Siemens Says...

If you read my last post, hopefully you thought a little bit about the Connectivist Learning Theory and how it affects your perspective on teaching and learning.  In this post, I want to share with you a tool that you can use to connect yourself to other educators--educators who share the common goals of integrating technology in their classroom and revolutionizing the field of education to meet the demands of tomorrow.  It's called Classroom 2.0.

Currently in its fourth year of operation, Classroom 2.0 hosts over 60,000 members of the educational community and has won numerous awards every year running including Best use of a Social Networking Site (2007 & 2008), Best Website for Teaching and Learning (2009) and First Runner-up Best Webinar Series (2010).  Like many of the rest, you can create your own page and link your blogs and other networks to this site.  But what sets this site apart from the rest is that in addition to enjoying an active community of sharers, Classroom 2.0 offers the opportunity to join or create special-interst groups wihtin the arena of education and provides weekly webinars regarding these groups.  Oh, and you actually have to apply to be a group member. Your application is reviewed by a human being, which means no spammers! (Mine is currently under review...)

Yet for all these e-treasures, my favorite part of this site is definitely the Wiki.  I mean, who doesn't love a good wiki?  Especially one edited for and by teachers!  Topics (which are tagged and indexed on the homepage for easy reference/access) range from blogging and cell phones to games, mindmapping, and webquests.  This is like the ultimate toolbox for educational technologies etc.  Did I mention how much I love wikis?

Personally, I feel as though my participation in this community of learners would be mutually beneficial.  As a young educator in the midst of attaining an Ed.M., I'm constantly swimming in a sea of up-to-date research and information that teachers removed from such academia might benefit from.  Also, I consider myself a divergent thinker who uses my creativity in my teaching, and would LOVE to contribute to the wikis.  Of course, I'm sure I would benefit from the contributions of more seasoned educators and would learn more about teaching and technology than I would on my own. 

So for real, if you're going to take this Connevtivism thing seriously, you might as well begin by applying it to your own learning development and become a Classroom 2.0 member. 

Siemens says... join this site!