Blogs and Wikis

Now that you know a little bit about wikis and blogs, think about how you might use one of these web 2.0 tools in your classroom.

Purpose = content + tools

What do you want to accomplish with a blog?

Community Relations - allow your stakeholders to communicate directly, respond to posts and have access to current information.

Administrators and Curriculum Directors might want to:

• Post highlights of a project
• Focus on a staff member
• Present new methods/programs
• Request volunteers

Incorporate video, podcasts, slideshows, links to supporting sites, promote giveaways, discuss an issue.

Professional Development - "Web 2.0" your meeting

• Post meeting agenda with background sites, links and prep beforehand
• Post pdfs, video tutorials, Powerpoints, etc to view during the meeting
• Link to handouts
• Create a series of posts to foster discussion

Pofessional Networking - expand your professional world

• Share experiences
• Present research
• Ask for advice
• Link to others' blogs
• Link to professional sites
• List vendors and resources
• Join a professional networking group
• Contribute and link to wikis

Present Modified and Accessible Curriculum for your Students

• Use a blog to extend the classroom discussion
• Post homework and needed documents
• Link to supportive sites and content
• Use a feed to convert text to speech
• Incorporate video and podcast to expand the curriculum
• Add links to student blogs for writing