Emerging+Technologies

__**What is Blogging?**__


 * Blogs are link online journals, the name coming from “weblogs”
 * Updated usually by individuals on different topics and events that individual is commenting or updating on.
 * Usually including graphics or video


 * Began in 1994
 * The book 24 Hours in Cyberspace was written in 1996 and made online diaries more popular with the public.
 * Podcasts are a newer trend in online diaries


 * View a timeline of blogging []
 * Has coined the term nanopublishing, a word that’s developed in the last 2 years, meaning it’s a cheap and easy way to get information to countless people very quickly
 * A “small scale” way of publishing

__Blogs can be a great classroom and educational tool for:__ Student journaling Discussion Parent communication Scrapbooks Presentations

Helpful site for teachers: []

Sources: [] [] []

__**Wikispaces**__


 * A wiki is a website that allows easy creation and editing of pages most often used for collaboration and interaction.
 * Great for discussions and easy posting.
 * Allows for documents to be written by groups and can be edited by many individuals at once.

After the first weekend of EDT654, I wanted to use wikis more in my classroom to get a better feel for how they work abd learn more about them. I am having my students use their own wikis in social studies for current events and other activities. After a month, I had them take a survey to get a feel for their feelings about this technology. My goal is to move towards using it interactively and having students add to the same wiki as they find information on our next unit.

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The results: []

Here are examples of how wikis can be used in the classroom:

My social studies wiki http://greenvillesocialstudies.wikispaces.com/ Student wikis http://socialstudies100.wikispaces.com/http://16socialstudies16.wikispaces.com/ http://205socialstudies205.wikispaces.com/

__Drawbacks__:
 * They can easily change the security settings.
 * If they give away their passwords, others can mess with their wikis.

__Solutions__: I sent home a parent letter. Have talked with kids about consequences of improper use. __**Alternative:**__ [|www.turnitin.com]