Keep on Learning!!

We've all been teaching but the world is changing around us - so we need to keep on learning about how to engage our students and use the tools that have become second nature to them! That is the goal of this wiki and the companion blog and our work together!!

One significant way that learning has been changing is the use of technology and in particular, the Internet. Opened to wide use in 1995, the number of Internet users increases everyday. Beginning as a simple place to find information, the Internet has now transformed into a place to locate and share information, to collaborate and build networks, to create!! While the Internet is not new, how we are using it is - thanks in large part to "Web 2.0" tools fo wikis, blogs, social networking sites and the like.

This Business Week graphic summarizing on-line users in the United States and what they are doing gives you an idea of what our students are doing on-line (click on the page to go to the larger view):



Why is learning to use this technology so important? Take a few minutes and watch one (or all!) of these videos to get an answer:

• "Did You Know" by Karl Fisch of Arapahoe High School in Colorado.

• Pay Attention by Darren Draper at the Jordan School District in Utah.

• When I Grow Up by Matthew Johnson from Loyalsock Township Middle School.

Let's start by defining some Web 2.0 tools that we'll be using.

Blog (short for Weblog):According to WikiPedia, a blog is a user generated website where entries are made journal style and displayed in reverse chronological order. Now that we have the official definition out of the way - let's get one thing straight!! While blogs can be used as "online diaries" they don't have to be!! Teachers have been using blogs with their classrooms to have them respond to texts or deeper question, to reflect upon their learning in a course, or to serve as "notes" through use of student scribes. Be sure to check out the link to Blogging Tools and Resources on the left to see what teachers are doing!!


Wiki: A wiki is a collaborative web page that allows users to edit, change, or add content to a site. The Wikipedia entry mentioned above is one example of a very popular (and sometimes controversial!) wiki. This WetPain site is another example. The term wiki comes from the Hawaiian term wiki-wiki, which means "fast." These are very easy websites to create which can have a powerful impact on your classroom - teachers have been using them for their students to work together as well as to work with classrooms across the county or the continent!!














Podcast: A podcast is a digital media file (usually mp3) that is shared over the web via a syndication site. Teachers have been doing remarkable things which podcasts - not surprising given that so many students have and are comfortable using mp3 players!! From recording classes for those who are absent to having students read their poetry and writing aloud - there is no end to what podcasts can do in a classroom!!