Blog Post 6.

I think that Web 2.0 technology has become SO integrated in our society, that it would likely be counterproductive to not use it! My nine year old cousin has a Facebook, and clearly creating a wiki uses a simple interface that almost all K-12 students will be familiar with, even if they've never seen the programs before. Collaborating is also an important skill for students to learn, and working together on a project that doesn't require individuals to get together outside of school takes a load off of a lot of people. Of course, Twitter and Facebook weren't actually created for educational purposes, but there's nothing saying they couldn't be! I think I would encourage a study group page on Facebook, or even a class Twitter account. I've used EME2040's with our Inspiration assignment! I definitely needed the help and got a quick reply, which is what a lot of students would need too!

Regarding Wikipedia, I don't entirely know how I feel about it. I am an avid 'Googler' and when I'm on my Blackberry, Wikipedia is usually the first link that comes up. I wholeheartedly agree with most when they say that the online encyclopedia is not always accurate for research papers, but with some extra work, it wouldn't be the worst thing. As long as the information is cross-referenced with a more trusted source. Most of the time, when I use Wikipedia, it's to check a quick fact that I already know, but need confirmation on, not for new information. Without the 'According to Wikipedia' clause, I rarely move on in conversation. I don't know that I would use Wikipedia as a source for my own teaching, but as long as another reliable source is referenced for accuracy, at the elementary school level, it wouldn't be a problem for me.

I loved the Wikispace pages we made! It was SO easy to see why the website is both useful, practical, and easy to adapt for any multitude of situations! With our society using the computer so much, providing an electronic basis for homework, and even assignments for students is such a good idea! I really hope to continue using Wikispaces in my teaching, as well as having my students do the same! It's definitely one of my favorite programs/sites we've used so far this year!