Teaching and Learning With web 2.0 Tools

Over the course of this class I have learned several new things about teaching and learning with Web 2.0 tools.  While exploring various tools encountered through personal experimentation and tools suggested by others, I have found that there are a number of advantages associated with using Web 2.0 in education such as: providing interactive learning, enables collaboration with peers, promotes and fosters creativity, builds critical thinking skills, allows for students to reflect on their learning, ability to be shared, and many technologies have simple steps to follow to begin using them.

I have found that the major strength in using Web 2.0 tools is the ease of access.  Many, if not all, tools are available through cloud-based or web-based platforms, which allows for them to be used anywhere there is Internet access.  This means that students and teachers have the ability to utilize the tools at school or away from school.  Along with accessibility, most of the tools are free and provide several features when using the free versions.  This can be particularly beneficial for a "flipped" classroom, in which the lesson is recorded and shared with students.  Students have the capability of pausing a lesson in order to take notes or draw a model, answer comprehension questions to check for understanding, and share the information with parents or peers.Web 2.0 tools can also be used as center activities to reinforce or reteach content, during small group instruction for students who are not currently working in the small group. or as an exit ticket when completing a lesson.

Some of the Web 2.0 tools we explored included Twitter, YouTube, Aggregated Pages, and Social Bookmarking with Diigo.  I was unaware of the way in which Twitter can be used professionally to connect with individuals or organizations that share common goals and interest. YouTube is a great way to share lessons that students can replay, or pause. Aggregated pages and Social Bookmarking can be useful when conducting research using multiple links.  Social Bookmarking can also be used to provide "bookmarks" for resources within a given content area or subject.

Future tools will need to continue to evolve to meet the demands of our growing digital population. When we compare current technology today with that of the past, we see that devices have gotten smaller, faster, and capable of performing several different tasks simultaneously.

As students use more and more Web 2.0 tools they will expand their own digital footprint.  Some of the pitfalls of Web 2.0 tools could be in ensuring student safety and student privacy.  Another challenge may be in creating meaningful assignments.  Thus, it is imperative for educators to continue to learn about the uses and function of different web 2.0 tools.  There must be adequate professional development to ensure a smooth and thorough implementation.

Vanity Search- A Second Look

When this course began, we were asked to look for evidence of our digital footprint.  Initially, I found that my digital footprint was very limited and only relative to my web page for my school district and blogs or presentations that I created in recent classes for my graduate coursework.  I also found that there is a lot of private information that is made public without my consent, out on the "world wide web".

Having had the opportunity to explore new Web 2.0 tools and engage in using them, I can say that my digital footprint is changing and expanding.  I now have a YouTube channel and one video of my review of Seesaw, a Web 2.0 tool that allows students and teachers to create digital journals/portfolios.  I view Twitter more as a resource tool, in which I can connect with specific groups that have my same interests to gather ideas for my profession.  Having access to social bookmarking tools and aggregated pages, I can easily organize all of the social media or websites that I use frequently into one place.

As my digital footprint continues to expand, I must be aware of the information I send and receive.  I must ensure that information is viable to my profession and personal well-being.  As my students began using Web 2.0 tools more, I want to caution them to be aware of their digital footprint and how it can shape other's perspective of who they are.  There should always be a clear focus and objective for using a tool.  Once information is placed on the web, it stays there.

Implementing Personal Professional Development in Web 2.0 and Learning

This course has truly immersed and enlightened me on the many uses and benefits of Web 2.0 tools in the professional setting and classroom.  I have also been made more aware of how essential it is to have a specific focus and objective when using Web 2.0 tools with students and not to attempt to implement several tools simultaneously.  Often times, district or campus administrators will push to have several different technology tools implemented at the same time without properly training the teachers responsible for instructing students on using the tool.  I have been fortunate to work in a district that is technology driven and believes in developing and supporting teachers in technology skills.  My personal professional development and learning in Web 2.0 is 2-fold:

1.  Proficiency in at least 2 web 2.0 tools each year.  In order to integrate the use of technology, one must be familiar with the technology.  There must be adequate time to obtain the following:

• Ongoing professional development to learn how to use Web 2.0 personally and professionally in the classroom.
• Knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of the web 2.0 tool.
• Frequent practice and experimentation with the new Web 2.0 tool
• Create examples/models to use for sharing/training purposes

2.  Become a technology specialist for my campus/district.  My ultimate desire is to be able to implement a district wide initiative to place technology specialists/coordinator at each campus.  This would allow technology implementation and integration to be more fluid.  As a technology campus specialist/coordinator I would like to provide:

• Updates on practical and simple Web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom
• Technology professional development
• Classroom demonstrations to assist in initial implementation
• Ensure that Web 2.0 tools are directly tied to curriculum and student learning
• Possible technology "learning center/stations"- students would rotate through to practice skills identified as needing improvement, using web-based instructional programs such as: Study Island, Reflex Math, I-Station, etc.
• Enrichment/Creativity/Discovery learning- allow students to create various products using Web 2.0 tools to share with their class as an extension of their learning.

