For anyone who's wanted to try blogging in the classroom knows that it has it's limitations.
1. Students have problems typing and it takes them forever.
2. When they do type it's about three basic sentences long.
So, with the help of a web application maybe it is possible for all students and all grade levels to work on a blog and even post to their own blog. listen *
With the website, Jott.com, bloggers can use a phone to call in an entry and their call is then transcribed into text and posted to their personal blog. The limitation to this being that, a "jott" (the term used for the phone call) can only be a maximum of 30 secs long. Not very long, but when a kids begins talking, sometimes 30 sec is enough. You are also given the chance
to listen to the call through the blog itself. You can click the link above to hear my first attempt.
So, what are the benefits of this type of web application in the classroom? Foremost, this app has just made it possible for practically anyone to blog. Now bloggers can be anyone, from Kindergarten and Special Education students, ESL students, and even a jumping off point for those less than reluctant teachers to start a blog. Anyone interested in using this application simply can go to the website and sign up for a free account. However, there is a little bit of trouble in making sure your posts go to your blog, but with the help of the forums and on-site help menus, this is easily taken care of as well. You will need to know the ID code for your blog which is easy to find, as it shows up whenever you post a new entry, but this will take some looking on the users part to get it. That is the most difficult part of the setup, so once you've got it, it's smooth sailing from then on out. Also, it's important to note that before calling, you might want to have a rehearsed "speech" in your head so that you aren't stumbling over your words, thus allowing more speech to text time. Again you can listen to my attempt as a prime example.
While there is a lot of potential to the application, there is also some possible, but easy, obstacles to overcome. Other than the 30 second limitation, there is also some editing that would need to be done. With the voice to text technology, obviously there are going to be some mistakes. But, who says that this wouldn't be a great opportunity for some peer editing practice? We can find a lesson in everything can't we?
Imagine the excitement and pride of a Kindergarten, 1st grade, or Special Needs parent to go to their child's blog and read a poem they've written or maybe even a daily journal entry? Wow!
I want to give a special thanks to mrkimmi for referring me to this website that could quite possibly have a lot of potential in the classroom. With blogs being a more widely used tool in the classroom for a variety of reasons, Jott.com has just made it easier for a wider variety of people to get in touch with the technology around them.
* The point in which my 30 sec call was up. Maybe a little more of a rehearsed call would allow for more script.
Powered by Jott
1. Students have problems typing and it takes them forever.
2. When they do type it's about three basic sentences long.
So, with the help of a web application maybe it is possible for all students and all grade levels to work on a blog and even post to their own blog. listen *
With the website, Jott.com, bloggers can use a phone to call in an entry and their call is then transcribed into text and posted to their personal blog. The limitation to this being that, a "jott" (the term used for the phone call) can only be a maximum of 30 secs long. Not very long, but when a kids begins talking, sometimes 30 sec is enough. You are also given the chance
to listen to the call through the blog itself. You can click the link above to hear my first attempt.So, what are the benefits of this type of web application in the classroom? Foremost, this app has just made it possible for practically anyone to blog. Now bloggers can be anyone, from Kindergarten and Special Education students, ESL students, and even a jumping off point for those less than reluctant teachers to start a blog. Anyone interested in using this application simply can go to the website and sign up for a free account. However, there is a little bit of trouble in making sure your posts go to your blog, but with the help of the forums and on-site help menus, this is easily taken care of as well. You will need to know the ID code for your blog which is easy to find, as it shows up whenever you post a new entry, but this will take some looking on the users part to get it. That is the most difficult part of the setup, so once you've got it, it's smooth sailing from then on out. Also, it's important to note that before calling, you might want to have a rehearsed "speech" in your head so that you aren't stumbling over your words, thus allowing more speech to text time. Again you can listen to my attempt as a prime example.
While there is a lot of potential to the application, there is also some possible, but easy, obstacles to overcome. Other than the 30 second limitation, there is also some editing that would need to be done. With the voice to text technology, obviously there are going to be some mistakes. But, who says that this wouldn't be a great opportunity for some peer editing practice? We can find a lesson in everything can't we?
Imagine the excitement and pride of a Kindergarten, 1st grade, or Special Needs parent to go to their child's blog and read a poem they've written or maybe even a daily journal entry? Wow!
I want to give a special thanks to mrkimmi for referring me to this website that could quite possibly have a lot of potential in the classroom. With blogs being a more widely used tool in the classroom for a variety of reasons, Jott.com has just made it easier for a wider variety of people to get in touch with the technology around them.
* The point in which my 30 sec call was up. Maybe a little more of a rehearsed call would allow for more script.
Powered by Jott
1 comments:
Jott basically saved my blog. In the month of May I had virtually no time to post anything substantial, so to keep going I utilized Jott. Thanks for the reference, but it was actually Paul Allison that showed me. This is the great part of the learning that happens online, we know more and become more efficient when we work together.
I like the idea of using peer editing to correct errors that might occur in the transcription. Also, one big foucs of my classroom next year will be reflecting on learning through a traditional journal, blog, podcast, etc. I think the use of Jott/cell phone will really speed up this process. The only question is, will admin let me have phones in the room?
P.S. I had a hard time finding my Blog ID as well.
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