View the Webinar: Intro to RETA Webinars and Whirlwind Tour of Web 2.0

Many teachers, students and occupants of the “real” world view Mondays as an excuse to not be alive. We reluctantly get out of bed, cursing the end of the weekend and dreading the start of five long days until the fredeom of the weekends arrive again. Lest I steal the words of The Bangles, we can forget about kissing Valentino and wishing that it was Sunday … it’s just another Manic Monday …. so we might as well make the most of it.

Sometimes, getting back to basics is a good way to start the week. This past Monday evening, Dr. Vannetta Perry, Cecilia Huang and yours truly participated in a webinar offerred by the Regional Educational Technology Assistance program at New Mexico State University. The webinar, conducted by Bethany Bovard, Intro to RETA Webinars and Whirlwind Tour of Web 2.0, was an engaging and thought-provoking hour of discussion about Web 2.0 and the use of blogs, wikis, screencasts, google sites and Moodle. My brief summary of Bethany’s presentation is meant to encourage you to click the link above and view the webinar.

Web 2.0 is the new buzzword that defines the transition of the Internet from a content-driven, corporate-dominated conglomeration for information consumption to a web where the individual is the creator and contributor to the knowledge and information on the web. In Web 2.0, we all have a voice and an opportunity to be heard.

As educators, Web 2.0 offers us the challenge to expand the possibilities that we extend to our students, meeting them in the world that they inhabit and leading them towards the world they will inherit. Web 2.0 gives students technology-rich learning processes that include reading, writing, dicussion, reflection, critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration. Equally exciting for students and teachers alike are the learning products and outcomes: presentations, demonstrations, portfolios, information and communication technology, media and information literacy skills development.

Today’s educational setting offers one constant in an ever-changing landscape: the demand for constant attention to diversity and differentiation in classroom instruction. What better way to achieve this than through the integration of technology rich lessons? The current setting in Web 2.0 creates broad opportunities for students to develop:

– Flexibility and adaptability

– Initiative and self-direction

– Social and cross-cultural skills

– Productivity and accountability

– Leadership and responsibility

When we consider that the essence of our purpose at Socorro Consolidated Schools is to prepare our students for a successful future, and that building leaders for the future is our mission, the development of the ten skills listed above is not just expected of teachers … it is demanded! The best part is that the folks at RETA are willing to show you for FREE how to use many of the tools that Web 2.0 has made available to you and your students.

And, by the way, you and your students can have blogs, wikis, screencasts, google sites and Moodle for FREE!

Don’t be concerned if you don’t know what a wiki is or how to use Moodle. Simply visit the RETA Webinar Site and check out their catalogue of technology-oriented webinars. RETA is committed to helping you become more knowledgeable about these tools, and the Tech Team is pledged to helping you and your students to “make it happen!”

The RETA webinars are free and open to everyone. You can watch from the comfort of your home computer or, if you’d like, you are cordially invited to join Dr. Perry and me in the conference room at CO. (If more people say they’ll show up, Dr. Perry said she will have snacks!) The series will run start this Monday night (9/22) and run through Nov. 24. You can visit the RETA K-12 Events Site to see the topics and decide which ones might be most interesting for you.

This week’s Spotlight on Technology Award goes to Cecilia Huang, a teacher at Socorro High School. Cecilia is a strong believer in using technology as an instructional tool in her language classes. Cecilia has also created her own free web page at Google (http://kohuang2.googlepages.com/home) for her students. Please feel free to surf the site and share any ideas with her. Cecilia’s work is a simple yet straight-forward inspiration for any teacher looking to use the web to support the learning by their students. Way to go, Cecilia!

I hope to see you Monday night for the webinar about Moodle.