5-Annotated+Bibliography

Achterman, D. (2006). Making Connections with Blogs and Wikis. CSLA Journal, 30(1), 29-31. from [] This article compares the blog to the wiki. Blogs have been shown to promote conversations among a learning community. The author highlights a library media teacher, Tony Doyle, and his development of a high school reading blog. Student share summaries then read and comment on their peers’ responses. Teacher learn that students are reading at a high level and ones not found in the school library. Wikis allow the same type of communication, only they are more geared toward cooperative work and can be edited by visitors. Wikis give students a way to organize, present, and work on material with one another to produce something new. A writing teacher used a wiki to teach a pro/con paper, and he comments he will never teach it the old way after seeing how beneficial it truly is to students and teachers.

Allison, L. (2005). The Multigenre Approach and Research Skills--Spicing It Up. Library Media Connection, 23(5), 43. from [|http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf9/pdf/2005/P7V/01Feb05/15783881.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=15783881&S=R&D=aph&EbscoContent=dGJyMNXb4kSeqLA4xNvgOLCmr0qep69Ssq64S7OWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOfk5Ifm3%2B1T39nhffHpuX3m5fGM] In this first-hand account from a classroom teacher and school librarian, the author explains how she “woke up” and began teaching with a purpose. Instead of rote learning, she decided to make a change. Through experience, she found research papers became a skill of copy/paste, with no real learning involved. The article explains the importance of collaborating with other teachers to teach and develop the multigenre paper with the topic of a country. The process of selecting a rubric is discussed, however no examples were provided. Students commented on their enjoyment with the project, promising good results. The author also mentions the excitement students showed each day, and they were eager to learn more.

Assaf, L., Ash, G., & Saunders, J. (2011). Renewing Two Seminal Literacy Practices: I-Charts and I-Search Papers. Voices From The Middle, 18(4), 31-42. from [] This article tracks the success Joel Johnson’s seventh grade language arts class has had with I-Search papers and the overall process. Johnson describes the process as engaging and self-rewarding because students took charge and were responsible for the outcome of the search and paper. I-Search allows them to explore the internet, finding questions that matter to them and those that will help them find the answer to the question they are wondering most about. Actual artifacts are shown from students from Johnson’s class and how the charts were completed. Johnson commented the kids showed perseverance while working on the project and became independent thinkers.

Boyd, R. (n.d.). Wiki Workshop. Rachel Boyd's Professional Page. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from rachelboyd.wikispaces.com/wiki+workshop This is a wiki introducing wikis and how they work. It is geared toward teachers and explains how useful this powerful tool can be in the classroom. For teachers, a wiki can work as a web page where files can be stored, notes can be presented, and movies can be embedded to enhance the learning process. Wikis come with many benefits, including: engaging students in learning, encouraging collaboration, and build and develop discussion techniques. This site also give a tutorial on how to add a PowerPoint presentation to a wiki.

Burniske, R. W. (1998). Think critically about classroom technology. Education Digest, 64(4), 56. from [] This article questions the use of computers in the classroom. There are many debates discussed including: At what age should we introduce children to computers? What impact will computers have on the social, emotional, and psychological development of our children? And how will computers alter the dynamics of a classroom and school? Teachers are encouraged to use technology as much as possible to enhance student learning, but when are teachers trained for such technology? The author travels the world studying education, and one thing he has found to be true no matter the country and educational system is: School will never be good places for students until they are good places for teachers.

Dreon Jr., O., & Dietrich, N. I. (2009). Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Teaching Assistive Technology through Wikis and Embedded Video. //Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning//, //53//(1), 78-80. doi:10.1007/s11528-009-0241-6 from [] The authors are professors at Millersville University of Pennsylvania where they teach pre-service teachers classroom instruction and instructional and assistive technology. In the middle of transferring labs, students found the benefits of using wikis and embedded YouTube videos to help gain and share information with other classmates and their professors about special education students. These students used assistive technology, and the students took video and used them in the classroom in a presentation. The wikis allowed the students to interact while being in the field rather than the classroom, and the special education students benefited from the technology (like wireless keyboards) to help with their overall learning. The pre-service teachers learned by performing and learned many new things through this type of process. Although no real information was shared, this article serves proof that technology can be used at any level of both intelligence and skill.