This implementation plan is one that will not occur immediately, however, in time would allow everyone, not only myself, to benefit from Web 2.0 tools.  As technology continues to evolve and permeate every aspect of our existence, we will need to be equipped to grow with those changes.

     

Adventures in Social Bookmarking- Diigo

This week's adventure was in social bookmarking.  Social Bookmarking is a way to save and organize web pages using tags.  Prior to this week's adventure, I had not heard of social bookmarking.  Diigo is a cloud-based system that allows you to collect, "bookmark", web pages.  All of the items collected go into the Diigo library that can be accessed anywhere.  The pages can be organized by tags for easy access later.  Using the Diigo browser add-on you can use annotations such as digital highlights and interactive sticky notes.  Web pages can be read later, uploaded or captured with annotations.  These pages can also be shared with others for collaborative research.  Another useful aspect of Diigo is "groups", which allows you to form groups that will help to generate shared knowledge over a specific topic or subject.

As an elementary teacher for 2nd grade students, I am wondering how I can incorporate the use of social bookmarking feasible for the classroom.  I recently received my confirmation for my educators account, so I'm still exploring the options I have for my classroom.  One of the helpful aspects of Diigo is that tabs can be created to separate links into various categories.  This will allow students to find information they saved by topic.  Taking notes can become easier with the annotation features of Diigo, which can be recorded directly on the web page then saved into the Diigo library.  Groups can be created for students who are working in together on a project to allow them to send messages to each other and collaborate on the project.

Of course, this tool, as with any Web 2.0 tool, will require training for the students and several opportunities for practice.  One simple activity may be to have students use the highlight feature to identify information in the form of a scavenger hunt or web quest. Once the information is located, they could highlight it, or use the sticky note to type the question that the information answers-similar to Jeopardy format. 

If anyone has any other suggestions for the use of Diigo in an elementary classroom, I'd love to hear them.

Adventures in Aggregating Pages

This week's adventure proved to be a journey of excitement, frustration, enlightenment, and discovery.  I had not explored aggregating pages prior to this week.  I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful having all of your social media, links, feeds, and more in one place.  My exploration began with Netvibes, which proved to be a little more difficult to navigate than I expected.  I was able to set up my page, however, I continue to experience errors stating that the page cannot load at this time.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the versatile customization features it has.  My next exploration was of Protopages, which has become my number 1 pick for aggregating pages.  I can easily upload feeds, web pages, and more with basically one click (copy & paste) of the url.  I am finding myself almost addicted to adding content to my pages, and rearranging content.  The last tool I explored was iGoogle.  It too, was very easy to add content to, however I feel comfortable with Protopages. 

Once I watched several YouTube videos and read a few reviews on which tool to use, I was able to place content on my page with ease.  If you are new to the concept, it does take some getting use to.

All of the tools allow you to add a variety of different content such as: web pages, RSS feeds of all kinds, and videos.  Which is what makes using aggregated pages a must for those who have several social media or portals to juggle between.  It is also very useful in organizing information for a given topic in one place for easy access to resources.

I plan on continuing my exploration of the uses for aggregated pages, so that I can create a page that will be both a professional and educational resource.

YouTube Adventure

Wow! What an engaging and challenging week this has been to set up a YouTube channel and begin creating playlists.  YouTube is a very expansive tool.  I found several videos on each of the topics: Twitter, Wikispaces, and Web 2.0 tools.  I like that the videos can be organized into playlists and shared.  YouTube allows you to create your own video using a webcam.  Once videos are uploaded you can add various tags to allow for others to search keywords to find the video content.  I am still exploring how to use all of the functionality of YouTube.  I like that the search feature is very easy to use.  The desired content word is typed into the search box and several videos are displayed.  It takes a little time to review each video, but there are a number of resources available, right at your fingertips. 

What I'm finding out, especially after this week of Web 2.0 tool explorations, it that it can become very time-consuming to engage with all that is available.  I do enjoy the variety of tools and their functionality that inspires and motivates the students to want to learn and demonstrate their knowledge of content through these various tools.

Twitter Adventure

This week's assignment was to explore Twitter under the educational lens.  I must admit that I am not an avid social media user, but I can see the benefits of utilizing the Twitter platform for several reasons in education:
1. Resources- whether you are looking for educational tools and resources or sharing them.
2. News-to the minute updates on the latest news
3. Educational organizations/forums
4. Network- build connections with fellow educators
5. Discussion boards-share ideas or ask questions; collaboration