Will Richardson Talks about Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an incredible resource. Will Richardson provides his analysis of its role in the classroom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k46NLXVGRk&NR=1

The impact of web technology on student learning

Emily, a senior at Fredericksburg Academy, talks about the impact of Web 2.0 on her education. An inspiring story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omIGQkVkx7o&feature=related

DVD opening sequence

This is a draft of the opening sequence of the upcoming DVD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfTVrHVJpvY&feature=related

Using Wikis in the Classroom

I have posted a very interesting clip on Wikis in the classroom. Comments are welcome. There is still time to make corrections and updates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sGbnMRmtbg

Voicethread use in schools

Here is a cool clip on a students using Voicethread in school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKilOmo62JQ

Cell mitosis

You can see the student who talks about creating a cell mitosis video on YouTube now at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtNIpkJGaUw

Video Editing

In the chapter on Podcasting, I have a great example of a student talking about his group's video on cell mitosis.  It is a great video that they obviously had fun producing.  You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW3iUo_Q6HQ&feature=channel_page.

I asked him if it improved retention to learn this way and he said it was way more fun and when he needed to study for the test he could just watch the video instead of reading notes.  I was confident after seeing all the work that was put in to the research for this project that the material would be retained.

Chapter 3 Weblogs, Pedagogy and Practice

Fredericksburg has some incredible examples of student blogs.  Mary, who has served as a page for the Virginia House of Delegates, blogged about her experiences for her classmates.  “It was really neat to see their ideas coming from Fredericksburg, because I would be down there (in Richmond, VA) and it was like I was in my own world, but they were right there with me through the internet and it is such an instant access, rather than we were sixty miles away from each other.”

Emily’s blog is about her senior project, creating a  cookbook with recipes from internationally known “peacemakers.”  She says, “My favorie thing about the blog is when you type in my name to Google, the first thing that pops up is the title of my senior exhibit, ‘Ingredients for Peace.’  And so rather than some humiliating MySpace or FaceBook pictures, rather than that popping up, people are able to get to know me through my writing and my ideas and my experience.”

Getting Started at Fredericsburg Academy

I have just started putting together the new DVD on Will Richardson's book, "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Webtools for Classrooms." We shot at Fredericksburg Academy in Fredericksburg, VA and it was a life changing experience for me. I am beginning to plan a video podcast for my own business now after seeing the inspiring work that was being done at FA. Years ago, I served on the technology committee of our local public schools and our work consisted of getting new 486 (pre-pentium processor) computers in our computer lab which seemed important but I was not sure what it would do except keep kids current with computer technology.

Will's consulting around Web 2.0 reveals how the new technologies associated with the web can revolutionize learning. Stay tuned as this amazing project begins to come together!