Driscoll, K. (2007). Collaboration in Today's Classrooms: New Web Tools Change the Game. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 14(3), 9-12. from [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=92cd4e9b-cacf-453e-8b0b-5449ebf80cc9%40sessionmgr14&vid=21&hid=9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=cph&AN=25082726] This easily readable article discusses the positive impact Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. Blogs, wikis and podcast allow students to work collaboratively and communicate away from the classroom as long as technology is available. The simplicity of these tools provides students with a more dynamic learning experience. Teachers are sometimes faced with a challenge of finding space for all students to work and the cost of technology, but with these free tools, this problem is solved. Now, teachers can focus on questions like “Why do I want to use this technology?” instead of “How do I use this technology?” This article also offers great free blog websites like Blogger.com and PB-wiki.com for teachers to utilize in the classroom.

Edwards-Groves, C. (2012). Interactive Creative Technologies: Changing learning practices and pedagogies in the writing classroom. from [] This article tracks five primary grade classrooms and how they’ve developed new ways to write using technology. Digital technologies are changing learning, writing and how students think. “Writing” is to simple of a term for students who are writing publications on Twitter, blogs, Flickr, Facebook or YouTube. The focus of the study of these classrooms concludes that more flexibility as students need to have more choice, more freedom and time to talk, collaborate and play around with the ideas and technology is a must. Writing assignments must continue to use the writing process and also uses technology and works around technology to work properly in the classroom.

Ellis, R. A., Goodyear, P. P., Bliuc, A. M., & Ellis, M. M. (2011). High School Students' Experiences of Learning through Research on the Internet. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(6), 503-515. from [] The study of an Australian school that uses technology and the Internet to gain student knowledge is shown in the article. When comparing it with the United States, over 750 students between the ages of 12 and 17 were surveyed and 71% said that Internet tended to be the major source of information for their school projects and reports. Students are surveyed about the ways they use the Internet for research. These students were basing their answers on all subjects. Students were asked: What does researching on the Internet mean to you? What are you learning by researching things on the Internet?, How do you approach researching a learning task on the Internet? What do you do?, Why do you do those things? and How do you approach combining the learning resources? What did you do and why? The purpose of the study is framed on the following questions: What do students report they are learning when they are researching the Internet?, How do students approach learning through research on the Internet?, How do students approach integrating different sources of knowledge (from the Internet and from their textbooks and classes)?, How are qualitatively different conceptions and approaches related to student achievement in the class tasks? Charted results and a question breakdown is included.

Engstrom, M. E., & Jewett, D. (2005). Collaborative Learning the Wiki Way. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 49(6), 12-68. from [|http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf17_20/pdf/2005/TTR/01Nov05/19808718.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=19808718&S=R&D=aph&EbscoContent=dGJyMNXb4kSeqLA4xNvgOLCmr0qep7BSrqe4S7SWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOfk5Ifm3%2B1T39nhffHpuX3m5fGM] The article documents the story of a middle school that uses wikis to implement cooperative learning throughout the entire school. As the authors state, students are much farther technologically advanced than the teachers who teach them. In order to see how successful wikis could be, teachers used a professional development day to make a wiki similar to what was assigned. Teachers found it encourages inquiry-based learning and promote collaboration. Because students are not able to work on the same page at the same time using the editing tool, teachers found assigning students a role works best. These include: “Wiki Recorder,” “Research Note-taker,” and “Discussion Facilitator.” The details on how wikis work in groups is shown through this project documented in the article.

Hargardon, S. (2007). A Little Help From My Friends. School Library Journal, 53(10), 44. from [] Teachers, principals, librarians, media specialists from expert level to beginner across the country joined a social networking site where they come together to share what Web 2.0 tools work and which don’t in their schools and classrooms. Encouragement, techniques, lesson plans, and advice is shared among users on how effective (or lack there of) blogs, wikis, podcasts and social networks are in the world of education. This is a site for educators by educators in a user-friendly format.

Imperatore, C. (2009). What You Need to Know About Web 2.0. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 83(9), 20. from [] The author not only describes the benefits of the internet, collaboration and Web 2.0 tools, she comments that these tools promote discussion and learning in the modern day classroom. Teachers are faced with problems of blocking sites from students because they are “harmful” to their learning, however teachers should take the opportunity to work with the IT supervisors to show the benefits of some of these sites. They could actually be hindering learning and collaboration. Web 2.0 tools should be used in the classroom to promote communication and collaboration at an inexpensive cost, and they are safe to use in the classroom. Teachers can teach students to use them and watch the benefits grow in their classrooms among students.

