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5.5 Data sharing tools

 

It is important that pupils get recognition from what they have produced and also that they are able to share what they have learned with other pupils, as well as family and friends. We therefore want to include three tools that facilitates sharing in an easy manner. Wasko and Faraj (2005), have found that sharing knowledge can result in stronger ties with involved actors and also result in a more similar status among the participants.

 

 

5.5.1 Youtube

Youtube is the Web’s most popular video-sharing site. Being the third most visited website overall, this is a tool that most pupils and teachers will be familiar with. It allows any user  to view, upload and share original created videos for free.

5.5.1.1 How to use it

The pupils should register to YouTube to be able to mark selected videos as saved or favorites, follow other users, upload videos and so on. By uploading a video it is available to the public, but in order to locate videos made by the class easily, it is important that they have a description and relevant tag-words to them. Tutorial on how to upload videos to YouTube:

 

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5.5.1.2 Value for history learning

As the pupils have been out in the field to record videos and create histories around their findings, they need an easy way of sharing these videos and stories. YouTube makes it easy for pupils to share with others, wherever they are. The sharing of information can create a collaborative environment in class which can affect motivation positively (section 3.3).

5.5.2 Twitter 

Twitter is a popular micro-blog where users can follow each other and share small (micro-)blog inserts about what they are doing at a certain time or thoughts that occur to them at a any point of time.

5.5.2.1 How to use it

Users, whether teacher or pupil, may write small inserts up to 140 characters which they can share to anyone who follows them on Twitter. The insert could also contain a video or an image. By using #-tags on keywords for their insert, it can easier be recognized by others via the search function on twitter. If an entire class use a unique #tag, they can easily see each others inserts next to one another which provides them with a forum to interact. They can then reply to each other’s inserts back and forth.

5.5.2.2 Value for history learning

A tool like Twitter is perfect when the pupils are out in the local community and exploring. When they explore something exciting they can “tweet” about it so that fellow pupils can come along or take part in the experience through the tweet. It also allows parents to share the experience from home, as they can easily see what their children share on Twitter. This way, they can view videos or pictures almost simultaneously as their children are outside exploring. Receiving feedback on a picture you shared will motivate the pupils to look for more or go deeper into a subject. Interactive activities such as this is valuable in increasing student participation, as mentioned in section 3.2.3. Tutorial on how to use Twitter:

 

 

5.5.3 Instagram 

Instagram is a free photo-sharing program that is mainly used via smart phones but have lately also been accessible through standard web-browsers. It is an easy tool to use when you want to share pictures, whether you want to share old or new pictures straight from the program. It is also known for having filters that you can lay on top of the photos to enhance certain characteristics to it.

5.5.3.1 How to use it

The pupils and teachers may follow each other to easily share photos. They can also use hash tags, #tag, to give a photo certain keywords. If the class creates a unique #tag among themselves, they can sort all those pictures easily. This allows them to pay attention to what everyone else is contributing with and can therefore inspire others to do the same or expand from their view.

5.5.3.2 Value for history learning

Again, sharing photos allows the pupils to share what they are interested in. In Instagram every user can leave feedback or comments, which thus allows for enthusiasm around a picture. This can also create a sort of competition is the class, something that can be positive (section 3.2.1) Since this is done through a smart phone, the pupils can do all this while being outdoors and exploring in the local community. Using Instagram can be valuable when capturing information on field trips as well (section 3.3) Tutorial on how to use Instagram:

 

 

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