Shine Magazine, Issue 3, April 2010 - Department of Education and ...

OPINIon
Ms Heneberry’s ning for her Year 9 English
class includes blog functions, a forum and
the ability to upload videos and music.
of Term 1 and was rewarded when one
student posted his status as: ‘This seems
much cooler than I thought. You’ve made
my semester and we haven’t even started
yet.’
Weekly homework tasks are all posted in the
forum for students to complete at home, and
creative tasks are presented on their blogs
so that others within the class can provide
feedback.
I couldn’t be happier, or more
impressed, with the level of activity
on the ning both inside and outside of
school hours, or the supportive and
mature way in which my students have
treated the intellectual property of their
peers. Non-compulsory discussion
threads have blossomed over weekends,
and students have used their blogs to
share what they have been developing,
“Nings are not just another case of technology replacing something that can easily be done
by traditional means,” insists Brentwood Secondary teacher Briony Heneberry.
actively seeking comments and
suggestions from each other even when
it was not required for assessment.
Aside from the beauty of paperless
assessment and the ability check on the
progress of students wherever I have
an internet connection, I have found it
extremely rewarding to have studentinitiated
curriculum-centric conversations
outside of the classroom.
Nings are not just another case of technology
replacing something that can just as easily
or effectively be done by traditional means;
they are an engaging and interactive Web
2.0 platform that students enjoy using,
because they utilise the different electronic
modes of communication that now
dominate their lives.
Briony Heneberry is an English teacher at
Brentwood Secondary College. S
Tell us what you think. Email your letters to editor@edumail.vic.gov.au
Shine APRIL 2010 35