Cool+Tools+In+School

"It was the single thing that changed the classroom dynamics more than anything I've ever done teaching."
- David Parry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communications at the University of Texas at Dallas //on teaching with Twitter//

//Teachers want to (and need to) reach students on their own 'playing field' in order to engage them in a meaningful way.//
====//The technologies are// vast //and varied and so teaching in the 21st century is challenging unless eductors are willing to address the 'digital natives' in their classroom and understand that learning and teaching looks different than it did even 5 years ago.//====

//Today's students want to be involved with relevant technologies that they can apply in the real world.//
====//Many large corporations and organizations, including NASA and IBM, have already added microblogging formats, such as twitter, to augment their internal communications structure and utilise its collaborative aspects. So it makes sense that students should become familiar with this technology as a skill they will be required to apply.//====

**__//With that in mind, we can begin to examine several ways that technology can be effectively used to foster Student Voice://__**

 * //**Microblogging** services such as// [|Twitter in the classroom] //are a useful social networking form that enables students to see what is going on in the world in real time and to connect or collaborate with teachers and peers in a meaningful way about course work, homework and respond to school or community issues.//
 * //**Email** is not the first choice as a means of communication for most digital native learners primarily due to its lack of 'immediacy'. However, it is a necessary skill for// [|students to learn] //as they move into post-secondary education and beyond. Email can be a useful tool for engaging students in community involvement; perhaps as a tool to address a local issue or concern.//
 * //**Wikis** are used collaboratively// //by// //teachers// //and students enabling multiple users to// [|share and compile information] //in a centralized place. Its ease of use makes it a popular choice for Middle years classrooms and up.//
 * **//Podcasts//** //are audio broadcasts on the internet and// //can be considered 'audio blogging'. This is particularly applicable to Student Voice because content is completely controlled by the creator. Click on this// [|google podcast] //from Australia to hear an excellent example of how a brief podcast, with accompanying video content, is used to foster Student Voice and civic awareness during an election.//
 * //**Glogster:** Digital Natives learn// [|How to use GLOGSTER] //in the classroom in very creative ways.//