MET:Glogster in the Classroom
Created by Valerie Wells June, 2011
What is Glogster
Glogster EDU is a private, safe platform for students and teachers to create online electronic posters(Glogs) to display their thoughts, interests, ideas and understandings. It uses a number of tools to incorporate text, audio, video, links, animations and images. Glogster Edu, as a teaching tool, can be integrated into core subject areas of the curriculum, differentiated instruction, and used as alternative assessments. Glogs can be populated with a variety of text boxes, graphics, animations and frames available in the Glogster gallery. Images, video and audio files can be uploaded directly from student or school computers. Students can use webcams and microphones to record audio, take snapshots and video to be saved directly into their Glog. Users can build their own library of images, video and sound clips to be accessed easily for use in future Glogs. Students can also use Glogster to create a dynamic digital portfolio of the content that they've published to sites like School Tube.
History
Martin Santorcl and Patrik Prepsl founded Glogster.com in 2007 . The current CEO of the site is Roman Smola .[1] Glogster EDU was developed in the United States, October of 2009 and subsequently updated in November 2009. The new version, Glogster EDU 2.0, contained new features including new graphics, and teacher controls for adding, editing and managing student accounts. Since its beginning, Glogster has experienced rapid expansion and now has users in more than 200 countries and territories. At present, there are over 10.4 million Glogs and over 8 milion Gloggers.[2]
Connections to Online Learning Theory
Glogster EDU is an online platform which provides teachers and students with a virtual teaching and learning space. Anderson’s (2008a), “Towards a Theory of Online Learning- Theory and Practice of Online Learning”, reports quality online environments need to be learner- centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered and community-centered. Glogster EDU creates learning environments which embody all of these attributes.
- Learner centered: Glogster EDU provides students with a safe platform that is easy to use, flexible and allows for different learning styles.
- Knowledge Centered: The online poster is a means for students to display their knowledge of a topic. Glogster EDU also enables collaborative projects in which students can work together to construct and extend their learning.
- Assessment Centered: Anderson (2008a) states that good online environments provide opportunities for assessment by both teachers and peers. Glogster EDU enables teachers and students to provide timely feedback on their glogs within its internal messaging system. Constructive teacher/peer feedback can help guide, prompt, and extend student learning.
- Community centered: The glogster platform facilitates teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction and, due to its asynchronous nature, parent/community interaction. Glogs are able to be embedded into classroom websites to foster parent/community participation. Parents/community are able to view and comment on student glogs inside the platform but also through the use of virtual sticky notes such as Stixy and Wallwisher.
Glogster EDU supports interactions in a variety of formats between students and computers which lead to a media rich environment. The platform supports content in a range of formats, video, audio, text and multimedia. According to Anderson’s (2008b) “Teaching in an Online Learning Context”, the ability to access media rich environments leads to a unique setting for teaching and learning activities.
Benefits
- Glogs made on Glogster EDU are private, so that others can’t see them unless invited.
- Teachers can monitor and control all the activities of their learners and rate student Glogs. They can also give students instant feedback on their glogs within the account.
- Peers can see and comment on classmates' glogs within the site.
- Glogs can be embedded into websites for parents to view.
- Glogster Edu doesn’t require individual student information for a Glogster virtual environment; the teacher registers, and is then responsible for the online safety of students.
- Students can create and publish their work and collaborate with peers on projects.
- Glogster is asynchronous and can be accessed at school or home any time of the day.
Challenges
- Glogs can be slow to load on school computers.Patience and planning for the delay is necessary.
- Save frequently otherwise you could lose your work.
- Video and audio can be slow to upload on school computers.
- Video, audio and links cannot be tested in edit mode. View the Glog in preview mode to test multimedia.
- Some of the editing features are too advanced for younger students. There is a need to keep it simple.
- Students can become bogged down in the interactive options when creating the glog.
