Tech 2.0 Teach

After teaching a web 2.o course and trying to keep up with all that is going on at NECC this week, I finally got a chance to answer a question that was posted on the moodle course, "How do you know what tool to use" or more specifically is a blog or wiki more appropriate? The answer to this question, like many others, is it depends. With some imagination either platform could be made to work on a number of different levels. Obviously, one is more suited to group contribution and one is better at a more conversation like dynamic. That being said, a blog authored by several people or a wiki edited by just one person blurs the lines. As a teacher you must learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each tool you employ. No one tool will do it all, just like no one teaching method will reach all your students. You as a teacher use all the tools at your disposal to get the job done. The more tools the better. The more versatile tools are the most valuable. I often hear, "how can I use this technology in the classroom?" Well, it is my experience that even the creators of some tools don't realize how it will be used. Animoto is just one example (by the way I got my free account extended thanks to my web 2.0 class network). It is the magic of the classroom teacher that takes a tool and uses it in a new way, in science we call it transference, when one technology developed to solve a problem is applied to a new problem with favorable results. Transference is the idea behind "space age technology" technology developed by NASA for space travel often makes its way to other applications to help mankind on earth. I believe the same thing is going on right now with the internet and web 2.0. It's up to teachers and their imagination to find ways to transfer these new tools and from what I have seen we are up for the job. The conversations at the recent web 2.0 workshops were amazing. The next time someone says teaching is not rocket science you tell them if you do it right it most certainly is! http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/multimedia/rollout_gallery.html