Blogging and Class Wikis
KinderKids Classroom Blog
This kindergarten classroom blog, by teacher Maria Knee, is a great example of how technology can be used to enhance the education of students of all ages. There are links on the page to many other ways this teacher and other staff at her New Hampshire school use technology in their classrooms. They communicate with students in Australia, create awesome podcasts, and use video to share their learning.
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=51141
Blogging:
Blogging is simply having a discussion over time and space. I write a paragraph or a page of an idea, project, or question and you respond by adding an idea, project, or question. This goes on as long as the website stays active and you can use it or not, depending on you current feelings. The potential for use in the classroom is very high. Blogging can be used as a form of assessment, checking for understanding, reflection, or just dialogue. We can use blogs to discuss different points of view or add details to points made. Blogs can also be a forum where everyone posts their writing or projects.
Video is Down for site maintenence
Rachel Boyd writes about the video on the left, "Description: Take a tour through the digital side of Room 9 at Nelson Central School in New Zealand. Let these 6 & 7 year olds educate you about blogs and blogging and show you what they're doing with podcasting, wikis, blogs and more everyday in thei classroom. Also see the effect these "cool" tools have had in enhancing the home/school relationship. These student's may be young, but they're connected worldwide! Share in their learning and experiences. Check out our class blog here at http://room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com/ or our Teacher's Edublog http://rachelboyd.blogspot.com".
An Example of Blogging for Learning:
An example educator blog that brings the curriculum alive for students. Instead of simply bringing artifacts and pictures to school after a trip, the above teacher used vidoe tours, podcasts on location,daily or weekly chats with students, and tracking of her trip to make her vacation a learning experience for both herself and the students. Now we'll have the chance to work while on vacation!This teacher blogged and video-conferenced with her students during a trip to Canada to teach students about climate change and the effects of global warming:
http://www.earthwatch2.org/lff/schneider/2009/02/getting-my-students-prepared.html
Creating a Blog:
Creating my blog at Blogger.com was extremely simple. I signed up for the free service and began typing away. Innovations in technology ensure that formatting is now so easy for teachers and students alike, just a simple "click" for color/ background choice and before you know it, you've created something that others can see, reference, and contribute to. For a how-to visit the how-tos page.
ClassBlogMeister.com is another great site, geared specifically for teachers and students.
Listed below are links to free teacher forums/blogs: http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/forums/
WIKIS
Wiki - In Simple English
A Class Wiki: Definition and Possibilities
A wiki is a website that you can share with others and they can edit. Any person with access can change any of the content, even if they didn't write it themselves. Some great ideas for using wikis in class include students using a wiki to contribute knowledge to a central idea, adding individual contributions outside of class to a project, contributing details or personal reflections to group work. In my own experience, adding to a wiki was enjoyable, though boundaries must be pretaught. There could be trouble if one person decides that another's contribution should be edited out and there seems to be no accountiblity. However, the possibilities are very exciting!
Make wikis for you and your students: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
A Blog for using Wkis: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2005/12/wiki-wiki-teaching-art-of-using-wiki.html
For other ideas for using this great collaborative tool go to:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/
Examples and Ideas for Wikis:
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/sites/sites079.shtml
Online Collaboration for Teachers:
How many times have you been reviewing a lesson plan or new training and wished you could discuss it with a peer immediately? If you're anything like me, this happens all the time! I'm usually too shy/ thoughtful to interupt a coworker's evening and so usually my questions wait until the next day. However, that day is usually packed and we're often so isolated from one another by walls and work that little collaboration can take place. When we do meet one or another of us is tired or drained and again this can stymie the work effort! This is why utilizing the web is a great source for collaboration. When I have a question, I can ask it - ANYTIME! WHen my co-worker has time and inclination she can answer, ANYTIME! If we have something pertinent that requires verbal discussion, we can call each other and chat while researching on the computer, with visuals of each other in pjs and in the comfort of our own homes. I can think of no better collaborative nervana! This can happen through any of the sites previously mentioned or a chatting site, like AIM, Yahoo, or MSN Messenger. Collaboration can also occur through video-conferencing (so you can see each other's sleepwear) from sites such as Skype or serious vid. conferencing, with the ability to simultaneously see documents and websites on the computers of your conferring buddies, with WebEx.
Create your own free and easy blog:
http://www.blogger.com/