Should We Be Teaching Web 2.0?

I can remember the first time I used the Internet for research.  I can remember the first time I connected with others and created my new network for learning.  That was back in the late 90′s.  It was an empowering experience as I looked into the crystal ball of what my career in education would be. Luckily at that time I had a nice computer (at that time it has 1gig hard drive and about 32mb or ram) with lightning speed Internet access of my 56k modem.  The bottom line is that it completely changed they way I saw myself in this world.  This was truly an empowering experience that all students should be able to go through.  Do you think we are meeting the needs of the 21st century learner through our current instructional practices?  This is a great presentation that I found on Slideshare.

What Is Your Network?

http://www.classroom20.com
http://schoolleadership.ning.com 

When I refer to network, I refer to a group of people whom you share a common interest with.  A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a site call Ning.com.  Since them, I have been pretty addicted to exploring its use inside and out.  As soon as I learned about Ning, I immediately began setting up my own networks and since then, I have connected with other school leaders as well as friends from all over the world.  I even get to see photos and videos from these people.  So far,  I have a number of teachers already using the most popular ning site, called Classroom2.0.  I have never learned so much, so well and so fast than I have with Ning.com and other networks hosted there.  While I am now looking at the best ways to use this with our students, I am anxious to get any feedback on how your students have been using networks like these.  Thanks for your help!

Practical Uses of Blogs, Wikis & Podcasts

This morning I got a chance to speak with Will Richardson after his keynote address at the 2007 ASSET Conference. The conference took place in Melville, Long Island. Will delivered a remarkable keynote, using his Wiki, not a bunch of slides. I am hoping to connect with a some people and learn more about how you are using blogs, wiki’s and podcasts in your classrooms. All this information will be shared! Hope to hear from some people soon.