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But, I don't think Image via WikipediaI missed the point of Twitter at all. It's quite the opposite. I'm constantly trying new Web 2.0 tools. Many do what they are supposed to do -- just like ordinary tools in your toolbox. But time and efficiency matter. Where I'm at right now in my professional life, I need a power washer not a putty knife/paint scraper. Both do what they are intended to do, but one gets results much more efficiently. Blog commenting, Nings, webinar participation, and back channel commenting are, to me, PLN power washers.

In his article in the February Educational Leadership ("Learning with Blogs and Wikis"), Bill Ferriter argues that digital tools like RSS feeds and aggregators help educators advance their professional learning. But first, some teachers need to join the ranks of the literate

Sadly, digital illiteracy is more common that you might think in schools. There are hundreds of teachers that haven't yet mastered the kinds of tools that have become a part of the fabric of learning—and life—for our students. We ban cell phones, prohibit text messaging, and block every Web application that our students fall in love with. We see gaming as a corrupting influence in the lives of children and remain convinced that Google is making us stupid. 

I myself am a long-time sufferer of YouTube-block (despite my understanding of my District's motivations) and I have developed a variety of strategies for treating the condition. I have seven suggestions:

Kiersten, one of my very favorite students, discovered a strategy for including YouTube (and other Flash) videos in PowerPoint presentations and along the way introduced me to Wikihow. (That site is worthy of its own post for sure!).  Anyway, the seniors are having great success adding videos directly into their PowerPoints. It's gone kinda viral as an alternate to linking or to downloading and converting videos to WMVs using Zamzar.