Home
Up  

 

Collaboration & Communication With The Educational World

For many years teachers were very isolated on a day-to-day basis. There was little opportunity to communicate with other educators. There was little opportunity to share successes and frustrations, or to actually learn from other teachers. The internet has changed that. They can now enjoy a world-wide web of interaction. Teachers have many stories to tell and many questions to ask. Below find ways that teachers can eliminate the walls of their classrooms, communicate with a world wide community of teachers as they work together to bring their students into the virtual world.

Teachers Can Join A Listserv: A listserv is an automatic mailing list server developed by Eric Thomas for BITNET in 1986. When email is addressed to a LISTSERV mailing list, it is automatically broadcast to everyone on the list. Descriptions of the listserv content and the directions for joining the listserv can be found on these web sites:

  • KinderKorner - A very active listserv, which is not just for Kindergarten. You will get lots of email, but a tremendous amount of support, ideas, and sharing. To subscribe send an email to kinderkorner-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to the KinderKorner website, scroll down and add your email address to join the Yahoo Mailing List.
  • A Listserv especially for Grades  4-8  that is not only helpful, but by reading and posting you soon become a part of a community of wonderful teachers. Go to The Four-Eight Connection to sign up. There is a request of $5.00 per year to pay for the server fee.
  • Early Childhood Education Listserv is from Early Childhood Education Online and features some wonderful experts from the Academic Fields and well as teachers there on the "frontlines".
  • Middle Web - This is primarily for Middle School Teachers and we all know they can use lots of support! In the left hand column, choose Join Our Discussion.
  • Integrating Technology - This group mainly discusses integrating technology in the primary classroom. To subscribe email mailto:IntegratingTechnology-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Teachers Can Subscribe To A Newsletter: These newsletters come either daily or weekly and are very informative. They provide recommended web sites and news and updates, not only in the field of educational technology, but for teaching in general. The following newsletters have proven very helpful:

  • One of the most inclusive newsletters is from Education World Newsletters . There are several options for which newsletters you will want to receive. The weekly one covers many areas of education with a large section on Tech Integration.
  • Kathy Schrock’s Site Of The School Day – Daily Web Sites For Your Classroom. These will not come every day, but whern they do, they will include very useful websites. 
  • Surfing The Net For Kids – Weekly List of Great Web Sites usually surrounding a timely theme. 
  • MiddleWeb Newsletter - The Website For Middle School Reform - 
  • Tech Learning: Send a blank message to: join-techlearning-news@lyris.mfi.com
  • Connection Information is from Alberta, CA and is chock-full of technology integration ideas. Subscribe by using the Tabs across the top. It is published every few months and older editions can be found online.

  • Teacher’s First – Bottom of the right hand column invites you to join the Mailing List.

  • Tech Learning News – This is a weekly update of technology for the classroom.

  • T.H.E. Journal publishes  T.H.E. Newsletter and Eduhound Weekly – T.H.E. Newsletter is composed of news, new product announcements, grant listings, events, Web sites, and company/industry news for the education. Eduhound  provides valuable resources to incorporate into K-12 curriculum community.

  • The Learning Edge Newsletter keeps you up to date with trends in Technology Integration.

  • The Teacher List sends out really interesting web sites for teachers during the school year. Peter McCay who provides this list takes a well-deserved vacation during the summer

  • Educators eZine from Technology & Learning is available by sending an email to sub_techlearning@news.techlearning.com

Teachers Can Be Keeping Up To Date By Reading Blogs We are so fortunate that the men and women who have taken the lead in this new field of Educational Technology are willing to share their thoughts, sometimes on a daily basis, through their blogs. It is almost like "picking their brain" while they contemplate the best way to use technology to enhance student learning.

So, just what is a Blog? Since, I find out most things like this from my son, Rob,I will go to his Blog, called Rob, The Explainer, and quote some of his explanations:
"Blog" entered the popular lexicon around 2004 and it is simply a type of website. Blog" entered the popular lexicon around 2004.  They are regularly updated pieces of writing. For example, let's say a blogger wrote an article today, yesterday, last week, and last month. All of these articles can be read chronologically on a blog. The nice thing, I think, is that a Blog Hosting Service manages the mundane details and allows you to read what is new each time you open your RSS Feed. You decide what blogs you would like to follow and then subscribe to them by using an RSS Reader. I suggest Bloglines as it is web based and will allow you to read your blogs from anywhere. All instructions for getting started are there. I would suggest some of the following as my favorite blog subscriptions:

Teachers Can Be Keeping Up To Date By Listening to Podcasts. Just as reading blogs will keep you up to date on what is happening in the field of educational technology, so will listening to podcasts. I like to download them to my IPOD and listen to them on airplanes and in the car. I suggest going to EdTalk and choosing any of the podcasts. You can listen live by checking on the schedule, or download an archived podcast and listen on your computer or MP3 player.