1	Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis, Oh My! How to use the latest technology tools to enhance your Science classes.
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3	What’s a Blog? Blog is short for “web log” – an online log, diary, or journal. More than one person can contribute to a blog. Users (viewers) can add their comments for everyone else to see. Focuses mainly on text, but pictures and video, and links can be added.
4	To blog or not to blog? Blogs allow for a dialogue between teacher and students and/or between students or groups of students. Most can be “secured” to allow only users (i.e. – students) in and keep the general public out. Can be accessed at any time or place – users do not have to physically get together to have a “discussion”. Most are FREE!
5	Says who? David Warlick: www.bloglines.com He even wrote a book about it: Classroom Blogging: A Teacher’s Guide to the Blogosphere (ISBN: 1-4116-2903-5) Ian Jukes: http://www.thecommittedsardine.net/ He blogs about all sorts of technology in education topics – worth stopping by! Will Richardson: http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ Again, he blogs about a variety of ed-tech topics.
6	Examples, you say?
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10	So where do I sign up? http://classblogmeister.com - David Warlick’s site http://www.blogger.com - may be blocked by your school http://edublogs.org - designed for education www.bloglines.com - helps you organize student blogs and “subscribe” to them via rss feeds
11	Ok, so what’s a wiki? The name wiki comes from the Hawaiian word wiki-wiki, which means “quick”. A wiki is a webpage that can be modified by any authorized user. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) is the most well-known. The creator of the wiki can determine who gets to make changes. A record is kept of all changes made and who made them – easy to fix errors! Can include text, graphics, video, and links. Looks more like a “real” web page vs. an online conversation.
12	Why wiki? Online record of collaborative learning. Can be done at any time or place. Student work can be viewed by parents, teachers, friends. Easy and quick to set up – no programming knowledge needed! Check out this article about wikis in the classroom: http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1756
13	Wikis in action!
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15	So how much does it cost? Most wiki sites will charge a fee. Many will let you use their site free for a trial period (sometimes sufficient time for a project). http://www.wikispaces.com is giving away 100,000 FREE wikis to EDUCATORS only! Don’t miss this awesome opportunity – sign up soon! (They’re up to 21,000!) For a great tutorial on the basics of wikis, take the Wiki Walk Through here: http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/
16	Where else can I get a wiki? http://pbwiki.com - easy as a peanut butter sandwich! http://www.wetpaint.org http://seedwiki.com http://www.jot.com
17	What’s a Podcast? Short for iPod broadcast. NOT just for iPods or apple platform. Can be sound-only or you can add video. Student involvement can vary depending on your needs. Can be downloaded and viewed anywhere at any time.
18	Podcasts in the classroom? Interviews – Student, teacher, or outside expert created. Speeches – Student, teacher, or outside expert created. Lectures – Teacher or outside expert created. Presentations – Student, teacher, or expert created. Virtual field trips – Created outside the classroom. Experiments – Perfect for dangerous demos! Test review – Reach a wider variety of learners.
19	You’d like some samples? Here’s a second grade class explaining what they’ve learned about light: Here’s an example of a weekly broadcast done by 5^th and 6^th graders in Michigan:
20	How hard is this, anyway? Accessing existing Podcasts is straightforward. Creating them is easier on the Macintosh platform. You’ll need a microphone at least. A digital video camera is a must for adding video. You may want additional software to edit your sound files.
21	Where can I find some to use in my classroom?
22	I’m ready to try my own! First, record your sound and/or video. Then, upload it to your computer and edit. To easily edit your sound files, download: http://audacity.sourceforge.net Edit video using Microsoft MovieMaker on a PC or iLife Suite on a Mac. Also try: http://www.podproducer.net/en for a PC Now, you need to upload to a host site so it can be accessed from anywhere: http://www.podomatic.com http://www.apple.com/itunes http://www.apple.com/podcasting
23	Short on equipment? All that’s needed is one computer and a microphone. If students don’t own computers at home, most public libraries offer free access. Write a grant! There’s lots of money out there for technology-related grants!
24	Thank You! Please feel free to contact me during the school year: Susan Bastian Sylvania Franciscan Academy (419) 885-3273 x214 sfa_bastian@nwoca.org Or check out my Science webpage http://www.frogpondscience.net for more web-related resources for teaching Science to the middle grades (5-8).