Educate the Web

[Christiantech]

This topic is dedicated to the proposition that the Internet and the
"World Wide Web" and all of the wondrous tools (like blogging,
podcasting, wikis, RSS and chat) are not in and of themselves evil or
dangerous.

Our students are online more and more. This is not going to go away.
(And it shouldn't.)
Let's work to give our kids something constructive and positive to do
with their creative little minds.

To start with, how about helping students create and maintain
constructive blogs.
www.blogger.com is a good place to start. Students like to express
themselves, and blogging is one of the main tools they use. They can be
taught to be kind, respectful and non-hostile.

They can be encouraged to express themselves in ways that "do no harm"
to individuals or groups of individuals. For every negative thing they
have to say about an institution or a policy, they must give a
constructive alternative approach. Just a thought.

[Christiantech]

Book for teachers: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools
for Classrooms (Paperback)
by Will Richardson (available at amazon.com for $27.95)
arguably the best book on the subject

Blog site for teachers (and students): edublogs.org

(This is being cross-posted under "Books")

[tims...@easternchristian.org]

I just started reading Richardson at HIS blog, www.weblogg-ed.com and
it is thought-provoking stuff. I definitely share the viewpoint that
this Web 2.0 stuff isn't evil and can be used for educational purposes.
But I'd sure like to see some real good examples of it being done well
both in terms of technology issues and in curriculum. I'm not sure
Richardson has convinced me that it is the next great savior (small s)
of education.

Tim

[Melissa in TX]

Tim, check out http://westwood.wikispaces.com and you'll see a great
example of how wikis can be used in the classroom. You'll also be able
to link from this page to Vicki Davis' (teacher) class blog as well as
her professional blog. She's worthy of adding to your RSS feed if you
have one! Also, you're welcome to take a glance at my own class
wikispace, http://mylions.wikispaces.com to see where I'm heading with
mine.

Melissa

[ssa...@redlionca.org]

Melissa in TX wrote:
> Tim, check out http://westwood.wikispaces.com and you'll see a great
> example of how wikis can be used in the classroom. You'll also be able
> to link from this page to Vicki Davis' (teacher) class blog as well as
> her professional blog. She's worthy of adding to your RSS feed if you
> have one! Also, you're welcome to take a glance at my own class

> wikispace, http://mylions.wikis.com to see where I'm heading with
> mine.
>
> Melissa

Melissa,

I am new to the concept of wikispaces and interested in integrating
them into my classroom. I listened to Vicki Davis' audiofile and heard
some of the students say that students entries could be changed/edited
by someone other than the original author. Is this true? If so, how
do you keep students from changing other students entries?

SS in DE

[Melissa Simmons]

As the moderator on a wikispace, you can lock a page so that it cannot be
changed once you are satisfied with it. Also, wikispaces keep track of all
changes made. Each page has a history tab; if changes are made that the
author is not happy about, he/she can always revert back to an older version
prior to the change.

Consider this: the use of wikispaces gives you another platform to discuss
using the internet with integrity and honesty. You can talk about respecting
the author's wishes. Also, you can encourage your students to carry on a
digital conversation. If one student disagrees with another student's wiki
page, the wikispace provides an avenue for open discussion in a forum type
atmosphere.

I will be using wikispaces and blogging within the first few weeks of
school. I should be able to comment on this topic more thoroughly once I've
had a few weeks under my belt. You can also watch my blog for comments about
how my school year is going.

http://compscilions.blogspot.com

I'm lovin' this dialog "stuff!"

In His Service,
Melissa

[ssa...@redlionca.org]

What are the differences between blogging and using wikispaces?

Thanks

[Christiantech]

A blog is an online "journal" whose content and appearance are entirely
the creation
of one author. Readers can respond to journal entries as "feedback" but
only if the
author allows it. Content can include pictures, music, even movie clips
as part of the
author's presentation. Basically, a blog is a personal web page with a
few features built in to make it easier to treat it as an ongoing
stream of thought.

A wiki is more of a collaborative effort. Contributors can edit and
make corrections on
things others have put up. The extent of the content is only limited by
the software
that you are using, and the imagination of the creator of the
"wikispace". It's more like
this forum, except that no one can correct any spelling errors I might
make in this post.
(Now you can be sure I'm going to check my spelling.)

Personally, I like the idea of wikispaces because of the sense of
community it inspires.

Mary

[Melissa Simmons]

Think of wikis as a depository of information:
visit www.wikipedia.com to see an example of what I mean. A blog is an
online journaling tool.

In my classroom, I will be using wikispaces to create an online review
system for my students. They will have to synthesize information learned in
class through lecture/discussion, and then reproduce the information in a
webpage format. Later, when students need to study, the information is
available online...no lost notes or review sheets. My class wikispace is
built on www.wikispaces.com: in order to have access to a no-cost, ad-free
wikispace, you will need to sign up for a blog on www.edublogs.org. Again,
another free service...you don't necessarily have to blog on edublogs, just
sign up for an account. You will receive a confirmation email with your
password, etc. from edublogs. At the same time, you will receive an email
from wikispaces.com inviting you to create a free wikispace.

Also in my classroom, I will be using blogging as a means for students to
work on communication skills while processing various topics dealing with
technology, computers, internet, etc. The web tool I will be using for this
is found on www.classblogmeister.com. This site was built by David Warlick
for educators. It allows the educator to monitor student blogging as well as
student comments. Again, another free service. You will, however, need to
request access by clicking on the contact me button on the homepage.

I hope I've answered you questions. I'm very excited about using these tools
with my class this year. As I work them into my curriculum, I'll be posting
about it on my professional blog: http://compscilions.blogspot.com.

Blessings, Melissa

-----Original Message-----
From: Christ...@googlegroups.com [mailto:Christ...@googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of ssa...@redlionca.org
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 8:45 AM
To: Christian school technology
Subject: Re: Educate the Web

[Christiantech]

There is a book out there that I haven't read yet, but is intriguing.
You can find out about it at:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/55-ways-to-have-fun-with-google.html

The title is "55 Ways to Have Fun With Google" and is available
for free. Just follow the instructions on the page.

Mary

[ssa...@redlionca.org]

Hello everybody,

I finally got my blogsite up and running for my eighth grade creative
computing class. Feel free to visit it and make any comments if you
like the address is:

http://redlionca.edublogs.org

I'm still trying to figure out how to use a wikispace in the classroom.
I visited the site mentioned above but it looks just like a blogsite
to me. Can anybody post links to other school related wikisites?

thanks,
SS in DE