Wiggio is a free online toolkit that makes it easy to work in groups of all types. Wiggio was created out of frustration with email chains, using numerous different websites for different functions, and to reduce all other hassles associated with working in groups. The types of groups that use Wiggio range from academic project groups, K-12 teachers, small businesses, sports teams, families, camps, boy and girl scouts, and many more. On Wiggio you can share and edit files, manage a group calendar, poll you group (true/false, multiple choice, yes/no questions), post links, set up conference calls, chat online and send mass text, voice and email messages to your group members.
Links to pictures of technology artifacts.
I created a demo group and its email address is ed261@wiggiomail.com and the web address is http://ed261.wiggio.com. The following is a link that can be given to help students or others join the ED 261 Wiggio account. The numerous options available on Wiggio are beneficial for students to use to engage in learning. The Wiggio group can create numerous chat rooms. This way the whole class can engage in a chat room and also if working in groups the group can have their own chat room to discuss their work on their projects without the class seeing what they write. When updates are made to the calender or other areas in the Wiggio group an email is sent to the students updating/reminding them what they may need to do or dates to which assignments are due. The students can also upload documents to the group and you can choose that the administrator of the group be the only one that views them and thus is a way for students to submit homework. The following is a Wiggio tutorial video that is short yet informative about what Wiggio has to offer. I could go on and on about what Wiggio can do but viewing the tutorial does a great job to summarize and is interactive.
Description of and rationale for how the technology might be used with and preferably by students.
I would use the technology both for entire class use and also group projects with in the class. I think Wiggio would also be good to use when you are teaching more than one section of the same course. All sections of the course could interact with each other about questions they have or how they viewed a concept or idea. Thus, I could have an updated calendar for the course so all students would have a clear access to the dates and deadlines and can also make comments about their progress on chat rooms created for the course. Numerous chat rooms can be created so I would create a chat room for each section of the class so the students can discuss their thoughts and concerns and seek help from fellow classmates or myself. This way the educator would not have to open up a bunch of emails but instead be able to address them at once and those with the same question would have an answer. I can also evaluate the students' progress by using the poll option and asking multiple choice, true/false, or yes/no questions to see what concepts may need to be revisited. The polling is done automatically so results are given instantly.I did not discuss specific projects because I feel that Wiggio is such a great tool it can be utilized in all areas in the classroom. Students are able to be actively and mentally engaged in making the connections about concepts and ideas in the course through reflection. The chat rooms provide instant reflection arenas (like twitter but viewed only by others in group) and students can also send messages to group members that cannot be viewed by all and create files to reflect upon and then send to teacher. The students can be creative about their profile and creating polls to see where their fellow classmates stand on issues or ideas discussed in the course or even outside related topics. The students can also access the Wiggio features from their iPhone or iPad through the Wiggio app. The students are able to participate in concrete experiences such as the live chat room. Also, files and links can be posted on the account so students can see a video or explanation of a topic that may help increase their level of understanding of the topic or idea. As mentioned previously, the chat rooms or open documents allow students to interact with each other. This can help reduce the gap between the teacher and student by allowing the students to help each other. If a student has found a better way to look at or remember a concept he or she can share and discuss it on the chat room or the document. In conclusion, the Wiggio tool does a wonderful job of addressing the Principles of Learning.
