Web+2.0

There are so many different tools that can be used in Web 2.0. I decided to explore five of them and then determine how I could use each one in the classroom. Before I go into each tool, I would just like to begin with commenting on how important it is for teachers to understand these tools themselves and to make strict guidelines for their students when they are using the tools themselves. There are a lot of ways for these tools to be used, and not all of them are appropriate in educational settings. I first began by looking at Prezi. I have actually never heard of this tool before until this assignment. Whenever I am given an assignment to make a presentation, I always just use powerpoint because that is all I have known. It is great to know that there are other tools out there that can be used for presentations. When watching the basic step by step instruction video on the website, I realized that this could be a lot more interesting than powerpoint. It could also be a little easier when it comes to smaller presentations that do not require a lot of slides or imagery. I would love to use Prezi in my classroom. I believe that Prezi may keep students more engaged than powerpoint since there are cool and creative ways to go from text to text. I think elementary students my think it’s a little bit more fun to look at. I want my classroom to be very interactive and not just a place where I am standing up in front of the students all the time lecturing. So I think it would be really fun to have the students make Prezi presentations to present to the class about something that interests them or something/someone in their life that they love. It would have to be older elementary aged students, but from what I see, there is a lot of room for creativity in Prezi. The second Web 2.0 tool I looked at was slide.com. After going on their website I’m still a little fuzzy on what it is all about. So I feel like I would have to play around with it more when I have more time to really understand it. From what I did gather, this would be a great tool to bring into the classroom for younger elementary aged students. It seems to be a creative tool for students to use to make up environments. For example there is one environment in which you are given a farm where you have to take care of the animals. These seem to be fun educational games that students could do. I remember when I was in elementary school playing Oregon Trail on the computer. These interactive environments remind me of that game. The third tool I explored was google doc. This is a cool interactive tool in which a person can make a document, presentation, drawings, spreadsheets etc. and share them with friends and other people you invite to edit and collaborate with your ideas. I love the concept behind this! I believe that it would be a great asset in the classroom. I remember in school swapping rough drafts with someone sitting next to you so that they could edit and give you ideas for your paper. This is essentially the same idea, but on the computer. You could have kids partner up and swap projects for editing purposes. It could also make it a lot easier for students to do group projects. One student could add their part and then they can pass it on to another student in their group to put in their part. Out of all the tools I looked at, PBworks was probably my favorite. For one thing, they make it very comprehensive on how a teacher can use PBworks. I really like that in a tool. Some of these tools can seem a little confusing when you first go onto it, and that makes it hard to understand what they actually can be used for. I like PBworks because it can be used throughout the year as a tool for the students to use in and outside of the classroom. It also encourages student-centered learning. I also like the idea that it keeps parents up to date about homework assignments and it can also make lists of parent volunteers for the class. Overall, I believe that I will definitely be using PBworks or a tool like it in my classroom. The last tool I explored was blogging. I already have a personal blog that I occasionally use so I have some background knowledge on this tool. I think that this is also a good tool to use in the classroom. This is a great tool to post something that you want a mass amount of people to view and read. One way to integrate blogging in the classroom is to post inspirational quotes, unusual words and their definitions, controversial articles etc., and have your students comment on your blogs. You could also have students write blogs as a journaling technique. They could respond to class that day, reading passages and other lessons they learned in school. You can also add pictures and have creative and colorful skins (backgrounds) for your blogs which can make journaling a little bit more fun for students.

//This assignment was to help us see what different technological tools are available for teachers. It is very helpful to know how to use this stuff in the classroom and the benefits it can have on your students.//