The road goes ever on and on...

The road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring 

Now that your blog(s) are established, it's time to jump off/jump in to all that integrating Web 2.0 has to offer. I won't lie, there are many challenges and it can be very time-consuming. Before describing many of the gadgets I like to use, I want to give you a few words of encouragement:

• Don't be afraid to let go of some of your control of the classroom. Let students show you what they know about technology. Not only will you be amazed at their knowledge and creativity - they will be empowered in their own learning.

• Management: It's great to find a few students who are interested in learning how to log in, create a post, add photos, and embed videos & widgets. Those "tech support" students become your extra hands, scaffolding their peers to become self-sufficient. Allow even beginner-level students to join that group and they will rise to the challenge of becoming tech-savvy, I promise.

• Using technology for the sake of using technology only leads to burn-out and ineffective use. Pick something where technology enhances learning. Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself: Is this a tangible effort? How does this fit in to what's on the list?  If it can be done better with paper and pencil - do it with paper and pencil.

• Be transparent with your kids. Try it out yourself, then admit the roadblocks you've encountered.

• A great administrator of mine, Dr. Fran Vandiver, used to tell us to "Eat the elephant one bite at a time." Take really small, purposeful steps. Introduce new things to small groups.

• Finally, don't be intimidated by what you don't know. Ask for help. If we are going to empower our students to participate in the global societies of the 21st century, we must begin by allowing them to be a part of the conversation now. The sooner they begin collaborating on a global level, the more opportunities exist.