Posterous Spaces: Great Tool for Classroom Content

I have heard of Posterous Spaces before, but this week is the first time I have had time to give the interface a whirl and try it out. My first thoughts are that this is just a fancy blog, but as I dive deeper into it, I see the benefits that Posterous can provide when used as a classroom management system and a one -stop-source for all of your assignments and content resources.  Posterous is a powerful and free tool for teachers and students to use to gather resources and document projects as well as communicate with other students, teachers, and parents to create a communal learning environment.

If you are thinking of using Posterous for a solution to online content management and coursework for students, here are some of the benefits that Posterous gives you:

• Lots of templates:  Plenty of layouts to give your space the right look.
• You can make as many spaces as you want.  Think of each space as a topic or a lesson plan
• Add videos, audio, documents, etc...  Even Powerpoint slides can be uploaded.  The student never has to leave the site, all objects are converted and set to be viewed right in the space.
• Comments:  Use the comments section in each space to extend learning opportunities and create discussions about the topic/lesson you are presenting.  Students love to post and participate in an online discussion.
• Security:  Your spaces can be viewed publicly, or you can control permissions to the site, only letting students in.
• Tablet users:  Posterous has an app that lets you do all of the work from your Ipad or Android device. Also students can view and participate on their tablets or smartphones.

Overall, I think Posterous has a place in where education is going today, providing a blended learning platform. Teachers and students can personalize their learning and develop 21st century thinking skills along the way by participating in web technologies that combine services and make creation of content easier and more effective.
Check out the test space I created in about 5 minutes here