Glogs

[|Glogster] ([|edu.glogster.com])

Glogster is a site designed for educators and classroom use for the creation of “glogs.” A [|glog] is sort of like an interactive online poster, or graphical blog. The interface allows for the sharing of texts, videos, music files, and video in an interactive fashion. (They are somewhat analagous to Prezis without movement.) They could be used to meet any one of the five standards—it is obviously in itself a presentational task but could also form the basis of an interpretive, or even interpersonal task. A different kind of tool to be sure. However, it works very much in the familiar blog way (which most students will definitely be familiar with). Images, text, videos, etc. are posted onto a “page” that is turned into a visual. It is essentially made into a “poster” of information that can be manipulated, changed, updated, or deleted. It could be used as a powerful communication tool as well as an important source of input (authentic materials, music videos, links, etc.)

Glogster is an asynchronous online tool that centers on the creation of digital multimedia posters. However, it also allows for messaging, presentations, and portfolios among other features. This tool, though applicable to all levels of education, seems the most useful in K12 classrooms, where learning can be stimulated through a variety of textual, visual, and audio media. It has a basic version, which is free, and a premium version (a teacher version of $100 per year, and an institutional version of $2 per student per year). The premium version allows for up to 200 users, while the basic one allows for only 50. In both versions, it is the teacher who manages the “blogster learning environment”, having access to students’ projects and activities in glogster. Both versions require first opening an account by the teacher, and then registering students. Once registered, students receive a nickname and password that they can then use to login and create their Glogs, which they can do basically through dragging and droping the different images, text or videos they will use in the glog.

Glogster.edu does require an account. It is design for K-12 use as well as post-secondary. The site has a free version and a premium version available to educators. The main difference is the amount of control an access a teacher has to the student's accounts (the premium version allows for student sharing, customer support, student portfolios, and does not contain advertisements). You can still upload videos and photos with a free account. Networking with other schools and teachers seems to also be easier with a paid account. At the individual teacher level it is quite expensive, but for a school-wide license it is only $2.00 per student which is affordable, especially if the school district is willing to help pay. Like Prezi, the site is relatively easy for new users to navigate and the glog-making tool is simple enough for students as low as the intermediate grade levels to use. Privacy control is included in the basic service. Equipped with passwords, the teacher has the flexibility to monitor students’ accounts. Also, since Glogster gives all users a nickname and no one can create a profile but the teacher, there is little concern for privacy on the site. Here are a few examples.

The above was originally published February 13, 2011 at http://mlleirwin.blogspot.com/2011/02/glogster.html