Classroom Uses
- Digital Presentations
- Movie Posters
- Book Reviews/Reports Fairytale Glogster
- Interactive timelines
- Electronic Portfolios
- End products for research projects in all subject areas Grade 3 Social Studies group project
- Home page for classroom webpage
- Biographical and autobiographical glogs
- Use to introduce yourself at parent orientation at the beginning of the year
- Introduce a lessons, concepts or units of study
- Use as a place to collect resources for student use Weather Resources
- Upload student created Podcasts, videos and sound clips
- Classroom centers Literacy Links
Features
Glogster EDU accounts offer a range of features to manage the platform. The Free Basic teacher account offers the most basic features. The premium accounts offer a wide range of features and support options allowing teachers to easily manage student accounts, access to drawing tools and data tools, presentation tools, and project management tools.
System requirements
Internet Browsers:
- Internet Explorer version 7 or higher
- Firefox
- Chrome
- Safari
Plugins
- Macromedia Flash player version 8 or higher
Account Levels
- Glogster EDU Basic
- Glogster EDU Premium
License Requirements
Users need to register with Glogster EDU to create an account. While Glogster EDU Basic is free to use it contains only the most basic features. Glogster EDU Premium has added features, graphics and control options for teachers and students. The Premium account can be purchased for use by a single teacher or a multi teacher school license can be purchased.
How to use Glogster
- Go to http://edu.glogster.com
- Click on Register in the upper right‐hand side of the screen
- Fill out online registration form. (Nickname is the same thing as screen name or login)
- Type the code from the code box in the box below the code.
- Check the box beside “I confirm being 13 years or older and I agree to the Terms ofUse”
- Click SIGN UP
You will be taken to your personal Glogster EDU page. You will also receive a reminder to check your email for a confirmation email from glogster.com. When you receive the email, click the “confirm your account by clicking here” link in the email to confirm your account. If you created student accounts when registering, the student nicknames and passwords you created will also be in the e‐mail. A copy of this e-mail will also appear in your glogster dashboard.
- Hand out student nicknames and passwords
- Students go to http://edu.glogster.com
- Students click LOG IN in the upper‐right corner
- Enter NICKNAME and PASSWORD
- Click log-in
- Click on CREATE A GLOG :
When you open a new Glog, you will see an example. To remove any elements you don’t want to use in your Glog, click on element and then click on the RED TRASH CAN. Glogster is easy for teachers and students to use and contains all the tools necessary to create an online poster.
Glogster Tutorial
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Footnotes
References
1.Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a Theory of Online Learning. In: Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008_Anderson-Online_Learning.pdf
2.Anderson, T. (2008b). Teaching in an Online Learning Context. In: Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/14_Anderson_2008_Anderson-DeliveryQualitySupport.pdf
3.AppAppeal. (2011). Glogster Review. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from http://www.appappeal.com/app/glogster/
4.Blazosky, T. (2009, April 17 )Glogster Tutorial. Retreived June 27, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80NISdsoouE
5.Danner-Kuhn, C. (February 2011). “Glogster- Great tool for the classroom and info for Block B”. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from http://www.technologybitsbytesnibbles.info/archives/3406
6.Glogster EDU Logo. Image. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glogster_EDU_Logo.png
7.Glogster EDU Account Levels.Image. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from: http://edu.glogster.com/product-information/Glogster_Options.JPG
8.Glogster EDU New Glog. Image. Retrieved June 30, 2011 from:File:New_glog.JPG
9.November 11, 2009. Glogster Tutorial. Discovery Education Recommends Glogster EDU – online teaching and learning tool. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7JZ_29qd-I
10.Glogster – Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 27, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glogster
11.Going Beyond Loch Ness Monster. (2010). School Library Monthly, 26(8), 6-8. Retrieved from EBSCOhost
12.Roche, C. (May, 2011).Technology Meets Education. “Glogster in the Classroom”. Retrieved June 28, 2011 from http://techmeetsed.com/2011/05/28/glogster-in-the-classroom/