Blog and Wiki Assignment

I have been searching Blogs on education reform and policy. I have read some interesting Blog postings. I choose eduwonk.com because of the discussions about NCLB's growth model provision and it's overall discourse on policy. The second blog is Education and Tech which I choose because of relevance to this class and a short piece about current graduation rates in the United States. I am sure I will continue to use eduwonk.com because of it overall discussion about federal and state policies. As for Education and Tech the vote is not in yet. I will have to look at it after another post.

As for my wiki experience I checked out both WetPaint and Wikia and found both of interest. But, I found a great wiki on water in Wikia. This is the kind of work I would like to have my students create using Angel in my biology class. Specifically, I would like my students to create wiki on water quatliy, water sheds, and salmon. The edit I created was to input a new link and add some text on the Copper River. I am sure I will use this wiki in the future as tool to show students how to create their own wiki. I believe that this is a great tool for the students to show what they have learned and create a repository of knowledge that others can use and build upon in the future.

Elluminate is a very familiar education tool. I like the ability to use the text area to ask questions. Some times it takes a while for me to think about how to best ask a question. Over time I have found that it is important for an instructor to ask for understanding often to ensure participation; other wise people can loose the concept being taught. This is best done with the smiley face button. This would be especially true with high school students. The other thing about this synchronous technology that I find appealing is the ability to have the instructor and students spread out over the country while conducting a class. Another application similar to Elluminate is Wimba. Angel also has the Wimba application. In the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and many other districts that are spread out geographically, I believe that some professional development can be accomplished using these either of these programs, especially with the increasing cost in fuel.