SKO's blog

I haven’t really been blogging on this blog much lately – too busy at work with end of year stuff (marking, reporting, functions, etc.).  But recently a particular issue close to my heart has reared it’s ugly head again.  I tend to write a lot when I’m passionate about something so I will try to limit myself to what I feel is REALLY relevant!

The issue of age discrimination has ironically been close to my heart since I was very young.  I have experienced many knock-backs due to my age, being offered the excuse that I wasn’t experienced or knowledgeable enough to do certain things.  How do you expect to gain experience or knowledge without being given a chance?  And now, despite finally being given a chance – and a promotion – at work, I was still reminded that I am quite young to be given the new position.  Was the reminder really necessary?  I know how old I am.  I’ve always known.

While I have personally been affected by age discrimination for being too young, I am well aware that we make many discriminations against older teachers in the workplace as well.  Especially lately with the advance of technology.  Many of the older, more experienced teachers find it harder to learn these new techniques simply because they have not grown up with them.  Yes that is true, they have not been exposed to computers and technology since they were infants like the students of today have.  Some teachers may not have been exposed to computers for even the first decade or more of their teaching careers.  But that’s where the problem lies.  Teachers using this excuse are kidding themselves.

Unless you have worked in an extremely remote, economically deficient school for the past 5 years, you would know that the students of today use more technology outside the classroom than anything else.  When we teach lessons to students we constantly have to evaluate ourselves to make sure we are engaging the students, allowing them opportunity to develop skills and techniques, getting the message across.  Engaging the students is normally the first step in reaching the students – we can’t expect to develop their skills, or for them to learn what we are trying to teach if they’re not interested in listening to you in the first place.  Engaging students is about piquing their interest.  How do we as teachers pique their interest if their interest is something we know absolutely nothing about?

Let me attack this from another angle.  I have been out of high school for 10 years.  As a teacher I am teaching from different syllabi to those which I learnt from, despite teaching in the same state I was educated in.  This is because the syllabi are being updated.  So everybody has to follow the curriculum.  But along with the curriculum, the students we teach are also changing.  Why do we not change our approaches?  Age has nothing to do with it.

For the past 6 months I’ve been developing a PLN (personal learning network) on Twitter and other sites.  I’ve been developing my digital footprint and trying to learn ways that I can use technology as an educational tool.  Most of the members in my PLN are older than me.  Many of them are from the baby boomer generation, or older.  Very experienced teachers, yes, but they are all digital immigrants.  They have taught themselves, or learnt from others all about educational technology.  But the point is they have made the effort. The have not used the excuse that they don’t have time.  They have not used the excuse that it takes them longer to learn than other, younger generations.  They have not used the excuse that they didn’t grow up with today’s technology.  They have seen that using technology as a tool in education will eventually become a prerequisite and they don’t want to get left behind.  They have seen that embracing the use of technology in education has benefited their teaching as well as their students.  They are all willing to share their knowledge.  It’s a pity so many people still don’t want to hear it.

I do not want to discriminate against older teachers based on their inability or lack of desire to use technology in their teaching simply because they are older.  I have dealt with discrimination against being too young my entire life.  But I am sick and tired of hearing the excuse that it’s all too hard.  It is not too hard and many teachers prove that.  Some of my favourite teachers when I was a student were quite old.  My physics teacher was in her 60s when I had her and she was my favourite teacher.  She knew what interested us and she knew how to get our attention.  Age was no barrier for her.

For the past couple of weeks I have been writing a blog for staff at my school yet the only people who have read it are the two teachers that share my passion for embracing technology.  One of them is the Head of ICT and the other is the librarian.  Yet even these two have only read the first post.  Even the other staff in my own department (normally a very supportive department) have admitted they haven’t read any of my posts.  Because they don’t think they’ll understand.  Or because they don’t have time.

As the “tech expert” at school I am fully aware that I know very little really about technological tools to use in education.  But that has not stopped me from trying to learn.  So I follow other educators on Twitter, I belong to educational nings and I frequently read blogs written by other educators.  I also spend a considerable amount of time using my computer.  I am passionate about my job and I am passionate about the students I teach so I want to make sure to engage them.  People better not continue to use the excuse that it’s easier for me to make connections with students because I’m young!  Age is no barrier.

I’ve taken another snapshot of another posting on my staff PD blog:

I could write and write and write about Twitter, but it could get boring. So instead, PLEASE take the time (it is about 15 minutes but WELL worth it) to watch this video:

Twitter & Education – #140conf LA from RealPlayer SP on Vimeo.

