Journal entry #2

A sense of belonging is one of the major contributors in keeping students in school. If they feel included then they can be successful. By participating in meaningful work with their peers and sharing their learning using web 2.0 students and teachers are participating in the "learning landscapes" described by Jim Klein in his article,"Social Networking for the K-12 Set". The article explains that the Saugus Union School District has set up a safe technological learning environment to eliminate social and geographic boundaries between student, teachers and their peers and colleges.

Q?How do you know this mode of learning is successful?

In the Saugus School District, they saw a noticeable gain in standardized test scores amongst their students who were participating in this style of interactive learning. Not only that, but there was also a gain in fluency as well as overall standard of work. When students are provided with sophisticated mediums as well as a forum of like minded learners to interact with, the quality of their work improves.

Q?What standards does this meet?
By establishing technology driven work groups,blogging tools including sophisticated editing programs, secure storage and sharing sites, and RSS and pod casting capabilities, students and teachers embraced Web 2.0. With this comes work that is founded on the NET/S and NETS/T. The work is creative, collaborative and profoundly rooted in critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. It opens the door to digital citizenship and the type of evaluative thinking that grows out of processing large amounts of information. Finally, for the teacher, it provides a vehicle for professional growth and leadership. For the student, such opportunities allow them to practice technological concepts, Web 2.0, and trouble shoot. Once again the internet both delivers the world into the classroom while exporting ideas out to the world.