Gazing into the crystal ball...

I think the future growth of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom is only limited by teachers who are resistant to change or not open to new ideas.  It truly seems like there are an incredible amount of ways that technology could improve our classroom instruction, and teaching standards are now reflecting the value of technology in the classroom.

I was skeptical at first that wiki's would be a useful place in my classroom.  I was thinking that 5th graders wouldn't be responsible enough to utilize a program that allows anyone to edit the material.  However, I have come a across a couple of ways I think wikis should be used in my school (asap!).  Throughout our district, there has been a big push to create power standards and align curriculum across the grades.  I think that Wiki's could be used to create a digital place for teachers to discuss what standards are being met in their classrooms.  It would be nice for teachers to be able to add/adjust/change/update/edit what colleagues are writing so that they could collaborate and map out the entire curriculum. 

I'm also making a mental connection to something that our district has already done..  We currently use google apps as a way for teachers to share what they are doing in their classrooms in terms of behavior interventions.  It works very well to store that information in a digital format that can be accessed by anybody who needs ideas on interventions.  And the files are constantly being updated by teachers with new ideas which makes it even more useful.

As I'm learning more about blogs, I can't stop envisioning ways they could be utilized in my classroom!  Besides the fact that I could use a blog as an excellent way to communicate with parents, I think utilizing blogs would really encourage higher level thinking (being able to take what you've learned, put it in your own words, and publish it in a digital format) and collaboration skills among my students.  I'm thinking that I could reformat some of the current lessons I have to include blogs as a means of assessment. 

For example, right after New Years Eve every year, I do a project with my students where they research the New Years celebration and customs in a different country.  They they have to write a letter to me, pretending that they are in that country, and tell me about what they've learned.  Instead of assessing their letters, I could be using blogs to assess what they've learned.  Students could create a blog for each country, and respond to different prompts (i.e. make one post about the clothing people wear, make one post about the date New Years is celebrated, post pictures from that country). 

One issue that I do think is important to address, is that any of these web 2.0 project done within the classroom may need to be exactly that - done within the classroom.  At this point, it is still unfair and unrealistic to assign homework that involves use of computers.  While the vast majority of my students have access to technology at home, I can't assume that they all do.  At-risk or students from low socio-economic status are in all of my classes and it seems like there could be some problems stemming from their lack of access to these materials...

Learning from the best...

I found some interesting blogs while searching for candidates to follow... some of them more valuable than others.  Two that caught my eye instantly (and I think will be quite beneficial!) are:

Cool Cat Teacher Blog
This blog is written by a teacher in Georgia.  She has won numerous awards for her blog, which is a collection of posts ranging from teaching strategies to current news in education.  What caught my eye is that her most recent post is about teachers who can (sometimes inadvertently) become bullies in their classrooms.  She lists some very concrete strategies that teachers can use to make sure that every student feels welcome in their learning environment.  She also challenges other teachers to set a weekly goal for how to improve their learning environment.  It seems like she will have some thought provoking posts that provide me an opportunity to comment on current teaching trends/issues, as well as ideas to use in my own classroom.

and

History Is Elementary
I am loving this blog!  I graduated with a teaching degree in elementary/middle level Math and Spanish.  However, I got a job teaching middle school Social Studies!  While I never would have anticipated teaching history, geography, politics, etc... turns out I LOOOVE my teaching assignment.  Over the years, I've become more and more interested in the topics and I'm constantly seeking new knowledge for my own reference or to share with my students.  This blog shares some really interesting stories and perspectives about history.