After reviewing Think.com, I am very excited about the potential this tool brings to the educational process. I am particularly impressed with the security of knowing that only educators and students can utilize the site. I was so excited with what I saw that I could not limit myself to only one utilization plan. Instead, I offer 4 different ways I intend to use the tool.
1) Elementary School Reading Program
Our school recently began a reading program with our feeder elementary schools. Weekly, members of our varsity football team visit the elementary schools and read to the students. I see some real gains if these students could post written communications and web pages through think.com. We could even do video links which could expand the program to more students and at greater frequencies. Potentially, we could even eliminate the need to transport the players. Hmm, better, cheaper, safer--Win-Win-Win.
2) Physics Class
When a certain former math teacher left the classroom for an administrative role, our school was left without a certified physics teacher. While we have a very competent chemistry teacher in place, I believe we could use think.com to supplement instruction. I can see us using some canned lectures on video and generating student designed lessons similar to those already existing in the Library section of think.com.
3) The Zephyr
Our creative writing class produces an annual literary magazine --the Zephyr-- which contains some excellent student and faculty creative works. When financing allows, they bind the magazine and offer it for public sale. Think.com could allow global exposure for these would be writers, poets, and artists and could perhaps even allow for an electronic version of the Zephyr to be produced.
4) Staff development
Over 2/3 of our staff have less than 4 years experience. We have tried to develop small learning communities which would allow us to help mentor our staff, but we are finding this to be increasingly difficult. Think.com could provide a very efficient conduit to sources of proven classroom strategies for our newer and struggling teachers.
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1 comment:
I like your various ideas for using the Think.com site, all of which have much merit. However, I might consider publishing the Zephyr on the web, but through a more accessible site than Think.com only because it would expand the audience that could read the magazine.
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