BP3_Schoology and more

[Neo sees a black cat walk by them, and then a similar black cat walk by them just like the first one]
Neo: Whoa. Déjà vu.
[Everyone freezes right in their tracks]
Trinity: What did you just say?
Neo: Nothing. Just had a little déjà vu.
Trinity: What did you see?
Cypher: What happened?
Neo: A black cat went past us, and then another that looked just like it.
Trinity: How much like it? Was it the same cat?
Neo: It might have been. I'm not sure.
Trinity: A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something.

Or when someone learns of an amazing Web 2.0 tool from another person's blog and falls in love so much they have to post about the same tool. Oh, Schoology, where have you been all my life?!?! Well, I should start from the very beginning, a very good place to start.

I spent some time checking out a few Web 2.0 tools this week...

Wordle...my students are beginning their unit on genetics on Monday.

iMindMap...this is a template, but would be perfect for student designed lab investigations.

Blabberize...I made this to amuse my daughters who both spent a miserable day with the flu today...my daughter might kill me if she finds out I shared this :-)

I couldn't pick. Then I read Pete's blog (Thanks for posting so early. I love overachievers!!!)  Why hadn't I ever heard of Schoology?!?!!? I checked out youtube and there are videos from tech educators from around the country describing how to use Schoology for their entire district! In fact, my school had a presentation last Monday on Moodle and the interface was a long list of assignments and information that I found difficult to read and even more difficult as a teacher to create. I was editing Jessica's lit review and she has an article that states that students want to use technology at school the way they use technology at home (Spires, Lee, Turner & Johnson, 2008). Schoology looks just like Facebook and is so intuitive!!! Check out what I did in a few short minutes...

 I first created 3 courses. I am currently teaching Honors Biology and AP Biology. My third course is called Teacher Tech.

On Schoology, I can post assignments, upload files and videos (I uploaded my EMDT Bio video from week 1 to see how it worked and it was brilliant!).

I can begin blog style discussions and allow members to join in the fun. For my Teacher Tech course, I can allow the teachers to initiate discussions and post assignments they have created. They can ask questions, solicit recommendations, provide feedback for one another...Schoology provides a learning management system coupled with the interactivity and support of a social network!

 My AR project is focused on teaching my colleagues about Web 2.0 tools that they can use immediately in their classrooms. I actually don't just want to show them the tools, I want to teach them how to integrate the technology into their curriculum. I want to provide opportunities for us to work together to inspire and motivate each other as we navigate the ever changing world of Web 2.0 and soon to be Web 3.0. What better way to do this than by creating a course using Schoology to "teach" my colleagues?!?! I am certain, in the long run, that I will learn far more than I could ever hope to teach.

Spires, H., Lee, J., Turner, K., & Johnson, J. (2008). Having our say: Middle grade student perspectives on school, technologies, and academic engagement. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(4), 497-515. Retrieved from ERIC database.