Blogs, wikis, text messaging, virtual realities, and social networking are just a few of the innovations that have become commonplace among today's tech-savvy students—and teachers. The March 2009 issue of Educational Leadership explores the challenges and opportunities that such interactive technology brings to educators.

• What do you see as the greatest benefits of the new Web 2.0 technologies? How have you used technology to transform your teaching?
• On the flip side, what do see as the greatest pitfalls of the new media? What might educators do to mitigate some of these problems?
• What do you think educators most need to know to navigate the new digital landscape? What technological skills are necessary? How can teachers build the skills and knowledge they need?

Talking 2.0

In "Let's Talk 2.0," Michele Knobel and Dana Wilber explain how students are using the collaborative environments available on the Web to create and refine media.

• What can teachers learn from students' enthusiasm for creating media for the Web? How can teachers adapt the practices of online media creation to the classroom?
• Knobel and Wilber note that "outside school, many students are accomplished authors, filmmakers, animators, and recording artists." Are you aware of any of your students participating in these kinds of online activities? What kind of role might these activities play in student learning? Are they a distraction or an opportunity?
• Look at Knobel and Wilber's list of online resources (p. 22). Are you familiar with any of these sites? Have you used any of them with your students? Try visiting two or three sites on the list and brainstorming ways that you can use this resource with your students.

Wht R U Saying?

In "Are Digital Media Changing Language?" Naomi S. Baron says that language has never been static. Changes in spelling, syntax, and so on are part of the natural evolution of language.

• How do you feel about the current shifts in usage, such as the frequent use of abbreviations, that have come with new technology? Have you seen these shifts in your students' writing? How do you respond?
• Baron notes that some scholars, such as David Crystal and Beverly Plester, see text messaging as a venue for creativity. What do you think? (See the "Educator's Guide to Internet Slang" on p. 96 of EL for several examples of slang words that have come from the world of text messaging and online chatting.)
• On page 46, Baron says that teachers "might choose to be linguistically hard-nosed" or "choose to admit more casual spoken style into the classroom." Which approach do you follow and why? What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?

Doing Research Right

Several articles in this issue explore how students use online resources to do research. (See especially "Stepping Beyond Wikipedia" by William Badke, "Rethinking Online Reading Assessment" by Julie Coiro, and "Plagiarism in the Internet Age" by Rebecca Moore Howard and Laura J. Davies.)

• How has the easy availability of online information changed how your students do research? For example, do you see more plagiarism today than in the past? Do you find that students are able to access more useful information? Or they just finding more information, instead of better information?
• What is your attitude toward Wikipedia? Do you allow students to cite it in their research? What guidance should teachers offer to ensure that students are getting accurate information from Wikipedia and other sites?