Learning With Wikis and Blogs

From February's Educational Leadership (ASCD publication): Digital tools, such as blogs and wikis, now make it easy for educators to embrace continual learning. Thousands of accomplished educators are now writing blogs in which they reflect on instruction, challenge assumptions, question policies, offer advice, design solutions, and learn together. All this collective knowledge is readily available for free. Feed readers, also known as aggregators, can automatically check nearly any Web site for new content dozens of times each day, limiting the amount of time spent browsing and customizing learning experiences. Those new to the technology should start by using a feed reader as a learning tool for a few weeks and encourage peers to come on board. Those confident in their writing ability can easily start their own blog using such services as Typepad and Edublogs. And those who want to transition to writing blogs can start by writing wikis using such services as Wikispaces and Wet Paint. A new book by Professor Richard Beach (and others) Teaching Writing Using Blogs, Wikis, and Other Digital Tools is one worth considering for your classroom or school library collection.