"Reflections on communication and collaboration"

This group of articles all utilized technology in an effort to encourage and promote excellence within the classroom. Educational Pod casting, Hooked on Classroom Blogging, Tracking Collaboration and Writing for Real Purpose all focused on integrating technology within specified curriculum's to stimulate communication and collaboration in classrooms. The articles sought out to get the students actively engaged in day to day activities through the incorporation of varied technologies. Ms Peters was determined to get her students to do more than just mediocre responses. She wanted to encourage them to elevate their minds to think critically by putting thought into their responses. I think inviting her students to share in her many experiences in Vietnam allowed them to explore areas no textbook could have ever provided them. Anytime students are made to give their opinions, viewpoints, and ideas I think we open up for discussion of various views when students feel as if their voice matter. Stressing the importance of providing students with that voice the articles presented various ways of achieving effective communication. Whether students are discussing in blackboard, communicating using wiki, pod casting, Google Docs, or through e-mailing/chatting this experience is instrumental to their exposure of new and emerging technologies.