New Year = Not-So-New Tools

After taking a year-long foray into the world of middle school library, I am back in the technology integration game.  I learned a great deal about the Dewey Decimal Classification and reference materials last year, but it feels so good to be here again, talking technology and learning.
Today the kids are out of school enjoying unseasonably mild mid-October weather, while we teachers are spending the day making sure that we are taking the right steps to help our students grasp content.  I am doing a late afternoon session on wikis, blogs and Google Docs at one of our middle schools.  In preparing for the session that will introduce (or reintroduce) teachers to these tools, I stumbled across a matrix that I have found quite helpful! I don't know who created it, but it is going to be my guiding tool for today.  Thanks to the person who put their time and effort into preparing this chart.

Blogs, Wikis, Docs: Which is right for your lesson?  A Comparison Table

Summer, I <3 U!

Ah, the lazy days of summer! If you are an educator or student, that is. At the end of the school year, I had every intention of writing posts all summer long. I actually wrote one just after school let out. However, a couch potato thwarted my attempts. She made me watch nine episodes of the first season of HBO's True Blood in one day. She forced me to lay in the sun reading books, not once, but three times! She cajoled me to take several long walks with my dog. Couch potato, if you and I were not one-in-the-same person, I would julienne slice you and fry you up with some sweet yellow onion.
But hey, isn't having the summer off one of the perks of being in education? I may not have to go into school each day during June, July, and August, but I still work all summer long. I spend a great deal of time surfing for good resources on the Internet, read books and education articles on the web, spend time networking with other educators on Twitter and Plurk, and occasionally play games on my computer to keep my brain sharp. You won't see me losing a half year of learning over the summer, nosiree!
Next week, I am conducting a workshop for teachers in a neighboring district on blogging, using wikis and podcasting. I have had force myself to put down the remote and hold off watching the last three episodes of True Blood in order to plan my session. The planning hasn't been a pain in the neck at all! It is also nice to focus without being interrupted.
What blog hosts and wiki hosts do you find best lend themselves to K-12 teachers and classrooms? What do you use for podcasting? What are some of the most innovative ways you have seen each used by teachers and students? All suggestions, links to great examples and tutorials welcome!