Many thanks to Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal), Steven Anderson (@web20classroom), Shelly Terrell (@shellterrell) and Tom Whitby (@tomwhitby) for putting educators’ voices out there for the world at the 140 Character Conference (a Twitter conference in LA).

How to use Twitter:

1. Visit http://www.twitter.com
2. Click “Sign up now” and choose a user ID – make sure this is something you and others will remember easily.
3. Fill in the rest of the required information – be sure to upload a profile pic, other people don’t like it when you “hide” behind a 0_O (which is the default pic when you sign up to Twitter).
4. Start following people. Click “Find People” up the top of your twitter profile and you can search for others. Start with me (skorlaki1983). Once you follow other people, you can see who they follow and who follows them.
5. Start tweeting!

When you follow “twits”, or “tweeps” as they’re more correctly termed, you can see on your home screen what they are tweeting. This is how you learn! Educator tweeps post links, messages and insights (in 140 characters or less) about education. Not just about technology in education, but about education in general. On any topic you can think of. A fellow tweep tweeted the question: “What do educators use Twitter for?” and here are some of the replies:

I’ve left this video until the end because I wanted to draw your attention to the other stuff above and because it is a simple description of Twitter and not specific to the educational use of Twitter. It’s another Common Craft “in plain English” video:

If you have any more questions about Twitter or my post, please comment.

Another abridged version of one of my postings on my staff PD blog:

Why am I sharing what I’ve learnt? Steven Anderson, a fellow tweeter (@web20classroom) and educator shares my views:

He’s talking about a Twitter conference and what the speakers were saying. With the introduction of web 2.0, the internet is now about collaboration. And this is what students that are using the internet are doing. So why aren’t we? The answer to that is – we are. Just in very different (less modern) ways.

This week’s focus is on wikis. For those of you that have been to my very amateur wiki PDs you may have already seen a little of what I’ve done with wikis in my 8S investigations class. We’ve done a fair bit more since then. The student profiles are interesting, as it shows some of what the students have learnt how to do – create hyperlinks, upload images and files, and embed HTML code for a widget they created on a website I showed them. They’re always excited about investigations – asking everyday “Miss, are we working on the wiki?”.

Wikis are basically an editable webpage. They allow for more user collaboration on the subject of the wiki. If you haven’t seen Wikis in Plain English yet, it is well worth a look. Wikis can be created on any topic, but the main idea is that they are created BY many people FOR many people – not just by one person for everyone. The best thing about creating wikis is you don’t need to know ANYTHING about writing webpages – all you need is to know a little about using Microsoft Word.

How do you create a wiki? That’s the easy part… See how to sign up using wikispaces here. Once you’ve seen how to sign up, you can check the other tours by clicking the drop-down menu at the top of the page – it looks like this:

There are other sites such as Wetpaint and PBWorks that also allow you to create wikis.

How do you create a wiki that is useful? That’s up to you. The first step is figuring out what you want to create the wiki about. You could do it for a class where you have the students write information about a particular topic. You could get the students to teach each other. You could upload important information for the students to view and/or edit. You could use it for ANYTHING really!

If you want more reasons to use wikis read this article.

If you want to see some other wikis created by teachers for use in their classes, click these links:
Westwood schools
The anatowiki – this one is REALLY cool. Surprising that it’s editable. Well not really!
This one’s a science class wiki.

Please comment below if you would like more information. Some extra information is on the X drive. Alternatively, you could email me.

This post was originally posted on another blog used specifically for providing another avenue for PD at my busy school. The HoD of IT mentioned that she was finding it difficult to get time for IT at our scheduled PD sessions once per term so together we came up with the idea of a PD blog or Teacher’s Blogshare as we’ve called it on our intranet. This is the abridged version of the first post (you can see the full post here)

Welcome to the first posting on our newest attempt at administering PD! If you want to add your thoughts to any of the posts, use the Add Comment link at the end of each post. Also, it might pay to read the About this blog page, the link is located down the right-hand side of this and any page on the blog (under Pages). The About this blog page explains why that thing called edtech is important. The idea is to post weekly a list of sites, techniques, articles, or dare I say it – resources – you might like to check out.

