I was pleased to attend the librarian and technology teachers inservice today at Craigmont Middle School. The day started with Bill Bailey , Education Services Manager of the Commercial Appeal. He explained all the wonderful features that will be available at the city’s newspaper as it is going Web 2.0. They have exciting changes that are taking place. I look forward to posting new and exciting things from them here on my blog. It only got better from there. Teachers got to choose from break out sessions that covered everything from Web 2.0 tools to Discovery Learning to expectations of tech teachers. The attendees seemed electrified, charged up, and ready to get their year started with educational technology. I presented with my tech camp friends, LeAnn Dowty and Laura Hanna Smith. We talked about what we were doing with what we learned at Tech Camp in June. Presenting allowed me to confirm what I will be teaching this school year. And I so enjoyed what LeAnn and Laura have done. They inspired all of us. I believe there is just as much knowledge gained from teaching as there is in being taught. So I can honestly say that no one left there more super charged than I did. I believe that the group of teachers at the inservice are going to take the world by storm.

Using wikis in the classroom

I read this article by David Smith who is Director of ICT in London. His advise has helped me gain a greater understanding of what I want Web 2.0 tools to do for my students. A quote of his that resonantes with me are, “learning is inherently social, and any tools that can promote this will be the most effective. ” Yet what pulls me back is what David Smith has obviously recognized.

“My mode of conducting the class was, to a large extent, the limiting factor in how people engaged with the wiki. Yet I still wonder if, for our purposes, I was required to conduct those classes in that manner due to the subject matter and time restraints, especially because participants had little time outside of classroom hours to contribute or participate in any extra tasks? No answers, only questions … Perhaps time and access are important factors that cannot be overlooked.”

I know that having 5 classes back-to-back is an obvious constraint. Somethings got to give if positive change is to take place. In fact what we techies are fertilizing in our heads could overthrow long established educational thought. Click on the link below to read this article to find out more about the Revolution. 

http://www.preoccupations.org/2004/05/using_wikis_in_.html

Here are a few more links to help you recognize the Revolutionary in you.

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2005/12/wiki-wiki-teaching-art-of-using-wiki.html

TrialI know this seems vain to have so many pictures of myself, but I used these just to try this out. as so easy to use I had to share it on my blog. Wow your parents and principal with this professional looking action filled presentation.

I have been thinking about this twitter.com. And just when I didn’t think I’d need nothing else I started to see the value in twitter. As I prepare to present to all my techie friends, I fast forward into the fast approaching school year. We will all be busy going about implementing all the neat things we learned and dreamt about over the refreshing summer. With “busy” being the operative word I think twitter could help us all collaborate without it being a chore to do so. With twitter your blogs are short and don’t have to have a lot of thought put into them. You can share what exciting thing you are implementing that day with little effort. I am thinking it can be done as you review your lesson plans the day or morning before your class begins. Twitter is a place where we can post short, sweet, to the point answers to, “What are you doing today?” However short and sweet those posts are they may be what helps me and many others believe that we can do all the things we have planned.