I’m so glad you got this conversation going!

Thank you! I think the ability to work with differentiated groups of learners is one of the most powerful features of Ning. It makes it so easy to tailor all sorts of discussions, projects and concepts to individual, or groups of, students.

Sheryl,

Thank you! I’m so glad the Alabama teachers enjoyed my few minutes on the mic! I love the idea of remixing the chart on a wiki. I ended up making this one in Word (or something equally inappropriate for charting), so I need to think of a different way to make it more manageable for others… Let me know if you have any ideas!

Silvia,

Yes! I also find that teachers often cling to one tool they have already learned, without analyzing whether or not it’s really the right tool for the job - it’s so important to create a feeling of having a “repertoire” of tools to choose from.

Marie,

Good point! I have one tool linked to every subject heading - but there are certainly more to choose from for each type.

Chris,

Absolutely, podcasting counts! I lumped it in with multimedia for convenience

Helen,

Thanks! I like creating that feeling of craftsmanship with technology.

Vicki,

Thank you! I had so much fun on WOW! I continue to be absolutely honored to have been invited on

Patrick,

Thank you! I hope your teachers and colleagues find it helpful!

Larry,

Thanks for sharing all of those posts - they’re fabulous!

Lorelle,

Thanks for your feedback. What I really wanted to get across to teachers is that there’s more than one tool that can do the job - and sometimes it makes sense to use something different if your needs are different. All too often, teachers use a tool only because they know the name, or they already know how to use it - whether or not is the best tool for the job.

Although I agree that blogs can be customized in so many different ways, it’s important to realize that there are more tools available. Blogs have worked their way into our everyday vocabulary, so lots of teachers can end up feeling like that’s the only tool available. This post is an introduction to the wide world of web applications that can be used in the classroom.

Collaborative space: Blogs can have multiple contributors as well as more than one author working on any single post. Comments definitely can add to collaboration.

Forum Discussion: While forums can easily be added to blogs, and forum comments displayed within the blog, some think of blogs as a “forum” and the comments as the discussion area. It’s a fine line.

Track Users: There are a variety of Plugins and tools that help bloggers track users, not only who is using but where they are coming from, looking at, and leaving from.

Security Levels: WordPress blogs, which I know most about, have multiple levels of security and access permissions, from who sees the blog to who can do what within the blog.

Audio/Video: While blogs don’t produce video or audio, they are certainly a platform for exchange and display of such.

Community Environment: Many think that the definition of a blog includes the word “community” as the contributors and commenters work together to create the content on the blog.

Great work!