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Learning Laptops and Literacy

Two Rockford, MN middle school teachers teaching Language Arts and Social Studies scheduled their 90 minute block classes into one space so that they could share laptops and utilize Web 2.0 tools (Skype, Google Docs) for collaboration and integrated learning.


While they are not doing traditional 1-to-1 computing, they are incorporating tools that will work well in that environment.
They spoke to the ability to collaborating with Google docs for team meetings, virtual collaboration, and calendaring. Their Google calendar is embeded on their Web site, which then students and parents can subscribe. South View Media Specialist has set up Google calendars similarly on her site for staff to sign up for labs and media space.


They showed how their students who had recently traveled to an environmental learning center used a program called Comic Life to share photos of their experience. We could use Photo Story or Voicethread much the same way. Those of you planning a field trip in the near future, may want to consider this as a project when you get back.
One of the teachers had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and included a link to his travel blog, and podcasts on his travels.
Here is a link to their site.

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