Video tutorials
So to kick it off, one of the first sites I think you should all check out is Woopid Video Tutorials. This site provides video tutorials, or walk-throughs on anything technology related. They’re all free (that’s why I’ve listed this site first). Some of the videos that are on the site include tutorials for any task you might like to perform using Word or Excel – such as rotating a chart, inserting hyperlinks, or simple things (that you might not yet know) like changing the case of your text, changing the size, style or colour of your font, and changing the line spacing. It might be a little overwhelming at first, so you might prefer to check out woopid when you actually want to know how to do something. Oh and the best thing about this site – it’s not blocked at school!

Another video tutorial site you might like to check out is Atomic Learning. EQ teachers have full access to this site, but I have discovered you can view many of their videos without having to sign in. The videos on this site are all American but there’s different ones for the different versions of Microsoft Office, for example you might like to view the video about charts on Excel. The site is more focused on providing teachers with information about tech integration. There are other resources on there besides video tutorials, so it’s definitely something you might want to check out when you have time.

Delicious
If you’re feeling quite enthusiastic, you might like to check out my del.ici.ious bookmarks which you can look at without having to signup. Del.ici.ious is tagged as a social bookmarking site. There are similar sites such as Diigo out there, so it can sometimes be about personal choice. Basically with social bookmarking, you can share your bookmarks with, well… anyone. If you prefer you can keep them private, so only you can see them, and access them on any computer with the internet. Or you can share them with the world by providing others with your delicious username (mine is sko_cathedral) so they can join your network. My delicious account sko_cathedral is loaded with edtech links. Unfortunately, sometimes I have trouble signing in to my account from school. But I never have trouble viewing the publicly shared links.

For a more detailed idea about what’s so great about del.ici.ious, check out the following video:

Many more of these “In Plain English” video tutorials created by Common Craft can be found on YouTube on pretty much any topic you want to know about. Just search the topic and add “in plain english” at the end of your query. I’ve shown the Wikis in Plain English video at my wiki PD sessions.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the way I’ve written this post, please let me know. I want to get the information I’ve been learning lately to you in the easiest possible way. If you think it can be done more simply, please leave a comment below.

Thanks to the wonderful world of Twitter, I stumbled across a tweet with headline: “Share your tips” – and win BIG and decided I like a challenge!  The Edublogger is running a competition for student/teacher bloggers so I thought it would be a great idea for my next post.  In this post, I’d actually like to ask questions of other bloggers!  I’m pretty new to blogging, so I think it’s time I tried to figure out exactly what I want from it.  The following are my 5 most important questions I’d like to ask of experienced bloggers and why:

1) Why did you start blogging?

Did you start because someone suggested it to you?  Did you start because you read another person’s blog and got inspired?  Did you start because you were trying to enhance your students’ learning?  Did you start because you wanted to learn something yourself?  The reasons people start blogging are probably all different, but they can help inspire others.  When I started blogging, I didn’t read that many other peoples’ blogs at first.  I think I should have.  I think you get a good idea of what to blog about, or how to use your blog, if you know what other people are using theirs for.

2) How often do you blog?

Do you blog everyday?  Do you blog once a week?  Twice a week?  Once a month?  Once a term?  What do you think is the recommended time between blog postings?  Should you post religiously every week – as in always post on a Monday for example? Should you just post when you think of something to write about?  Do you feel pressured ever to post blogs so that people stay interested in your blog?  Will people stop reading your blog if you leave it too long between postings?

3) How do you find the time to blog?

As a teacher of only 3 years, I still have a lot of planning to take care of for my classes, so finding the time to blog when it is not for my classes can be difficult.  I haven’t implemented blogs for any of my classes yet, the only blog I’ve got is the one you’re reading now and it is aimed at other teachers.  But I still find it difficult to sit down for a while and write a meaningful post.  I want people to read what I’m writing because I have just started trying to use more technology in my teaching and I am constantly searching for advice and tips.  But I’m worried if I don’t write often enough, people will become disinterested in helping me, or they won’t really see the advice I give.  So I’m thinking of setting aside a particular time each week (or fortnight) and writing some posts down, not necessarily posting them, but having them there as backup when I have not posted anything for a while.  Or when I don’t know what to post.  Is this what other people do?

4) How do you implement blogs in your classes?

What exactly do you use blogs for in the classroom?  Do you pick a topic and have the students write about it?  Do you have them blog their assignments?  Do you use it for peer review?  One of my biggest problems is figuring out how to actually implement the use of a blog in any of my classes.  I think this may be to do with the fact that I teach Science, and so writing (as in English or History for example) is not what we’re all about!  I’d be specifically interested in other Science teachers using blogs or blogging.  I haven’t really read many Science-related blogs (my own fault – lack of time, but also I haven’t really found any) so I’m not sure how Science teachers blog.  I would like to blog more often.  Or write more relevant posts.  But after spending time reading all the latest tweets from my PLN, reading their blogs or checking out the links they tweet, RTing, replying, DMing and tweeting my own tweets (as well as actually working!), it’s difficult to find the time.

