2. Collaborative Technology in the Classroom
Vigo County’s Use of Cognite
Social Networking in Schools
Wikis in the Classroom
Conclusion
Source Citations
3. Vigo County’s Use of Cognite
Cognite is a digital learning environment that
allows students, teachers, parents, and
administrators to collaborate electronically
from any computer with internet access.
Vigo County School Corporation in Terre
Haute, IN has adopted this software as a way
to share resources, communicate, and work
together outside of the classroom.
4. Cognite Cont.
Bill Bruce, the technology director for Vigo
County School Corporation, stated that the
use of Cognite will allow all of the district’s
digital resources to be easily integrated into
a single interface; which in turn will reduce
costs. The goal is to eventually use this
collaborative technology at all grade levels in
the district.
5. Reflection
After reading the article and learning more
about the Cognite program, I’ve concluded
the program seems to be much like
oncourse. I am pleased to learn that school
systems in Indiana are taking advantage of
this type of technology. This type of
collaborative technology opens the door for
positive communication among students,
teachers, administrators, and parents.
6. Social Networking in Schools
The article discussed the growing trend of
social networking and the possibility of
incorporating social networking into the
classroom in order to enhance learning and
bridge communication between students,
teachers, parents, and administrators. The
article also listed some pros and cons to
using social networking for educational
purposes.
7. Social Networking Cont.
Although, the use of social networking in the
classroom can be beneficial, it must be done
professionally and correctly. As the article
mentioned, teachers have lost their jobs for
disclosing personal information on their
social networking sites and allowing their
students access to this information.
8. Reflection
I feel that social networking, if used correctly, could be a
very useful tool in the classroom. If teachers would like to
set up a blog or use a site, such as facebook, in order to be
connected to their students strictly for educational
purposes, then they should create separate pages from
their own personal ones. Teachers need to keep the
relationship with their students professional, especially
when using social networking sites. Using social
networking as a way to answer homework questions, and
to communicate with parents and students can greatly
benefit the overall atmosphere of the classroom by
bridging the gaps in communication and involving
everyone in the education process.
9. Wikis in the Classroom
The article greatly details how the use of wiki
technology in the classroom can enhance the
learning experience for students while also allowing
parents to view their child’s work and be actively
involved in the entire process. David Lindsay, the
man who discovered wikis in 2005, gave many
examples of how he has used wikis in his classroom.
Some include: sharing the students’ work with their
parents, allowing students to collaborate on class
assignments, and giving parents and teachers the
opportunity to view the progress of a student’s and
also give feedback.
10. Wikis Cont.
Lorna Larson, an ESL teacher in MN, also
stated ways in which she incorporates wikis
in her classroom. She advised teachers to
not lose sight of their purpose for
incorporating this type of technology into
their classrooms. She noted, “Technology
can be a great facilitator, but knowing the
learning objective is the first critical step.”
11. Reflection
I never thought of the many different ways
wikis can be used to enhance learning in the
classroom until I read this article. I simply
thought they were to ease the burden of
group projects by making collaboration
more convenient. I particularly liked Lorna
Larson’s advise to teachers. I will be sure to
keep this in mind when I’m planning for my
own classroom one day.
12. Conclusion
There are many types of collaborative technology
that can be incorporated into the classroom. I
think, if used correctly, they each can be beneficial
in their own way. One of the most important
factors when deciding which technology to choose
is to determine the ultimate goal of the technology.
Incorporating technology into the classroom just
for the sake of it would not enhance learning at all.
There must be a sound reason.
13. Source Citation
Aronowitz, S. (2010). Indiana k-12 school district moves to collaborative
learning system. the Journal, Retrieved from
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/11/17/indiana-k-12-school-
district-moves-to-collaborative-learning-system.aspx
McCrea, B. (2010). Wikis: pulling it all together online. the Journal,
Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/10/20/wikis-
pulling-it-all-together-online.aspx
Wells, C. (2010). Social networking: the essential balancing act in schools.
the Journal, Retrieved from
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/11/17/social-networking-the-
essential-balancing-act-in-schools.aspx
