Glogster EDU

What is Glogster EDU?

What are its features? 

What are the benefits of Glogster EDU in the classroom?

Examples of how Glogster EDU could be used in the classroom?

What are the potential challenges and barriers?

How to set up an account

Rating/Rational

We have graded the Glogster EDU web 2.0 tool with three and half stars out of five, for the reason that whilst we value its modern and interactive approach in allowing students and educators to present their work, we have reservations about the potential challenges/barriers.

Link to Glogster EDU Site

Back to Web 2.0 tools

What is Glogster EDU?   

Glogster EDU is a free web 2.0 tool that does not require any software instalation. It allows teachers to set up private Glogster EDU accounts for all of their students. Students and teachers can use these accounts to create interactive on-line posters (glogs) which the rest of the class can view. All the student accounts are connected to each other and to the teachers account, however no one else can access them. This creates a safe environment for students to work. Students can also use their accounts to comment on other students glogs and to send messages to each other and to the teacher.

top

Glogster EDU has the potential to be used effectively in a variety of classroom situations. Below outlines a range of benefits for the three vital categories within the school environment, the students, the teacher and the overall classroom.

The clip to the right highlights some of the benefits of glogs over traditional poster making

Student benefits:

• A unique and new way for students to express their creativity/knowledge and share it with others.
• Fosters collaboration and teamwork with fellow peers through the ability to communicate and share work online.
• Provides students with opportunities to intergrate dynamic multisensory learning experiences.
• Potentially increases the motivation of students towards a specific topic/learning area.

Teacher benefits:

• Can create individual student accounts providing students with a sense of independence and responsibility
• Can access/view all students accounts allowing teachers to monitor progress, understanding and attitudes towards the topic/learning experience   

Classroom benefits: 

• Students are able to access the Glogster EDU account from any computer/network (with internet access), meaning that students who are absent can still work on their accounts if needed.

top

Examples of how Glogster EDU could be used in the classroom?

Glogster can be used in many diverse ways within the classroom. The following are a few examples:

Presentation of student understanding

For example if a group of high school students had been investigating the effect of drugs on both individuals and their communities they could present their findings in a glog. This glog could include:

• Factual information in the form of text
• A role play on an issue such as 'how to say no to drugs' (this could be filmed and attached) 
• An interview with a person within this field (this could be attached as an audio file)
• Graphics and images relating to the issue can also be found, edited and attached

(Furthermore, this specific example would cover a range of cross curricular ideas, such as health, drama and media studies)

Incorporating self and peer assesment

Students could be asked to assess and reflect on their own work and ideas as well as the work/ideas of their fellow peers. This could be completed using the comments section of the Glogster EDU site.

Providing a greater information base to students

Teachers could use the glogs to provide information about subject matters, topics and themes. This could further be enhanced by attaching links to relevant sites and information sources.

top

What are the potential challenges and barriers?

Whilst Glogster EDU provides opportunities for students and their teacher to share a range of work, ideas and graphics it is vital that the potential challenges and barriers be discussed in order to allow fellow educators the opportunity to assess the tool with realistic expectations.

Teacher control       

• Students have the power to change their passwords therefore, removing teacher control.
• Teachers are able to access and remove any inappropriate material once they are made aware of it, if the have the current password. However, they are unable to stop such content prior to it being published.
• We are unsure if students are able to change their usernames potentially meaning the teacher is unable to identify individual students.
  

Personal information

• The Glogster EDU site provides opportunities for students to utilise a status/profile feature. This profile and 'G point' system provides a sense of social networking which may encourage distraction from the task and potentially bullying.  

Suggested Strategies to overcome potential challenges

• The Glogster EDU administrators are highly responsive to questions and feeback. We suggest that if you have any comments, questions or quiries relating to the above potential challenges/barriers or others that you encounter you contact them via the email link on the Glogster EDU homepage.

top

The examples provided above were created by us or found online as we were unable to identify any current educators using Glogster EDU within their classroom. This may be as a result of Glogster EDU being a relatively new web 2.0 tool. It is for this reason that we would like to encourage any educators using Glogster EDU within their classroom to share their experiences, thoughts and ideas on this page for others to see.