New Tools in Schools
Can I just repeat how much I love this book, Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools (Solomon & Schrum, 2007)?! (I think I say that every time I read a chapter.)
Though much of what I read in chapter 4 seemed to be a repeat of the past couple of chapters – use blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc. to enhance learning and motivate students, the authors always manage to give a variety of authentic examples of teachers who are using these tools. More than anything, I appreciate being told where I can go for things such as podcasts on Williamsburg or Ancient Greece. Having resources such as that at my fingers tips is invaluable. Doing a Google search for these kinds of ideas just would not work the same. Solomon and Schrum not only give me the resources, but informative examples of how teachers used them. What makes me love them even more is their plethora of History resources. They do an excellent job of providing links and examples for other disciplines, but History seems to have a few extra. ;o)
In chapter 4, the authors also talked about a school in Lemon Grove, CA that has not only integrated technology into the curriculum, but have gone the extra mile to get the students connected at home. They even have a computer to student ratio of 1:2!! Super cool for me if I can get a job there (I’m moving to San Diego next summer!).
The Lemon Grove school description led me to thinking about digital literacies in other schools. It is one thing for me to teach students how to be informationally literate in today’s digital world, but I only have them for one year. For our students to truly obtain digital literacy, it must be a district-wide effort. All teachers, in all schools, should be utilizing Web 2.0 tools with the support of the principals and school boards. Then, not only could we be sure that our students would continue to build their digital literacies after they leave our classroom, but they would be learning in the early grades and continue through graduation. How much more prepared would our students be if they had 13 years of practice as opposed to only one? And if the whole district is on board, then they could provide continual training for teachers so they can keep up-to-date with all the latest technology. Now that’s the kind of school I not only want to teach in, but to have my own children attend.
To see really exciting new multimedia literacy try out Inanimate Alice. 
I could not agree more about digital literacy being a district wide challenge. Everyone needs to take responsibility for helping our students become more digitally responsible and literate. I was fascinated by the digital schools and their ability to teach students using technology with great success. I hope that we can all step up and find similar results: technological advancement in our schools without the expense of active and expansive learning.