Topic 6: Publishing

Considering the sites I prefer, what is it that makes those sites worthy of my time? If I'm reading something online, there is usually a purpose behind it: for information, knowledge, or leisure. Regardless of the reason I'm reading, I'll deem a site 'worthy' if it's providing me with the content that I'm looking for. If not, it's easy enough for me to find it elsewhere. I can afford to be picky and choosy when it comes to the content I'm reading online - because of the plethora of content available! I think that if we're asking students to read/research something online, we need to make it worthy of their time. I strongly dislike "busy work" that doesn't have a strong and thoughtful purpose - because students can see right through that! If deemed 'worthy' by students, whether that be because it's for marks or because it's something they're interested in, they'll inevitably put more effort into it if they've decided it's valuable or worthy. 

When I publish information on the Internet, what will the content of my pages be and how will I represent that information in a way that people will want to read more? 

• I did a lot of browsing of other photography sites when I redesigned my site. I made a list of likes and dislikes, and saved the URLs to the ones I found to be pretty, easily accessible, easy to navigate, etc. The trend among all of these is user-friendliness! 
• Even when looking at different websites for schools or districts (we had a big project on this for a class in PS2) it was quickly noticeable which sites had information that was easy to find, user-friendly, etc. The common theme for me is "user-friendly"! If a site is user-friendly, a person is more likely to return back to that site in the future. 
• For example, when I am looking for recipes, I prefer sites that let me print off the recipe, and just the recipe (not the ads or comments). I'll return to a site if it's easy to do!
• When creating a classroom blog, I think user-friendliness is the most important trait. There will be some parents that are unfamiliar with social media platforms, new technology, etc. In order for them to be able to access the information, easy navigation and accessibility will keep them coming back for more! 
• This is something to keep in mind, too, as we create our information website for this class. Also, as we are getting close to graduation and applying for jobs, it's important that our portfolios have the above characteristics!

Web Quests: I love the idea of Web-Quests! As one of my pre-reading activities with my 10-1s before beginning Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird", the students completed a "Context Web-Quest". Students were grouped by popsicle stick colour, and the number on it. In colour groups, students became experts on pieces of the historical context (author history, Scottsboro Boys, Jim Crow Laws, Great Depression, etc.). Then, in number groups, the experts of each topic shared their information with their group members, while taking notes. They used this information for their final essay. 

Digital Storytelling: As an English major, I took a course a couple of years ago on Transmedia storytelling, and we examined the different types of narratives that exist outside of the traditional, left-to-right, turn-the-page, chronological texts that we're used to. We looked at digital narratives (Toc by Tomasula), choose-your-own path narratives (Choose Your Own Adventure books for kids), and even narratives within the media (Art of the Heist - Audi). It was fascinating! If you wanted students to create their own digital story/narrative, looking at the above examples beforehand would be a great introduction to the vastness of possibilities! 

• At the Teachers Convention this February, I attended a small session about digital storytelling, and I found it very interesting! More information can be found here: http://www.nmc.ca/alberta-stories-bringing-digital-storytelling-to-albertas-classrooms/

What are my thoughts on digital storytelling? Go through the following resources to gather some insights into the ways that I can use this activity in your classroom. 

• I love the idea of digital storytelling! I think that the National Music Centre offers a great program and would be a fantastic resource for a school-wide project. It doesn't say on the webpage (link above), but if I remember correctly you could rent the box of equipment for a few hundred dollars and have it for a month or so. You could even have one of their staff members come and talk to a group of teachers and help them implement it. 
• If I had the budget to do so, I would use the NMC to create a school-wide (or at least a grade-wide, or department-wide) project where students could use the equipment. Especially if the school doesn't have access to this new technology (and very high-end equipment), a program like this could make a world of difference! 
• Through this blog for this course, I've talked a lot about student blogging, because I'd love to one day implement blogs into my classroom. If I had a high school classroom where each student had their own blog, I'd have them create two digital stories. The first at the beginning of the year, as a way to introduce themselves to me. Students don't have to be in front of the camera if they don't want to be. The beauty of digital storytelling is ability to make it into whatever you'd like! It could be a slideshow of images with a voiceover, for example. There are so many options. I'd also have them create another one at the end of the year, on a topic of their choosing. After they've seen their peers' stories, they'd have lots of ideas on how to make their second one. What a great takeaway for them!