Week 5 - Glogster!

Glogster is one of the Group 3 digital tools to be explored as part of our e-learning course. From the moment I read about Glogster on Moodle I could automatically see the benefits of using such a tool in the classroom! Essentially, Glogster is an online poster making/scrapbooking site which allows users to upload images, text, audio and videos onto a pinboard-like screen. You can then arrange the uploaded files on the screen in whatever fashion you like. To give you an example of what I mean, I have embedded a glog that I made about the topic of Reptiles.

Please click on this link if you would like to view the Reptiles glog in full screen mode - Reptiles Glogster Page.

Pretty cool huh? :) The great thing about creating a glog is that it enables you to display information in an incredibly CREATIVE way. You can add frames around your uploaded images, change the colour of your text boxes, choose from a plethora of font styles and font colours and probably the best part of all - your information isn't restricted to being organised in a linear fashion, it can be placed around your glog page in whatever way you like. This tool would clearly benefit visual learners as glogs are a visual way of presenting information. Furthermore, it would also benefit learners who think 'globally' and need to have all the information about a topic/concept laid out in front of them before they can make sense of it. Glogster could also serve as an organisational tool for students who struggle to organise their ideas when completing a task. They could simply upload all their ideas/research onto a glog page and then sort through those ideas to find the ones that best address the task at hand, deleting those that are no longer necessary.

How can Glogster be used in the primary classroom? I created my Reptiles glog with an introductory lesson to the animal group of reptiles in mind (Prep - Year 3). To get the students thinking about what reptiles are and drawing on what prior knowledge they have, I would display my reptiles glog on the interactive whiteboard. The students would read through the text if they are able to and share their comments about the reptile photos displayed. It is a VERY simple idea (and with more time I would love to add some more text and images), but this glog provides an effective launching pad for further learning throughout the lesson (and the best part is... it only took 15 minutes to make!).

Below is a PMI that I have constructed on the use of Glogster in the classroom. It explores the benefits, limitations and interesting points about this digital tool.

Plus:

It is a fun and creative way for students to display their ideas

Glogster pages can be set to 'Private' to ensure student work is safe and secure

Allows images, text, audio, videos and hyperlinks to be embedded

Can be used collaboratively by groups of students

Is a great alternative to the cardboard poster idea (no need to provide students with a plethora of stationery items!)

Supports visual learners and global thinkers

Students can comment on their peers' glog pages

Minus:

Students might focus on trying to make their glog look 'pretty' rather than on the learning content they are meant to be displaying

If the purpose for using the glog is not presented clearly by the teacher, students' glogs could simply become a space for posting meaningless and off-task information

Interesting:

The possibilities for using blogs are truly endless, and the best part is they can be incorporated into learning across all KLAs. While researching about how different teachers have used Glogster with their students I came across this great website - 1001 Super Tools for Teachers: Glogster. There are a few really great teaching strategies, but one I particularly liked was the idea of using Glogster to display the steps students took to complete a science experiment (in both text form and through digital photographs). Be sure to check out the rest of the ideas from the website to extend your strategies for using glogs in the classroom!