Building a community in the classroom is very important for very obvious and numerous reasons. Helping create a community in the classroom can be achieved through different technologies. By using knowledge forms, using wikis, using interactive blogs, investigating international communities, building teacher communities, and using usenet and netnews groups.
As a teacher I really want to understand and utilize knowledge forums. I believe that students should have their opinions and knowledge shared and not devalued in the classroom setting. This forum can store notes, connect ideas, and help produce knowledge for users. I think this is a great way to have students communicate and build a classroom community that is on a technological level.
Wikis are similar to the forums in that they allow students to create community building environments. Wikis are meant as easy access to control and navigate through. While this may be easy for some of my students who are technologically advanced, using a Wiki sounds more reasonable when time is important. Being able to show my students how to use something and have them turn around and follow suit is incredible. It will help students keep on track, on time, and on pace. I use wikis in my everyday life. For example when I went to Spain I referenced wiki travel. Informing students about these different wikis (wiki books, wiki junior, etc.) will help students realize that they will use wikis on a semi-frequent basis. Wikis can be used as a project presentation, informational studying application, etc. Wikis are designed to have a collaborative environment.
Using interactive blogs is different than a wiki because blogs were initially intended for personal postings and not for communication. Now blogs are also communicable. Students can post on each other’s postings and connect in that way. I do not really see myself using bogs in my classroom. I think that they are controversial and that they are unnecessary in the classroom when there are many other great sources available. I think that if a teacher can make a blog parents can visit to see what is going on in their child’s classroom is a great idea. The blog would help parents, students, and teacher(s) stay connected and see what is going on.
I have always loved the idea of having my future classroom communicating with classrooms from another part of the world. I think that with technologies today that it is really a shame when teachers don’t put in the effort to do so. Learning circles are great to organize meetings and gatherings for people in a group working towards one common goal. Global schoolhouse is great place where teachers can seek out collaborative partners for their students. I will defiantly use this program to help me find meaningful learning opportunities for my students. Thinking about having my students communicating with someone that is not in the same state (at least) is amazing to me. If we are so lucky to get an international view, y students would benefit from having a different world perspective and point of view on the world and different situations and they would be learning about technology at the same time.
Building professional teacher communities with tapped in helps teacher communicate ideas and support one another. I am not sure if I will actually use this tool when I am teaching. I am more of a verbal communicator and will likely use the teachers that are surrounding me as influence. Granted, I will take and borrow ideas from teachers but probably from random websites. Teacher talk sounds like a really great resource to have however. I feel like that these discussion boards are more up my ally than the tapped in website.
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