I would use the technology both for entire class use and also group projects with in the class. I think Wiggio would also be good to use when you are teaching more than one section of the same course. All sections of the course could interact with each other about questions they have or how they viewed a concept or idea. Thus, I could have an updated calendar for the course so all students would have a clear access to the dates and deadlines and can also make comments about their progress on chat rooms created for the course. Numerous chat rooms can be created so I would create a chat room for each section of the class so the students can discuss their thoughts and concerns and seek help from fellow classmates or myself. This way the educator would not have to open up a bunch of emails but instead be able to address them at once and those with the same question would have an answer. I can also evaluate the students' progress by using the poll option and asking multiple choice, true/false, or yes/no questions to see what concepts may need to be revisited. The polling is done automatically so results are given instantly.I did not discuss specific projects because I feel that Wiggio is such a great tool it can be utilized in all areas in the classroom. Students are able to be actively and mentally engaged in making the connections about concepts and ideas in the course through reflection. The chat rooms provide instant reflection arenas (like twitter but viewed only by others in group) and students can also send messages to group members that cannot be viewed by all and create files to reflect upon and then send to teacher. The students can be creative about their profile and creating polls to see where their fellow classmates stand on issues or ideas discussed in the course or even outside related topics. The students can also access the Wiggio features from their iPhone or iPad through the Wiggio app. The students are able to participate in concrete experiences such as the live chat room. Also, files and links can be posted on the account so students can see a video or explanation of a topic that may help increase their level of understanding of the topic or idea. As mentioned previously, the chat rooms or open documents allow students to interact with each other. This can help reduce the gap between the teacher and student by allowing the students to help each other. If a student has found a better way to look at or remember a concept he or she can share and discuss it on the chat room or the document. In conclusion, the Wiggio tool does a wonderful job of addressing the Principles of Learning.
Consideration of struggles for implementation (student, systematic, and/or hardware).
The struggles for implementation of Wiggio would be the availability of computers for the students. Also, the internet is required for the use of Wiggio and thus could not be used if the internet was down or busy. As with many sites the bugs with Wiggio exist but the Wiggio Team does a great job of addressing and correcting the bugs as they arise. The size of files that can be shared are limited but so are email attachments. The struggle for implementation for the students would be the amount of features to use on Wiggio can be confusing and slightly overwhelming when students are first introduced. Often when students are told to use a new program or technology tool they get frustrated or discouraged because they may have to step out of their comfort zone as far as the types of technology that they are used to using. However, a quick view of the Wiggio tutorial and class guided introductions can increase students navigation abilities and confidence. Also, the students may have issues with the use of some of the Wiggio features such as the poll option. The issues being again how to use and navigate it. The meetings option can be chat rooms, conference calls, or virtual meeting. Virtual meeting can be confusing for students to setup. Also, virtual meetings require the access to web cameras on the computers or iPads.
The struggles for implementation of Wiggio would be the availability of computers for the students. Also, the internet is required for the use of Wiggio and thus could not be used if the internet was down or busy. As with many sites the bugs with Wiggio exist but the Wiggio Team does a great job of addressing and correcting the bugs as they arise. The size of files that can be shared are limited but so are email attachments. The struggle for implementation for the students would be the amount of features to use on Wiggio can be confusing and slightly overwhelming when students are first introduced. Often when students are told to use a new program or technology tool they get frustrated or discouraged because they may have to step out of their comfort zone as far as the types of technology that they are used to using. However, a quick view of the Wiggio tutorial and class guided introductions can increase students navigation abilities and confidence. Also, the students may have issues with the use of some of the Wiggio features such as the poll option. The issues being again how to use and navigate it. The meetings option can be chat rooms, conference calls, or virtual meeting. Virtual meeting can be confusing for students to setup. Also, virtual meetings require the access to web cameras on the computers or iPads.
Consideration of the biases and trade-offs of the technology.