5) Does your blog have a particular theme for the posts?

Do you follow a theme with your posts?  As in, do you only write about certain things?  Or do you only aim your blogs at a certain audience?  Is it better to follow a theme, or subject, or target audience rather than writing about anything and everything you know or want to know about?  Is it advisable to write entries in a series following a particular theme?  Will people stay interested in what you have to say, or subscribe to your blog via email or RSS if you are writing about similar things each time?  Or does the content matter more than the theme?

I appreciate anyone else’s advice on blogging or teaching, and thoroughly enjoy reading other blogs that give advice.  For example I had NO IDEA what pingback was (thanks @Sue Waters) until I read this post.  But I hope to help others too.  Maybe the questions I’ve asked here today are questions other teachers want to know the answers to as well, so by commenting or answering my questions, you’re not just helping me, but helping others as well.

I’m new to blogging.  I think there are very few people reading my blogs.  So I’m working on changing that.  I thought it was about time I actually wrote something worthwhile and interesting, something people would actually want to comment on, or pass on to others.  So I decided to write about what I’ve learnt since embarking on a journey of discovery into the world of Web 2.0 and the possibilities it provides for education.  Videos like the following are what urge me to learn as much as possible about how I can use technology in my teaching:

The PLN (Personal Learning Network)

A network of people you share ideas, resources, links, thoughts, and opportunities with, and who share them with you in order for you to both benefit.  Through these people I have learnt so much – not just about edtech, but about teaching in general.  People in my PLN are from all over the world, and teach all different levels of students.  It is refreshing to read that you are not alone in your ideas or concerns or excitement about teaching and learning!

Twitter

This social networking website is a dream come true for teachers.  Before I signed up, I used to think it was stupid – who wants to know what you’re doing all the time?  Because status updates on Facebook can be quite annoying.  But when I learnt what a PLN was, and started using Twitter as a professional development tool, rather than for social networking (for which I use Facebook!) I have been talking about its benefits to whomever will listen!

Some of the simplest lessons I learnt were to do with Twitter language, which as much as I despise it, is basically txt language.  As a teacher, when students use this type of language I am forever frustrated, but I have had to learn it so I can put everything I want to say in 140 characters or less (which can be difficult for me!).  And then having to learn what a PLN, RT, DM, #hashtag, @username all meant made me realise how long 10 years can be  (that’s how much younger than me my oldest students are).  If we don’t keep up with the technology of today, today, we are going to struggle to learn it in the future when there will be no other option.

Wikis

Basically an editable webpage.  You can make it public or private.  You can lock it for editing or allow anyone to edit it, and set permissions on each page.  You can allow students to develop their creativity by starting a wiki with your class(es).  You can help colleagues learn more by starting a wiki with fellow staff.  I’ve also learnt that even though the shift in education towards student discovery is where the future is, we still have things to teach them.  Like internet etiquette.  Internet safety and security.  And how to find things on their own.  But more importantly, they can also teach us.

These wiki sites have been recommended to me:

• Wikispaces
• Wetpaint
• PB Works

Take some time to learn how to use these wiki sites so you can choose which one is the best for you.  Some of the services they provide are free.  If you want unlimited control over your wiki you will probably have to pay.  But if you use it for work, you can normally claim that expense back on your tax return – or have the school pay for you.

Blogging

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt about blogging is to develop a PLN and allow it to grow before expecting people to read your blog!  Read other people’s blogs and see what they’re blogging about.  Figure out what people want to read.  If you think people should know about something, blog about it.  Put a video, or a picture in your blog posting.  Don’t make your blog too long – separate it into sections if it is long and post them separately.  I think it’s probably important to take some time writing/drafting your blog before you post it too.

Bookmarking services

Sites like del.ici.ous allow you to share your bookmarks with others.  But they also allow you to access your bookmarks on any computer that has the internet.  This makes life easy for people who regularly use a number of computers (ie. one for work and one for home, or a different computer each lesson of the day).  Bookmarking sites are just another way you can share your resources.

