Thoughts on Wikis

I used a Wiki with my students as part of the "What's Up Doc" project this year. The wiki was created by our school librarian. I thought that the Wiki was a great tool for collaboration. Students worked in groups and used the wiki to gather and share information. Now that I know more about creating Wikis, I'm wondering if a wiki would be a better tool for students and parents than my website.

Video Resources

I like to use video clips in my class. They are a great way to present information in a different way. This year I used both You Tube and Teacher Tube. I have found that You Tube has the most videos but you definitely need to preview them first. Teacher tube has a lot of relevant videos but are usually a little "drier" than You tube for the middle school population. I was not familiar with Next Vista but did find some good videos on the site that I can use in my class. I like the fact that they are all under 5 minutes and approved for content. I was unable to find anything on Clip Blast that related to the topics that I was searching for. I was looking for videos on photosynthesis and the human body. Have other people had success with this site?

Reflections on Blogging

I have really enjoyed learning more about Blogging. I think it would be a great way to spark discussion among students on-line. Ideas I have to use blogs would be for students to share thoughts on "hot topics" in science and share websites that they find would be helpful. I have used the message board on my website in the past for extra credit but I could also use a blog for that too.

Interesting Blog

I found Bob Sprankle's article "The Shred or Not to Shred" very interesting. I am always troubled with the amount of paper that is thrown out at the end of the year. Even tough this year we recycled much more in our building we still use a tremendous amount of paper. This article brings up some interesting points about how blogs bring permanence to students' work.