EtherPad

Ahhhh... EtherPad... I can't decide how I feel about this tool. I did try using it with my kids this past year. I clearly had not prepared them to use it effectively because it did not go very smoothly. I just remember a lot of arguing. It makes sense when you think about it. It would be frustrating to have someone cut in on my screen right this moment and start typing away. I would be so distracted and possibly lose my train of thought. That being said, I don't want to discount a tool simply because I did a poor job introducing it to them. We do a lot of group writing in our classrooms in fourth grade, so I think it could definitely come in handy. It may help to have each child engaged with their own screen and keyboard instead of just milling around behind the one person who is typing.

I started up an EtherPad just for fun. It's just a blanket statement about my conference in Houston (which was FANTASTIC) by the way. I think this link will take you there...

My EtherPad

A note about messaging with this tool... I had a group of boys use it outside of school as a messaging tool. They never seemed to be able to catch each other at the same time, but they did regularly check it and post new messages. As far as I know, it wasn't used during class, but it easily could be. There are so many ways to be able to message during class now, I can't imagine nixing a tool just because of that.

Come to think of it, this would be a great tool for PLC's. It would be easy to have our progress in a particular area posted on an Etherpad and have people jump on and comment. Just a thought...