Google Sites, Web Sites and Wiki's Oh My!

I think it is really important to have a web presence in this day and age. Not only does it allow others to readily access information, it also creates a place to showcase projects, provide resources, allow for questions and answers, etc. I have 2 webpages associated with the school district and my own wiki (I chose to use a wiki instead of a web site generator like Weebly because at the time I was able to do more of what I wanted with wikisapces. I used my wiki as my e-portfolio for my library practicum and when I was interviewing for jobs. Currently our district is really making a push for all teachers to at least have their district webpage up and running.

I think this is true of students as well. I truly believe that students should be publishing their work in some manner for a wider audience. This allows them to become more responsible digital citizens.

I also thoroughly enjoy Ken Robinson. I have seen a number of talks by him and he is always inspiring. His message always points to the importance of allowing students to work to their strengths. Open ended project based learning does just that. It allows students to showcase their knowledge of subject matter in their own way.

The ever changing world of technology integration

As I was looking at the intime videos and information, I was reminded once again how fast technology changes. These assignments were on the cutting edge when they were created 10 years ago, and many of them now appear very outdated. However, I was also struck by how easy it would be to adapt one of these assignements to current technology. I had this same realization a few years ago when I returned to school to complete my library certification. We had been asked to take an old lesson and revamp it. I looked through my material from MANY years ago (when there was barely any internet to speak of!!!) and found that I didn't need to start over completely. I could easily make my decent lessons good, and my really great lessons even better, simply by adding new technology twists. For example, instead of having my students make a poster for something, I could have them create an advertising campaign using a wide variety of on-line tools. A good lesson does not need to be trashed simply because the technology that it uses is outdated.

The unit that I was particularly interested in was the Solar System Colonization Project for middle school. This caught my eye because one of our teachers has moved grade levels for next year and is being asked to teach Earth Science (an area that she has little background in) and I have been on the look out for resources that could be of use to her. The more I looked at this unit, the more I realized that we could do a lot of neat things with it without having to reinvent the entire thing. When I showed it to her, she was thrilled and now thinks that I am even more amazing!!! You can't beat it.