Jent, A. (2004). My I-piphany. Knowledge Quest, 32(4), 32-35. from [] The author uses her experience from a graduate class to explain how the I-Search paper can be used with students at any level. She stresses the importance of selecting a topic that truly intrigues the researcher and to find an itch that makes them want to learn more. The paper is broken into four phases: What I Knew (and didn’t know about my topic when I started out), Why I’m Writing This Paper, The Search, and What I Learned (or didn’t). It may become difficult for students at younger levels to select an appropriate topic because they may be too broad. First-person narration is the key to this type of research because it allows the author to express thoughts and feelings from a personal level and allows for natural language. Students will satisfy their natural curiosities by completing the I-Search process.

Lyman, H. (2006). I-Search in the Age of Information. English Journal, 95(4), 62-67. from [] A middle school teacher explains how much a language arts teacher actually teaches in class. This includes: vocabulary development, writing compositions, reading literature, and the work of the English language. There is little time to cover everything a student needs to know and develop appropriate skills. Every student can tell a story, and that’s why I-Search papers seem to work so well. Students take on the responsibility to select a topic and tell the struggles and triumphs of the research process. Throughout the process, students become experts on a topic that they genuinely had an interest in. Typically, research papers cover topics that teachers are already experts on. Students use traditional and nontraditional sources, especially the internet and personal interviews. Students are pushed to talk to real people because they will find more valuable information this way. Although the article is not based on personal experience, Lyman draws on many studies and other references to support her claims. She shares the idea that if the goal of research is to teach students about a content area, then equal emphasis should be placed on personal connection. That is the true goal of an I-Search.

Montgomery, C. (2008, May 29). Wikis in the World Language Classroom: Transforming Teaching, Learning, & Teacher Preparation with Technology. cmwikipaper. Retrieved February 22, 2010, from Using a wiki, this article introduces just how important wikis are in the classroom. Wikis can be useful for both formative and summative assessments. Teachers can use calendars and can post up-to-the-minute due dates, quizzes, tests, and other announcements via the wiki. Students can also edit a calendar to sign up for projects and/or presentations. Students in high school can run extracurricular clubs and activities through a wiki. In the language arts classroom, students can book chat, survey, and discuss class concepts using this powerful tool. Students can develop a map mashup where students can embed a tool to track who is viewing and editing their page. Also, teachers can record a lecture via voice recording and/or video and embed the presentation to the wiki for students to view. Wikis can help keep students on track and work cooperatively with peers as well as the instructor.

Moulton, M. (1999). The multigenre paper: Increasing interest, motivation, and functionality in research. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42(7), 528. from [] To give a fresh take on the traditional research papers, multigenre papers allow students to become more involved in the content and make it relevant to their lives. The author actually used the multigenre paper in an undergraduate classroom where she required students who were majoring in teaching writing to complete a multigenre paper of their own. These students were overwhelming in favor of using it and can see the benefits of using them in their classrooms. By providing examples, it’s proven that these types of papers can take on many different approaches. Allow multigenre papers are more personal, they teach the same research skills required by the English curriculum. Based on the author’s first-hand experience, the article shows these papers are far from dull and require creativity and critical thinking.

Oatman, E. (2005). Make Way for Wikis. School Library Journal, 51(11), 52. from [|http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf17_20/pdf/2005/SLJ/01Nov05/18797426.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=18797426&S=R&D=f5h&EbscoContent=dGJyMNXb4kSeqLA4xNvgOLCmr0qep7BSrqq4S7OWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOfk5Ifm3%2B1T39nhffHpuX3m5fGM] This article proves that wikis show student improvement, especially with writing. Wikis are used by librarians, teachers, and students at every level. Students are learning to work together, along with staff members. Librarians are able to communicate with teachers, teachers communicate with other teachers and parents, and students connect with their peers and teachers. Students learn from peer feedback, so when they write and receive criticism, they take it seriously. This can easily be done using a wiki. Many librarians and teachers find Wikipedia to be sketchy concerning material, but teachers can embrace this time to teach students about the reliability of sources. The author claims once one person in a school uses a wiki, that person will be deemed a hero.

Pape, L. (2010). Blended Teaching and Learning. //Education Digest//, //76//(2), 22-27. from [] After reporting on an ABC News taping on technology in the classroom, Pape wrote this article demonstrating on just how well blended learning works at all levels from primary grades to high school. Students are able to take quizzes if they are absent and can’t stay after school, they can work on projects due to school cancellations, or inclement weather. Students are able to access their teacher no matter where they are, and the same if they are working with a group. Web 2.0 tools like blogs, digital storybooks and wikis allow students to become ready for the future. Some colleges are turning to online classes, so if high school teachers are gearing some of the content online, students will feel comfortable to take these classes at a higher level and succeed. Students may be uncomfortable with these new tools, but after trail and error, students are sure to enjoy them.

