I recently used an online technology called Glogster (glogster.com) to create and teach an online lesson. It was actually an interview for a contract training job that would involve teaching of online classes so I thought that it would be a good time to try something different.
First of all, I signed up for glogster.edu, which is the glogster site specifically for teachers. The main glogster site appears to have some social aspects and the site’s creators decided to delineate between the two sites.
The site was very easy to use. I completed the sign up steps within a few minutes and was ready to create my glog and add student users (with password access).
Creating the glog
This the tool menu visible on the design page.
Graphics – There are hundreds of available graphics (similar to clip art) and text styles available.
Images – I was able to upload my own images in one format (see “cons” below).
Videos – Attaching videos was simple via upload or linking to videos on Youtube and other video sites.
Data – I also attached a pdf document that the attendees could download and view on their computers.
Draw – The draw tool is a simple pen tool for which the pen size and ink color could be changed.
Wall – The wall tool is used to add a background color to the glog, which should be used sparingly, if other images and graphics are already on the page.
Audio – Upload or link to audio to teach an entire class
Cons
- The navigation is not complex but it is not easy to edit the glog after logging in. The user has to click through several steps.
- Preset graphics and text modifications are limited to re-size, rotate and re-color.
- The site only accepts uploaded images in the .img format. I worked around this limitation by changing the file extension of the image I wanted to upload.
Despite the aforementioned limitations, Glogster is an easy web program for creating websites and online classes.
How are you using Glogster to teach or communicate? Let’s share ideas!
