Here are some Web 2.0 Applications that are great for educational purposes. I know this link will be helpful to us as a reference guide. I am currently trying to learn many more Web 2.0 technologies since I teach in a 1:1 device school. Which Web 2.0 technologies are your favorite and why?

My initial response to Jessica Garcia's Article Post- I think there is great benefit to PLC's. There is so much knowledge that needs to be communicated to teachers, and these meetings seem to be a great way to have that occur. On the one hand PLC's provide teachers with the needed resources and district mandates that need to be implemented in order to be in compliance. Teachers from a common department come together and plan their instructional calendars, lesson plans, learn new systems, and voice their concerns or provide others with the knowledge of their own innovative workshops or relay workshop information they've learned.

@ Jessica Garcia- That PLC time becomes extremely valuable when you have a well-oiled machine backing up your meetings. However, on the flip side I have been to PLC meetings where it seems like no one has any mutual respect for each other, and not much but arguing seems to occur. I think that in order to take effective advantage of PLC time, teachers must learn to follow a structured PLC calendar, and respect each other's voice.

@ Jessica Garcia- Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) have become the norm at school districts around the country. The first time that I ever was a part of an actual required PLC was about two years ago. At first, I did not like the idea behind PLC's because I would much rather work on my own, and receive online trainings from the comfort of my own classroom. However, I have learned that it is critical that teachers from mutual departments come together

I really enjoyed your interactive post over the ins and outs of discussion forums. I currently use Edmodo discussion forums in my 7th grade classroom, and have found them to be a great tool to incorporate after the bell rings. It allows me to communicate with my students and gives me the opportunity to provide them with immediate feedback. As I was scrolling and clicking through the links from your post, I found some interesting points I'd like to speak over. If you do not provide feedback to your students how are they going to get affirmation over their thought process? As teachers our job is to guide our students, and so I think that by being an active online discussion forum teacher- it will better prepare the students for this type of new age technology. When it comes to the downfalls of using discussion forums, I noticed that your link pointed out the lack of visual cues. For example, "students must understand that their words are taken literally, and humor and satire are easily misconstrued (http://drscavanaugh.org/discussion/online/challenges_of_a_discussion_forum.htm )." This makes a lot of sense to me, because we may send an un-intended message, and in turn should be mindful of our written delivery.

@Gena Jean- Overall, I think you make a good point. These discussion forums provide students with a multitude of resources that students can get from each other and from the forum itself. I have made discussion forums a requirement in my classroom, and every day I pose an essential question that every student must answer over the lesson of the day. It has really brought us closer as a learning community, and I feel that my students are getting more out of me due to that. Students are learning from each other, as well as from myself and they seem to be getting so excited about the posting process. They even remind me when I have not posted to the forum yet. I am so glad that I am a teacher that lives within the booming age of technology

@Karla Fabiola Garcia- Students will definitely run with the idea of the discussion threads and help each other, all the while providing their own insight and responses to certain embedded hyperlinks if present. This is how discussion forums become student centered. Students sometimes learn better from each other, and over all- the discussion process is what makes learning real. I also noticed that your link explained the overall convenience of using discussion forums. Those of us pursuing higher education know that we sometimes do not have the time to look things up, and so it helps to be able to log on and see what others are posting. Furthermore, it offers student autonomy, as it provides students the ability to have a voice…when they otherwise might not feel comfortable to have one.