Let's Go Shopping!

Over the summer, we developed an online project idea that could not use Web 2.0 ideas. My project idea was for a telefieldtrip dealing with shopping, food, and money. The idea was that anyone could submit a video to me of them giving a tour of a store and talking in their native language about the prices of things and what things are in general. They would then go through the check out and talk us through the purchase. The videos would be posted to a website for viewing only. This project was meant for all languages and age groups, so as to be more global.

Now that we can think about it in a Web 2.0 environment, I am seriously considering implementing this idea. I could very easily create a wiki that is open for public input. There would be pages for each language and then a listing of the different type of store (grocery, clothing, hardware, etc). The nice thing about it being Web 2.0 is that is would not require as much work from me, while at the same time allowing me to moderate the project to keep it age appropriate. Also, it would be search-able, which would be more difficult to do in a Web 1.0 environment. Also, people could write comments to each other. The only problem is having enough server space to keep all the videos up. To alleviate this, people could just upload them to youtube and then just link to the videos on the wiki. Creating an account with youtube and uploading a video is very easy and free! I just did it! The best part is you can set the privacy settings to make the video only available if someone has the link or if you designate them as a viewer.

This has so many applications in the classroom. Wouldn't it be cool to post a video of your students doing something and then send home the link to the parents? It would be like the parents were really there and they could see all the learning going on in your classroom. They could share the link with anyone they trust and not have to worry about the video being available to the public. Or your school could post a video of a school assembly that only the parents can view. But I digress...

The people submitting to the shopping wiki could put a short description of the video along with the link, to make it more like a resource than just a listing. I think this project could really bring people together in a different way and would make learning a foreign language and using math skills more meaningful. How cool would it be to see what stores look like in Japan or South Africa or Peru or Iran?

I hope you enjoyed the video of my cat, by the way ;) He doesn't freak out nearly as much when we put the harness on him now. That was his first experience, as you can tell.