Blog : Blogging and Social Media Tools

Tool: Wykop

Website: www.wykop.pl

Rating: 

Wykop.pl is a web-based service to add, assess (vote) and comment information, which were shared by other Wykop’s user. The service is a collection of links regarding various topics, which people find interesting and worth to visit.

Usage

Using Wykop.pl people can view articles and the most popular can be available at the main page of the portal. Each user with an account can search and add interesting links, which may be assessed by the others. New added link goes to wykop.pl for 24 hours and the voting process decides or it will be visible on portal mainpage or send to the archive. There is a possibility to share the found information on Facebook or Twitter. Additionally, wykop.pl has a blogging part, where user can publish some statements on any topic.

Review

The service is available for free. Access to the service is available via browser and requires the Internet connection. For viewing the information user is not obligated to create an account. However, the creation of own collection, voting and sharing process requires a personal account. Wykop.pl is an online service, which store links to information proposed by Wykop’s users to read, comment and assess.

Tool Evaluation

Tool: Wikipedia

Website: www.wikipedia.com

Rating: 

Wikipedia is a free-access, free-content Internet encyclopaedia, supported and hosted by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.

Usage

Wikipedia allows to search for and read Wikipedia articles written in any language, at the beginning of its existence Wikipedia articles could be edited by any reader, even those who did not have a Wikipedia account. However today e.g. English Wikipedia and some other Wikipedia’s gradually have restricted modifications (only registered users may create a new article). Modifications to all articles would be published immediately. As a result, any article could contain inaccuracies such as errors, ideological biases, and nonsensical or irrelevant text. Each article and each user of Wikipedia has an associated “Talk” page. These form the primary communication channel for editors to discuss, coordinate and debate.

Review

Access to the service is free. Apps for IOS, Android and Windows Phone (for Windows Phone developed by mobile devices are available without any charge. Reviewing the Wikipedia resources is easy and possible via browser or dedicated apps however it requires the Internet access. Overall it is a widely used and highly popular encyclopaedia containing millions of articles in different languages.

Tool Evaluation

Tool: Todays Meet

Website: www.todaysmeet.com

Rating: 

Todays Meet is a microblogging backchannel that empowers computer classroom teachers to generate a discussion, without the interference of raised hands or student disruption. Today’s Meet is similar to Twitter or Edmodo, as it gets students chatting, using a 140-character limit and an easy-to-use interface.

Usage

Overall Todays Meet  is a useful tool as it helps teachers conduct online discussions, while channeling the results onto one web page or an Interactive White Board. Students can get to Todays Meet with the click of a mouse, if the teacher provides a link on a classroom blog or classroom. One of the disadvantages is that since Todays Meet is a backchannel and backchannels are a form of social media, school district servers may block Todays Meet. All students need a computer or mobile device to use Todays Meet.

Today’s meet is very simple to access and its free. Joining a TodaysMeet room is as simple as visiting a web page. A room’s web address (or URL) is the same as its name, so if the room is Ilovescience, the address is https://todaysmeet.com/Ilovescience.

Review

“TodaysMeet is a simple site that allows and promotes out-of-classroom conversation, but still requires teacher monitoring and guidance. The site can only be successful for learning if the teacher sets up parameters for digital citizenship and provides engaging content for reaction and collaboration. The site simply serves as a platform for these standards to take place.”- Graphite Review.

Tool Evaluation

Tool: Blogger

Website: www.blogger.com

Rating: 

Blogger is a publishing service that allows multi-users to upload time stamped blog entries. This blogging service is hosted by Google and is free to set up and use. More over it allows for blog posting that are completely unbranded and ad free which is more suitbale for educational purposes. Blogger is a useful platform for introducing blogs into an education setting as it is open source and automatically submits your blog to one of the largest search engines available making it easier for students to find and read.

Usage

Blogger is conceptually simple to use. It only requires a log in to set up and the features provided by the free service are satisfactory enough for regular blog users but not too overwhelming for new users to come to grasp with. The blogs are edited through a Word-like editor (text/HTML views), which is a familiar platform for most users and the application does require an internet connection at all times which may be a problem for some students. There is a maximum of 100 blogs per user account but there is no quoted maximum storage space.

Review

“Using blogger in the classroom can be efficient as it makes it easy for teachers to Post resources, lessons, and homework assignments, Keep parents up-to-date on class happenings, Reflect on their own teaching practices and share their ideas with other educators.

Furthermore Blogger makes it easy for students to Share schoolwork with their peers, parents, and others, Collaborate on projects and get feedback from others and Keep a reflective journal throughout the school year”.- WetEd Review for Google

Tool Evaluation

Tool: Facebook

Website: www.facebook.com

Rating: 

Although primarily used by individuals for personal networking, it is also seen as a useful tool within education to support both study groups and course sites. Facebook wasn’t created for educational purposes, but you’d be surprised of how the social affordances of this versatile tool can generate great potentials for social learning

Usage

Facebook can be used by the instructor to share course resources, fire up discussions, promote collaboration, improve relationships between students, incorporate an array of learning tools (such as videos, images, boards, chatting and private messaging), and use it in conjunction with other social media platforms, like Twitter.

How you can use Facebook for your advantage –as an instructor there are features to create closed groups, create polls to receive feedback, create questionnaires or upload course contents, material and resources in your account or the closed 5. Urge your students to introduce themselves, connect and collaborate.

Review

Facebook accounts and pages are free to setup. Paid ads to promote your Page or boost post reach are available; CPC variable pricing with a budget to control spending In terms of ease of access, the huge popularity of Facebook as a mobile app is a clear indicator of its scoreSocial media is an ingrained part of today’s society, with students of all ages  constantly on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many other site. If you want to bring the “real world” into the classroom, consider integrating social media into your lessons.

Tool Evaluation