Bitstrips! Making comics online....

Bitstrips is an online program that allows user to create comics! I really enjoyed using this program because besides the fact that it is fun and easy to use which makes it user-friendly! It has plenty of options such as creating your own characters or if you can opt to use the existing characters that are available! The user can choose the number of scenes for the comic from 2-4 slides approximately. Most importantly, they offer assistance to the users in the form of a wikipage! They provide step by step instruction for those who may not be as comfortable with technology! I think that support from applications is very important as it shows the people how much they care! I definately think it is something I would use in the classroom as children these days are increasingly technological however the security settings on Bitstrips may be of concern.

Wicked Wikis!!!

Wiki's were mainly used in the mid 1990's by scientists and engineers. A wiki is a website which uses specialised software which allow numerous users to create and edit pages. It is very user-friendly as the tools are simple and easy to use. Even though any user can modify the contents on the page, a wiki is open ended and supports collaborative learning. Basically, it functions as WSYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) - whatever the page looks like now is what it will look like when saved and published. Wikis are often created to collaborate community websites where people can share and organise ideas, furthermore users can learn from each other and explore various topics and concerns.

Wikis are useful because they are simple to use and show the students development throughout their learning. Wikis have been commonly used for creating e-portfolios and as a tool for self reflection. Wiki pages can be monitored and the level of site access given to users can be altered accordingly to the group of users. I believe Wikis are a great element and enhance our teaching and learning experiences.

For information visit: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf

First Entry

Today our task was to create a blog as a part of our assessment in this technology unit. I am quite aware of blogs as I regularly read other people's blog from all places in the world. I previously made my own blog as a means of personal reflection of my life however decided that I wanted more privacy so I stopped blogging. I think that blogs are very interesting and allow us to convey our thoughts and perspectives and blogs also allow reader to comment on the topic. Blogs have also bought controversial topics to discuss and have made normal people into celebrity bloggers. As our society is becoming more and more technologically savvy - we can now add sounds, images, music, video - the list is endless! It is certainly an improvement from writing into diaries.....

This is a wordle I made - based upon the similarities of a few blogs examined