Sunday, September 14, 2008

Wikis and Blogs (class #2)

After listening to the assigned podcast about Think.com and social networking, I began the registration process for our school. This sounds like a really safe environment for students to learn how to network with students all around the world. The teacher in the podcast, Cheryl Oakes, had some great ideas for involving parents in the process and teaching them, and their children, about Internet safety. She mentioned that if any cyber-bullying takes place her students know they will be banned from Think.com. I think that would be an effective deterrent, especially if they enjoy the access as much as I think they would.

I am working on re-doing my class wiki. I decided to stick with PBWiki for now. I am trying to get the free upgrade using the Back-To-School Challenge they are offering. I am excited about trying several of the ideas from the chapter in our textbook. I would like to eventually give each of my students their own page on the wiki. We could start by adding their first book reviews. I would also like to include some discussion about the novel we are reading, The Westing Game. I am also working on an idea where they would each research a topic of interest and post some information. Then they could work to revise and edit each others' information - a mini Wikipedia!

1 comment:

Cheryloakes50 said...

Lori, you captured my feelings about think.com. I still like it after almost 6 years. The site has taken a huge change in appearance since August. To be honest, it is like a new site. I know my students will be anxious to get back into it. Good luck and thanks for reading my blog. Cheryl Oakes