 Follow the links to see how I use different web 2.0 tools in my classroom; they are essentially templates, for teachers of all disciplines to apply to their own subject matter. I use social networking sites to create simulations of actual historical events; this could be easily adapted in English classrooms, between literary characters:
Blogging may be the easiest module: I call it a virtual discussion space, but with time to reflect and respond in writing. Wikis and googledocs are great for peer writing assignments and group projects. They are collaborative documents which groups and teachers share their work. Best of all, teachers know which students are working the hardest, by checking the history tab. My favorite blogging site is seedebate.org. What I love about the site: outside of creating exchanges, it is a no teacher zone. Students are responding to each other. I have had otherwise shy students blog away. Blogging is a great tool for differentiation, allowing quieter, more writerly students to participate just as actively in class dicusssions.
Interactive mapping is my current favorite. Americans are well-known for not being geography-savvy. Sites like communitywalk make it easy for students to navigate around the world, and mark regions of the world. They can upload photos of important national figures, add quotes, and comment on each other's work.
Here are a few:
Bubble computing is a lot of fun, especially if you have a laptop projector and or a smartboard computer. I use this site for student brainstorming, and dicussing unit
Please visit my own blogging page. I want to hear from my global colleagues, who inspire me on social networking sites like classroom 2.0 (on ning.com),
and my diigo social bookmarking groups dedicated to all things google in the classroom, as well as the "ed tech" group.
Thanks for visiting!
Pamela
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