Wiki

Wiki is classified as 'the free encyclopedia' - is this true? I definitely think it is very useful for those who can't access books or don't have the time to search through the books. It allows people to use the website and edit or create most databases. It is a great example of collaborative learning and this is how we could include it in our classrooms. By allowing students to set up a wiki and research a topic in their own time they would also be involved in group work by creating and editing work on the wiki website. Research shows that students benefit from collabrative learning experiences so why not bring ICT's into the learning design as well and allow students to experiement with these learning tools? Three simple steps and edit, write and save, this really should be made availbale for all students.

So why has it taken so long for many of us to even create a wiki and realise there are many tools available to help us either a) further develop our own knowledge, skills and understanding of technology or b) include them in our learning design to help maximise learning opportunities for our students. This i can only answer on a personal level and wonder if technology is moving so rapidly that once we have gained an understanding of one concept, very soon another version is released and we have to start all over again. The question i ask - could this be the reason so many of us avoid confrontation with technology???

Blogs and RSS

Ok so blogging is the new...........well i'm not really sure what it is replacing and if it is actually replacing anything but i think as a future educator now is the time to get up on all the new technologies available to use within the classroom. I think by opening a blog page and blogging on it, it will be beneficial for teachers as they can post ideas for other teachers, keep parents up to date with whta is happening in the classroom and could also allow student's to access homework from their blogs. For students i think it would be a great way to network with others to share learning experiences and collaborate information and ideas. For both teachers and students it would be a great place to start a reflective journal on all of their learning experiences and allow for instant updates on any information.


RSS - Really Simple Syndication, well of cause it is!! There was plenty of whispers that filled the lecture room with - what is a RSS? There were also plenty of responses of i don't know, do you?!!! Well now i can tell you it simply monitors blogs and websites that have RSS feed so you don't need to go searching for updated blogs. Well at least i hope this is what it is becasue that is the understanding i have now!! This would be a great tool to use in the classroom, it would save a lot of time and allow you to read the updated information student's have blogged.