Journal 2

Breathing Fire into Web 2.0
By: Justin Hardman & David Carpenter

This article discusses the problems with incoming students in school being more advanced then the technology in place in the school. The authors discuss the need to have an all-in-one system in place that can be used by teachers, administrators, parents and students. Justin Hardman, one of the authors, helped to put together a three-part system for the school at which he was working. The three components were:

1) A system where they can create a better way to communicate between faculty and students
2) A way to develop the curriculum and archive the resources
3) A way to manage the teachers profiles

After completion, teachers were each able to manage their own home page, and also include links to other school clubs and teams. The new system has a calendar, where teachers can keep students and other faculty updated as to what the class schedule is, and any changes made will be immediately available. The teachers can also load any teaching materials they wish and the other faculty will have open access to it. The new system also had space for the various clubs and sports teams to post their information. One really useful tool is the ability to store multi-media resources that can easily be accessed in the classroom for discussions. Email is also an included feature so as to make communication between faculty, parents, students and administrators much easier. The e-portfolio feature allows students or teachers to keep a portfolio of the years work, for reference in later classes or for an end of the year project. We are lucky enough to have this at a college level already, but what a great tool this could be at a high school and junior high level for students.

Question?
How can we integrate something simpler into a school that does not have the funds to yet completely get a full system?
Answer
Use the office products that come with the computers, such as Microsoft Outlook to at least have calendars and email.
Question?
What will be the most useful tool in having an integrated website for the school?
Answer
I feel having everyone linked will be the most useful tool. Teachers being able to access other teachers resources and materials and the students being able to access the calendar and assignments online would be such a timesaver.