Barab, S. A., Siyahhan, S., & Christensen, T. (2009). Virtual worlds, conceptual understanding, and me: Designing for consequential engagement. On the Horizon, 17(1), 21-34. Retrieved from http://inkido.indiana.edu/research/onlinemanu/papers/gresalfi_horizon_2009.pdf Peppler, K., A. & Solomou, M. (2011). Building Creativity: Collaborative Learning and Creativity in Social Media Environments. On The Horizon, Vol. 19(1), pp.13 - 23. Quest Atlantis (2011) Retrieved from http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/
The use of Online Collaboration tools in educational organisations. - 5 views
-
For my selection of resources I have focused on one of the examples from Module 6 relating to online collaboration tools for educational organisations. Through the articles and resources I will look at a number of different tools including Virtual Worlds, ConnectYard, Wikis, online forums and chat and how they have been used in an educational setting.
1 - 6 of 6
Showing 20▼ items per page
Kaye England
In my final year of a Bachelor of Librarianship and Corporate Information Management at Curtin University.
I'll also post this question in BB!
Thanks,
Kaye