Pascopella, A., & Richardson, W. (2009). The New Writing Pedagogy. District Administration, 45(10-), 44-46,. from [] This article centers on the importance of social networking in the classroom. Students use it in their everyday lives to communicate with family, friends, and strangers on a daily basis. The authors emphasize how important the power of this type of communication is to the learning process. The article presents a special-education student, Cory, who wrote a blog page entitled “The Spied Enemies: A War Journal.” After publishing it on the web, students, teachers, family members, and the general public were able to share and comment on the story. He became a “somebody” in school and no longer an outcast. At the start of his eighth grade year, he was enrolled in regular-education classrooms. Teachers dedicate this switch in classes and change in confidence to social networking and the new writing pedagogy. The article shares viable sources for teachers to investigate for their classrooms. These include: ePals Global Community, Elgg, Youth Voices, edTechTalk, Drupal, Google Docs, Diigo, and AppJet’s EtherPad.

Postman, N. (1995). Virtual Students' Digital Classroom. The Nation, 1. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from [] This is editorial expresses the knowledge that is found outside of the classroom as opposed to what’s in it. Children come from different backgrounds, and teachers need to be aware of the world that surrounds the students. Tips to incorporate technology in all subjects are included. These include: a biology computer simulations, a teleconference with a research scientist and a virtual physics lab. Teachers need to be ready and prepared for the changes technology brings to the classroom. We must first teach students the information, then allow them to explore the sources available through the expanding internet.

Richardson, W. (2005). WHAT'S A WIKI?. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 12(6), 17-20. from [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=92cd4e9b-cacf-453e-8b0b-5449ebf80cc9%40sessionmgr14&vid=16&hid=9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=cph&AN=19016711] This article focuses on the wiki and its benefits. It describes the many different types of wikis online, especially Wikipedia. There is much debate over teachers and librarian believing Wikipedia is not a reliable source for students, however Steve Jobs says it is one of the most accurate encyclopedias in the world. Instead of saying students cannot use this source, the author encourages teachers to have students read through the material on the site and edit incorrect information on a topic they are researching. Students and teachers should embrace the site, not write it off completely, and add their expert knowledge to it. There are many other wiki sites for reference. These include: Wiktionary, Wikinews, Wikispecies, and Wikiquotes. Teachers can also creates classroom wikis and create an online textbook for their curriculums. Links, videos, notes, etc. can be edited and reviewed by students to construct knowledge.

Siegle, D. (2008). Working With Wikis. Gifted Child Today, 31(1), 14-17. from [] The author focuses on the practicality of wikis in the classroom. Wikis are a webpage that can be easily edited and managed. Suggestions for teachers include: making an “About Me” page to introduce students, creating online wiki reports rather than written reports, and a calendar for parents. The article focuses on how easy and fast setting up a wiki is, and once it is set up, it’s very beneficial. There are many ways wikis can teach gifted students how to analyze material and critique information and resources. It’s the job of the teachers to bring their students to wikis and what they have to offer.

Sun, J., & Metros, S. E. (2011). The Digital Divide and Its Impact on Academic Performance. Online Submission, from [] The focus of the article is on those students with technology and those without (the digital divide) and how it affects their education. Some studies have shown that students will high academic performance can perform well with technology and such tasks. Also, studies have shown that students who are proficient with technology are of high to medium socio-economic status. There is a direct correlation between technology, academic performance, and technology use. These sections are compared in the article and are backed up with studies done to show achievement and how students live. The studies show that technology can only accelerate learning and improve teaching if it used on a daily basis (ie in the home) and not only used in the classroom.

Tallman, J. (1995). Connecting Writing and Research through the I-Search Paper: A Teaching Partnership between the Library Program and Classroom. Emergency Librarian, 23(1), 20-23. from [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=bf5f2ce1-12c1-4dea-90fa-85223792b4ce%40sessionmgr10&vid=19&hid=9&bdata=JmxvZ2luLmFzcCZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ512291] TeachersFirst: Wiki Walk-Through: The Basics. (n.d.). TeachersFirst: The web resource by teachers, for teachers. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/ This site allows the reader to roll over the information on wikis for short definitions of wikis, blogs, and how practical they can be. Wikis are explained and can be used in everyday life. Some examples include: collaborative cookbooks, travel journals, and family information and photos to name a few. The site also gives teachers brief ideas, according to subject matter, on how to use wikis in the classroom. Some examples include: vocabulary lists, study guides, geometry wikis, experiments for chemistry class, or a virtual tour of the school building for new students. The website gives a concise description of tips, definitions, and target audiences of wikis.

