Week 3: GlogsterEDU Review

As a primary school teacher using PowerPoint, I have been forced to witness some of the very worst presentations ever produced. Overuse of coloured text, a different transition between each slide, and slide content which is voluminous and cut and pasted directly from the Internet. Not to mention the obligatory 'Thanks for watching' on the last page created in any one of the numerous glitter text creators.

Unfortunately, all of these issues are sure to be repeated using any of the alternatives to PowerPoint. However, using a range of different presentation software could at least make viewing these presentations somewhat more bearable.

According to Bower (2008), "the success of educational technology implementations is dependent on the educational developer's ability to appreciate the requirements within the learning context and subsequently select and utilise technologies in a way that meets those needs".

So what are the needs in a primary classroom? As a primary teacher, my top three requirements are:

1. Easy to use,
2. Educational version (for management of students), and 
3. Cost (preferably free).

Glogster is an online poster creation website which allows users to create interactive multimedia presentations in poster format. It meets all three of the requirements listed above.

Easy to use
Glogster has a simple interface to select elements from a gallery or uploaded from the computer. It is simple to insert a range of media including text, video, and images. There are hundreds of templates to choose from within a range of subject areas. Students may also choose not to use a template.

Educational version
GlogsterEDU provides school licences and teacher accounts. This enables teachers to create classes, distribute projects, and monitor student work. The EDU account allows teachers to create and manage student passwords. Students are also able to collaborate by commenting and providing feedback on their classmates' Glogs.

Cost
While not free, Glogster EDU is not expensive. Primary teachers can access a full education account for US$39 per year for 30 students. The Secondary option is US$95 per year for 125 students. Should teachers only want to use the software temporarily, there is a monthly option of US$5 for 40 students.

Two benefits of Glogster over PowerPoint are:

• Glogster does not allow for large amounts of text. Therefore, students are unable to copy and paste swathes of information from the Internet. They are forced to summarise their research in order to make it fit.
• Glogster is one page only, so it does not have the range of slide transitions available in PowerPoint. This saves students spending unnecessary time on the presentation, rather than the content.

There have been a number of studies into the effectiveness of Glogster as a learning tool. Awada (2015), concluded that "the Glogstertool may enhance students motivation and interest in project presentations as well as increase their oral proficiency".

Having used Glogster over the last few years, I have found it to be highly engaging for students. It is not uncommon for students to continue to create more Glogs in their own time, on topics of interest. The Glog below was created by a Year 3 student.

References

Awada, Ghada. (2015). Effect of using the Glogster Technological Model on Enhancing the Perceptions and Speaking Proficiency of Communication Skills Students. International Journal of Global Education, 4(1) Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276358249_EFFECT_OF_USING_THE_GLOGSTER_TECHNOLOGICAL_MODEL_ON_ENHANCING_THE_PERCEPTIONS_AND_SPEAKING_PROFICIENCY_OF_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_STUDENTS

Bower, M. (2008). Affordance analysis - matching learning tasks with learning technologies. Educational Media International, 45(1) 3-15.