Thing #10

I absolutely LOVED the wiki on http://flatplanet.wikispaces.com/About. Take a peek and look at the topic of global warming. Wow! What a way to get students involved in their topic! Teachers in our building are just beginning to use blogs and wikis as a way to interact with their students. Yes, this is all very nice, and we are making progress (yipee!). However, the real power to enhance learning is to get students involved in their own knowledge acquisition. The above wiki shows how students work collaboratively to demonstrate their research and learning utilizing resources available. They put it into a format that entices other students to learn (the videos, music, etc.). Hence, they become the teachers and we become the students. Isn't this the end goal of all teachers everywhere, at every level - to produce independent learning?

So, what's holding teachers back? What's holding me back? My guess would be lack of knowledge and lack of experience. Currently, I'm unsure how to embed the youtube videos (or other videos for that matter), how do I embed the powerpoint presentations to share, and what other tools are out there to entice my audience. Another hurdle is that our school doesn't allow access on campus to youtube videos (which is a real shame). Yes, there are inappropriate videos out there. Those who violate the "appropriate use" should be disciplined. Otherwise, let us use the wonderful plethora of resources available. We can use schooltube, but often the two mediums do not match the lesson needs. One could use a wiki for students to access at home. Unfortunately, not all students have access and equity becomes yet another hurdle. Given the above, it is still a worthwhile venture and it allows faculty and students the creativity to create and learn with mediums that suite their own learning styles. I say, "Go for it!"