Web 2.0 CPD went very well last week. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, Social Networking are very familiar to some people but now also seem to intrigue those people not in the know.
Blogs are like diaries. Whereas diaries tend to be private, blogs are usually public and are intended to be read. Pupils using blogs are often surprised to find that their writing has been read by total strangers. A selection of Scottish educational blogs can be found at
http://www.scotedublogs.org.uk
Wikis on the other hand are more permanent structured pieces of writing. They might well be used for reports or the development of a project. In appearance they are similar to a conventional web site. Pages can be added and indexed but unlike an ordinary web site they can be edited by users. Wiki systems usually keep all the versions of the pages so that pages can be rolled back if the latest revisions are unacceptable for any reason.
http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis
is a list of wikis. Bear in mind that the links in this directory have not been vetted.
http://midsummerdreaming.wikispaces.com/
is a class wiki created by a Perth school.
Social Networking is the current Internet fashion exemplified by Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and My Space. Pupils use them and so teachers should at least be aware of their existence and what that implies. Not surprisingly, a warning has been recently issued to the teaching profession to avoid contact with pupils on such web sites.
For all sorts of reasons, it is important for teachers and pupils to set their security options correctly on these sites. February 9th is Safer Internet Day. The theme this year is ‘Think Before You Post’ – an appropriate motto for all Web 2.0 users. Click here to find out more about this.