Using the technology that the students are using at home

By using the technology that the students are using at home all the time, we are bridging the generation gap between ourselves and our students.  Young people often feel like older people “don’t know anything” simply because they think differently or don’t understand something the same way they do.  But if we start to make an effort to do what the students are doing, we can pique their interest and get them to enjoy learning.  Spend time taking notice of what the students are doing outside the classroom – are they using phones all the time?  mp3 players?  Computers?  Figure out what interests them, and show some interest in learning how to use it.

The list above contains things I’ve learnt that I feel confident enough mentioning here.  Some other things I have learnt a little about, but have not really used yet so couldn’t confidently write about, include: Nings, webinars, Google docs, RSS feeds, and various kinds of software.

I am on the cusp of the X and Y generations, and like Y-geners, I find that I learn a lot by personal discovery.  I read, ask questions, google and talk to people to learn what I want.  But I still have a lot to learn!  Like, sometimes I want to know how to do something, but I don’t know what it’s called or how to describe it so I can’t search or ask questions!  But like X-geners I also need to understand how something works in order to use it.  I have found my followers on Twitter to be really helpful.  And most of them are at least 15 years older than me!

I would appreciate any comments or advice about what you’ve read here.  I will continue to learn and discover, but I want to say thank you to the people who have taught me so much already.

I’ve just spent the last 9 days with a group of Year 10 students camping at some amazingly beautiful sites many people wouldn’t know even exist.  Hinchinbrook Island is on Queensland’s north-eastern coast, about 2 hours north of Townsville.  Like many other schools in Queensland and Australia, school camp is often dreaded by students and teachers alike.  The thought of spending time away from one’s family to go out bush and sleep on the ground amongst snakes, goannas, bugs, scorpions, goats, etc etc, is not a welcoming thought!  But these are just some of the least daunting experiences I have had over the past 9 days.

While you’re reading this, bare in mind that school camp is far from the worst thing you could possibly imagine, just check out the view I woke up to for 3 days straight:

The purpose of this blog posting was not to promote my school’s outdoor education program so I will try to get to the real point.  Whilst out camping with 12 (supposed to be 18 but swine flu hit us hard!) Year 10 students, I was able to reflect on the importance of the teacher-student relationship.  Now I’m no expert in any field, just a plain old Science & HPE teacher, but I felt compelled to share my thoughts on the importance of developing a rapport with your students.

While studying to become a teacher, one of the more common “suggestions” for beginning teachers was to “not smile before Easter” – of course if you were teaching in the Northern Hemisphere this saying could be altered to “do not smile before Christmas”.  It was in the hopes of setting your boundaries so the students knew you were a serious teacher.  I’m sure it works for some people, but personally it is not in my personality to not smile for 3 months!  So my teacher personality is to set boundaries in other ways: develop a positive, mutually-respectful relationship with my students.

All teachers would know that teaching is not just a 9-5 job (or 8-4 depending on your school’s hours).  There’s planning, professional development, meetings, extra-curricular activities, etc.  And for some, there is school camp.  I’m not an outdoor ed teacher, I’m a classroom teacher, as are the 90% of teachers who volunteer on our school camps.  So that means my purpose on camp is to be a supervisor.  To make sure the students are not hurt, sick or injured.  To make sure they’re all accounted for.  But also, in my personal opinion, to take advantage of the time out of the classroom to get to know the real people inside my students.  I really think that by getting to know your students away from the classroom, and more importantly, allowing them to get to know you away from the classroom you don’t just become a better teacher, your students become better students as well.

Over the course of 9 days, I had a pig-headed, bigoted, bully (male) apologise for his behaviour; witnessed a scared, nervous, shy new boy make new friends; broke the “safety” wall of a “tough” girl; showed students that flatulence is not confined to teenagers; and proved that teachers are people too.  All the while, having the time of my life.  You really have to be passionate about your (teaching) job to enjoy spending time with teenagers but I think in order to be better at your job you have to enjoy spending time with teenagers.

I’m probably not writing anything new to teachers reading this, but I really believe that teaching MUST take place beyond the classroom.  Teaching is learning in every regard.  The students learn, but so do we.  We have to in order to be successful in what we do.  There are new topics, arguments, resources, and technologies emerging by the minute.  If we don’t keep up to date with these, we lose touch with the generation of learners we are trying to teach.  But if we do not keep up to date with the people of the generation – the students – we lose touch with our overall goal.  I truly believe education is the crux of life – without it, the world suffers.  But while we try to keep up to date with technology, syllabi and curriculum, please don’t forget that at the heart of the matter are our students, and knowing the real them helps us better ourselves for them.