Video Tutorials on How to Use a Wiki. (n.d.). PluggEd In. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from pluggedin.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us/Video+Tutorials+on+How+to+Use+a+Wiki These training videos are a “dummied-down” approach on the usefulness of wikis. The videos feature how to set up a wiki and how easily they process information. Email used to be the old way to work collaboratively on projects, but now with wikis, information can be easily edited and shared among group members. The other videos explain how to change the settings (fonts, pictures, etc.) on your wiki to personalize it for the project at hand. There’s even a training video for teachers to upload a test or quiz for easy evaluation.

Viner, J., Lucas, A., Ricchini, T., Ri, R., International Association of School Librarianship, (., & School Library Association of Queensland Inc., (. (2010). MLC Libraries--A School Library's Journey with Students, Staff and Web 2.0 Technologies: Blogs, Wikis and E-Books--Where Are We Going Next?. International Association Of School Librarianship, from[| http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED518548.pdf] Although the article doesn’t give much factual information, it allows the reader to follow a workshop timeline a MLC teacher-librarians, librarians, and library and audio visual technicians developed to integrate Web 2.0 tools into the classroom. Examples with links are included showcasing how teachers incorporated blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Google tools, wikis, podcast and e-books. Also, the staff set up literature club blog, a staff blog to encourage collaboration on meeting times, a wiki library resource page and a craft wiki. This article points out possibilities for staffs from primary to high school.

Welcome to the World of Wikis. (n.d.). Educational Wikis. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from [|educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/file/view/Welcome+to+the+world+of+wikis.pdf] This tutorial article includes screen shots and a bulleted list of what a wiki is and how to set one up. Examples are included and feature a step-by-step approach of how to manage, edit, and choose preferences on your wiki. As a final touch, an example wiki link is included where the reader can access it and follow instructions on how to set up and use a tutorial wiki to practice how easy it to become a wiki expert and ultimately use them in the classroom and everyday life.

Wikis | Common Craft. (n.d.). Useful Handcrafted Videos | Common Craft. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from [] This is a video which introduces a wiki website based on four members organize and plan a camping trip. The video covers the basics of a wiki, why email is a poor choice, how the group edits their supply list, and how to add a page to a wiki. This is a very quick overview of a wiki and useful for beginners who are just starting out.

Yan, J. (2008). Social Technology as a New Medium in the Classroom. //New England Journal Of Higher Education//, //22//(4), 27-30. from [] The article centers on the advantages and disadvantages Web 2.0 tools have on the educational process. Students are able to interact with each other through Facebook, Twitter and Myspace daily, but do they have a place in the classroom? According to Yan, the answer is yes. Students need to be taught that while there are dangers with privacy, it is appropriate and constructive to use these social networking sites to interact with each other and the teacher. If schools are against this, students can easily use blogs and wikis for much of the same purpose. Students can keep blogs to record assignments, share thoughts and interact with others by leaving comments. However, students need to be aware blogs are public as well. Wikis are great because they can allow students to be authors of the same project to work with one another at the same time. Teachers are finding the benefits of working with students in and out of the classroom with the help of these Web 2.0 tools.

Zorfass, J. (1995). The I-search: Guiding students toward relevant research. Educational Leadership, 53(1), 48. from [] This first-hand account article focuses on seventh grade at Lawrence Middle School where teachers collaboratively learn the I-Search process and emulate it in their classrooms. In an effort to engage its diverse student body, the teachers planned the unit in phases. Phase One includes focusing on a motivating theme (science, social studies, etc.). Next, Phase Two forces students to develop questions and challenges them to develop their search plans and to find resources. Phase Three is where students gather, sort, and evaluate information. Finally, phase four allows students to prepare the papers for an oral report. The teachers have four goals of the unit: to plan their units to engage the students, coach students to take ownership of the process, incorporate a variety of materials, resources, and technology, and assess student work on an ongoing basis. The planning takes hard work on both the teachers and students part, but in the end, it is well worth it.