Sunday, October 23, 2005

Topic #3 -- Podcasts & Blogs & Whatnot

The smart folks who know what's going on are calling what's happening on the Internet right now Web 2.0. Basically, Web 2.0 is a place where we control the vertical and the horizontal. Anyone can publish. Anyone can contribute. Information is everywhere.

And we've got to teach our students how to live in such a place. No pressure.

The cool thing is that the tools are everywhere, and free, and they've never been easier to use. Here are a few popular Web 2.0 tools. Take a look and think about what has potential for your classroom (Don't worry if some of this doesn't make sense -- we're moving really fast!):

Some of the commonalities of Web 2.0 tools are that they are about creating content and sharing it with others. Web 2.0 is also about organizing and accessing quality information. We ask students to do these things all the time (although too often we only ask them to share what they do with the teacher), so why can't we ask them to do them online?

What would you like to know more about? What questions or ideas do you have? Come on over to the chat room when you're ready to post.

** If you want to know more about Web 2.0 and how it works, check out Darren's really cool presentation blog.