Will Web 2.0 Tools be Our Solution?

Great timing? It seems the best time to introduce new tools to overworked teachers is when we receive difficult news. I've spent a good deal of time learning how to use web 2.0 tools this summer and have been wanting to introduce these tools to teachers at my school. With the beginning of school being so hectic and so many other things to learn to do, it just didn't seem to be good time. Then we got the news...soon we would not be able to keep our Front Page class websites. Many of us have been building our sites for years - on our district's server. I had to deliver the news to my school. I had to think about how I was going to handle it myself. Six grade levels, information, weblinks of all kinds, teacher pages, pages for parents, info for visitors, "how to" documents, videos- oh no - my videos, workshops, courses, newletters, ...........I use my website for all of my classes, courses, workshops and coursework. I am the Technology teacher.

So what to do now?? I can copy/paste my untold numbers (too many to think about) of pages from FrontPage into our new web based site, eChalk - and hope that it is that simple. I can pay for a familiar place that works with Front Page- like Go Daddy. I can introduce blogging to everyone as an alternative. Podcasting is another grand plan. Other web 2.0 tools can take the place of classroom websites. Many other tools are available to publish student work. Actually- a combination of all of the above is probably how this will go. All plans have pros and cons.

Web tools abound for the pieces and parts of FP like photo galleries, videos, scanned images, class and individual PowerPoints, links, documents, etc. I don't like the idea of giving up the Front Page site for our published work in a central location. I have heard many negative comments about FP, but after years of using it - updating the site became a part of my daily routine.

On the way homefrom school today, Web 2.0 tools seemed like great solutions. We have so many other new technologies that I 'll be teaching already. New to our school is eChalk - a web-based website for all schools in our district, CPS remote student voting devices, SMARTBoards and Senteo (the remote student devices that come with SMARTBoards) and more. I don't think we have enough time for teaching/learning much more. But- you never know 'till you try.

So what to do now? Wish me luck:)