Hot Idea For Collaborative Problem Solving: Global Warming Student Speakout

Suppose you're a teacher, media specialist, administrator, or system technology director and you're intrigued by the idea of online collaboration amongst students but you're not sure how to go about it. You know that the tax-payers in your system have paid a pretty penny for the technology resources in the classrooms of your school and they trust that their investments in hardware, software, and networking will result in better learning. On top of that, you're loathe to allow all of that technology-interactive whiteboards, ceiling-mounted projectors, desktops, wireless laptops, data probes, and the like-to sit around and gather dust while the rest of the world outside of the classroom has embraces the internet and all manner of digital innovations. What can you do to encourage fellow educators to integrate technology so that pupils have an opportunity to use science, math, and reading in a real-world manner to address a pressing problem? Answer: Consider participating in Google's timely Global Warming Student Speakout. The entire venture is free. Using intuitive tools found at Google Docs & Spreadsheets, your students will be able to create, collect, and share ideas about ways to combat global warming. The instructions for the entire process are online. Once your learners have amassed and refined their ideas, you have until November 2nd to send Google a link to your document. Afterwards, Google andGlobalSchoolnet will choose the top 50 ideas and publish them online and in a November issue of the Washington Post. If you teach Earth Science or know someone who does, pass the word.