leadership in high schools

What uses do wiki’s have in our classrooms?  I see the possiblities for middle and high school students where the emphasis on team work and collaboration are huge socialization pieces that need to be taught and modelled. 

I have surfed through Classroom 2.0 and find this web site very useful in answering all types of questions regarding interactive planning units in science and writing projects that are incremental in nature and  encourage group authorship.  I became a member of this site and have really expanded my learning this way. 

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749%3ATopic%3A92225

The above forum Classroom 2.0 contains a valid case study in support of web 2.0 technolgy use by teachers  Kindergarten through 12th grade.  Dr. Jeffrey Felix, Superintendent of Bonsall Union School District, Bonsall, California conducted reasearch on edublogging and published his findings in Dec. 07.  His summary is as follows:

1. Writing plays a very important role in education.
2. Blogging represents a new way for teachers to interact with their students.
3. Blogging as an instructional practice allows teachers to be active participants and co-learners with students.  The foundation of good pedagogy.  The I, Thou, It relationship that is crucial to all learning. 
4. Without attempting to consider blogging as a technological tool amongst others, the teaching profession will have difficulty relating to students in a digital age and this will affect the student/teacher relationship.   

I just read a Superintendent’s in British Columbia’s blog in which he celebrated his faculty and staff for their “appetite for changing practice”.   In his power point presentation to the school community it was his intention to tie student achievement across all data strains to the changing dynamic occurring in the school district and the show the response of teachers and staff to the needs of students.  I am impressed. 

Entering the new school year this September, as a participant in High Schools New Face (HSNF) and as team and member of the the Erie 2 CC Boces Wiki devoted to promulgating intra-departmetal use of web 2.0 technologies, I know that I will have to be the best culinary artist and epicurean, if I am going to develop an insatiable appetite amongst the teachers I work with for the embrace and appreciation of web technologies.  I am slowly developing and forming a team of teachers who will assist our Center in bringing more teachers on board.  The start of a blog in Social Studies that 3 content teachers can help support and build is a great foot mark. 

Are there any other idea out there for me in the virtual school community, as I go down this path where some will be skeptical, others will reject and still others will be totally resistant to and shut down?     

Through his book “The World is Flat”, Thomas Friedman has given us all a new perspective on how globalization affects the work place, economic competition and by default education .   Schools have got to change and adapt teaching-learning methods that are more interactive, focused on technology use, emphasize individual problem-solving and group team work.  These teaching-learning methods  will prepare students for a competitive employment market.  The time is now, we cannot wait. 

A free download copy of the book is available until August 4, 2008. Go to www.thomaslfriedman.com/giveaway.  

Open this link to view an interview of Thomas Friedman by Ted Koppel  http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=059db33970c4329ad6493a08d005052ef5607769