One of my goals this coming year is to continue working with the teachers in my building to improve their use of technology in the classroom. I want them to learn more themselves and learn to integrate technology into their lessons more. Collaboration is being stressed quite a bit in our building and our district and I think I'm going move forward with our staff in a couple of directions.
First, I'm going to have everyone create a Google Account. I may not jump into the many resources Google has to offer educators, but then again, I might. I'm not going to have a lot of time for formal technology instruction/play time so I may have to hold after school sessions for those who are interested. This way, those who want to learn can, and those who don't, won't. However, I hope those who do not/cannot show up find out from others what they're missing and join in down the road.
My other plan is to have teachers create an account for wikispaces. I like wikispaces and feel this could be a great way for teachers to keep unit plans, project ideas, and professional development organized is an easy way. They can build their own pages and also join other pages that are out there that they find valuable. I need to go back and visit the pages I've joined because I know there are good resources out there. I sure hope the teachers realize the benefit they could get from doing this, but one key is to find the time to learn the process and also find time to continue using it.
If you have any favorite wikispaces pages that you find valuable, please leave a comment. It would be great to start teachers off with a list of sites they should add from the start, rather than having them search blindly on their own.
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Chad,
I think you are right on track with your plans. I think wikispaces is a great way to start. I've done exactly what you described very successfully in my old school. In my new school, we've just started this wiki together to keep resources together in one place for students to find: http://d142.wikispaces.com/
One of the principals wants to require that his teachers post to their own wiki page on a regular basis, so in order to prepare for that, we've created a table for the teams of teachers.
Check out my wiki page about wikis. I hope it helps: http://edtechnnorris.wikispaces.com/Collaboration+With+Wikis
Thanks for your post. I've used both Wikispaces and Google Docs both personally and here at school. I'm a big fan of both tools! If you're working with a group of kids in a computer lab, you're probably better off using Google Docs because it handles simultaneous editing better than Wikispaces does. Wikispaces is great if you're assigning work to be done outside of class time or you have groups working on different pages.
Chad,
Excellent place to start. I've actually been teaching a class on blogs and wikis the past three days, and it's quite exciting to see teachers start to get motivated and inspired by the power of collaboration. I use wikispaces as well, and I'm starting to gather up a list of resources for teachers using blogs, wikis, and other literacy tools in their classroom. You're welcome to add to it or use it in any way if you think it will help your cause. The link is http://bengrey.wikispaces.com/
I also have an idea you can try out for training that I learned from Adam Frey from wikispaces if you're interested. Just let me know. I'm bengrey on Twitter, so just drop me a line if you want to talk more.
Good stuff here, Chad. I look forward to checking back and learning more about how the process is going for you this year.
I have a site that was put together by pre-service teachers to be used once they are in the profession. Probably the most useful area is the "Tool Kit" which has multiple pages aimed at specific subjects (English, History, etc.).
I hope they find it helpful: http://ed361w-08nmu.wikispaces.com/
I also have several wikis tagged on my del.icio.us: http://delicious.com/mindelei/wikis