The biases and trade-offs of Wiggio are that students can do a great deal of the group work without face-to-face interaction with group members. Thus, yes the students are collaborating but they are lacking the ability to practice social skills in a face-to-face experience. The students can easily copy and paste information if working on a group document. Thus, they would not be intellectually engaged in the material that they are researching or gathering. Wiggio can be a place to share links to information or ideas they were to look into. However, explanation of the use of the link and why it was shared would need to be included so there is thought processes going on instead of just search and paste. The text box is relatively small for the students to share why they found this link important to share and the key points associated with the link. The calendar feature is very helpful for the students however it does in a way "hold their hand" through the responsibility factor of class work. Yes, it is a good reminder but the students need to develop a way of organizing and preparing themselves for success. But then again the teacher can pick and choose what to include on the calendar. However, if everything is not posted the student may use that as an excuse for not having something completed on time that it was not posted on Wiggio. As with many forms of online technology and the ability to instant message students may carry-out discussions that are off topic. This is easy to do when the chat room is instant and the teacher may be lecturing or students are suppose to be working on group work. However, getting side-tracked is reality and is a trade-off that many online tools, especially those with instant chat options, have to deal with. Finally, one to the biases of Wiggio is that it is geared to more individual work at a computer.Yes, groups could share a computer but the site is geared toward the use of one person at a computer talking to another individual at another computer. This is also apparent by the use of the profile (individual) for the student or group member who is submitting the comments, files, links, meetings, polls, and etc...
The biases and trade-offs of Wiggio are that students can do a great deal of the group work without face-to-face interaction with group members. Thus, yes the students are collaborating but they are lacking the ability to practice social skills in a face-to-face experience. The students can easily copy and paste information if working on a group document. Thus, they would not be intellectually engaged in the material that they are researching or gathering. Wiggio can be a place to share links to information or ideas they were to look into. However, explanation of the use of the link and why it was shared would need to be included so there is thought processes going on instead of just search and paste. The text box is relatively small for the students to share why they found this link important to share and the key points associated with the link. The calendar feature is very helpful for the students however it does in a way "hold their hand" through the responsibility factor of class work. Yes, it is a good reminder but the students need to develop a way of organizing and preparing themselves for success. But then again the teacher can pick and choose what to include on the calendar. However, if everything is not posted the student may use that as an excuse for not having something completed on time that it was not posted on Wiggio. As with many forms of online technology and the ability to instant message students may carry-out discussions that are off topic. This is easy to do when the chat room is instant and the teacher may be lecturing or students are suppose to be working on group work. However, getting side-tracked is reality and is a trade-off that many online tools, especially those with instant chat options, have to deal with. Finally, one to the biases of Wiggio is that it is geared to more individual work at a computer.Yes, groups could share a computer but the site is geared toward the use of one person at a computer talking to another individual at another computer. This is also apparent by the use of the profile (individual) for the student or group member who is submitting the comments, files, links, meetings, polls, and etc...
Explanation of how the project meets the selected teacher standard and student standards.
The use of Wiggio as a technology tool used to enhance the students' organization, learning, and collaboration meets the ISTE teacher standards four and five. The fourth ISTE standard states that teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. The use of Wiggio in school promotes and models digital citizenship and responsibility. The teacher is facilitating an environment using the Wiggio technology for students to participate in the digital environment and contribute and work to benefit it as an active citizen. Also, the modeling of the digital citizenship and responsibility is beneficially because the digital culture is constantly evolving and having practice with it and the numerous types of digital features provided by Wiggio will give them a foundation to work with in their future encounters with the digital culture. Also, with the use of Wiggio for younger students an email account is not required they can join by clicking on the group URL and then clicking join. Thus, if there is an ethical issue of having young students having email accounts that can be avoided.
The fifth ISTE standard states that teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. The exploration of technology tools such as Wiggio and implementing them into the classroom is a way that teacher is improving their professional practice and modeling lifelong learning and practice with digital tools. Using tools like Wiggio and promoting the use and how the digital tools and resources to use can improve the quality of learning and ability to interact with peers. Also, teaches students how to navigate through social and communication mediums to increase group work and class concept understandings.