Reading an article “Tests reveal dangers of texting while driving” I was prompted to recall a project I completed at university with regards to attention and reaction time whilst driving.  The article above reports:

“Talking or listening to a cell phone allowed drivers to maintain eyes on the road and were not associated with an increased safety risk to nearly the same degree,” the institute said. “These results show conclusively that a real key to significantly improving safety is keeping your eyes on the road.”

My project was testing the effects of talking on a cell phone (holding it), listening to music and ingesting caffeine (the equivalent of one cup of coffee) whilst driving.  We specifically tested reaction times to a computer-simulated driving situation where participants had to push a brake pedal with their foot in response to interference on the road.  Interestingly we found that caffeine ingestion improved reaction time, however talking on a cell phone whilst holding it increased reaction time significantly.  Especially in random conditions where interference on the road was not expected.

What we concluded from the experiment was that the act of speaking on the phone was a cognitive distraction from one’s attention on the road.  So even when our eyes ARE on the road, what’s more important is whether our attention is completely focused on the road.

Of course, texting whilst driving takes a considerable amount of our focus from the road, but we also found that engaging in a conversation does as well.  This is not new information – many studies have been conducted into the use of cell phones while driving, consequently many countries around the world have banned the use of hand-held cell phones whilst driving.  But our study poses the question “What about hands free?”.  Unfortunately my project was only assessment for an undergraduate course and not published.  But I fully support the safety aspects of not speaking/texting on a cell phone at all whilst driving.  How many of you who have driven whilst talking on a cell phone have discovered you got to your destination but can’t actually remember how?  I bet it happens all the time.

Anyway, make up your own mind, but make sure it’s not whilst you’re driving!

About a month ago, the HoD of IT at my school approached me to be part of a “secret group” of tech savvy teachers at our school.  She had me at “secret”, but I listened while she explained what it was all about.  For whatever reason, I’ve been tagged as tech savvy – personally I don’t necessarily think savvy is the right word to describe me, but I am always keen to learn new things – particularly in relation to new technologies.  I guess I’m male-brained in that regard.  I do, however, like typing – rambling – and sharing my thoughts.  I guess I’m a little egotistical in that regard!

ANYWAY (I’m a rambler) so the idea of this “secret group” is that we research all there is to learn – in about a month – about Web 2.0 so that we can then start to utilise it in our classes.  Once we have starting using wikis, blogs, tweets, cloud computing, etc. in our own classes, our job is to then teach it to another less-select group of teachers so they can start learning and using it in their own classes; and so on.

I’ll be honest, I was given the task at the beginning of the school holidays but I did not spend any of my school holidays doing it – who wants to work on their holidays?  Instead I did it during some downtime while I was quarantined from work due to a case of swine flu!  But boy did I get excited.  I have started a blog (which, hopefully, you’re currently reading), I have created a Twitter page and am currently following 15 fellow twitters (hoping to increase that number everyday), and I am planning a unit where I can develop a wiki and have students interact in a whole new way.  I am lucky in that I have the flexibility with this subject to take it wherever I want it to go – there is no curriculum, no syllabus, no pre-requisites, no limitations.  For the first time, I’m actually excited about this subject.  I’m not the most creative person in the world, so coming up with ideas for units and assessment items for a subject with no curriculum, no syllabus, etc etc. was becoming my worst nightmare!  I couldn’t keep teaching my kids about the human body (my science/PE brain’s passion).  And my year 8s do not get along well together in a group situation that is not controlled by them.  I won’t explain here what I plan on doing with this class as I’m sure it’ll bore most of the more experienced edtech readers but suffice to say I am really excited about my foray into the world of Web 2.0.

I remember a couple of years ago when I was in my final year of uni, one of the requirements for a particular assignment in a subject I can’t quite remember the name of was to post ideas/comments on a discussion board between group members.  At the time, the idea seemed absolutely stupid – to write ideas on the internet and wait a couple of hours, or a day for someone to agree or disagree and then write their response, at the time, seemed absurb.  Especially since we still had to meet in person to collaborate on the assignment anyway.  I now realise the reason I thought it was stupid was because none of us had ever done it before.  Looking back, the “discussion board” idea was a pretty good way of introducing education students to Web 2.0, albeit in it’s most basic form.

Hopefully in the next few weeks, I’ll be able to write updates about things I’ve learnt and things that have and haven’t worked as I dive head first into edtech and the world of Web 2.0.  What I’m really hoping is that I don’t have to learn alone.  So here’s a hello to any of you out there who can help in any way, and a thank you for your future help.