The use of Wiggio as a technology tool used to enhance the students' organization, learning, and collaboration meets the ISTE teacher standards four and five. The fourth ISTE standard states that teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. The use of Wiggio in school promotes and models digital citizenship and responsibility. The teacher is facilitating an environment using the Wiggio technology for students to participate in the digital environment and contribute and work to benefit it as an active citizen. Also, the modeling of the digital citizenship and responsibility is beneficially because the digital culture is constantly evolving and having practice with it and the numerous types of digital features provided by Wiggio will give them a foundation to work with in their future encounters with the digital culture. Also, with the use of Wiggio for younger students an email account is not required they can join by clicking on the group URL and then clicking join. Thus, if there is an ethical issue of having young students having email accounts that can be avoided.
The fifth ISTE standard states that teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. The exploration of technology tools such as Wiggio and implementing them into the classroom is a way that teacher is improving their professional practice and modeling lifelong learning and practice with digital tools. Using tools like Wiggio and promoting the use and how the digital tools and resources to use can improve the quality of learning and ability to interact with peers. Also, teaches students how to navigate through social and communication mediums to increase group work and class concept understandings.
Cite and evaluate educational research related to the technology use.
The article I found that discussed Wiggio and its efficacy and benefits is called "Collaborating for Productivity Through Wiggio". The article's main focus is on how Wiggio benefits group work in the business sector. However, many of the same types of components apply to the use of Wiggio in the classroom. It was discussed that, "Wiggio offers a variety of modes of communication, encompassing both asynchronous and synchronous communication-allowing team members to be efficient and effective." The article also discussed users favorite options. For example, some commented that they liked how you can create folders that are specified to a topic or project so that the document or items can be sorted and does not turn into a blog of submitted work with no apparent application. The article also talked about how Wiggio handles content management very well. I would agree with this statement. I felt the level of organization available with Wiggio was much better than many other types of communication mediums. Wiggio also supports responsibility for those who edit a file by giving the name of the member who uploaded or edited a document. Overall the article just discussed the most popular parts of the technology tool and did not truly evaluate how Wiggio improved group work besides that can work with others in different locations. I felt the article should have done more comparisons to show why Wiggio is truly a better tool to use to be more efficient. Also, more research on the statistics between those who use Wiggio and how it increased their productivity and efficiently opposed to not using it or using former tools. The final critic I have with this article is that it was conducted over a months time. I do not feel that is sufficient amount of time to draw conclusions from.
Reference: "Collaborating for Productivity Through Wiggio". Professor Debra Geist. April 22, 2010.
....Alyson Bechtum.....
Having completed this project I look forward to using Wiggio in my future classes!! Great combination of so many other web 2.0 tools.
The article I found that discussed Wiggio and its efficacy and benefits is called "Collaborating for Productivity Through Wiggio". The article's main focus is on how Wiggio benefits group work in the business sector. However, many of the same types of components apply to the use of Wiggio in the classroom. It was discussed that, "Wiggio offers a variety of modes of communication, encompassing both asynchronous and synchronous communication-allowing team members to be efficient and effective." The article also discussed users favorite options. For example, some commented that they liked how you can create folders that are specified to a topic or project so that the document or items can be sorted and does not turn into a blog of submitted work with no apparent application. The article also talked about how Wiggio handles content management very well. I would agree with this statement. I felt the level of organization available with Wiggio was much better than many other types of communication mediums. Wiggio also supports responsibility for those who edit a file by giving the name of the member who uploaded or edited a document. Overall the article just discussed the most popular parts of the technology tool and did not truly evaluate how Wiggio improved group work besides that can work with others in different locations. I felt the article should have done more comparisons to show why Wiggio is truly a better tool to use to be more efficient. Also, more research on the statistics between those who use Wiggio and how it increased their productivity and efficiently opposed to not using it or using former tools. The final critic I have with this article is that it was conducted over a months time. I do not feel that is sufficient amount of time to draw conclusions from.
Reference: "Collaborating for Productivity Through Wiggio". Professor Debra Geist. April 22, 2010.
....Alyson Bechtum.....
Having completed this project I look forward to using Wiggio in my future classes!! Great combination of so many other web 2.0 tools.
No comments:
Post a Comment